Tonight I am fighting a cold so I stayed home while our kids went to a Family dance at their school without me.For those of you with only small children just remember there will come a day when your oldest will be driving. That creates a whole new set of worries but it is great sometimes when they can drive themselves around. After putting my baby to bed I thought I might get to work on the wedding gown I'm making but somehow I ended up sitting at the computer and checking out sites like shabbyblogs.com for new blog design ideas. Would I gain more visits if I switched to something less folksy?
It seems lately I have become overly concerned about how I can get more followers for my blog. Blogging is starting to feel like a popularity contest. When I get a new follower I get all excited and when I lose one I wonder what I'm doing wrong. Just the WORD follower brings to mind other words like peer pressure, popularity, etc. Its so juvenile! Why not use some other word like " subscriber " ? It's like I'm in high school again but I'm the loner who can't quite figure it all out. I'll go on some blogs and they'll have 5,000 followers and I can't help but feel a little envious. How are these other bloggers shining so bright in the blogging stratosphere? Of course their photography can be amazing and they might have amazing content and just basically be way better than me.. See, why am I reverting back to being an insecure teenager?
I started blogging because I thought it would be a fun way to express myself and share
information with people about my sewing projects, my love of all things vintage, and our life on a little orange ranch.I totally appreciate the Followers I do have and I love it when someone comments but I'm starting to compare myself to other bloggers too much. I'm actually considering removing my Followers widget and just focusing on getting back to the fun of blogging and not worrying about anything else.
It seems lately I have become overly concerned about how I can get more followers for my blog. Blogging is starting to feel like a popularity contest. When I get a new follower I get all excited and when I lose one I wonder what I'm doing wrong. Just the WORD follower brings to mind other words like peer pressure, popularity, etc. Its so juvenile! Why not use some other word like " subscriber " ? It's like I'm in high school again but I'm the loner who can't quite figure it all out. I'll go on some blogs and they'll have 5,000 followers and I can't help but feel a little envious. How are these other bloggers shining so bright in the blogging stratosphere? Of course their photography can be amazing and they might have amazing content and just basically be way better than me.. See, why am I reverting back to being an insecure teenager?
I started blogging because I thought it would be a fun way to express myself and share
information with people about my sewing projects, my love of all things vintage, and our life on a little orange ranch.I totally appreciate the Followers I do have and I love it when someone comments but I'm starting to compare myself to other bloggers too much. I'm actually considering removing my Followers widget and just focusing on getting back to the fun of blogging and not worrying about anything else.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty new to blogging myself, both writing and reading. I have been curious about why some blogs have so many followers, and in most cases in my observation, those blogs 1) have been going for a long time 2) are associated with a business or have advertising/sponsors 3) focus a lot of attention on engaging the blog's readers 4) have carefully timed posts. #3 seems to be through questions, polls, giveaways, etc. For #2, the advertising on the blog makes me wonder if you end up in google search results in better placement, and for the blogs associated with stores, the store/website ends up being advertising for the blog itself. Anyway, there's whole books and consulting businesses out there on this subject, I think.
Personally, I like that your blog doesn't have some of those features! I like your folksy approach...it's not cookie cutter, you're not obviously out to make a buck, your posts aren't interspersed with advertisements for clothing shops and crafty items.
So, I think cultivating a large list of followers is Work and changes the feeling of a blog! That's my two cents.
Good Morning, I am very new to blogging, (3 weeks). I have only one follower so far. I was so excited when I got that one. I am not sure how to go about getting more people to follow me. Maybe I need to be more interesting. I do like blogging and will keep it up. My blog is janesewsandsews.blogspot.com. If you check it out and have any comments I will welcome them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMight be worth a try....When adding a blog to my reader I look for...something that I am personally interested in (knitting, vintage, embroidery etc) and a sense of time and place. I am put off my givaways, music and too much jazz...
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do use my blog in part to promote my etsy shop, I generally find it quite creative and enjoyable
Thanks so much for the comments ladies! Iowa Hoodlum, that is true about those blogs with large followers. One of my faves, Grosgrain fabulous seems to have giveaways almost every week. I don't know how she does it with small children.. When I finally finish a project I usually want to keep it or I have made it for one of my daughters. I guess at a certain point the blog becomes a business for some people. But with that comes the pressure to always be coming up with something new and better and sometimes that can kill your creativity. Jane, I'll check out your blog and Fabrique Fantastique I have enjoyed looking at your blog. I don't always comment because I'm often doing a million things at once, but I'm out there!
ReplyDeleteI don't blog, but I was randomly thinking about how to "sell" one's blog recently (I follow about 20 sewing/crafting blogs and just happened upon yours this past weekend). I think that offering the occassional give-aways and posting tutorials pull people in (or keeps current readers checking back often), even if they are simple. I also think that cross-promotion is really key. Many well-known bloggers guest blog amongst each other's sites, and many sewers/crafters actively post on sites like Burdastyle.com to pull in new readership. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks sandoz. I have been just learning about the value of posting on sites like Burdastyle and Patternreview.com
ReplyDelete