My goal for 2009 is to increase the traffic at my blog. Like you I need to first figure out why  the traffic has not grown substantially in several years. While I have people who subscribe to my blog, I don't know how to communicate to them to see if I should be shifting the focus of the blog to provide information that is more desireable.

 While I have readers, I don't believe I have a community of readers -- I believe to succeed as a blogger you need that  community. I welcome any thoughts on how to do that. I also welcome any feedback that people want to offer on my blog:FunnyBusiness

 Really looking forward to the series. It should be great fun.

Speak up people, speak up, who can resist such a request.

How do people get a BlogHer thing on their blog and what does it mean? 

Do links to your blog increase traffic?
If yes how do you do that and what links are you going for?

I do want to have my blog posts go viral as my blog promotes my 'education for women' site. But how do you do that?

Is google ranking really so important?

How does a site like this earn its keep when we don't pay anything?

How do you get people to comment on your blog and does the amount of comments relate to the popularity of your blog?

How do certain blogs like Zen Habits.net and pro blogger become so popular? Have the writers done certain things we all can do if we only knew how and what?

How do you insert photos into the posts here on BlogHer?

That is it for now and thank you so much for asking us to ask questions. 

Wilma Ham

www.wilmasblog.com

Keep those questions coming. The more the better.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

I have two things related to blogging that have been on my mind lately, one is about the revenue side of things.  Not how to earn revenue, but how to keep track of it and treat it responsibly and report it to the IRS, etc. - the nuts and bolts of turning my blog (and myself, I guess!) into a small business or a type of self-employment.  Does that make sense?

The other giant topic on mind is that I am thinking of launching a new blog by the end of the year.  I started my current blog last year almost on a whim - figured I'd try blogging and see if I liked it, set up a free Blogger blog and dove in.  Turns out I really enjoy it, but want to put more thought and planning into my next blog.  I'd love to see a step-by-step guide on how to create a blog from the ground up, how to think strategically about it and plan it, what types of questions I should be asking myself as I put it together, that sort of thing. 

Thanks!

--Liz

I blog about creating a life worth living at:  inventingmylife.blogspot.com

I'm a newbie blogger and I really have NO idea about any of it. Thus far I've just been kind of winging it. A lot of the second part of Liz's question would be stuff I would LOVE to read about, so certainly that stuff.

I think I basically just need a 'from-the-ground-up' tutorial, kind of the basics of blogging. Any good places to draw inspiration? How to write shorter, yet more effiecient posts that get the point across? When to make the decision to go bigger? 

I'm pretty sure that ANY information that is put out will be incredibly useful for someone as new to this as I am. I will CERTAINLY be looking forward to this series. 

ideas, everyone. Keep them coming. :)

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

I've started blogs before, but have always had difficulty keeping them up.  Until now.  I found a topic that I'm passionate about that for some reason or other, other people are interested in.

I get great comments, when I actually get them...

But I'm afraid of running out of something to say at some point.  And my blog topic is pretty focused (life in poverty) so if I manage to succeed in the goal of the blog (getting out of poverty) there goes that topic...  Though I'm sure I can continue writing about it having lived 30 years in it.

Anyway, I'd love to know how to get more readers.  People coming back regular, who comment, subscribe to the feeds, etc.

And of course, finding some way to monetize, without seeming commercial.

I would love tips on being a better writer.  What to edit and how not to over edit.  

~Susan

http://lilmomthatcould.com/

speaking up with goals and questions. Keep them coming–they are all great topics for the series.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

I would like to know how others feel about personal blogging. I'm constantly struggling between blogging about my day-to-day life since that's what's on my mind and trying to be funny, witty, or relevant to a specific topic. Is it common to have separate blogs for different interests and areas of one's life? 

Rochelle | Nine*Poems Blog | Twitter

 I'm interesting in learning some blog time managment tips and tricks, especally for those bloggers who have more than one blog. How to manage writing/posting, marketing your blog, reading other blogs, participating in social media, and your offline life?  

Condo Blues http://condo-blues.blogspot.com/, Capessa green contributer - Sustainable Syle http://www.capessa.com/members/groupabout.aspx?g=244245

I'm so bad at following through with my blogging goals, I'm afraid to set any but... I really need to, for a bunch of reasons. So... here they are:

1) I must get back to blogging on BlogHer regularly. As an editor AND as a plain ole member.

2) I must blog more than 2 lines about each book I read. Could Flamingo House get any more boring than it is now?

3) I MUST blog fun stuff about living in Chicago on my Chicago blog. I will NOT let it die a horrible death like the last "for fun" blog I started.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Main questions

How to get people commenting?
What sort of things get more site traffic? (pictures, lists, Ideas, ect) what works best.
How to find more bloggers like you? The 20 something single bloggers are rampant the I'm 13 and want to blog kids are all over. Where do we fit in? (the young college students)
How to get people to come out of the wood work. We know people come to our site but its tricky to track them down.

http://twocrazygirls.wordpress.com

I'm a library addict who has checked out every known book on blogging, but there are still more hurdles for me to cross and I welcome more information on the subject. 

1. Mostly, I worry about how to make the move to hosting my own blog. I would like to have an original template for my blog - and buttons and logos - and I know I have to hire a designer to do that because I don't have enough knowledge myself. But will the move to a user-hosted site be too difficult and expensive for me? I've already tried and failed at this once. I worry about losing all little tinkerings that I've worked so hard on.

2. I read by the author of problogger.com (in his self-titled book) that it is prudent to write a month's worth of posts before launching one's blog! I certainly didn't do that! I wonder if I can still build a readership? What I have learned is that I needed to broaden my topic to have enough to write about. I found the knitting blog genre too confining for me, but I find home life and marriage interesting enough topics that I feel I will never run out of things to say.

3. I'm interested in learning more about how successful bloggers manage their time and motivate themselves. I know that many people challenge themselves to post every single day, but when do they write and how long do they spend on it? I'm one of those who believes a post looks best with a photo, and that belief is often a hinderance to me posting every day.

4. I really want to know how to network better! I know that's the point of BlogHer, so I'm excited that my blog is finally listed here, but I would love to work on a joint blog with other people and don't know how to meet those like minded individuals.

5. I'm happy the Mommy Blogger genre has been so successful - and I know that I too will be one someday -  but can I still be a successful women blogger without being a Mommy?! 

I look forward to reading this series! 

 ~Jessielme

The Joyful Housewife

The Shaggy Dog Story

I Want to Be a Sign Language Interpreter

Thanks for all these great comments. Patterns are emerging that will help us organize the goals and questions in ways that can be addressed. Keep 'em coming.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

I am a newbie to the blog world all together..

 There are a couple blogs that I followed that majority of 2008 and have inspired me to start my own blog.  Like others have said, I don't have any idea where to begin.  I would like mine to be about 80% food blog/20% personal life... if that makes sense.

 Looking forward to the 12 week series!  This is exactly what I was hoping to come across!

KPDWife

I definitely could use some help on tools as the things that I would like to do always seem to be a pain to complete.

I also am looking for tips on how to increase readership.  I don't intend to make money off of my blog, but am writing a book so would like to have some built in readers/buyers once it is published. 

Tracy

http://tracy-breastcancerandme.blogspot.com/

1. Consistency.  I haven't been posting reliably for a couple months now.
2. Better photos.  I have a food blog, so that's critical.

I think I have a recipe for that...

 But there's other stuff too - making connections with other bloggers, through linking to their content and just plain communication.  I find that makes a big difference.

gagasisterhood.com
Where grandmas bond, brag, and benefit

I started my first blog last summer. I'm passionate about sharing creative ways for grandmothers to bond with their grandchildren and that's the content of my blog.

I wrote my first post for Blogher on Jan 2 so I'm really a newbie and am just learning my way around. Your series sounds like something I could use. Where would I find it when it comes out?

I would like some feedback from bloggers about the look and content of my blog. So far it's mostly been family and friends who've read it.

In Sisterhood,

Donne

how do you build a following?  I have my blogs listed in my email signatures and I post the links on networking sites.  What are other ways to get people interested in your blog and what you are saying.

 www.sophisticatedladyofstyle.com

Nique