2.3 The Audience is Royalty

Interview with Ellen

Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Her audience: easy-going, funny, non-judgmental readers–moms; dads; college-aged women
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery; the royal blogroll; the multiple kinds of interactivity; the connection between Ellen and her readers; how the open, friendly, design supports the concept; the special features and unique ideas

2.3 The Royal Audience

Ellen’s relationship with her audience shows up everywhere. The Royal Gallery, The Royal Blogroll, the Coronations, the interviews, the reader comments on her posts, and particularly the way her readers open up to her.

Who is your audience, your readership?

I suppose that I am a dreaded and oft ridiculed “Mommy Blog.� Most of my mom readers, though, are an easy-going, funny, non-judgmental lot. I also have a few men who like to chime in, as well as quite a few single college-aged women.

How do they find out about you?

BlogExplosion, BlogClicker, Technorati, links from infertility blogs, FreeKatie.net (they posted a link to my site awhile back and I got about 3,000 hits one weekend from other people who think Tom Cruise is psycho nuts), and of course your standard weird Google searches (“larva pickle Ellen baby�.)

What do they like best about your site?

Gathering from the emails and comments I get, people seem to respond to
(in no particular order): my cartoons, “The Court of Ellen,” “Lost” Discussion Thursday, stories and pictures about my fantabulous daughter, and the downloadable book on depression.

Ellen offers a consistent order of activities and fun. It’s in some ways like the regular television schedule or the features of a favorite magazine. People know what they can look forward to and when and where they will see it.

What consistent features do your readers have to look forward to? Are those features your readers could find anywhere? Do you offer some features tailored to your readers that could only be done by you? How do you give your readers a value-added experience?

–ME “Liz” Strauss