Building and Engaging Community Around Your Blog -By C.C. Chapman

April 27th, 2007

13 comments

Posted in: Blog Bash Expert Posts

Expert: C.C. Chapman, crayonville.com

#27 of 30

I’m a huge fan of building communities and then working with the community for continued growth and success of everyone in it. TheBlogosphere is one large community filled of thousands of smaller ones. When I was asked if I could contribute to this new community about blogging I jumped at the chance.

Everyone defines community differently, but I simply view it as any group of like minded individuals gathered together and connected in some way. Sometimes they form around an event, charity, people with similar likes and desires or even around an individual or a company. But, in the end a community is made up of people and they are the most important thing.

The minute you post the very first post to a blog, a community will start forming around you. It’s a strange concept at first when complete strangers will react and post comments. You’ll notice that as you link out to other people and sites they more often then not will swing by and say hello right back. Over time through the power of new media more and more people will start reading the content you write and a small or potentially large community will form.

I am a fan of the quality over quantity philosophy. You should not write a blog just for the sake of building the community, but rather let it happen. Does it really matter what the number is as long as the people are committed, active and engaged in the conversation with you? I know some would argue that you must have at least xxxxx number of readers to be deemed a success, but I have never bought into that.

It’s important that you reach out and get to know your community. After all that is the only way it will grow and expand. Just writing to your blog every day and ignoring the comments and conversation happening around you is not going to work. If you do not want to engage your community then I suggest you stop the idea of a blog right now and return to a paper diary as your not ready to embrace what is ahead of you.

Now, this next point depends on the sort of blog you are writing, but at the same time holds true for them all. You need to determine if you are going to write posts for yourself/company or for the community. What I mean is that when you write about a site, service or topic keep in mind that people are reading your content because they are getting something out of it. Give it to them! Share information and ask for feedback. Engage them and give them a reason to be more active in the conversation with you.

If the community around you grows to be very large or very dedicated (it’s amazing when both happens) you’ll also begin to realize that you can make things happen through a simple blog post. I saw this happen last year when I began raising money for a charity walk I was doing. Through a blog post and a mention on my podcast I suddenly hit my goal in one weekend. You need to realize that this is a responsibility that many forget about because if you activate this community too often or for the wrong reason they can turn on you just as fast.

The important thing is to just get out there and do it. Write from the heart, be honest, be transparent and keep the conversation going long after you hit the publish button and the post hits the web. People out there want to engage with you and they want to read what you have to say. But, you need to remember that it IS a two way street and they will be expecting to be able to engage with you.

13 Responses to “ Building and Engaging Community Around Your Blog -By C.C. Chapman ”

1. 
   Brian K Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 2:15 pm

   While I absolutely agree with the points you make about community, I think that your “quality over quantity” point is a bit idealistic.

   You said: “Does it really matter what the number is as long as the people are committed, active and engaged in the conversation with you?” — Of course, I want to write from the heart and be passionate and engaging, but for me, I need to strike a balance where I have enough traffic to add some monetary incentive to keep writing.

2. 
   Stephen Eley Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 3:51 pm

   Both, of course. I don’t consider them mutually exclusive, and I don’t think prioritizing them helps. The ideal is to have thousands of actively engaged people. Some will be more engaged than others, but the ones who only listen to my podcast once in a blue moon don’t impede the ones who care deeply and post in the forums every single day.

   I also think the only way to get this (and I think I’m doing okay with it) is to not worry at all about the size or quality of my audience, but to keep making the product that feels right to me. If I’m paying close attention to what I’m making, and I’m a fair judge of rightness, audience growth and engagement happens. If I make the audience my goal, I’ve got nothing to give them and I fail.

3. 
   C.C. Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 3:51 pm

   Brian-

   Idealistic? Sure it is, but it’s honestly how I feel.

   I subscribe to the Dave Slusher school of thinking where I’d rather have 10 highly active readers/listeners then 100 random visitors from time to time.

   My question to you would be is why does compensation HAVE to be based on traffic? Personally if the content is good, useful and informative that is more important to me.

4. 
   Chris Brogan... Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 3:53 pm

   What I like most about your post is that you leave it up to the potential blogger to determine what they want from the experience. You’ve given the options (choose your own adventure, anyone?) and you’ve discussed how YOU approached it. Thanks for a great post from a true guiding light of the new media community.

   You’re someone I want to be when I grow up.

5. 
   C.C. Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 3:53 pm

   Stephen Eley wrote:
   “I also think the only way to get this (and I think I’m doing okay with it) is to not worry at all about the size or quality of my audience, but to keep making the product that feels right to me.”

   EXACTLY!!!

6. 
   francine hardaway Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

   I care that I create community. Quantity isn’t important to me, because I don’t monetize my blog. But I don’t only attract “A-listers” by linkbaiting either. My universe is karmic, and the people who want to read my blog will eventually read it. I started with an e-zine in 1999, and I’m still writing! It’s a miracle and a mystery to me who reads it and who responds.

   Will be in Boxford, MA over the weekend. Call my cell if you are willing to take a drive…6029105622

7. 
   Daniel Johnson, Jr. Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 4:13 pm

   I have several blogs which I give various amounts of attention, because of the purposes that they serve. Some blogs I just put out into the blogosphere for anyone. Others are meant to be more personal. I have even written with the intent of not seeking comments from others.

   Having said that, I’d have to agree with C.C. and what others have stated. For blogs I do solicit feedback for, I’d rather have a handful of readers that consistently engage me versus a larger number that don’t.

   My $0.02.

8. 
   Chris Hambly Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 4:19 pm

   What I like about this post is I’m attempting to do exactly as YOU do and some of YOU do also.

   A few years ago it was all about traffic for me, you know content is king and all that, and it really right(?).

   This produced some mighty massive amounts of entries in google for some of my sites, and of course that helps pay the bills.

   I still have that model for some company focussed content, and I think it has a place, but for blogging, forget it.

   I’ve learnt so much recently from yourself, and other new media geeks, including some of the people on this blog post.

   It truely is ALL about the person, the human, the reaching, the giving, and saying it on a blog when you feel it, and when it is not contrived in any way at all.

   As brogan said, you are guiding light in that. In fact you are a new media lighthouse, helping us stay safe and real.

9. 
   Jack Wheeler Says:
   April 27th, 2007 at 5:11 pm

   In my world, if a few dedicated and engaged readers spread the word to just a few people a month that use my services, I’m growing my business. If a large community eventually develops around my writing, then that will be a solid reason for doing it on it’s own. The monetary rewards will follow without it being the focus. Thanks for an enlightening article.

10. 
    Clarence Says:
    April 27th, 2007 at 5:19 pm

    This is a solid post, bruh. What Francine says really resonates with me as well. Also, “content IS king” (Chris is definitely on point about that). I’m fairly new to the format and one thing that always rings true is that if you’ve got a solid design but no content, it will be difficult to generate interest.

11. 
    Dave Phillips Says:
    April 27th, 2007 at 8:07 pm

    Well, I’m brand new to this blogging stuff but I think that it’s potential for socialization of ideas is off the chain… Chris, I’m not sure if it’s “safe” but you don’t really get anyplace by always being safe. I read somewhere that if your idea is not called dangerous by some one it probably is going very far… It seems to be that what we are striving for - or should be striving for- in our blogs is service to others…

    This from the new voice on the block…

12. 
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