Trust me I know.
My Story...
I have been a Blogger since 2008. And I used Wordpress for all my dozen or so blogs. The first couple of years I did very well. Made money with CPA, Adsense advertising, and email marketing.
But then the BIG G Slapped Me Down...
The Algorithm changes came in 2011 and that's when my traffic dried up. No more money , no more trafiic and no Comments and Replies on my blogs.
Since then....
I never take blogging for granted. And I NEVER take visitors who visit my blog and make quality replies for granted either.
That's Why...
I never hesitate to interact with my visitors and show my appreciation by giving them generous Upvotes. I do that because I am so appreciative they took the time out to read my blog and make a quality Comment. It really means so much to me !!
Conclusion...
So take it from a long time blogger do not take your visitors at your Steemit blog for granted. Just go to wordpress and start a blog in the 'weight loss' niche or 'how make money online' niche and you will appreciate how good you have it at Steemit :)
Peace out,
Robert
(
)
I never blogged before steemit..... I had plenty to say, write, exhibit and share but just did not realize it. facepuke and others always put me off... but then I found Steemit and here I am. And as for acknowledging those that acknowledge you, that is key everywhere in life, but especially on social media.
I am resteeming this because it is an important and valuable lesson that other Steemians should be aware of.
Same here!
@papa-pepper You and the fam are on a whole other level.... prob. the most entertaining account on Steemit. So glad you are on here. Take care and Kudos.
You could have fooled me @streetstyle as Steemit being the first time you have been Blogging. Keep up the great work and thanks for the Resteem and the (up)vote of confidence :)
Thanks, I was fortunate to have read a lot as a child and young adult, plus went to some decent schools which also helped.
Take care and cheers!
@somenick Maybe during those moments of inspiration just free write what comes to mind be it on paper or computer then post here.
Maybe, just maybe you are being to critical of yourself as well, and secondly, I believe once you start and stay on that path you will get better with each writing session. As they say, practice makes perfect.
Me as well, I never really did much authoring online before joining Steemit.
One of the things that I really like about blogging on Steemit is that trolls rarely make arbitrary, scathing comments on your posts just to be jerks. This is because, of course, there is the consequence of flagging and negatively impacting one's popularity. I love this feature because it is a reflection of how the real world works.
And then of course, real value is at stake. People have to really think hard before posting some unnecessary hurtful or mean comment. Of course there a few whales out there who feel untouchable and don't really care about the consequences, but they are in the minority!
I never really looked at it that way about the trolls having some what limited ability, good point. And yes, whales for now are untouchable. Yet in the forest the army ants are unstoppable.
Very useful advice Robert. I think you should write a post on effective blogging. I mean a tutorial on how to blog effectively. It will help many users here, including me.
Thanks @akdx I might just do that. Maybe a series or something
I never do...unless the spammy ones
Very true sir. I always try my best to respond to the comments and replies of people and also visit their blogs. If their content is good, i follow them and also add them to my ginabot and that was how i found @robertandrew from @thealliance family. And that method also exposed me to new profitable people and opportunities.
Thanks @inspiredgideon. I need to do that ginabot. I think I will do it right now :)
That would be nice.
I used to be really into blogging and ran a couple different blogs. These days I'm more involved in video and Youtube but have been meaning to get back into blogging.
I think this is a great tip, one of the biggest things I credit my early Youtube success to was communicating with my audience, being very receptive to any and all comments. I used to make a point to clear my comments everyday and respond to every single one. Over the years as the channel has grown, its not really possible to do with 80k subs like it is with 5k subs, but it's still something I try to put a focus on.
People aren't just supporting your content and your channel, iin a way they are supporting you as well so developing a relationship with them and showing them you value their time which is everyone's most important resource goes a long way
Yep, I love this aspect of developing relationships through simple blogging on Steemit and interacting with each other through Comments/Replkies :)
I do love Discord but I think you can spend too much time on it. And it's kind of Law of Diminishing Returns, imho
I like to get "messy" and get out here in the "trenches" ( so to speak)
Thankfully you're grateful, I like to visit the blog and I like to comment, sometimes I do not even receive a thank you. I congratulate you for your wise words
Thank you @daysiselena for your wise words :)
I pretty puch upvote most comments/replies on my posts save for spam/offtopic, commentors are authors too.
I am the same - I try to respond to every single comment, even if the one commenting has a very tenuous grasp on the English language. At least they are trying!
I try my best to reply to all comments left on my own posts, although I have to confess sometimes I might miss the odd post or comment if it is left a few days after the post created - it's just really hard to keep up. Creating your own posts and replying to comments left on them is one job, visiting other people's posts and commenting on them is another job - it's a whole big time soak and a real struggle to keep up - but you really do have to make time to progress.
I agree with your other comments, interaction is key here and just dropping a post and hoping it is found and appreciated rarely works - finding a community, friends to share posts with and support each other is the key factor for success.
#thealliance #witness
It sure can be a time soak but if you are like me ( and just by seeing your enthusiasm and passion on this Platform I have a strong suspicion you are) it's more a labor of love.
Anyway, thank you my friend for coming on here and leaving such a thoughtful and substantial Comment :)
I totally agree with @c0ff33a it is a mission trying to keep up with work clients as in my real estate profession , friends , family and social life it's a whole different passion on Steemit you either got to love interacting with people or it doesn't work i have never been a blogger apart from the odd FackBook thing which i don't bother with at all these days. Steemit has opened up a whole new world for me and i wish their were more hours in the day so i could get around to more people but unfortunately there isn't but i will do my best.....Cheers have a great week :)
And we appreciate you, @robertandrew ! I certainly try not to take advantage of anyone who reads my blog - in fact instead I am just wishing more people did so I would have more people to interact with! Someday though. I like it here, and I'm not going anywhere :) Thanks for being you!
Thanks @herbertholmes. And if it is any consolation I'm Following you :)
I was unaware! Awesome :)
The people who take the time to read and respond to your blog and like your sunlight and water man...you really need something to grow and be inspired with.
Sharp one in remembering us all!
Thanks @karinxxl for the kind words :)
agreed, people will move on if one never takes the time to respond back and/or upvote some comments, I see this with some so I just stop bothering... our brands/blogs are not drop and plop posts and interaction is key imho, very well stated as usual :)
b.a.
Thanks @battleaxe. It really is an honor to have you come and visit my blog. I have admired you since day 1 that I have been here. Thank you again for coming here and making such thoughtful Comments
I really appreciate the appreciation you shared for all of us, thank you very much.
Well @fikar21 I appreciate the appreciation you have for me being appreciative of all you guys :) :)
Definitely, I can't give a big upvote, but I give one that should at least trigger @dustsweeper, and sometimes I put down a Steem-bounty as well.
But most importantly, I try to reply to every comment on my blog. Although, it can get tough sometimes!
Thanks @bengy. I have been there with the small Upvotes. Although my Upvotes are still peanuts to Wjales I feel like I can help many people even with some .10 to .15 Upvotes :)
For instance you come on my blog and post decent replies everyday sometimes twice a day ( yep I've been doing that lately sometimes 3 times) and get on average a $.12 each Comment...well that can add up in a month.
Like I said I get a lot out of doing it because it is just a major "stoke" for me to do. Always has been in my Life in general ;)
Growth takes time, and we'll all get there in the end by supporting each other! Great that you get a good buzz out of helping people, good deeds will eventually come back to you when you most need it!
It is very important to respect the readers, even by voting on the remarks they deserve. Of course, there are also many spammers ... but it's easy to identify them.
Thanks @bluemoon. true, spammers galore around here
With pleasure! I'm glad I found your blog.
Well said, Robert!
One of the first days in Welcome Wagon training is all about Commenting and connecting. We strongly encourage commenting and connections, over posting a lot for newbies. Connecting is the only way we grow on here. Connecting is all important... and growth happens when someone reads a good post, and comments with relevant meaningful replies.
Comments as a new trainee are important and then, we remind the trainees, how much they enjoyed getting comment. They need to remember to be thankful and genuine with people who comment on their own posts. It carries over... comment now. When you grow, remember to be thankful for people commenting!
Thank you Greg a.k.a @bluefinstudios you are so right about "connecting" being the really true and only way to grow on Steemit. I totally agree .
Btw Greg , the guy who told me about Steemit over a year ago got it all wrong. He told me it was a great way to post articles and blog posts and get paid for doing that. It is sooooo much more than that !!
It's SOOOoooomuch more than that.
I am here for the social and community aspect as well.
Muy interesantes y sabias sus palabras @robertandrew. Tenemos que estar agradecidos todos los dias por tener un lugar como Steemit donde podemos escribir sin limites ni restricciones, interactuamos con otros miembros de la comunidad y ganamos un poco de dinero extra que nunca está de más. Saludos amigo desde Venezuela
I agree that interaction is the key. I didn't have any experience with blogging before Steemit so there was (and still is) a lot to learn but I really love this platform.
I always try to reply to all the comments I get but I feel like I could do better on reading more posts and leave more comments.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, I think that posts like this can be very useful for both, "old" and "new" Steemit users! :)
I'm efficient and fairly good at it but it's still tough for me as well. So I feel you @nikolina ;)
It is the best thing to do here at steemit and if you practice it you will feel the difference @robertandrew
But one factor makes it hard for beginners is to get noticed so they just have to make some good relationship until they make their ball rolling and it takes time, determination, and perseverance and of course the love for blogging.
totally agree @crytpopie. Steemit surely isn't meant for anyone with get rich quick aspirations . This is a slow process. Where the turtle beats the hare ;)
I agree with you there. To take it even further, I am one to point out the issues where I think Steemit needs to improve. However, I do not take the site for granted. It really is a fantastic place with a cool concept and friendly community.
Thank you @old-guy-photos for dropping by. Such an honor ;)
Begun letting my SP build back up so I can pick up the appreciation level too😎
Great my man. We need to get you up there :)
Thanks for this man! And I like you "closer" on your comments these days too! Very effective!
Thanks Papa for dropping by.
I can have a brain fart sometimes so I apologize in advance for being "slow" but what do you exactly mean here with "closer" ??
Again, thanks for taking time to come here :)
Great post, @robertandrew and very valid points.
I was having a discussion about this topic on another user's blog the other day. I really feel like the comment sections are the icing on the post's cake.
I think that an author's relationship with their followers manifests in how popular that author ends up people. Humans are social creatures; so obviously on an interactive platform people want to... well, interact!
As an example, I follow a particular artist who posts fantastic work. They never write a single word about their art and never respond to a single comment - much less up-vote anyone's comments. I have noticed that over time less and less people are up-voting their content, and virtually no one comments on it.
I am not suggesting that people should comment with an expectation that they'll get something out of it; but I do think that people will just go away if they feel like they're not being acknowledged or treated like a valuable follower.
I hear you brotha. I know there is a female who is probably the most popular one on Steemit. She is very young ( 22 I think) and has a lot of SP and Followers. She's a Whale now. And she posts photos and recipes of fantastic dishes. But I kid you not she responds with a "thank you" to a Comment but NEVER and I mean NEVER Upvotes any of those Followers and their Comments. NEVER !! I went through a lot of her posts to see. And Iam talking about very in depth Comments people have left. They are help building up her blog to what it has become and yet she refuses to give even a one cent upvote. And her VP is always above 95%.
Just unreal to me. Blows my mind that kind of greed and lack of empathy for others exists.
P.S. But you better be damn straight she is doing the whole circle jerk thing with other whales' by giving them big upvotes on their own blog posts :(
Yeah, I'm starting to realize there are a lot of people who are quite frankly, anti-social, often bad mannered and very lacking in communication skills who got lucky and bought massive amounts of Steem when it was below 10c.
These people never really had any intention of creating good content or interacting with the community. Sadly, they have way to much influence and can really send things spiraling in a bad direction. Often they are just sort of throwing their power around posting garbage which they and their friends up-vote for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
I have nothing against someone wanting to make a buck, but their behavior is bad for the platform overall and brings the quality down. When I first joined Steemit, I was really dubious about the whole thing. My initial impression was that it was just a spam site. Nothing but early adopters writing really brief, incoherent posts and up-voting them into oblivion. I really had to dig to find the real gems!
It's so true - comments are the absolute HIGHLIGHT of connection and support for me on Steemit. Months and months ago - I made that my highest priority! to have a consistent following of 25 commenters on my page that give me awesome feedback.
(i don't even care if they upvote me! just an awesome comment!) LOL
a few people thought I was crazy.... but.... that's what I'm after! great connection - and I agree. Lots of people like to complain about Steemit, and it could be made better- for sure! But it is a FANTASTIC way to interact with people on blogs!!! the community here is amazing!
I was blogging for over 10 years. And traffic dried up after Google did Algo changes. And all my Traffic and Commentators dried up as well. Here at Steemit it is a HUGE rush to have them come on my blog to make comments. Because I know how difficult it is to get them on a regular Wordpress blog.
So I totally understand @dreemsteem where you're coming from :)
Right???? and it's so hard to meet new people and keep up with old people... and now I spend most of my day training newbies and supporting their blogs! hehehehe so I sometimes let my friends slide (much to my dismay) but every few days I try to catch up on all the commenting and blogs :)
and I had a few blogs in the olden days hehehehe and really - i just completely gave up on expecting comments! it was so few and far between! but here?? totally different animal! :)
Very impressive