Bit of a first step for me today… my first video post. I’m afraid there’s plenty I need to learn before I get these looking slick, but I take heart from some advice I heard from Chris Brogan once, “don’t worry, be crappy” ;)
Here are a few thoughts on how to create community around a blog:
Community in Blogging from Chris Hinton on Vimeo.
Yeh, I know I said YouTube – but I ended up going with Vimeo instead. For links to the sites I was talking about, see last Thursday’s post on how community is key.
I’d love to know your thoughts. Are forums a good way to build community? Are there ways the ubiquitous commenting facility can help? How about e-mail newsletters? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Related reading (auto-generated):
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{ 11 comments }
Chris,
Awesome video – congratulations!! I really love the point you're making about community and conversation. I've had good experiences with all the ones you mention: forums, blog comments, ezines … In fact you and I met on the forum of 31DBB.
One thing I started doing recently is asking ezine subscribers to reply and introduce themselves. A few people actually do it, and it gives me a glimpse into who my brand is attracting and what their interests are. They seem genuinely surprised when I actually respond to them. Something about Internet anonymity, I'm sure. That's why I like your ideas – more ways to break down these artificial barriers that separate us from the tribe.
Love hearing that accent, Chris. More videos, please!
I'm a new blogger and very interested in learning more about the community aspect of blogging. Thanks for writing about this topic!
Thanks for sharing such a nice post.It is really very helpful for the beginners and the learners.Great work.Keep on sharing such type of posts.
All the very best
Thanks for the multiple shout outs, my friend!
Where do I send the check/cheque??? :-)))
Just PayPal me the fee and we'll call it quits ;)
No problem, and thanks for the follow on Twitter too.
Thanks Samantha! I think the good forums are REALLY good – 31DBBB being a case in point. The ones that get very spammy tend to be the ones their founders don't take an active part in.
I like the idea of asking ezine readers to tell you something about themselves – might ask the guys who've subscribed to mine to do something similar.
Glad you could understand me :) Now that I've got that first video out of the way I won't be so reluctant to do more… watch this space!
This is really a fantastic idea of sharing your views in a video post.I watched your video.It is nice.
Thanks for sharing your great thoughts and experience.Good job.
Thanks Jack – I see from y0ur e-mail address you're interestd in SEO. Any tips? :)
Great video Chris – sorry for the delay in catching up with it. Yeah, community is amazingly key in all walks of life. I know we talked about the church angle but both in real life (neighbours) and internet life (blogs, twitter etc), having a group of people who've “got your back” is amazingly important. This conversation is even inspiring me to recreate a blog of some sorts to expand my online community if I can. Know it needs to be right though so giving it serious thought. Maybe linking around my possible consultancy plans at http://www.reuseschemeadvice.co.uk. I dont know. It will become clear in time!
Thanks Dan. I think I've got some books that might be useful to you if you're looking at re-starting blogging. I'll have a hunt around and see what I can find – and there's the shameless sales pitch too (search for The Beginner's Guide to Blogging on this site ;) )
I think blogging without some sort of community aspect is pretty pointless, so I'm all for building it up whenever and wherever possible!
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