A new study from the University of Massachusetts attempts to answer the question that every aspiring blogger is asking - what makes a blog successful?
Dr Ganim Barnes surveyed 74 of the “biggest and best” blogs in the business to find out what makes a blog successful. Dr Barnes described the bloggers who participated in her study as the “most experienced, business savvy and respected bloggers who are at the forefront of innovation in the blogosphere.”
The survey discovered a number of “truths”, including:
- Blogs take time and commitment
- Blogs must be part of a plan
- A blog is a conversation
- Transparency, authenticity and focus are good. Bland is bad.
Doctor Barnes asked participants how they promoted their blogs, and one clear theme that came through was that commenting on other people’s blogs was a great way of generating interest in your own blog. Another strategy used by successful bloggers was to use “high visibility” key words so that their blogs were easy to find on search engines.
If you’re a blogger, or just interested in the blogosphere, I strongly recommend that you download the report - there’s plenty of interesting (and free) advice.