Bloggers get categorized a lot, as in, someone's a "big" blogger or someone's a "small" blogger.
I don't like those terms very much because the size of your blog doesn't determine who you are, the depth of your character does. That alone is more than enough reason to treat everyone with respect.
But if you're looking at it from a purely business point of view, as I heard Liz Strauss say once, when networking and building relationships, don't overlook anyone because you think they are a "small" blogger. You never know which of those "small" bloggers will be "big" someday.
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Thanks for the encouragement. I have been blogging for 2 weeks now. I celebrated with a big "YAHOO" when this week I had an over 30 view day! LOL
I know the feeling…. My blog's been up a week and a half. I just signed up with Google Analytics and was thrilled that I hit 20 views yesterday! LOL! It's the little things life, sometimes, isn't it!
Woohoo!
Cheryl! You were my first commenter-I-don't-know-in-real-life! Yay for you hitting 20! I loved the Pooh quote!
How did you do that??? I am signed up for everything and still get maybe 2 or 3 a day and my blog has been up for several months now. I have been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong or maybe just not doing right.
Kim, I spent 1 week early mornings reading 3 different "how start a blog series' including Amy's of course. Then I made a step by step "to do" blog list for myself. From post one I copied and pasted my URL from my posts to my personal facebook page and let my friends know I was starting to write. Then I joined 2 different "blog carnivals" . The blogging carnivals made all the difference. Read Amy's post on how to do one successfully it really helped. What I did was punch in "blog carnivals on….." into my search engine, and then when I found some I read what type of posts they wanted linked to it, and I read a few posts that were linked to it, and if I felt it matched what I was writing about I joined. Traffic is still trickling in. Best of luck!
Thank you, Victoria! I will get to work!
Thanks for the very comprehensive, step-by-step response-very useful.
Great point! I learn a lot from "smaller" bloggers because many of them write excellent posts and just haven't yet been discovered.
that is SO SO true…..
What a great thought to start the morning! We hit 1,000 FB fans in Oct and what an amazing feeling that was. Sometimes we get so worried about building the numbers. Remembering that "quantity" doesn't always equal "quality" is a great perspective!
BTW- if you are a "bigger" looking to network with a "smaller"- we're game!
Amen sister. Amen.
So true! And I'm always amazed at how influence doesn't necessarily correspond with size. I often find that the links that bring the most traffic to my blog come from small to medium blogs.
Absolutely true! Influence and loyalty are more important than size (trying to remind myself as I type)
I like this post! Of course I am a happy "small" blogger. I do it because I want to and if it goes somewhere, great! If not, my friends and family love it!!
I don't desire to be a real big blog. I think that way you lose the intimacy and get too busy with background things that you don't pay attention to the readers who make everything possible. I so adore my readers and the input they put in to help my blog along.
So very true! I am a small blogger who has learned so much from all sorts of bloggers. I think it's the content of our character that makes us approachable, helpful and readable, not the size of our following! Thanks Amy!
Yes, behind every blog, big or small, is a real person with tons to offer!
I've been blogging for a month and within the last two days I got my first comment from someone I don't know in real life. I did a little Happy Dance! Ha ha ha. There are a few "mommy blogs" that I followed for years, and then they exploded in popularity. I find that I don't check in as often now that they're so huge. I'm even less likely to read comments or click through people's comments to their blogs because I'm thinking that they're commenting only to get traffic, not because they really had anything to say. A smaller blog, with more thoughtful comments will get me engaged and I'll follow people's comments to their blogs! I've discovered some great blogs that way!
Powerful thoughts.
Also…I love how you've 'prettied' up your blog with the lovely fonts and new SM icons!!
I still do a happy dance for EVERY SINGLE COMMENT. I hope to be one of the "small" bloggers who becomes a "big" blogger one day.
I so agree! no matter how much we eventually grow, I don't want to stop interacting with the readers. I don't know how, but I want to make it work!
I needed that reminder today! Thank you so much!
So true! There are some truly excellent blogs that get overlooked all the time. If PR folks only stick with the same bloggers that everyone's heard of, they are missing out. As for myself, I have decided that my goal is to be "big enough". I have too many other responsibilities and not enough time to be a big famous blogger who people expect to deliver amazing content daily. I don't want the pressure. I try to keep my goals in line with what my family needs and what I can do. I'm not quite there yet, but I've been getting "bigger" each year.
I have quit too many times because my stats weren't "this #." Yet, the other day I was reading a mom author's blog and she had ONLY 3 comments. Now I know she has many, many readers but only 3 comments!
Amy, thank you for your encouragement. I want to be authentic with my words and let go of expectations. Love your blog.
Thank you, Jan. I'm right there with ya on wanting to be authentic!
So true and sometimes we really do need to step back and realize we aren't going to get instant success aka traffic. I hope to someday be there but for now I am just taking baby steps and I am enjoying the process.
Slow growth is often the best growth!
Very similar to the principle that in business you don't ignore the folks who don't look like they have lots of money. You never know who is going to turn out to be a loyal customer any more than you know whose blog will explode!
Very true.
being a small blogger is great! you don't hafta live up to anyone's expectations. it's all you, all the time. you can define and refine yourself until you get it how you want it. big bloggers can sometimes get stuck in a niche and sometimes can't deviate from that because of sponsors or audience…
I thoroughly agree with this, I know of at least one person with a big following who found it really hard to post a little less frequently in order to put more thought into each post – he was worried his followers might become unhappy. I don't have such problems myself because there are so few followers!
THis is so true!
I don't know exactly what is a small big blogger. However I have quite a few readers with that about 10 comments on a post.
Your blog is not determined by numbers or comments on that blog.
Ann Voskamp said "write even if it's just for an audience of ONE"
I love that because my blog is a daily devotional blog and that is what keeps me going, I will blog unto the glory of God and even if he's my only reader I will keep blogging.
Luke 12:48 From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
If God can trust me with something small, later He will trust me with something bigger.
Thank you for this. I think we all need to remember this – especially in light of the fact that Blissdom is coming up and a lot of big and small and in-between blogs will be mixing it up.
There will always be a bigger blog than yours. I look at the comments up top, about getting 20 or 30 views a day, and I remember that. Right now I'm at around 300-400 a day. I couldn't have imagined that at first. But I'm sure a big blogger would say the same about my numbers vs. theirs.
Amen and Hallelujah! It is about content and character, not readership and numbers.
I recently restarted my blog just to have a place to write, and right now my "audience" consists primarily of one good friend. It sounds sad, but I think it helps me to blog more from the heart and not think about numbers as much. I was also encouraged by Jon Acuff when he said that we should appreciate the times when our blog is small and we have more room to experiment.
Yes, it is nice to know you can make all kinds of mistakes because no one is really paying attention at the beginning. Definitely a plus!
I just want to say how much I enjoy your blog…you inspire me so much.
I am just getting started blogging myself.
Thanks, Kris. Congrats on the blog!!
Thanks, Amy! I needed this encouragement.
Bless you, Amy.
The perfect message at exactly the right time.
Amen, Amy. You said it!!!
Great discussion! Seeing my blog as a ministry, I try to focus on the "one" that I believe that God is wanting me to reach out to the most. Sometimes I literally believe that He puts things on my heart for just a few and then I trust Him to bring those certain people my way (through the circles I share in, google, etc…however He wants to get them there). If I see that what I've shared reaches many, then that's really exciting…but I know that I can't make the numbers my focus. I have to make obedience to Him the main thing!
Thanks for the encouragement Amy.
I desire to use my blog for God's glory to a large audience. I struggled with that desire a bit, wondering if that was ok to want. But I totally think it is if it's not about me wanting people to think I'm oh so great. As long as I'm not trying to find from other people what I only can find from god.
But sometimes its discouraging when my blog host (weebly) says I have over 400 or 500 visits and analytics says there was 40-75.
This is very encouraging, I feel that everyone is successful just by writing. It takes so much courage to publish. I know because I didn't for the longest time. Then in 2010 my mom inspired me to try it out. I started from 0 with only friends and family reading. Posted links to my personal Facebook page and then in June 2011 contacted another blogger (who was well known) to see if I could help out in any way. I am her collaborator now and continue with my personal blog. Still I don't make any money at all, I write because I like to share what I am learning be it the kitchen, parenting or simple little things. I do hope to grow, but enjoy every new follower, new reader and new comment. I celebrate each time I grow in traffic.
I love your attitude, Maribel! Sounds like you're off to a great start!