Let's Start A Link Campaign!

I guess I'm feeling unloved because there are times when I wonder if it's worth continuing this blog. I enjoy it greatly, which is why I do it, but I have to know if it's worth it, both in time and effort.

According to Stat Counter, this blog gets a lot of hits, mostly from Google searches (gotta love those keywords). But this blog gets precious few comments.

I visit blogs regularly, comment when it's a subject I can relate to, but I'm not a me-too commenter. A blog post has to actually ask me (the reader) a question for me to comment.

The posts about homesteading and frugal living get the most comments, followed by my doggie posts.

It's not so much that I need comment-love as much as I would like feedback on whether something is useful or not. If it's not useful or entertaining, why should I bother?

It takes a good deal of time to post thoughtful entries and since my disabilities keep me from sitting in front of a computer for very long, it takes precious time away from when I should be writing novels.

So here's my conundrum:

• Should I go back to discussing only writing topics? If so I would only blog once a week.

• Should I continue my current tack and discuss the things I love?

• Should I move the subject I don't blog about to its own newsletter? This would mean one blog post a week on one topic and one newsletter a month on a different topic.

I use this blog to write about things I care about. Total strangers have tweeted about me or linked me to their blogs, which delights me to no end, but I am still in the dark as to whether this helps my visibility and book sales.

In order to gauge where I rate on the ether, I have decided to stalk you (only kidding). I have decided to follow anyone who is already following me. Right now, there are 22 Google Connect followers to this blog. I have located each one of you and have added myself to your follow list.

If you are not already a follower and would like to hang out with us, add me to your follow list and I will in turn put myself on your follow list.

I would also like to trade favors with you and perhaps increase both our reaches.

Tell me in the Comments:

a. If you follow me either on a reader, RSS or by visiting.

b. What topics on this blog interest you the most.

c. In 30 words or less, tell me what you blog about--and your link.

Note: If you come across as an infomercial spammer, I will delete the comment. I want to introduce real bloggers to each other.

Now, in order for search engines to locate both of us, next week I am going to reprint your comments, complete with links and one word that best describes your blog.

There will be no other posts this week. I want to see if reaching out to you will encourage you to reach out to me.

Feel free to tweet, blog or discuss this on your groups. Let's see if we can introduce each other to NEW people who are interested in how we live and what we do.

One last thing. If you like this blog, recommend it to your followers. And if this post has inspired you to reach out to your readers, start your own campaign and find out who it is that reads you. Let's start a LINK CAMPAIGN!

I am teetering on a fence post and I need to hear from you.

Tell everyone!

LINK CAMPAIGN!
LINK CAMPAIGN!
LINK CAMPAIGN!

Copyright © 2009 Maria Zannini -- http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/.

Edited to add: There were a couple of people I couldn't add because Google Connect or the Follow Me feature wasn't on their blog.

If you'd like to get the Follow Me feature on your blog, go to Layout and Add a Gadget. Followers should be the first one on the list.

Comments

Sherri said…
I can completely relate to the lack of comments and whether it's worth continuing. I've noticed on my blog my comments dropped after I signed up with Facebook (it's evil, LOL) but I do notice a lot of people linking over to my blog from Facebook, they just don't comment.

As for your content...do what you love and who cares about the rest. I follow your writing posts the most though but perhaps that's partly because I found you via LB & LI.

As for how I check up on your blog...I have you in my blog roll on mine and check for new posts each day. If it looks like something I want to read I pop on over.

I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo so my time and comments have really dropped in the last month or so and will likely be even worse next month. So a lack of comments from me is time related not content. Not to mention the 4 boys who keep me on my toes...should have stuck to pets, LOL.

I might try your Link Campaign in December but right now I'm scheduling as many posts as I can for November.

You've been to my blog so you already know it's mostly family stuff but I do try to do book reviews (planning yours for November -- I'll let you know a date when I have one) and post scrapbook layouts. I link whenever and wherever I can in my posts and sidebars.
Hi Maria!

I generally don't comment on blogs unless I have something to say. An exception to this is the Blog Chain; it's a requirement that we comment on each other's posts.

I generally read blog posts on my RSS feed, which also means I have to click through to the actual blog if I want to comment.

While I'm most interested in your writing posts (I found your Killer Campaign series useful), I feel you should blog about the things that interest you. I personally think if you just blog about writing, the only people who will read your blog are other writers. Not that that's bad, but by blogging about more topics, you can reach a larger audience.

As for my blog, it deals both with my writing and my daily life, especially my family.
Roni Loren said…
I'm new to this blog, but I know it can be frustrating when comments are low. I think it's a numbers game honestly. I have about 140 followers and each day I get anywhere from 15-35 comments, which seems like a lot but not when you consider how many followers and how many hits I'm getting.

And even though it's a lot of work, getting regular commenters often means being a regular commenter on other's blogs. You build friendships that way and you start seeing people show up and comment daily along with linking to you in their blogs.

As for topics, I'm a believer that you write about what you want to write about. It's your blog. I stick to writing-related topics and the occasional book review, but that's because that's what interest me.

If you're looking to sell books, I would think a great place to start would be to go make friends with the slew of book review bloggers out there. Offer them a copy of your book to review, offer to do an online interview on their site, etc. to get their readers to buy your book.

Good luck!

And if anyone wants to visit me, I blog M-F about writing fiction and the journey to (hopeful) publication. Fiction Groupie
Angela James said…
I get tons of hits to my blog but very rarely get many comments. I'm okay with that because I also rarely comment on blogs, since I read pretty much exclusively in RSS. I'd never even heard of Google connect until this post!

I love the variety of your posts, but I'm not an author so I'm a bad judge. I will say that I follow very few author blogs, so it's the variety that appeals to me.
Kaz Augustin said…
Hey M! I'm an RSS reader, but will click through to comment. You think *you* have low comments? If I subtract your comments from my blog, I think I'd be a steady zero! LOL It bothers me from time to time but, then again, I'm so egotistical, the opportunity to rant always trumps any good sense.

Vary your posts. I dislike author blogs that only discuss writing. How much can you write about the topic, to be honest? And it's not as though we're putting out a novel a month or something. Besides, blogging about nothing but your writing smacks of over-the-top self-promotion and is something that my British education sensibilities are against.
Deborah Kalin said…
I can relate to the low-comments thing; I noticed a distinct drop in comments on my blog when I moved it off livejournal and on to my own website. And it can be hard to maintain momentum if you're not getting feedback.

FWIW, I like author blogs that discuss writing, but I do like them to vary the posts as well.
Marianne Arkins said…
I read most of my posts via Google Reader (that's where you show up *G*) and only click through if I feel like commenting. I think this is true of LOTS of folks, esp. the busier ones.

I figure if I get 10% of the readers to comment, I'm good to go, and that's about what I average. If I had more time to interact, I'm sure there would be more -- but time is my most precious commodity. I used to be FAR more social before I started LASR, and I kind of miss it.

I have a plan to do a blog spotlight on a weekly basis, of someone's blog I read and enjoy and why ... I don't have time to dig up new blogs, so would love it if someone else did the same. I used to rely on Romancing the Blog for new blogs -- I'd go there and just start clicking and seeing if any tickled my fancy, but they've removed their blog list (which breaks my heart).

As for your posts? I read them all, lol. I admit to being less interested in the markets, but otherwise, you're very readable and I like all your subjects.

But, heck, I'm probably not the best judge since I tend to ramble about nothing every day *G*

RE: the follow feature on Blogger... you don't HAVE to click on the "follow me". You can go into your own profile and manually add the URLs, which is what I typically do.

Hope I said at least something moderately useful. :-)
Melissa McClone said…
I think the amount of commenting really shouldn't affect whether you blog or not. Most of my readers don't comment (and I only comment on blogs were people comment on mine because I don't have time for anything else), but that doesn't mean they don't like what I write. Your traffic numbers should be what drives you to continue blogging, IMHO, nothing else.

Also I might write about my writing, but it's rare when I write about the craft of writing. My audience is readers, not writers.
Mike Keyton said…
I like your 'voice' Maria, so I always find something of interest in what you write. Just do what pleases you.
Ref RSS and links and suchlike, I'm too stupid to do techno-stuff like that. I only recently learned how to do a dishwasher remember. I just have you bookmarked in my highly selective 'blog' section.

Comments are nice - and like Kaz says - you get a damn sight more than me :) but comments don't tell the whole picture. Regular readers 'read' but might not always comment.
Just do what you do best.
Dru said…
I follow you in Google reader.

I read the topics that are of interest to me, most are. I rarely comment though. I like your tone and the information that I get from reading it.

I blog because it's an outlet for me since I don't have too many people to talk in real life. My blogger friends have become friends to me and that I treasure.

http://dallnotes.blogspot.com
Marian Perera said…
Hi Maria,

I became a follower. :) Because we can never have too many followers.

I like the variety of your posts (especially if they have cute pictures of your dogs), but I'm fine with blogs that only discuss writing or publication as long as they have something interesting to say on the topic and aren't just self-promotion.

Back when I had more time, I would try to comment on at least thirty blogs each Saturday (substantial comments, not just "great post"). Once I challenged myself to do fifty blogs, though I was an exhausted mess at the end. And after classes started, that fell by the wayside.