Over the last 30 days, we have built a blog- one that has a heart, brain, muscles, nerves, legs, bling and now it is ready to fly. (Well perhaps run might do!) Bloggers like to have readers. Building readership takes time, experience and a lot of active networking.
Questions for reflection
Why are readers of our blog important? How can we build readership? How can we stay networked? How can the conversations continue? Why has this challenge been important to you and your blog? What impact has it had? What worked well and why?
Build Blog Readership
Make sure you read:-
- the post for the Beginner Challenge.
- A twitterholics guide to tweets, hashtags and all things twitter
Challenges for Activity #8 – Building Readership
Write a post on your choice of the following:-
- 5 to 10 ways to promote your blog
- Write a post on “All things or Anything Twitter “. Share your favourite hashtags, your lists and your twitter handles (usernames). (Twitter is increasingly becoming a great networking tool.)
- My top 5 to 10 networking sites – with a brief explanation of best use. Use hyperlinks where possible or image hotspots.
- Blogging – A Recipe for Success
- Choose at least 5 terms from the wordle above and explain how they relate to building blogging readership.
- Your choice of topic on building blog readership.
- Add appropriate tags and categories, including #ksyb
- Find at least 5 other blog posts on this topic and leave a comment, include the url back to your blog post.
- Find 3 beginner bloggers and comment back on their post.
Extension Activity
- Write a second post, choosing a different topic from the above options.
- Interview a winning or best selling blogger on their secrets to success. Make a podcast or write a post
This was a good challenge to do some research on, I found some valuable information! Come see it at:
http://edquests.com/2011/02/03/being-your-blogs-agent/
Hi Kim,
You mentioned pinging services in your post. Is this something you have to manually request each time you update your blog, or can it be set up automatically?
Hi Carol,
It happens automatically. If someone links to your post, you will get a pingback or trackback. I asked Sue Waters this, part of her What you wanted to know about blogging series, a couple of months before the KSYB Challenge. Her response is in the comments section on What’s a Pingback? And How to Write Links.
I hope you find this useful.
Shawn
This activity has made me really reflect on my blogging experience. It’s a personal approach and as my post Reader, you are important to me explains, I have a paradoxical relationship with my readers. If I just think of my readers, I’ll be too paralysed to write anything. Read up on how I managed to resolve this.
cheers,
Malyn
Great work everyone – we are nearly there with the Teacher’s Blogging Challenge! Do you want to increase your blog readership or build a personal learning network? Are they the same thing? My post is Building your Personal Learning Network”.
Hi, here is my post for the last activity.
Greetings,
Here is my post for Challenge 8: Here Ye’ Here Ye’. I have really enjoyed all these challenges and I am sad it is our last one. Thanks to everybody that has helped me along the way.
-Mrs. Berry
A good final
reflection post
Hi, had to write a reflection piece as well. At the end of my first blogging challenge.
Me too. Here’s my reflection piece: What makes a good challenge? – translating #ksyb experience to teaching practice.
I’ve also tried to implement some good ideas I’ve learned along the way such as using galleries and writing a post on questions I’ve seen in other blogs like how to add a Twitter widget on the sidebar
Good work Team #ksyb Teacher Challenge and also for all its participants, beginner and advanced.
Mayln,
What a great idea! It seems obvious once suggested. Why not use the #ksyb experience as a template or scheme for teaching any number of learning topics?
Good work.
Shawn
This was a great challenge! I discussed building readership and also added a piece about global projects – one that Britt asked me in one of her comments. Thank you, Britt! Thank you to those who answered my poll about Google projects. Here is the direct link: http://techcsrn.edublogs.org/2011/02/03/teacher-blogging-challenge-8-building-readership-and-global-projects/
Theresa
Here is my post about gaining readers: Hey Readers, are you out there?
Thank you to everyone who has participated in this challenge with me. It’s just a beginning for us! Hum the graduation song, “Pomp and Circumstance”, while you visit my blog post Activity 8:
Class of 2011 KSYB Teacher Challenge Commencement
P.S. Can we really upload audio clips on our blog? I did want to add “Pomp and Circumstance”, but I don’t know how.
I chose to focus on how Twitter can help us help each other. Many thanks to all who organized and participated in this challenge–it really DID kick start my blogging again.
You can read my post at Book Frontiers—Be My Tweetie.
Hi there,
We’ll here’s my last post for the Challenge. I have found it to be a most worthy experience and I have certainly learnt a lot of new things about blogging. My blog has certainly changed since 30 days ago.
http://groovylibrarian.edublogs.org/2011/02/04/blog-promotion-teacher-challenge-8/
Glenda
I am finally getting to this post. Thank you to all who have organised these challenged and put hours of work into it. I am very appreciative of all your efforts.
Here is my post.
Encouraging Readers to my Blog
I had my third snow day in a row, so I had a little time on my hands. Here is my extension activity. Please visit my post Hotdish Blog. It’s a very tasty blog. I also added an assessment for students with all the things we learned.
-Mrs. Berry
I’ve been so inspired by this teacher challenge that I’ve decided to make February “Bettering your Blog” month for myself and my staff.
Here’s my latest
this, too</a
What a fabulous idea dspear! I’m so excited about blogging I can’t wait to share it with my colleagues. Thanks for sharing such a fab idea.
http://dramateachersnetwork.wordpress.com
I took this opportunity to reflect on the purpose of my blog and if indeed there is value, to me, of a large audience. My post is ‘My blog – teaching tool or voice to the world?’.
Thanks for the Challenge and thanks to everyone who left comments on the ‘Classroom Blog Board’.
I went in a different direction (surprise) and published a podcast-poem in dedication to the readers of my blog — a thank-you note to them for being on the journey with me.
http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2011/02/05/dear-reader-we-write-the-book-of-our-times/
Kevin
As a beginning blogger, I will be happy to first work on feeling comfortable using my blogs with my students via blogroll as a captive readership. Once I get the routine down, I plan to promote my blog by joining special interest blogs, joining Twitter, subscribing to and commenting on others’ blogs, adding my blog URL to my email signature and Facebook wall. That will keep me busy for a while.
Of course, with this type of Challenge we can really create a community, so I plan to sign up for the next one! Kudos to us all!
I can do this….Ellen
You can do this, Ellen and you have. Great to read this comment and your approaches to building readership. All the best and see you around the challenges or on twitter.
It has been a great challenge all the way through! Here is my latest post on readership:
http://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org/2011/02/05/dear-reader/
Joined Twitter! (@WCSLibrary007)
Here’s my post about blog promotion:
Readers Wanted: Building a Following For Your Blog (http://wcslibrary.edublogs.org/?s=readers+wanted&x=0&y=0)
That was fun. Since most blogs I’ve read from the comments discussed building readership, I thought perhaps building networks would be an interesting extension. Please add your recommendations. Thanks
Hi all! I really enjoyed participating in the challenge. Thank you to all the people that posted these challenges from edublogs! You all are an inspiration and doing great work educating us on blogging.
5 important lessons on blogging
–Jee Young
Hi everyone,
I can’t believe this is it. It feels like leaving new found friends. I support the suggestion that we keep using #ksyb to stay in touch.
I just published my last post, Why are you social networking? The power of a PLN
for the KSYB Challenge.
I used tweeting as an example of building and using a PLN (personal learning network) for PD.
Enjoy and leave a comment,
Shawn
Hey Shawn, I hope you are not leaving us, your old friends but this is indeed the start of continuing our networks, sharing and learning from each other. Great to have you as part of the challenge.
Hi Anne,
I am not leaving you. (Sniff. Gee, that sounds melodramatic.) However, I do not have a class and students since I am a substitute teacher. The next Teacher Challenge sounds great but I likely won’t be able to use it.
I will be lurking though and maybe I’ll do an actiivity or two. I will also use #ksyb to continue sharing the posts I make in my blogs and to retweet blogging advice in Twitter.
Additionally, I follow everyone’s blog in my RSS feed.
For those who are interested I am @stefras on Twitter.
Keep blogging,
Shawn
Hi again,
I would be interested in the PLN Challenge. Contact me on my professional blog when it is about to start.
Also, for the Student Blogging Challenge, refer to George Couros’s Creating a WordPress Portfolio. He set up a principal’s portfolio for himself and a student portfolio for each student in his school. This student portfolio is mobile and can follow the student throughout life wherever the student goes.
Thank you,
Shawn
I have learned so much in this challenge but I still have so many questions. I will be looking up many of the PLN blogs for inspiration. Thanks to Sue Wyatt, Sue Waters, Anne Mirtschin and my mentor Pam Thompson for fantastic organisation and support. I feel fairly confident now about setting up our school blog.
Here is my post on ‘Building Readership’
Why should I come back to your Blog?
Hi everyone…I’m promoting my blog here!
http://penbentley.global2.vic.edu.au/2011/02/09/activity-8-promote-that-blog/
This last post finishes the first Teacher Challenge. Thank you everyone for making it such a rewarding experience.
Cheers
Penny
5 to 10 ways to promote your blog: I run Google analytics and Webmaster tools on my blog. These are free services for Google users and the wealth of information they give is fantastic. My blog is visited by over 40 countries, I have an average of 2 pages per visit, 9 google reader subscribers, and a daily visit rate of 20 people. I know how and why people are coming to my blog. I can see what drove them there and what they are searching for. I try to create posts to reach those people and then post to attract new subscribers. I try to link and make comments on others blogs and youtube channels and I look for links back to my blog. Blogging is work and the work can be addicting and gratifying. Try using these tools and see what you can learn.
Mr Riley have you had time to write a post on this topic as analysing stats us really valuable. If you do write one, please let us know back here.
Uurrgghhhhh Im so behind not having the internet at home!
Finally a post for Challenge #8. Welcome to your own PR Revolution!
Hey Kirby, I am behind and it is not from not having internet at home, so you are doing well. What happened to your internet?
This post for some reason, was a long time in the making. However, I have finally published it. So you want a best selling blog!
I have taken a lot of time to try and make my blog more interesting and more creative. I’ve added new widgets and embedded very cool media.
Check it out!
Thanks for sharing these great ideas!