How to Hug a Blogger - Part 1 of 3

To me, blogging is pretty normal. A lot of my friends blog to some degree. Most of my friends read lots of blogs. However, to others (like my dear mum), blogging is a strangely odd thing for someone to do. I have been dancing around blogging for only a year or so and still don't get some of the nuances involved. So - I thought I would write what I know (and have Googled) about blogging.


Firstly, what is Blogging? Blogging is essentially a weblog, like an online diary or journal. It can be about anything and anyone can have one. I use a program called 'Blogger' which makes it easier for me to feel as if I am a 'blogger'. Wordpress sounds too hard to me! (That is a bloggy joke - not a good one mind you). Google is the brains behind Blogger and Google helps to promote blogs through their search engines.


Blogging can be a lonely task. There are bloggers all over the planet sitting all alone writing blogs about everything from craft to business and everything else in between. Some bloggers find success and reach the giddy heights of samples and companies scrambling over themselves to sell their wares through their blogs. Others, strive silently along, tormenting friends and family for ideas, experiments and endless feedback, picking up followers in dribs and drabs.


One thing that all bloggers have in common - is that they love a bit of love. A bit of encouragement. A bit of a pat on the back. A bit of a hug. They like to know that they are not alone out there in the blogosphere. But how does one do this? How does one find and then follow the mysterious being that is 'The Blogger'. Here are some ways to 'Hug a Blogger'....

1. Sign up with 'Google Friend Connect' - this is the first step.  This simply involves an email address and a password. Google does not send you any junk mail, you shouldn't get spammed, you can sign out anytime you like etc. If a blog has a link like the 'Google Friend Connect' widget above, just click it and plug in your details. This then allows you to have a Google profile. This is simply, a picture of yourself and some details like; your favourite movie, favourite vegetable and perhaps your favourite colour. Be careful though, don't add your street address or your PIN numbers, this is the internet after all!
2. Then, when you come across a blog you like - you can 'follow' it. What this means is that you can have a cute little picture of yourself somewhere on the side bar of the blog and you are considered one of the faithful. Look out for the little 'Google Friend Connect' widget on blogs you like and simply 'Click' it and 'BoomBa' - you are a follower of that blog!
3. Once you have become a 'follower' - the blogger will feel warm and fuzzy on the inside and will know that some success is being made in the world of blogging. The amount of followers a blogger has is a good indicator of a blog's success. However, numbers aren't everything (I say this as a new friend of mine has more followers than I do, I just don't want to admit my utter jealousy of her popularity - that is too uncool)it is the quality of writing and development of a writer's style that counts.
4. Finally, the best way to Hug a Blogger is by leaving comments. This shows you have read the post, thought about it and felt compelled to comment on it. This can start some fabulous dialogues between readers and it is all terribly exciting! Please note: bloggers do not really appreciate being sworn at, verbally abused, being corrected on punctuation and/or grammar (save that for the inbox) or being told that they are mean, nasty, smelly, ugly, dumb etc. So keep things positive and/or constructive.

Being a 'follower' does not mean you will automatically get any notification that a new blog post is posted. To get blogs in your inbox is another matter, I will explain this in the next exciting instalment of.... How To Hug A Blogger - Part 2 - which I will post tomorrow night...


So.... would you like to Hug a Blogger right now? Really? Well, click the 'Google Friend Connect' Widget above right and go right ahead!