Category: MetaBlogging

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MetaBlogging

Subscribe to comments to follow blog conversations

Table of contents for Blog comments

One of the most popular WordPress plugins is called Subscribe to Comments. This handy little plugin adds the check box you’ll find below my comment box.

subscribe to comments on MamaBlogga

Check the box and you’ll receive updates of the comments on that post delivered right to your email inbox. Whether you’re curious about the same subject, waiting to respond to another commenter or just want to know how other people reacted, you can stay current on blogs that use this plugin. TypePad blogs can have the same feature with a script, Subtocomments.

A few weeks back, I spent a couple frustrating hours trying to rig a hack to do the same for Blogger. I never succeeded—but that’s okay, because last week Blogger unveiled a new feature:

blogger subscribe to comments

This check box does exactly what it says! It only appears if you’re signed in to your Google/Blogger account, however, so if you want to follow a Blogger blog post, be sure you’re signed in.

Why would I want this feature on my blog?
This feature is ultimately all about your readers—though helping your readers almost always helps your blog!

Letting your readers keep track of your blog at their convenience is similar to using RSS feeds, in my opinion. Let them read it when they want, where they want, and surprisingly often, they’ll come back to your site, whether to comment or to read others’ comments.

It’s all about the stickiness!

Would you like to know more about developing your blog’s stickiness? I’ve written a free guide to increasing your blog’s stickiness, “Get Your Visitors to Stick!“

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MetaBlogging

Blog comments and you

At the blog conference I attended yesterday, there was a lot of discussion about blog comments. I want to know how you interact with blog comments. Please take this poll (and you can choose multiple answers!)

Thank you! And of course, feel free to leave your comments below!

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Work MetaBlogging

Meeting Wendy Piersall and my second blog conference!

Today I got to meet Wendy Piersall of eMoms at Home! Woot! Oh yeah, there was a conference on blogging, too, somewhere in between conversations with Wendy.

If you’ve never met Wendy, in person or online, run (don’t walk) on over to eMoms. It’s the ultimate resource for WAHMs (and WAHDs)—especially for information on starting your own business, entrepreneurship, overcoming fear (and life’s hardships) and more. Plus, Wendy is a total sweetie! (This never, EVER hurts!)

Wendy Piersall and me at the blogging for business conference
Not sure why we’re so red . . . maybe we were just laughing?

Okay, so the Blogging for Business conference was fun (although it made me feel bad for not making very much money off my blog. Now where is that old monetization strategy?).

Okay, enough buzz words about blogging—you guys are going to get to hear plenty more about that. For my full write up of Wendy’s excellent keynote, see my post on Marketing Pilgrim today.

But if you don’t feel like reading all that, I’ll pluck out the parts that are most pertinent to personal bloggers. (The brackets are there because I’ve rephrased it to take out language about your business and your customers.)

Let’s get personal: Why did you . . . start this [blog]?

  • To pursue a dream (passion)
  • To make a difference in people’s lives
  • To fill a need in an under-served market

In other words, you were passionate and/or you wanted to help!

Blogs don’t benefit business unless they BENEFIT YOUR [READER]. You have to have that passion, the cause—what’s in it for your [reader]? What are they looking for? What do they really need? Why did you go into [blogging] in the first place? Because that’s why your [readers] will come to you, spend more with you, and seek you out.

Questions to answer for yourself

  • How can I help my [readers]? What do they need?
  • What personal stories, ideas or experience an I share on my blog that will encourage people to connect with [me]?
  • How can my . . . blog be a true reflection of [its] founding inspiration (passion, making a difference, filling a need)?

Blogging is about community—it’s about connecting with other people. I started this blog (on MamaBlogga.com, at least) to help connect with mothers who are struggling to feel fulfilled in motherhood to help them (and me!) find fulfillment.

So why did you start to blog? And is there anything I can do to help you feel fulfilled in motherhood?

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MetaBlogging

MamaBlogga Top Ten

I tell ya, September absolutely flew by. FLEW! But of course, that could be because I spent the last half of it wrapped in a word crazy haze.

But during the month, we had some fun happenings here on MamaBlogga: here are the most popular posts from September!

  1. Four Ways to Encourage Comments on Your Blog
  2. The updated Popular Parent Bloggers list
  3. September Group Writing Project (and days One, Two, Three, Four, Five and the Finale)
  4. The Mom Blogger Quiz
  5. How can I show a mother that I appreciate what she does?
  6. Motherhood isn’t
  7. Hayden’s First Word
  8. The sometimes impossible balancing act of motherhood
  9. A MamaBlogga milestone
  10. To be a better mother

Keep your eyes peeled for next week’s Group Writing Project!

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MetaBlogging

A MamaBlogga milestone

Well, that was the most frustrating 90 minutes of my day. And I was so sure it was going to be Hayden’s 90 minutes of tantrums and random crying. I’ve been working on something cool with Blogger, but every time I try to save changes to the template, I get a 404 error. Not to mention absolutely no documentation on this issue in New Blogger.

So, now all I’m left with is this announcement: MamaBlogga reached 200 readers today!MamaBlogga reaches 200 subscribers

Thank you all! It’s pretty mindboggling that my little mom blog is growing up so fast (let alone my son). Can we get to know one another? If you haven’t commented before (and even if you have), feel free to introduce yourself here! And don’t forget to connect with me!

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MetaBlogging Contests

Popular parent bloggers updated!

Remember back in April when we first published the Popular Parent Bloggers awards? Well, we’ve finally gotten around to updating the list! Check out the updated list (or the original one) today!