To me, page views on my personal blog actually matter very little, it’s more about the sharing of thoughts, hearing other viewpoints, and ultimately reaching a deeper understanding on a variety of topics…
Assuming you feel the same way I do, here are a few thoughts to consider:
- As you blog more and more, hopefully gaining a reputation as someone with at least a couple of readers, look for opportunities to take part on other sites. I cross-post my content on CustomerThink, GovLoop, and soon somewhere else as well (will share where in the next few days).
- Do not write what others want to hear, write your true opinions, do not be afraid to be respectfully thought-provoking.
- Invite others to share their thoughts about your post, especially those that are likely to have alternate viewpoints. The goal is to learn, to engage, to grow.
- Enable your RSS feeds to show the full post, not just the small teaser. People are more likely to read your content if they do not have to click on a link, wait for your blog to open. Keep it simple for your customers, your readers.
If your goal is to maximize traffic to your blog it wouldn’t hurt to consider the same tactics, though. People want to engage with people, or organizations, not to simply be preached to from the all-knowing Oz….. So, let me ask you…. What is important to you?
John
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May 1, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Hey John – You are right. I blog to help people. As a way of giving back to the job search community after my 2007 job search. But I also do it for selfish reasons – to provide an outlet to my ideas. So they don’t fester in a bottom drawer somewhere!
But I also (gulp) do care about page views. It is one of the tangible pieces of evidence (in addition to great comments and e-mails!) that lets me know that some small part of the world is paying attention. It also lets me know which posts are getting the attention . . .
Saw your link on #blogchat
May 1, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Great point on the page views as an indicator, but don’t let it guide your writing. I could triple my daily views just by writing a story about Twitter daily. I’ve tested, it’s true.
John
May 1, 2010 at 5:17 am
John,
I wanted since some weeks to write a post on that and finally found the opportunity thanks to your post.
So find my answer here:
http://bexinfu.com/2010/05/01/why-do-you-blog/
April 30, 2010 at 6:45 pm
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