Sunday, July 14, 2013

Does this post make my blog look bigger? My fling with Google Analytics.

 

(This is the first of a two-part installment about growing my blog-readership platform.  I have been informed by those in the know that I will lose readers if my blogs are too long.  So now you have to come back again on Wednesday.  My apologies in advance.)

I have a confession. 

I’ve been trying to (ahem) expand my blog readership.

Before you say anything, let me explain!  It’s not you—it’s me!  You do everything right.  I’m the awful one here.  Every week I blather on about some nonsense or the other, and you show up and you read it fer chrissakes.  And you (sob) even comment.  You all make me feel so special.  It should be enough.

But then I started getting these emails about building my social media platform.  I know. I know.  I shouldn’t have fallen for it.  But I’m weak!  Weak--I tell you!  I was swept away by the promise of more followers, and more readers!  Reading!  All the writerly websites say building your social media platform is essential on the path to becoming a writer.  So I started up Facebook, again.  I Tweet my posts like the best of birds.  I visit, read and comment on others blogs, and they always DO come back to return the favor.  But I’ve always wondered, how do Bloggers manage when they have a huge following?  Do they still visit their visitor's sites in reciprocation?  How do they get anything else done?

And then along came Google Analytics.  I’ve always felt my Google Blogger Stats to be unreliable, and being the curious type, I experimented a little on the side. (But I didn’t inhale.) Google Analytics is supposed to tell me how many readers really DO visit my website, aside from my faithful dozen who consistently comment.  Google Analytics show my readers demographics and behavior, something horrible called a “drop-off rate” and a bunch of other crazy statistics about the actions of these blog-readers I have never met.  It lured me in with promises of success.  It told me what I wanted to hear.  I became somewhat of an addict.  One day, after reading I had 87 visits to my blog over the course of a day, I noticed a button called “Engagement”, and when I clicked on it, I found the average duration of over HALF of the visits was… under ten seconds!  Seriously? 

What was that sound? 

Oh—nothing.  Just my gynormous ego hitting the floor and shattering into a thousand bits and pieces.

Surely I’m not pouring my life’s blood into this realtionship for a mere ten seconds! I considered stopping this blogging nonsense altogether.  But I ain’t Irish for nothing.   Someone tells me “No” and I do my Grandma Josephine O’Donovan proud and come out fighting!
 

I decided to delve even further into building my blog platform, broadening my horizons and checking out some guest blogging opportunities.  I thought it would be a sort of experiment, nothing too far-fetched, you know.  And conveniently, one of the bloggers I follow had posted on several of these guest blogging opportunities.  I decided to take the plunge!  My findings?
 

You will have to wait until Wednesday to find out. I’m hope the suspense won’t kill you.  After all—you are my faithful twelve disciples.  Besides, if I go long you won’t be able to read this blog in three minutes, which is the average rate of visits for most of my readership. 

But in the meantime, do tell:   Are you concerned about building your blog-readership or do you just say “To hell with it!” How do you approach gaining readership?  Is it just time in the trenches, hosting contests, commenting, and building relationships?  I would love to hear how you all have done it, and as always, thanks for reading.

~Just Jill

ROW80 Check in:

I have followed through and submitted an article to an online magazine, and have my “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul” article in the final edit.  My plan of enter “Dreamwalker” in a contest to light a fire under my editing butt has fallen flat since I did not make it into the contest.  I did however get an honorable mention.  (Always a bridesmaid…) I shall continue editing without the lure of readership for now.

As Helen (one of my fabulous CPs) says, “Onward and upward into the fog!”

 
 

35 comments:

  1. When I first started blogging I'd read blogs and comment and follow the ones I enjoyed. Sometimes they'd follow me back but I never requested it. I've always found that annoying. If I like your blog, I'll follow you. Simple as that.
    I did a few blog hops but rarely found blogs I really enjoyed through those. I think I may have gotten a couple of followers from them but I don't really recall.
    I'm not even really sure why I'm commenting at all as I have nothing helpful to share with you. :) I'm in your same boat. I have my faithful few who follow, read and actually comment and they make my day when they do.
    Don't give up. As long as you're still enjoying it, keep doing it!

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    1. THAT'S why you are commenting V.V.
      You had the perfect adVice to offer.
      Many thanks,
      ~Just Jill

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  2. I started blogging after I signed my first contract and it took me months to figure out what I was doing. I found my blogging groove and realized involvement and giving back were two key things.
    Keeping up? Some days it's a challenge. But I appreciate every person who leaves a comment and visit every single one.

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    1. And I count myself fortunate to have you visit and comment Cap'n. Many thanks for your time and thoughtful comments.
      ~Just Jill

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  3. I stick with blogs that either reply to my comment on their blog,or stop by my blog and comment on my post. Either way, it shows that person is interested in a two way conversation.

    Anne R. Allen has lots of great ideas about blogging - have you checked her site lately?

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    1. What a co-winky-dink! I spent nearly the whole morning checking our Anne's blog, bookmarking and reading all of her links she posted. What a trove of information! Thanks for the heads up and my sincerest thanks for reading and commenting!
      ~Just Jill

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    2. Thanks for the shout-out DG. On August 4th, I'll be posting again on blogging (and I've got some other stuff on effective social media tactics this week.) I'll be talking about the secrets marketers never tell you about blogging. But Alex J. Cavanaugh knows it, so I'll give a little preview here: The #1 secret? Comment on other blogs! It's the best way to raise your profile with search engines and get your name out there.

      And Jill--Thanks for the blog comments. It works!

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  4. I've been blogging since July 2011 and I just now am starting to figure out what the heck I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I have no idea how to grow my blog audience, I just post, tweet, engage in the ROW80 and book reviewing/blogging community, and hope I gain followers/friends. I just started participating in a couple memes (Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post) and that has introduced me to some new people/blogs. Other than that, it's all about a wing and a prayer!

    Good job with your ROW80 progress and good luck this week!

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  5. Oh thanks for stopping by Kat. I appreciate your time and comments!
    ~Just Jill

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  6. Nothing terribly helpful to contribute I'm afraid! I just do what I do and hope people drop by and read it! My followers have grown steadily, it would be great to break the 200 mark (I'm so nearly there) but in reality I know that a high proportion don't drop by more than once or twice. I'm lucky though, I do have some awesome regular commentators and I am grateful for every single one of them.

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    1. Hi Suzanne,
      Nice to hear from you. Thanks so much for commenting and sharing what's going on in your blog-world. It is helpful, believe me!
      ~Just Jill

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  7. I'll toss this out there too... It really doesn't matter what the little "follower" widget on the sidebar says. It isn't about collecting huge numbers of followers. I've seen people with two thousand followers and they get maybe five comments on their blog. To me, it's a sign they maybe aren't as involved as they could be with the people who once came to their blog and cared enough to follow. You have to reciprocate and build relationships with people. It's a matter of respect. Otherwise they'll stop caring about what you have to say.

    (and I stayed extra long at your site writing that, just to pump up your stats a little. :P )

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    1. Bless you Dear. I do so appreciate the extra seventeen seconds! And you make a VERY good point.
      ~Just Jill

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  8. I started blogging as a way to barf up all the thoughts swirling around in my brain – and to write, because I missed writing. Along the way I got caught up in the whole social blogging thing and quickly realized there wasn't enough time in the world to visit everyone's blog I wanted to AND write my own AND live my life. I've been in a quandry about what to do and haven't blogged much because of it. But I think if I return to the reason I started blogging in the first place, and not worrying about who reads it or who doesn't, I'll be happier. But that's just me.

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    1. And that's why I love reading your blog! Thanks so much for stopping by Cathy. I am getting a serious case of the warm fuzzies!
      ~Just Jill

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  9. I wrote a long, involved, profound response that got wiped out when my modem blipped. Cathy Olliffe-Webster said it very well and so did L. G. Smith.

    I try to do what I can. I've been busy lately with a death in the family and eldercare issues, but that's me at the moment. I just try to keep at it and try to interact more (I had to slack off for a while). Otherwise, my thought is just to be who and what you are. That is what people want. And give what you hope to receive.

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to comment. My reply to you was also deleted when my computer blipped. 'Sup with that?

      I hope your heart is healing and trust that you are doing well.
      ~Just Jill

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  10. With Wordpress, money bloggers sign up as followers because I have a public blog. So really some of my followers are not really following. They are doing something else. Brain harvesting? I don't know but it skews the true number of followers.

    And I started blogging to have a platform but according to one writing authority, placing too much emphasis on blogging may actually take away from the novels, etc., that we are striving to produce. I don't know.

    Where are you, Ann Landers? Oh, she's dead. You'll have to do, Jill. Help a hurting soul.

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    1. I loved Ann Landers. I wonder what she would think of blogging and followers?
      Did you ever read that "Life is a bowl of Cherries" book? I read it when I was like, ten, and LOVED it!
      Thanks for stopping by, you. Gimme your MS.
      ~JJ

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  11. I wonder if it takes time to build a readership, but if you do just have twelve faithful readers who enjoy reading your blog, isn't that kind of awesome? You have new internet friends that you could never meet in real life. At least, I think that is cool. To me, it's not about the numbers, but about real connections.

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    1. Oh you hit the nail on the head MaryAnn. I meant for this post to be sassy and glib and all that and I now realize how lucky I am to have developed such an online community. I really do feel like I know everybody and am feeling very supported. Fie on Google Analytics! Fie--I say!
      ~Just Jill

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  12. Ah, an honourable mention. I had one of those once. Sigh.
    I should worry about my author platform but I don't and I wont becasue recently I found myself in a place where I was doing more chasing followers than actually writing. I don't want to be in that place again, at least not until I've finsihed my MS and actually feel I have something to talk about.
    Plus at some stage I am going to change my blog address (probably using my name or a variation of) and there's no point building masses of followers who aren't really follwoing and probably aren't going to follow me to a new address.

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    1. I feel like we should have an honourable mention party or something, don't you Debbie? Spelled the way you spell it because it seems so much more honourable with a lovely "u" in it.
      We could all read our bridemaid manuscripts and get ripped. (Or "pissed" rather.)
      ~Just Jill

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  13. Yes, I think about building my readership. My platform. My whatever. I try making relationships, because that's what lasts, or at least that's what I've read. And then it becomes too much work, so I stop both reading and blogging for a while. Which is obvious from my blog (not the Blogger one, I moved that one to WordPress).

    No success story to share, sorry. Then again, I've never been one of those popular girls at high school.

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  14. Being popular is over-rated. I'd rather be a Poplar. Thanks for stopping by and contributing your two cents angel!
    ~Just Jill

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  15. Let's put it this way: I have more followers than I ever imagined I'd have when I wrote my first post, and for that, I'm extremely grateful, but like Oliver Twist said, I'd like to have some more, please. (Sheesh... never satisfied!)

    Participating in blogfests is one good way to build your readership. Theoretically, once people are exposed to your wonderfulness, they'll sign up in droves to follow you. Since your posts are, indeed, bursting with wonderfulness, this should work quite well for you. Another way is to peruse the comments posted on the blogs you follow, and most enjoy. If a comment piques your interest, check out that person's blog, comment, and sign on as a groupie if you feel a connection. A good number of people you meet that way will reciprocate, and I've found that for the most part, it's easier to maintain an interactive relationship with those people than it is with the hit-and-run followers picked up and the blogs rashly followed while in the throes of a blogfest.

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    1. Hi Susan,
      Good tips and thanks for stopping by. I feel a little embarrassed to have complained in the first place with everyone stopping by and commenting. My whining is what my mother would call "A high-class problem".
      ~Just Jill

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  16. I LOVE your blog. I identify with you is I think part of it. But I don't mind the occasional tangent or ramble (the things that make blogs get long)--and I will share this little piece of wisdom with you.... I think blogs grow to JUST the point where they are no longer manageable...where a girl feels like a failure for not being able to keep up. Or that is where I feel like I am. I know some people can manage it, but I must be missing something in my DNA (or maybe it is having a day job that is the problem). I GET wanting to grow, but the people I know who stay happy blogging worry less about THAT and just try to enjoy the relationships. It is just too easy to burn out when you are stressed about not keeping up.

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    1. Oh thanks Hart. That means the world to me. I love your blog too. You have been one of the ones who has always come back, supporting this crazy, delusional world I call home. Thanks for the comments.
      ~Just Jill

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  17. I'm finding that blogging and following others blogs is becoming a huge time sink. I'm not getting any real writing done! 8-( So I've cut back on my blogging a bit and no longer worry too much about followers. But the comments are key for me. I love hearing from people who actually read my blog and take a moment to let me know. I also make it a point to take the time to comment on those blogs from which I learn something or that stoke something in me. I still read a lot of blogs and try to comment, but I am being more selective. This is a great topic.

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    1. I hear you Rosi. It is a siren song isn't it? People actually reading your words, without the obligatory rejection letter...
      Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Now get back to work!
      ~JJ

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  18. Oh, I too tried to 'boost' my readership with all those activities. I must be dumb. I can't understand Google Analytics. But, like you, I so appreciate those who read and comment, no matter how occasionally I post meandering posts that wander just about everywhere on this writing journey. BUT, maybe Google Analytics is mad at you. When I clicked on your linky, it took me to a bible site. But I did a Google Search (maybe Google Analytics doesn't talk to Google Search) and found your post. I'll be back. I want the how-to on Weds. Have a great writing week!

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  19. Aaargh! The Bible Camp site! I don't know where this thing came from or why I'm linked with it! Tis one of life's many mysteries...
    The only thing I can do about it is change my address. Could you tell me which linky? Is it ROW80?
    Heavens.
    Literally.
    ~Just Jill

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  20. Hope I'm not joining the party too late. I've been away from the blogosphere for a couple of weeks, but I'm back!

    One thing I've done to build up my readership is to join blogfests. But I don't do all the blogfests though- there simply isn't enough time for that!

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Please use your words and comment freely! We really should meet!