March 31, 2006
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Blogging
I went to the bookstore again last night to look for a book about blogging. I did find a few books on the issue. Once again, I went to look and see if there was a section on increasing traffic. I couldn’t find anything helpful. I have only found two book on blogging that even addressed the issue of increasing traffic to a blog.
One part of the book was touching on the issue: How to keep your blog interesting? It was only a paragraph but it gave some good advice.
What do you do to keep your blog interesting?
Comments (155)
I read and listen to music and msot of the time my life is interesting enough that I can pull stroies out from my experiences and entertain others.
~Little Miss Aki or Seranish_Shores
Or we write poetry and short stories ot entertain teh crowds. Why do you do this Dan?
I can’t say that I try anything in particular. I do make an honest attempt to add some real thought to my entries, though, rather than simple lists of what occured during my day, as I’ve seen on many other blogs. I use my Xanga for personal expression, and dumping my thoughts more than for detailing the happenings of any given day. Those who wish to know are usually the individuals that I know well enough to communicate with otherwise — through AIM, or a similar chat program, emailing, snail-mail, telephone (though rarely), or even in person, in the case of my local friends, who also use Xanga.
Also: I thought about attending Prom for a long time, but since I’m not particularly close with anyone outside of a certain group of people, I just don’t think I would enjoy it. I tend to suffer from slight claustrophobia in large crowds, for whatever reason, and am a “social coffin,” as some of my close comrades have dubbed me.
All the best,
Stephen
I get monkeys to pound out entries.
I write what is truthful to me, what interests me that day, how I feel about something…. I don’t know… I’m not all into brining in the crowd, I just like hearing what others have to say… helps me study humanity
haha…I’m not sure it is.
But I do it for my kids, and they will one day, find it fascinating!
(and I think I may be number 5…my highest one yet!)
wow third!!!!! i just try to keep posting something that is important to me……no one has to read it, it makes me feel better just writing it and adding my jpeg’s or gif’s
~jess
ps. love ya dan
Post poetry, stories, random thoughts…et cetera.
8th.
Hmm… good question, how do you keep a blog interesting? I’d like to know! Mine’s been boring as hell lately. Now check this out, I started writing this when there were 2 comments. When I post it, there’ll probably be about 30. I don’t think you, Dan, need to worry about increasing site traffic, haha.
You get several hundred comments per entry and you’re wondering how to increase traffic?
Watch Xanga kick you off for taking up too much bandwidth.
Wow, only 10 comments two minutes after posting? Hmm… slow day, I guess, haha!
i saw “Blogging for Dummies” on the tables at Barnes and NObles. wtf? sometimes, one liners get alot of responses. or even one worders. thought provokers. brain teasers. pictures. whatever.
I try to keep the writing interesting. I try to be selective of my photos that I post. I ask (hopefully) thoughtful questions. I split my writting between light-hearted and theological. And I highlight other blogs that I find interesting and possibly interesting to others.
higest comment ever!!!!!
I don’t really try to make it interesting…. I just write about whatever is going on in my life that isn’t going to put people to sleep and sometimes I type stuff even if it will put people to sleep. It’s just a way for me to get my feelings out since I’m not good at saying them and a way to let my friends in other places whats going on (I guess I could call them but blogs don’t cost anything).
I don’t really have one because not that many ppl visit my site, so i see not point in having one. But if i did, i would probably have it so it’s about the most popular things at the time….idk really.
well enyways…nobody comments me. i wrote that on my xanga. so if i can use this since alot of peaple comment here
PLEASE GO TO MY XANGA ITS LONLY THERE!!!
thx dan
nicole
quizzes
&& drama
Being a dork. I don’t know if it really increases traffic, but that’s what I do!
Is my blog interesting? Oh.
I write about a variety of things. And I try not to refer to people that a general audience wouldnt know about. I also write and post a lot of poetry.
I’m not sure I do… (keep it interesting….)
I do have more subscribers than I used to, but some of the older ones aren’t around much, so I’m hitting about the same number of readers.
Blog about a variety of subjects. Be humorous and interesting. Put funny pics up from time to time. Put up various cool songs. Write well. Don’t blog like a teenager. Don’t use “r” and “u” for “are” and “you.” Don’t tell people you’re bored, they will be too. Don’t write long entries. Respond to those who comment …if you’re able .
one time I said “I am bored out of my mind!!!” and I got 10 comments. I ask for advice, give advice, and talk about the drama of high school life.
I post naked pictures of myself. Ithought that would increase my traffic, but it only drove people away.
I try to keep an equal amount of funny and serious blogs. I like to listen to music that enlightens me like The Doors or the Eagles..
My Blog is not interesting to anybody really. It is my place to try and expose all of the fallacies about religion that I have learned.
Um…put music and change my layout really often, also keeping people updated on the wacky things Mary and I do together
I DON’T CARE ABOUT KEEPING MY BLOG INTERESTING…IT’S JUST MY OUTLET REALLY. I’M NOT HERE TO ENTERTAIN ANYONE. LOL…EXCEPT YOU DAN!
SPARKLE
interesting?!? nothing interesting about my blog… my life is pretty boring, and I don’t have time to make up fun stuff to blog about… so, there is nothing interesting…
Most of the time, I take photos to share with my protected friends.. let them see some pictures rather then read a lot.. because picture means a lot =) hmm.. I will add some icons on my blog if I have time tooo*
apparently all you have to do is ask a question or two a day and the crowds will come. seems you’re the expert.
Do the opposite of mine.
Word my questions so that they can be answered in different ways that may appeal to a wider cross-section of people who read them. Ambiguity is not illegal.
Ever do that, Dan?
L,r
I use photos and interesting stories on my main blog (this one)
and then my private site, I use in depth thoughts on different
“deeper” topics as well as highlighting a “Xanga of the Day” to
show my readers something ELSE they should be reading.
Be ORIGINAL and obviously FUCK with you
WHILST you’ve spawned a whole cottage industry of THC wannabes, WHAT you’re doing now has been done before, most notably by Scotty Lucunto…and sooner or later the sheeple are gonna REALIZE that you’re 5% THEOLOGY and 99% bullshit…but you started out with noble intentions
Yeah.,..i DON’T begrude you your popularity, i’m just sorry you haven’t used IT to help the troops in Iraq or the multitude of GOOD you COULD have done
terrific colors
Not much of anything lately
DELETE and prosper the above^
I usually dont’ write much in here, I have another that I try to write in as much as possible (if for some reason you’re curious, let me know and I”ll give it to you) but I don’t try to make it interesting. I write what I feel, and try to write it well; I can’t stand people who write about nothing and rite lyk ths!
Maggie
Nothing…..just write whats on my mind. Sometimes it’s redundant and day to day nonsense,some days it’s just spewing my thoughts, other days it’s a subject that has been on my mind and has interested me. I tend to show a lot of emotion…..my thoughts, feeling, and experiences….some people like that, and some do not. If done correctly it get’s it’s followers…….
RYC: Pffffffffft! You won’t even tell ME, in an email if I promise to never, ever, ever mention a word about it??????? If I say I won’t–I won’t….it’s that simple, and I hope you’d know that. I just want to know….having also been in that situation if my panic reaction was “normal” or not. Hmmm… of course it could also be just a female thing, and you’d be different there, and I’d never know if my response was the norm.
Well, my daughter changed my colors to red and green at Christmas time. Other than that it stays the same, day in and day out. If ya like it you can read it, if not thats OK too.
I don’t know. Is mine interesting?
I can’t say mine is interesting…but the people who come there are…and I like to know their opinions of topics…and share funny stories with when I have one.
Why do you want traffic? You must be writing for the wrong reasons. I write what I feel and reach my audience that way. Commercializing yourself is never good.
Ask questions that relate to my readers. And give my opinon. Talk about stuff they like or want to talk about.
you gotta make your site appealing to all sorts of people…I use the shotgun approach…I just talk about random stuff until people start leaving comments on my page…I had 26 the other day…that is a record for me!…and, I try to keep in touch with my peeps ASAP so they will check my site out
I write about things that are interesting to myself. If somebody else happens to like it, all the better. Usually it involves all the crazy things that happen to me throughout the day.
i just put good music on. other than that i don’t think i’ve actually changed the format of my site at all…besides adopting a llama.
I try to be as entertaining as I can be. Amusing pictures are always a good thing.
Im caught up between making my blog interesting and writing what i want to write … like a diary.
i have no idea why anyone would ever read my blog. i started it more as a diary/journal to vent my frustrations and now its jsut about my lame stay at home adventures with my kids.
I post what’s I find interesting.
you come up with this really incredibly original one in a million idea. or you just write about random stuff and hope someone out there might find it slightly interesting. there is a lot of people out there, you might not find extreme ironing interesting, but the ratings say otherwise (yes, it is a tv show)
keep it personal and funny. join a blogring and have a oh-so-catchy-tagline
I never try to make mine interesting. and it shows
I don’t do anything to make my blog interesting; what I write about doesn’t really matter to anyone except myself, as I don’t write for attention or comments. I think a blog is interesting that has a variety of topics, asks questions, posts pictures, is thought-provoking, is well-written…etc. There are so many different ways to do it.
Don’t make entries very long, comment other people/respond to comments, add a picture or two to make it kinda pop (and when people are reading my entry through their subs page, they can’t see the picture, forcing them to actually come to my site to look at it instead of just reading through their subs page), and write about things that people would want to comment on.
I pretend Im you
You dont need a book on this subject. People love your site!
keep asking questions about interesting topics,besides its not like you dont have any traffic lol.
by doing exactly what you do. bringing up thought provoking topics that people can’t help but comment about their beliefs on.
candor
pictures. pictures make everything awesome.
you roadtripped to kansas city? i don’t care.
you have pictures of all of you in a car being idiots awesome, i want more.
its simple.
Be up to date. And, be funny.
I try not to talk about boring stuff. I try to talk about stuff thats interesting, and keep others involved.one thing that really turns people off to reading and leaving comments is when you rant on and on about how horrible your life is and stuff.
<3
I don’t. If people don’t like it they can leave and I don’t really care…
And thanks for the story. It made me laugh.
i dont! ^_^;; nobody ever leaves comments, except on occasion, and if i get more than 3 comments, i know for sure the apocolypse is coming!
that would make a good entry! do one on what you think signals the apocolypse!!!! i would so love that!!!
blog about Christ…it always interests me!!! God Bless!
um i don’t. my blog is actually pretty boring, either it’s about my day or a short rant on something that annoys me.
i don’t think mine is interesting i just write about the randomness of my day
I just talk about my life, I don’t care who it interests and who it doesn’t — I think life is fascinating!!
usually nothing. some people find it interesting, some boring. occasionally I’ll put up some funny quotes. after reading this, I figured I owed my readers something more than a daily summary. er, attempt. one-handed typing is slow. but I put together this quote book.
Visit other people’s blogs. I have a friend who increases her traffic by “trolling”: whenever she feels not enough folks are checking her out, she drops comments on others’ blogs that she knows will get a strong reaction. Personally, I don’t like people to visit me just because they think I’m a big jerk, but I just comment whenever I feel strongly enough to do so.
Make it thought provoking. Don’t blog about your day (unless you had a really interesting day, and can tie that day into a philosophical idea, or make a metaphor out of it). But to get people there? Drop comments all over the place…like here!
I talk about something that’s on my opinion. Not those fake people who copy other people’s opinion.
Note: My way of driving traffic to my site is going to a blog where they have a site tracker. Then comment on them and maybe they’ll come back.
I just don’t post until I have something to say. It just comes to me… eventually
An interesting blog is a fairly balanced mix of personal stuff, outside issues, reviews of music, books or movies, and whatever else. Any blog that is *only* one of the above would probably get boring after a while.
My blog…interesting? Now, that’s news.
Ask questions to engage readers and avoid political topics.
Someone’s getting more traffic hungry…
Pesky
Half of finding good stuff on the net and post it.
Another half, well, it’s just personal stuff.
be random.
The better question is, ‘Is your blog interesting?’
just ramble about random topics.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
I’m not sure my blog is interesting…it’s rarely the same….
if its a long entry i go down a line, to keep it in short segments, seems shorter hat wat.
I don’t know…you tell me.
Pictures. I like to see pictures. I also keep it pretty short most of the time. hehehe As long as it’s interesting to me I usually put it up.
yo momma! ohhh!
I link to blogs more interesting than mine…
And I put up pictures.
I want comments. I only put something interesting if I feel someone will read it. I don’t want to feel like I write all that poetry for nothing.
Well this blog I am using right now to comment is mainly used to communicate with myy friends; I don’t really want to attract visitors.
I mainly use xanga as a private diary. I have no intention of popularity.
Naked Pictures of my thoughts……….
Uh… new material.
I usually focus on making my comments the most interesting
Generally by insulting people’s sensibilities
And, I mean that in the nicest, most christian way possible
My blog is like watching paint dry. I’m only here to listen to other people.
A lot of things.
i don’t make my blogs interesting.
it’s their problem if they don’t like it
it’s their fault for reading it.
i just type whatever [they're actually pointless]
but it’s just about my issues with school or whatever.
I like being the 100th commentor…it’s like being the 100th customer or something…
Didn’t you already blog about this one already?
ryc – AAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
i never thought of it that way AHahahaa 
Keep the drama coming on the blog, or write about relevant issues such a politics, but set up a rule that there’ll be no labeling, derogatory terms or cussing between the comment makers. Religion is bound to get responses, they’ll love ya, and hate ya – I’m sure you know that. Depends on what kind of crowd you want to draw to your blog.
I write well.
I think you are addicted to Xanga, Dan. Take it away from you and you would go through withdrawal. “How can I live unless my subscribers are growing in number? What is the purpose of life if my comments don’t get me on featured?”
Lotsa pictures. And I’m brutally honest about my life, so it reads like a trainwreck.
I just write about what I do…usually it is interesting as I travel a lot and do a lot…if not…Oh well
i dont think that mine is very interesting lol
Personally, I don’t think my blog(s) is too interesting, but my friends must like it, because they do visit and comment. As far as keeping it “interesting” I don’t really do anything. I’m lazy and don’t make the effort.
don’t really try to keep it interesting since mine is just some personal thoughts.
anyway, i’d really to like to learn about the passover feast. i mean what’s a typical modern day passover feast like? what rules or traditions? i’d like to find blogs or sites about that. i know each food is very symbolic. would anyone be offended if someone serve those foods to Chinese teenage Christians to demonstrate how God was so good to the Israelites?
I don’t LOL
I just be authentic. If you think it is interesting, even better.
Well I can’t exactly say my blog is all that interesting.
Good content and networking.
Dan, I might be the only one that thinks it IS interesting….
Variety. Cartoons. Funny pictures. Sob stories. Real life. Intersperse with a good joke now and then.
NOthing. Mine’s been boring
Thought you might want to see this. Congrats!
http://img436.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xanga6rt.png
I don’t know……..blahhhh
I blog for myself. I really only started a blog so I could comment to Tony. Then I started meeting people with my own interests. I prefer to keep my personal thoughts protected or private and then participate in some blog ring assignments and that is how I get more people there. By participating. Sort of like real life. You don’t meet people by staying home. You have to get out there.
I just use my xanga to communicate with family and online friends. I wouldn’t really say it would be interesting for someone to read that did not know me
I imitate you… :rolleyes:
I don’t care if my Xanga is interesting.
i’m new to xanga and i’d like to see more comments and subscriptions.. i post trivia questions that people can answer and just things that i find worthy enough to talk about.
Pay my site a visit and leave a comment!!
I make a new layout every now-&-then, and my songs seam to keep people commenting.
er, its not. i dont think.
change the layout
that’s a hard one…right now I’m trying to get my testimony down. I like randomness, but i would say that i’m glad for those that do stop by no matter the numbers.
Keep it real
I write down things I read, my interpritations of them, what my thoughts are on random subjects, so on and so forth. So basically I just put down my philosophy, my philosophical, debates and conclusions.
Nothing. If what I have to say isn’t interesting to someone, I have no alternate reason to make them interested. If one finds my page interesting, by all means they can view it. If they don’t, there’s no use trying to make it any other way.
[ariana]
I post my own drawing every entry > : )
Er….interesting?
I put up my films. They’re innnnteresting. I put up current stories that make me say hmmm. I share my thoughts, sometimes they may seem complex but they’re mine. Linking is probably a traffic builder as well. Or being mentioned in your column, Dan, that would probably cause a serious traffic jam!
I’m starting to suspect you are seriously addicted to Xanga. After being an employee, husband, father, friend and general handyman how do you find time to read 1000 comments a day?
Sometimes I think of a topic I would love to get much feedback on (like one recently about Police Brutality) and it usually falls flat. I love the discussions. I unfortunately have a hard time reading ALL the comments you have here so I wouldn’t want THAT much traffic, ever. But it would be fun to hear comments now and again from more traffic.
No clue. That’s probably why only my friends who actually go on Xanga will only comment on my page. I have been a user for almost two years, and I have recieved approximately only 5 random users commenting on my page. Well I am any typical teenager, so what can I say? My page does get lonely, but what the heck. I enjoy writing and keeping updates about my life. Mostly the negative parts of it, though. It’s a way for me to get my words across to people or simply to let out some steam. Or at times, just yap away at something good that happens.
ARE U GUYS GOTH OR A BIG DORK!!!
i post what happen in my day and other stuff.I’ve started putting icons on there.But my blog isnt too interesting for i have a life besides xanga and im rarely ever on.But i would make it more interesting one day.Just not right now.More important stuff to do.
Why you ask i do not know.You have many people on here that comment you so you should tell us should you not?
Change the muzak around, blah blah blah, stuff like that. I’m cool.
nothing
i don’t try being impressive, i sleep better.
hmmm…not much. : )
I attempt to combine good writing, a consistent voice, and an interesting point-of-view.
I attempt to follow the golden rule when blogging. I don’t give a damn about what’s going on in people’s lives, so I don’t talk about my own on my blog. Instead, I’ll randomly post ideas, thoughts, or entertaining experiences that I have had. The rest of the shit that I churn out can stay in my non-internet journal.
So this is the cool kids’ table….
I don’t keep it interesting-its for mee to let off steam. If anyone wishes to get a steam bath, step into the sauna.
I hear updating with nude pictures is pretty effective. You should test it and see!
none of your buisness!
I always find that once people complain about lack of comments that’s when they get pounded with them. Me, I just put up a mixture of daily happenings and creative writing.
look at my xanga it is so kool =)
> ….what ever crosses these feeble synapses….when they cooperate
PeAcE
I talk about things I have done that were disappointing and make them funny an interesting. Sometimes I do things that are amazing and I dont have to realign my perception too, then I write about them.
Plus I target my audience with my subscriptions, stalking and comments.
My life truely is interesting. I dare to tell the truth, which may be “stanger than fiction”.
i dont write my blog for it to be interesting; my blog is about my spilling my thoughts out so that i dont go insane, if my friends comment on it; so much the better. if they dont, thats ok too.
i hold my breath while i type.
Ironicly enough there are quite a few blogs about having a successful blog. the ones that I am aware of are performancing.com and problogger.net. One thing to be aware of though is that these sites are focusing on getting lots of traffic to your site in order to make money. Clearly that is not your intent, at least not right now, otherwise you wouldn’t be using xanga.