Building Community with Blogs

One of the neat aspects of blogging is that you get to virtually connect with people from around the world who you otherwise would probably never meet.  The following techniques are ones that I use to build relationships in the blogosphere.

Link Exchange or Blog Roll

One technique that can help you connect with others and drive traffic to your site is to do a link exchange, or Blog Roll as it is called in the blogosphere.  Basically, you are swapping blog links with blogs that you enjoy reading.  The more that you do this with other bloggers, the more exposure that your blog will get.  At the same time, you will start to form a relationship with these bloggers.

Thank you to David Dalka who was able to get my blog linked under the "Networking" category on Mike Sansone's blog ConverStations.  If you like David's blog, he encourages you to add it to your Blog Roll.  He believes, like I do, that this technique is a great way to build your network.

Comment on Other Blogs

Another way to build community is to comment on other blog posts.  Most blogs allow you to do this so take this as an opportunity to show your interest and expertise.  As a bonus, most blogs allow you to include a link back to your blog.  Again, this will drive traffic to your blog.

MyBlogLog

In a previous post, MyBlogLog Builds Online Communities, I discuss how MyBlogLog is similar to LinkedIn because it allows you to connect with various individuals who view your blog.  In addition, it opens your eyes to other blogs out there.  Therefore, you will get the chance to build some relationships through this tool.

Comments

[Mike Maddaloni]

I concur Jason, and I was not originally sold on the concept of blogs as a community until I launched my own.

The toughest part I find with maintaining the community is revisiting the blogs - I don't usually subscribe to comment or individual post feeds, but I may have to.

mp/m

[Jason Jacobsohn]

The more time that I have been exposed to blogs, the more that I realize the power of the community aspect of it. I try to comment on a couple of blogs every couple of days. To truely drive a lot of traffic, I would recommend commenting on several a day.