I'd Rather Be Writing » followers http://idratherbewriting.com The Latest Trends in Technical Communication Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:59:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 My STC Live Webinar on Blogging This Wednesday at 1pm http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/07/28/join-me-in-my-stc-live-webinar-on-blogging-this-wednesday-at-1pm/ http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/07/28/join-me-in-my-stc-live-webinar-on-blogging-this-wednesday-at-1pm/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:21:25 +0000 Tom Johnson http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=4187 more »]]> I’m giving an STC webinar on blogging this Wednesday, July 29, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET. Here’s the title and description:

Converting Readers from Casual Subscribers to Devoted Followers: Best Practices for Blogging

Although many people feel blogging is an activity with no best practices or rules—you publish what you want, when you want, and how you want—these same bloggers usually crave readership, comments, and visibility. They want to have successful blogs that connect with a wide audience in an influential way. Making your blog influential, however, with readers who are more than just casual subscribers but who are actual devoted followers, requires you to give consideration to some best practices for blogging. Beyond search engine optimization, readability, and format, these best practices include crafting posts with story, revealing appropriately, and connecting with users through an engaging voice.

You can register for the webinar here. Cost is $79.

Webinars differ from podcasts in interactivity. With podcasts, you listen for the length of the show and then submit any questions through e-mail or comments. But with webinars, you can ask questions at any time and receive immediate answers.

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]]> http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/07/28/join-me-in-my-stc-live-webinar-on-blogging-this-wednesday-at-1pm/feed/ 1 Converting Readers from Casual Subscribers to Devoted Followers http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/05/21/converting-readers-from-casual-subscribers-to-devoted-followers/ http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/05/21/converting-readers-from-casual-subscribers-to-devoted-followers/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 04:36:58 +0000 Tom Johnson http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=3570 more »]]> Download MP3 (to download, right-click and select Save Target As)
Length: 14 min.

At the STC Summit, I ran into someone from Australia who follows my wife’s blog fairly regularly and had even brought gifts for her and the kids. It made me reflect on blog subscribers, and how you convert readers from being occasional readers to devoted fans.

In this podcast, Kirsty Taylor talks about what she finds appealing about Seagull Fountain (my wife’s blog) and other blogs she follows. Kirsty explains that, for her, blogs become powerful when they speak to her heart, make her reflect, and reveal authentically from the blogger’s life in an appropriate way. We also talk about transparency, authenticity, the use of pseudonyms, the portrayal of reality, and the importance of making personal connections.

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