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The Memoir Writer’s Blog—a Successful Blog?

This post is the 300th on The Memoir Writer’s Blog. I am amazed at the number. I realize that other blogs have more posts but even so, 300 archived posts is an achievement. I want to honor that I have been writing my own posts and curating guest posts for a while now and have achieved this constancy—300 posts. If that makes for a successful blog, then I have done it. but…

I like to think that a successful blog does not depend only on its numbers but on its quality. I hope you have found the article to be meaningful and useful.

My initial attempt at blogging

When I began to blog, it was without understanding much about its potential and about how to organize it. I saw that others were doing it. (I had even read that blogs were on the decline—that was one wrong assessment on somebody’s part.) I started placing a few posts. This was very irregularly beginning in 2010—so irregular that it was perhaps at the rate of a one or two a month. A sort of stepchild in my memoir conversation with you. The results were that the blog did indeed seem as if it were not worth much. I wasn’t putting much into it and not getting much out of it. It was not what you would call a successful blog.

Committing to creating a successful blog

Then in the spring of 2013, I made a decision to commit to the blog. At first, I was posting at the rate of 2 or 3 per week. I had done an effort in 2009 and 2010 to post articles on ezinearticles.com and, in 2010-21011, with the help of a marketing assistant, I began to transfer the articles from there to The Memoir Writer’s Blog and to do some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of each post. At some level, I enjoyed the public aspect of the work. An introvert by nature, I enjoyed this opportunity to put myself and my ideas “out there” without actually having to be “out there” in person. It could all be done from my office. I have transferred almost 100 of the posts from ezinearticles.com.

Over the year since i have taken the blog more seriously, that I have actively nurtured the blog, I have often asked myself what its feel or voice ought to be. I have asked the same question of the website. What do I engage in best that meets the needs of those readers who choose to follow me?

Steps I’ve taken to boost the blog

Mostly my 300 articles have been short pieces using an “X things you need to know about…” formula. I have refrained from writing longer pieces. I have also revved up my production to 4-6 posts per week and have added an 4 PM/ET communication to let the readers of my newsletter know there is a new post. These have been very successful in driving up the number of views of new posts. (It is the SEO ratings that drive new traffic to old posts.) If you came to this post via a search engine, you can subscribe to the newsletter for free and receive an update of posts. The newsletter comes with the free Basic Membership in The Memoir Network. Sign up today.

Your suggestions are eagerly sought

I am curious to read if you have any suggestions for me as I pursue publishing my second 300 posts to make this a successful blog.  Would you like:

  • more of the how-to informative articles
  • additional emphasis on guest posts
  • excerpts from memoirs
  • informal “from the editor’s desk” sort of articles
  • longer articles but published less frequently
  • a change in the frequency. Tell me which frequency.

Respond below, and I will take all your suggestions into consideration and, if necessary, eagerly enter into a dialog with you.

Keep reading the posts. I have not run out of things to say—by a long shot! And, if you agree these posts are useful in the memoir-writing process—please—let your social network contacts know of the good work we are doing here.

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