What advice would you give other bloggers about getting their blog noticed and talked about in general?

Posted by Fan from DC on 02/09/09 at 02:40 AM ET

My advice would be to start out by making sure you’re doing what you’re passionate about in a way you can stay passionate about. Hockey, the NHL, and the Sens are my passions, and I’ve come to a week-day-ily format with breaking news updates and interest pieces that fits what I want to say, without going overboard. If you’re grasping at straws, you won’t be able to put forth your best works, hence why I don’t comment on all but the most publicized rumours, rather than to monger them.

I honestly have no idea how I wound up here, alongside men and women who’ve done this far longer than I while receiving actual paycheques for it. I just wrote to write, and somehow it worked for me. I’ve gotten to the point of being noticed, but not really talked about, but I avoid focusing too much on that, lest it negatively affect my work, as well as my general sentiments in life.

What would be a good idea is to get involved in the community. If you’re a fan of a particular NHL team and want to blog about them, find the big sites that do discuss them, and start posting comments, getting involved in the discussion, and do so without being self-promoting; people have found me just from popping ‘senshobo’, seen on a message board, into a search engine.

I really am no expert, but just do what you love the way you love to do it, don’t compromise on who or how you want to be, and in time you’ll find your way to a place in the blogosphere where you can feel right at home.

Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 02/09/09 at 10:07 AM ET

I think to get an even bigger audience to your blog that you should cross-report stories related to your passions.  For instance, you can talk about how Carrie Underwood is engaged to Mike Fisher.  Not only will you get people who are Senator Fans to your blog, but also a more diverse group of people who are interested in Carrie Underworld.  Though a bit of synergy, you can build an audience that you may interest in the NHL because of one thing they had in common with another facet of popular society.

Posted by Kymaro from New Jersey, USA on 02/16/10 at 10:44 AM ET

I think SENShobo nailed it when he said you need to be passionate about what you write about.  After that there are elements of longevity and consistency. 

I’ve seen quite a few bloggers toil for years.  Maybe 10, 50, or 100 readers but they passionately write every day.  Many times after year 2, 3, 4, or even 5 the author either hits a sweet zone with his audience and his own writing style, or if he/she was providing information simply provided good info for long enough that they started being trusted.

I’ve run my fantasy hockey site at http://www.schoolyourpool.com for almost a year and a half now.  It is an uphill battle but I’ve learned so much along the way and it appears as though we are starting to see an upswing.

I used to have a career in sales, and if you’re familiar with the “hockey stick” graph…where you talk about the growth of something being very flat for a long time and then *wham* it goes straight up…I believe for myself if I’m lucky and if I can find my own sweet zone (which is a work in progress) and that I will find that success.

I’m prepared for it to take another 3 or 4 years but hey…I absolutely LOVE writing about hockey.  So if no-one notices., oh well.

Posted by Fantasy Hockey on 03/04/10 at 11:21 PM ET