Hugh's Views and News August 31, 2015 Blogging Tips

Blogging – And How I Got it Wrong

Judith is taking action about her blogging and I was thrilled to read that some of the advice she has taken came from me.
She is no longer allowing her blogs to live by numbers.
Read what plans Judith is putting into place and maybe think about joining her on her quest to make blogging a far more enjoyable experience.

Judith Barrow

I think I’ve had the wrong idea about blogging. When I first started writing a blog it was to introduce myself to others and to get to know other writers/ authors/poets/artists. Oh and to find different genres of books.

One of my first blogs that disappeared into the ether and was apparently seen by no one! http://www.judithbarrow.co.uk/11-random-facts-about-me/

But I’ve been lucky; I’ve made some online friends along the way who, I hope, would be the kind of friend I’d like to have in ‘real’ life. Some, especially, have been so supportive.

http://bit.ly/1F9PBUW

http://bit.ly/1LLzdQ6

/ http://bit.ly/1KvuYJR

http://bit.ly/1KVVozc

http://uviart.blogspot.co.uk/p/guest-interview.html

http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/

And I’ve tried to help and support in return.

But lately I’ve noticed two things. There have been posts asking for more followers (one in particular was asking to raise the numbers because it was her/his birthday). And the others have been blogs to celebrate that a certain number of followers has…

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1

judithbarrow1 on August 31, 2015 at 6:49 pm
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Thank you Hugh – meant to just say thank you for the re-blog. But really mean,thank you for the sound advice.x
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 9:27 pm
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  You’re very welcome Judith. I’m just so very pleased that you wrote and published your post and that some of my advice was part of all the advice you took into consideration when deciding what you were now going to do with regards blogging.
  Best wishes,
  Hugh
  xx
3

Andrew Petcher on August 31, 2015 at 6:14 pm
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My question is ‘why write the post?’ Followers, even ghost followers will give an immediate response, 40 or 50 likes and a few comments and then the post will wither and die. Much better I think to write posts that have legs and go on attracting readers for days, weeks and months after the original posting. Is a blog for community or posterity? I don’t always agree with Hugh on this point.
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 9:25 pm
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  Hi Andrew, thanks for your comments. I believe you also left them over on Judith’s blog and that she has come back to you with a response.
  
  I just wanted to add that my interprutation of a ‘ghost follower’ is somebody who follows a blog and never returns to visit it. I know I can’t prove that all my ghost followers don’t come back and read posts without leaving any comments or likes, but when they blog themselves and leave comments and likes on other blogs it does beg the question as to why they followed my blog in the first place.
  
  I know you don’t agree with everything I have outlined in my recent blogging posts but I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say it’s always healthy to have a different point of view.
5

esthernewton on August 31, 2015 at 5:58 pm
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Great advice and puts things into perspective. It’s so easy to focus on numbers, but they’re really not important. Thank you.
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 9:18 pm
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  Hi Esther, welcome back. Hope you had a great holiday. Thank you for your comments on this. Good to see that you agree that the numbers aren’t always important when it comes to blogging.
  - 7
    
    esthernewton on August 31, 2015 at 10:05 pm
    
    Thanks, Hugh. The holiday was wonderful, though jet lag is certainly setting in! Re the numbers, I used to be obsessed by them, but now don’t pay too much attention to them and instead concentrate on the community and fellow writers. Hope things are going well for you and you’ve had a good summer 🙂
8

Eileen O' on August 31, 2015 at 5:25 pm
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Hi Hugh
I am a new follower. I too thought that building the numbers meant I was achieving something. Now I’m happier to write for myself and if I get likes and comments or new followers, that’s a bonus and I’ll do my best to check out their sites and follow if I can see we’re on the same wavelength. I have issued general posts when my followers increased, but I would never beg for followers – that’s sad.
Thanks for the tips.
- 9
  
  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 9:16 pm
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  Hi Elleen, as new bloggers just about everyones priority is to get as many followers as possible. However, I believe that with time that changes and the followers will come to you as your blog develops. Providing you publish good quality posts, build a blogging community and become a part of other bloggers blogging communities then numbers will come to you. There are lots of other factors into building up a good blog to take into account as well and I may outline these in some future posts.
  
  Sounds like you already making very good progress into the blogging world. Keep up the great work.
  - 10
    
    Eileen O' on September 1, 2015 at 12:22 pm
    
    Thanks Hugh. I’ve been blogging for over a year and hopefully some of my posts a good quality (not all). Sometimes I just rant 🙂
  - 11
    
    Hugh's Views and News on September 1, 2015 at 12:31 pm
    
    Ranting is good for the soul, Eileen. Talking about it often helps. Well, it always helps me 🙂
12

Meredith on August 31, 2015 at 4:12 pm
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Hugh, numbers were important for a while. Then like you I came to realize it is a comfort to have friends who are as true as family. Thanks always for your good advice, entertainment and friendship.
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 4:28 pm
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  I agree, Meredith. Do you remember our first days on the Blogging 101 course and how we all started following each other and got so excited about it? Many of my early followers came from that course and it’s sad that some no longer seem to blog. But, you are right in that we have moved on now to where the quality of what we publish and the communities we have built are far more important than the numbers.
  
  Thank you for the lovely compliments. I hope Martha, Nick, you, and the family are all well?
  - 14
    
    Meredith on September 1, 2015 at 12:59 am
    
    I’m feeling better than I have in months. I’m getting dressed and not in bed all day, Mamie Eisenhower said after a certain age you should stay in bed in the morning and work on your correspondence (that would be a blog now.)
  - 15
    
    Meredith on September 1, 2015 at 1:00 am
    
    Hugh I really feel so blessed to have met so many unique & interesting people from all over the world.
16

The Story Reading Ape on August 31, 2015 at 3:33 pm
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When the FUN goes out of it – STOP BLOGGING 😀
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 3:40 pm
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  I agree, but only after trying to fix it first, especially if you want to continue. If it still causes problems then yes, it’s time to move on to something else. I think just hearing somebody else talk about it can also help a great deal. A lot of us can often find ourselves in the same boat.🚤😀
  - 18
    
    The Story Reading Ape on August 31, 2015 at 5:12 pm
    
    Indeed Hugh 👍😃
19

Catherine on August 31, 2015 at 2:46 pm
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I saw that birthday request and was a bit stunned. I have to give you a huge (or shall I say “Hugh”?) solid THANK YOU for making me realize it just isn’t about the numbers. My main focus is quality writing and writing for my friends and those who enjoy what I write about on my blog. Thanks so much!!!
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  Hugh's Views and News on August 31, 2015 at 3:18 pm
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  Hi Catherine. Thank you for your comments. It is always so very nice to hear from bloggers who have got a lot out of any advice I publish. I was overwhelmed when I read Judith’s post by just how much the numbers game had got to her. Blogging is certainly more about the community and the quality of what you publish, rather than the numbers. The numbers (especially the one that tells you how many followers you have) don’t add up and should not matter especially when you’ll never hear from most of them.