Comments on: 5 Advantages Small-Time Bloggers Get…& Lose

By: alanc230

alanc230 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:14:26 +0000

This is good advice, and relevant to those who are frustrated with the slow growth of a blog. I guess the thing to do is keep moving forward, and not give up.

By: Jill Tooley

Jill Tooley — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:32:40 +0000

Since I’m a small-time blogger, I can attest to the benefits of these points, especially the first and second! We don’t have tons of outside commenters (yet!), but the ones we do have regularly pop by to offer feedback. I truly feel as if I’ve gotten to know them because of that! Would I get to do that if I were a big-time blogger? Maybe, but it would be a lot harder.

I’ve never considered the benefits of your last point…I guess it’s weird to think that a bigger blogger would envy someone like me! However, the way you put it, it makes perfect sense. I can’t even imagine the volume of distractions that comes along with being popular. But you guys and gals do it SO WELL, I must say. :)

By: Vicky Morgan

Vicky Morgan — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:22:11 +0000

I definitely agree with this! Being a small time blogger doesn’t mean you are already left behind by those huge businesses on the internet. In fact, you get all the advantages that big companies usually miss- the quality of the people you attract, and the trust you cultivate as you get to know your commenters well.

By: Sandra Pawula

Sandra Pawula — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:20:55 +0000

There is so much to appreciate about being a “small” blogger and the simple humanness that can come with it. In fact, I may never want to grow big!

BTW, I tried tweeting this using the twitter share button at the end of the post, but there wasn’t a link in the tweet.

By: Wasim Ismail

Wasim Ismail — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:19:27 +0000

Great reminders,
Working with a small community is great for bloggers to get to know your audience, and engage with them. Also if you make mistakes, its easily forgiven compared to when you have thousands of followers.
Just like Nick Said above, if you continue to give them good content over time you will naturally grow, and most importantly, you as a person would have also grown, and will be make knowledgeable on how to handle certain situations and responsibilities that come with larger communities.

By: Matt Beswick

Matt Beswick — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:54:37 +0000

Completely agree – it’s all about engagement, which is much easier to analyse and drive when you’re small time. As you grow engagement is just as important but it gets far harder to please a broad spectrum of people…

By: Nick Stamoulis

Nick Stamoulis — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:05:58 +0000

There are pros and cons to operating small and large blogs. This is a great reminder that it’s OK to start small. Starting small the right way- communicating with visitors, getting to know them, and creating content just for them- will allow you to grow over time.

By: Tea Silvestre

Tea Silvestre — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:16:49 +0000

Yes! Get to know your audience! Spending quality time with them is something you must do if you want to better understand their needs and provide them with more content that meets those needs. The relationships you make stronger will be your foundation for later success. (<–she says like she's already there)
My audience is relatively small (compared to a Brogan or an Erika), but others might look at my numbers with envy. I find that when I focus on conversations with the commenters, newsletter readers, etc., we all have more fun, and then the convos spread naturally out to the interwebz.

By: Anthony Pensabene

Anthony Pensabene — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:12:18 +0000

Good points here, Lisa, thanks. I especially like “Have coffee with your community now to help serve them better in the future.” In many ways, your community can help shape your direction and remind you of your strong and weak points.

Also, as Jon Cooper put it in his post on the topic, they’re your ‘brand evangelists’; paying them attention and kindness has intrinsic and extrinsic value.

Jon’s post: http://pointblankseo.com/brand-evangelists

By: Susan Silver

Susan Silver — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:46:11 +0000

I continue to believe that small time bloggers are undervalued. I have something like 70 subscribers now, but only 15 regular commenters. Still, I know them very well and they support me even as I am getting more well known. They will probably still be there if I find the level of success of anyone with some notoriety. You can’t pay for that level of engagement or support.