The blogging world can be overwhelming, we all know that. Between trying to return comments, visiting new blogs, participating in blog communities, reaching out to people through twitter and facebook let alone making time to come up with fresh new topics, it can often take the fun out of something that we all enjoy doing.
After thinking how I could stay a bit more focused and not feel like I am stretched too thin I decided to reevaluate the communities I belong to.
Blogging communities are a wonderful resource for a few reasons:
- Building relationships – often times I have felt like I was out there in the blogsphere all by myself. I enjoy meeting new people, engaging in conversations and developing friendships with other women that have the same interests as me. Most communities have some type of communication device in place such as forums, twitter lists, facebook page or a blog that allows you to engage with others.
- Attract new readers – I have found some really awesome blogs through the communities I belong to. It is a great way to get your name out there for people to find you. I noticed that a lot of my readers come from a response that I have posted on the community blog.
- Wealth of Information – Most of the communities I have joined are ones that have provided me with useful information and tools to help me become a better writer and blogger. I love visiting their site each day to see what topic they will be discussing.
- Support – There were many times where I had a question and didn’t know where to turn. Communities are a great way to reach out to the other members for help and guidance. I have done this numerous times and was floored by the response I received. Blogging is not about being competitive with others but about feeling like you are apart of something greater and being supportive to those in your community.
In order to get the most out of the communities you belong to pick a few to join and be active, very active.
That means visit daily, comment on the articles, support other members by stopping by their blogs and even submit articles of your own to be used as a guest contributor.
Here are the few communities that I am apart of and why I choose to become a member:
1. Secret is in the Sauce {aka SITS} – It is a group of women bloggers that support one another through comments! The idea is to check in daily which helps get your name out there and for others to learn about your blog. I have gained a lot of readers from SITS!
But they are so much more than just giving comments. Every day SITS highlights a new blog/member which gives that blogger so much exposure {and comments}. Every Saturday I am excited to check in because they give helpful blogging tips and resources.
Also, they host a series of educational blogging and social media conferences. The idea is a more convenient, lower cost, more co-operative experience. These day events are for brand new bloggers to experience bloggers – everyone learns something new. I recently went to one and I can tell you it has changed my entire blogging experience.
2. Lady Blogger Society - It was formed to give women bloggers {from mom bloggers, fashion bloggers to fitness bloggers} a place to connect, grow and learn.
What I love about this community? The wealth of information! Some of the topics include writing and blogging tips, networking opportunities, blog conference information and featured blogs twice a week. Every day I learn something new through the Lady Blogger Society and I really enjoy reading the articles.
3. Philly Social Media Moms – LOVE this group of women! We are a Philadelphia area blog network for moms. We have over 50 members who range from stay at home moms to full time working parents. Our blogs cover topics from parenting to coupons, fashion to nutrition and have national and local audiences.
I have learned so much through being a member of this group. Whenever I have a question I just post it on our forum and the support is amazing! The members share inside scoop on local blogging events and networking opportunities. The best part is the women are local so it is nice to be able to meet them in person and develop friendships outside of being a “blogger”.
4. Theta Mom Community {TMC} – a space that encourages social networking and fosters the support of bloggers through a community all its own. This is a wonderful, VERY supportive community that gives you a chance to meet other bloggers that have the same interest as you. TMC Network is another space dedicated for bloggers to continue the dialogue, ask questions, make suggestions, share links and of course, network.
Heather does an amazing job showing first hand how to support her members by visiting and commenting on their blogs. I have followed her from the beginning and it is wonderful to see how much she has grown in nearly a year. She is very inspirational to me and has shown me what “real community” is all about!
Now its your turn. I would love to know what communities you belong to and the reasons that you choose to join them.
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I just joined Mom Bloggers Club (http://www.mombloggersclub.com/) and it seems really promising. I’m just jumping into the world of blogging for my small business and you are right, it is really overwhelming at first! Thanks for posting this great resource.
Yes that is another great one! Thank you for sharing and stopping by!
oh this is good! thanks for the info and encouragement.
sometimes i wonder if we bloggers are just all here for each other and that we aren’t reaching anybody that doesn’t have a blog of their own.
what i am trying to do is figure out how to convert my non-blogging IRL friends into “i am in love with angie’s blog because it has changed my life” friends.
but what i get is “what’s a blog?” and “why do you do it, again?” and “huh?”
so maybe i’ll stick to building relationships in blogging communities like you said…
angie
.-= seriouslyahomemaker´s last blog ..Clean enough to be Healthy, Dirty enough to be Happy =-.
Haha none of my friends “get it” and I had no one to talk to about blogging. Finally a few just started to get into blogging which I am loving but I found real support and made some awesome new friends from the communities I belong to!
I included my blog address the last two years on my christmas cards- gets the link out there without the pressure or confusion. Now my great aunts check my blog- of course, they haven’t learned to comment. But they let me know they are reading.
.-= mrs. parker´s last blog ..everything old is new again =-.
I have also joined mom bloggers club and http://www.twittermoms.com
I like them both but I think twittermoms may have more members and a bit more active.
I have joined all that you mentioned above. I agree it is important to stay active. However it can take up A LOT of time so it is equally important to manage your time wisely when getting on the forums/groups.
great article!!
.-= This Mama Works It!´s last blog ..Who Is The Mama Behind The Blog? It Is Reveal Day! =-.
Yes I totally agree. I joined way too many and decided to cut it back so that I could be more active in the ones that I was a member. There is no reason to join a community/network if you aren’t going to be active and get the most out of it. So my advice is only join a few and stay active! Thanks for coming by!
I have joined several blog communities…theta, sits, and mom bloggers club but I haven’t found time to sit down and figure out what they have to offer. This post gave me a good idea what they could do for me. Might have to make more time…but finding time to live life to the fullest, and then blog and keep up with the blogs I love and follow (like yours) takes up a lot of time.
.-= Sarah @ For the Love of Naps´s last blog ..Friday Emotions =-.
I totally agree it is so overwhelming! I found it helpful to gain more readers and connect with others that share the same interests as me. Not to mention some of them offer awesome blogging tips but yes it is time consuming. So do what you can! Thanks for coming by!!
I found mentioning things on twitter helps me connect- so many people use twitter now to find people interested in the same subjects as them (ie, home decorating or homeschooling) – using the two hand in hand has been successful for me.
.-= gina´s last blog ..everything old is new again =-.
Yes I totally agree! Twitter is the perfect way to connect with others. I found some interesting reads and blogs through twitter….thanks for sharing!
I have to agree…..I actually only belonged to one until recently when I started my own community network for my Mommies Faves Blog and Topsites. We’re just getting started, but I would love to have more wonderful, dedicated, inciteful women bloggers join us. Would love for you to come check it out and possibly join if you like what you see.
http://network.mommiesfaves.com
I also belong to the Mom Bloggers Club and have met and found some really wonderful moms there with great blogs that I try to visit often.
Tree (aka Mother of Pearl)
http://www.mommiesfaves.com
http://www.motherofpearlitis.com
.-= Tree´s last blog ..Lisa Morris replied to Lisa Morris’s discussion ‘How did you find out you are Gluten Intolerant or have Celiac Disease?’ in the group Eating Healthy and Gluten-Free =-.
You are so right! It’s so easy to be pulled too then. I always find myself getting so upset over not responding to comments or finding the time to stop by a blog because someone stopped by mine.
I try not to let it get to me, but it’s hard not to!
Thanks for the little tidbits of advice – I think they’re great!
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..I’m sorry. Did I say something else? =-.
I know I bet myself up too about making sure I comment back. Its hard but everyone is in the same boat and hopefully they understand.
You’re so right! Everyone is in the same boat, and I think we should all try to remember that.
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..And I thought it was just the customer service I had to worry about. =-.
Girl, I totally heart you for linking back and showing some love for TMC!
Since the launch (which will officially be one month tomorrow) we are over 250+ blogs strong, and I am still in awe of this. Why? Because it shows that as bloggers, we all want the same thing – to connect. TMC and the Network is a space to do just that – connect. It’s sort of like you will get out of it what you put into it. If you visit the FB and find some blogs that you relate to by the listings, you will certainly grow your readership.
When I started my blog, I began with MBC and Twittermoms, which I thought was a great place to start out – they both have so much to offer. But now that I am establishing myself in the blogging community, I have found that these “bigger” platforms are somehwat harder to really search out those blogs that you want to connect with. Which is why I came up with the “listing” at TMC, where you will know instantly the kind of blogs you would like to network with.
At the end of the day, all of this takes so much time and you have to strike a balance and stay connected in the communities that you receive the most benefit from – and of course, for me it’s TMC.
Thanks for the providing everyone with more information about the community you started. Like you I also started with MBC – another wonderful and supportive community for mom bloggers. I think Jennifer James is brilliant and the information and support she provides is awesome. I wanted to find a few communities that were smaller in scale because I felt for me it was easier to connect with others. Thank you again for starting TMC!
Wonderful post! Once i found these communities a month or so ago I was surprised with not only how many people follow back from those sites, but also the wonderful blogs I was finding from them as well!
.-= Devan @ Accustomed Chaos´s last blog ..I Never Thought I’d Crave This =-.
Thanks for coming by….yes some of the communities/networks are so supportive I LOVE it! Great way to connect and meet new people!
Thanks for sharing all of those insightful tips! I very much enjoy reading mommy bloggers (and maybe living vicariously through them as we don’t have kids yet!) and wondered if anyone out there knew of any teaching-specific communities out there? I’m definitely planning on checking out some of the communities you linked to once I get off work
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Here comes Peter Cottontail =-.
I am not sure off the top of my head but I you can probably find a few through the communities I listed above you.
Great post! Sometimes I do feel all alone out in the bloggy world. It is so nice to be reminded of all the great support out there. Thanks lady!
.-= Magically Ordinary´s last blog ..The Tale of a Rogue Garbage Disposal =-.
I am a member of a few BlogFrog communities.
.-= JDaniel4′s Mom´s last blog ..Muffin Tin Muffin- Blue and Purple Foods =-.
These blogging communities are fantastic! I’m especially fond of SITS and TMC!…
.-= Lesley´s last blog ..Flexability….What’s That? =-.
I just joined SITS this afternoon, as well as TMC. I also joined Lady Blogger’s Society a couple months ago. I’m looking forward to meeting and making new friends through this adventure we all seem to love. I’m still kinda new to this blogging gig, but I’m learning and having a ton o’ fun as I go! Thanks for the info!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Hands =-.
What a great post!! I am part of mostly the same communities as you are. I didn’t realize you were in the Philly area! My entire family is still in the Lehigh Valley, where I grew up. Are you going to be at the Bloggy Bootcamp in September? I’m hoping to make it!
Great information in this post too, I completely agree.
.-= Ashley @ Just Another Mom of 2´s last blog ..The One Where I Graduate =-.
This is an AWESOME post! I have been slowly growing my following base, but I still feel like I am out in the middle of the big blog ocean, drifting. I’ve only found blogs (like yours!) through other sites that I like to visit, but never thought about joining a community. Well, that is not entirely true…I knew about Blogher, but that seemed way too big and overwhelming for this new blogger. I will check out the few that you mentioned to see what fits! Thanks so much!!
From your newest fan!
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Mother’s Day Giveaway! =-.