Yesterday we heard from Eric Hamm from Up-And-Coming-Blogger and “Motivate Thyself” and Sean Platt from Writer Dad who wrote about the power of finding a blogging buddy to work collaborate with in your blogging.
Finding that special blogging buddy (or buddies) isn’t anything you can place on Craig’s List. Like any relationship worth developing, only the proper combination of time and place will lead to conception. It is important to understand that part of the challenge lies in the patience it takes to wait for the right blogger to enter our lives. Of course, while being patient, it wouldn’t hurt to speed the process along by meeting a myriad of people.
Here are a few tips to help open doors, and invite the right bloggers to come inside.
- Offer assistance wherever needed, and whenever possible. Most people would agree that the adage what goes around comes around is mostly on the money. Even more so in Blogopolis. Everyone playing the game is new, even those who have been in it since before the beginning. Lending someone a hand when you find yourself in a position to do so is not only kind, but will most likely be remembered later.
- Add bloggers that you’d like to meet to your blogroll. Most blogs have a blogroll either on their sidebar or on a separate page. Using your blogroll in the right manner is an effective way to wave hello to those bloggers that you would like to know better. Blogs included in a blogroll earn an immediate link back to their site from the home blog. Even if the traffic you send is minor, the action might be noticed, and appreciated, by an observant blogger. If that blogger happens to be at your house, and encounters his or her name in your sidebar, they are probably far more likely to strike up a conversation.
- Link to potential buddies in your posts, while praising their most deserving work. The power of praise doesn’t dim when as soon as we leave the primary colors of Kindergarten behind. Even as adults, we peer around for people to prop us up, and tell us that we are doing things the way they should be done. When we link to someone in our posts, we are sending them a chance to discover our praise through a ping back. Linking a potential buddy is the same as sending them an invitation.
- Send complimentary emails to bloggers you respect. Like a link from within a post, an email is an invitation. The difference lies in their privacy. Email allows us to be more direct about our praise, and honest about the things that we might like to ask our potential buddy.
- Ask for assistance from other bloggers and take note of their response. If we approach a blogger for assistance, and they seem unwilling or hesitant, it might be a sign that they aren’t overly eager to help. We can never assume to know what is on another’s plate, and must never be pushy. If it doesn’t seem like a good fit, it probably isn’t. The right match will come along, but we cannot will success into submission.
- When interacting with another blogger, look for common ground as you seek potential chemistry and like mindedness. Email can open a floodgate of conversation. If you notice threads of common pinging your inbox, it is prudent that you follow through. Try to gauge the background of your potential blogging buddy, and determine what you have in common. The more fluid the communication, the more likely the relationship.
- NEVER be overly eager or desperate! As in life, this tactic will not help in the search for a blogging partner. A blogger worthy of the other side of a relationship will most likely be turned off by impatient or desperate behavior. It is important to remain cool and collected. The right decision is rarely made in desperation.
A great example of the above information in action.
About a dozen fallen leaves into Sean’s third month blogging, he got a note in his inbox from a daily reader, regular commenter, and first time emailer. The reader loved his site and wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help make it better; the Blogopolis version of asking if he’d like to share a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The email was from Eric, and over the course of a weekend, he added the 40 to the WD, and scrubbed Writer Dad until it was all shiny. Only a couple of weeks, and the two of us were pooling ourselves on a project. Collaboration has been a constant since.
Having a blogging buddy is an excellent strategy, but one that cannot, and should not be forced. Being mindful of what surrounds you, and reading between the lines, is the best way to turn your budding blogging into blogging with buddies.
You let peeps comment with a back link without logging in?
Sounds great! There is something to the collaborative efforts of blogging that is so refreshing and energizing. Thank you guys for sharing from your experience. Definitely something I should try.
what a great idea… I need a buddy :) I have friends that currently blog, we have all shared what we learn each day. It would be of great benefit to have an experienced blogging buddy! Sounds the making of a new doll :)
It is so nice to have (and make) those connections; although you can never have too many blogging buddies!
Definitely some good ideas there, thanks.
I love good blogging buddies – one of my best was a reader of my blog, but she left such good comments, and was so chill, I ended up asking her on when I needed a co-blogger, and it worked out perfectly. So having a nice attitude as a reader can really help you form relationships.
The one downside of having a blog buddy (or more) nowadays though, is lower pay all around, so you have to weigh that as well.
These are not the sort of things that you should be doing just to find a blogging buddy! Nope, these are the sort of things that you should do regardless of whether you obtain a buddy or not as by doing them you will be laying your scent on the blogosphere, a scent that will eventually lead many to your blog.
Cool post, I don’t have any blogging buddies either on the internet or in my personal life. This will get me started in my quest for finding some.
I have a blogging buddy, and without that guy, I can say I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, it’s a good idea!
I added bloggers that I would like to meet and form relationships to my blog roll and now I am starting to form relationships with them which could provide some great opportunities in the future
I don’t have a buddy. Although it sounds like a good idea, I am not thinking about collaborating with anyone at this point. I like to work alone.
Cheers,
A Dawn Journal
http://www.adawnjournal.com
@Valeria: We’re glad you enjoyed the content. You’re right, it’s an energizing thing!
@Whateverebay: It does sound like a doll, doesn’t it. :-)
@Rob: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them.
@Jennifer: Isn’t it great when things just evolve that way? Thanks for sharing.
@Sire: You’re absolutely right!
@Matt: Good luck in your quest! :-)
@Tony: We’re both in agreement on THAT point!
@Ryan: It’s great when blogging relationships can form so naturally that way. Thanks for sharing your experience.
@A. Dawn: We all have those things that work with us and collaboration isn’t always our cup of tea. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Eric.
I do have a blogging buddy. It took a long time. I would never just say, as some have the past couple of days “is there anybody out there who wants to be my buddy?” Because as you stated, you must wait for the right fit. The right fit would be someone’s work you respect, and someone who helped create a great spark within you thereby spurring you on to to great creativity, thereby helping you to produce great things. It would also have to be someone who would be honest with you when you were about to publish something that wasn’t so great! And someone YOU would be willing to help tremendously also, and could always count on YOU. If you want help, but aren’t willing to give it, want a commitment, and aren’t willing to give back, you are being unfair…
Wait around for the right person to and then ask them to be your blogging buddy. And by the way, this takes guts. It is a risk! You may have to ask a few people before somebody says yes. Of course you could ask your best friend, and sure they’d say yes, but are they the one that will keep you creative, the one that you can bounce ideas off, the one that will be honest with you? Perhaps not. Ask the one who is. That one will probably be someone you have never met prior to blogging. And they just may say no, because they have never met you before! On the other hand, if your writing is good, and you have been loyal, giving and helpful to them and others in the blogosphere, they just may say YES!
Good luck in finding and choosing your blogging buddy, you all,
Krissy :)
Valeria; It’s both fun and helpful. You definitely won’t regret it.
Whateverebay: Little Blogger, coming to a Toys R’ Us this Christmas!
Rob: You are quite welcome.
Jennifer: You can share experience without dividing dollars. Eric and I run separate blogs, but we are able to help one another on a daily basis.
Sire: You are absolutely right. Finding a blogging buddy is just the natural result.
Matt Gio: Good luck on your quest!
Tony Cathey: Spread the gospel.
Ryan: Definitely a smart tactic.
A. Dawn: You could share rather than collaborate, but it’s nice to have someone who is going through the same things. At least for me.
Krissy: The comment award goes to Krissy. Way to go, and well said.
At FairSoftware.net, we are experimenting with the concept of revenue share for multi-author blogging right now.
Finding a blog buddy is 80% of the problem. Once you have found your buddy, how do you work out a financial arrangement so that you stay good friends in the long term? That’s a very important point to consider. So that’s why we offer a standard revenue sharing agreement and AdSense revenue share service. We are in beta right now, so ping us if you want to try it out or find out more.
That’s definitely a great idea. You’re able to bounce ideas off each other to create a much more powerful article. Eventually, it can grow to a full size crew to blog to one site. There’s your new business!
What a great idea.
http://capitalmarketnigeria.com
Don’t know if anyone’s said this yet, but I’d better say it:
Another thing to note is that it is possible to turn down good blogging buddies without knowing it. I remember when I was an enormous help to a blog, doubling and tripling its traffic through guest posts that linked to other bloggers and getting attention via trackbacks, links from my own blog, comments on behalf of that blog. And the funny thing is I almost didn’t get picked even after volunteering.
I think it really helps to know your limits as a blogger, and know where you’ll need help.
I have been interested in a blogging buddy for a little while. Your post gave me some steps to take. Thanks!
great idea…any other benefits?
When I first started my blog a year ago, I couldn’t imagine how one could make friends on the Net or collaborate with other bloggers. Other bloggers seemed to be whirling about in the stratosphere, while I was plodding along writing for a benefit of my first 5 subscribers.
Now I share a second blog with an A-list blogger and have just initiated a joint project with 2 other bloggers. I have lovely blogger friends whom I keep in close touch with. I couldn’t have imagined that when I first started.
How it happened? I simply tried to be of help to others. Then connections started to form and friendships evolved.
Thanks for these great tips. Making blog friends is great for helping boost your readership and also for keeping your sanity. My blog is just a month old so I just have a few blog friends but I really value their opinions and feedback.
I met Ross from willitchangeyou through problogger he is sort of a blogging buddy and my connection to him turned me onto blogcatalog and now I have a few buds through there. Outside of cyberspace I have a freind who is a journalist and she recently reviewed my blogs with me, and went through an article from each blog it was really helpful
I wish I saved the original article before I changed it but here is the revised article that she reviewed
http://rideyourbike.us/labels/Inspirational_Challenges.html
Very clever tips! Some of them I alread use!!! How nice! It’s good to know I’m in the right way to become bigger. The only tip I think doesn’t work here in Brazil is the “Send complimentary emails to bloggers you respect” one, because we have so much problems with spam that people don’t read emails from an unknown person.
Just finished a collaborative post for the first time. Excellent experience. Great tips.
Great post series! I’ve had my personal blog for some time and have been learning the ins and outs of blogging. Recently my wife and I have decided to start up several blogs together. I’m excited about it because there are a few of them that we both are planning on contributing to together and working on with each other.
It’ll be nice having a blogging buddy in the same house! Thanks for the tips and we will take much of the advice and reach out to others also with the same interests!
I found this post while doing exactly what you said. I surfed here via Facebook Blognetworks which I began to use about a week ago. Since then I have found several unique albeit low-traffic blogs. However, in a short time I have enjoyed a dialogue both behind the scenes and in commenting on each others blogs. Mutual links abound we are all better bloggers with increased traffic to show for it! Networking is one of several key ingredients to a successful blog.
Great tips, as always. I’ve always gone the indirect route; perhaps it is time to be bolder.
I don’t know about other blog platforms but WordPress makes it easy to see comments coming in and I suspect others do as well. Answering comments in your own blog, visiting those who comment, and leaving comments for them are great ways to interact with bloggers.
I’ve written up how I find related blog posts and link to and recommend bloggers I admire in my latest blog post. It might offer some new ideas to some.
I just saved those tips for future references, great, i was actually looking for more like this tips, keep it up!
Again I think one can easily fish in the wrong pond, the key must be finding some-one in the right niche. Great post, thank you.
I have several blogging buddies on my other blog, Scars Can Speak, that blog with me there. It’s helpful because I don’t always feel pressure to update; I know that someone else is posting.
Activity has kind of died down, though, and I’ve found myself being the sole blogger once more. I don’t mind, but it’s awfully lonely now! All of my buddies are bogged down with school and work. It’s been my intention to start building the group back up again and encouraging old contributors to come back, but now I’m really busy.
Looks like now is the time to make the time to regroup everyone!
That being said, if anyone is interested in writing about their experience with depression and depression-related stuff (self-injury, addiction, chronic pain, suicide, etc), shoot me an email at elizabeth[at]lettersoflove[dot]net. We are a VERY friendly and honest bunch, and even though activity has died down a bit we are a very tight-knit and supportive group. Writing for SCS has helped myself and others quite a bit.
This is a awesome post! Going to turn my blogging buddy radar on right away!
I’m going to see what I can do to find a blogging buddy. I really wish I could find someone to communicate with in person. I have a friend for that but he doesn’t live near me anymore. Also, I am currently serving in Iraq and none of the soldiers in my unit seem to care about anything outside of the norm.
I just joined the Problogger forums for the 31DBBB workbook. Maybe I can find something in there in the collaborations section as suggested in the workbook. I’d love to have a blogging buddy.
If anyone on here is interested, take a look at my blog and contact me if you feel we could work well together.
Sean