Dipping into the Blogpond

(Note: This is part two of a four part series. Please read the introduction first. Hopefully you also had the chance to read Rohit Bhargava’s 10 Ways to Improve Your Blog Karma)

The Actions of a Blogger in the Blogosphere

Blog karma can be affected not only by the actions of the blogger in the blogosphere, but also by the interaction with (and attitude towards) other bloggers. I see the following as being key activities which can help or harm your blog karma.

Participation and conversation – this means being actively involved in discussions both on your blog and on others. This shows that you are interested in what others have to say and value their contribution. How engaging is it for a visitor to comment on your blog, but to never have any response? My guess is they won’t persist for long.

Using a subscribe to comments plugin on your blog will help facilitate discussion, as will subscribing to comments on blogs you comment on. This might be stating the obvious, but making use of this function, makes it much easier and less time consuming for everyone.

Rohit adds “Without participation, it is difficult to belong to a community online or build relationships with others”. Further more he suggests that we avoid “snark” (“being rude, uselessly opinionated or arrogant), and that, as time-consuming as it may be, (personal) emails deserve a response.

Building relationships – conversation and participation certainly helps build relationships, but so too does networking. Here I mean in the traditional sense, not the online sense (though that’s important too). The opportunity to meet up with other bloggers in informal settings certainly assists in strengthening relationships. It provides us with the opportunity to put a face to a blog and a personality behind it – to a much greater extent than what is possible online. I must confess it is still somewhat surreal when meeting someone who says “Oh hi – I read your blog”.

Reputation – as I mentioned recently this is built on credibility, integrity, transparency and impartiality. Being yourself, being sincere and honest in your interactions will help you retain your reputation and increase your blog karma. Leaving irrelevant or worthless comments on other blogs, merely for the purpose of having a link back to your blog, will not enhance your reputation. It might bring you traffic, but at what cost?

Trustworthiness – no matter if it’s the biggest story to break all year, do not betray a confidence. Do not post about internet interactions that occur “off blog”, without seeking the approval of the other person involved. Send them a copy of what you plan to post, or at least what pertains to them. Use your commonsense, but if in doubt, ASK.

Benevolence – what I am referring to here, is being kind and generous in your interactions with other bloggers. It entails giving, or going that extra mile to do a nice deed. Don’t be stingy in linking out – help out a new blogger by linking to them, or a post they’ve written. Send them an encouraging email, or a thoughtful, relevant comment on their blog. Do you have to link to an “A-list” blogger, or has a new blogger written something comparable? Who do you think is going to be more appreciative of the link? Giving in this way (and I mean sincerely) will gain you a lot of karma, and possibly a fan for life!

Graciousness and humility – we should be appreciative when others go out of their way to reach out to us. Thank people for sharing their thoughts on your blog, or for linking out to you. Don’t take these things for granted.

Rohit also mentions forgiveness. He states “Correcting them without holding a grudge is a big deal. Mistakes are made, people are sorry. If they fixed the error, then get over it”, which is very solid advice (and something I had to practice this week).

Next Part Three – The actions of a blogger on social networking sites.