I have had my Pink Internet Marketing blog on BlogCatalog since March 28, 2007. Since then, I have been finding blogs and have been found using this blog directory/blogging community site.
I think the most important rule of thumb I want to mention is this: If you want someone to favourite your site or join your community or visit your blog, you must make the initiative. I have on several occasions had people leave Shouts on my page telling me to do something that they have not done for me. But, if someone adds me as a friend or joins my community, I most certainly reciprocate, and many people on BlogCatalog do the same. In fact, if asked to do those things in Shout, I am even less apt to do so. And in many cases, I notice they have not even bothered to visit my blog at all, which brings me to point #2.
If you want to increase the number of people visiting your site, you must make the rounds. If they have the BlogCatalog widget, they will see your “avatar” or picture and may be intrigued to see who is stopping by, and might visit your site. Getting them to come back is a whole other story.
Pretty much all the features of social networking on BlogCatalog work on a tit-for-tat basis.
This small guide to interacting with other bloggers here can apply to all social networking sites and for blogging in general. You have to take the initiative, and people will probably reciprocate. If you want comments, comment first. If you want links, link out to other sites. If you want people to stop by your blog, you must visit their blog. It might not happen, but it will never happen if you don’t make an effort to participate, at least at first. I am sure Matt Cutts’ blog would get links even if Matt never visited another blog again, but I am sure he still does, because that is what blogging is about. You do blog in a neighborhood, and you won’t be invited to the block party if you spend every day in your house.
Popularity: unranked [?]
