The blogosphere is a different world to navigate. I have been trying to the past month and a half to break into the cooking and food enthusiast blog community. And...to be frank, I have been very unsuccessful. I have been blogging weekly and have even started posting pictures of my topics like the people who have followers and commenters. I tweet all of my blog posts to update all of my friends about a new post. But, because only people I know in real life follow me on Twitter, the only people who have commented or have been following my blog are my mom and my freshman year roommate! I know other friends are reading it because they text me or talk to me about it and I am trying to get them to comment on the blog instead of directly to me...it wouldn't be the same as having an anonymous person comment on my blog but it is a step in the right direction!
I have heard, from friends of mine who blog about things like politics and local news, that there are blog promotional community-like sites where you can create a profile for you blog and it updates on that site every time you post. But I have not been able to find something like that for food blogs and posting my blog on a politics or news discussion board seems a little desperate!
The title of my blog, 'Glass Onion Perspective,' is a play on a Beatles song from the White Album. I thought that would get some people's attention because it is a Beatles themed title for a cooking blog, but alas, I was wrong again! Hopefully I will find some sites where I can post my blog URL to get people to start looking at it and I will have something more to say about my progress for my next practicum post!
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteMy mom has had a blog for about 4 years now and it has taken her a while to build up a following. Like you, her initial readers were only friends and family and it took time for other individuals to even find the blog. One way that she gained readers was by reading other people's blogs and commenting on their posts. She'd also do little plugs for her own blog in the comments, which lead a lot more people to her site. It's hard to gain a following, but at least knowing that your friends and family are reading it helps. Good luck!
Jana
Hannah I can relate to some of the problems you have been having. Similarly I am doing my project on cooking. I have not created a blog but for my project have been getting involved in specialized interest message boards. I have been posting recipes on several of the boards and sharing with others tips I have to offer. I have yet to receive any comments on my recipes but when I look at others who have posted several comments can be found. I think it will just take time for your audience to expand and for people to read into what you have to share with them. Jana brings up a lot of good points and hopefully you will begin to reach more people as you hope!
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