A few years ago, I was a pretty regular contributor to the World of Warcraft blog, World of Matticus. I had remembered my reluctance to build my own blog, so I started guesting for Matt. It progressed from there.
As opposed to my initial attempts at blogging, being over at WoM really inspired me to keep writing. See, Matt's blog was already getting thousands of hits each day. By extension, my guest posts would get hundreds--eventually, thousands--of views, too. I was spending time moderating the comment section of each post and interacting with my readers. As the view and comment counts climbed, I began actively seeking out new content to bring to my readers. When I left World of Matticus, I had a small following that joined me at my now-defunct spinoff: Healer by Nature. Unfortunately, that blog didn't last long because I fell out of love with the game.
DISCLAIMER: I don't do this because I want to be popular. I don't do this because I want to get RAWRAWESOMEPAGEVIEWS.
I do this because I enjoy the conversation. I like to debate and constructively argue. My girlfriend teases me about it.
Anyways, the Sarcastic Robot post really made me think about my own involvement in the community. Believe it or not, I think I had an epiphany in the process. I really believe that my struggle with blogging is mostly caused by my lack of interaction with the greater community. When I was with Matticus, I was bouncing off of other bloggers' posts. I stayed up on the gaming news and really worked to make sure that I was bringing fully-realized content into my posts. I participated more in forums and on Twitter. It was invigorating!
Then, two things happened. First, I started teaching. Those of you that are in my shoes know how draining that is--especially if you're a "first-year." Second, I found that I wanted to write content that I wanted to write about, when I wanted to write about it. So, with the high hopes of continuing my blogging on my own, I inadvertently disconnected from the community. Hugely, that was my first big blogging downfall.
So, Jonathan, thank you. What you wrote was awesome. I hope that your blog (and my reaction to it) re-engages me in the community/communities that I've always been a part of.
Read Jonathan's blog. Follow it. Bookmark it. Then, for every blog, Youtube channel, or ANYTHING! that you follow, actively engage with it. Even the new stuff. Support those people. I swear on my soul that it means the world.
ON THAT NOTE!
I hate self-promotion and simply prefer word-of-mouth, but I think that I need to break my own rule. Share this. Favorite this. Tweet this. Comment on this. I want to talk with you guys and girls. I want to share ideas. I'm not here to pontificate endlessly. I'm here to interact and discuss!
Question for bloggers: How do you strive to stay connected and interact with the community?
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