Casual Friday – Open Mic

 52 Comments on Casual Friday – Open Mic 0 905

Ahhhh, another Friday. Time to slip into our favorite jeans and tee, kick up our heels and relax.

Here at Blogging Without A Blog (BWAB) we had lots to think about this week. We talked about our target audience, giving our readers eye candy, and how our online image is projected through our blog.

As a footnote on growing niche blogs and reaching our target audience, we also need to know how to get “those” visitors to our blogs. The most important way is by use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). To avoid being redundant, I suggest reading John Hoff’s post on “25+ SEO Tips for Getting Ranked Well In Search Engines”. He covers the subject from all angles and provides links to many great sites and plugins.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m bad about not using SEO. Using keywords and keyword phrases does change the way we write, and often I sit at my keyboard and start typing. Like many of you, I, too, have a lot to learn in that area.

Looking back on the week, or forward on what you need to do with your blogs, are there any areas you would like to discuss further? Do you have any questions? Any suggestions for future posts you would like to see here?

How has this week impacted you?

Are you planning to make any changes to your blog?

Or, to the WAY you write?

The floor is yours.

Have fun!

Keep it clean!

Don’t forget to “subscribe to comments” (bottom of page) so you can follow the discussion and join back in.

Photo Credit: nugun’s photostream

52 thoughts on “Casual Friday – Open Mic”

  1. Hi Vered,

    Alright, now you have my curiosity up. When I hear Vered is going to write a post about SEO I know it won’t be a typical SEO post. I’m dying to read it. 🙂 Glad I inspired you!

    BTW: Did you have a chance to read my comment to Hunter on yesterday’s post? I figured out your “image” in cyberspace. I think you’ll like it.

    Hi Linda,

    Have a great weekend, too.

    Hi Scott,

    Thank you for sharing the link. So far I have skimmed the post, but will be back to read it word for word. Know I never have a problem with someone sharing a link. I like when we help each other out with our finds or writings.

    In a nutshell, I started my second blog (which was really my first blog) to empty my head of all of the stuff I had learned over the years (and continue to learn)…. to share with the younger generations so that it might make life a little bit easier. This blog started out more as a journal of my thoughts as I’m a self taught blogger. I can’t believe where it’s taken me. It’s been an awesome journey thus far.

    I hope you’re journaling your progress, too. I look forward to the day you will share with us.

    Hi Davina,

    Yes, doesn’t that photo make you want to go to the beach and put your feet up? Mmmmmmmm!

    Haha! I lost count on how much time I spend. I work (home office) and blog at the same time – often switching between the two. My blog is always just a click away on my PC. I end my day on my blog as that’s when I publish for the next day (M-F), and visit those in my reader. I basically take the weekends off, except to answer comments and prep my post for Monday publishing. But…some weekends I do work on maintenance behind the scenes. Some days I can’t visit everyone in my reader, so I try to make sure I visit them the next day. I’ve more or less have quit social media sites. No time!

    It will be interesting to see how much time others spend blogging.

  2. I think I am going to write a post about SEO!

    Your discussion and a recent discussion at Cath’s blog made me seriously think about all this for the first time. I have quite a lot to say… I think you just inspired a post. 🙂

  3. All I would like to say is …….. Have a great weekend! We have all earned it! Enjoy! 🙂

  4. I too read John’s “25 SEO tools” article, Barbara. It is incredibly informative.

    As for ideas for future posts, I’d love to find out the reasons why bloggers start blogging…

    What inspired your readers to write that very first post they ever published?

    PS I hope you don’t mind me sharing my latest guest post on Liz Strauss’ blog:

    http://www.successful-blog.com/1/welcoming-the-offline-customer-does-your-blog-create-a-good-impression/

    It might also be a helpful resource for your readers.

  5. Hi Barbara – you do use great pictures in your posts!

    It’s funny, but before I read Davina’s comment and your reply, I was going to say that managing my blogging time, and organising the way I operate, is what has been at the forefront of my “blogging week”. I have been spending far too much time idly clicking around.

    I finally got the internet working at Mum’s place in the country yesterday (for family reasons it was not possible before this), so I should be more effective. (I’m writing from there now!)

    Robin’s last blog post..Letting Creativity Just Slip In

  6. Hi Barbara. What an amazing photograph! THAT is meditation in a picture…

    I’d like to know on average, how many hours a day you bloggers spend blogging. Do you have a system to pace yourselves so you can visit your favourite blogs, write your own posts, reply to comments, and explore new blogs, etc. I love all of this, but can’t seem to fit it all in. It’s like having too many chocolate bars to eat all at once 🙂

  7. I have had one of those weeks where I had so much work and familial commitments I struggled to write posts, especially ones I felt that could be interesting and funny. I decided not to beat myself up about it and managed to post twice, which is fine for my standards. I did generate some ideas for my new design too and I have scoured a few blogs looking for ideas. I saw your comment about putting my POPULAR POSTS in a side bar and I actually thought of that this week. My new design will utilize my side bar a lot more.

    I think my big blog revelation recently has been if you have a post idea and then the writing doesn’t come easily, maybe you should move onto another idea that works better. I’m not saying this is a strategy for everyone but considering I also write copy as a job, I can’t bear to FORCE myself to write on my blog. It’s supposed to be fun! And I have a million other priorities so every post can’t be a time sucker.

    Looking forward to next week’s posts.

    Kelly

  8. Well, I’d like to know how people manage the blogs that they read and comment on. I love to find new blogs, but I already have over sixty in my news feed and it can take a couple of hours or more to read them all and make comments. Recently, I’ve taken to going straight to the ones who comment on my own blog first and making sure I answer those, then catching up on the others, but this doesn’t help get new readers or encourage those who don’t comment very frequently, and I do value those people too.

    Also, I feel guilty if one of my favourite bloggers posts something I have no interest in and I don’t comment on it, though I know that’s unreasonable. Not to mention if I actually take someone off my feed because either they never, ever comment back or I’ve just lost interest …

  9. I seem to be having a bit of trouble with Comment Luv. I clicked to enable it, but my last post didn’t show up. The other day I commented on someone’s blog and it said ‘The Depp Effect has been banned/ignored from Comment Luv’. I emailed the author and asked him and he never got back to me, but it resolved. Now it’s gone altogether.

    Has anyone else had this problem?

  11. I think the time management question is a problem all of us struggle with and constantly have to revisit. I am again looking at how I will manage blogging with school starting and my new job starting next week. I also don’t want to continue to spend every free minute blogging because I don’t get any sewing done and I really miss that. I have lots of house “to do” items that needs attention also. The actual managing of your own blog isn’t the problem as much as reading and commenting on others. I have been considering this issue lately and think I may need to make a change in my policy. I just have to free up some time somewhere. I love blogging, but it may have to move down the list of “things to do” for me. I’ll still post everyday, but I may have to cut back on how deligent I try to be at replying to comments, but lets face it, I’m not very good at it sometimes anyway. 🙂

    Have a great weekend everyone!

  12. Hi Barbara – This week has been exhausting. I’ve got so much to do. First I couldn’t sleep because of the jetlag and when I finally did – I slept through a whole day.

    I’ve so much to do on my blog – and a major thing I’ve got to do is finish an interview I promised Kelly and send her it. She’s been waiting for ages. I’ve been so unorganised lately.

    @ Davina – That’s a difficult question to answer. I never time myself writing – it varies so much depending on the post and sometimes I’ll write a few at once.

  14. SEO is something I know I can do better, and I’m sure one day I will, but when I tried to write for keywords in my first few posts, I didn’t like the result. It felt about as natural as astroturf. So, now I just write. When I’m all finished, then I look to see if there are some keywords I can recognize. Weak, I know, but until the writing is as fluid as water, I don’t want to worry about SEO.

  15. Leo from zenhabits gave us a behind-the-scenes look at his blog a few weeks back and I asked in the comments whether he used SEO. He answered that he did not apply SEO. I think for now I’m going to concentrate on my content and my design, and maybe read up on stumble. But after that I’m pretty sure that I will look into SEO, because I definitely want to be found by lots and lots of people. Have a nice weekend Barbara.

    Marelisa’s last blog post..Slow Down – 32 Ways to Start Now

  16. Hi Barbara, I haven’t spent any time on SEO for my blog, but I will definitely read the article you mention, because I want my new blog to benefit from all I’ve learned in the past few months.

    I never blog about blogging at one bag nation, but I’m often tempted, because it’s such an interesting topic! I might do a post about starting a new blog one of these days.

    Enjoy your weekend!

  17. Hi Robin,

    It’s great to hear your new location (at Mums) is working. And yes, it’s easy to spend too much time on our blogs, but they’re so addictive, it’s hard to stay away. 😆

    Hi Kelly,

    I hope the suggestion works (popular posts inside bar). The reason I said that was that I never even noticed them in your header. Your posts are good, show them off!

    Haha! So true – sometimes we need to change direction. This past week I was all set to move into a specific direction with my posts, but then on Monday the comments took me into the direction I went. I decided it was better to give my readers what they “appeared” to be asking, than to follow a plan.

    Hi Jay,

    It’s tough managing the blogs in our feeds. Like you, mine continues to grow. If I can’t identify with a post, I won’t comment, but will wait to see what they post next and hopefully a part of it resonates with me.

    I think bloggers understand our time is limited. As long as we pop in on a regular basis, they’re aware we’re still supporting them.

    Having to delete blogs out of our feeds is inevitable. As we grow and our interests change, some blogs will become relevant.

    Re: CommentLuv. It appears that at times it’s unstable. All you can do is keep trying. I haven’t had the “banned” message yet.

    Hi Catherine,

    Having looked at your blog, I couldn’t tell you were suffering from jet lag. You were posting daily and stayed right on top of the comments.

    Hi Rita,

    You’re welcome. P.S. I’m still waiting for part II of your article.

    Hi Debbie,

    To be perfectly honest, I don’t know how you do it all. Now that you’re taking on a job, your free time must be getting close to nil.

    Hi Hunter,

    So, do you agree, isn’t Vered like the Kool-Aid mom on the block?

    Hi Writer Dad,

    Agreed! New bloggers often have much more to worry about that SEO. In time it’ll come, and like John mentions in his comment, every post does not need to be optimized.

    Hi Marelisa,

    Knowing you want to turn your writings into a book, SEO will be your best friend to getting found.

    Hi Ann,

    There you go again, talking about the mysterious new blog. When is the unveiling?

    I would love to see you write an article about blogging. It’s always interesting to read other takes on it.

    Hi Davina,

    Time management is very important. We don’t want to miss out on life because we’re so busy blogging.

    Hi John,

    You’re welcome. I appreciate all of the hard work you put into that post, and had to share it. It’s an awesome list.

    A post about Woopra will happen as soon as I figure out all of the bells and whistles. Thus far it’s the most advanced stats program I’ve seen. The interface is gorgeous.

    Hi Jennifer,

    You’re welcome.

    I agree, some days the spammers are working overtime. I’ve had days where I’ve gotten over 100 spam comments. Thank goodness I have Akismet installed. Although a few real comments do end up in spam, it’s easy to fish them out by checking the box next to the comment and then clicking “despam checked comments”.

  18. Thanks to Barbara, Cath and Debbie for speaking to my question about managing blogging time. It seems like I spend 3 hours (or more — oh my God!) blogging. As much as I enjoy it, I know that I have other priorities. Back to time management 101 I think.

    Davina’s last blog post..I Dreamt I Died

  19. @ Barbara – wow, front page spotlight, I’m honored!

    I’d like to see what your experience is with Woopra after you’ve used it for awhile (I’m sure it’s already on the list). Also, any update on when the new template is coming out?

    @ Vered – That would be an awesome idea. To be slightly different, maybe think about how your target readers might use SEO.

    @ Scott – thank you for the great compliment. I’m flattered to have you over on my side of the Internet – thanks for stopping by.

    @ Everyone – If you ever have any questions about SEO, please feel free to ask me. I’m always here to help, especially my fellow BWAB friends.

    If you don’t use SEO too much but would like to, my suggestion is to really focus on keyword phrases. Nothing works quicker and is more targeted than that. Put them in your links you create, possibly your title, and your header tags.

    Every post doesn’t have to be optimized, just a few you feel you want people to find. After a while, you’ll find it becomes easier to write for humans while not alienating our pal Googlebot.

    John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..The Continuity Of My Blog – Putting It All Together

  20. Hi Barbara.
    After reading your post, I was prompted to ask a question about spam as I have been the target of a MASSIVE amouont of spam for a while now. I decided to first take a closer look at your site and see if you had posted something at another time on spam and I hit the jacpot!!! I found your post on spam and Akismet. I will be downloading and installing that very soon. Thanks for all your great work here!!

    Oh and I’m going to work on SEO also.
    Thanks for the great link to John Huffs site – again.

  21. Hi Eric,

    Welcome to the BWAB community! I’m so glad you came by. We would love to have you as a regular. 🙂

    Re: Comments. Yes, the spammy comments do turn us off. What I have found is that by visiting smaller blogs, we make friends, and help them to build their community as we’re building our own. That’s what you’ll find here. Those that comment all have great blogs and welcome new visitors with open arms. If you have a chance, I highly recommend you click on their names.

    I now have you in my reader so will be back to visit you soon.

  22. Hi John,

    Do you think the Bad Behavior plugin will block “real” comments? Is there a way of checking what it blocked?

    I recently read that we need to be careful what spam filters we use as sometimes they block the good bots. I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s made me think.

  23. Hi Rita,

    You were commenting the same time I was. We do that often, don’t we?

    At BWAB, you can change your answers as often as you would like. 🙂 After all, blogging is ever changing, just as we are.

    You’re welcome. I’ll be around all weekend, responding to the comments, but not publishing again until Monday. Like you, I also learn from those who comment. Plus, you all inspire new posts for me, and your encouragement keeps me well motivated.

    I’m headed over to read Part II (that’s 2, not 11 – haha)

  25. Hi Sara,

    I find it fascinating how you associate keywords with marketing as that’s what so many “make money online” bloggers are doing- striving to rank high with Google. That’s one arena I prefer to stay out of, although I would like to get more search engine traffic-especially new bloggers who are looking to share their voice.

  26. Hey Barbara, I appreciate your nice words in the comment you left on my blog. As you saw, my blog is quite new and I’m just starting to get a few comments here and there. I think what I’ve found, so far, to be the most effective way to get new traffic to my blog (other than the SEO stuff that certainly works) is to make quality comments in quality blogs. And I’ve found that making a small mention of your blog during the comment without actually advertising is the key. From what I’ve experienced, when someone says something to the effect of, “Hey, check this out!”, I get very turned off and ignore that commenter. And if I they have a gravitar I then know who to avoid in the future. So I would say that this week I’ve realized the importance of not only making quality comments but also keeping away from those “Advertising Comments”.
    By the way, you have a great blog here and I love the community feel. The first thing I thought when I came was how inviting it felt.

  27. @ Jennifer – Don’t forget about the Bad Behavior plugin which works well with Akismet and is the first line of defense. I use both plugins.

    Also, there’s the Math Comment Spam Protection plugin which might be useful as well.

  28. I could not do much this week apart from writing three posts or so. I have been thinking of writing a couple of posts. Moreover, it happens to be the independence day week and had the related activities to keep me busy.

    However, some major revamp to the blog is underway!

    Ajith Edassery’s last blog post..Things to do before taking a break from blogging…

  29. Barbara,

    I’ve given your questions a LOT of thought, and if it’s OK, I’d like to change my response.

    Yes. Yes. No.

    That’s it. (And Part II is up)

    As always, thanks for everthing. I’ll be following along all weekend, as I always do. Your blog brings out the very best in people, and though I prefer it when you write, I frequently learn more about my fellow-bloggers on weekends here, than I do by reading their blogs. Again, thanks for the opportunities you so graciously provide.

    Rita

    Rita’s last blog post..The FIRST Time I Almost Got Expelled From College: Part II

  30. The Urbane Lion is always trying to encourage me to think about search words when I write. I rail against it, because I find it restrictive. However, I am definitely going to read John’s post to see what he is to say. Maybe I just need to understand it better.

    Once again, an excellent week of posts, Barbara. Especially since we are considering some changes to websites. Thanks!

    Urban Panther’s last blog post..The beginning of the end

  31. Hi John,

    Are you having any problems with Akismet not catching all of your spam? I always worry about making commenting too time consuming for my readers, as they are on such a tight schedule. For that reason I have stuck with Akismet only and check the spam folder for real comments a couple times a day (then I delete the rest).

  32. I’ve been ignoring SEO (other than having my URLs formatted decently) pretty much on purpose. I used to work with an SEO firm, and so I associate keywords with marketing.

    John’s right, they’re really easy to incorporate. But for now, I’m happy going with the decision to focus on quality writing and natural language.

  33. To be honest, Barbara, I have wondered the same thing. No one’s emailed me yet that their comment doesn’t get posted, though. I have been thinking of switching the Bad Behavior plugin for the math question.

    John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..The Continuity Of My Blog – Putting It All Together

  34. I try to optimize my posts with keywords that fit in well with Google, but it never seems to work. The articles that do get ranked well almost always surprise me. My goal is to write valuable content so people link to me and Google thinks that they need to help me share my message.

    Karl Staib’s last blog post..Notice the Every Day WOW

  35. Hi Karl,

    Isn’t that odd how that works? Those we think will rank high don’t and vice versa. All we can do is keep trying, knowing persistence will pay off.

  37. I don’t know that this one week impacted me as much as being a reader and BWAB community member has overall, Barbara. I think it’s a cumulative effect.

    I really enjoyed “paying it forward” this week by sharing Ryan’s new blog and survey on assisted living. I would have helped him by answering his survey no matter what, but because you have helped me so much since I began, I wanted to help him even more and did so by sharing his request for help on TLeC.

    My post Monday will address what I am going to work on next for my blog — I’ll keep you in suspense til then.

    I think I really “scored” this week, b/c since you did a recap and didn’t introduce another NBOTW, my blog link got to stay in that auspicious space on your blog for two whole weeks! 🙂 Woo Hoo!

  38. Hi Ajith,

    I’m hoping Akismet soon realizes your comments aren’t spam. 🙁

    It sounds like life has kept you busy. I’m looking forward to seeing the major revamping you’re planning for your blog.

    Hi SpaceAgeSage,

    Half the battle is knowing what we want to project. Being the good writer you are, I’m sure you’ll succeed in accomplishing the other half. Yes?

    Hi Linda Abbit,

    Haha! I guess that’s what you call being in the right place at the right time – NBOTW position. 🙂

    I love how you paid it forward with your reference to Ryan’s mission, and I’m sure he appreciated your act of kindness. In the end, that’s what it’s all about – being able to help others. Great job!

    I’ll patiently wait until Monday to read about your next endeavor.

  39. Hi Eric,

    It’s great that you’ve extended an invitation to the BWAB community of bloggers. That’s what we like to see. Often new bloggers remain silent (not commenting), and by doing so, we can’t find them.

    Having read what I have on your blog, I KNOW you’re not a fly by night bloger. You write from the heart and it shows.

    Thanks again for your kind words, and for subscribing. I look forward to your participation in future discussions. 🙂

  40. Hey Barbara, it’s me again. I just wanted to let you know that you have a great site and that I just subscribed to your blog as you did mine. I look forward to future content and I really like the unique community feel of your site.
    I’m finding that one of the best ways to grow a new blog is to build relationships with other bloggers. So I am happy to join you’re community. And I hope that you and your readers will give a look at my blog and see if it isn’t something that might be useful to you guys. I wouldn’t normally directly invite readers to my blog like this but I think it’s obvious that I’m not just a flyby commenter. I am just excited about getting things moving along with my blog as well as working with other bloggers to mutually grow in our niches. So I hope you don’t mind the invite, you guys are welcome to just ignore it if it’s a bother. Thanks, Eric.

  41. Barbara –

    I just read the SEO article and it is truly a must read for every blogger. Needless to say, I’ve stumbled it.

    I’d like you to discuss the topic of content piracy in the future post as I’ve been facing this issue repeatedly lately.

    Shilpan

  42. Barb,

    I just read Shilpan’s comments. Though imitation MAY be the sincerest form of flattery, content piracy has been plaguing me as well – and I KNOW that I am difficult to pirate from. At first – ahh, coincidence. Now, no. It is absolute content piracy – and I know the worst offender, who is a “big fan.” ANY ideas on stopping content piracy would be much appreciated!

    And Shilpan, I am NOT trying to “pirate” your idea about addressing “content piracy.” 🙂

    Thanks,

    Rita

    Rita’s last blog post..Why I Have NEVER Tasted Coffee

  43. I’ve gone through the link and all I can say is it’s very informative and powerful post.

    The techniques that were mentioned there, if implemented correctly, would really take your blog to a new level.

    It’s worth implementing those strategies on any website or blog.

  44. Hi Shilpan,

    Yes, the SEO post written by John Hoff is fabulous, and definitely worth Stumbling.

    With regard to content piracy, I will refer you to the article titled: Interview With Lorelle VanFossen – Part 2 – Errors Bloggers Make. In that post Lorelle provides links that take this issue further, and what steps you can take if your content is plagiarized.

    I’m hoping the post will help resolve your issue as it’s very disturbing when we work so hard on our posts, only to have the content lifted.

    Hi Rita,

    I’m referring you to the answer I provided to Shilpan.

    With your content being so original to YOU, it would be very obvious if it was plagiarized. How sad that it’s a “fan”.

    Hi Codrut,

    Yes, John’s post is powerful. And I agree, if blogs were to use the SEO tips he provided, the results could be phenomenal.

  45. I haven’t used SEO [yet] Barbara…don’t know how my visitors find my site….which kind of reminds me of a song called “get here”…part of the song says “I Don’t Care How You Get Here, Just Get Here If You Can”

    The only thing, well not only, I don’t understand about blogging is once you can see and understand where your visitors are coming from, then what? You can get them to your blog, but that doesn’t mean they are going to participate. It’s like people having a huge subscriber number but 3 or 4 comments for each post. You get the traffic…but unless you’re selling something and they click on an ad if they are not moved to participate what’s the point.

    I know with selling things, a person will visit a website maybe 3 or 4 times before deciding to make a purchase…is that the premises with blogging…to be more visible and gain a commentator and not just a reader?

    How does knowing how to attract traffic to your blog through SEO and keywords encourage participation and not just lurkers (if you have nothing to sell)

    Do I make sense or do I need to go “back to the couch”.

    Thanks Barbara! I’m late to the party, I thought I commented already. 😉 See you tomorrow.

  46. I got a lot of catching up to do! I missed all your great “classes” on blogging this week. Anyway, with regards to SEO, I’m with Mare. I don’t do it. I tried before and it definitely took a lot of my time. Maybe someday when time permits, I’ll be able to devout time to it.

  47. As far as making changes to the way I write, I try to listen to the natural flow of my blog. Instead of me dictating the direction – I try to listen to the train tracks, and make the direction dependent on what the readers desire. Try being a key word.

    In regards to SEO, I really don’t do much of anything in this regard. Perhaps I should. I’ll check out the link you provided.

  48. @ Everyone – thank you so much for the nice comments everyone has to say about my article. I spent a long time trying to make sure it was informative through my own personal experiences.

    Everyone has the first step in SEO correct – always write for humans first. This is very important. SEO isn’t something you shouldn’t think about a whole lot.

    Here’s my suggestion. Write just like you are now. Let it be natural. Whatever topic you’re writing about in and of itself should be SEO to some extent. Concentrate on your article’s title and a link or two. That’ll be enough and is what I mostly concentrate on when thinking SEO. It gets me quite a bit of Google traffic.

    If you’re writing about “How to get people to like you,” your content will most likely naturally include keyword phrases. It shouldn’t be something you necessarily need to think long and hard about.

    When proof reading, see if you can identify those keyword phrases someone might type into a search engine to find your article. It might be helpful while proof reading to think, “What would John Doe type in Google to find this article?” Chances are, if your article is focused, those words will be included already in your content (or something close).

    When you identify those phrases or keyword, make them a link (that will boost them in Google’s priority ranking). Link to one of your articles or someone else’s, that’ll do just fine.

    If you really want to help your SEO, match a phrase in your article’s title to what someone would type in Google. That’s probably the best thing you can do. It doesn’t have to sound robotic, it just takes a little practice.

    I’m always available both here and on my site if anyone ever has a question. We’re all here to help each other grow, right?

    John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..The Continuity Of My Blog – Putting It All Together

  49. For those that are looking to stop piracy, there’s a plugin called AntiLeech which you might want to look into.

    What happens is bots spider your content, copy it, and then paste it onto their website. What this plugin does is let the bot copy fake content and output it on their site along with some links back to your site.

    I haven’t used the plugin yet and while researching it I ran across someone we might all know who wrote an article about it.

    Lorelle – here’s her article on it.

  50. Hi Bamboo,

    You’re right, if we do listen, we can hear what our readers are asking for. It’s tough to do, but it can be done.

    Although you do not use SEO, John’s post is worth bookmarking for future reference.

    Hi John,

    How kind of you to write such a thorough response. Not only is your SEO post helpful, but so are your additional comments. I sincerely appreciate your help and input.

  51. Hi Natural,

    I hear you. When we know where our readers are coming from, it tells us whatever we’re doing is working. If we are getting a lot of search engine traffic, SEO and keywords are working. If most of our traffic is coming from referrals, than comments or links others are posting, are working. If our traffic is direct, than our readers are typing in our URL or are coming in from a reader (I believe).

    It really depends on what our blogs are about. You’re right, if we are selling something, we want traffic from all sources. Bring it on!

    Will our readers participate when they get there? Check out my newest post for an answer from an expert. 🙂

    Hi Chris,

    SEO is tough to use without having it change your natural speaking tone. With practice it becomes easier, but it’s not essential to use SEO to get your blog found. You’re a great example of that.

  52. okay i got ya. that makes a little more sense in that you know if what you’re doing is working. thanks.

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