On that note, I'd like to share a few pointers that will help you navigate the streets of the bloggerhood. I bet you already know them, but we can gather 'round, pat each other on the back, and confirm one another.
In real, face-to-face time, saying hello may be intimidating for some. Not so much on-line.
Bloggers love to meet similar bloggers that make genuine, friendly connections.
I can think of one exception - those who follow with their Twitter account (it doesn't show up on the list of blogs they follow).
Make your profile public and give us a way to reach you - use a pen name if it feels better.
Don't just take. Give back, and try to be creative about it.
Say thank you when your prize arrives.
Load a picture onto your profile - it doesn't have to be your face, but that anonymous blue square puts you at the bottom of the followers list, unseen.
Visit your new follower's blogs. Here are some reasons I don't follow back: when I cannot find their blog, they post pictures of nearly naked folks, they have a content warning, they're creepy, they ramble, they rarely update their blog, or they decorate their blog with things that significantly slow down my computer.
Ah, now I feel better. Thanks for hearing me out! Do you have anything you'd like to add to the list that will help us avoid sneaky sneaks (or acting like one)?
Happy driving through the bloggerhood!
13 comments:
Great points to ponder Michelle! I need to change my avatar. I've been meaning to for a long time, but it gets lost on the number of things I have to do.
Great points and ones that are very easy to follow, too! Thanks, Michelle.
Great run-down. I agree to all! It's all about relationships, so we should treat others and our blogging as a way to build those relationships. :) I also don't follow back if the blog is in another language, or if I can't follow easily. *cough Wordpress coughcough*
Good points! I do my best to visit blogs that follow me (and new blogs that I seek out) and I try so hard to keep up with blogs and bloging, and then sometimes life gets so crazy I barely have time to do anything. O_O
All good points. I would like to add that when you fill out the Follower information the first time, be sure to add a link back to your blog. If you don't have such a link and don't leave a comment, there is no way the blogger you decide to follow can link back to your blog and become a follower of it. I find this frustrating because there is no way of knowing if such a person has a blog or not.
Great pointers. It's great fun to discover a new blog that you can connect with.
Great pointers indeed. Thank you so much. I think they are much more useful in the long run than may seem at a glance.
Thank you, Michelle, for commenting just now on my blog. I'm doing what you say we have to do (and it's true); I'm coming over to leave a comment. I'm not emailing you, and you're right: most people don't come back to see if the blog owner has responded to a comment.
I prefer a "real" profile picture to an "icon." Also, I wish all bloggers used their real name in the name of their blog. It's easier for me to remember real names rather than a fancy blog name.
My other pet peeve: the verification code on Blogger. In the over year and a half that I've blogged, I've never had any problems with spammers. And if there's some comment (rarely) that's rude, I simply delete it!
I haven't been over here for a while (too long, I know!) and I'm aware that you've changed your template. I love it. It's beautiful. I love the light green background.
And there you are as always at the top--your lovely (real) smiling face!
Have a wonderful holiday season with your family. Wish I could fly to Utah and see old friends!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs
p.s. I LOVE the cute pics in the post!
Great points. I do visit new followers blogs. Then, I go from there.
These are all great points. Just one more -- when you visit someone else's blog, don't talk about your own blog in the comment. If you want to follow up a comment they made on your blog then a personal email is fine (unless they ask a specific question, of course). I find it a bit of a turn-off when people visit my blog and only want to talk about theirs!
Having said that, 99% of the people who visit my blog are absolutely lovely, and it's a pleasure getting to know them.
Great points Michelle!
One of my pet peeves is when I can't follow someone back because their profile doesn't have a link to their blog. Also, my blog has been getting lots of spam lately (*sigh*) so I think I'm going to have to do the word verification thing. Nooooo! ;)
Saying "Hi" and I do try to follow these, which by the way, are all great points. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
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