Comments on: Reader Appreciation Project: Putting Readers First

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[…] Reader Appreciation Project: Putting Readers First looks at an interesting blog that puts the readers first. […]

By: cisgude

cisgude — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:02:56 +0000

Interesting post. It’s indeed true that we are trying to write for our visitors, and not for ourself…

By: Edrei

Edrei — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:07:37 +0000

@Ronald: The way I've observed is that when those readers do come and stay, for the most part, that would start satisfying the blogger's sense of self worth towards blogging. From then on, whether they can keep holding on to their readers is another matter entirely. A lot resort to shock tactics and in-your-face controversies in order to have their readers come back for more. It's not that this is wrong, if they pull it off, it just means that they are doing a good job about it. At the end of it though, every blogger, not just the ones that try and please other people have to ask themselves the question of what they want from their blog. Because even if you have a plan to begin with, as we grow, those reasons ultimately change. It's fitting in what blogging is to us in our life that ultimately defines its success or its obscurity.

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:30:59 +0000

I was impressed when I found the Reader Appreciation Project. So impressed, in fact, that I decided to spend the month of November featuring a handful of my readers in the form of some interview questions. I have 15 interviews in and will close it off there and finish out the following week with a summary of what they have all said. I am amazed at the blogs they have introduced me to as a result of this series!

By: Ronald Huereca

Ronald Huereca — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 01:16:04 +0000

Lorelle,
Thanks for dedicating an entire post to RA Project. I appreciate your support.

Edrei,
You bring up an interesting point and the term that pops up in my head is “people pleaser.” Bloggers that start off to please everyone else are just setting themselves up for disappointment and heartache. Once those readers do come and stay, then what?

By: Edrei

Edrei — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:21:15 +0000

As I always said, “blog for yourself, write for your readers”.

If you’re going to blog for your readers first, then basically that changes the way you start blogging. You’ll be inhibited by questions such as “what do my readers want?” and forever doubting your capabilities, instead following the mainstream and never exploring your full potential.

I’ve always reasoned that this is why many younger blogs today actually fail. People put too much stock in whether or not they get readers that they ultimately resort to technical jargon like SEO in the assumption that it’s all they need to draw in readers.

It’s only when you start blogging for yourself, with the idea that you need to learn how to communicate your views to your readers, that you begin to untap your full potential.

Write and they will come. Write in a way they can relate to and they will stay. Isn’t that much better than the one off hits?

By: Lorelle VanFossen

Lorelle VanFossen — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:36:39 +0000

@coolbeans: Hmm, I thought I had made my site printable. I'll take another look. It could be an IE/Firefox issue, as I design more for Firefox than IE as I'm so sick of the hacks. And thanks for the kind words.

By: coolbeans

coolbeans — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:50:42 +0000

This is the right post for me at the right time, though I might veer a little off-topic with this comment. I don’t have ads on my blog, but I do find myself writing for traffic or comments. I want to be writing to keep a record, to share, to get feedback. When I’m not sure of my intent, I consider whether or not what I’m writing will be something I’ll enjoy months or years from now when I’m browsing my own archives. I figure if I enjoy it, someone else will, too. Beyond that, I imagine my readers feel under-appreciated.

Lorelle, I love your blog and often copy and paste your articles to WordPad so I can print and read them later. And highlight and circle and add notes. Is there a possibility you’d add a way to make your blog posts printer friendly?

I just saw the button to buy the book. I catch on eventually.