How to draw more traffic to your Blog

Once upon a time, there was a huge bunch of people who started blogging because they each had a story to tell, found it an ideal creative outlet & on the nobler level, found it a great platform to serve society (h’mmm) by sharing their knowledge & experiences.

To that end it served its purpose.

Gradually as with all things human, those people started getting greedy. (And I was never one of those people)

They started asking themselves, “Heck, is it really true, that I’m the only one who’s reading, mentally liking, mentally commenting (read applauding) this brilliant piece of mine? Where’s everybody else????” (Greed hath no limits, how depraved could they be?)

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If we are honest we will admit that after submitting that fantastic piece on our trip to Europe or Antarctica or wherever , we thought that  anyone with a quart pound o sense would have bookmarked our blog, considered himself/herself lucky for this priceless pearl we shared at no cost & that they would have made it a priority to follow our blog.

We imagine the profuse thanks, likes, comments & subscribers flowing in. Yes hope never disappoints. It is profuse for sure, just in the world of our own imagination. We come back to reality with a thud when we get that  1 Like + that short comment, which almost did not make it through.

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So here are some tips to drive traffic to your Blog –

1.Titles

Write blog posts with titles such as this – okay poor joke.

Jokes apart, captivating titles bring people in, but remember it’s the value of the content that make people return. The equivalent of judging the book by its cover  is a blog post with a great title & not much value.

2. Content

I follow blogs which have valuable content. Some blogs have great names but it’s the content which makes me want to follow.

3.Variety

I personally find blogs which cover a variety of topics a whole lot more interesting than those confined to the straight & narrow path of a singular theme.

Variety is the spice of life & all that jazz. A modicum of truth in there.

4. Sample

Get a page upfront with your favourite posts or photo blogs for people to sample. This is the era of the discerning follower.

5. Social Presence

Create a digital or social presence. You represent your blog so you need to socialise your blog by making it visible.

If you want more hits on your blog you better be out there hitting other blogs – be it liking, commenting, following or re-blogging.

It’s interesting, but the traffic to your blog could be almost directly proportional to your presence & participation in other blogs!

Yes, getting traffic is hard work.

Interestingly there are two types of people –

1. those who will visit your blog anyway because they derive value

2. those who will visit your blog based on whether you visit theirs with the same frequency

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It was called social networking with a purpose.

The socially oblivious will get by. But it’s the well & truly socially networked that will have great success.

So where do you start?

1. Hit Like – on good posts you’ve read

2. Hit Comments – & write something meaningful

3. Hit Follow – the chances of people visiting your blog are increased with your own social presence by following theirs!

4. Hit Reply – when someone responds to your post

5. Hit Publish – once you have a photo submission ready for the Weekly Photo Challenge or any other contest aimed at helping you increase visibility

As you can see, it’s in the Hit, Hit, Hit that your blog will be a HIT.

Another priceless pearl with a profuse response…I’d imagine.

What does your Family think about your Blog?

Samples of conversations with family members after I started blogging. I will not delve  into those instances when I had to get them  to view my Blog at my insistence or at least read a  post completely (as in c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y, as in ensuring I don’t get the i-get-the-drift-but-too-much-to-read reaction).

As early entrant –

Me – Guess what, I got 200 views on my Blog so far, isn’t that cool?

Brother – You only must have clicked it so many times.

Me – Hahaha (albeit dryly as enthusiasm wanes)

As progressive blogger –

I discover my Mother has become hooked onto visiting a Blog regularly. Just that it’s not mine.

Me – It’s unfair. You only read Amitabh Bachchan’s Blog all the time – not mine.

Mother – I also read yours (albeit guiltily)

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Which makes me conclude that everyone can write about how to drive traffic to your Blog … but I’ll have you know that driving your own family to visit your Blog is pretty damn hard.

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Jesus said “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

I agreed & said – Amen.

Are you a Souveniristic Tourist? Take the test to find out.

                                                                 

Take this quick test to assess just how much of a  souvenir freak you are & if there is any hope left to become normal.

1. Do you collect  magnets of every hill & dale you visit in each country? Yes/No  

 2. Do you collect souvenir spoons as a keepsake of countries you visit?  Yes/No

 3. Do you buy postcards to send friends & family but…like it way too much & keep it for yourself ?  Yes/No

 4. Do you collect foreign coins & postage stamps from every place &  have a neat pile up you know not where to  keep?  Yes/No

 5. Do you bring back a slice of sunshine via a photograph, or a bottle of  sand, or collect shells & pebbles that have that amazzzzing shade you won’t find elsewhere?  Yes/No

 6. Have other people seen your ailment & started bringing back magnets & spoons as gifts for you from their travels?  Yes/No

7. As you flip through books do you discover old tram, train, subway, concert tickets from Godknowswhere that serve as bookmarks? Yes/No

8. Do you preserve museum flyers, local maps as a token of sentiment? Yes/No  

9. Do you have a pile up of mementos of every shape, colour & imagination? Yes/No         

             

10. Do you write blog posts about souvenirs? Yes/No                                                       

 

 

 

Score
Upto 3 Yes  –  You are a happily balanced tourist
Upto 6 Yes  –  You are a tourist tugging away from the rope of normalcy that is trying to detain you
Upto 8 Yes  –  You are a tourist who has broken free from the rope. In  other words you are on the border of souveniritis
All 10 Yes    –  You are a tourist with a case of extreme souveniritis-outta-balancia. Get well soon!

     

A New Age Menace Called Return ‘Great’ Gifts

Growing up, I don’t recall receiving very many return gifts after attending birthday parties of friends or kids in the neighbourhood. Even if there was the remote possibility of it having been there, it would have been something rather simple I’m sure…like pencils & erasers at the most. Sigh! Neither did we give those kids who attended our birthday parties any return gifts. Poor souls.

I remember one’s birthday was ‘the day’ waited for with great excitement – it was all about new clothes, the cake, balloons, friends & family who would drop in for the party & of course the rapturous vision of an awesome pile up of gifts. Looking back, it was also a lot less complicated then.

Today, I watch & hear about parents who go nuts as they try to organise ultra magical birthday parties for their kids, each trying to outbeat the parents of  other kids. I wonder who’s suffering from peer pressure…appears not just kids but parents too! With theme parties & event managers called in to make sure that 1 year old Meena’s birthday is grand & a riot (Meena incidentally would rather just go to sleep) – the parents are at their wit’s end trying to figure out how to make it different & what  the appropriate aka great return gifts should be. I would not be off the mark in saying that the motivation for many children to attend birthday parties is simply the excitement of collecting their  return gift! Kids will endure the party if they have to, knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that it is well worth the wait. [Parents – it had better be well worth the wait…]

The next time you plan a birthday party for your kids you may want to consider some of these options instead of the Barbie, Ben 10, doll house or cricket set circuit.  These are some of   my best picks for return gifts, they are eco-friendly  too! So go ahead & give this a shot –

1. An earthen diya on which they paint their names

2. A handmade paper bookmark with the message “I love reading. No space for more toys”

3. After the birthday party, hand brats back to their Parents with  “Here’s our return gift to you – your child” added in smoothly.  

4. Or try giving kids a map of the locality so they return home safe.

5. A nice colourful poster for their room “This munchkin (or teenager) does not accept return gifts.”

Risk – kids who receive the above mentioned return gifts may return no more to your home forget your parties. In fact they may choose to ‘unfriend’ (another blasted new age word)  themselves with your kids! On second thoughts, maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all…

 

M-L-M be gone!

It’s called Multi Level Marketing. And quite rightly so.

What it means is that the sales person will attack you from multiple levels & get yer money off you. Use their relationship with you is the name of the game. And get the richer for it.

Ms.MLMs are all over the place. Some are Misters too. Though I have not yet encountered them. They will leave no soap unturned to get your attention, or air tight lunch box for that matter.

I try to avoid them as much as possible. I’m quite tired of having to part with money for things I don’t really need.

Why is it so difficult to just say no?

Organic shampoos which will make sure that hair which plans to resign from your scalp will reconsider the decision & stay. Not just stay…but grow into Rapunzel-like locks.

The pack of 12 herbal soaps…available for a grand discount of 5% only until tomorrow.

Herbal supplements which will make sure you lose weight or will send your  cholesterol to Mars.

The mineralized moisturizer which will make you glow from head to toe. The fact I may need it is another matter altogether.

Relationship selling. I like to call it the bane of obligatory buying.

Get thee behind me, MLM.

Yikes, it’s Jargon!

P L E A S E  save me from the Jargon monster!

O Jargon – how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways…

If I could leverage you out of my life per se, I would.
If I could optimise you to gain strategic realignment maybe I should.
If I could just throw you above the line –
Or have you grounded below the line,
And get you to remove your game plan which has no synergy with mine. 

 

Your perspective doesn’t quite add up,
Especially when you articulate a meaningless framework.
Your vertical has a slant to it, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
So stop thinking outside the box –
Use it to collect low hanging fruit or catch a fox.

 

You are not superman so don’t bother trying to build the plane as you fly it.
Paradigm shifted a long time ago when you were not looking
&
The business model too.
Come on get intuitive about the bigger picture.
Ditch the elevator pitch.
Go on a deep dive to Maldives instead & let’s touch base when you are back.

 

Get off your high horse & start from ground reality.
You’ve been on the drawing board for way too long.
So ramp up, sync up & circle back,
So we can see the deliverable before the light.
It takes two to tango you see,
And at the end of the day…it’s night.

 

Global warming going on so please don’t boil the ocean single-handedly,
Try immersing yourself in it instead.
The bottom line is eroding & the scenario is changing, gotta gain traction.
Let’s put a hard stop to the dynamics & submit a plan of action.
The key takeaway is let the workstreams dry, but let the data points be.
It’s never too late to go to market & stay ahead of the curve you see. 

 

 

P.S. If you didn’t understand…that’s great!  🙂
And as you can see, writing poetry is not one of my core competencies!

 

Namaste India.

The things we may ask & do when you visit our beloved country – India.

I have taken the liberty of using ‘we’, though no generalisation is intended!

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We will ask where your from.

We will ask about your country.

We will ask if you like our country.

We will ask if you like spicy food.

We will ask if you are married.

We will ask your age.

We will ask your spouse’s age.

We will ask how many children you have & won’t be embarrassed when you tell us you are not married to begin with.

We will ask if your home is your own or if it’s rented.

*  *  *  *  *

We will ask if you like our Bollywood.

We will get you hooked onto Kolaveri Di. (Holy Cow-u)

We will tell you we are an emerging superpower.

We will make sure you are enlightened that English words like mantra, avatar, guru, mulligatawny, juggernaut & catamaran have their roots in India.

We will show you how to calmly cross the road during mad traffic.

We will teach you to enjoy it as an adventure sport, which is free at that.

We will teach you to play kabaddi…the art of pulling leg.

We will ask you to take the auto rickshaw for local travel.

We will take you to Fabindia for shopping & hope you make your mind up in one shop.

*  *  *  *  *

We will teach you to say Namaste.

We will ask if you had tiffin.

We will ask if you prefer milk chai or filter kaapi & hope you will confirm you enjoy both.

We will take you home, give you idli & red chilli chutney & hope you can understand our fiery spirit of hospitality.

We will give you samosa to eat & forget to mention it has sharp green chillies within.

We will offer you cold water when you jump 5 feet in the air.

We will offer you ladoo or jalebi to cool the tongue.

We will recommend you try betel nut & paan.

We will not warn you not to smile after that.

*  *  *  *  *

We will tell you (without your asking) about our relatives – immediate, distant, in-between, mother’s side, father’s side …& watch you pass out.

We will discuss wines like there is a vineyard in our backyard.

We will tell you about our religious diversity.

We will patiently explain the meaning of Karma & Maya to you. Including the right pronunciation.

We will get you to join Yoga classes.

We will recommend a bout of Ayurveda.

We will not meet you during rahu kaal.

We will ask that you don’t meet us during rahu kaal.

We will insist on visiting you in hospital – does not matter that you have a headache & would prefer not to meet anyone – we have to show you we care.

*  *  *  *  *

We will take a photo with you to ensure we remember your visit.

We will ask that you do not gift us aromatic candles to express your appreciation of our hospitality.

We will show you the number of candles we have been gifted so far. Infact a candle shop is in plan.

If you insist on giving us a gift, a villa or two in the South of France or Hawaii (or both) should be fine.

*  *  *  *  *

We will do all this & more when you visit India.

Please do visit our country.

Else we may miss an opportunity to ask, tell & do all of the above.

Finally…it is a fact that you would be richer at the end of your visit with a taste of India’s openness, warmth & hospitality!

And…we would have taught you the true meaning of living. Indian style!

 

 

The 10 Commandments of Blogging

1.  Thou shalt not judge thy fellow bloggers on their individual style, stance or perspective

2.  Thou shalt not make a nuisance of thyself in blogdom by being a source of negativity & useless heckling

3.  Thou shalt not misuse thy freedom of expression to spread discord; be ye tolerant to many a diverse point of view

4.  Remember thy blog, to keep it clean of spurious elements

5.  Honour thy fellow creatures by using thy blog to build-up rather than destroy, to share & entertain positively on this journey called life

6.  Thou shalt not slay another – be it person, religion, institution or business through vicious gossip, slander or character assassination

7.  Thou shalt stay humble & not get carried away by thine apparent success, blogfully speaking

8.  Thou shalt not steal ideas of another or give room for plagues … errrr … plagiarism, but give credit where credit is due

9.  Thou shalt not bear false witness in blogosphere

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s life or blogging success – wish them well, there’s plenty of room for all !!!!!

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Thus shalt ye call to mind & recall these Commandments when thou bloggeth.

I hope I’m given the grace to follow it too.

Amen.

The birthright of every Indian

It happens only in India.

It is one of the most sacred questions of our land.

It is a question where anyone not even remotely close to you can come up boldly & ask.

It is a sort of consitutional right. It can be asked of anybody.

The right to information. The right to ask. Even if it’s none of our business.

THE sacred question – “Any good news?”

*  *  *  *  *

If you are going steady, I  want to know if you will get married.

If you say yes, I want to know when.

If you get married, I want to know if there is any good news of a child.

If you have the first child, I am deeply curious to know about when to expect good news of the second, &  third…

*  *  *  *  *

I may not know you too well, but I still want to know. I need to know.

I appear in many forms.

I am your neighbour.

I am your second cousin’s aunt from her father’s side.

I am your co-worker.

I am your elder sister’s mother-in-law.

I am your maid.

I am your distant relatives step-aunt you never knew existed.

I am your driver’s wife.

I am the father-in law of your co-sister.

I am your best-friend’s colleague.

I am you.

*  *  *  *  *

You meet me everywhere.

You have to tell me.

I have the right to know.

Though I don’t know you. That hardly matters.

*  *  *  *  *

Either ways, this is how we love to keep updated about good news in everyone’s life in India.

Which is neither our concern or chief joy.

Just some gosssip to make our boring days more entertaining.

*  *  *  *  *

If you think it happens elsewhere with the same measure of scrutiny, let me know. I am open to being corrected.

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Hey, you been married awhile, any good news? 🙂