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4.17.2012

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Tips for OLD Book Bloggers:
Originally it was tips for New book bloggers, but I am a new blogger so I decided to switch it up a little because can’t we all learn from each other?

7. Blog for Readers as well as other Bloggers
I was once just a reader. I did not blog or know book blog lingos and terms (ARC, Link-up, widget, Galleys) and that can be terribly confusing for someone whose just passing through. Just because they aren’t blogging as well doesn’t mean they don’t want to know what you’re saying! 
6. Keep Your Blog Tidy
Once you’ve been around a while, I can see how buttons and other add-ons can really add up, but visiting a messy site can be overwhelming and it makes navigation a real pain. I can say personally, if I can’t find a way to follow a blog in the first few scrolls, even if I really like them, I give up. 
5. Be Accessible
Always be accessible to your followers. By saying be accessible, I mean that you may want to have several ways for people to get in contact with you. Don’t just have an email for publishers or authors to get in touch with you, make sure you let your readers/fellow bloggers know they too can talk to you too. 
4. Be Welcoming
Just like that old song goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.” Be welcoming to the new bloggers coming in. Chances are you may have been one of the blogs that made them decide to create a blog of their own! For me, book bloggers who have been around a while are like Rock Gods! I look up to so many amazing bloggers and to be welcomed by them would have kept me smiling for days.

3. Comments are Nice
As a new blogger, I have read lots of tips to help me figure out what to do and on about 90% of the older blogs that have tips they say to comment often. I think that is a great tip for new bloggers, but also it is something that older bloggers need to remember too. I comment all the time! If I visit a site, I try to comment, whether it’s a new or old blog, it doesn’t matter. I would say on my blog that most of the comments I get are from new bloggers. That’s not to say that I don’t get very nice comments from older bloggers too, but most of my regular commenters are new bloggers. So, don’t forget to comment on other blogs, as well as visiting the new blogs in the community. Like I said before, we think you are like a Rock God and it would totally make our day to hear from you.
2. Don’t be too Serious
You’re an established book blogger; that’s great! Don’t be so serious about it! I’ve never seen it but I know there is drama out there in the book blogging world and all I can think when I hear of it is, I bet this is because they take it too seriously. Remember the reason you started blogging (which hopefully was for fun) and always keep that in mind no matter where your blog takes you.
1.SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
I can’t stress this enough. If you have been around for over two years, you have probably gained some knowledge about how this works. You should take some time on your blog to share the knowledge. I don’t mean just tips like what today’s Top Ten Tuesday is about, I mean posts explaining how to do things, for example: how to use twitter, how to host a giveaway, how to get ARC’s, etc. There are so many things that people just really don’t understand because they are new and it’s hard to feel your way around this sort of thing some time. 

Sorry I didn’t have Ten Tips! I guess that’s just because you guys do what you do so well. I hope that we all learned a little something from this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, but most important of all, I hope that we remember THERE ARE NO RULES TO BLOGGING! So be yourself and have fun! 
Feel free to leave your links and share your tips with me. I’d love to hear your thoughts.


13 comments:

  1. Awesome tips, Darlene! When I first started off, the whole book-blogging lingo had my mouth open the whole time. I had no idea what half the terms meant!

    Great post :)

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  2. I agree about keeping your blog tidy. My blog may be TOO simplistic but I don't like clutter so I'd rather have it that way!

    I agree with all of your points though, and sharing your knowledge is important to me too. Being a newbie blogger myself, I love being able to bookmark those sites/posts and come back to them at a later time if needed.

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    1. Megan, your blog is not too simplistic! It is clean. I love clean!!

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  3. What a brilliant post! :D Love your tips. Yes, we sure need to keep the blog tidy, accessible and simple enough for everyone... How about reciprocating? Like if we have someone who's taking the time out to comment on our blogs, we should at least let them know we've read it and appreciate it? That's for someone who isn't very very busy. Though many don't care or expect much, but it's always nice to know the other person's acknowledging you. You agree on this?

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  4. Great tip about sharing the knowledge. I love trying to help people! I'm always super excited if I can figure out how to do something. I always want to pass that along.

    Alison at The Cheap Reader

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  5. Great tips. I am a new blogger to. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your blog.

    Ellen @ Always YA at Heart

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  6. I love your twist on the question, Darlene! And I especially like your tip about blogging for readers- it took me ages to figure out what an ARC was or what DNF meant when I was just a lurker. Then again, I am guilty of using jargon on my own newbie blog, so I guess this is good advice for all of us!

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  7. I love how you switched it up and I totally agree with you since I consider myself a newbie too (6 months). And the commenting advice for more established bloggers is on point!

    Tanya
    Girlxoxo.com

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  8. brilliant! and totally true. also, i agree about keeping your blog tidy. sometimes it can get overwhelming. and be welcoming. all of it, basically. Great list! ~dixie

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  9. I LOVE your take on Tips for Old Bloggers! This is just what I needed.

    I've been book blogging for just over 3.5 yrs and sometimes we forget this stuff. I think I'm doing pretty well, but I'm not sharing my knowledge. I don't think anybody wants to know! If I'm asked though, I'll be sure to help out! Maybe I should do a few posts? We'll see what I can drum up.

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  10. I love the idea for tips to old bloggers! I am a newbie and I completely agree with your tips. Especially about sharing their knowledge. I would love to learn more from some of the better established book bloggers out there.

    Melissa @ Reading It All

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  11. Thanks for commenting on my TTT :)

    Great list! Love the idea of giving tips to older bloggers! Number 7 is something I think bloggers (including me) definitely need to work on!

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  12. Oh, Darlene, it doesn't matter that you don't have ten. Quality, not quantity. These are SUCH good tips, all of them SO important. When i first started blogging I had NO idea what a 'meme' was, linkys, or anything. I LOVE other bloggers, but I love READERS, as well!

    It is SO true about commenting, and commenting often. It's THE best way to meet other bloggers, and one of the single best ways to drive traffic back to your own blog. I sometimes struggle with it... I used to reply back to EVERY comment I received, and while I find I literally CAN'T now (if I do, it means I don't read, or I don't write a review, or I don't actually READ other blogs and comment then!), but I always try... and well, ultimately, I love books. I love talking about them, and I love reading other people's reviews, so it's not exactly a chore ;D

    Oh, seriously, these are FABULOUS tips--thank you so much for sharing! xx

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