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Are you still with us? It’s day 18 of the Problogger series and we’re so glad to have you.

Where it all began.

In today’s lesson from the ProBlogger book, Mr. Rowse talks about geese.  I’m going to tell you about me (because it’s all about me, right?).

In early 2012, I was blogging to an audience of approximately 3. In an effort to boost readership and learn what other bloggers were doing, I got on Twitter and put something about blogging in my bio. I gained a few followers and eagerly followed back. One such blogger tweeted out a post and there was this little yeah write badge on the bottom.  I clicked the link and a grid full of opportunity was before me. Storytellers in neat little rows, waiting to be read, all of them new to me.  I lurked for a few weeks, took a deep breath, and submitted my first post to yeah write #48.

Yeah, and?

The reason I tell you this is that most of us out in the blogosphere started out like the new kid in school.  We had no friends, we didn’t know which group we belonged in, and perhaps we lurked in a corner hoping someone would see us and wave. But the fact is, for most of us, it doesn’t work that way.  Most of us have to reach out and make a connection with someone, somehow. You’re here now, hanging out at yeah write.  We are happy to have you. Let’s be friends.

But it goes deeper than that.

Finding a community of like-minded bloggers can do wonders for you.  Your readership grows, you learn and you teach, and you gain a larger perspective of what’s going on in the vast world of the internet.  Your community can lift you up when you need it, tell you what you’re doing right (or wrong), and give you inspiration to keep going.

Community is about reciprocity though, just like any friendship.  You can’t just take and not give.  Just as you want other bloggers to retweet you, share your work, or put a little sunshine in your day, you need to do the same for them.  The best way I can think to do that is do for others what you want done for you.

*Share posts you find well-written, interesting, and relevant.

*Tweet, retweet, reply to tweets.

*Facebook isn’t just for personal pages anymore. 

*Email a blogger you enjoy.

*Offer feedback. Give genuine praise. Offer assistance (gently and kindly, please).

*If the community or blogger you thought was fantastic isn’t for you, that’s OK.  Go find another.  They are everywhere.

Epilogue.

I’ve been involved with yeah write for almost a year and a half. I have met some incredible writers who have taught me so much about blogging and social media. I hope I’ve done the same for them. But more than that, I’ve made friends of the real, honest to goodness variety to share emails and cups of coffee with.  That’s what community can do. 

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