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Blogging is no broadcasting platform.
Successful bloggers build a two-way street.
Beware; thinking this way becomes uncomfortable. Bloggers place barriers around their site for various reasons. As the barriers increase the blog becomes a broadcasting platform. Readers are not seen or heard.
That’s not a good thing.
Success flows from readers to your blog and through your blog.
Professional bloggers rely on reader feedback to publish engaged content.
Intelligent bloggers build a loyal community through a lively blog comments field.
Being deaf to feedback creates a tone deaf blogger. At this point you publish posts about whatever’s on your mind. What if these ideas are not on the reader’s mind? You blog for a course of crickets.
Closing comments or barely managing an anemic comments section turns your back on user generated content. Comments are content. A lively comment section amplifies your reach. In essence, readers lengthen blog posts by dropping detailed, genuine comments. Google takes note of this as do like-minded readers.
The 1200 word blog post backed up with 10 highly detailed comments morphs into something fellow readers spotlight. Google does not easily look past posts with heavy engagement either.
I Broadcasted for a Bit
I cannot lie.
I treated blogging like a broadcasting platform for a bit.
Publish a post.
Broadcast a message.
I assumed the next logical steps would be…..
Get traffic.
Get income.
I did not like the results.
Broadcasting content did not resonate with my tribe.
Readers did not connect seamlessly with me because I did not allow it. Connections meet halfway. Bloggers share their thoughts. Readers share their thoughts. Bonds form.
Blogging is a two way street. Bloggers and readers meet here. Reader drop genuine comments here. Readers email me, connect with me via social media and actively promote me on social media because I treat Blogging From Paradise like a community.
Blogging Dictator
I appeared to be a blogging dictator of sorts years ago.
The blogging strong man had to learn the hard way that there is a better way.
I cared for readers. But I unconsciously wanted them to buy stuff or hit the road.
This unconscious pattern played out in various ways. I closed blog comments. I removed my email address for communication. I removed social media embeds. I wrote and published posts. I did little else.
I’d broadcast a message. I then sat around waiting for traffic and blogging income to materialize out of thin air.
Making matters worse; if someone disagreed with me on social media I became defensive; I told you I was like a blogging dictator for a while. I loved a good fight if the person seemed polite. But I took off the gloves with everyone else.
I lacked confidence. I doubted myself. My blog became a one way street because I feared that readers would trigger my self doubts.
Struggling woke me up. I sensed something was off in my mind. The problem had to be internal.
Everything gradually clicked. I observed fears in mind leading to the error of my ways.
Blogging Fears
I became close with a few readers who pulled a Jekyll and Hyde deal.
Loyal readers and customers changed their tune in an instant.
A few criticized me incessantly after loving my content for years. The folks skewered me. My blog became awful in their eyes overnight. Some dropped wicked comments. I struggled to understand what I did wrong all of a sudden.
Not wanting to be hurt again, I removed almost all channels of communication to prevent readers from offering critical feedback.
Other fears involved worrying about the load spammers – and even legit commentors – put on my server, being anxious about how negative reviews/comments could dissuade people from following my blog and/or buying my online course and eBooks and the loss of free time consistent with making my blog a two way street.
How I Made this Blog a Two Way Street
I faced, felt and chipped away at each fear.
Clearing these fears inspired me to set up Blogging From Paradise Dot Com as a two way blogging street.
I opened comments. I read and replied to genuine comments. I embedded an email link for contacting me. I published content based exclusively on reader feedback. I encouraged genuine commenting by asking questions; removing barriers to commenting (heavy ads mucking up the UX, incessant pop ups, etc) facilitates discussion.
My blog morphed into a two way street.
Conquer fear to open up your blog.
Stop broadcasting.
Open your blog to the outside world.
No Blogger Succeeds Solo
My traffic, comments, backlinks and income originate from our team effort.
Our tribe makes it all happen.
Our two way street stimulates referral traffic and referral income. Happy readers seen and heard through blog comments drive their tribes to my blog, online course for sale and eBooks for sale. People did not drive referrals after I closed comments, removed my email address and deleted social icons. Why would they? I silenced my tribe. Running a successful blog is a team effort between you and your tribe. We co-create our collective success.
Bloggers need readers like readers need bloggers.
We are dependent on each other because success originates from teamwork not a bunch of individuals only looking out for themselves.
Think of Your Blog as a Meeting Place Not a Pulpit
Imagine your blog to be a public space for meeting, learning, chatting and bonding.
Stop treating it like a pulpit for speaking your message then exiting stage left.
Together we can do astounding things.
Solo we achieve almost nothing.
Everything I experience flows through you. I do not speak down to you. I help you. You help me through your genuine blog comments. Reader feedback puts us on the right blogging course. One hand washes the other.
The pulpit approach is the ego run amok. Blogging from the bully pulpit is like trying to force your viewpoint to get something from readers: love, respect, traffic or income.
Readers never respond favorably to this approach. Our community respects my posture but because we actively participate in the community here. I share my thoughts. You share your thoughts. Readers follow me for practical blogging tips. I follow reader comments to point me in the right direction for content ideas.
Tribes Move the Needle
A large, loyal group of readers working towards a common purpose moves the needle on Google or any site for that matter.
Consider 20 bloggers who organically promote each other’s posts on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blue Sky.
Imagine 20 loyal communities digesting your latest blog posts.
Compare that to one blogger attempting to impose his will on a few human beings.
What strategy sounds effective?
One blogger trying to force his viewpoint on a few folks or 20 bloggers promoting your latest post to X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Blue Sky?
Think big.
Run a two way street.
Build a community.
Conclusion
Look at your blog.
Do you broadcast content?
Do you silence readers?
Or do you give readers a platform for offering genuine feedback?
User generated content amplifies your reach.
Helpful feedback increases organic blog traffic.
Make your blog a two way street.
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