Official 2011 Second Guest Blogging Contest Post #2
Contest Article
2011 Best Guest Blogger Contest Article – Not Completed Yet
For the bloggers reading this I want you to think back to when you first decided to start your online venture with the word and the reader, because really a blog just boils down to those two things. Word and Reader. Your written words must meet the readers expectations in order to convince them to become a loyal follower, subscriber…fan of your site.
This doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in your field, or write about something professional in any way. Some of the most popular blogs are just people ranting or sharing bits of humor and entertainment. Personality is what shines the most and causes you to be remembered in a readers mind. I like to think that bloggers have a “Charisma” all to their own and this isn’t a physical charisma as is seen by someone’s swagger in a crowd or in public but a charisma that is felt and enjoyed while reading their written work.
Too many bloggers start off with the intention to try and make income, sell a product or just simply report and regurgitate news articles or product information and there is nothing wrong with this. Many who start in this fashion will carve out their niche and some can even make some decent earnings, but it is the ones who have pure personality in their articles that get remembered and are often talked about online and offline.
See someone’s raging rant on maybe a road rage incident or someone venting at a company who wronged them some way, everyone loves “connections” and by sharing your personality and situations you find ways to connect with your readers which establishes more than just a simple generic article feel and makes the reader start to feel like they know the blogger personally a little bit. I have actually seen this in fact, when other bloggers have said “I know Dragon Blogger” and they are fellow bloggers and readers that I have shared words and articles with but never spoken to on the phone or had any real life conversation with.
I often tell people that the difference between blogging and journalism is that journalists report on the facts and are not supposed to inject any sort of opinion. Bloggers on the other hand are supposed to add the human element of opinions, thoughts and even engage in gathering readers opinions. Bloggers can sway readers to feel one way or another toward something and I also think an ideal situation is when readers with opinions can engage in conversation enough to possibly sway the blogger into taking a different stance or opinion. I have had my mind changed on a few things by readers sharing their opinions or letting me know something about a service or site that I didn’t know.
So no matter what topic you blog about and whether you are providing analytical information, entertainment, reviews or problem solving articles you should always make sure you inject a slice of your personality into your articles. Add whatever makes you “YOU” or whatever you want to come out in your blogging persona. It doesn’t even have to be your real life personality, you can use your blogging persona like an actor does with a movie “role”. Be more aggressive your writing if you are timid in real life, or inject humor in your work. Of course you don’t have to make up a persona, just insert your real personality into your writing as well and you will do fine as well.
Connect with your audience by adding some real world information and opinions they can connect with, engage them by asking questions or telling them that you are unsure of something invite their opinions. One reason why blogging is so popular is human beings tend to socialize automatically and they want to share their opinion on something, or join a conversation.
I ask 3 questions to those reading this article and would invite you to answer any or all of them in your comment.
When you first started blogging what personality quirks and traits did you want to bring to your articles?
Did you succeed or change your writing style or personality traits along the way?
Are there any memorable bloggers or blogs you visited or first visited that left such an impression you became a fan after an article or two?
This is my entry in the the Blog Engage Guest Blogging Contest #2, so I am asking my readers to leave feedback or share this article if you enjoyed it.
-Dragon Blogger
All images are courtesy of Free Digital Photos
Andreas Pazer (152)
abhibalani (136)
Jafar Dhada (128)
Holly Jahangiri (101)
bbrian017 (62)
Justin Germino (51)
Kris Edison (47)
James Pruitt (46)
Rahul Kuntala (31)
Hajra (26)
Twitter: Blognetworking
Hey Justin,
Great Post. I will have to say : this is an excellent post. Yes, I do agree with you. Unlike journalists, we bloggers should work hard, use ideas, extend them and add our personality to it. A blog article will only be successful it has your personality. The presence of a personality makes each article different, unique. Personality means unique opinion. Yes, many bloggers start out blogging because they associate it with easy money. But blogging is not just about making money. If you start with “blogging for money”, you will eventually struggle, for sure.
Anyway, great article.
Good luck with the contest,
Jeevan Jacob John
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks Jeevan, I appreciate the compliment. One of the reasons why I am glad you also write for DragonBlogger.com is that your personality comes out well in your articles. Let me know when your guest article publishes and good luck to yourself as well.
dragonblogger recently posted..Windows Live Writer Invalid Response Document Returned from XmlRpc server
Twitter: cashgiftingcrew
I’ve slowly found my blogging personality Justin. The key is to be comfortable in your own skin: when you speak from the heart the words flow smoothly. You attract like-minded people and some resistance too, which is part of the game, the you are able to connect with like-minded people so easily, for they see you. “Seeing” meaning they don’t have to cut through any BS or airs; you’re speaking your mind. Thanks for sharing!
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Free Cash Gifting Marketing Strategies For Gifters Low on Cash
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks Ryan, glad you are injecting personality into your work. Many bloggers do it naturally but some don’t, and the ones that do article rewrites or content editing often have the hardest time (in some cases) personalizing the article.
dragonblogger recently posted..IBM Nanoparticle Destroys Bacteria
Twitter: newbizblogger
Hi Justin,
I’m with Ryan on this one. My personality slowly came to the forefront over a course of several months. At the time as a newbie blogger and someone who was blogging about business I thought it had be done a certain way- straight edge and informational only.
Soon enough I realized that my personality WANTED to come out. I enjoyed writing and sharing my experiences using my true voice, not the only I thought others wanted to hear. It was quite a shift for me I must say; not just in my blogging but how I interacted on social networks.?”
Anyway, I have a few sites that I became instant fans of, but I have to say one of my favorites has been inoveryourhead.com by Julien. His content is so raw and straight forward. He basically says what others think and has not problem laying it all on the line. I absolutely love it!
Great post Justin. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Michele Welch recently posted..The Power Of Social Networking- Have to Read it to Believe It!
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you Michelle and I dug out my very first post on DragonBlogger.com -> http://www.dragonblogger.com/new-beginning/ to show as an example on how I tried to build personal connections to my readers on day 1. I never blogged before other than running a blogger.com poetry blog for about 6 weeks prior to this post.
This was also back when DragonBlogger.com was my only blog and I used it as a personal blog before it was forced to Technology/Blogging/Entertainment, heck one of my oldest articles was about weight loss -> http://www.dragonblogger.com/tips-losing-weight/ can you believe that on this blog!
dragonblogger recently posted..Entertainment and Blogging Tips from BlazingMinds
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
Michele, that link points to a domain for sale. And you had me all curious and everything – any idea whether the link’s wrong or Julien’s quit blogging?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..10 Twitter Tips
Twitter: dragonblogger
I think Michele mean’t to say http://inoveryourhead.net/ which I happened to run across a few weeks ago and it’s still up.
dragonblogger recently posted..Sony Ericsson’s First Android Walkman Phone Coming Soon
Twitter: aidyspoetry
I agree. Blogging for money isn’t everything. Making your blogging and writing work personable is the key. Blogging is self discovery. Keep writing quality–not quantity content is what makes a better blog. I agree with Jeevan, blogging strictly for money will become a struggle. Gradual and steady growth is what’s most important. Great and valuable points you made here.
AIDY recently posted..cynical
Twitter: dragonblogger
This is one of the main reasons I enjoy your article so much Aidy, you not only write in good form but add so much personality to your work with each thorough review.
dragonblogger recently posted..Movie Review- Dumplings 2004
Twitter: kirapermunian
Hi there Justin,
Your entry is something that bloggers should know about! One of the best blogging strategies to improve blog readership is to build relationships with readers and get them involved in our blog. The charisma thing caught me as I made it be one of my basis in engaging to blogs. I am fun of blog hopping and you have just pointed out great factors like personality, professionalism, charisma and connections there.
You are definitely right with having a connection for blogging is really meant for connections. Good job! Goodluck
kirapermunian recently posted..SEO for Quality- Relevancy and Authority
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you, I agree you don’t hear about charisma in writing often but it certainly plays a factor and it levels the playing field for people who don’t have as much charisma “in person”. I myself am far more comfortable and confident as a writer than I would be as a public speaker.
dragonblogger recently posted..Beginning the End- Random Twitter Poem for Apr 15th
Justin, I don’t always blog to form connection, but that’s by design. Often, those articles are intensely technical, or I’m writing to myself at a future date, for reference.
But for my main, audience facing blogs, finding those connection which do resonate with readers is absolutely critical, and incredibly rewarding. Sometimes, it’s a fair bit of work, too.
Dave Doolin recently posted..Website Hosting for Your Benefit not mine
Twitter: dragonblogger
I totally agree, writing to build a connection takes work because not only do you have to do the research for the article but then you have to figure out what are the best ways to engage/connect with readers so you can prompt them to action or make sure you leave a lasting impression on their mind.
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Twitter: decksar
I first started blogging about 5 years ago. I started it as journal writing as part of a counselling course I was doing. I confess that I like to get feedback from people, so blogging became the way to do this. I don’t try too hard at it really. There is no point in trying to write a killer article. Just putting down thoughts in a reasonably ordered fashion works. In fact sometimes a ramble works just as well.
Some of my favourite I have read in the past often state toward the end “Sorry, I’m rambling!” but those are the most interesting. Why? Because they are real, that’s why.
The only slight change I have now in writing is that I like to have a focus (or at least a slat) on personal development rather than just a journal per se.
Real life stories fascinate me.
Marty recently posted..What is Your Emotional Response to Professionalism
Twitter: dragonblogger
Rambling or going on a tangent is when you get to the heard of a bloggers personality and see what makes them tick or really get how they feel about something. Unfortunately most ramblings tend to be toward something they dislike, but I enjoy articles where a blogger genuinely likes something so much they just want to share it and it isn’t sponsored.
dragonblogger recently posted..Blogengage Sponsor Review- Kikolanicom
Justin, these thoughts and sentiments echo rewardingly throughout my 4 years of hitting the publish button, and certainly my opinions, writing and blogging personality are all on a continuing basis impacting my beliefs and ideas about the world.
One thing I will say that continually nags and befuddles me is American spelling. It was put to me near to when I first began blogging by a much more experienced blogger. According to him, Australian spelling makes Americans in general, cringe, plus your blogs audience won’t be as large as you might anticipate.
Thank you for the inspiring article.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
I see the spelling thing often with U.K. as well as Australian bloggers, the extra u’s in so many words like colours instead of colors…etc. It is enough that I have to edit many guest articles from these places to correct the spelling of words for my primarily American audience. Trust me the unusual spelling of words is the same to Americans reading a U.K. or Australian blog.
dragonblogger recently posted..make money online
Twitter: ditesco
Developing an “online” persona is not as easy as it seems. Over time I found out that the best way to build your virtual self, is indeed being yourself. Obviously you do have to adapt as it is not the same as when you are talking with someone face-to-face. Not only don’t you know the person whom you are interacting with, you always face people with different views and opinions. So to show you that not everyone will “like” you
In any event, establishing connections and most important maintaining them is indeed one important trait that not all possess.
And yeah, I met you
That’s to answer your third question, lol
DiTesco recently posted..Speedlink V13-2011- Traffic Generation- SEO- Social Web
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks Francisco and iBlogZone is a good example of a blog with articles that typically don’t need personality injection (make money from home) but you do a great job of personalizing them to establish trust and reputation with your readers.
dragonblogger recently posted..make money online
Hi Justin,
When I started blogging my only goal is just to learn and earn money from it. But with the help of friends in the blogosphere like you and the P50 bloggers, I started understand the importance of blogging. Just then my blog started to develop its personality. Then slowly I grow as a blogger.
To the third question: You, Ditesco, JenaIsles, P50 and my readers contributed to the growth and development of my blogs.
Thanks,
Justin
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for your input Jhong, the P50 bloggers are pretty tight group and one of the earliest bloggers I remember was Zorlone (Lorenzo) whom I don’t hear from much anymore, I miss doing collaborative poems.
dragonblogger recently posted..make money online
for me, i want to improve my writing skill, in the other hand get the new friend to make the relationship between another blogger, in different type of blog
zik recently posted..Profit and types of profit
Twitter: dragonblogger
The more you write the more the skill will improve, but also take the time to read other blogs in your niche and market. Learning and getting ideas as well as what writing styles are most effective are important. Find the articles that get dozens of comments and retweets, shares and try to break down what makes them so effective.
dragonblogger recently posted..Beginning the End- Random Twitter Poem for Apr 15th
Twitter: budwalkr
As of question #3
“Did you succeed or change your writing style or personality traits along the way?”
Definitely YES. As I go on blogging, I could say that I’ve gotten much better way back when. My writing skill and English proficiency take on a new level. Blogging does not only earn us money, it also helps up improve ourselves.
Twitter: dragonblogger
I feel the same way, when I read posts I wrote 2 years ago I am surprised at my own writing sometimes.
Justin Germino recently posted..Why Customize the WordPress ReplyMe Plugin
Twitter: iheartfreetv
1. My honesty. I’m pretty much an open book and will tell you what’s on my mind.
2. No
3. Yes, yours, John’s Potpolitics, and Kristi’s Kikolani site
And let me just say that what you wrote about is exactly what kept me coming back to yours and the people in number 3′s blogs. More importantly is the fact that you all INTERACT with your readers, and comment back like it matters. I’ve been to some blogs that are so poorly maintained as far as spam comments being allowed, and the interaction between the blogger and the reader being minimal-to-none.
I agree with the part about too many people starting out blogging to make money, I wrote a few articles when I first started and was like “now gimme my money” lol, and now that I’ve been doing it for over a year, I’m at the point where I’m doing it because I like my site being popular (NOT THE ONE IN THIS WEBSITE LINK LOL), I like interacting with my “regulars” that always come to watch stuff, and yes, the money.
P.S. (p.s. = personal secret lol) It’s VERY EASY to lose focus when you blog for awhile, and sometimes it takes something major happening (like having to start over again from scratch) to REALLY kick your butt into high gear to make your site better than ever!
greenlants recently posted..If You Order Pizza For Delivery- You Should Tip
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for the insights and I was very sorry to see potpolitics go offline and hope John get’s in a place where he can re-establish. I saw he was having a tough time in life over the past few months and wish him well. You make a good point about losing focus over time, I have had my peaks and valleys with motivation and ambition for my sites over the years. Even thought about giving up a few times, but one thing I have never done is ignore commenters, every day before I start my day job I take the time to weed through my comments and reply to all of them that warrant a reply. Only when I am sick or on vacation this doesn’t happen. Now, I can’t comment on my blog in real time, as I work 10 hours on my day job, but I usually never go more than 12-24 hours without replying to a comment. Some people want quick questions answered though and I sometimes don’t get to them fast enough. It also can be frustrating when you reply and even ask the reader a question but they never come back to engage further even with the ReplyMe plugin.
dragonblogger recently posted..Why Customize the WordPress ReplyMe Plugin
Hello Justin,
I always thought that blogs have started as a way of sharing your feeling with the “public” and no matter what form it takes it should still convey that feeling to anyone that reads it’s posts.
I also think that you can’t really be impersonal when writing a blog, because you will sooner or later have to express yourself or you unwittingly touch the article with your own vision.
But those that do try to be impersonal, should think about what makes them different from all those other auto-blogs or magazines that spew content everyday…
Alex recently posted..Curse Buggy
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for sharing Alex, how about some of your favorite blogs? Which bloggers that have some engaging personalities do you follow?
Twitter: Gig Logo
Hi Justin, great posting. I try to put every bit of my personality in my postings. I can be quite sarcastic and like to use puns and humor. I can be very blunt and direct, and I like to give my opinion even when it is not asked : p
I like to follow blogs where people are just real. I like people who can get down to business but still have a little fun. If you are going to blog about a product please make sure it works, I will stop reading blogs where people are constantly trying to sell you things which don’t work. I have had enough dissapointments with “As Seen On TV” products people, give a girl a break.
PS I love your blog Justin!
Karla Campos recently posted..What Does Original Content Mean to Google
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you Karla, I appreciate your visitations and feedback. I also like reading sarcastic personalities as often as I enjoy comedic ones. As far as “As Seen On TV” products, I have been disappointed by most, but found probably 3-5 gems out of 50 over the years.
dragonblogger recently posted..XBOX360 Review- You Don’t Know Jack
Twitter: kikolani
I would like to go with the second question on did I succeed or change my writing style or personality traits along the way? The answer – yes!
I started Kikolani as a poetry and photography site. I like to think that it and I evolved into blogging about blogging over time. I don’t know that my personality changed, but my interests definitely did.
Now I’m more focused, either on blogging topics on Kikolani or photography on Photostry which has led to building a great community on both!
Kristi Hines recently posted..How to Choose a Great Product to Review
Twitter: dragonblogger
Very cool Kristi, I didn’t know that you started Kikolani with poetry and photography. Did you know that Dragonblogger started off as my personal diary and poetry blog too! You can still find some poems and a whole category for poems from two years ago on my site.
dragonblogger recently posted..Blogengage Sponsor Review- Kikolanicom
Twitter: maddencorner
When I started out I wanted to share my passion for technology and my style has improved along the way. I would have to say Darren Rowse got my attention. Not because he was making money, but because he was able to take something like blogging and make something out it. I believe in work not being work if it’s something you love.
A. Tatum recently posted..The Blog Engage 500 USD Guest Blogging Contest 2 of 4
Twitter: dragonblogger
I completely agree with you that work isn’t work if it is doing something you love. I occasionally read the articles on ProBlogger as well as follow Chris Brogan who are giants in the industry and tend to not be overly affiliate promoting like some of the other big bloggers.
dragonblogger recently posted..Blogengage Sponsor Review- Kikolanicom
Twitter: slbphoenix
Great article, Justin. I have heard many times from different bloggers to ‘let the reader know something about you’ or ‘let them hear your voice.’ I try to do this is most of my posts. I would like to come across as a positive person, a real person with real issues and a sense of humor.
I’m not quite sure if I pull it off, however, my visitors have picked up since I first began in June of 2010. I don’t receive a lot of comments, however, I will continue to blog as this is what I do-write. I am going to write a book from my blog in the by mid-2012.
Thanks again for your great posts. Sally
Sally Brown recently posted..Creating My Goals And Dreams Part II
Twitter: dragonblogger
I think it’s great that you are already setting a goal to write a book from your blog.
Justin Germino recently posted..Poem- Predators
Great article, love your writing and always have! Very proud of you. You have my support. I love you xoxo
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you dear, rare do I see you commenting in the blogosphere. I must be special!
dragonblogger recently posted..Business Twitter Tips from Sprout Social
Twitter: SheWritesaLot
I agree, Justin, that personality is what differentiates blogging from journalism. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy blogging so much. I write for a few sites that require a ‘reporter stance’ and no matter how hard I try it just seems boring to me most of the time.
I enjoy sarcasm and humor as much as the next person however, I think more bloggers should be aware of the influence they have on their readers. And on the entire web, as well. We all know how easy it is for something to go viral and be seem by millions. Too many people forget that there are actual human beings out there reading what they write – and people out there who can be affected by what they write.
Donna Anderson recently posted..Follow These 5 Influential Tweople This Follow Friday
Twitter: dragonblogger
I agree, this is why I don’t write “rants” with my public persona, if I were to run a blog where I would rant and ‘vent’ about things that I wouldn’t want people to know me I would use a fake persona and not tie it anyway to my real identity. I do think some bloggers are too candid and they need to remember to build connections with your readers, be honest and have integrity but while doing this you should probably maintain some semblance of professionalism.
dragonblogger recently posted..Online Training from New Biz Blogger
Nice post Justin! I must say as a newbie blogger, I have already learned so much from Justin and others. I think that one of the most important traits of a successful blogger is their willingness to engage with their audience. I have also learned that your blog success is directly related to the community on your blog.
Thank you Justin for sharing these tips and helping us noobs get started.
Chris recently posted..3 Key Benefits of Using a Premium Blog Theme
Twitter: dragonblogger
Even bloggers who have been doing it for years can adjust their tactics and styles occasionally, if you find readers aren’t commenting on articles but you are getting a fair traffic try changing up your style or be more inviting to readers to increase engagement and participation.
dragonblogger recently posted..make money online
Great idea! I heard that tip pretty early on and I always try and invite my subscribers *crickets* to engage with my posts.
Chris Savage recently posted..eCommerce Theme for WordPress
Twitter: sweetsfoods
Hi Justin,
Totally with you – bloggers mean opinions perhaps with second intentions or not, it doesn’t matter – this is the key difference with journalists.
In my case I try to write informal, like I’m, but it’s difficult because as English is my second language there are several expressions that I’ve no idea how to translate it from my Spanish-slang lol!
What do you think about bloggers – many successful – that closed comments or want to do it right know? I know spam can kill, but without comments, are you a blogger? or just someone posting something without caring any feedback = unilateral communication.
All the best,
Gera
Gera recently posted..How to Transfer Intense Debate to WordPress with File Size Error plus WP Plugins for Immediate Installation
Twitter: dragonblogger
I never disable comments on my blog articles with the exception of contests that have expired and I don’t want others thinking they can add a comment or enter the contest after it expired. I do however see a much higher increase in the number of spam comments for articles older than say 3-6 months. But when you use the Tweet Old Post plugin on Twitter, this will vitalize older posts and invite people to check them out, if you disabled comments you basically are shutting off communication so I don’t recommend you promote older articles unless you have them open for comments.
dragonblogger recently posted..Business Twitter Tips from Sprout Social
Twitter: sweetsfoods
Talking about a blogger who has impressed me is Leo from Zenhabits, this is the case I mention as example, because he disconnected his blog-comments and contact, only having twitter for his communications.
Older articles are susceptible-field for spammers, but in important ones, they must be opened more if they are time-less.
Good luck Justin!
Gera
Gera recently posted..Guide How to Import Blogger to WordPress with Error in Your Google Account and Can’t Authorize
Twitter: dragonblogger
That is bold but a good way to have live interaction, I see some bloggers starting to use highlighter too to add more meaningful conversations into blog posts and it seems to be a good spam deterrent but bloggers also lose the backlink love. I have seen other bloggers with hundreds of comments per day turn the comments into a forum like thread system too and this may be a good deal. The WordPress comment system is great but even with nexting I don’t think it scales for blogs that get hundreds of comments on every article, it is too hard to sift through them, there needs to be a more compressed version where it shows title with an expand field if there are that many comment.
dragonblogger recently posted..How Do We Blog Better
Nice man! i am your regular visitors keep it up….
Sudeep Acharya recently posted..How to add Related Posts widget in blogger
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you Sudeep, who are some of your favorite bloggers? Besides me of course!
dragonblogger recently posted..Windows Live Writer Tip- Fixing WordPress Theme Issues
Twitter: Thos003
I like how you compared journalists to bloggers. Definately better to be a blogger that inserts personality into the content. I don’t pretend to have a lot of followers to my blogs. I mean who really wants to follow a pest control blog. So I would rather just enjoy my blogging by being an odd pest control guy than pretending to be something else.
I also recieved some great advice after confessing to a fellow twitterer that I pour my heart into some of my posts and it seems as if no one really cares. She replied, “I blog because I feel it’s therapy for me”.
Thomas Ballantyne recently posted..Largest Spider Fossil Ever Found Is 165 Million Years Old
Twitter: dragonblogger
Pest control blog is cool, I had a story about being infested with bees on DragonBlogger even though it was unrelated I was doing personal blog type stuff on it previously. I think a pest control blog would be cool talking about stories of the most menacing pests you encountered, or funny stories of being attacked by armies of ants…etc. I see real potential and my kids love bugs, we go bug hunting (instead of exterminating) every week. I post the pictures of the scorpions, centipedes…etc on my Facebook photo’s and sometimes my personal blog.
Also, hey if somebody is doing research on bugs…etc they may find your article. An advice is to specifically write about bugs in specific states/locales, when people search for bugs, like “big grey beetle Arizona” think of targeting like this when SEO optimizing your posts. This is how I found out what I caught once was a Hercules Beetle, I searched what I typed.
dragonblogger recently posted..iPhone Apps Help Kids in Speech Therapy
Hello Justin,
When I started blogging, all I wanted to do was to write down my thoughts. It was some sort of outlet, then I came to know that I could earn through my blogs, so I started looking for means to earn. After 2 years, my primary concern now is to make more money…LOL…I guess, reality bites, that’s why. I have to put food on the table…
God Bless.
Twitter: dragonblogger
The funny thing is once a blogger starts earning, it then becomes a “hey, I really can start making money from this” and now it is like a game to me where I try to see how much I really can make from this blogging hobby. After all, I recently surpassed $500 in a single month, there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to reach $800, or $1000+ per month if I just keep at it. Keep at it Jena and never stop writing.
dragonblogger recently posted..SponsoredTweets Offers Pro Accounts
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
Justin, this is SO true. Having a personality and letting it shine through in your writing is the only way to get me to bookmark and come back to your blog. (I may not visit as often as I should, as it is – but if I’m bored and disengaged from day one, I’m NOT likely to come back at all.) I was just discussing the question of “how to increase traffic” with another blogger, and it seems to me that you can employ all the tricks in the world to increase traffic – you can have a million page views – but if those visitors don’t read, buy, or give a rat’s whiskers – if they’re not moved to ACT on your message in some way, even if it’s only to comment and join in the conversation, then all the “traffic” in the world can’t help you (much). Eventually, you’ll get bored and burnt out with your own blog, and it’ll get harder and harder to keep going. I swear, at that point, waiting tables looks like way more fun – not to mention the work may be easier, shorter hours, and better pay.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..7 Reasons Not to Enter the We Blog Better Guest Posting Contest
Twitter: dragonblogger
Right, don’t get me wrong there are times and places for doing reporting articles and some of my writers who do reports on technology news/gadgets don’t have a lot of personal opinion in them, but when I post I try to establish a connection with my audience. They know who dragon blogger is and what I stand for because I am all over the place. (or at least try to be).
You do have a great personality injected into your articles, witty, sarcastic but darn it many of your articles are so “women” targeted, it’s out of context for me to promote some of them for my tech blogging persona (doesn’t mesh with my target audience).
dragonblogger recently posted..Tips for Social Networking
Twitter: HollyJahangiri
Seriously? Other than the password-protected ones, which are “so women oriented”? (I’m going to have to go back and look, because I’m honestly baffled here. Most of my active commenters seem to be men; my last two posts have been about blogging; the last week’s have been about eyesight and friendship (not limited by gender, mind you), vocabulary and etymology, political opinion, ossuaries (famous boneyards – hardly a stereotypical “feminine” topi!!) – so I’m really curious what the heck you’re talking about!?
If they’re too girly for you, though, you could always promote them through your prolific poet persona.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..10 Twitter Tips
Twitter: dragonblogger
Completely my mistake Holly and I was completely obtuse here, I had not been on your site in too long and was basing it on the stuff that was being promoted in Facebook groups. I had been involved with many facebook groups lately where they request clicks/stumbles…etc and so much has been about lingerie, or woman oriented themes that I had just happened to just remember your profile from the groups (not that you promoted those articles) but my screwy brain just put the profile pic and those other types of click/tweet/like requests together. I am off to make it up to you. Really I am embarrassed and this is what I get for trying to rush through these groups and not paying enough attention to who is promoting what.
dragonblogger recently posted..Debating Blogging Tribes
Twitter: ptaylor98
Blogging is a public expression of thoughts and opinions, so it is very important to use your personality to with readers. Justin does this very well, both through his blogs and his poetry. Equally important, he shares honestly, for example, he publishes his blog earnings, which gives us an incentive. I hope I can bring this quality to my blogs and through my tweets.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for the kind words Phil, one of the reasons I have my entire personality (Poet, Tech Blogger…etc) into one profile is that I didn’t want to just have people see a generic blogger who talks about one thing on Twitter, I wanted variety and to follow me by nature is to see all the different passions and interests I am into. Niche is in, but I say you follow a blogger because of the person not necessarily the niche in many cases as well.
Definitely found the hardest part to be getting comments & engagement from blog readers. I’ve tried numerous writing styles, asking questions & various other strategies in an attempt to connect, but most has been unsuccessful.
One thing that has worked, however, is providing valuable info that others are seeking. Two of our latest posts are troubleshooting tutorials/solutions on fixing a hosting & YouTube problem, respectively. Users that encountered the same problems were kind of enough to let thank us via comments.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Yes, finding out other readers problems and writing articles that solve them is a sure fire way to get peoples appreciation and build fans. It is funny but I tried having a Facebook session where people can join and ask questions live, but it didn’t work out and I had nobody attend, I also tried several Twitter polls/surveys that were flops too so I know from experience how trying to be interactive and invite participation can leave you flat sometimes.
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Twitter: davelucas
Regarding your April 28, 2011 at 1:42 pm comment my friend: I guess “Dear Abby” has nothing to worry about!
LOL! Keep blogging, you are really fantastic Justin!
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks, and I have seen other bloggers have amazing success with live events, chats even ones that have smaller “networks” than me. I usually tried AD-HOC instead of promoting and building to the event days before hand which I should have done.
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I am beginning to share more of myself and my readership is soaring! It’s a challenge to me because I want to be a “here’s the facts” kind of writer! I’m learning though to let Martha shine through
Martha Giffen recently posted..Online Visibility — Are You a Secret Agent
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for sharing Martha, I agree when I first did informational articles I just wanted to present the features/facts about something, but realized that “My Spin” is why readers would read my site and not CNN or some other news site reporting on the same thing.
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Twitter: stellaanokam
I agree with you 100%, that “personality is what shines the most and causes you to be remembered in a readers mind”. My favorite blogs to date are the ones that blog beyond blogging, to connect with me ‘personally’ as though I have known them before. That’s the single factor that makes me stick with a blog.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for joining in the conversation Stella, I think this is also why bloggers building their social media presence and actually “talking” to people on Twitter, Facebook as well as engaging and interacting with others in groups or sites like BlogEngage is also essential to building a personal connection.
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Solid Advice. I have recently started trying to add more of myself into my posts and it seems to be resonating with my audience.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
That’s good to hear Bill, thanks for sharing your feedback.
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Hi, you raise some interesting points and I think the most important one is to be yourself, however, this seems to take a little time even for the most enthusiastic Blogger. A lot of people find it difficult to find a niche of their own and because of this, we do see a lot of similar content. I must confess to using a lot of inspiration from other, more established Bloggers, when I began about 6 months ago, but I now feel I have found my voice and the traffic I see and the positive comments I receive reflect that. Personality takes time to develop on a Blog and I think that’s what people really like, cold quotes and statistics aren’t the stuff of popular Blogs, that’s website content, right? Thanks for this post, I found it interesting, regards Peter
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Regurgitating statistics reported on a news site or bigger blog won’t make you popular, but your slant and how you present it may increase traffic and readership. All bloggers gain confidence in themselves as writers the more they write, this comes especially real when you finally gain a following you interacts with you regularly and shows you they want more. It took me almost 2 years to get my DragonBlogger site to where I wanted it to be as far as what it looked like and the type of articles it had regularly. I always knew what I wanted, but as it turned out there was no way I could get there without hiring additional writers.
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I started blogging last August to “journal” the planning of our first trip to Europe. The blog is “me” and my personality definitely shows through in my posts. I also want to convey feelings and sensations to my readers and they get my feelings and the ocassional chuckle as well.
I succeeded in my goal of the blog however, it is constantly evolving! And I think I nailed it last Wednesday when I “conveyed” to my readers I was going to London and attending the wedding of William and Kate as their guest. I really wasn’t but, they traveled with me on journey of my weekly Wanderlust Wednesday post.
I follow a deserve group of blogs and of course there are common themes. One blog inparticular is Blondeepisodes.com. I have to say it is one of my favorite blogs is becuase of how it is written and photos that accompany the post – its mainly a fashion blog. A blog that catches my attention after reading 1 or 2 articles has great photos (that typically grab my attention right away) and the content. And most importantly a great header, about me, and photo of the blogger.
I hope my comments are helpful!
Twitter: dragonblogger
I would totally become a travel blogger if I traveled often enough, I find your “wedding series” interesting as you weren’t actually a guest but gave the appearance with the series…clever. Thanks for joining in the conversation, I don’t think I ran across blondeepisodes, going to check it out soon.
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Twitter: zenkimchi
I want to elaborate on a comment you made, “I often tell people that the difference between blogging and journalism is that journalists report on the facts and are not supposed to inject any sort of opinion. Bloggers on the other hand are supposed to add the human element of opinions, thoughts and even engage in gathering readers opinions.”
I think the reality is a little different. Many journalists inject their opinion into their work, and pretend they don’t. People see through it and that is why many people don’t trust journalists. Bloggers, on the other hand, don’t pretend they are neutral (because true neutrality is impossible) and so have more credibility, even if the reader disagrees with the blogger on a particular point.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
I agree that reporters who read from a teleprompter what to say are far more likely to come across “neutral” when reporting a story than a journalist who does the research/facts and writes a 1500-3000 word article about a story. It is hard even when reporting only facts to not have some style of writing in the article. This is clearly why some newspapers and journalists clearly slant “democratic” or “republican” and get reputations as such. However, journalists are supposed to be bias free and opinion free or else should be more of an “editorial” not a news story. I know when I read a bloggers site, yes they may not be “professionally certified” but I am going to get an opinion. When I know a blogger, I want to know what they think on something. Thanks for pointing out that journalists don’t always come across as neutral.
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Twitter: sfihomebizz
Through my journey of blogging I have learnt that it is very essential to connect with your readers. I initially started blogging to write just about paid to click programs. In fact my first article is about a paid to click program. But after the first article I realized that this is not just what I am going to write on my blogs. Slowly I learnt and am still learning the broader aspects of making money online, affiliate marketing and blogging realizing what readers want to read.
I think one needs to develop a personality to understand your blog readers and understand their personality too. Yes, Justin I am a great fan of many great bloggers including you who have carved a great personality for themselves.
Good luck for the contest.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for the kind words, and I myself have reviewed a few pay to click programs. I made a decision to blog about my blogging journey on DragonBlogger even though I wanted it to primarily be a tech and entertainment blog, I wanted show what my own blogging challenges, goals, mistakes were to help others learn from them. I have an innate desire to share and help others, it is what makes me good at my job where I always put customers and users first.
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Quirks / Traits – I think writers are born quirky.
I think a remarkable writer is someone who can make the reader feel as though he knows you. I think that is something that sets blogging aside we really do become friends with our regular readers.
You engage your reader and you go out of your way to encourage; I a have appreciated that from the onset.
Best
Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you for the kind words, I enjoy sharing with readers and I enjoy helping them with whatever I happen to have some experience with. I believe people who have knowledge or experience with something should share it in some way. One of the most amazing things is the gratitude I see from new bloggers, or people when I retweet, promote or giveaway a free blog ad. It means a lot to them that I took the time, the fact that others consider me a “big” blogger I find amusing to, because I don’t consider myself anything more than a casual blogger who has enormous enthusiasm for it.
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Twitter: JohnAguiar
Justin you nailed it man.. As a blogger, the biggest job you have is to connect with your readers, and build that community.
I will even say it might be as or more important as great content. Great content alone wont do much, but decent content with a strong community around it will grow your blog much faster.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks John, appreciate the input. I always try to be “human” when I respond to commenters and readers and connect with them on more than simply an informational level. This is what all bloggers should do I think.
Justin Germino recently posted..Smart Cars- The Future Of Automated Driving
Twitter: JohnAguiar
You are right.. if bloggers want to succeed they need to bring themselves to their blogs and connect with people.
Sharing your posts is only the beginning.. you need to continue the convo on comments ands social media.
Twitter: weblogbetter
Hi Justin,
When I first started blogging and landed on Lisa Irby’s of 2createawebsite’s blog, I was instantly drawn in. She wrote in such a conversational style that it was easy to follow along. Plus, she kept it real about things, she didn’t try to sell me on anything and just seemed dedicated to delivering the truth. She instantly became my blogging role model.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
I just went over to Lisa’s site and became a fan immediately, I can see why you found this site so helpful it is a great resource.
Justin Germino recently posted..Will Xbox Kinect Work with Skype
Twitter: southrngurl6489
Hi, Justin.
Great points here. The sad thing it that it is so easy to tell who’s in this for the money only, and who has other thoughts and aspirations for their blogs. I keep coming and going, but I think I am slowly finding who I am in this arena, and can hardly wait to get my new iterations out there. Now to answer your questions….
-When you first started blogging what personality quirks and traits did you want to bring to your articles?
I really didn’t think about this at all, and am having a hard time with it now. I think it shows in the way I go from having personality to sounding too much like an automaton. This is totally on my working on it list!
-Did you succeed or change your writing style or personality traits along the way?
I am succeeding, but it’s taking a lot of work. I sometimes hate to put myself out there, because my full blown personality puts so many people off…one has to know me to figure out when I am being rude versus just being goofy. Hard to believe I know, but my goofing off involves tons of sarcasm and seems most just don’t get that.
-Are there any memorable bloggers or blogs you visited or first visited that left such an impression you became a fan after an article or two?
There are several. Dave Doolin of Web Site in A Weekend is one that comes to mind quickly. Then there is the usual shout out to Mr. Problogger, Darren Rowse. I am sure there were tons more, but my mind isn’t getting any names at the moment.
Jennifer recently posted..Who Else Wants To Be A Brilliant Blogger
Twitter: dragonblogger
I know Dave from the blogosphere and have collaborated him as well as helped him promote his website in a weekend eBook, he is a good guy and sincere in his desire to help other bloggers succeed. I agree with sarcasm being one of the hardest personality types to inject in blogging because it is hard to decipher meaning behind words and if there is sarcasm is involved, the written word doesn’t convey subtleties very well in many cases. There are plenty of good bloggers who speak their mind and even though come across brash built a loyal following for doing so. (Many do so with anonymous pen names too).
Thanks for sharing your insights.
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I agree about “pure personality”. That really is what separates most blogs from the rest. The only thing that can compete with pure personality is massive research to present information you just can’t get anywhere else. “Pure personality” is much easier for us lazy folks – although I try to always bring a unique perspective. But I leave the hours of research for others who have more patience than I.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
You are right about personality being a great edge when you don’t have more “research” or information than the next blog. Those who have ‘information’ or research and data that no other site has often become the ‘source’ for many articles, but some with a better means of presenting it to the audience gain more popularity even if not the original source of the information.
Justin Germino recently posted..Gain Exposure and Backlinks from Article Directories
Twitter: shadabiitr
Basically blogging is totally depend upon (TMS) Time Management System and (CMS) Content Management System. If you have no schedule for your work such as when you have to write, when you have to read, when you have to comments to forums, blogs,… then it can be very difficult to bring your blog to the next level.
Thank You draganBlogger for such a nice article!
Best Regards!
Mohammad Shadab
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Though this article doesn’t specifically address posting schedules and time management techniques you are absolutely right that you must set a schedule and adhere to it. Consistency is key and nothing loses repeat traffic like inconsistent posting schedule, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Justin Germino recently posted..Blog Publishers Review of PostLinks
Twitter: livefamilylife
I am always trying to learn something new and useful about blogging, that will help me to improve my writing. So, I believe we all should be prepared to change a little bit, if that can help us to improve our blog or ourselves. I have three blogs that I visit every day and I I simply love their posts. My list of favorite bloggers: Brankica Live Your Love blog, Steve Scott and Alex Whalley. I have learned so many things about blogging from them. So, they are my favorite.
I can tell you I like this post also. Great job.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thank you, I visit Live Your Love regularly though not every day, and I often run across Alex’s articles. They are all bloggers whose personality comes out in their writing. I think adaptation is key, you can’t start blogging without being prepared to adapt and change over time. In most cases it happens automatically without even thinking about it.
Justin Germino recently posted..Blog Publishers Review of PostLinks
Twitter: ptaylor98
Great post. After content, surely personality is the greatest attribute to keep readers coming back to a blog. Often, I will return to a blog because of the style or personality of the blogger, even if the topic is only of marginal interest. The same is true in real life.
Phil Taylor recently posted..Links updated
Twitter: dragonblogger
I find that to be true as well, especially if the provided a really good reply to my comment it will spark me to start new conversations and comments going forward.
Justin Germino recently posted..Don’t Know Enough About Blogging or WordPress Just Ask Kim
Twitter: indihow
Though I’ve never really been a part of a blogging community yet, despite being a member of several forums and networks, the one part of blogging I like most is helping out people in need. That is perhaps the only reason why I settled with How-to Technology Blogging, rather than MMO or IM. When some reader thanks me for a blog post, and tells me how desperate he/she was before reading it, I feel richer than ever without a single ad click.
Blogging is and always has been of a personal nature. Those who write only for money and/or search engines could be writers, not bloggers.
The most notable bloggers I’ve known and liked are Daniel Scocco, Justin Germino (:D) and Gabe Young. They not only write great content, but also add lots of personal touches to their posts.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for sharing Samir, and actually my own “helping others” mentality came out with my own blog. I knew all along I would document my journey as a blogger and share everything I tried to monetize my technology and entertainment blog. I figured I could share my mistakes and successes to help others save time and make informed decisions.
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Twitter: persianpoetess
Connectivity applies to any aspect of life. What dominates the internet for example is social media, because of its ability to connect like-minded individuals as well as personalities on opposite ends of the spectrum with each other. That is the magic of what bloggers like you do Justin. In this post you not only bring your personality to the forefront but stress how it is our own that will truly engage the readers the most. As strong a writer as you are Justin, I certainly do not want every blog I visit to be duplicate of Germino. Too many are making the mistake to clone the best and the brightest rather than reaching for such plateaus themselves. Keep going onwards and upwards Justin. I will try to go in the same direction…and even if I remain at ground level, I’ll stay on the tips of my toes then
.
Persian Poetess recently posted..End Times of Ignorance
Twitter: dragonblogger
I agree with needing varying opinions and perspectives from blogging personalities, some may be similar but getting variations in style are excellent. I am finding that nothing beats social media for the immediate interaction and conversation you get and blogging with any commenting system is still very “comment, wait for reply” oriented and hampers immediate conversations.
I predict we will see a more merge of the two where bloggers will post articles and have a period of time with real time communication with readers for like 1/2 hour after article goes live, then the “live session” closes and it becomes a normal comment/reply type of post. This is something I was curious about experimenting with in the future but can’t find anything to really engage it besides a Facebook comment integration system.
Justin Germino recently posted..Vipre Antivirus Software Giveaway
Twitter: ptaylor98
Having posted previously, I have been coming back to this page to read the comments. The flow of comments is itself proof of the need to have personality within a blog. Both you and your commentors display their personalities through the comment-and-reply process in this very article. The continually growing thread of comments (and your replies) is evidence itself of the truth of your article’s premise, and, not coincidentally, some of the comments themselves have attracted me to want to read their blogs. So, personality creates an ongoing interest, even beyond the topic itself. Thanks again for making me think.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
Thanks for coming back, and in truth I reply to all of my comments on all of my blogs and doing so for this contest article is just my normal habit. I enjoy two way conversation as I want to learn something from my commenters as well as try to help them learn something as well. Life is about gaining knowledge it is why people go online to read blogs in the first place.
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Hello Justin,
When I first blogged, I had wanted to let my readers know about the rich culture in my country. I had also wanted to share some unique stories that I know they may find interesting, like the headhunters in my native place.
As I stayed longer in blogging, I become more money-oriented and concentrated in making money online. Maybe it is because times are hard now and if you don’t work like h-ll, then you can’t put food on the table. LOL…
But I still have not forgotten about how much I love writing, though, in very rare moments, I go to my gewgaw blog. (http://gewgawwritings.blogspot.com) to write short [poems or whatever).
Interesting article Justin. Made me ponder. God bless.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
You give a great example of what blogging provides, when I first started blogging I had no idea there was such a plethora of Filipino bloggers and the amount of great folks I would run across. More personal blogs that shared their lives and family moments online. I have run across many bloggers from quite a number of country but to this day there is still a higher number of bloggers from the Philippines in my blogging network.
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Excellent article, Justin! I’m not blogging so much anymore – not because I don’t want to, I’m focusing on learning some new skills – but when I was I don’t recall reading an article that focused on what personality can add to your blog, and the connection between you and your readers.
When I read a blog, I’m either searching for information, or I want to be entertained. In either case, I want to FEEL something at the end. Either enlightened (a-HA!), amused, touched, or otherwise. One blog that hooked me on the first read was Zen Habits. There have been too many others to name.
In any case, wahoo for putting out yet another quality “out of the box” article!
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Twitter: dragonblogger
I have run across Zen Habits too and enjoy the blog, if you don’t mind me asking what skills are you learning now?
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My blog is not actually mine, it’s the corporate blog for the company I work for, Matomy Market. But since I built it and manage the content I feel like it’s mine.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that my observation is about what I read, and not what I write. As a reader, I connect the most with blogs that bring out the small things we have in common with each other and create a connection. From a marketing perspective (since I work in marketing that’s how I think) I guess you could call these things the microcniches, for example, women who like to wear hats, or are supporting a family member with cancer, or US expats living in Tel Aviv (that’s me). Because of these connections, reading and commenting on blogs has become almost like small talk in the real world. “Oh really? You don’t say? I read that book too and thought the same thing!”
Twitter: dragonblogger
What you touch on actually brings up a really good point that I may write another post about. When you are working on a corporate blog you need to assume the personality of the corporation and though you can have individual traits it is even more imperative you always align your context and even comment replies in a way that is amiable to the brand you are representing. With big companies involved with Social Media the same rules apply, I have seen and read of too many employee’s fired because they got involved in unsavory comments on SocialMeda when they were hired to be ‘voices’ for companies and applied too much “personality” without putting company interests first.
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