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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

So... now what?

Okay, so I've been writing reviews of books (and other stuff, but since this is a book review blog, we'll stick with that format) for a while now, about 3 years if I'm remembering correctly (which is always an iffy proposition at the best of times), but I've only been doing this blog for a little over two months.  So what do I do now?  I look at other reviewing blogs, blogs which are more popular, flashier, better written, and I have to ask, why exactly am I doing this?  I thought it was just to get my voice out there, but with so many other voices to compete with how do I distinguish myself?  I could do ARC giveaways, but with only one follower, that seems pointless.  I kept hoping I'd have some feedback by now on at least one of my reviews, but it's all crickets out there.  What can I do to make myself heard?  Do I want to be heard?  Being popular is a lot of work; even being slightly above mediocre takes effort.  I know I should be making more of an effort to link myself with social media and perhaps if I did I'd be more popular, but, frankly, I hate social media.  I ignore my Facebook account, I don't even have a Twitter account, and I just signed up on Pinterest, but I still have no idea what the hell Pinterest is about.  I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not very social.  So, in the end, perhaps it's good that my blog is ignored.  I'll just keep on posting my thoughts and opinions here and if people discover what I'm saying, that's fine.  If not, then I guess I can live with that, too.


That said, if anyone reading this has anything to say or any advice to offer, you're welcome to do so.  Feedback is always great. :)

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I'm a new follower...

    When I started I had very few followers and little feedback. Now I've gotten over a hundred followers, but I'm by no means popular.

    Social media is important as a way of getting the word about your blog out there. Since you're not much for Twitter and Facebook, you could always try groups on Goodreads, like the Making Connections group. They have threads within their groups where you can post some links to your blog, and ask for feedback, and that might help your blog to grow, too.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa,

      Thanks for your comment! I think I'm just too impatient for my own good, not to mention insecure. I realize that nobody is instantly popular or well-trafficked when they start out, but it's hard, as a newbie, not to desire some sort of "Yes, you're doing fine, keep doing what you're doing" or "No, you going at this all wrong, do it this way" feedback on my efforts.

      I know I'm shooting myself in the foot with my reluctance to use social media, but my opinion is, if I dislike using those sites but use them anyway, eventually my dislike and my disdain for them will bleed through and influence my posts, which wouldn't serve me well at all. Not to mention the very idea of keeping up with the myriad outlets exhausts me; I have very little energy as it is. However, I didn't know that about Goodreads. That's where I started my reviewing career and I had thought about searching through the groups for one (or more) focused on blogs and blog promotions, but that's as far as I'd gotten. I appreciate the info, it's very helpful. :)

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