That "C" Word!

A warm welcome if my “Guest Post on FirepoleMarketing.com“ has brought you here. A massive thanks to Danny for asking me to guest post. 

You’re going to hear me use the “C” word an awful lot in this post!

So what does it stand for and why is it the most important word when it comes to blogging?

It is of course community. As far as I’m concerned, blogging is not about community, blogging IS community. Some of the kind acts that I have heard about, read about and experienced myself over the last few months have been truly touching and inspiring. There are so many people out there that are willing to help you it is unbelievable.

So why should we embrace community and how does it relate to blogging?

It took me a few months to realise the importance of community in blogging. When I started out, I had no focus, no idea of where the blog would be six months down the line. Now I know. Focus 100% on community, on being a part of a community and as a symptom build my own community here on the blog. Notice that building a community on my blog is a symptom of becoming active in a community, not the primary reason for doing it. Engaging with people and leaving a good Social Footprint is what it’s about. Of course there are other vital criteria for a good blog, such as good content and having a unique perspective on things to name a couple, but you’re blogging success ultimately hinges on focussing on community.

Five tips for building a community:

1. Start with the right intentions
2. Be ethical
3. Have meaning and reason behind all of your actions
4. Have no expectations from the other person
5. Focus on promoting and helping others

Let’s get real here for a second. Everybody with a blog wants to promote themselves and their blog at every given opportunity. Put that self-promotion on the back burner for now. Start connecting with people because you are generally interested in them and the stuff they talk about. You will be amazed at how reciprocating most of the people in the blogosphere are. It’s all about following the business principles of Know, Like, Trust. When you have established these three things you can really start to form a strong relationship with the other person. Go out of your way to promote them, and expect nothing in return. Be patient, and the rewards will come back tenfold. Remember, none of this happens overnight, as with face-to-face interactions, solid relationships take a long time to form. But it’s worth every second and every ounce of effort. You can’t put a price on real connections.

What sort of a post would this be without promoting some of the great people I have met on my journey so far? These guys clearly understand the importance of community – Danny Iny, Jk Allen, Mark Harai and Marcus Sheridan to name a few.   They are great role models for us newer bloggers, and are living and breathing proof of the success you can achieve by getting out there and engaging with the community. These guys are omnipresent in the blogosphere, and go out of their way to promote and help others.

So, what does this all boil down to?

The success of your  blog hinges on your willingness to participate in the community for unselfish reasons.

If you liked this post and want to become part of the community here at BeliefandAction.com, please subscribe to this blog.

Now it’s your turn: How important do you think Community is? Do you participate in your blogging community? What do you do to encourage community on your blog?