Sunday, June 8, 2008

Comment Challenge Day 28: Developing a Blog Commenting Strategy?

Developing a commenting strategy is the task for Day 28 of the Comment Challenge. This activity has been inspired by the post by Caroline Middlebrook in her post " Do You Have A Blog Commenting Strategy?".

Does a strategy work for a small niche blog?
When I started this blog last year, I had strategies for just about everything, including the way I got dressed in the morning - but I do not actually think the order in which I put my shoes on had any effect on the number of blog readers.

Every now and again I think about how I can increase my readership. But generally I just do not have time to be that deliberate about commenting. I now concentrate on commenting on blogs that belong to people I want to network with, as opposed to gaining readers for the sake of it.

Marketing my blog

I have a small niche blog that I don't think will ever have a large readership, so I would rather concentrate on getting readers by other methods. I need to continue working on attracting midwives to read this blog, but for the time being that has to be through publicity in more traditional media such as midwifery journals and electronic newsletters.

I have found a marked increase in visits to my blog when I am active on Twitter, so I find that as effective as strategic commenting.

What do you think? Do strategies work for you?

Image: 'It9s about rules and strategy' pshutterbug
www.flickr.com/photos/95565118@N00/2331162310

2 comments:

Blogger In Middle-earth said...

Tena koe Sarah

You ask if strategies work for me.

I think they would. The question is, do I want them to, or as you say do I wish to put in the time to make them work for me.

It is a strange world we live in. One might infer from reading about the principles behind some comment strategies that human beings are very self-centred creatures.

I believe that this inference is the right one :-)

'All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.'

When you make the entrance you have to decide which part you are playing.

Ka kite
from Middle-earth

Sarah Stewart said...

Thank you very much for your comment, Middle-earth. I think there's a real tension between blogging for learning and reflection, which is what I claim to do, yet at the same time, attracting some notice, peer validation and (if I'm honest) a little fame. Which part I play very much depends on what I am wanting to achieve at any given time.