Tips from Blog Master Jemi

For those who want to know how to increase blog traffic, look no further!

Just Jemi is a fellow blogger buddy. She and I have about the same amount of Followers, but there's one big difference - comments. Jemi usually averages 70-80 comments PER POST!!! Yes, you read that right. (And here the couple times I've gone over 30, I got excited...)

So I asked her to share her secret with all of us...


Thanks so much Diane for inviting me to guest post over here at Spunk on a Stick. I really appreciate the invitation!



Diane asked me to talk about blog networking and how to generate blog comments. So, here’s the deal... um, I don’t know. I actually don’t pay a lot of attention to numbers. But maybe I can guess. :)


I think the key is fun. I know some people view blogging as a business, as a required activity for writers, as a time-suck. I don’t see it that way. Not at all.


For me, blogging is a great way to meet new friends. I’ve always liked people (and people watching), but I’ve also always been very shy. So meeting people through the written word? Awesome! No worries about awkward pauses. No worrying they won’t remember me – they can just check my name at the top of the blog. No sweaty palms. No... well, you get the idea.


People fascinate me. It’s amazing how people take the same idea (promote yourself as a writer), the same tool (a blog), and yet the products are infinitely diverse. Very cool. I like discovering who bloggers are through their colour schemes, blog layouts, photos, & arrangement of the items on the blog. I find it endlessly fascinating. I’ve met so many great people. So it’s natural for me to ask a question at the end of the post. I want to know how you think. I think that encourages people to respond. At least, I hope so!


Whenever a new commenter shows up at my blog, I get a little thrill of excitement. Who is he or she? How does he or she blog?


When I pop over and check out the new blog, I’m invariably drawn to follow. After all, this person found some connection between us. Otherwise he or she wouldn’t have bothered to comment or follow.


I put all the blogs I follow on my blog roll. I’ve got it set up to show more recent posts at the top. When I have some time, I open all the new posts. Sometimes there are 50 or 60 of them. They open on top of each other, so after I read, comment and close, the next one pops right up. I got this tip from Elana Johnson and her handy-dandy speed blogging tips :) Here’s the link if you’re interested Speed Blogging Tips


I’m also a good multi-tasker. My laptop tends to follow me everywhere. I do bloggy stuff (reading, writing, responding) while I’m: blow-drying my hair, putting on makeup, eating breakfast, chatting with kids, making supper, cleaning up supper, doing laundry, watching TV...


There are a few activities during which my laptop is nowhere in sight. Not too many though :)


I follow well over 100 blogs, and comment on most people’s posts at least a couple times a week, if not more. This probably encourages them to come back and visit me. Don’t know for sure. I do comment on every blog I read. If you’ve said something interesting enough to keep me reading, I think you deserve a comment. Otherwise how will you know you touched me, made me laugh, made me feel less alone, or that you taught me something new?


I also respond to all the comments on my blog. Right now I comment on the blog itself. I know most people don’t go back to see if they’ve gotten a response, but for now I’m going to continue doing it this way. It seems more like a group conversation and I like that. Some bloggers are responding to blog comments via email now. I like this idea too. Anything that makes a connection between you and the reader. Because if there’s no connection, what’s the point?


So, in summary, I think in order to generate comments on your blog, you have to multi-task like a crazy person, read quickly and have fun!! Any tricks you use that I’ve missed?


Thanks again, Diane! I’ve enjoyed the visit.

No, no - thank YOU, Jemi!

Please visit Jemi at her blog - Just Jemi

The Little Things

Just catching up on stuff, and sometimes it's the little things that make our day.

Three years ago, I'd contacted the head coach of Clemson's woman's basketball team. I was doing research for Book V of my series and needed information regarding the duties of an assistant coach. During the course of several emails, Cristy McKinney was gracious enough to answer my questions and filled me in on the details.

When Book V came out, I wanted to send her a copy in appreciation. Unfortunately, she stepped down as head coach on March 10 of this year. I took a chance and did a Google search and discovered her Facebook page. I doubted she'd remember me, but I sent a friends request along with a message about the book.

To my surprise, she replied, and sent me her address! So today a book will go out to former head coach, Cristy McKinney. How cool is that?

In other news, Spunky has a busy month coming up and many miles to log on the road. Appropriately enough, my virtual tour stop today is The Vacation Gals with some travel tips!

Another great review was posted last week at Psychotic State and La Femme Readers is doing a Giveaway for Book V.

So what little things have happend recently that made your day?

And Now For Something Completely Different!

"Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, evil Zoot! Oh, she is a naughty person, and she must pay the penalty -- and here in Castle Anthrax, we have but one punishment for setting alight the grail-shaped beacon. You must tie her down on a bed and spank her!"


* BOOK NEWS *

Penny Sansevieri gives tips on handling social media - Susan Whitfield’s Blog

Dialogue tips from Heidi - Blood Red Pencil

Amazon dumps Colorado affiliates - Southern Review of Books (They dumped NC last year.)

I won a copy of The Undervalued Self by Elaine N. Aron, PhD over at Bookin’ with Bingo

For those who’ve been following my crazy virtual tour, here’s a checklist of tips on how to set one up -
Marketing Tips For Authors



* AWARDS *

Alex J. Cavanaugh gave me the Soulmates Award!

The Soulmates Award. This award originated with Christi Goddard at A Torch in the Tempest and is one part gift, one part social experiment! Fun!
The rules:
1. Choose five followers/commenters that 'get' you
2. Write something fake (preferably not too mean) about them
3. Link to them, and link back to this post to comment your receipt of the award.

(Alex said I secretly hate cats - so not true!)

I decided to pick on the boys for this one and pass the award to:

Marvin at The Old Silly who really does look like Adam Atom
Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs who didn’t even finish high school
Jamieson at Jamieson Wolf who secretly hates romance
Lee at Tossing it Out who is secretly laughing at those in the A-Z Challenge. (Well played, Lee, well played)

Karen at Following the Whispers was sweet enough to give me the Beautiful Blogger Award!

According to the rules, I am to provide a link to the person who gave me the award (see above), name seven things you might not know about me, and pass the award along to seven other wonderful bloggers.

Seven things:
1- I really hate making phone calls. Residual trauma from working at UPS and having to call people to tell them their package was lost, damaged, destroyed - we don’t know where it is!
2 - I bleached my hair for seventeen years. (Maybe someday I’ll post a photo of blonde Spunky!)
3 -I like snakes and bugs, but cockroaches and centipedes freak me out!
4 - I am a Bath & Body Works fanatic - my husband claims he should’ve purchased stock in the company.
5 - I hate sharp casual - not quite dressy enough to feel classy, too dressy to feel comfortable.
6 - My first real roller coaster scared the crap outta me! (I got over it, though.)
7 - When swimming, I prefer to hang out underwater, as I imagine that’s what floating in space would feel like.
And I'd like to add for those who don't know, I don't use photos here from the Internet - 99.9% I took myself.

I pass this award to:

Jai at Jai Joshi’s Tulsi Tree
Michelle at Redheaded Book Child
Elana at Elana Johnson
Nancy at Room with a View
Rayna at Coffee Rings Everywhere
Eleni at La Femme Readers
Steph at Steph the Bookworm


* LOL CATS CAPTION WINNER *

Alex J. Cavanaugh - "Nope, you're ugly from this angle, too."

That is so totally what Hobbes would be thinking... she was all cattitude!

* PHOTO OF THE DAY *

Wishing all of you a blessed Easter!

And Hobbes just wishes I'd take those ears off her head!

Why Do You Follow?

For those who are lurking, now is a great time to comment! Why do you follow?

Some poeple have tons of followers. Some have less followers but many comments. (And be prepared for a guest post from Just Jemi on this subject, because she IS the master!) And some poeple follow a lot of people.
Why do you follow someone?

So that they will follow you?
Are you focused on promotions and trying to amass a lot of followers?

To learn?
To honestly gain more knowlege?

To postition yourself as an expert?
Are you better qualified than those you follow?

To gain friendship?
To expand your circle of friends?

To share your experience?
To genuinely inspire those around you?

Leave your answer below!

And if you want to state why you follow me as well - great! Whatever I am doing right, I want to keep doing!

As to my answer? Why does the Spunky follow people? That goes back to my definition of success - "True success is based on the number of lives one can touch in a positive manner."

I don't have hundreds of followers. But that's okay. Those who follow me matter. And I pray I can be an inspiration at some point in your life! Because you have inspired, uplifted, encouraged, and informed me.