Encouraging Bloggers ~ The Art of Getting Noticed Naturally

Better late than never, right?  The pears are finally used up, so I can get back to posting!  :)

Welcome back to Encouraging Bloggers - Part 8 today!  Be sure to stop by the Intro post with links to the whole series if you've missed anything.  You don't have to be a blogger to follow along - you might find a way to encourage your favorite blogger!

When most of us blog, we are looking to be noticed.  We want to know that we have an impact or an influence on our audience.  We want someone to tell us that we have value as a blogger.  We look for comments, blog traffic, followers, awards and shared links to tell us that we are noticed.

Does being noticed matter to you?  Do you feel noticed or ignored on your blog?  Do you make it easy for others to notice your blog?  Do you help other bloggers get noticed?  Do you find that when you work hard to get noticed, it doesn't seem to work?

Some of you may just blog as an outlet and truly not care if you are being noticed or not.  That's great!  But I would guess that you are rare in the blogosphere.  Most of us have a need for being noticed, recognized, praised, and complimented. There is nothing wrong with being noticed!  But is that the only reason that we blog?  Are we looking to the recognition of others to fulfill us rather than God?

Perhaps we need to take a step back and try to truly understand why we are blogging and what we want as we journey through the blogosphere together.  If our purpose is to share with our blog community or audience and somehow provide something of value to them (whether it be a simple smile or a profound devotion), then the recognition shouldn't be necessary but rather the icing on the cake.  The reward is in the sharing or even in the opportunity to share (the fact that the blogosphere is a way to connect with so many others on a personal level is truly amazing) - not the feedback we get from doing it.

Maybe we can shift our perspective a bit.  Rather than thinking of ways to get our blogs noticed, we can think of ways to make it easier for readers to find us.  God knows who needs to read our words and will bring them to our blog, but we should use the opportunities He gives us to help them find our corner of the blogosphere.  There are some ways to make your blog easier to find in order to share your words with more people (which does not necessarily translate into more readers or comments).

Without going into great detail, here are a few ways you can make your blog easier for readers to find:

~ List your blog in any directories that you feel you have something in common with (Christian, food, craft, etc.).
~ Make sure your blog is searchable and your feeds are published.
~ Share links to your best posts on Twitter and Facebook (once per post is enough).
~ Link posts to appropriate link-up parties (be careful not to link to too many at once or you will seem insincere and your efforts may backfire).
~ Treat other blogs as you want your blog treated! Take time to read, comment, and connect.
~ Comment on other blogs with your sincere thoughts.
~ Spend some time promoting other bloggers.

Sometimes working too hard at getting noticed seems to have the opposite effect.  Rather than focusing your efforts on finding people to notice your blog, focus on being the best you!  Take a little extra time to make your posts the best representation of yourself.  Here's a great article from ProBlogger on how to get your posts noticed.  In time, the right readers will find you and notice you.

Keep up the blogging friends!  Your words ARE valuable to the blogosphere - even if you don't see instant feedback that tells you so.  Be encouraged and consider yourself virtually hugged today!

Encouraging Bloggers will be on break this coming week as I'll be talking pear recipes all week.

Have an encouraging day!