Here’s a lesson I learned when I started blogging: my blog is not an island and it is part of a much larger blogosphere. In order to be a better blogger, you need to be a good neighbor. Contributing to the community and engaging in conversations with other bloggers will not only enrich your blogging experience - it’ll give you ideas for content, help you meet like-minded people, build some amazing friendships, and give you exposure to build an audience, too. Here are the seven steps to begin networking within the fashion blogosphere.
1. Find five blogs to follow. The blogosphere is always expanding so don’t just follow the typical blogroll (Rumi, Susie, and Bryan Boy) and find blogs that resonate with you. Connect with bloggers in your neighborhood or new bloggers - mayhaps the girl who writes with a great sense of humor or the chick with a pair of Margiela boots that totally look like the ones in your closet. I recently put some effort into finding fashion and art blogs to follow, and I not only felt more a part of the WordPress community, but I ended up getting 30 new followers on my first day of blogging.
2. Follow five tags or topics that you care about in your reader. For example “personal style” is probably a tag you want to have saved in your Tumblr. Or maybe you have a deep connection to Haruki Murakami novels so you want to add him as a followed topic. Following tags and topics allows you to easily find and connect with fashion bloggers outside of your blogroll. Also, don’t forget to utilize tags in your own posts so that bloggers can find you, too. It’s how I met another Alexa Chung-loving blogger all the way in New Zealand.
3. Leave comments on five blog posts and keep in mind commenting etiquette. The “hey, follow me back” plug defeats the purpose of engaging in genuine conversation and tends to be followed by an empty comment like “Love!” - both which do little in relationship building. When writing your comments, be present and thoughtful. I’ve read lots of thoughtful comments on Chictopia and on my blog, and in response I’ve always checked out their blogs - for example, after blogger Melodic Thrifty Chic left me really thoughtful comments and messages, I discovered that she has a really cute, growing blog and I’ve become a follower since.
4. Respond to a blog post written by a blogger you follow. Do you have your own story to tell on the same topic? You can choose a blog post that you left a comment on or a post that struck a nerve with you. Write a response post on the shared topic. It’ll start a conversation within the blogging community. In your post, be sure to link back to the original post that you were inspired by.
5. Write a post that features some of your favorite blogs or blog posts. For example, Cocorosa does a “top 10 fashion blogger” recap every week that links to ten outfits seen in the blogosphere curated around a trend or a theme. This is also called a link-sharing post, and it not only shows your appreciation to bloggers that you follow, but it gives you ideas for blog content and your readers will get a better idea of who you are by what you share.
6. Participate on sites like Chictopia. I talked about joining a platform like Chictopia in The Ultimate Novice Blogger Checklist. I can’t stress the importance of putting yourself out there with like-minded individuals. Vote and comment on other bloggers’ outfit posts, or participate in a Forum (that is how Susie Bubble got her start in the online world) and you may be able to build friendships and an audience. It’s how I’ve built relationships with bloggers like Blair Badge, MyBelonging, and Q2Han to name a few.
7. Feature a blogroll in your sidebar. Similar to #5, having a blogroll of your favorite blogs is a great way to build relationships with bloggers you admire - and may lead to some returned link sharing down the road.
What are some of the ways you met your blogger friends? Tell us how you guys met in the comments! Or head on over to the Blogging Forum and tell us your tips for becoming a good neighbor in the fashion blogosphere.
