Wordcamp, Lorelle, And Conversational Blogging

Today I attended Wordcamp Israel 2007. Lectures and panels covered topics such as WordPress installation, blogging for business, and more. Lorelle Van Fossen who was the keynote speaker, gave a very interesting lecture regarding “Content Connections: the social aspect of blogging, comments, networking, linking, and how to start and continue the conversation on your blog.” 

For those of you who don’t know, Lorelle is one of the leading bloggers on the topic of WordPress. Her blog Lorelle on WordPress is a very useful source of information for WordPress users. Lorelle also contributes to The Blog Herald on a regular basis. 

Lorelle spoke about the importance of building relevant content on your blog that is worth linking to. She spoke about blogging as a form of conversation with your readers. She emphasized the fact that in order to be a good blogger, you need to be an authentic one. Blogging anonymously is not a sign of authenticity because when you don’t write your name on your blog it shows that you are not willing to take responsibility for your words. 

Lorelle discussed the significance of creating an identity that establishes you as a responsible expert in your domain. This is why the information you place on your about page is so crucial. If someone finds interest in your blog, the next thing he wonders is ”who is this person?” And then the next place he visits is your about page. 

Lorelle pointed out that a good blogger turns his posts into conversations with his readers. She said: “Start the idea but don’t finish it. Let your readers complete it. Make space for people to comment. Let your readers fill in the conversation.” For Lorelle, consistent readership is more important than traffic. Consistent readers become your friends and finish your ideas.

During her lecture, Lorelle also busted two myths. She said:

1) You don’t need to respond to every single comment you get, but you do need to make your readers feel like you’re paying attention to their comments and genuinely care.

2) You don’t need to blog every day. Don’t let a blog consume you. Blog according to your own schedule.

Lorelle gives another last tip: Create a consistent schedule for your blog. For example, every Wednesday, post your favorite video of the week. People will remember this fact and know to come back every Wednesday.

I thought Lorelle gave some very interesting blogging tips to all of us. However I disagree with some of the points. I myself do think that blogging as frequently as possible is important (even though I admit I haven’t been blogging as often as I’d like to in the last few weeks due to time constraints). I also try hard to respond to every comment I get. However, I do believe that Lorelle is right about not letting your blog consume you. You should blog as many times as you feel comfortable with and only as much as you can handle. Do not blog forcefully because 1) it will show in your work. Whether you are passionate about a topic or not definitely shows in your writing  2) once you turn blogging into a “task” you HAVE TO do every day (even if your schedule doesn’t allow for it), you will no longer enjoy it, and will most probably give it up at some point.

I also believe that the whole idea of turning your posts into conversations with your readers is a crucial one because the whole point of Web 2.0 and blogging is to engage in conversation with others who enjoy similar interests or topics of discussion, as you. If you’ve made your readers think and you’ve allowed them to finish your sentences, you’re one step closer to mastering the art of conversational blogging.

 

Thanks to Niv Calderon for the pic.