Blogging is a wonderful thing, it really is. But as is the case with everything, there are negatives.
Things that just doesn’t fit with the others.
A mismatch that seems to nip at your heels even as you try to climb higher and elevate your game.
In the blogging world, this unfortunate element is…the lack of engagement.
Put better, it’s the lack of quality and consistent dialog amongst bloggers.
Part of the appeal of being online is the ability to expand your experience and to interact with people from different backgrounds and geographic location.
I’ve expounded on the value of online interaction and your audience, regardless of size.
Many times I go online strictly for the opportunity to chat with others. I look for those in my community, or in my market, to interact with and to just genuinely talk.
The problem you typically find is you have to weed through a ton of self promotion before you can even have a chance for engaging with someone.
This is especially true when dealing with influential bloggers.
Some Bloggers Lack the Ability to Be Themselves on Social Media
Let’s see if you can relate to this scenario.
You are on Twitter, looking through tweets in your feed and you come across someone you enjoy following.
So you decide to strike up a little conversation with them.
You click on their name and start to read their tweets in order to find an opening.
As you scroll, a couple of tweets might interest you but you suddenly discover a pattern. Every tweet basically points to a link, mostly of their own content. Every. Link.
Ugh.
Then you notice that most of the tweets were automated
Ugh.
So then it becomes a game. You scroll further down their stream to find just one single instance where they used Twitter to just say something basic like, “heading to the in-laws house this weekend, hopefully I’ll find time to blog a little.”
But you tire of tweet after tweet of lifeless text and return to your main feed or leave Twitter completely.
Your Takeaway
If you are a blogger using a social media channel like Twitter, make sure you use the tool for more than just dumping automated content.
Use it to interact with those in your community.
Work hard to start using Twitter the way it was meant to be…genuine interaction and conversation.
Now, in full transparency, I’m a fan of smart automation. That is automation that is not overdone and not overly spammy…and with plenty of original genuine content thrown in for good measure.
There is a balance between automation and being genuine that you need to find.
Too Many Bloggers Don’t Reply Quick Enough
Most bloggers aren’t famous.
Most bloggers aren’t living jetset lifestyles.
Most bloggers don’t have the luxury of dismissing their fans. And that is exactly what you do when you fail to respond to those that reach out to you.
We all know what those little red bubbles with white numbers on our phones or computer means. It means you have a notification.
Most of us clear those little red bubbles because we don’t like our screen reminding us of how much we need to do.
Your Takeaway
The beauty of the red bubbles is it gives you an opportunity to be awesome.
As soon as you see the little red bubble, take action. Read the comment, read the message on Facebook, read the tweet, etc.
Then…respond!
That is the key, respond to those that reach out to you no matter how they did it.
While there are situations where you may forget to respond to someone, make it common practice to reply to them…and to do so quickly.
