blog discovery

Sara stated that the blogosphere felt rather small, and I quickly agreed. It seems like the more time that I spend within the blogosphere (professionally), the more I notice the same old blogs authored by the same “inner circle” of bloggers. This makes me wonder how many blogs remain undiscovered, and how deep the talent pool really could be if prospective bloggers were lead down the right path.

So Why Haven’t YOU Been Discovered?

There are many potential reasons for this, but none of them are the fault of the blogosphere and the sooner that aspiring bloggers realize this fact, the sooner that they will be able to harness their true potential and will become “discovered” so to speak.

Let’s delve into a couple of key factors that that I consider to be especially important:

Blog Networking

In my opinion, this is the #1 reason that you should own a blog in the first place. Turning a profit will come with time if you are truly dedicated to your craft, but networking with others in the blogosphere will help you now in so many other ways that it simply cannot be overlooked.

Social Networking. When I say social networking, I’m not about talking Myspace - I’m talking about MyBlogLog. If you’re going to be a successful blogger, you’ll have to find out where the successful bloggers network. Contrary to popular cultural belief, I refuse to believe that most successful bloggers are 16 year old girls writing about Paris Hilton or the latest episode of The Hills. Get out there, join blogging communities and network within your niche.

Comment on Similar Blogs. I make it a point every morning to wake up thirty minutes early and read up on what my blogosphere friends have to say. Not only will this keep you one step ahead of the game (since our industry changes so rapidly), but it also gives you a prime opportunity to leave a comment as well. Leaving quality comments are both a great way to meet new bloggers and gain some extra traffic at the same time. It’s also nice because those same bloggers will often return the favor by commenting on your blog, which always feels good. I try to make it a point to visit at least one new blog every single day on top of my current ‘rounds’ to ensure that I’m always meeting and interacting with new bloggers.

Join the Forums. Hang out with us. By visiting and posting on the forums, you’ll be able to learn from both our mistakes and successes. There’s a ton of webmaster forums and many of them now contain specific blogging sub forums. There are also a couple of excellent blog-specific forums that have started to sprout up over the past couple of months.

Blog Optimization

Optimizing your blog is extremely crucial and its importance should never be ignored. I’ve been writing more and more material on this subject as of late and the fact is, search engine optimization is my livelihood. For WordPress users, I highly recommend downloading and installing All In One SEO Plugin Pack for a great start.

Blog Design

Though this may go hand in hand with blog optimization, it’s certainly important enough to list under its own sub-heading. I feel that it’s very important to have a unique design to separate your blog from the rest of the blogosphere. Think of it this way:

Are you more likely to remember a blog that looks like dozens of others, or are you more likely to remember the one that has its own unique look and feel?

Templates are great – as a starting point. Don’t make the mistake of treating them as a be all end all solution to your blog’s design. After all, you invest a good amount of time writing quality content; your blog definitely deserves its own unique look and feel.

You’re Thoughts?

Though this entry revolves around the subject of blogging, all of the key aspects will work well with most any type of website. The point is to get out there and network, optimize, and polish your design. After you draw each visitor in, make them want to keep coming back time and time again. – What are your thoughts on the subject?

Share This

Popularity: 55% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!