First of all, I've decided not to download WordPress in order to have more options in creating a more interesting and fun site. I am trying to keep my "footprint" online as small as possible. As I've said before, I have real concerns about privacy. Even though I won't be promoting this blog, I've done some research on how to do so if that's your choice.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of help out there with simple and easy to follow instructions. The most important two elements seem to be: 1) submitting your blog address to search engines, including linking to twitter, facebook, and myspace, and 2) keeping your page up to date, fresh and interesting so it will get repeat viewers.
Additional steps you can take are helpful. Beginning with this site (e-blogger), there are instructions for adding your blog to a "blog-roll" where surfers go from blog to blog. They also recommend that the title of your blog reflect the topic so searches for your type blog will find it easily. You can also post your link on other blogs, especially those that share your interests or whose followers might be interested in your page. Doing it this way will allow you to more specifically target the types of viewers you are interested in.
I also had to find out what "pings" are. Wikipedia provided a succinct definition: "In blogging, ping is an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated." (Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_%28blogging%29) This seems like an invaluable tool. I definitely only visit those blogs that have posted since I was last online. So, if I were creating a long-term blog, I would only want those blogs that have been updated to show on my page.
An extremely important element in promoting your blog is constant maintenance. People don't want to find 'dead' pages & yours will soon be dropped by viewers if they aren't finding things that are interesting, useful, and new.
I found these sites to be most helpful:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42377
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-beginners-guide-to-promoting-your-blog/ http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-promotion.htm
jan
Thank you for finding the definition of "pings"! What I thought they were was not quite right. I found a lot of the same information you did and although you do not plan on promoting blogs it is never bad to learn new things!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jan! Informative and interesting information. It makes so much sense that if you want to maintain an audience you have to stay current and interesting. Such an endeavor would require organization, commitment, time, and personal enjoyment or motivation.
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