Bloggers are more likely to be successful when they reach out and connect with other bloggers.
You need more than just audience. You need people who will visit your blog and are willing to share your content with others.
There is power in numbers – connecting with other bloggers could transform your one tweet into hundreds. It expands your reach and brings more eyes back to your content.
Obviously, there are tons of benefits for wanting to reach out to other bloggers, but it shouldn’t be approached with selfish motives.
The goal should be to build mutually beneficial relationships with like-minded people. That means that you need to be more willing to give than just receive. You need to be willing to help with no expectations.
Help can be a marketing tool within itself – the more you help people, the more they’ll be willing to help you.
But where do you go to connect with bloggers? It can be overwhelming to try to search out the right bloggers to follow. Simply conducting a search on Google probably won’t bring you to the best people to connect with. Twitter might bring you a stream of people who are only trying to promote their stuff. Facebook might bring you people who only interact with your content on Facebook – it’s a challenge to find a place where you can feel valued by people who have similar goals.
Four years ago, when I started blogging, I found Blog Engage to be the best place to connect with bloggers who had similar interests. I’m still friends with a lot of those people to this day.
Four years is a long time in blog years. I’ve seen many sites and social networks come and go (remember MySpace? It’s the New Myspace, now… ), but only the great ones are still at the tops of bloggers minds.
BlogEngage is one of those great sites that has survived the test of time. After all this time, Blogengage is still one of my favorite sites to browse and connect with other bloggers.
Since I’ve been teaching college courses, I haven’t had as much time for networking as I used to, but whenever I do get a free moment, I know that if I can just get over to BlogEngage, I know I’ll find something noteworthy to read and share.
Since the redesign, I’ll admit that at first, I was resistant. It didn’t seem like the same site – the colors were completely different. But I soon realized that the site was faster and easier to navigate.
Now it’s even easier to connect with bloggers who share the same interests and care about the things you care about. If you’ve never used BlogEngage, I encourage you to get over there and set up an account right away.
If you’re looking to expand your network, here’s how to use Blog Engage to connect with bloggers in your niche:
1. Connect with Top Users
For as long as I can remember, BlogEngage has always promoted its top members – this makes it super easy for new members to find the most active members right away. The Top 12 Super Users are not just active on BE, but they are virtually everywhere! They are all around the blogosphere connecting and leaving their mark. These are people that have lots of influence in social media in general. Obviously, you should go beyond the top 12 – connect with as many people as possible!
2. Vote
The more you vote on the content of other members, the more likely they will do the same for you. When you vote on a story, the blogger who wrote it can see all of members who voted. Whenever I see someone has voted on my story, I like to thank them by returning the favor or doing something else nice for them, like tweeting the story or sharing it on Facebook.
Why else do you want members to vote on your content? After a certain number of votes, your content gets published to the homepage where even more people will see it. It’s also at that point that you’ll gain a new link back to your content. This can also increase your traffic and the exposure your site gets, bringing even more opportunities to connect with other bloggers.
3. Chat
The Chat feature has been around for a while, but it’s of my favorites. It’s great to be able to chat with friends in real time while you’re right there without having to leave the site. Whenever you log in to the site, take a few moments to click the “Who’s online” link in the lower right-hand corner of the site. Start by saying hello and get to know your fellow Blog Engagers. You never know who you might connect with and what opportunities it may lead to!
4. Join Groups
It’s now even easier to find a group of like-minded bloggers to connect with – just browse the Groups link. A great way to build your network is to join as many groups as you can effectively interact within. As group members, you can help promote each others content across your shared social networks. If can’t find a group you like, you can create a new one!
5. Sign for RSS Services
The RSS service is a great way to connect with talented bloggers, promote your content, build links – on autopilot. It’s perfect for me because I don’t always have time to manually submit my content. It does the work for me and is definitely worth the investment. Brian has definitely beefed up the value – even the standard account gets 1500 Just Retweet credits. The Direct to Front Page account basically does your blog marketing for you. Connect with bloggers and promote while you sleep!
There’s also an affiliate program. I joined through Affiliate Lights and earn recurring commissions every month. The payment threshold is only $25, so it doesn’t take long to get paid! I’ve made quite a few sales and have earned about $130 in commissions and continue to bring in more. People recognize Blog Engage as a great marketing tool – one that a blogger who wants to achieve success can’t do without.
6. Guest Blog
Blog Engage also has a blog that accepts posts from guest authors. Write a high quality blog post and share it with the community. Link back to a relevant article on your site to draw people to your blog and be sure to connect with the bloggers who vote, comment on or share your post. Return the favor by visiting their blogs and share their content. You’ll have a loyal fanbase in no time!
Other Great Features:
In addition to connecting with other bloggers, the following features make the site super fun!
Amazing Contests and Giveaways
I can truly say that BE keeps its members on its toes. If you can’t find a worthwhile contest to enter anywhere else, you’ll definitely find one here. Last year, there were monthly contests where bloggers took home $500 and other prizes – the year ended with a whopping $1000 prize for the Best Guest Blogger of 2012 award. In addition to cash, you can win WordPress themes, featured spots and free accounts. There’s always something going on.
Rewards
I didn’t realize it until recently that Blog Engage is now integrated with Punchtab and has a new reward system. You can earn reward points just for logging in or tweeting a link. You can earn rewards that include a free WordPress theme, Platinum Membership for a month, cash and more! I guess this replaces what used to be called the Karma score – now you can cash them in and get stuff! Nice!
These are just a few of the many great things that are happening around BlogEngage. You’ll have to stop by and join to see for yourself if you haven’t already. I’ve connected with some of the most helpful and kind bloggers in the blogosphere – and Brian is no exception – he’s always willing to help and is one of the hardest working people I know. I don’t know when he ever sleeps!
About Kiesha Easley
Twitter: vagish
says:
Guest blogging and engaging with other bloggers is great. It is nice to see that you are making some sort of income out of it too!
Vagish recently posted..Arcade Machine with a Touch – Apex Touch
Thanks Kiesha. Like many who have commented, I am a new blogger as well and found this super helpful. Blog Engage is on my list of sites to look into.
Hi Kiesh,
Lovely Article, and helpful for me if someone want to meet favourate blogger than how could to meet hime.
As we can know about the Networking , network is one the best plateform to meet your bloggers. in my opinion Facebook is the best network for me, even you can live chat with anyone. and as you have told me about the meet the bloggers really its also good and sure i will try and see it. but i must say thanks to you which you have helped me. so that i can meet with my favourate bloggers. Thanks.
Very good information about blog engage, I am going to try it out, Its simply finding liking minded people and helping each other via give,take and share method
DigitalinfoLab recently posted..What is LTE, Long term evolution, A 3gpp standard also referred as 4g
Twitter: StreamingChurc1
says:
Hi Kiesha,
Great article and replies…I am encouraging my family members who are very passionate about certain subjects to start blogging about their passions. I will be using you as an example to encourage them to start blogging. Thanks for all the pointers!
Thanks for the article.
Twitter: prabhatrayal
says:
i haev used blogengage and liked it. brian is a nice person and he is giving a platform to others. i use it more often and i find it quite helpful also there is an affiliate program which helps bloggers earn money
prabhat recently posted..Temple Run 2 for PC Free Download [Windows, Mac Computer]
Twitter: prabhatrayal
says:
blogengage-what to say about this community this is a great place to get together with other bloggers from all over the world
raj recently posted..Jetpack Joyride for PC Free Download APK for computer
Twitter: rhishi20
says:
I think commenting is a best way to build a collaborative circle of bloggers. when you get feedback through comments you will definitely get motivated & that will help to go further quickly.
Twitter: CoolWPTips
says:
Hi Kiesha Easley, Detailed Post about Blog Engage. I am not the active member of Blog Engage but i heard lot about it. I think its really an awesome Social Community which i am going to join it soon. Thanks for Sharing!!
Sai Kumar recently posted..The History of WordPress
Twitter: yotrip729
says:
Thanks for a great post. You are always so informative and a wonderful resource in the blogosphere. I always learn something new when I read your posts.
Yolanda “YoTrip” Triplett recently posted..Mount Pleasant MBC Spring Fashion Show “Woman At The Well”
Twitter: joan818
says:
This is another great article on all of the benefits for blogengage. The owner, Brian,seems to be all over the Internet commenting and that brings new bloggers. It males the community active and it gives you added leverage in growing traffic.
Jennifer Cunningham recently posted..Twitter Boost Traffic to the Website
Having a group of blogger friends is very important and beneficial to your blog. It provides us with a larger audience to share our content with, the chance to guest post on blogs and have guest posters on our blogs and access to more information that could inspire articles.
Luis recently posted..Responsive Design Español
Twitter: NicoleAFende
says:
Hi Kiesha,
Am a long time user of BlogEngage and love it. But I never even noticed the chat option! Thanks for the heads up and completely second all the rest of the features you cover.
Nicole
Nicole Fende recently posted..Looking for (Business) Love in All the Wrong Places – Why Your Partnerships Fail
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Nicole thanks again for supporting the contestants.I’m slowly making my way over to your blog as well.
bbrian017 recently posted..Spotlight with Ivan Widjaya Owner of Biz Penguin
Twitter: dimaks
says:
I’ve been a member of Blog Engage back in many years ago, and to attest to your points above, I kind of got at least 3 articles published, after I tried to connect with the members of the group. Now I should work for more to optimize the excellent medium. Great thoughts by the way!
dimaks | The Urban Walker recently posted..Switzerland Tops Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index Ranking 2013
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi dimaks we love having you as a part of our community and if you ever need a few votes don’t hesitate to message me in the chat!
bbrian017 recently posted..Aggregate by Elegant Themes
Thanks Keisha! I just joined and still navigating. Still looking thru the groups to see if I can find one to join. Nothing yet…but we’ll see : ) Definitely using your recommendation of adding more friends.
Twitter: internetdreamz1
says:
Blogengage is a good site to meet with other bloggers. I am a member of this great community. there are many talented bloggers who share their views. and you also get traffic from this site. Every blogger should signup on blogengage
Guppu Boss recently posted..Top 10 Best Premium WordPress Themes by Magazine3
Twitter: glenandrews
says:
Hi Kiesha, great info on growing your audience. Never heard of BlogEngage. I’ll have to take a look.
Glen recently posted..Why We Need To Choose Our Friends Wisely
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Glen I hope you do we would love o have you as part of our growing community. Blog Engage is a professional community of bloggers! I’m sure you would do well networking there with us and the other 3500 bloggers that have joined.
bbrian017 recently posted..Why Notification Emails Get Treated as Spam
Twitter: Emailing4cash
says:
Yes this great advice but I too have problems getting feedback from other bloggers :(
Saying that there is a lot in your article i will be definitely trying in the future.
I’m sure things will work out with a bit of time and effort!
Thanks.
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Luke I really hope to see you joining blog engage and sharing your blog with our community. It’s pretty amazing a powerful to be part of such a huge community.
bbrian017 recently posted..Spotlight with Ivan Widjaya Owner of Biz Penguin
Twitter: Ajayudayagiri
says:
Contacting the top commentator and engaging with them helps us to build relation with the Bloggers. Moreover, joining the groups is the best idea which makes fans if we are active and engaging with the group members.
Ajay recently posted..Top 5 Best Android Tablets Below 10000 Or $200
Twitter: TweakYourBlog
says:
I Don’t Have Anything To Pay At This Situation! But BlogEngage is A Better Place For Me And I am Damn Sure About That! Because My Blog Deals With Blogger Platform!
Mathew Stephen recently posted..Optimizing Images in Blogger Using Alt Tag for SEO
Twitter: Rohitkabdwal
says:
nice article Kiesha,
I thinks the best way of connecting with blogger is to comment on their blogs and making the social network connection with them, There are bloggers who shares a particular “blogosphere” in social networking websites.
it is always be helpful when you seek for other bloggers,they share their blogging experience and some tactics used in blogging which would surely help a newbee.
thanks for the great article :)
rohit recently posted..The Black Hole: Untold Story of the Cosmos
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi rohit you are right connecting with other bloggers is so important! When you can make new friends you get new readers, we all love getting new blog readers. I hope to see you joining blog engage.
bbrian017 recently posted..SEOPressor Plugin For WordPress
Twitter: epiblogin
says:
Thing is not all bloggers are very friendly if you know what I’m saying,. I have tried contacting many bloggers but they never responded back. maube my bad :P
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Resham,
You’re right, not all bloggers are kind, but for the most part, it also depends on how you approach them. If you start about by demanding something from them, them most likely they won’t respond, but if you start by interacting with them and share their content, that usually will get their favorable attention.
Thing is not all blogers are very friendly if you know what I’m saying, maybe your niche is pretty small and directly in competition, what do I do then?
Twitter: Plumbing Montreal
says:
I am pretty much pleased with your good work. You put really very helpful information
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Twitter: enstinemuki
says:
Hi Kiesha,
How are you today?
Here is another great review of BlogEngage. It’s the best paid blogging community today. Bloggers of all caliber should join this community.
Thanks for a detailed review
Enstine Muki recently posted..Surefire Way To Make Money Blogging ~ Guaranteed
Twitter: brokerhollywood
says:
I never heard of Blog Engage before, and I just now checked it out for the the first time. Very cool. I like how they have the Top 5 Contributors listed on the right. It looks like one person named Dragonblogger has over 885 stories published. That’s incredible.
Sam Martinez recently posted..Short Sale Specialist can mean many things with Short Sale Process.
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Sam, yes dragon blogger has been a member since we started the site and in fact was one of my first customers. I hope to see you joining our community I’m sure you will love it.
bbrian017 recently posted..The Blog Engage Affiliate Lights $150 USD Contest
Twitter: theworldtoptens
says:
I have never heard about blogengage but now, i think i’m gonna give it a shot. Thanks for telling.
Arslan Shoukat recently posted..Top 10 Funny Best Friends Quotes And Sayings
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Arslan, I hope to see you joining us I’m sure you will just love the community. It’s full of amazing bloggers that are all there to engage with one another and learn.
bbrian017 recently posted..StyleShop from Elegant Themes
ya its a better idea of connecting with other bloggers …nice article got lot to learn from this and will be updated from this :)
I find chatting on social media and discussion in forums works well to find like minded people. Blog networks are now days doing good.
Diana recently posted..Gorgeous Jemma poses beautifully for Boudoir photoshoot by Lisa Burrett
Sale of computer hardware, surveillance cameras, scoring system, standard telephone, fax, fire protection system, air conditioning system, printers, alarm systems, computers and computer http://icoz.ma networks, video projectors, video and intercom, water heaters, cash registers, automatic doors
Twitter: webloggerz
says:
I didn’t knew about this blogengage earlier… I was just happy with zimbio… will give blogengage a try now..
Ansh recently posted..9 Simple SEO Tips You Should Follow Immediately
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Ansh this is great news I can’t wait to see you joining the community. I think you will love it it’s pretty amazing what a bunch of bloggers can do when they work together.
bbrian017 recently posted..Agency Theme from StudioPress
Twitter: health_luv
says:
Networking is really essential for the success of any new blog. Joining relevant community and groups are first step to attract interested people on to your blog. I think Google+ communities are great place to start with, as these communities are quite active and you can see good results. However on Facebook, lot of groups are waste of time.
Shailender recently posted..High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy can cause heart disease later
Twitter: listverge
says:
Awesome Article,
well Facebook is the Best place for me to connect with some Pro bloggers. And yes they reply too.
Salman Ahmad recently posted..10 Top Paid Casual Games for Android
Hey Kiesha,
Awesome post with great information. I really enjoyed this post while reading and I think this post will surely gonna help all the newbies. Making relationship with other bloggers is very important part of blogging and I think guest post, commenting on other blog or by joining group in facebook is the best way to do. Thanks for sharing this post.
Twitter: seohemanth
says:
i really impressed with your post its very use full to me thanks for the info …
Asia Travel Tours recently posted..Laos holiday trip
Thanks for the information. I have never heard of blog engage. I will have to check it out to see if it can help me as it has you.
Josh recently posted..EOTech 512
Nice post Keisha,
Now where is the ctrl C….
LOL, better go start mine hey…
Hi Kiesha,
A very timely post (at least for me) as I’m just getting back into connecting with the blogging community. I’ll be spending a lot of time on BlogEngage and checking out the awesome blogs the community has to offer.
- J
Jake recently posted..How Can Businesses Use Lawyers? (Part 2)
Twitter: techblowup
says:
Yes for blogging connections are necessary. So this list is really very helpful for every blogger.
Twitter: semaglive
says:
i think now facebook groups are the best place to meet new and interesting bloggers….
hrmehrotra recently posted..Why You Should Not Do SEO Of Your WebSite by Yourself?
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
I love Facebook groups I’m in over 100 of them but I’ll be honest they don’t compare to our community what so ever. The features and functionality Blog Engage are far better then those of Facebook. I hope you take the chance with us and Join the community.
Twitter: semaglive
says:
i agree with you buddy that most of the fb groups are just for show but there are some groups which are really mean for bloggers like you can check one “Techism”
hrmehrotra recently posted..How to Make Your Facebook Fans Engagement Better
Twitter: moneymakingmode
says:
I should seriously consider join BlogEngage community. Seems like it has a lot of benefits ;)
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Thanks for sharing all that valuable information about BlogEngage. I’ve never heard of them, and it sounds like it’s been a great collaboration for you. Personally, from your description I can tell it’s not the kind of group I’d be interested in. For me the whole voting / incentive rah rah thing just distracts from my core purpose of growing my business. For others who may feel the same, there are other blogger groups – for example I belong to Triberr and B3 and both are excellent platforms with a wide range of blogging niches represented. One thing I will definitely agree on – collaboration works. The traffic to my blog has grown dramatically since I’ve partnered with the groups I mentioned.
marquita herald recently posted..Adaptability: The Essential Ingredient to Successfully Manage Change
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Marquita, you make a great point. You know The voting has always been up for question. The system comes with that mind set so it’s just always been that way. Personally lets take voting out of the equation, Blog Engage is amazing on so many other levels. We have tons of blog articles which you can read and learn new things from. Our members are all bloggers with a updated profiles allowing you to add them as friends and follow their content easily. I like to think one can sign up and not even submit articles and still find value and benefit from our community. You should come on over I think you will just love it.
bbrian017 recently posted..Win a Free Spotlight or Standard Account From Practical Control
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Marquita,
I understand how you feel about the voting, but honestly that’s just one of many beneficial aspects of the site. I don’t stress about getting votes for my posts, I just like the site because I find great people to collaborate with. It’s also a great place to find great content to read and share. I also go there to find opportunities that I might otherwise miss. I find a lot of giveaways and contests there, too. Just the tip of the iceberg though.
Twitter: EdmundsLaw
says:
Thanks for sharing about BlogEngage. It is quite difficult to find active and nice bloggers just through Google. Am glad there is another resource and place for the blogging community.
Twitter: SamuraiTradingA
says:
I’ve actually never tried Blog Engage with any of my previous projects but this makes it sound quite useful. I’m going to have to check it out and see what sort of groups and users might fit my niche. It would definitely be nice to get in touch with some more like-minded people.
Cody recently posted..Feb 20th ES Trading Recap – 15 Points – Thanks FOMC!
Twitter: bbrian017
says:
Hi Cody, Blgo Engage is such a great community to build new relationships and meet other bloggers. The community has so much to offer and we are always finding new ways to give back to our community members. I really hope to see you joining us and engaging with our site. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask me!
bbrian017 recently posted..Win a Free Spotlight or Standard Account From The Bad Blogger
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Cody,
There is a Business/Finance category that your blog would fit well within, but the beauty of Blog Engage is that it brings bloggers from all niches together – you’ll have an opportunity to connect with people you otherwise wouldn’t – and you never know what their interests are, they might want the Day Trading information that you’re sharing on your blog. I’ve been thinking about getting into it for quite some time now, but just don’t have enough knowledge about it, so I definitely could benefit from checking out your blog. You never know how many other bloggers might be in the same boat as me.
Twitter: SamuraiTradingA
says:
Thanks Kiesha.
I’ll take a look soon. I’m still just getting this new project rolling and this could be quite helpful.
Cody recently posted..Feb 20th ES Trading Recap – 15 Points – Thanks FOMC!