Maki over at Dosh Dosh has a great post that talks about building community. Well, the focus is on making money … but the intent behind this is to establish, build and maintain a community of readers.
The thing that interests me in all this, is how "up front" these bloggers are. They make it clear that their intention is to make money. And trawling through the Money Making category of the Z-list shows that there is a vast network of blog sites that all have this similar aim in mind. But what I like about Maki’s post is the attention to detail … looking at the things that you need to do to attract, keep and consolidate a user community. There is a great quote from Kathy Sierra:
Nobody cares about your company, and nobody cares about your product. Not really. They care about themselves in relation to your product. What it means to them. What it does for them. What it says about them that they use your product or believe in your company.
Maki’s blog, Dosh Dosh, really does live by this rule. Take a look at the site to get a sense of the content — there is thin slicing style content on a range of money making activities; tips and tricks on paid linking, paid surfing and a range of options in-between. And running through the comments, you get a real sense that this site is unlike any other … it is a site that aims to make money by helping you build a community.
Very cool–yes, I like Maki’s site.
You know sometimes we get it into our heads that using your blog to make money in some way takes away the authenticity and any motivation a reader may have to want to be involved in what you’re doing, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
I think it would be impossible to build a real, long term business around your blog without having a thriving community as the foundation.
Darren Rowse at http://www.Problogger.net is another of the bloggers who is all about community, has a thriving community around his blog, and is completely up front that blogging can be a lucrative business.
Interestingly, he was writing recently about how bloggers can be/are extremely different from internet marketers (you know, those folks who want to use a blog to make money and who lots of times ignore the community aspect of blogging in favor of an outright salespitch).
There is a huge difference between a blogger who makes money off his/her blog, and an internet marketer who is merely using a blog as a frequently updated website where he/she can sell products.
I have a pet peeve with internet marketers who want to use a blog to make money and only to make money. Internet marketers of the used car salesman type should not blog, IMHO.
People passionate about blogging, no matter if they’re making money off their blog or not, are also passionate about building community. It just can’t work in the long term otherwise.
(stepping off of soapbox now) 🙂
Look for the next best thing and make your move. Make money fast.
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