Top 2 Tuesday: What I've Learned About Blogging

Today I'm linking up with Taylor at The Undomestic Momma. Click on the picture above to participate!

Today's topic is:

What I've Learned About Blogging

Listen y'all, I don't claim to be a "pro" blogging. I don't claim to be a "big" blogger either (like Thrify Decor Chic, Kelly's Korner, or Tatertots & Jello - all awesome, successful bloggers in my opinion). I've found my little niche in the blogosphere, and at the moment I'm really happy where I am. Last time I checked my stats, I had around 450 followers through Google Friend Connect and 380 followers through Google Reader. I'm so very happy and proud to have that many people who care to read what I say. Thank you, readers, for stopping by my blog.

I've been blogging for three years now, and I'm had times of plenty and of few. There are times when I post a ton and times when I go months without posting. I like to think in those 3 years I've learned a thing or two, and hopefully what I've learned will help you out a little bit along the way.

I define success in blogging as making friendships and establishing relationships through your blog. My goal has never been (not at this time, anyway) to make money or win awards. I'd like to entertain people, share tutorials, give people creative ideas, and make friendships. If I have people who read my blog, then I feel like I've done something right.

With that said, here's my tips for becoming a "successful" blogger:

Have a pleasing blog design. Look at your blog like a stranger would, and see what they would see. Make sure your text is easy to read, there aren't any blinking buttons or pictures, and for the love of pete, do not have a music player on your blog. I highly recommend having your blog professionally designed. If you plan to blog for at least a year, the money will be well spent. My blog design was done by the lovely and talented Danielle.

Comment. Comment, comment, and then comment some more. This is the number one way to get readers. When I started blogging, I would find a blogger that I liked, and I'd visit all the blogs on her blogroll, leaving comments. I'd do this over and over, and eventually I not only found a lot of cool blogs I loved, but I got traffic to my blog from people I had visited. Here's the catch - actually leave comments of substance on the blogs you visit. Don't say "Hi! Come follow me!" because that person will almost certainly not follow you. Read their post, leave a thoughtful comment, and wait for them to reciprocate by stopping by your blog.

Join SITS. SITS is a community of women whose goal is to encourage bloggers through commenting. Every day they feature a blogger. You roll call by commenting on the post of the day, and then you visit a couple of other bloggers who have also commented. In turn, you'll get comments to your blog. It's a win-win for everyone involved!

Blog about what you're interested in, not what you think others will be interested in. This is something I myself worry about too much. I want to write posts I think people will want to read, and it stresses me out so much I end up not writing posts at all. Instead, focus on what you love. Is it your children? Cooking? Crafts? Post about what you're passionate about and there will be someone else out there who you find common ground with.

Join a linky party! If you're new to blogging, linky parties are great ways to meet other bloggers. If you craft, share your craft in a linky party such a Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello. I personally have participated in Friend Makin' Monday, Tuesday at the Table, and Top 2 Tuesday.

Pictures are awesome. I love blogs that use pictures. I love seeing pictures of bloggers. I personally prefer not to read "faceless" blogs. I like knowing who I'm "talking" to, and I enjoy seeing snapshots of your life. Just don't go overboard with pictures - 50 pictures in one post is a tiny bit overwhelming.

Most importantly, be consistent. Find a pattern of blogging that works for you, and stick to it. I'll admit that I need to work on this myself. I'm very up and down with blogging lately, and I need to work on that. In a perfect world, I'd blog one post per day, Monday-Friday.

And of course, there's always things you should avoid:

If there is one thing you could do for me, ONE THING, that would make me happy beyond measure - it is turning off word verification on your comment settings. In fact, if you're reading this, go to your blog and try to leave yourself a comment. Check your settings, and see how hard you make it for your readers to leave you love. I know I'm not alone in saying I do not care to leave comments on blogs with word verification. If it is someone I love or something I really need to say, of course I do. But honestly, most of the time I click off that blog without commenting. I, like lots of others, are really busy & word verification just sucks up extra time I could be using to read/comment on other blogs.

A lot of people tell me the reason they use word verification is to cut down on spam. I've been blogging three years, and I have had less than 10 spam comments. I do not use word verification and never have. If you really need to, you can have your comments sent to you and approve them before posting. But seriously - TURN OFF WORD VERIFICATION.

I know a lot of people will ignore me on this, but I promise you that the amount of comments you receive will increase if you turn this off. Pinky swear.

While you're checking your comments, also make sure you have your email linked to your blog. When you leave comments, this allows bloggers to email you back with answers to your questions or comments. Ever received notice of a comment that says "no reply blogger" in the from field? That's because the blogger doesn't have an email address linked to their blog account. Click here for a great tutorial on how to fix this.

My last bit of advice is not to get too caught up in stats. Don't check your followers daily and get depressed when you lose someone. Unless you are blogging for money, your stats aren't really the be-all, end-all of the blogging world. It's ok if someone unfollows your blog - it happens to me a lot. It just means that person perhaps isn't interested in what you're blogging about. I might follow someone initially because it seems like we have a lot in common, but then unfollow when I realize they post mostly about sewing. It doesn't mean I don't like that person. It just means I can't sew. Keep in mind your stats aren't a reflection of you. Don't let them get you down.

Readers, please weigh in! What tips do you have for blogging? What should new bloggers do and what should they not do? What attracts you or turns you off blogs? I want to hear from you!