Are us bloggers tucked away in a corner?

[crapteacher]

OK - a moan. I'm one of the Mumsnet Bloggers - www.crapteacher.wordpress.com/ - and I'm just not getting a good readership throught Mumsnet. I get a lot of readers from elsewhere so know people like my stuff - and when someone mentioned my blog in another area of Mumsnet, the hits went through the roof. But I'm not allowed to mention by blog anywhere else but here, which is in the same place that everyone else wants to promote THEIR blog so won't really be interested in reading mine.

Sounds a little selfish I know - but any way around it?

crapteacher :)

I tend to find that the only acceptable place to pimp your blog out is on other blogging networks which sort of defeats the object but does go someway to prove a point that not everyone "gets" blogging.

If you find a way round it, let me know please as I'm turning in vicious circles here ;)

Just read your post and you said you're not allowed to mention your blog anywhere else but here on the bloggers forum? really? I didn't realise that I've broken the rule tons of times mentioning mine in mental health where I think it might help someone, I had no idea I wasn't supposed to do that!

Lots of people do mention their blogs, though. Arts and Crafts topic especially. I didn't know it wasn't allowed.

Will have a peek at yours now.

Oops, I'm not signed in under my bloggers username, but I agree with you most definitely. A recipe of mine was mentioned in Chat once and the referrals from MN were very high that day.

I do actually agree. I get a few hits from the regular blog chat thread but not much that I can see comes via the blog network otherwise. I occasionally post my blog in arts & craft which I think is considered more acceptable & then get a massive spike. I understand MN doesn't want the place spammed by bloggers, but I'm not sure how well the blog network is doing it's 'job'.

I agree the blog network doesn't drive a huge amount of traffic - I view it more as a way of finding blogs I like than a way of driving traffic (I get more traffic from Twitter and get about as much traffic from Netmums despite doing nothing but joining their network, ie never contributed to that forum). I did get a spike from Chat when Mme Lindor linked to the Ailidh blog hop post I did recently but that's a one-off.

I'd say the one way is to be an engaged member of MN in whatever topic interests you/suits your blog. Eg Dilly mentioning her blog in the arts & crafts topic is appropriate because she's a crafty type who posts there anyway...or strawberry mentioning a blog post in MH that may be relevant to a thead or poster is appropriate as it helps or provides advice/experience/insight which is part of the MN culture and part of why people join in the first place.

Another advantage of regular interaction with MN as a whole is that you can then start to follow/be followed back by MNetters on twitter, which can help drive traffic.

Crapteacher I never "seen" you outside of the bloggers' forum, so have no idea if you have a separate MN identity (I do, as I want to keep my "real" MN identity separate from my blogging one for various reasons, including that RL people who know about my blog would then know my MN name too). You don't have a profile page - you could set one up that has a link to your blog, which may encourage people outside of the bloggers' forum to click through to your blog (this could just be me - I love seeing people's profiles!). You also don't seem to have a badge on your site, which I think means your posts then don't appear in the automatic feed on the main blog page (I get a fair bit of traffic via this bit of the network).

Or you could decide that you'll invest your energy away from MN by focusing on Twitter and building links with blogs/bloggers that you like to get traffic/regular readership that way eg blog hops, weekly themes, carnivals etc

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the feedback, and I'm sorry to hear some aspects aren't working for you . I want to clarify a few things about the network, so you've got a better sense of our aims, which might cheer you up a bit.

As you suggest, we ask our bloggers to share their work in our forum so we don't overload the rest of Talk. That said, we regularly share your posts across Mumsnet, in a slot on the homepage, the newsletter and through a Featured Bloggers box on lots of pages. We want to spread the word about you to the whole of MN, plus the blogosphere, so we also get you out and about on Facebook and Twitter.

We feature every single post on our network homepage, and a wide variety of bloggers on our homepage carousel, including new voices. lowimpactmama's right that we ask members to wear the badge to become a featured blogger - which seems a fair exchange for the eyeballs.

Ultimately, though, we want to build a network of supportive and entrepreneurial bloggers, so our main aim is to give you the friends and tools to do that, rather than acting as a one-way traffic funnel. We want to build a community and a conversation that nurtures new voices and respects individual bloggers' autonomy. So I think it's great if you can work with us and for yourself to build your audience.

I hope that makes sense.

Elinor

Oh I didn't realise we weren't meant to mention it elsewhere either, I think I might have on SN (although obviously post mainly about other stuff).

As I understand it, it is not a total no no to link to your blog, if it is relevant to the discussion but it is obvious that MNHQ don't want the boards spammed with blog links.

I have found that I rarely link to blog as often someone else will do it for me - not because I have asked them to buy because it is relevant to the thread. This is often one of my twitter 'friends' so the networking you do is going to help.

Connecting with other bloggers means that they are likely to pass your blog on, either on MN, on their blog or on twitter.

People come to MN to chat, find information, gossip, pick-up news etc, they don't come to read blogs. If they wanted blogs, they would go directly to blogs....

MN is a community- it isn't here to serve bloggers, it's here to support parents. Most MNers are keen to hear what other MNers think... but you aren't a MNer, you're a blogger. It's very hard to encapsulate what it is MNers get from MN, but I haven't yet come across many bloggers that 'get' it- the only ones that do were MNers first, bloggers later. Tbh, not many men 'get' us either- that's not being sexist, I'm just an observation after being here for a very long time. I think many MNers relish a female-driven space to converse in in all honesty.

FWIW I have read your blog, but not via MN, I got a tip-off elsewhere (prob twitter tbh, can't remember).

Yes, agree with that, Swanker.

I am very wary of posting links to my blog on MN because not everyone likes blogs and would be happy seeing links to them all over MN. And I would be pissed off if someone, right in the middle of a discussion would suddenly say, "I agree with you, and I wrote about this on my blog here".

Sometimes I feel like doing this, because I have perhaps written about that topic on my blog and it is a) easier and b) would bring traffic to the blog, but it is not fair on those who just want a discussion on that day, and not an essay from someone who thinks they know it all.

MN is a dialogue. Blogging is primarily a monologue.

Yes, you can comment on a blog and it can be more than just a monologue, but it is very different to MN.

Oh well I have bugger all idea bout blogging, have been a mumsnetter for ten years (bloody hell) and am mainly blogging as a thank you to a mystery mumsnetter so it sounds as if the occasional relevant mention (mainly as a way to let people know about surfing for those with severe disabilities) is fine. Will stop stressing about it then!

I have to say I think we bloggers ourselves should be supporting each other more. At the beginning of the 'sharing' new post threads there was great camaraderie. But lately it just seems to be link your post and go! Which I have been guilty of at times too. I know we can't possibly visit every blog but I do try to comment on as many as I can or at least have a read of the post. I don't think I'm having any traffic at all from this common bloggers thread.

You are right, QM

I am guilty of this ATM, but will hopefully soon have more time to chat more

I agree QM, I said a few times on that thread that we should make an effort to chat and interact. Maybe we need to separate the threads out so that one is for just postings your latest posts (which I like as it is a way of keeping up with people) and another which is for actual chatting, advice and interaction. We had a nice little thing going on. Not that I want to be all quichey, but the point wasn't to post an run, and lots of people do that.

I too am a regular mumsnetter (in another name) I'm just a mumsnetter who blogs rather than a blogger who joined mumsnet. In fact, to it's credit, it was mumsnet that gave me the impetus to start a blog in the first place.

I started an actual chat thread here

Some very interesting comments here. I have to hold my hands up and say that I have come to MN primarily to push my blog. But sometimes you are made to feel like you're trying to shove something down someones throat (oo-er!) or that you're peddling your wares. I'm not being paid anything for what I do - I enjoy writing, and I'd like others to have the opportunity to read it - IF THEY WANT. There's no compulsion for anyone to click on the link, as there isn't for me to feel I have to 'pay back' by contrubuting to chat.

I think the initial point I made about hiding bloggers away is a valid one though and hasn't realy been addressed by MN!

Ah crapteacher you're an attention whore! We all are

But you have to remember Mn is primarily a chat forum & the key is interaction.

There's your problem then- MNers hate to have things 'pushed' to them. Hate it.

That's why they're not reading peoples' blogs.