Today your task in the 31 Day Project is to Introduce Yourself to another blogger
Email or IM another blogger in your niche to introduce yourself and your blog. You don’t need to ask them to link to you or anything – the point isn’t to get any specific outcome other than to touch base and hopefully build a relationship.
I find that the most fruitful interactions that I’ve had with other bloggers don’t come as a result of me asking for something – but out of me giving something.
What can you give? This will of course vary from situation to situation but it could a tip, a suggestion, a question for them to post about, an offer to write a guest post, a thank you for a good post they’ve written or a word of encouragement to let them know that you appreciate them.
While nothing may come of such an email (don’t be offended if you don’t get a reply) you might be surprised at the results.
My only other tip is to keep your email brief and to the point. Many bloggers are inundated with email and to be confronted with a long rambling email of introduction might not create the impression that you’re after.
Darren- I think it is also a nice touch to thank a fellow blogger when they do something that you appreciate (like add you to their blog roll or a link to your post). That type of communication also tends to go a long way establishing meaningful relationships and expanding your network.
Regards,
Howard
will do darren your wish is my command! haha
yesterday i sent an email to a blogger, then we talked on MSN. We were both very happy to interview each other.
Good networking is always a smart thing to do.
Bloggers are the best blog readers.
Its always good to communicate with each other so they can share ideas, discover mistakes and make it better.
Hello, and my name is Terra! Nice to meet you! Anyone can IM me or add me to their linkedin circle by going to my “about” page on my blog. Great advice darren!
I always appreciate the time someone takes to email me privately about a post I’ve written, whether it’s giving me a bit of encouragement or letting me know I’ve helped her in some way. You can bet I will then take the time to read that person’s site and get to know her (or him). I find that cultivating a few nice relationships can be a lot more productive in gaining new readers than ignoring the comments you get.
I wonder how many emails you are going to get today because of this post? :D
A very good point, though. I have had a few emails from other bloggers and in several cases, we have ended up exchanging links and even guest posts. It can be VERY beneficial to both parties.
I think this is a great idea. My only worry is people might think you are spamming them to get them to your site. Is there something you can say or do to let them know it’s not spam?
yea networking its always useful, especially to build a readership :D
Good networking is very important and very much useful. Thanks for the suggestion.
Old business networking is still good :)
yes, i think this is a good idea!!! I am very new to blogging and i have to ask, how do you keep up with reading, writting, researching… and life?
Linda E., CBAP
ExpertMentors, LLC
You can never have too many contacts and never know when they will come in handy.
Dear Reader,
Good Day from Singapore!
“Introduce Yourself to Another Blogger” – I will keep it KISS (keep it simple short)
I m a Cold when I Fight, I am Cool when I Rule. If you treat me Well, I am Amiable; if you Aggrevate me, I could be very Cruel.
I find the best way to touch base is comment regularly and ensure that you reply to any queries he/she has whilst maybe posing one of your own. A friendly conversation is always preferred to a target or goal.
Going at a complete tangent, where the Holy hindu religious book, Bhagvad Gita states, “Do your work with complete sincerity, do not wish for results, the fruits will automatically follow.”
Similarly here, I think it is very true, just because you are approaching a blogger, with the expectation he will backlink your blog is completely uncalled for, but what we should hope for is to win him as a friend who will give tips and will come to me for tips.
http://mokshjuneja.blogspot.com/
Hey that’s a great tip! Building relationships is essential for any serious blogger – and the best way to do it is to give something, as Darren suggested.
For me, I usually just leave a comment on a post I found particularly useful. But I think it might mean a little more to personally email the blogger.
Great idea! Keep em coming!!!
Nice one, it’s just like introducing your self to someone at the prom or at a party. You really don’t have to get permission to get laid or get a free drink right away, you just want to know him or her.
Great new look by the way, very refreshing.
The first step to building a relationship is to say hello!
Hi everyone i ‘d like to meet you all !
that is great I do that on a daily basis or weekly, once I find a good blog I like I usually do a small introduction about myself and I usually do not even tell them about my website. I give courtesy to the author and its blog – because its something that I probably do not know or something I can improve myself on
also its a good network oppurtunity….:)
Yes, it sounds nice but even if someone just introduces themselves to me and offer me something I KNOW that they want something.
So why pretend? I don’t like hypocrites.
I prefer the cold hard truth. Email me, tell me what you want and I’ll tell you what I want and then we talk. ;)
Yes, it sounds nice but even if someone just introduces themselves to me and offer me something I KNOW that they want something.
So why pretend? I don’t like hypocrites
Hey that’s a great tip! Building relationships is essential for any serious blogger – and the best way to do it is to give something.
yes, i think this is a good idea!!! I am very new to blogging and i have to ask, how do you keep up with reading, writting, researching… and life?
Darren,
This is something I will be doing. I don’t interact with other bloggers enough, actually. So I’ll be trying to connect with a few different people and see how it works out. :)
Mate, I’ve been blogging on my site (I’m an Aussie in Paris) for two years. It takes a lot of time to keep it fresh. I’ve also been on YouTube (over 3 million views of my 265 videos on “Wallyworld” Channel) since the beginning in January last year. It’s physically impossible to keep up with the subscribers and comments, although I try. But what I do try and do (like you) is talk one-to-one. I’m ex-radio and that’s what they taught us to do there. Instead of coming on air and saying “Hello campers” or whatever, we were taught to speak as if we were only talking to one person and that person was our best mate. So it was something like “Good morning…how’s your day going so far? Did you see in the news….what do you think of that? I’d be interested in your comments”. I try to do it both in my blogging and vlogging. Makes for a much more intimate scene and you build relationships quicker – even though you don’t have the time to personally talk or email everyone.
This is a wonderful idea, getting to make some relationships with others can only help, I cannot really think of too many (realistic) scenarios where knowing TOO many people would be a bad thing!
hi give me some reply
fanastiic, replacement of penfriendship, so fast, world in your hand, can share different people openions, sharing ideas, know different inventions, habbits, culture, technology etc acoss globe (world)
excllent idea, creating bridge between all sorts of people across the world.
Darren,
A simple, yet effective technique to network yourself. I love it.
I am sure that most of us have heard of “Six Degrees of Separation” right? You know, where any person in the world that you want to contact is six “levels” or less away from you.
Well, on the internet that can happen much faster. And, especially through blogging and social sites (Web 2.0 anyone?)
Nicely done on the post man.
Joseph Ratliff
Author of The Profitable Business Edge 2
http://josephratliff.name
What do you do if you cannot find their contact information? Good thing that there may be some ways to get around that….external websites, myspace, etc.
Great idea. It’s a good way to build relationships with those in your field/niche.
Great Idea! Thanks Darren.
Please visit me at …………
http://BookTestOnlinecom.blogspot.com
Thanks,
Elizabeth G.
Thanks Darren,
It’s always great to get connected and meeting new friends. Besides IM/email, the mybloglog conversation function also works great.
Sounds like a great idea. I think I’ll give it a try.
Communicating with the fellow bloggers is always useful. If it is of the same niche, a good start to build network.
I’m following your blog every day and I’m applying your advice in my new blog about “Spanish Writing Tips” with success. My blog grows up every day. Thanks for your tips
Hi Everyone !
I’ve been blogging for less than a year. And I recently started a new blog iHateBadService.ca, I am trying to create a community for people to share their bad service experience anonymously, hope it all goes well and the community will grow larger eventually.
Word of mouth can go a long way, the negative ones can go even further.
Have a good day !
Larry
Great post, Darren! Sure beats the non-productive networking mixers and biz-card exchanges I used to attend!
-JS-
Here’s saying Hi to a new blogger friend. I’ve followed your adventures over the past two years and you have helped me quite a bit along the way. I have to say this 31 ideas feature is the best yet.
Keep these great ideas coming…
John