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Mar 05 2008
How To Harmonize Your Blog For Comments
Top Hosting Center hosts some fantastic sites and blogs. One of our favorites is a talented blogger named Ivy. Ivy’s blog entitled Nanyate? Springly, is a well designed site with some very good content. The interesting thing about Ivy’s blog is not really so much the content as the comments and discussions her readers bring to the site. In fact, one way to identify a great blog is to look at the comments. One thing I noticed about Ivy’s blog comments is that the readers certainly are engaged.
Definition – Cool Blog
We all have talents in one area or another. Provoking conversation for a blogger is a trait that might be learned, but being born with it is certainly better and rather obvious too – Ivy looks like she was born with it.
The content on this blog is not what you would call controversial, but still people seem to get into it. Part of the reason for this is Ivy’s popularity combined with her skill in tagging others. A great blogger needs more than these common tools. I think what Ivy has isolated here is something we can all learn from: the ability to target a meme in the direction of the people who will respond best. Ivy has obviously tagged some people with just the right meme in order to get the ball rolling.
Smooth Publishing
It is also fairly obvious that Ivy has designed her blog to not only tag or engage people via proper meme and content, but also in the design itself. Think of it this way, if you were going to tag a bunch or people with cute posts containing cute content, then your site should be what too? Cute, right? Well, this blog is downright cute and pretty. The simple layout is conducive of readers and community members feeling comfortable. There is no subterfuge here, nor would one envision corporate technology pouring from the seams. Ivy has simply done an extraordinary job of creating harmony to the extreme.
A List Blogging – Expanded Version
To be honest, I never ever considered targeting an audience in such a way. Perhaps if I had, my posts and blogs would have exceeded even my expectations in popularity. I simply write about what I think will be interesting, or not boring – no news days – about things I am interested in. It now seems like a no-brainer to simply correlate my posts to an audience, and to take all these other aspects into consideration. Someone once said that my writing was “like water”, well I don’t know about that as I tend to be humble about my articles, but Ivy here has made smooth water out of her entire site.
Conclusion
Now don’t get me wrong, Ivy’s blog is not for everyone. It is however an prime example of a talented person making the best out of a blog. Harmony is not exactly the easiest environment to create in any venue, but if you think about it what is more elegant. Ivy certainly needs to add content and perhaps little Web 2.0 to her site, but then not too much either. I guess you figured out that I like her style, and I think a bunch more people will too. This is not a world changing site, but it is one where even an old hand like me can take a note. Someone once said that it is important to know one’s own limitations, well I think that knowing the value of simplicity and targeted content might be just as valuable. Top Hosting Center is a great hosting service. More and more I am amazed at the people inhabit these spaces, bravo Ivy – keep going!
Ivy is this week’s proud winner of the Speedy Top Hosting Center Blog Award!
Thank you, Mig, for this wonderful entry! I’m very grateful for it!
It’s really observant of you to realize I do target a specific audience – one that is willing to comment. For me, blogging is a means of informal exchange of ideas, not just a means to publicize the author’s opinions. So, I try to create an atmosphere that’s conducive to dialogue. I also actively seek out those that are similar to me or to my blog in some respects and try to establish a relationship with them. By creating a dialogue with them on their site,
I hope that they’ll continue that relationship onto my site and onto the my other visitors to form a niche of like-minded bloggers of sorts. Of course, this style of blogging won’t suit everyone but it works well for a personal blogger like me, who stands nothing else to gain but the joy of meeting others and the joy of writing.
I, too, try to think of things that are not unbearably boring for others – though not always successful. But a good indicator of whether my entries are appealing is the visitor length. If most people stay for less than 5 seconds on my site, I know my entries are unappealing, my design has major flaws or I have targeted the wrong audience.
And I have agree I’m not Web 2.0 enough. I started blogging from the world of Web 1.0. Then I took a break and only recently came back. So I had to re-learn basic things like accessibility, social networking sites, SEO etc. As time goes by, I’m sure Nanyate will incorporate more Web 2.0 ideologies – but not all because I don’t want my personality to be lost in a trend that could be replaced anytime with Web 3.0 or 4.0
Once again, thank you so much for the award. TopHostingCenter is a truly a great company that genuinely wants to bond with their clients.
Ivy | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Congratulations Ivy
You really deserve the award, heh 
keep it up!!!
teddY | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
Congrats Ivy, mig and THC team surely make a good decision to pick your blog as Speedy Top Hosting Center Blog Award!
Hendra | Mar 8, 2008 | Reply