Archive for » July, 2009 «

Jul

The reason most people like blogs is because they are interactive.

Comments on blogs is what keeps many bloggers motivated to continue their journey, and it’s often in the comment section where the post topic really “takes off”*.

Like minded people raise their hand, say “Me, too.”, and/or those who disagree have now found a place where they can voice their opinion.

Bloggers are feeling validated and their readers have a safe haven.

All is well in the world of blogging.

Or is it?

Today’s Lesson

Many bloggers are finding that which gave them the greatest joy (comments), now feels like a burden.

Comments and/or commenting has become so time consuming it begins to interfere with a bloggers real life.

Bloggers are spending so much time with comments, little time is left for writing.

With time being one of the greatest issues for bloggers, many start looking for an alternative.

To deal with his readers responses, Steve Pavlina moved the conversations to a forum.

Many bloggers are now closing comments on select posts, whereas others, uncertain what do do, hang a “Closed” sign, leaving their readers confused, disappointed or relieved.

But, what happens to those readers whose comments we once cherished?

How do they feel when the conversation stops?

Today’s Assignment

When you read a blog post and find the comment section closed, what’s your first response?

If you see the comments are closed, do you read the post, or just leave?

Do you ever close comments on your blog? If so, why?

Would you continue to read a blog if the comments were permanently closed?

*For great examples of how a comment section can “take off”, check out:

Blogger Dad’s post titled,To Spank Or Not To Spank.
Hunter Nuttall’s post, 10 Reasons Japan Is Better Than America which he followed up with 10 Reasons America Is Better Than Japan
Or, Ask Liz Strauss – How do You Inspire Your Readers To Join Your Community

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, Comments 74 Comments

Jul

Claiming The Joy Within

Barbara Swafford

When I spotted this blogger in the comment section of Lance’s “Jungle of Life” blog, her comments were always so positive, I was drawn to read more of her writings.

Right from the start her philosophy on life caught my attention.

In her “About” page she writes,

…I love a nice clean kitchen. I love spending time by myself. I love the sound of laughter. I love the challenge of learning something new. I love hand written letters….

She’s my kind of gal as I love those things, too.

Digging through her archives, I found this post that truly moved me. It’s titled Living Your Truth

You are joyful, because you are being authentic, because you are taking responsibility for your life and because you are in service to something greater than your self. When you are living your truth, you are growing, you are empowered and you are a light to others.

You are empowered – when you’re living your truth. That’s a powerful statement, isn’t it?

When showcasing bloggers, it often easier to let them explain why they started their blog, and for this weeks selection, I’ll do just that.

On her Joy Discovered page (also the name of her blog), Jody Sloane writes,

I started this blog in March 2009. My intention is to share information and inspiration that relates to joy and living a joyful life. Joy is inside every one of us! We just have to claim it! Once we access our joy, it will shine through us and color our world. It’s a beautiful thing! I want to share my thoughts and discoveries on joy, as well as encourage you to make small changes in your life that will help you cultivate your own bliss.

After reading that, how could you not be inspired to read and subscribe to Joy Discovered?

Please join me in welcoming Jody to the Blogging Without A Blog community.

Welcome Jody.

It’s a honor to showcase your work and to read your writings.

Enjoy your reign.

Photo Credit: ooberayhay

Category: Archives, New Blog Of The Week 25 Comments

Jul

How To Keep Your Blog Alive When Life Calls

Barbara Swafford

All bloggers have a life outside of their blogs.

Unfortunately with blogging being such an addictive hobby, bloggers often wonder how they can keep their blog alive if they go on vacation or just need a blogging break.

When I took ten days off, I was totally unplugged. I used the What Would Seth Godin Do plugin and explained to my readers I would be away until a specific date. I used that opportunity to suggest reading older posts, checking out the blogs I’ve showcased and/or visiting the blogs of my loyal commenters. Although I did see a drop in my visitor counts, it gave me the opportunity to not worry about the blog, enjoy my vacation and make memories with the family members we were visiting.

Today’s Lesson

What I did worked well for me, however, there are other ways to keep our blogs alive when we need a break. Listed below are several other options.

Line up guest posts and let the guest poster(s) deal with the comments

This technique will keep the conversation going, however, unless we give the guest poster(s) access to our blog (behind the scenes), comments that go into moderation won’t appear until we approve them.

Put up a “closed” sign – Write a short post alerting our readers we’re away from the blog.

Depending on how we word the “closing”, we could confuse our readers. If we’re uncertain how long our break will be, it’s best to say we’ll be gone “indefinitely”.

Don’t do anything. Let our latest post “sit there”

If a blog has a loyal following and an established community of fellow bloggers, leaving our last post up for an extended period of time can cause worry for our loyal readers. This also raises an issue we discussed previously in a post titled, “Why Didn’t You Say Good Bye?”

Ask a blogging buddy to blog sit

Often a blogging friend will be more than happy to monitor our blog while we’re away and keep the conversation going. To keep our blog flowing seamlessly, it would be necessary to allow the other blogger to have access behind the scenes.

Post date articles, and close the comments

This is a great way to keep our blog alive and not have to worry about answering comments. Although some may be upset because we closed our comments, it does help to keep the content fresh.

Post date articles, leave the comments open, let the commenters know you’re away, and not worry about comments in moderation until you return

Again, this will provide new content for our readers, however, those comments that do end up in moderation will stay there until we return.

If we’re vacationing, we can travel with a laptop or other communication device and monitor our blog from afar.

Taking time off from our blog can do us good, therefore, staying connected may defeat the purpose of taking a blogging break.

We all know, our blogs will wait for us, as will our loyal readers. A drop in our statistics can be disheartening, however, that’s a small price to pay to when we’re in need of a break from it all.

Today’s Assignment

When you take a blogging break, what technique(s) do you use?

Do you need a blogging break, but fear losing readers?

Raise your hand and share what works for you and/or if taking a break from blogging is on your “to do” list.