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2006 Reader Survey Results - BlogAds

I ran across a study on this website, but it was from 2005, and I thought maybe that was a little bit too old to share with you. I did do a search of this site, and I was able to find one a little bit more recent. I will continue to look and see if I can find something more recent somewhere else.

Although there are millions of blogs on the internet, many of those are personal. Many small business owners are reluctant to start a blog because they hate to write, or feel that blogging is too time consuming, or that no one will read his/her blog anyway because only teenagers read blogs.

As you can see from this survey, nothing could be further from the truth. One thing I do know for sure is that blogs can be very influential, and they’ve been extremely influential in politics.

Let me make something clear here though: As Jason Cain of Gold Blogger has said before, bloggers aren’t journalists. It isn’t their jobs to report the news. A blog is about giving your unique opinion. It’s one of the reasons that blogs are so highly effective in business, politics, and a lot of other areas in life.

If you can persuade others, you can build a large following of readers to your blog.

For those that have known me for any length of time and have read my writing, you also know that advocate blogs as a public relations tool.

It’s an excellent way to promote your business and connect with your customers, especially if you are trying to connect with your readers and really help them. Although for some, the writing may not be appealing, I believe that if you know enough about your topic, and you like talking about it, then you can write a blog post. It’s one of the easiest ways to build a website, as well as build credibility online.

I admit that I came out of a Journalism background. Writing is like breathing for me, and so it’s very easy for me to want to do this. However, if you’re really serious about building your business, having a blog is an easy way to do it.

Here are some tips for writing your blog:

1. Remember, you’re giving your opinion on something. Everyone has an opinion on something. Everyone is knowledgeable about something. By sharing your opinions, as well as your knowledge, you can really help someone.

2. You don’t have to be a great writer to write a blog. Write the way you speak. That’s easier to do. One thing I absolutely cannot stand online is a blogger who is condescending to his/her readers. Narcissistic bloggers drive me nuts. Let your personality and your knowledge shine through, but don’t treat your readers with contempt.

3. Encourage questions. A blog is a dialogue. Not a monologue. Start a dialogue with your readers. Talk to them and get them to talk to you. I encourage each and everyone of you to ask me questions. Fore me to have a blog, it’s an easy way for you to ask me a question without having to sign up for my help desk, or give me your email for a list.

There is no such thing as a dumb question, only the ones you don’t ask. If you want to know something, you can bet there are thousands, possibly millions of others out there that want to know the same thing you do.

4. Be yourself. Each one of you is different, each one is unique, and each of you has something to contribute! Join the conversation by commenting on other blogs, trackbacking to other blogs, and getting involved with the conversation.

I want to make it easier on all of you, and some of the most valuable information you can have is information on who your market is and how you can reach them. I’ll be sharing more on this as we go along.

Your comments are encouraged, and I’ll even give you some free publicity.