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Originally when I applied to write a guest post for Sverve, I just knew that when the time came I would be able to write a whiz bang article about my mastery of social media OR … even better … how we were able to more than double our readership, we are talking thousands and thousands, in just a matter of months. Both seem like great ideas, right? We are all looking for ways to grow and get ahead, bring on the bullet points!

As the deadline approached I started working through the article in my head. The first thing that I realized is that as far as social media is concerned, I haven’t “mastered” a single platform. Thanks to the constant evolution, I mean that in a good and bad way, I don’t think it is possible to really “master” it. Are there people that are good at performing certain functions? Sure … but mastery … eh, we all have our own opinions. I then thought about my possible second topic. I reflected on the 6 months that I allotted myself to double our readership and thought about the hours upon hours of work it took for me to accomplish the goal in just 3 months. There were a lot of shady exchanges, let me tell you! Okay, I kid, but there were nights when I would only sleep 2 hours because I just knew I was going to miss out on a giveaway or a way to pick up a new reader. Nobody needs to follow those footsteps, trust me. Double fail. *sigh* Does increasing our readership really make us better bloggers? Do numbers really represent us? In my opinion, no, it doesn’t.

I went back to the drawing board, reread the assignment, and decided that I was making this far too difficult and even worse, I was bypassing my roots. I’ve been blogging for a little over a year; I teamed up with a well-established blogger, hit the ground running, and taught myself the ropes. Let me note that I wasn’t able to get in with an established blogger because she felt bad for me and decided to take me under her wing; I was able to get in because of my ability to communicate. In my opinion, the yellow brick road to growth, the ladder to success, or our ability to become a better blogger all starts with community … communication. Would now be a good time to mention that I have a Bachelor’s in Communication? Hmmm, let’s move on.

In a little over a year I’ve had a great deal of interaction with readers, brands/organizations/sponsors, and other bloggers. We all work tirelessly to engage and please our readership and the companies that we work with. We put on a happy face, ramp up our ability to communicate, and sell, sell, sell ourselves and our product. That’s all good and well but, what about our interaction with each other; other bloggers? The blogging community isn’t any different than others; there is the good, bad, and ugly. Charitable vs. stingy, nice vs. mean, extroverted vs. introverted; the list goes on and on. The one thing that I have noticed is that the blogging community doesn’t tend to function as a community.

Disagree? Think about blogging and the group of people that you surround yourself with. Is your “social” group big or small? Do you talk to many people in-depth or is it more generic? Are you willing to lend a helping hand when others ask questions or need guidance? Are you willing to exchange contacts? Do you look at blogging as a competition? The questions could go on and on but you get the idea.

We all have goals that we would like to achieve and milestones that we are eager to reach, that is human nature. The question is, would it be easier to each these goals within a community? Would it be more rewarding to reach milestones if we had people to share our success with?

I’ve seen the blogging community come together as a family at the most devastating of times. Time and time again we have proven that together all goals are obtainable, impossible isn’t a word in our vocabulary, and “there ain’t no mountain high enough” … ahem, I digress. Wouldn’t it be great to come together as a blogging family, every day, to better ourselves, communicate, and grow?

Think of the possibilities …. They are endless.

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Heather is a Partner Blogger with Griffin’s Honey, a blog that focuses on everyday life, frugal living, reviews, recipes, and crafts. When she’s not working from home, she is busy playing with her 4-year-old, trying to grab a few minutes of quality time with her husband, reading, trying new recipes, or couponing. Catch up with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G+, and Instagram and be sure to say hi!

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{ 5 comments… add one }

  • Monica Platz June 10, 2014, 12:38 pm

    Heather you hit that nail smack dab on the head! Nice going!!!
    Monica Platz recently posted…Spice up your life with Chili Lab Spices!My Profile

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  • Portraits by NC June 10, 2014, 12:41 pm

    I have also seen the blogging community come together at times of need and find the power of like minded bloggers quite a force to be reckoned with. Congratulations on being featured!

    Reply
  • Jen June 10, 2014, 5:49 pm

    Heather is in one of the blogging groups I love on Facebook, because all the bloggers there are nice! Great article. I haven’t mastered a platform yet either. Facebook is my favorite even though I don’t have my highest numbers there. I love the interaction with the community that can only be found on Facebook!

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  • Senna June 10, 2014, 10:35 pm

    I agree with a lot of this! Number of readers doesn’t always mean quality. I feel like you answered a lot of the un spoken questions that occur with blogging.
    Senna recently posted…Review- e-circlelens.comMy Profile

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  • Bobbi June 11, 2014, 8:03 am

    Great article. I agree with communication. I’ve been blogging for about 7 months now, only live for 4 months (give or take). The best for me comes out when there is ongoing communication between us.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Bobbi recently posted…Teach Me Tuesday @3GLOL #7My Profile

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