Popularity
The other day, I read a blog post titled, The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog. And I kind of scoffed at the seven suggestions. Take a look at the suggestions and see why I think they’re loaded with BS…
- Have a conversation. The world’s most popular blog, The Huffington Post, reads more like a newspaper than it does a blog. There is no how are you feeling today embedded in its text. Instead, posts are intelligent, share knowledge and make a very defined point. Screwing the touchy feely has worked just fine for them.
- Lighten up. Another blog that reads more like a newspaper is The Daily Beast. Founder, Tina Brown, is a heavyweight in the news industry. I’m not sure she really needed to lighten up in order to strike a blogging gold mine.
- Be yourself. When blogging creators of LOL Cats decided to take photos of cats and add ridiculous sayings to them, I’m pretty sure the creators weren’t exactly being themselves. Being snarky? Yes. Trying to snag attention? Sure. But, being genuine? Meh.
- Be nice. Ever checked out a celebrity gossip blog? Perez Hilton comes to mind. He might be wildly popular, but he often checks nice in at the door before he writes his blogs everyday.
- Get over yourself. Kind of ironic that after they tell you to be yourself, they then tell you to get over yourself. They go on to say your blog isn’t about you, but it’s about your readers. Well, I’m pretty Stephanie Klein might disagree. When she started writing Greek Tragedy, it was all about her life. Her stories. Her angle. And that’s how she built her career, her business, her brand. She might be humble in the way she presents it, but she’s pretty much all about herself – and succeeded at doing so!
- Help people. Right. Everyone who becomes a popular blogger is all about helping others. Sure. Dooce is a highly successful blogger who really doesn’t help anyone through her blog (other than making a great salary to support her family). Why on earth should she become this giving soul to the blogging community at large? I might not like her style, but let’s face it, she figured out a way to make it work. She has a huge following. TV appearances. And even a TV show coming soon (if I’m not mistaken). The primary purpose of her blog definitely is not about helping others.
- Stop trying so hard. See all of the above-mentioned blogs. If you told any top blogger that they’re trying too hard, they’d probably laugh at you. How on earth do you think they got their top ranking in the first place? Top bloggers consider blogging a job, not a hobby. It’s integral to their businesses and their lives. If they stopped trying so hard, surely their rankings would suffer.
That said, there was a time when I wanted to be a popular blogger. I wanted to rack up hundreds of comments. I wanted people to link to me. I wanted to have Technorati wrapped around my pretty little finger. I wanted people to click on my ads, so I could start earning money. And then reality bit me in the ass.
Turning into a popular blogger goes against every grain in my body. It would require serious networking (in the blogosphere, that means reading and commenting on hundreds of blogs in the hopes those bloggers reciprocate, which seems to be the name of the game). It would require serious commitment to my blog (responding to comments, for me, is key and the more comments you have, the more time it takes to respond to them). And it might even require scaling down the topics I discuss on my blog (the most popular bloggers have a niche – celebrity gossip, news, cooking, snarkery, etc. – and I’m none of those things, nor do I want to become any of those things).
So, I reeled things in a bit. I no longer cared about my stats. The number of comments I received. Or even ads (ad-free since 2009 and riding proud). I try to write in my own voice, not to impress anyone in particular, but just hoping I’m heard. Even if it’s only by one person. I try to reach out to my readers and make the conversation more than just what I write on the page. And I’ve tried to make this space intimate, a place you like to visit and a place where you might even feel comfortable opening up.
I may not be popular, but based on my own blogging goals, I definitely feel like I’m succeeding. How do you define blogging success and are you achieving your own blogging goals?
August 3rd, 2010 at 7:45 am
My goals are very limited. 1. Maintain a place where I can express my thoughts, feelings or opinions. 2. Make a few awesome friends and meet people who I would have never met in the course of normal life. I have more than succeeded.
I can see that the list is helpful, but it clearly no the “be all end all” to blogging success.
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:07 am
I’d say blogging is whatever you want to get out of it. If you do want it to become very popular, have thousands of readers, etc., then you have to give it a lot of time and energy. It’s basically like a little business on the side that could grow into your own personal business.
But that’s not for me. I started out a blog to keep my friends and family up to date with what’s happening with me and then I made some friends out of it (which is a great plus). It’s basically a place where I can pour out my own thoughts or share with others what I’ve done, have a little fun sometimes and that’s pretty much it!
Oh and that list? Complete crap. Sorry, but it really is.
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:20 am
I really feel like I could have written this myself. There was a time when I really wanted my blog to grow. I wanted to run with the big kids. Then, I realized what that meant. My blog is an amazing hobby, and it’s been a wonderful way for me to meet people and share my thoughts…but I don’t want to spend 24 hours a day reading, commenting, and networking. So, I write for me, and I hope people will listen. Like you, I make an effort to respond to comments. Do I miss some on occasion? Sure, but I think my readers know that I’m actually listening to what they say. Responding to comments allows me to connect with all of my readers…even those whose blogs I just can’t always get to.
I tried the ads thing for a while to, but I found that even that was limiting. I didn’t want to have to start another blog just to offer my opinion on a product I like or to host a giveaway.
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:23 am
Good point: how can you be yourself and also get over yourself? It’s a nice thought that there is a list we could all follow to reach blogging heights, but, as you point out, it’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.
My goals are pretty simple. I just want to keep writing and to make some friends, and I think I’m doing okay so far.
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:27 am
For me, blogging success is all about forming relationships with other bloggers and connecting with people that I wouldn’t have ‘met’ if it wasn’t for blogging. I know I will never have a super popular blog and I am ok with that. I don’t have the time or energy to commit to being a mega-popular blogger…
August 3rd, 2010 at 9:13 am
Whoa, wait just one hot minute. You mean you’re telling me I’m not a megasuperawesomepopular blogger? Well, damn. ;)
Joking aside, I blog because I like to write. I blog when I have the time (which, lately, is not often) and to connect with lovely people, such as yourself. I’m so happy I’ve found a happy little group of blogging friends, especially locals, who I find interesting and inspiring.
Also, I really admire how well you know yourself and what you want, like, dislike, etc. I strive to be as self-confident and am always working towards it. See? Inspiring :)
August 3rd, 2010 at 9:29 am
I don’t think there are “rules” for blogging. And any time there are rules, they are made to be broken. Blogs are what you make them and if you’re good at it and enjoy it, you’ll be successful, like a lot of things in life. Applying rules is not what it’s about…ug. I do think that for expereinced journalists like you’ll find and Huffington Post or Daily Beast, the goal (and thus guidelines) are different). For Jane Public, conversation is important, I got readers by asking questions and by reading other blogs. it’s about engaging for most people.
And, I have to disagree with what on you said about being yourself. I think the point is more that the people doing LOL cats ARE being themselves--theirs are personalities that would put funny captions on cat pictures, not try to put up a blog to compete with the Wall Street Journal. Doing what interestes and amuses them (i.e. being themselves) makes the blog enjoyable and successful. I think that’s what they mean about being yourself.
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:08 am
My blog has helped me heal and is helping me become who I am supposed to be. That journey in and of itself is enough.
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:29 am
I think that those tips, while they are obviously not set in stone, are still generally good things to keep in mind for most bloggers, whether the goal is popularity, community, brain dump, or whatever else. Of course there are popular blogs that don’t follow those rules, but for the most part my favorite bloggers do tend to adhere to at least some of the items in that list, whether they do it on purpose or not.
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:48 am
And I think sometimes you start bogging for one reason and it changes, or maybe the reason fades and so does the blog…happened to me. Blogs serve personal purposes I guess. That’s what it comes to really…
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:47 am
This is great! If one tried to do all of these things, one may not be living up to number 3 and then one would fail at the whole list. I really don’t know any successful bloggers who adhere to this list. Sounds like someone was having a slow day :)
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:17 pm
I am so glad that you wrote about this today and took time to dissect the “7 secrets” above. Every time I read about another blogger getting a book deal or a freelance offer or a new job venture because of their blogging, it makes me reevaluate where I am and what I want out of blogging. It’s like, on the one hand I envy them for their success, but on the other, I don’t think that’s ultimately what I’m reaching for in my own blogging. The truth of the matter is, if someone came to me with any of those offers, I’d likely jump at them but that’s definitely not something I’m actively seeking. As it is, I’ve already gotten far more than I ever would have imagined from the experience…new friends, some who even work in the same field as me, and even a boyfriend. Not bad when all I set out to accomplish in the beginning was to write for me.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I blog because I love to write. I started my blog as a place to practice writing, in an attempt to remember what it was like to write expressively. I think I’ve gotten a bit “off track” from that goal, so I’m trying to get back there.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
My blog is a place where I vent my crazy -- I’m not trying to be wildly popular or well-known. I’ve certainly felt moments of envy when I come across a a hugely successful blogger but then I just ask myself what blogging success means to me -- when I reframe my thinking, I realize that forming a few strong relationships with people who I would never have the chance to meet or interact with outside of blogging is my success.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Once I got over the whole, “I wanna be popular damnit!” I got so much more out of blogging. I blog because it helps me rationalise things and put things into perspective. I blog because I want to… when I want to. Having said that, it’s nice to know that you have some readers out there who know what you’re going through. The best thing I’ve found out whilst blogging is that I’m not alone in what I’m going through from my job right through to my mental health issues :)
August 3rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Guess I should stop asking people how they’re doing? Nah. I think we all gotta write in our own voice…and I like to have a conversation. We all should be true to ourselves right?
August 3rd, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Some people draw pictures, some people paint, some people blog. Think of it as your own personal creative expression. Personally I like to know that at least one other person is reading what I write. But at the end of the day, it really is all about having an outlet and just being able to write. If more people visit & comment, that’s lovely. But that’s not my goal.
August 3rd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I like the community involved with blogging. I’m afraid I don’t share points of view with a lot of the people that I meet in real life, so it’s very nice to be able to connect with people all over the world with similar interests.
I think there are benefits to not being a “popular” blogger. Personally, I feel that I know my readers on some level and they are comfortable offering a dissenting opinion and constructive criticism. To me, that is much more valuable than a lot of page views and empty comments from people fishing for a visit to their own blog.
August 3rd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Hmmmmmm, in my mind you are quite a popular blogger! And I think you do such a great job of interacting with your readers, not just by responding to comments but by posting on a variety of topics that you care about.
I LIKE reading about the personal lives of other bloggers, that’s why I read blogs! I enjoy getting to know the little bits of personality and daily life, no matter how mundane they may seem.
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
I’ve decided I’m not nearly competitive enough to be a Popular Blogger. I’m too lazy ;) LOL
I also find it interesting that some of the bloggers I’ve often thought of as ‘popular’ have the same (kinda mediocre) ‘numbers’ as I do. Funny how our perception is sometimes, isn’t it?
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:01 pm
A) Snarkery is my new favorite word.
B) I think you’re pretty.
xox
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:09 pm
While some of these seem okay, I don’t think they’re hard and fast rules. I actually don’t think there are any hard and fast rules when it comes to blogging, right?
August 4th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
You’re popular in “the right circle” ;) and that’s all that matters.
August 4th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
I used to care about stats and comment numbers. Now? Not so much. I have built a community on my blog and that -- those people who take the time to read -- are what matter.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:16 am
#3 Be Yourself is actually one I really believe in, and strive for myself. Blogs that have a gimmick or seem to exist solely to become the Next Big Thing, really turn me off. And when it comes to me and my little old blog, I couldn’t keep doing it if I weren’t being authentic. I spent far too long trying to be something I’m not … I have to constantly guard against slipping back into those old habits.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I try to always be myself, share enough, but not too much with the public.
For me success is being able to write a post and have at least one person relate to it in some small way/shape or form. By the same token, i also love it when some challenges my line of thought as well.
August 6th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
GREAT post, Nilsa.
When I started blogging, I found a blog, which of course I won’t name our of kindness, in which I was so jealous of because of the amount of comments and the pure hilarity of it all. For years, literally, I tried so hard to be this person instead of myself. I got a few comments, a few connections…
…then I grew up, or got wiser, or something. I started being myself. Saying was I wanted to say. Blogged about things that interested me. And with that, people just found me and interacted with me. I actually WANT to read the blogs that I have in my reader. It’s not 1,000 anymore…it’s a modest 50, and I get through them throughout the week.
If I’m not considered a “popular blogger” I’m okay with that. I love the connections that I’ve made from being who I am, and not following any of the so-called “rules” of blogging that I’ve seen everywhere.
August 18th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Love this post. And I share your same observations with the list of blogs you gave as examples. I’ve always felt the same way about Perez Hilton and Dooce, where their main focus in running a business that happens to be a blog.
For me, being a successful blogger would mean providing some sort of service that is helpful to people on a regular basis. While I love to write and enjoy coming up with posts that allow me to express myself, tell a good story or share something funny, in the end, I simply would like to be known as someone that a nice group of readers followed.