Imagine the difference it would make, if we talked about our blogs.
QUESTION 3:
What is your blog about?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
2.5 Queen Ellen’s Advice
Interview with Ellen
Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Her audience: easy-going, funny, non-judgmental readersâââ‰â¬Åmoms; dads; college-aged women
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery, the 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
2.5 Queen Ellen’s Advice
Ellen has been building blogging expertise since May 2003. Her background in design and graphics also brings an additional dimension to the conversation. She shared some of her experience with the highs and lows of blogging.
What was the biggest mistake that you made?
I wrote some critical comments about one of my sisters on my old blog. . . . None of my family even knew that my blog “diary” existed, so I never thought that she’d ever read it. But search engines are tricky little things, and she . . . found my blog and read every archived post. She was very hurt and angry. I don’t regret writing my true thoughts and feelings on my blog, but I’ve learned that you must be willing to accept the fallout if you choose to do so. Needless to say, I don’t write about family anymore. I don’t know who is reading.
What change made the greatest improvement?
Besides the obvious switch from my boring old “Sugar” blog to “Reign,” I think that the addition of the “The Court of Ellen” cartoons bolstered the community on my blog. People love to belong and love to feel special and unique.
What do you wish you could do for your blog?
To be honest, I really like my blog the way it is. But I do wish I had more time to respond to all the emails and comments that I receive from readers. However, being a working mother with several personal hobbies outside of blogging, this is impossible right now.
What was the best advice anyone gave you?
“If you delete that blog, I will beat you, woman.”
Not really advice as much as a threat. Said to me by my husband after I received my first attacking comment from a “troll.” I get my feelings hurt easily, and I was about to delete my entire blog. Thankfully, I listened to him and have toughened up a bit.
What advice would you give a beginner?
Surf the network of blogs. You can learn a lot about blogging from other bloggersâââ‰â¬?the good, the bad and the ugly. And as the saying goes for writers, ââ∠âif you want to be a good writer, read good books,âââ¬? so it goes for bloggers . . . ââ∠âIf you want to be a successful blogger, lurk on a lot of blogs.âââ¬?
Finally, make your template–ââ∠âyour template”–something you like to return to time and time again. My personal preference for my template is to keep ââ∠âclean and uncluttered.âââ¬? Itâââ‰â¢s about the only place in my life that is ââ∠âclean and uncluttered.âââ¬?
“Hey, you try having a baby, working part time, and pumping out artwork every week,” added Jason, Ellen’s husband.
In what ways, have you made your template your own? Stand back. Take a look. Does your blog reflect what happens there?
Is your blog a place you want to come back to time and time again?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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 readersâââ‰â¬Åmoms; 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 ââ∠âMommy Blog.âââ¬? 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 (ââ∠âlarva pickle Ellen babyâââ¬?.)
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
2.2 A Reign with Purpose
Interview with Ellen
2.2 A Reign with Purpose
Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Her initial purpose: to share her cartoons and to connect with other media junkies
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery; 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
Ellen had been blogging for almost two years, when she decided it was time for a new beginning. That’s how The Reign of Ellen came to be.
How did you decide on a name for the new blog?
I’ve actually been blogging for several years. My former blog was Sugar In The Raw. After I had my daughter last February, I decided that I wanted a fresh start. On my old blog, I had just written a post about taking over the finances from my spendy husband. I was calling the new financial regime, “The Reign of Ellen.” One of my readers suggested that would be a good name for a blog, and so I yoinked the idea.
What made you start the new blog?
I feel like I’ve had two eras of blogging, each with a different focus.
Sugar In The Raw was simply an online journal of my life. I’ve probably filled up about fifty journals since I was 16 years old, and blogging was an extension to that habit.
With The Reign of Ellen, I wanted to create an “Ellen playground” I wanted a place to share my cartoons with other moms, to get feedback . . . and crack jokes with other media junkies.
From Sugar in the Raw to The Reign of Ellen, Ellen’s purpose for blogging shifted. It went from maintaining an online journal to sharing her cartoons and her sense of humor with other moms and media junkies.
Do you think that Ellen is meeting her purpose of making a playground to share with like minded readers?
Like-minded readers . . . what do you have in common with your readers? Is your purpose their purpose? Should it be? When should you and your readers have a common purpose? When should you have a purpose different from your readers?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Next Week–Interview 2: The Reign of Ellen
An Interview with ELLEN who’s been blogging since 2003, and
The Reign of Ellen where you’ll enter the Blogdom of Royalty.
Click her picture. See the blog that crowns readers Kings and Queens.
See you then!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
About Success–What a Link Can Do
Want to get someone’s attention?
Here’s how someone got mine–with a link. Not that she needs it.
Working last night, I stopped to check what was new with our links, and I saw a link from Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins.
Who is she? Sheila is the guide to the extensive resources at Web Logs at About.com. Some people know her as Shai. She was recently in the news when her blogging network AboutWeblogs merged with b5 media.
Here is how that link changed my thinking.
I often use About.com at my personal blog. I apparently had an unconscious perception about them. It never occurred to me that About. com would go deep in expertise and information on weblong things until Shai made that link, and I went exploring it. I found a passel of information worth sharing and probably will over time. For today I’ll leave you with one link and a picture I like a lot.
This link takes you to Shai’s article on Time Management. It’s really a link to a whole page of links on all kinds of weblogging things.
Warning: if you go to this page, you might find yourself following links all weekend.
While you’re there if you look in the right sidebar and down a little, you will see the picture that I like a lot.
We’re in excellent company. Don’t you think? Thank you, Shai.
–ME “Liz” Strauss