I’m a big fan of MyBlogLog. Now that I’ve got my identity crisis sorted out (and can happily flit backwards and forwards between my Confident Writing self and the Blog Angel Team Joanna) I’m re-remembering all the things that I like about it – and all the different ways that we can use it to help us blog.
As preparation for this week’s post I started jotting down a list of the things that MyBlogLog has helped me to do – and some of the ways that other I’ve seen other people use it.
I’ve come up with ten so far – but I’m sure there are more…
10 Ways That MyBlogLog Can Help You With Blogging
1. It’s a calling card This is the main way that I use it – when you go and visit a site other people can see that you’ve popped by. That’s not just the site owner – but other readers. They might just click and see who you are and hey presto, you’ve got a new visitor
2. It’s motivating I don’t know about you but I get a lift from seeing those friendly faces on my site and knowing that people have stopped by to see what I was doing. This made a huge difference in the early days – when it’s easy to think you’re just writing into a huge a vacuum
3. It’s an easy way to check stats To be honest I’d forgotten the free stats package until Claire mentioned it the other day (as I’m using other systems for stats) but it’s an easy way to check how many readers you’ve got, number of page views, where your readers came from, what they viewed and what they clicked on
4. It helps you learn about your readers Follow the pictures of the folk who’ve come by, visit their sites, learn more about the people who are interested in what you’re doing
5. It’s an easy way to find new sites There’s a powerful networking function build into MyBlogLog – go visit your home page, find out who’s ‘near’ you, explore their communities, find friends of friends. It’s a simple way to find blogs that are in your niche that you want to follow, connect and link to
6. It opens up new connections I’ve never found the time to get properly into the MyBlogLog communities – but if you invested in it there’s an opportunity to get to know other bloggers. (Blogging can be a lonely business if you don’t have blogging friends – don’t you think?)
7. It’s a way of showing you’re paying attention When you get into the habit of reading feeds there might be times, long periods of time, when you don’t go and visit a site. I like to call by some sites ‘in person’ – sites of readers, clients, friends, people I’m working with – because you get a fuller picture that way, and by leaving your picture you’re letting them know that you’ve been by. (Only slight downside of this one – sometimes I feel guilty if I call by somewhere and don’t have time to leave a comment – I find myself thinking ‘oh no, they’ll know I’ve been in and haven’t said hi!’)
8. It’s a way to contact visitors This is another one I’ve not tried yet - and I think there are some risks of scaring off casual visitors – but you could follow up a visit with a message on MyBlogLog. I read the other day that you could try this to coax new visitors into subscribing to your feed. What do you think of this approach – too much?
9. It makes your readers feel at home It adds to the ‘café’ feel of a blog – a place that’s lived in, and you can see that other people are calling by too
10. It’s a small thank you to visitors You’re giving them the chance to leave their calling card on the site. It’s a small but sometimes significant return for the investment of time on your blog – and a small but sometimes significant incentive for them to come back
That’s my ten – it’s a mixture of benefits for you on your own site and your experience when you’re out and about in the blogosphere – but they’re all part and parcel of the business of blogging (which most certainly should include time spent elsewhere…)
In compiling the list I realised there were a lot of things I’d never done, or hadn’t done for several months, and that I probably wasn’t getting the full benefit out of the system. I’m always up for learning about new ways to improve my own blogging – and let’s face it to make it easier, quicker and more enjoyable too – so I’d love to hear how you make the most of it and how it helps you to blog.
And for those of you not into MyBlogLog – it’d be interesting to know why – maybe what it is that bugs you about it, why you think it’s not worth the space on your sidebar, and what other systems you’ve found that offer the kind of benefits I’ve been describing here.
You can leave a comment in the box below – or (as we’re into social media here) leave a message in the voice mail on the sidebar, or chip in at the Business Blog Angel Facebook group (it’s for clients and colleagues – if you want to join just message Claire on Facebook)
A couple of technical points – if you’ve not logged in to MyBlogLog for a while you might want to check that it's your picture that's showing rather than a scary grey smiling avatar like this one... Since being taken over by Yahoo you need to log in now with a Yahoo account before your picture shows up again and the default is the grey face.
MyBlogLog is pretty easy to instal but if you don’t have the time or the inclination don’t worry – it will be one of the blogging surgery services that Claire will be offering clients.
More information on how the new service will work… coming soon
Joanna, for the Blog Angel Team
