How do you browse the blogosphere? Are you a fan of RSS or do you prefer to read where the mouse takes you? Are you an A-List reader or do you restrict yourself to a topic of interest?
And if you are a blogger too, then how do you build your audience, generate traffic, link-in with others with whom you share an interest or passion? How do you become known as a player rather than a spectator? What is your strategy … do you STREAK across a well-known field and take the consequences, or do you work away as one voice in the crowd?
I was thinking through all this as I read a great post today over at Ariel’s blog. It made me ask myself … is it true that NEW bloggers are only as good as their last post? Am I only as good as my last witty comment on someone else’s blog?
It’s funny in a way, this blogging lark. You can become obsessed by the number of comments and emails, site visits, statistics and entry and exit pages … but there really is some value in looking through the details. I love the way that I get visits from all over the world, from cities and towns that I have never heard of before. I love the way comments appear out of nowhere. But I am equally interested in how people arrive here and where they have come from.
Because blog content is not necessarily accessed via a chronology … the history or archive of your blog can be always present for any reader who happens to stumble upon you. So really you are only as famous as ANY post … or only as famous as your BEST post. For example, I continue to get links through to this post even though it was written some time ago. Is it my best? I can’t tell … but it certainly works for some!
S.
Oh, and by the way … fame is always relative.
Another great post–I’ve been contemplating the same thing for the last few weeks.
Longevity in blogging is big when considering the Long Tail. That way you have time to generate enough good articles to make your site worth coming to regularly, presuming you get better over time and are able to demonstrate some consistency of insightful thought.
However, two people who have blogs for the exact same amount of time, who post and trackback to comparably popular sites and similar topics are still not guaranteed identical success.
The book has not yet been written on how to create a successful blog, but I think these things can safely be said:
1. Just having a blog doesn’t guarantee success.
2. Authenticity and committment are key.
3. Develop relationships with other bloggers.
P.S. The article that gets you a lot of traffic is also one of my favorites.
Cam … thanks for your kind words!
You are right, success in blogging can be hard to pin down.
I am coming up to 12 months worth of blogging and am still a novice, really … but I still think that some of my earliest efforts are amongst the best.
However, two people who have blogs for the exact same amount of time, who post and trackback to comparably popular sites and similar topics are still not guaranteed identical success.