SmallBusinessNewz

Whether you have been blogging (for business purposes) for years or have recently started, it is important to not forget the social aspects of it.

Think of your blog like your own little community, and like other communities such as forums or social networks, participation is of the utmost importance.

You may think to yourself, "I've already written the posts. I've obviously participated," but it should go well beyond that.

Keeping Up

Like any social media media page you maintain, your blog should be updated often if you want people to keep reading. If you wait for weeks between posts, there is a good chance readers will forget about you. With so much information available on the Internet, and new blogs being started constantly, there is only so much time for any one person to read posts. If you want to remain in their regular cycle, you better keep giving them a reason to.

Comments

Sometimes you have to encourage readers to leave you comments to initiate conversation (in case you were wondering why I'm always asking questions in my articles). Respected blogger Neville Hobson has some great tips on the subject.

Once you get some comments, keep up with them and respond to them whether you encouraged them or not. For one, it will give the commenters a reason to come back, and conversations that come from comments can often inspire future posts. There also may be some things that fit right into your article that you hadn't thought of and they will be there as additional resources for your readers.

Do your best to keep spam out of the comments though, because nobody wants to scroll through a bunch of nonsense to try to find legitimate conversation.

Blogroll

Your blogroll will show others what you are reading, and could inspire those listed to include you in their own.

From the reader's perspective, they may see some familiar names in your blogroll and think, "this person is into some of the same blogs that I am", and may identify with that, giving them further reason to come back to your blog.

It is also a good idea to network with those in your blogroll, and leave thoughtful (not spammy) comments on their posts - a good way to get some additional traffic.

Search Engines

When you submit your blog to blog search engines, see if they have social features like Blog Catalog (thanks Missy!). Chances are that users are there to find new blogs, and having a presence there can inspire more readership of your own.

Blogging is more than just writing. It's interacting. If you're not encouraging conversation, it's just writing articles. Why not be involved with your readers? If anyone has anything to add, I encourage you to comment!