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Friday, October 10, 2014

What Your Visiting Behavior Brings to the Blogging Table #atozchallenge #roadtrip

You know those movie scenes where someone shows up unexpectedly on the doorstep of distant relatives, friends or lovers who are so overjoyed to be visited by another human being? In my experience as a blogger and two-time (or three-time…hard to recall right now) road tripper, this is similar to what someone feels like when you visit his or her blog. 

That is why your continued participation in the A-to-Z Challenge Road Trip counts the most; (most of) the blogs you missed way back in April are still cranking out the same, if not better, material that is worth a look-see. Even if you visit one blog a day from now until April roll around again, that will mean a lot for the bloggers who are operating those online entities. To them, it’s more than a visit. What you do (or don’t do) and what they see mean the difference between whether the blogosphere remains buzzing with activity or goes stale.

When you visit blogs, they see that some activity exists where there was once none. This traffic motivates a newbie blogger to put up a new post again. This is all that’s needed to get the ball rolling. The views you bring also keeps a seasoned blogger alert with an urge to grow his or her readership by putting one’s best foot forward.

When you read blogs, they see that their efforts were not made in vein because someone, somewhere, is paying attention. Not only did you stop by for a visit, but you're actually listening to what they have to say. This is especially evident in cases where bloggers have inspired a post on another person’s blog or ignited discussions around one particular topic. Anyone can visit but it takes an interested individual to read a blog post from beginning to end and then respond to it in a way that comes by total surprise. 

A few years ago, a Canadian blogger who I favored for some time had been featured in my local newspaper. She likely would have never even knew about the feature if I didn’t contact her about the article. So, someone in the states read her blog and thought it provided enough valuable information to warrant a mention in a newspaper. Who knows how the feature got from point A to point B – it could have been recommended from one friend to another, a magazine editor could have been doing research on one specific topic and just happened upon her blog. The possibilities vary but all it took was for someone to read this woman’s content.

When you comment on blogs, they see that there are people behind those visits and views; people with varied opinions and experienced; people who might share common interests; people who are an example of how big the world is compared to our little universes around us; people who also help us in creating and joining little universes within the larger one. You stopped by for a visit, were all ears for what was on their mind and either had a cup of coffee with them or brought some of your own to share. 

Bloggers see a reader who is willing to interact with them and enjoys further discussion on the content presented in a blog post. They see someone who is cooperative enough to step out from behind the shadows of the blog pages where he or she once lurked, and become a part of something that could turn out to be fun.

When you participate in the Post A-to-Z Road Trip by visiting, reading and commenting on blogs from the A-to-Z sign-up list, the people behind these places see that our A-to-Z community stretches far past April. They see a community that is like a gas station – open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They see how being a part of the A-to-Z Challenge can help them reap long-term benefits by the very nature of attracting new readers and hopeful friends to learn, laugh, cry, vent and celebrate with for as long as the effort is put forth on all sides.

How many new blogs have YOU visited this week?

Can you describe the most favorite or most interesting blog post YOU read this week while visiting new blogs?


A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers provides some insight on films that need to be on your radar at The Madlab Post. She is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross and is usually up for some brief Twitter (@MadlabPost) conversations.  

10 comments:

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I know I visit a lot of blogs every week, some because I always do and some new ones I discover along the way. Though I've never met those bloggers in person, they become real people and real friends. I know some of them better than writers I've met face to face.

D.E. Malone said...

I have no idea how many blogs I've visited this week since a visit to one leads to another, and soon a half hour has flown by with all of my blog-hopping. One post I did enjoy this week is a summary of a writer's self-styled writing retreat she took with a writing partner. You can read about it here http://marciahoehne.blogspot.com/2014/10/writing-retreat.html

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nicole .. I've been away this week .. but keep up with quite a few blogs and do occasionally go and meet new bloggers .. I'm not the best at it .. and will make an effort during the A-Z ...

I do leave comments and I do interact - and I do get people popping over to my blog from other blogs ... and in fact a South African journalist (Afrikaans speaker) wanted to find out about a cousin of my mothers and her Boer War relative ... she then visited Vancouver Island to do some research ... so you're right - who knows, where the connection comes in ... cheers Hilary

Anonymous said...

Nicole - thanks for a very well-written and informative post! I visit several new blogs every week and always leave a comment. I completely agree that we need to continue this endeavor, not least because we find such stimulating reads, but because that support is what fuels a bloggers' energy to keep going.

As you say, truly taking time to read and comment is the key. It takes a lot of time. I tend to find bloggers on my own platform, WordPress, because it's less time-consuming to search and comment on my own platform, but I also follow a good number of BlogSpotters.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

And who knows? You might make a really good friend in the process.

cleemckenzie said...

I have my regular route, but I love to find new blogs and pop in to say hello, too. Alex is right. You might make some really good friends.

Nicole said...

Susan,
You know it's funny how we are closer to some of our blogging friends than those we see in person. That's what makes the world wide web such an interesting place. Participating in the Post A-to-Z Road Trip that going on now is a great way to find new blogs to visit and I hope you enjoy the works of those you meet along the way. Thanks for commenting!

Dawn,
I know what you mean about getting lost in all of the clickity clicking that one tends to do while surfing through blogland. It's quite an adventure and allow me to say kudos to you for checking out new blogs. That's what it's all about. Also thanks for mentioning the writer's retreat post that you enjoyed during your blog-hopping this week. I'll check it out. See...you just brought her a new visitor and reader. Yay! :)

Hilary,
Meeting new bloggers is easy...that's what we have the "A-to-Z Road Trip" for: to visit blogs that we missed from this year's challenge, back in April 2014. It gives you a chance to catch up on the bloggers that you didn't get a chance to meet back then. You rock when it comes to leaving blog comments and wow...journalists from South Africa pop over to your blog?!! That is so cool. Thanks for adding your experiences to this discussion.

bemuzin,
Cheers to you for being diligent in visiting new blogs on a weekly basis. It's so easy for us (myself included) to get used to the habit of just re-visiting blogs that we're already familiar with, so I'm glad that the A-to-Z Road Trip offers a reminder and motivation to expand our horizons where visiting blogs are concerned. Although I'm unfamiliar with finding blogs through WordPress, that platform does provide a lot of great services for the bloggers who use it and I can surely understand how some folks find it easier to surf through their native blogging platforms. Thankfully, a ton of bloggers who are on the 2014 A-to-Z Challenge sign-up list do use WordPress, providing a great way for you to discover new blogs to visit . Thanks for your comment :)

Sue,
The purpose of the Road Trip is to visit new blogs on the A-to-Z Challenge sign-up list that you haven't read before. Here's hoping you find some that you like. On a side note....I've participated in Blog Action Day for at least 4-5 years and I will not be joining it this year because although I love the mission behind it, I am fed up with my blog posts not being on their radar.

No one from Blog Action Day or it's registered participants read or commented on my blog posts. It started to feel like my efforts weren't even being acklowledged, so this year I am dedicating my time and blog posts to more worthwhile causes. Of course, this is just my experience as a participant. It may be different for other bloggers who have taken part in it during previous years, but going forward, consider it to be a waste of my time and energy.

Alex,
Making really good friends is the icing on the cake that helps bloggers to know they aren't alone :)

cleemckenzie,
I'm all about the regular route as I know it's a great way to build some of those friendships that Alex is talking about. At the same time I also understand the benefits of mixing it up and taking some blog visiting detours that can help us find some new people to interact with from day to day or week to week. Thanks a bunch for your comment!

Fil said...

I've been really bad at doing the road trip but I follow lots of lovely blogs that I first met on the A to Z challenge and through them and reading their posts regularly I end up visiting other new blogs and mostly leave a comment. I very rarely follow Wordpress blogs though because they can't always be added to my Blogger reader - must investigate that. So thank you for the reminder Nicole - that's my Sunday morning taken care off - a wee hop on the Road Trip :)
Fil at Fil’s Place - Old songs and Memories

Scribbles From Jenn said...

Wonderful post. I like the idea of checking out a few each day. I tend to try and do it all in a couple of days, which doesn't allow me to visit as much as I'd like. I'm changing my blogging style and giving this a tweet!

Heather M. Gardner said...

Great post!
Heather