I haven’t been able to get into forums too deeply despite the fact that I’m a member of a few that I visit occasionally.

I have found them to be useful and I’ve been able to network with a few people, but I’m certainly no expert in this area. Read more »

Aside from Twitter, Facebook and BlogEnage, there are very few social networking sites you’ll see me getting excited about. Time constraints limit the amount of time I have to spend learning how to navigate every new site that pops up. In addition to that, there’s more to a social networking than simply joining a site, you have to take the time to authentically engage others – simply logging in and dropping a few links around the community won’t do. Read more »

There’s nothing like the warm, comfortable feeling of knowing that you’ve mastered your subject matter.  Whether you’re blogging about it or presenting to a room full of people, it sure feels great to have all the answers.  But after a time, doesn’t it seem like you’re starting to cover some of the same material over and over again?  I know it does to me.  Here’s my idea for fixing that: Every now and again I’m going to blog about stuff I know almost nothing about. Read more »

I recently received a thank you note on my desk from someone for whom I filled in at the last minute and taught a class. I’m not a card sender by nature, which makes it all the more special when I receive one – I know it takes effort.

As a blogger, you have a community / tribe / flock for whom to care, sometimes in little ways. In fact, sometimes the little things are more noticeable than the big things. Here are four simple things you can do in less than five minutes that will take you miles in the sense of building and encouraging the community that gathers around your content.

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There’s a cool blog across the net written by a cool blogger named Lindsey Nobles, who wrote a cool blog post today about cultivating community. It’s a neat article about her discovery of the essence of web2.0, which happens to revolve around the idea of real community. Hold that thought…

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A community-sized article is one that stretches beyond your site in its appeal and application. We’re all concerned with higher traffic and more clicks, but we’re also far more dependent upon each other than we realize in this business called blogging. I think there’s a reason why car dealers all open shop right next door to each other – there’s something mutually sharpening about finding ways to cooperate with the “competition.” We’re all better in the long run when we’re willing to be unselfish, help readers out and… give traffic to other blogs (gasp) by plugging great resources.

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For a blogger, comments are tremendously important. Comments are the stream of any blog’s “community” or readership, and they serve to help the blogger know where to go next. So it’s my own opinion that we who choose to ask for comments should at least consider what benefit we can return to those willing to chime in at our request.

I’ve chosen four simple methods of doing this…

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