People often ask, why would I want to write a blog. My life isn't all that interesting, who'd read or be interested in what I have to say. Have you heard that? Bet you have.
If you look up the definition of a blog, you'll find lots of information, but, basically it's a combination of the word web and log. It's an interactive means of communication. The communications is on going, it is updated...it is not static like a webpage. Some people blog like they're writing a personal diary, other's are more topic focused, others full of passions and causes.
Webpages are written, updated once in awhile but are read only. There is no interaction between the writer of the blog and the reader of the blog. A blog has that interaction. You write something as a blogger, you want people to read it, you want people to comment on it, others may in fact even comment on the comments. That's the interaction. That's what makes a blog a blog, and not a one sided static and often stale webpage.
So, my question to all bloggers then is this. If the point is interaction, why then do people make the interaction difficult, time consuming, and delayed? If you want you blog to be read, and you want people to comment, why do you put up road blocks for them to do so? I know you've all seen a blog that requires you to join, before you comment. Often those are here's my thoughts in your face, controversial type topics. They want to be read, but don't really want to encourage you to counter, to correct in some cases. They really don't seem to want the dialogue--so what's the point? You've probably also seen where comments aren't even an option........when I hit blogs like this, I never join and try not to return back. I'm not one that wants to blindly read and not communicate back. I also don't want to give them the readership they so crave. Blogging is a give and go. We all want readership, so reciprocate I say...go read other blogs, do for them what you want them to do for you.
Comments, anyone who says they don't care if they get comments, they blog for themselves....nah, I don't buy that. They want comments, they want followers, they want to know they've been read...chances are them saying they don't care if they get comments is their way of saying....I'm not taking time to reciprocate your comments. I often will read, comment several times; and if that blogger doesn't do the same, I move on. Blogging by definition is interactive. Interactive is not one sided.
Continuing on, we write to be read, we know we've been read, if we receive comments. Invite them, don't discourage them with those silly, hard to read, time consuming numbers and letters. They're annoying, they sometimes don't work. And, do they really keep you from getting spam? No, your filter does that. Do the professional spammers still spam you when you use them? Yes, they do. Comments need to be approved, more annoyance. This again takes time, this limits interaction, this delays communication. If you use the captchas because you think it prevents spam, why then do you also need to approve the comments before it's published? Do you need to approve the comments so you only print those that agree with you? If so, aren't you also limiting the interaction? To my way of thinking, yes you are. You're building road blocks and discouraging people to comment. Information grows as people read a blog and make comments. So if you're the 4th or 5th person leaving a comment you often have the ability to pick up additional information/opinions and interact with those commentors as well as the original blogger; but if your comment has to be approved first, that doesn't happen until much later, if at all.
Visit the blogs of those that visit you, don't read them in a reader. Do for them what they did for you, take the time to visit. Reading in a reader doesn't give the blog traffic, the traffic you got when they visited you. Don't take the easy way out and click reply via email to a question they've asked. Visit them, comment back, give them the time they gave you; the traffic they gave your blog. Be a reciprocal blogger, be an interactive blogger.
Being an interactive blogger is fun, that's how we meet new interesting people.
This is my B post for the Z-A challenge
