The formula to blogging success doesn’t solely ride on a good post. It depends on a combination of network that hears your voice and shares your blood and sweat of a post and the well constructed material in your post build on the foundations of SEO.
Blogging is no snap of the fingers task but you still have it down. What about networking? Community?
It isn’t overnight success with a single tweet share turning to a New York Times post. No! What might look like a random chance of luck is a dedicated work of networking done right. This blog is all about where to find this community and how to decide what works for you.
Why to find a community?
You might have understood by now, without me having to spell it out. For those who still deem community unnecessary, here it is:
- Blogs, much like yours, are struggling with growth problems. There is a unsaid mutual understanding.
- Give them love and they will give it back. They show some interest, you show it back. Such simple courtesy can help bloggers connect with like minded people, struggling to float in this profession. Once you like each other enough to communicate regularly via comments, likes and shares (we will get there in a minutes) mutual growth is the evident next step.
- This also helps in those promotions, that bloggers needs but are often shy about. With these new friends, you need not be. Besides you will be able to give back to them via your own blog.
- Finally, having someone to discuss technicalities, get help like SEO and Google updates, getting your name out there, talking about the struggle of blogging, professional socializing and so on.
You may have your own reasons to join; support system, work patterns or learning the craft. No matter the reasons, the answer is with the community.
Where to find a Blogging Community?
This isn’t the first article you might be reading about finding a blogging community. Every one redirects you to social platforms. But let’s be real here, engaging online provides a global access and feels well connected but it doesn’t overpower the real life meetings. Both have their special value in blogging sphere; one promotes your blog while the other promotes you.
Online Blogging Community
Bloggers love platforms that allows them to express and share. Connections come naturally as everyone cross comments, shares and loves the work. Blogger must have a fixed time in their schedule dedicated to this marketing strategy- engagement. But before you go ahead, remember that it is easy to loose too much time on networking. Join groups but do not join too many on one platform. Choose a couple from everywhere and devote a fixed time to each.
Writers loooovvveee Twitter. To them, expressing through words come naturally. Twitter fanatics like to read, they are always searching for something fresh.
Finding new friends, bloggers or people with similar interest is a simple task of engaging. Connect with bloggers of similar status, rising status or shared interest. You have a chance at being discovered!
If you want to focus on community aspect of blogging, Facebook groups are the best. They solve two purposes – sharing and help.
There are many groups in the sea, filter through their description until you come across your own interests. For example, there are abundant fashion blogger groups on Facebook. The difference is: some are dedicated to collaborations, others sharing and then some do promotions. Don’t look for groups with a large number, instead aim for medium sized pods which are more interactive. Join generic blog communities, if unsure.
Note: Once, a web design blogger solved my WordPress problem in one of these groups.
Personally, I find this platform quite interesting. Bloggers come in every sphere, travel, fashion, food, writing, books, entertainment, nature, wildlife, sports and all that the world has to offer. Instagram uses the other side of blogging, the enticing photographs. Since Instagrammer’s niches are quite specific, connect with people that share similar interest and similar following as you.
While it is great to follow popular bloggers on the scene, the difference in status will bring you nothing in return. You can’t promote your links in any comment, so, be realistic and genuine with your comments. If you like someone in the same field, follow their bio links and talk about their amazing work. They will appreciate the support much like you would. This brings great collaborations your way.
This is a platform for professional. If you have made it big enough to market yourself, or if you want to do it in future, nothing beats LinkedIn.
Make a profile, join a group. LinkedIn groups are much like Facebook groups, but higher on a professional scale. You will find collaborative opportunities, enthusiast for guest posts and established professionals (those you can’t get in touch with on any other platform) pitching in valuable advice.
Offline Community
Technology has made the world smaller. There are some connections that would never be possible without it. Yet, technology does not triumph physical presence. You need real bloggers in a room as much as you need them in an online group. You can’t share life stories on a group, you won’t, until someone asks for it. Never happens! It can only occur in a room full of people.
Meeting with these virtual people in real life is important. There are amazing, supportive groups for every cause.
Workshops
There was a humor blog my friend recommended to me a long time ago. This person, though inactive currently, often attended workshops for anti social people (you see what’s happening here on so many levels) and a comic meet with his blogger friends. My reaction: that’s so cool, what do they do there?
Workshops are necessary for improvement, maybe you can find your weak points, seek guidance, or, impart your own learning. With all that, you are making new friends that have the same goals as you. You can work on achieving them together; learn and grow!
Meetups
This is an online platform that let people join interest groups. Groups, that organize timely meetings on pre-discussed and agreed locations. These are great for local meetups. Some groups even define their meeting agenda like writing for 20-minutes or building a portfolio, or even about reaching out to big clients via blogs. The scope is amazing. Nothing beats real talk!
Local Library
These are my personal favorite spaces to attend group meetings, going hyper local. You can talk to the librarian about taking initiative or give them an idea of a blogging meet or writers group. Maybe one already exists. You need not hunt far and wide when your neighborhood has answers.
Blogging is a booming business, everyone wants to try it but not everyone succeeds. It takes a network of people around you, physically and virtually, to uplift your blog to the next step, together. Thus, it is essential that you find the right blogging community for you.
One way to do that is by defining goals. Knowing what you want from your blogging community will tell you what groups to join. When their agendas meets your goal, you have found the right place.
Finding a community, above all, is about networking. Grow your network and your blog will start to grow gradually with you.
Get mingling.
See you next blog!
Abhilasha Dubey 
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