Are You Listening to Your Blog?
/"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19 Having the ability to listen is a characteristic everyone should have as shown in James 1:19. Not only do we need to be able to listen to what God is telling us, but we need to be able to listen to what others are telling us also. Listening does not occur naturally but is a result of a conscious choice. You may hear what is being said but do you listen to what is being said?
Do you listen to what being said on your blog? I know this might sound like a stupid question. Of course bloggers read the comments left on their blogs but do you take the time to really listen and connect with that person? Listening and connecting builds community.
So how can you listen to your blog? Here are some ideas:
- Respond to comments. Either by email or on your post, respond to the reader. Let them know that you are indeed listening to what your readers have to say.
- Make yourself available to answer to questions any reader may have whether it be by a contact form, email, Twitter, or Skype.
- Find out what your readers want and need and then provide it. If you readers are asking for a series of blog posts on certain subject, pray about it, and if you feel God is leading you to write it, write it.
- Pay attention to your stats. Just because a post doesn’t get a lot of comments doesn’t mean it wasn’t popular or enjoyed by your readers. Check your stats and see how the numbers compare with other posts that get a lot more comments.
By showing your readers that you are actually listening to them, they will become loyal readers and you will eventually begin to build a great community. Of course this is something I still need to work on I am adding it to my blogging prayer list.
