How synergizing with other bloggers will boost your blog and increase engagement
Do you ever feel as though your blog is wearing you out?
If you network with other bloggers it will become easier.
When you try to change the world on your own it gets tougher every day.
This article will show you how you can work with other bloggers to achieve your objectives without feeling absolutely exhausted the whole time.
Paddling Your Own Canoe
A canoe is very light at about 15Kg and you can get one moving very quickly on your own. You can learn how to paddle with a few hours of instruction and then take it away.
When I started my website I was paddling my blog canoe like crazy. It was fun at the start but soon became tiring.
Paddling a Dragonboat
A blog is more like a 250Kg dragon boat than a 15Kg canoe. You can get it moving on your own, but it will only accelerate very slowly and will never reach top speed. It is much easier if there are 20 paddlers working together in the boat.
I used to paddle for the Amathus Dragonboat Club in England. I spent many winter evenings paddling up and down the 2Km long Albert Dock in Liverpool. We would all be soaked to the skin at the end of the session, but we felt great because of our team spirit.
Sometimes we would have races between a top paddler in a C1 canoe and the dragonboat crew of less-skilled paddlers. The pattern of these races was always the same: The C1 would streak ahead from the starting line and stay ahead for about half a mile with the dragonboat slowly building speed, catching up and then pulling ahead.
Solo Blog Building
Most bloggers I have met are introverts who prefer to work alone. They are C1 paddlers.
Many solo bloggers burn out. They abandon their blogs, broken-hearted that their dream has died.
If only they had spoken with other people who had the same problem . . .
Cooperative Blog Building
Successful bloggers are team players or dragonboat paddlers to use the analogy above.
In a dragonboat club every paddler has respect for every other paddler. Each person offers advice regarding technique or attitude. If you turn out for training or races you get respect. Every club member listens, because they all want to improve.
Blogging is just the same. If you work in your niche and grow your knowledge, you gain respect. If you help others in your niche then you increase your own depth of knowledge because teaching someone else is the best way to really develop your understanding of any subject. You also gain kudos.
You can work with other bloggers in your niche, just like dragonboat paddlers support each other.
- You comment on their blogs, they comment on yours
- You can post articles on each other’s blogs
- You can quote one another in your blog posts
- You can help promote others’ posts on social media accounts
Suddenly you are no longer alone. You are all sending visitors to each other’s blogs. Everyone’s a winner.
Finding Other Bloggers – building an online tribe
Next time you get that “alone feeling” you can do something about it. Start your own blogging “team” or online tribe. You cannot blog alone, trust me on this because I have tried.
Are you thinking other bloggers are your competitors?
Think again. Nobody is going to steal your readers or your ideas. Think of talking with other bloggers as like cross-pollination – Every time you talk with someone your ideas develop and it works both ways because you help your blogger friends’ ideas to develop at the same time. You can criticise one another’s posts and improve them from brain dumps into masterpieces.
Search on Twitter for other blogs that post on your topic, comment, tweet their articles and start a conversation. It is easier than you think.
Conclusion
Like most bloggers, I am an introvert too, more a C1 individualist than a dragonboat-paddling team player.
However I have learned the importance of working with other people and now allocate part of each day towards building my network and helping others.
Even introverts can work in a team, just as long as everyone listens.
Over to You
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Are you a C1 or a dragonboat paddler? Please share your thinking in the comment box below.
Hi Phil,
Great post, inspiring and encouraging! You nailed well the essence behind all relationship building, that is, the networking in a natural and non-pragmatic way. This in turn gives you the power to keep on.
Thanks Min Min
This was inspired by a conversation we had about using our own life experiences and your About Page https://www.roads-2-riches.com/2013/05/10/about-min-min/ What, an inspiring About page? Yes, definitely.
You used a good analogy Phil and gave great points to consider. I was of the mindset that other bloggers were my competition, so it is good to entertain a new perspective. I have started blogs years ago and gave up, as you said. I feel confident that when I start my next one, I will be in it for the long haul. Your posts are helping, thanks!
Thanks ApSuccess
Yes, I think we all start off thinking we are competing with other bloggers and that prevents us from cooperating.
I am glad you found the post helpful
Hi Phil and Min Min,
Good to see you here Phil, and nice being over at your blog too Min Min 🙂
You are absolutely right about all that you mentioned Phil. I guess most bloggers start off solo, because they are new to blogging and hardly know their way around. It’s only over time that they start interacting with other bloggers and gain knowledge about how things work in the blogosphere. That’s what happened with me too, when I started blogging, and being a writer who turned a blogger, it wasn’t easy to mingle with the crowds!
But as you mentioned, if you are a blogger, you cannot survive alone. More so, the blogosphere is a great place to find like minded bloggers, where you can reach out and connect with them. And there is SO much to learn from each one I would say, so, never stop yourself from paddling a dragon boat and enjoy the journey!
There are many ways you can connect with bloggers – through the social medias, forums, communities, commenting on each others blogs etc – provided you are ready to come out of your shell, isn’t it? Once you do that, you begin seeing the changes happening to your blog and your blogging experiences too.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead, both of you 🙂
Hi Harleena,
Thanks for dropping by and it’s a pleasure to meet you.
Thanks for your thoughts Harleena.
Yes, there is a difference between being a writer and being a blogger, or at least being a successful blogger. Your site, Aha-Now.com, is a great example of blogger interactions done the right way.
Hi Phil
I love the analogy you used to describe blogging. You are right that going solo will never put on max speed.
The new trend in blogging is to have a relationship with other bloggers of one’s niche. Working together as you have mentioned, helps to improve knowledge.
What an awesome post. Thinks for sharing.
Hi Min Min
Nice blog and more kudos to you
Hi Ikechi
Thanks for your kind words.
It is a shame that it takes so many “new” bloggers take years to grasp the idea that solo-blogging is a dead-end, but all we can do is keep demonstrating the team-work alternative
Hi Ikechi,
Thanks for stopping by and kudos to you and your blog too.
Hi Phil
I really love the way you have connected blogging with dragon boat. You have evolved a new meaning with your personal experiences. I also want to try hand out at dragon boating, as it looks really interesting in the images
Ya, you are right. In the beginning, blogging looks heavy. But, when we connect our thoughts with fellow bloggers and share ideas with them, the weight of the blog comes down.
Network building is really an important thing. After focusing on the content, we must build contact with people. It’s a wonderful experience.
Thanks, Min Min for this sharing Phil’s ideas with all of us
Hey Yatin
Yes, you really should try dragonboating. The camaraderie is amazing, and the adrenaline buzz when you win a race beats any illegal substances.
I actually get a high every time I see a new comment or share on one of my posts, too. (Less intense than winning a race, though). It’s a sign I have done something that others see as worthwhile.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Hi Yatin,
Yes, Phil has made a vivid analogy that connects readers immediately.
Thanks for your participation.
You are so right. I know exactly what you are talking about as I have been trying this for years and I have not made much progress in this area. Then I have to also consider that I have not had that much time either. Hopefully I will have more time soon to give attention where I need to.
Oh yeah definitely a C1 paddler and generally up-stream most of the time 😉
However, I do like to get around to other people’s blogs and comment if it’s relevant.
I guess you could liken the Dragon Boat Blogging to those Private Blog Networks (PBN) you hear so much about.
Nice post.