Everyone is jumping on the blogging bandwagon, and you should too. While this statement is bold, there is some truth to this propaganda. Blogging has become one of our most popular and effective forms of communication. We are able to share our ideas, dreams, knowledge, and advice with our closest of friends, or even to strangers with similar interests. Regardless of the audience, blogging provides a wealth of information and entertainment that can be readily available to just about anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Blogging is like opening Pandora’s box. So many countless things can emerge, but it is important to find a diamond in the rough. The same concept applies to blogging. Anyone is capable of blogging and generating traffic. However, what sets apart a good blog from an excellent blog is to utilize all of the resources available to you in order to maximize your efforts.
Below are some ways you can use widgets to take a simple blog from blasé to brilliant.
Blogging with Google Hangouts
Google+ has developed Hangouts On Air (HOA), which allows you to post free videos online, giving your friends the opportunity to see your musings come to life. Video blogging has become one of the fastest growing social media trends, and this widget can help make your blog come alive and boost engagement.
Also read: How to Secure Your WordPress Blog With Google
To get started with HOA, you’ll need to fulfill the following requirements:
- Gmail account
- Google+ account
- YouTube account
- microphone and webcam to film your video
Why is HOA a good feature for my blog?
With its new-age capabilities, like the screen sharing and slide sharing features, this is the perfect way to connect with your audience and add a personal touch to your blog. You can even stream a live broadcast for viewers and it automatically gets saved to your YouTube account for future viewing. These features let you as the blogger create a meaningful and personalized blogging experience that is above and beyond musings on paper.
Also read: Making Sure Your Google Password Doesn’t Get Compromised: A Quick Guide
Ultimately, the new features provide your audience accessibility to your blog. We all don’t like to feel like we’ve missed out on something, and HOA will never let users feel that way. All HOA videos are searchable through YouTube, which can not only help you continuously engage your audience, but you can also boost traffic to your blog.
Expanding Your Circle
Google+ provides us as bloggers with the resources necessary to create a unique and personal account that will showcase your blogging personality, and help engage potential viewers. Making your account personalized will help to show others that your ideas are special and you deserve your voice. Remember that first impressions count, and creating a unique profile is extremely important to gauging an audience and connecting with others.
Also read: Adding Google Plus “Follow” & “Add to circles” Button / Badges to your Blog
Here are some simple steps you can take to using Google+ Circles.
- Begin with searching for who you know
- Expand your circle by finding your friends’ connections to find people of similar interest
- Use other social media platforms to find links to other bloggers with similar interests
Why should I focus on expanding my circle?
You have the opportunity to share your thoughts with the perfect audience and people that look forward to reading your content. Here, you can tailor your audience to what suits your needs, and gain the respect of an audience that loves and appreciates what you have to say. Since this feature is so personalized, it will be easier to weed out random traffic, and help you focus on generating traffic that expresses interest in your blog.
When you expand your circle, you can write meaningful content that is important to you and your audience. You can even host a hangout to host a fun event to boost the traffic of your blog. Once one person joins a hangout, you have a higher chance of someone sharing your content with others, and the chain reaction will continue.
Also read: 9 + 1 Easy Ways To Speed Up your WordPress Blog
Additionally, you can enter a Google+ Huddle that allows you to text chat with any of your circle of friends. This way, while you dish out all the bells and whistles to invite people to experience your blog, you can still share a strong relationship with your fellow members and share your passions. From being visible on a large scale to being available in private messages, you can connect to your audience on so many different levels.
Writing for Others
As a blogger, it is important to create a visible, but seamless connection between yourself and the content of your blog. With Google+ Authorship, all of your profile pictures will show up next to your content on the web, which allows your viewers to see the person behind the writing. All search results will really give your blog a personal connection that will have viewers feel as if they know the blogger inside and out.
Also read: Displaying Blog Author’s Google+ Profile Pic in Search Results
What you need to gain authorship of your blog…
- Link your Google+ profile by registering your e-mail
- Include a ?rel=author tag attached to your link
- Go to the Contributor section to add your link
Why should I take the time to gain authorship of my blog?
You can really make blogging your own unique outlet for writing. Not only can you claim the writing as your own, but you are opening up yourself socially. People will find that they can connect to you, and will most likely become frequent followers. This feature will help boost your pride and generate respect in the blogging world. The same ideas run true for companies, places like private rehab centers can benefit from blog promotion on Google+ because they can promote their posts to potential clients. This of your blog as a business, and check out what other companies are doing!
Also read: How to Build Your Google Author Rank
Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? Set yourself apart from the rest of the blogging world and become a diamond in the rough. Make connections with others using these wonderful widgets and turn your blog into something worthy of reading over and over again.