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7 Ways to a Remarkably Powerful, Personal Network of Bloggers

December 27, 2007 by Liz 14 Comments

How to Make Friends with a Blogger

relationships button

Just this week someone was saying to me how surprised they were to find that bloggers are such helpful people. That got me thinking about how much all of you have been for me.

So much of what blogging has been for me is been the relationships that have started in comment box, A network of blogger friends is the hugest benefit of this hobby of communicating with everyone who stumbles upon our url. The folks we meet on our blogs are now the people with whom we’re doing business and sharing our goals.

People say that I’m a connector, here’s how those connections came about.

7 Ways to a Remarkably Powerful, Personal Network of Bloggers

If you want to meet and connect with bloggers, you have to go where bloggers hang out — blogs, blog meet ups, and social networking groups that are blogger haunts. When you get there, know a few things about what we bloggers have in common so that you’ll feel comfortable having something to talk about. Here are seven ways to connect with bloggers.

  1. Use blogrolls. Bloggers are always clicking and connecting. We know the most efficient ways to get from place or person to another. Bloggers recognize like minds quickly and value the connections when we find one. Use the blogrolls on the blogs you read to find new blogs to widen your circle.
  2. Promote bloggers who have great thoughts. The best form of connecting is to show folks what we value about them by sharing it publicly with our friends. We live on the web — a connected set of linked up urls. Link to bloggers who talk about what you’re interest in and you’ll find they’ll be interested in you. Don’t just concentrate on A-Listers. Great thinkers are writing on blogs that just started yesterday. You can help them get going.
  3. Ask for help with a problem. Bloggers are flexible and agile. We’ve picked up the latest and adapt them to our needs — sometimes in ways that the developers hadn’t imagined. When you visit new blogs check the structure as well as the content, when you have a problem connect, connect, connect with bloggers. A blogger will know how to help. A simple question in a contact box with the words “Can you point me in the direction of the answer . . .” will often start a new relationship.
  4. Do something to change the world. Bloggers love to make things better. One of the quickest ways to connect with bloggers is to design and announce a realistic, altruistic plan to improve or support a cause for someone else.
  5. Avoid the wrong side of the links. Some bloggers aren’t the sort to connect up with. Keeping an eye on our zeal to connect is always a good idea. Spam and advertorial content is all some slimy bloggers ever offer. Those connections make a network weaker.
  6. Value every second someone shares with you. Bloggers guard their time. We spend time writing great content, tweaking our blogs and talking to each other. Be authentic, be thoughtful, and be generous when you say hello that very first time. . . . and every time after.
  7. Remember the people; forget the press. A blogger’s life changes quickly over time. In a few months, we can go from being a “newbie” to being someone folks want to know. The first notice by a big search engine, the first time we show up on a top ten list, the first page ranking at Google — these are our academy awards. When it happens to you, don’t let it change who you are. People don’t change their algorithms nearly as often as Google does.

So there they are 7 ways to connect with bloggers to form a remarkably powerful personal network. What they really say is Be real and be about the folks you want to connect with. Show up as who you are from the first moment and you’ll find folks will start wanting to connect to you.

Know any other hints I should add to the list?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Would you like to work with Liz to build your network?

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Filed Under: Blog Basics, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blogging, influence, networking, relationships, visibility

Comments

  1. Mother Earth says

    December 27, 2007 at 10:57 AM

    I’d add leave comments, some don’t return them like you do, and then again many do – the point is that is how you meet someone. Another blogger, someone like minded, someone you can perhaps work with

    comments are a huge compliment to my work – when someone takes a moment to leave a comment it makes my day!!

    Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan
    http://www.bestwellnessconsultant.com

    Reply
  2. Joanna Young says

    December 27, 2007 at 11:03 AM

    Hi Liz, something odd with the formatting here? I can read it okay in the feedreader but it’s kind of jumbled when I come by to say hi…

    I guess I’d add : spend time at their place, don’t just expect them to come to you.

    Bloggers are definitely the nicest, most generous set of people I’ve ever met, and getting to know so many wonderful bloggers has been a highlight of my 2007.

    Joanna

    Reply
  3. Barbara Rozgonyi says

    December 27, 2007 at 11:57 AM

    Just as I was thinking about my 2008 blogging outreach plan, along comes your post.

    Thanks for putting my plan in place, Liz!

    I’d add “go to blog conferences and see who you connect with” – definitely worked for me in 2007. By the way, do you have dates for SOBCon 2008?

    As a PR person, I love your number 7!

    Too many times, companies [not just bloggers] want to rest on their press and stop innovating or being news-worthy. It’s not about the awards or the coverage, it’s about being interesting and relevant all the time, which you continually manage to model for all of us.

    Reply
  4. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 27, 2007 at 12:38 PM

    Hi Mother Earth!
    Yeah, thoughtfully commenting on other folks’ blogs is a honor we pay their thoughts and their work. We can never do it enough. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂

    Reply
  5. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 27, 2007 at 12:41 PM

    Hi Joanna!
    I’ll check my coding to see whether I’ve left something out.

    I so agree that we need to visit other bloggers. I often wish for more time to do just that. I love reading blogs in their natural habitat. 🙂

    Reply
  6. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 27, 2007 at 12:44 PM

    Hi Barbara!
    Chances are very good that SOBCon08 will be the first weekend in May. We’ll know by the first of the year!!

    Yeah!!

    Conferences are so important. I read and relate to the work of bloggers I’ve met on the phone and in person differently. The words sound like they are coming through in the person’s actual voice after we’ve met. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Eric Bunde says

    December 27, 2007 at 11:55 PM

    Hi Liz,
    great advise, they seem like no brainers but its nice to see that you’ve collected the ideas and presented them nicely.

    Reply
  8. Karin H. says

    December 28, 2007 at 4:34 AM

    Know any other hints I should add to the list?

    Be nice!

    Hi Liz,

    Lets put your list on the blogging curriculum 😉

    Karin H.

    Reply
  9. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 28, 2007 at 6:04 AM

    Hi Karin!
    That would be nice. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Karin H. says

    December 28, 2007 at 6:17 AM

    In my book it is, simple 😉

    Karin H.

    Reply
  11. ME Liz Strauss says

    December 28, 2007 at 6:39 AM

    How did you know what I was going to post today?

    Reply
  12. Karin H. says

    December 28, 2007 at 6:55 AM

    🙂

    Karin H.

    Reply

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