It depends on who you ask. Or it depends on who you choose to look at as the epitome of a successful blogger.
Does blogging accomplish anything?
It’s something we all want to know.
The short and easy answer is “Yes”….depending on how much effort you want to put into blogging. How much effort is enough though? And what exactly are you trying to accomplish?
The truth is, successful blogging will always depend on what you’re trying to accomplish. Want people to hear your political views? Well, you might have a lot of competition, but that shouldn’t be too hard.
Want to connect with other people that love making sushi? So long as you Tag your posts properly, that should be easy enough.
What about promoting an online jewelry business? Things just got a bit more difficult.
What about trying to promote your latest novel? I can testify that this is also very hard.
Accomplishing some things with blogging is easy, whereas accomplishing other things is hard…what’s the common thread that unites all successful blogging?
Believe it or not, I believe that successful blogging involves one key factor:
Being a good follower/engaging your audience.
As ironic as it might seem, I notice that people who are most successful in the blogging world are also those people that actively engage their audience. This involves Liking and Commenting on OTHER peoples’ posts, as well as responding to comments and blogging about things that people can relate to.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of following blogs I’m not interested in. I’m not saying you should follow someone’s blog JUST BECAUSE they followed yours. All I’m saying is becoming a successful blogger means having something to offer to your followers, and this can involve being an active follower towards them.
A Challenge for You
If you’re the kind of person who asks, “Does blogging accomplish anything?” then this challenge is for you.
Think of the ways that you can be a more active follower. Think of the ways that you can engage your audience more. Think of the ways that you can write something that means something to your FOLLOWERS, not just yourself.
And go put those thoughts into action.
Blogging is only fun and meaningful when you help make it meaningful for others. Go be a part of the community and stop waiting for the community to serve you.
If put all of this into action, yes, blogging will accomplish something. Maybe even anything.
I consider myself to be a master of logic.
If you like the way I write, you should check out my fantasy novel here. It’s called Elithius. It’s pretty awesome. Why waste your time doing other things when you could be reading my book?
See, a master of logic.
And here’s the cover because it’s awesome:
The Golden Lands 
I definitely believe being a content creator goes hand in hand with being a successful follower. Not, as you point out, with the purpose of building a following for myself, but rather, because people are awesome. The reciprocity is a bonus. A true content creator is in touch with his or her audience. We follow who inspires us and perhaps we’ll offer the same value to others. Like a Venn diagram, there’s an intersection there between the people I love who also love me, but plenty of room on each side for me to be a fan of another, who doesn’t have much use for what I’ve got to say. And that’s PERFECTLY okay. The point isn’t to facilitate a transaction, but rather to promote interaction. You made the point beautifully. Thank you!
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Wow! This comment itself could literally fit into the post I wrote. I agree with you wholeheartedly, you make some amazing points! Wow…haha.
“The point isn’t to facilitate a transaction, but rather to promote interaction”
You should seriously write a post about this too, I think it’ll be more eloquent than mine 😉 😉
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I did actually. 🙂 A few months back I realized blogging wasn’t making me terribly happy, so I had to figure out why. If you happen to want to read it you can find it under the title “What Matters More: Numbers or Relationships?” on my blog.
Though I wouldn’t claim to any more eloquence. Longer doesn’t count. . .
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Aha! Well, I’m pleased to see that you’ve found your way. I’ll go check it out!
And I just meant that, in a short comment, you had summarized everything I was trying to say, and with wonderful expression!
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Great post Dominic. Thanks. This topic is one that I always wonder about and you’re so right. You must engage and build relationships. However, I do blog for only one reason and that’s because I love to write. This is an issue I’ve been struggling with over the last month. Who am I actually writing for? Is it for others? Is it for me? At the end of the day I think I’m writing for myself as a means of self-expression, as a means to connect with others and as a means to share my views. And hopefully I’ll make some good friends along the way!
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Thank you!
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with writing because you love it. That in and of itself is a great way to promote community, because people are always ready to share their passions with others, and consequently engage in theirs. I think it’s impossible to have an active community without loving what you do. I think that’s a great reason to write, no questions asked!
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I think what I’ve enjoyed the most about blogging is the community aspect and the many wonderful opportunities I’ve had to develop relationships with other bloggers. I’ve made so many writing friends who can sympathise and understand the trials and tribulations of the #writerslife – don’t know what I’d do without them! I don’t have many writing friends in the real world, so blogging has been really rewarding for me in that regards.
One of my most favourite things to do on WordPress is trawl through the #publishing tag – it’s my favourite and I LOVE reading everyone’s posts. When I saw yours I was like – oh here’s Dominic!! You commented on my blog just yesterday I think 🙂 I love running into bloggers I know randomly like this
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Yes, the sense of community here on WP is amazing. I haven’t found such a great online community anywhere else. Being surrounded by fellow writers both encourages and challenges me to keep up with my own writing, as well as read others’!
Haha aw, you remembered! I’m so glad you found me 🙂
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Awesome post as always, Dominic! The timing is interesting, because just a few weeks back I was struggling with following because… well, I followed way more blogs than I could keep up on a daily basis. 😅
I feel bad when people follow me and I don’t follow them back, though I do make an effort to at least check out their blogs to see if it’s something I like. I realised my own time is important too and decided to trim down the number of blogs I follow. I still feel bad about it sometimes, but I think it’s the right thing to do for myself. 🙂
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I was in a similar situation about two months ago; I was following WAY too many blogs, and I felt like the sense of community I was trying to build was failing because of that. Sometimes following too many blogs actually hurts your sense of community because you’re spread too thin. I think you made the right decision to unfollow some blogs; it’s better if you’re able to hone in on the community that you want. I think it helps everyone in the end. 🙂
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Great to see someone else who’s been there, done that. 😛
You’re right, it’s better for everyone if I only follow the number of blogs I could properly read on a daily basis. 🙂
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Exactly, it makes life easier!
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Whoops, I accidentally hit sent before I finished typing (darn stubby fingers 😦); thanks for confirming I made the right decision! Makes me feel better about it. 😀
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Well you’re welcome 🙂
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Great post, I probably follow too many blogs that aren’t topically what I’m interested in and miss some of the posts from writers I interact with because of it. I am consistently being humbled as I grow as a writer as well as the welcoming community WordPress has to offer. It’s really neat. It’s been rewarding for in a manner where I can express my creative outlook on things. As well as constantly learning and honing new ways to participate as a community 😎
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Yeahhh, a little while ago I decided to unfollow certain blogs that I felt were unrelated to my particular corner of WP. Sometimes it’s necessary to establish a true sense of community. I’m glad that you’re enjoying the journey of WordPress! I wish you the best!
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