This blog is up to about 20 unique hits each day, and I’ve also been linked to two other blogs — I am really excited about both of those developments! I’ve also started to get comments from people on posts, and I’ve been trying to leave comments other places. But, now that I’ve started to explore and get more comfortable in the blogging community, I’ve realized I have a number of logistical and personal questions about book blogging that I suppose others could answer. So, if you feel like helping me out a little bit, leave a comment with answers to any or all of these questions, I’m really interested to learn more from people!
- How do you keep track of the blogs you read?
- How often do you try to post on your blog? How many hits do you usually get?
- How do you keep track of the comments you leave on other blogs?
- What do you think is the most important thing to include in a book review?
- What has been the most exciting blog-related moment for you?
- Are there any other nifty tricks about blogging you’ve learned?
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Hi! Just so you know, I found your blog through the Weekly Geeks RSS Feed that Maw Books set up. Here are my answers to your questions:
1 – I use google reader … I tried the yahoo service but I like google better. Just go to http://www.google.com and do a search for google reader. It will take a few minutes to set up, but once it’s done it’s FANTASTIC and easy to use.
2 – I try to post once a day, but that’s just me. I get 40-80 hits a day, but that’s only after being up for months and participating in several “group blog” activities.
3 – I don’t keep track of comments I leave unless there is some important reason to do so. In those cases, you can subscribe using google reader to the the comments section of any given post.
4 – For me, I like to read why you did or did not enjoy a book. That give me a clue as to whether I would like it or not. I don’t need a plot summary – I can find that on amazon.com.
5 – My most exciting moment – when I was asked to be an official contributor to the blog at readinggroupguides.com. I get to post once a month! 🙂
6 – Every time I come across a cool blogging tip, or when I ask for – and receive – advice, I tag it with “Blogger Tips”. You can visit my site and click on that label to see anything that I have found helpful.
I hope this helps! Best of luck with your blog!
My answers will be totally useless! However, I will leave them anyway!
1. I use Google Reader. Other folks have blogrolls, but I’m too lazy. Note: this is probably not the way to get yourself known. XD
2. Once a week? Maybe more if I have something to say. Then again, the difference but my experience probably won’t translate for you: I’m not out to offer a “service” like most book bloggers seem to want to do when they say, “put out content several times a week!” I am not down with that, since I’m blogging because I love it, not blogging to make a name for myself. It depends on where you stand. As for how many hits I get on my actual journal, LJ doesn’t track it and THANK GOD because in my experience knowing how many hits I’m getting makes me crazy. It’s never enough. You’ll get 100 and then want 200 and on and on. CYCLE OF DOOM. I would measure success instead in the number of comments and interactions received via your blog.
3. I think blogger, at least, has an option where you can select to be notified by e-mail of follow-up comments, but I don’t know about other services. This is one that boggles me. I am so used to LJ’s threaded comments that sends me an e-mail on reply to mine, that everywhere else confuses me.
4. An honest opinion, not just a summary.
5. My friends! I’ve met and connected with people all over the world (like Dewey! She is awesome.)
6. My experience is so different because I use LJ, oops. I know Natasha at Maw Books wrote at least one post about helpful things that could help bloggers, depending on what they needed.
So basically I can offer no help at all. HA HA. Perhaps some other folks will have more handy hints.
hi! Welcome to book-blogging. I probably should read more of your pages before I comment but I’ll do it after, I guess! My advice is just to have fun with it. I find that I click with some people and just enjoy their styles, etc. I use googlereader for a lot of my bookblogging buddies but I like to click my blogroll sometimes, too – I get overwhelmed with my reader says I have 300+ posts to unread – ick. I don’t track my post hits, occasionally I’m curious but that’s about it. I blog whenever but often 4-5x per week.
WP is GREAT for showing where you’ve commented as long as it’s on WP blogs! So, to be honest, I seem to have formed more friendships with other WPers – it’s just quicker and easier to comment.
The very best thing abt bookblogging is the generous sharing. – kind words, advice, great book recs and FREE BOOKS.
PS I found you from Rebecca Reads and her HowToRead&Why Challenge. WHich reminds me, I need to go blogroll and sign her up into my googlereader…
Trish at Hey Lady often has great blogging tips. She’s on my blogroll. (and is WP)
1. I used to just read the blogs on my blogroll, but I found that I’d forget to check for a few days and would be way behind so I signed up for Google Reader. I don’t check it everyday, but I check it often enough that I’m able to keep up pretty well with the blogs I enjoy.
2. In the beginning I was trying to post every day, but that became difficult as “real” life began consuming more and more of my time. I do try to keep a couple of days consistent. For instance, I post a new book review every Monday and usually always something on Thursdays. This way people who check my blog often know when they can count on the things they are looking for. As long as you don’t let your blog die for weeks at a time, people will keep coming back.
3. I don’t really keep track of comments I leave on other blogs. Sometimes I’ll remember that I was wondering if someone responded to something I’d written them and I’ll go back and check for it…
4. I think the most important thing to include in a book review is your opinion. It’s good to know the basics of what the book is about, but we all want to know what YOU think of the book.
5. The most exciting blog-related moment for me was when people I didn’t know in real life began commenting on my blog. It feels good to find new readers and know they aren’t reading just because you might ask them if you’d read what you wrote.
6. Erm….I’m still kind of new here myself…
Anyway, best of luck to you! I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs so I hope they keep coming.
1. Google Reader. I can skim titles and read the ones that look interesting then “mark as read” the rest of them. (That’s what I do bkclubcare, when there are 300 posts waiting: mark them all as read.) I’m subscribed to 109 right now.
2. I just started blogging. I post when I have something to say. I was aiming for 3 a week but when I start answering memes, I find there are more.
3. I always subscribe to comments when I can so I get emails. When I can’t and I want to check for follow up, I mark it in firefox using “Taboo” which means I can come back to it at a later time and check it. I delete it from Taboo after a few weeks when it appears no one else is commenting. But really, I love subscribe to comments.
4. The emotional draw to the book, not just a summary. I write some long reviews, but I hate spoilers and I think anyone can write a review without too much summary/spoilers and still get me to either want to read it or cross it off my tbr list.
5. I like to know that people are reading my blog and linking to it! It’s satisfying to know that people might possibly care what I have to say. But I like having a blog for myself too–you know, a place for my own thoughts. I like the community and it’s fun to be a part of it.
6. I self-host and it is great because there are so many options, but then I like the geeky computer programming side to things….I’m still pretty new to book blogging.
Thank you for all the comments, they were really helpful! Google Reader seems like a good way to go, so I spent time today getting all the blogs I read entered and sorted in a folder.
Renay — Those were some helpful comments, it’s a good reminder to keep track of blogging for enjoyment rather than obsessing about hits and links and stuff.
bkclubcare — WP is good for tracking things, I wish more of the blogs I read used it!
Becca — I like the idea of being consistent, if it becomes too much to post all the time. I’m glad you enjoy reading, that’s exciting!
Rebecca — I will have to look at “Taboo.” I was trying to use cocomment, but it doesn’t always work; I like being able to use e-mail to keep track of conversations too.
Heather — Your comment almost got lost in my spam filter, so I am glad I found it! Congrats on being an official contributor, that sounds awesome! What other group blog activities have you done?