Basically, blogging communities are sort of online social networks for bloggers to interact and engage in discussions with other bloggers. Blogging communities can be formed on any specific topic, which is broadly known by bloggers of that topic. However, it depends on the blog owner of what community they would like to have. Because these communities allow people to discuss any type of blog topics, you will get lots of different kinds of people coming to your blog and participate in discussions. People who are interested in blogging and participating and exchanging views on blog topics are the ones you should target for your blog community.
In a blogging community, you will be able to find numerous types of people. Basically, these blogging communities are similar to social networking communities where you can meet, socialize and exchange ideas and opinions with other blog members. Because bloggers are all real bloggers themselves, they can share ideas and thoughts with others. Here, everyone is free to express their own opinions and personal experiences in a safe environment without any fear of being labeled as a spammer.
The first step for creating blogging communities is to ask as many individuals as possible if they are interested in participating. It is important to keep in mind that even though the topics are similar, the discussion itself should be different enough so as to attract new and different people. For example, if most bloggers are interested in health care, a blogging community for this topic may not be as active as a health care community for technology. You need to know what kind of conversations you are expecting to have.
After deciding on the topic to discuss, then you need to select several individuals who might be interested in joining the community. Usually, the more active the blogger, the better chance there is of getting them into the blogging community. Try to match their interests so that when they do participate, they will feel like part of the group and not like they are merely posting for their own gain. If you don’t know anyone who is part of a blogging community, you can search for them on Google or Yahoo! to see if there are any online forums where they belong.
Once you have several interested bloggers in your team, try to get them involved in writing up a few articles so that they can be posted onto the blogs. By having the writers write up articles, it allows the other bloggers to comment or engage with their fellow colleagues. This way, it creates a bridge between the bloggers and readers alike. Not only does engaging with readers help the bloggers improve their craft, but it also helps readers understand things better as well. It creates an atmosphere that is friendly and comfortable.
Another benefit of blogging as a social media tool is that it can help to build relationships with your readers. Since these readers typically love to share opinions, you will find that it makes your job as a writer much easier. You can also encourage your readers to post comments about your blog or articles. When you can have a healthy interaction with your readers, you are more likely to build a large number of readers that you can market to via social media outlets. In the end, blogging can provide a means of meeting new people and forming friendships. It is even possible to meet your future customers through online communities!
