I hope that with school back on tomorrow, I’ll be able to get back to my normal schedule again. I miss it!

But, I guess it’s frustrating for folks who do those things and don’t know how to get people there to begin with.

And I don’t think there’s one magical way – well maybe there is for some people, but it didn’t happen for me. But over time, a few people will come, then a few more and if you keep writing stuff they want to read, those small amounts of people add up after a while.

There’s another issue that resonates with me. A post that there really isn’t much to it, and it’s apparent that it was merely an effort to get one more entry written in, regardless of the weak content.

Granted, such matters may be highly subjective and what I find weak may be a treasure to someone else. Fair enough.

But…

If indeed a blog author forced an entry off just to be more consistent with their posts, I find that there is no greater insult to the reader.

If the blog author posts something they feel iffy about (just to be more consistent), what does that say about how they view their audience?

Bamboo Forests last blog post..Why Having to Say Hello Twice can Be So Awkward

@ Writer Dad – Exactly. Better writing = stickier readers. They keep coming back.

@ Aneesa – My point here is that good writing doesn’t bring in traffic; it keeps readers once they get to your blog. Bartoneous’ basic advice is a great way to start getting traffic, but you’ve got to write well to keep your readers coming back.

@ Bartoneous – Heh. That’s what I do, my friend. Welcome to Writing Journey, by the way. Nice to see you made the jump across from the gaming blog over here!

@ Alex – I believe that, to a degree, those blogs you’re talking about are the exceptions that make the rule. Keep in mind, too, that popularity doesn’t necessarily mean loyal readers. If you take two blogs in the same niche with roughly the same traffic, the one that’s written well has more loyal readers, every time.

@ Rhodey – Way to give us some perspective. One question: do the dogs howl because it was Petco execs?

Part of my point here is that having readers is different from getting traffic. Loyal readers, in the long run, are much more valuable than traffic. Loyal readers believe in you, and are more likely to become customers. One loyal reader is worth a hundred one-time visitors.

The two – traffic and readers – aren’t mutually exclusive, of course. You have to have some degree of traffic to get readers. But turning traffic into readers is what good writing does for your blog.

This matters WAY more than good writing, but strive for it anyway.

RhodesTers last blog post..To the courageous..

I guess it depends on the audience you’re trying to develop and for what. For example, People Magazine has a much broader readership than the New Yorker, but the New Yorker has better writing.

A People Magazine style blog will probably get more hits and rise more quickly if the owner makes the right connections, but the New Yorker style blog will probably attract more loyal readers.

Neither is inherently better than the other – it all depends on what YOU as the blogger are aiming for.

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndromes last blog post..My Summer Someday List

Bob: Way to take something I said was hard advice to give and turn it into a post. I think you did pretty well with translating it into better than just “hey stupid, write better!” so good job!

Bartoneuss last blog post..Memorable Death/Moments in Comics…

Effective writing is the #1 means to increase readers but I don’t think it is the end-all-be-all. What else do you recommend to increase readers?

Aneesas last blog post..Breaking into Sports with the Mystics and Capitals

One or two posts in need of sprucing up I can overlook. Everyone has an off day after all, but after a certain point, you can bet I won’t return.