When a blog is nominated for “New Blog Of The Week” (NBOTW) by so many of the BWAB readers, I can’t ignore it. In fact, it’s a blog I’ve been following, too.
From his post titled, ” Here Is A Macbook, Go Make Your Million”, you know the author is a writer when you read words that so eloquently say:
Daisy and I have been married for seven years, holding hands for eleven. It’s a bit of time, but compared to my grandparents who were married for three quarters of a century, it’s really just the first few buds to bloom on the branches of a freshly planted tree.
While researching blogging, he read he needed a niche. After much thought, here’s what he wrote in Let’s Put Ourselves Together
I quickly decided that speaking to a niche would dull my voice, and until I discovered my niche, I should just speak as though over a cup of coffee, even if it’s to someone sitting at their own keyboard on the other side of the world.
Success means different things to different people. For this blog author, he knows what he wants. To quote him (from his post titled:Crabs Don’t Walk Straight For A Reason) he says:
I want to see everything I haven’t, learn what I don’t know, and visit places that will fill me in a way that the same half a million street signs stuck deep in the concrete of my own city never could. Being able to find success as a writer, means my office can fit in a knapsack.
He needs no introduction as he’s already a part of the BWAB community. For those who may have missed his blog, he’s a writer, and he’s a dad, He’s Writer Dad.
Please join me re-welcoming Writer Dad to the BWAB community.
Hello again, Writer Dad! 
Photo Credit: DanieVDM’s photostream
( book) and the four day work week are both popular ideas. Based on the concept of “four”, I’ll be experimenting with the “Four Day Open Mic”.
Hi. I'm Barbara Swafford and I'd like to welcome you to Blogging Without A Blog. Grab a seat, share your thoughts and join in the conversation. 
Building our blog communities is accomplished in our comment section.
Last week Liz Strauss, author Successful And Outstanding Bloggers and “The Secret to Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog (the book), answered the question, “How To Format A Blog Post To Maximize Comments”.
As we all know, part of receiving comments is answering them. Our readers want to know they’re being heard. Based on the fact Liz will soon be sporting 70,000 comments on her blog, I asked what her secret is to inspiring her readers to continue to leave comments, thus building community.
I asked: With the amount of comments you receive, I suspect your readers are finding more than “just another blog” where they can share their opinion. When you read and answer your comments, what technique do you use to make each reader feel so special they want to subscribe to your blog and/or continue reading your work?
Liz answered: I don’t do much special. In fact, I suspect I do exactly what you do. I read the person’s name, say hello, and comment back to each one, exactly the way I might if I met that person face to face in my house at my front door. I want to know what people are thinking. It’s a genuine curiosity on my part about who they are and what I might learn from where they’ve been and what they’ve taken from what they read. We build a response together.
I often click through the link to see who I’m talking to before I write my answer. I like to answer each person individually. After all each person talked to me one at a time.
When Ellen of Wilson’s Words and Pictures asked how Liz manages to answer the massive amount of comments she gets, she continued on by saying:
How do you answer questions your kids ask? One at a time. Answering comments is no different. I could ramble on about rules and wisdom, but there really isn’t much more to say. If you care about what someone says, you listen and respond.
To Elaborate on Liz’s answer:
Thank you Liz for taking time to answer these questions. You’re answers have been most helpful.
Rereading Liz’s answer, it’s all about common sense. We treat our readers special by letting them have their say. By respecting their viewpoint and responding appropriately, they feel compelled to come back for more conversation.
Today’s Assignment:
How do you answer your comments, one by one, or as a group?
How do you like your comments to be answered? Individually, or is a group response from the author acceptable?
If a blog author does not respond to your comment, will you return to that blog?