I have referred in the past to
sometimes living under a rock.
Well...
here I am again with a discovery that you
may or may not know about.
Either way here's the scoop.
Google recently announced that they were
eliminating the Followers widget from all non-Blogger blogs.
As a result, bloggers are presenting their readers
with other various ways to follow.
(This post isn't about that though...keep reading.)
I have joined Google+1 but honestly
I really don't get it.
StumbleUpon. I have not totally figured this out either
but in my opinion it's easier than Google+1.
There's the obvious
Which brings us to the next method.
RSS feed.
I admit that for a long time I didn't know what this was.
When I figured it out,
it still didn't interest me much because
if I wanted to follow a blog I simply added it to my blog roll.
I didn't want emails announcing blog posts clogging up my inbox.
Here's where I needed to think like a reader
and not a blogger.
Take for example my RSS reader number.
At the present time it says 733.
Out of those 733 readers how many do you think are bloggers?
Maybe a quarter of them at the most.
So that means that three quarters of my readers
are looking at my blog in an email.
Just the post...not the blog home page
which means NOT THE SIDEBAR.
All my carefully placed links aren't even being seen.
It was a discovery that knocked my socks off.
So...here's the solution.
Install below post links.
They don't have to be fancy buttons...
although I have to admit that I am in love with
my below post buttons.
A text link will do the trick.
Link to:
Your Pinterest page.
Your Facebook page.
Your Etsy shop.
Your Twitter account.
Your home tour.
The e-book that you wrote.
A sponsor you want to promote.
sometimes living under a rock.
Well...
here I am again with a discovery that you
may or may not know about.
Either way here's the scoop.
Google recently announced that they were
eliminating the Followers widget from all non-Blogger blogs.
As a result, bloggers are presenting their readers
with other various ways to follow.
(This post isn't about that though...keep reading.)
I have joined Google+1 but honestly
I really don't get it.
StumbleUpon. I have not totally figured this out either
but in my opinion it's easier than Google+1.
There's the obvious
and
RSS feed.
I admit that for a long time I didn't know what this was.
When I figured it out,
it still didn't interest me much because
if I wanted to follow a blog I simply added it to my blog roll.
I didn't want emails announcing blog posts clogging up my inbox.
Here's where I needed to think like a reader
and not a blogger.
Take for example my RSS reader number.
At the present time it says 733.
Out of those 733 readers how many do you think are bloggers?
Maybe a quarter of them at the most.
So that means that three quarters of my readers
are looking at my blog in an email.
Just the post...not the blog home page
which means NOT THE SIDEBAR.
All my carefully placed links aren't even being seen.
It was a discovery that knocked my socks off.
Install below post links.
They don't have to be fancy buttons...
although I have to admit that I am in love with
my below post buttons.
A text link will do the trick.
Link to:
Your Pinterest page.
Your Facebook page.
Your Etsy shop.
Your Twitter account.
Your home tour.
The e-book that you wrote.
A sponsor you want to promote.
When my below post buttons were installed
there was an immediate jump in hits on my
Pinterest page.
Every time someone follows your Pinterest boards
you get a friendly email asking if you want to follow that person back.
I always do and as a result
have discovered some rock star boards.
(I'll be sharing some of them in a future post.)
It's a win-win situation for both you and your readers.
Try it and see.
25 comments:
You're ahead of me. I haven't even figured out how to use buttons.
I have the subscribe by email on my page and I subscribe to a few blogs that way. I click on the email and on to the blog itself.
I get tons of Pinterest hits daily and I don't have mine set up any differently. People asked me to install the subscribe by email since it is easiest.
I'm like Grammy Goodwill. Buttons are too high tech for me at the moment. : )
hmmmm...I think I'm still under there!
I know what you mean :-). Each time I think I've got it covered there's another thing. Lol!
Good heavens - I am SO behind it all. It's all Greek to me, and I think I'll need to take a day off just to learn it all. I don't look at Pinterest because of time and I don't do facebook for professional reasons - I know I miss out on a lot, but the peace of mind is worth it.
Thanks Ann. I heard rumours about the google follower thingee (yep, that's my technical name for it) being discontinued but honestly didn't know what that meant as far as my blog is concerned. I do know that I have recently switched to bloglovin to read the blogs I like to follow but I still don't know what that means for my blog.
You have pointed out something very important. And thanks for that. I will definitely be adding buttons and probably other things to my actual posts for readers who don't go right to my blog.
What a pain. But thanks so much for sharing what you've learned.
Good advice. I"m still having trouble with learning about RSS feed. I had it on my blog for awhile, but did not have any stats, and still don't know how to access stats. People can use different readers. Many of which I've never heard of before.
I then added a "want my blog post e-mailed to you" and I have stats for that.
I also don't know how to join Google One now.
I think you are doing exceptionally well.
All this is way over my head, "fur sure" How do you know about RSS feeds score? I've heard about RSS but no clue as what it does or why it's needed.
I'm so computer/blog challenged.
Thanks for the tip. I'd love to use it if I knew how.
I'm still under that rock Ann, I think though that I'm going to have my blog designed by a designer and get her to do everything for me, I'm so computer challenged that it will be worth the money! Thanks for explaining what each button is!
Rondell ♥
ugh, life gets too complicated! I hate email subscriptions and I have loved google reader.....I guess I will loose all the non-google blogs that I follow.........hmmmmmmmmmm. ..decisions , decisions!
I don't understand all this stuff either!I have tried and tried to get on Pinterest with no sucess-I would like to know how.
I do live under a rock because I just sent my request for Pinterest, they emailed me and said I would get an invite soon, I'm a slow learner, but what you say makes sense, you make it sound so smart!
I never knew about that RSS button either. That's interesting. I'm still new at this blogging thing and am just happy I've gotten as far as I have now. Ha! I don't have any sponsors to worry about right now and I don't do much with Pinterest at the moment ( I heard you gasp) so I guess I'm ok for now.
I like the email notification if someone does a new post. I am totally confused about the new changes!
Yep! That's why we do the sponsored posts because email readers never see your sidebar or anything about your blog therefore nothing about your advertisers or sponsors, shops, etc. So question for you Ann, do you add your buttons in on each post or did you make it where it automatically places the coding at the bottom of your posts like a signature? I need to do this..among a hundred other things. Thanks for the prompting!
Heather
I have a special e-mail address just for my favorite blogs. I use the subscribe by e-mail that is offered on each of these sites. That way I am not filling up my regular e-mail address that I use for all my personal stuff. When I click on the e-mail from a certain blog, it opens up directly to that blog home page. This works best for me. By the way.....love your blog.
You can also use Networked bogs which is connected to facebook somehow.
Hi Ann. This is a great tip and one that I never thought of! I have the same question as Heather of At the Picket Fence. Do you have to add the buttons to every post are do you have code that adds them automatically? Thank you! Suzy
Ann, you are way ahead of me. I read from my dashboard from blogger. I have my own blog but don't blog enough to go crazy. I really need to learn these little things. Thanks for sharing the information.
Jessica
I am stymied by it all really. I get up everyday and try to figure out the next thing, while handling my non-blog life and making a creating. There are just not enough hours in the day!!! lol Thanks for the great info. Ann.
And....Grammy Goodwill, as always, cracks me up with her comments!!! lol
I guess I am under the rock too! I am going to have to figure out how to make the buttons on the bottom of my post. Is there some kind of tutorial on how to do this and how do you get them there? :)
Thanks so much for the info
jodi
Great advice Anne, I never thought about email subscribers never seeing your sidebar. I don't have any advertising on my blog, but I do have pinterest button on my sidebar. That might be a good idea to add too the bottom of the post! You are becoming so computer savvy, I am impressed.
xo Kathysue
Do you have your buttons set up as static gadgets or do you place them into the body of your post each time you write a new post? I have something I'd like to insert at the end of each post, but am unclear as to how to have it show up each time I post. How come there's no manual with Blogger? LOL It's learn as we go!
Post a Comment