One the most delightful things another blogger can do is to share one or more of our blog posts. I remember when one of my posts was reblogged for the first time. As a new blogger, it was one of the most beautiful feelings I had, and I was excited that my post was now in front of thousands of new readers. Even today, I still get those same feelings whenever one of my posts is reblogged.
Unless you’ve chosen to turn off all your WordPress notifications, then you will get an email notification from WordPress when one of your posts is reblogged. It will tell you the following information –
- which post has been reblogged
- who has reblogged it
- the number of followers the post has been reblogged to
Here’s an example of a recent reblog notification I received.
WordPress also notify you of a reblog in the notifications area of your blog (The bell symbol in the top right of your blog).
The first thing to do is to thank the blogger who has reblogged your post. The easiest way to do this is to leave a ‘thank you’ in the comments section of the reblogged post. Not only is this polite and seen as friendly to do but you will also get notifications from WordPress of any further comments that are left on the reblog, which you can then respond to. However, don’t forget to tick the ‘Notify me of new comments via email’ box to ensure you get the notifications.
If the blogger who reblogged your post is new to you, then you may like to have a look at their blog and consider whether to follow them. However, you should never feel under any obligation to do this. For example, I once had a blog post that was reblogged by a beauty blogger. As I don’t have any interest in beauty products, I chose not to follow her blog, but I did thank her for the reblog.
Another way you can thank the blogger who has reblogged your post is by thanking them in the comments section of your own post. If you’ve already thanked them in the comments section of the reblogged post, then there is no need to thank them again. However, some bloggers choose to disable comments being left on posts they reblog so that readers who want to comment have to leave any comments on the original post. This is something I choose to do as I prefer comments to be left on the original post where they can be read by everyone who has left a comment. When this happens, you can thank the blogger by leaving them a comment in the comments section of the original post.
Should you return the favour and reblog a post of the blogger who has reblogged one of your posts? Many do this, and it can lead to the blogger reblogging more of your posts, but you should never feel under any obligation to reblog a post because somebody has shared one of your posts. By all means, share one of their posts on one or more of your social media accounts but, providing you have thanked them, there is nothing else you need to do.
I’ve also seen many bloggers reblog their own posts. Personally, this is something I have never done, preferring instead to use features such as Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday to promote older posts. I also prefer to reschedule rather than reblog my own posts, which you can read about by clicking here, but do what you feel most comfortable doing.
What about me? Do I reblog? Yes! Over the time I have been blogging, I have reblogged other bloggers’ posts, but I do not reblog as much as I used to. I certainly do not reblog as much as many other bloggers choose to do but, as individuals, we should all choose what, when and how much to reblog. I have good reasons why I have moved away from reblogging and will cover these reasons in an upcoming post.
Is there anything I’ve not mentioned that you do when one of your posts is reblogged? Do you reblog the posts of other bloggers and, if so, do you expect anything in return?
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I just re-read this Hugh and just saw the ‘notify me of new comments’ box. It’s funny how you can miss something you see every day. Thank you for pointing it out. I encourage others to revisit a post you’ve already read. I find I always miss something on the first read.
I agree with you, Rob. Sometimes, there can be so much information to absorb that some of it gets forgotten or missed. It’s one of the reasons why I like to share these kinds of posts on blogging linkups posts where bloggers invite other bloggers to share one of their posts. It also brings in more traffic to the post.
I like the linkups too. I often reserve comment on a post until after I’ve read it twice. This is where clicking ‘like’ comes in handy. It gives me a handy bookmark.
That’s a great point about how the ‘like’ button should be used, Rob.
Thanks Hugh.
Hugh,
I will reblog a post that captures my intellect or my ‘heart’. The best bloggers frequently capture both. Some bloggers write introductions to explain why they’ve reblogged a post: this is a good idea if you
know why you think a post is interesting. I love your example BTW
. 🙂
I agree, Rob. If we’re going to reblog a post then we should definitely let our readers know why we’re reblogging it. I tend not to read reblogged posts if the blogger has not said why they are reblogging it. We don’t, for example, know that they even read the post. An introduction to the post when reblogging is something I’d recommend every blogger include when reblogging, even if they’re reblogging their own post.
I keep hoping someone will reblog one of my posts but it hasn’t happened yet! I have a one-topic blog so reblogging others is a bit difficult for me,though I can see myself doing it one day! I had a different blog (several, in fact) in the past and got very fed up when my posts were reblogged by people who didn’t have any posts of their own – just reblogs. Many times, I ended up deleting my posts just to stop that,which made me feel bad for the people who’d enjoyed my posts in the first place. Do you get that sort of reblog with your own posts at all?
Reblog farms (as I like to call them) are strange blogs, and I do wonder if anyone actually follows them, given all the posts are not from the author who owns the blog. They can become rather overwhelming, especially if you subscribe to them via email. I tend to stay well clear of them. However, I’m always delighted when one of my posts is shared. It can bring traffic in, but it does very much depend on how the post is reblogged. For example, if it’s just reblogged, without any reason as to why it’s being reblogged, then I won’t read the post. If, however, the reblogger gives a very good reason why they are sharing the post, then I’ll most probably read it.
You can also remove the reblog button from your WordPress blog. I’ve removed mine, but people can still share my posts via ‘Press This.’
Thanks so much for your comments, Val.
Isn’t ‘Press This’ like some sort of all-encompassing copy and paste button?
It only copies the link to a post. The author is then free to add their own details and images. No problems with any copyright issues (unlike when reblogging).
That’s good to know.
Mmm. The copyright problems need sorting out here, big-time. Years ago when I had an art blog here, I was appalled when someone reblogged one of my posts and it appeared with absolutely no reference to who had done it – also it had originally linked to Redbubble where I’d had work and that link no longer worked.
Many bloggers see a ‘reblog’ button as permission from the author to share the post. However, it can cause all sorts of problems with copyright, especially if the post being reblogged also contains images that are copyrighted. It’s one of the reasons why I no longer reblog any posts and use ‘Press This’ instead.
Thank you Hugh – so much to learn and so pleased there are many such as yourself to learn from.
You’re welcome. I’m still learning, as well, but it’s great fun.
Thank you for this great post, Hugh.
You’re welcome, Robbie.
Good advice as always Hugh and I think a thank you goes a long way 🙂
Thank you, Carol. Yes, I totally agree.