New Goals for Blogging

This is the time of year we take a breath, get a contented grin on our face, and make all kinds of self improvement promises to ourselves. We were told at sometime in our life that if we tell others about these goals, we will be inclined to meet them (under fear of public failure if we don't). That doesn't work for me.

The reality is, we need a set of skills or tools to accomplish our goals. Often there is a great abyss between our desire for change and the goal. That is where a plan and method fit. It needs to be ordered steps that are measurable with benchmark dates that are reasonable (and obtainable).

I'm beginning to chuckle at the number of people I know personally who have said they are going to try to be more diligent with posting regularly on their blogs. In the famous words of Yoda (StarWars), "Do or do not, there is no try."

Yeah, that was helpful, Nadine.

How about this? Since it is obvious that everyone using blogger knows how to post a new post, go to that window and look at the bottom of the box where you write your brilliance. See at the bottom left are the words, "Post Options"? Click on that and you can schedule when your post will go live. Easy-peasy.

There, you have your new tool to meet your goal. For the times when you have time to write several posts, but don't want them all posted "now," this is an easy way to use that creative (or quiet) moment to set up future posts.

We know that people follow blogs that post on a regular schedule better than they follow a sporadically posted blog. Set up a schedule of posting. Commit to it.

Many publishing industry bloggers post once a week. That allows time for them to get picked up in the media and jet propelled onto everyone's tweets and other wire-like services (they milk it for all it's worth). That proved successful during the blog party last summer. My opinion is that people don't follow as well if posts are less than once a week.

Honestly, I don't tweet, so perhaps I'm not maximizing the potential of my blog. I am convinced that First Draft has not drastically improved the sell numbers of the trilogy, which was why I was talked into blogging. That brings us to the topic of purpose. Chose a topic to blog that interests you and that you think will interest others.

I like to talk about writing, the craft and the industry, much more than I like being all commercial about marketing my books. (You have to decide on your own if you want them.) I like to give information that would have been helpful when I was starting out, but wasn't there then. Judging by the traffic through First Draft, it seems there is some interest in this information.

A word about following blogs. Even if you blog on one of the other formats, become a follower on the blogger blogs you read. Why? Because people who are looking for blogs do click on those links to see if you are 'like-minded' and find your blog. I also visit the blogs of people who comment on my blog. Those two ways are how I found most of the blogs I read. So if you want your blog found by others, try following blogs that are likely to attract the audience you want.

Good luck and best wishes in obtaining your 2010 blogging goals.

Social media overview here: http://socialmedia.coolpage.biz/blog/

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