Friend Friday: Rules of Engagement

I can't believe it's already April. The months are surely flying by. Plus it's Friday which only means another edition of Friend Friday. 

This weeks question courtesy of Katy: 

Rules of Engagement  - A number of bloggers have reached out
to me recently about how to deal with Tweets, emails, DMs etc… from people who seem to be only pushing their own blog. It got me thinking – for a new blogger the rules of engagement with others in the blogging world is uncharted territory. We learn a lot about how to do it from trial and error. 

1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot? 

I think the best way is gain a rapport with a blogger you enjoy reading. Connect first through social media like Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and go from there. I was able to write my first guest post because the blogger I was following posted a tweet looking for Guest Bloggers. 

2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’? 

I used to be one of those commenters during my early blogging days but have since learned from it. One of the things you can do is actually read the content. I've read on other blogs where commenters will post a comment and it doesn't pertain to the bloggers post or ask a question that has already been answered.  I won't comment as much on the outfit anymore, but what the blogger was writing about.

3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd? 

I don't send mass emails to other bloggers. I much rather cultivate blogger relationships with those I regularly read.

4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line
between seeking support and begging for exposure?
I don't want to be a pushover blogger. I want them to be genuinely interested my blog because  they enjoy my content and not because of how popular it is. If I start getting bloggers like that, I would seriously question their motives. Sounds kinda harsh, but you need to keep your blogging integrity intact.

5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that? 

I think the one I made was following someone after they posted a comment. I would think, "they wrote a comment and if they see I follow them, then they'll follow me." It does not work that way and now I have a Reader where I only read 80% of the posted content. 

You can check out what fellow bloggers have to say about this here.