The Reader Appreciation Project

Here I am, in California, USA, at 11:10 pm. My Comcast internet service has been down for 2 days now, and Comcast tells me I will have to go to a Comcast store tomorrow morning to figure out what the problem could be with my cable modem. Because of this, the 2 days of no internet have resulted in a few issues, including the issue of me not being able to participate in the photography contest by Jeffro. I told him I would participate, and since tonight is the last day of the contest, I realize I will not be able to participate. Long live Comcast, emergency traveling, food and procrastination.

Because of this, I am thinking about many things including one simple question: what alternative communication plans do I have in times like these? What alternative, secondary communication plans or tools do you have in place for such situations? Read more…

Daniel’s group project finished over a week ago, and my intention was to spotlight the posts that dealt with some form of reader appreciation. In no particular order, here are the group project posts that have something to do with readers.

• Is Your Blog Easy To Read?

  A post discussing various design decisions to consider including fonts, navigation, loading time, and ads.

• Four Ways to Encourage Comments on Your Blog

  Tips on encouraging comments. One of those is removing a barrier to commenting, such as not requiring readers to register.

• How To Build Lasting Relationships With Your Readers

  A post discussing how to build relationships with your readers. Tips include engaging your readers, and inviting criticism.

• 5 Tips To Increase Comments

  Tips include showing link love, commenting on other blogs, and responding to every comment.

• 5 Tips for Crafting Effective Criticism

  Tips on how to give criticism. Tips include knowing your audience, and adding to the conversation.

• Top 10 Tips for driving traffic AWAY from your website

  A nice list of design decisions that will drive traffic away from a website.

For all of the entrants, please check out the group project post from Daily Blog Tips.

As I move along in my professional career, I have some across three types of people in my office who I generally try to avoid working with. These may be people I get along with in a bar setting, but in a meeting or at work, we can be fierce enemies.

As I lay out the descriptions of the three types of people I try to avoid in the office, think about how these might apply to the blogosphere.

1. The Distracter

We’ve all met the Distracter. He eats his lunch loudly and has his speakerphone on full volume. He also finds it appropriate to host a conference with three people at his cubicle at eight in the morning.

He’ll blab to you about his wife and kids, or catch you up on the sport you can care less about.

Rather than helping you get work done, he actually distracts you from doing the job you’re supposed to be doing.

So what are your defenses against a Distracter besides some headphones and a sledgehammer? Your best bet is to beg upper management for a change of venue and hope Mr. Distracter doesn’t turn into Mr. Offended.

2. The Gatekeeper

Read more…

I was staying at a hotel in Alabama last week when I had the chance of meeting a lady working in the guest services office several times. She would act very happy around noon, and act very unhappy and non-responsive in the mornings. Regardless of her reasons for acting differently, she showed both her unhappiness and her rudeness to me depending on the time of the day for 4 straight days.

Your website can be like a hotel. Your readers can come to stay and if they contact you, they can notice how you act. A human being goes through different things in life, so it is not always possible to be happy, polite or communicative depending on what you may be going through. You can be feeling unhappy or sad or rude or something similar because of things like personal life issues, health problems, relationship or work problems, etc.

To help you deal with both appreciation and unhappiness of any kind at the same time, I am sharing with you 5 practical tips for approaching appreciation that you can put to practice instantly if you wish. Following are 5 simple ways to appreciate your readers while you are not feeling your best. This is not a list of how to hide your mood. This is a list of how to deal with appreciating others while you are unhappy or down for any reason.

5 ways to appreciate during unhappy times

Read more…

Special note: this may not apply in case your life partner is also your reader.

Blogging to your readers’ expectation can be a very hard job. Exactly like living to your life partner’s expectations. Yet you like your blog, but how can you divorce your readers and get new ones, who’d like you more? Watch this:

1. Readers are important, but one single reader doesn’t matter. So never interact with your readers at one-to one level: no comments moderation, no welcome e-mails, nothing.
2. Comments are good for a blog. So don’t delete the spam, and don’t activate Akismet. In 2-3 months you’ll compete with the most commented on blogs on the planet.
3. Positive comments make you feel appreciated. Edit your readers’ comments, so they display what you want to see. They won’t notice anyway. How many of them go back to read their own comments left on other blogs?
4. Time is money. Spend it to build your blog. Don’t comment on other blogs, because there you are just one reader, who doesn’t matter (see point 1). Save all your time for writing.
5. Too many categories make choice more difficult. So why not define only two: The Stuff and The Other Stuff? Or you may add a third one: Make Money Online, but make sure not to promote any programs in there, because you respect your readers and you don’t want them click on your affiliate links.
6. Beware of trolls. If you got one, be happy: you’ll have an interactive blog without bothering to do anything. Just lay back and watch the show.
7. Pictures make sites load slow. Don’t use any photos in your posts. Let your readers put their imagination at work. They are creative, after all.

If after all these you still have loyal readers left, you should change your statistics program. It sucks!

Shawn Blanc is a full-time intercessory missionary, on top of being a husband, blogger, musician, and a host of other talents. He runs two blogs: The Fight Spot and ShawnBlanc.net.

Shawn has been very successful on building a community of readers on The Fight Spot, so it came as a surprise to me when he launched another blog (ShawnBlanc.net) with comments disabled. Shawn was gracious enough to be interviewed by me and to answer some of my questions about community and disabling comments.

Listed below are ten brief questions regarding community and comments on blogs.

1. Ronald Huereca: You have a very active community on your website The Fight Spot. What is the difference in a community formed around The Fight Spot when compared to your other site ShawnBlanc.net?

Shawn Blanc: For sure the obvious difference is the comments. TFS (The Fight Spot) has comments enabled, while shawnblanc.net does not. Those are two very purposeful decisions I’ve made as to how I view the two sites.

I think of The Fight Spot like a Bible study small group. It’s a safe place for folks to ask questions and state their opinions and give feedback. Sometimes someone just wants to say “thanks for that article”, while other times I’ll get really deep and thought out questions. I’ve set myself up as the Bible Study Leader, and so most of the community reads The Fight Spot to get teachings, encouragement and pastoring.

On the other hand, the community around Shawnblanc.net is quite different indeed. For one, it is a completely different demographic of readers — consisting primarily of Mac savvy web and design geeks. Since comments are not a feature of the site, all the feedback I get comes through direct email or trackbacks.

I think the best way to describe the community around Shawnblanc.net is a bunch of peers hanging out giving each-other high-fives. But really, this describes the vast majority of the Mac Savvy design community in general. My site is just one more URL that has come to the party … so to say.

Ultimately, your site will attract like minded folks. The Fight Spot has a strong community of Christians going after God, and Shawnblanc.net has a strong community of geeks who like gadgets. For me, instead of developing one blog that blended the two (which is what I tried to do for a while on TFS) it is easier and more fun to have two sites devoted to each.

One more thing I’ll add, it was a whole lot easier to build the readership base on Shawnblanc.net than it was on TFS. What took me 18 months on TFS has taken me 7 weeks on shawnblanc.net. Read more…

A Joe Job is when users of a site are sent spoofed e-mails. These e-mails are filled with all kinds of spam and are intended to tarnish and forever damage the owner of the site. Readers who have received such e-mails can e-mail back, report the site to spam authorities, and even launch their own attacks.

As a WordPress plugin and theme author, it is scary to know that most WordPress blogs can easily be victims of such Joe Jobs. All a plugin or theme author would have to do is build in some kind of back door. If a popular enough site has the plugin or theme installed (and the author is malicious enough), the author can execute the code remotely and all hell can break loose.

Do you think this scenario is too unrealistic? It’s already happened on a large scale on WordPress 2.1.1 (although no damage really occurred).

Here’s what a modern-day WordPress Job Job would look like.

User Installs Theme or Plugin With Malicious Code

When the plugin or theme is activated, the author of the malicious code is e-mailed. Obviously if the author knew what they were doing, none of this would be traceable.

Since the author is e-mailed, the author knows exactly which blogs have his/her code ready to be executed.

Author Runs Malicious Code on User’s Site

The author then runs the code on the user’s site. The author is sent the e-mails of every commentator the site has ever had.

Armed with e-mail addresses, the author is ready to start the Joe Job.

Readers Are Sent Spoofed E-mails

A highly targeted spam campaign is waged against the readers of the user’s site. The user’s return e-mail address is used, and readers are more than happy to express their dissatisfaction.

Readers send in e-mails wondering what is going on, feed subscribers unsubscribe, and the readers start leaving nasty comments. Readers who have blogs begin to blog about this user in a very negative way.

The user has no idea what has happened and what the cause is. And the author of the malicious code is just lurking in the background as the readers of the site rebel.

Far-Fetched Scenario?

Hardly. When was the last time you checked the code of your plugins or themes? You never know what you might find and how trustworthy the plugin or theme author really is.

Fortunately the WordPress community is very vigilant and something like this wouldn’t last long. But it is always a good idea to make sure the plugins or themes you install are legit.

A Joe Job can be devastating for any site, but a Joe Job targeted at a site’s readers can be even more so.

When it comes to readers on a site, what is the reader typically after? The quick answer is the website’s content.

A blogger typically churns out content in hopes of gaining more readers. To be compensated, the blogger places advertisements so that some of the readers will click on the ads. If the readers do not click on the ads, the compensation doesn’t materialize, and the free content goes away (theoretically). This is, of course, assuming that the content producers expect to be compensated monetarily in the first place.

With the recent controversy over blocking ads, I’ve been forced to ask myself some tough questions. As a reader, all I want is the content. I don’t care about the ads. I really don’t. But, as a reader, what rights (if any) do I have?

Is a Reader Obligated to view the Blogger’s Advertisements?

In short, no. But neither is a blogger obligated to keep producing content.

A reader shouldn’t be taken for granted by a blogger, but the road works both ways. A blogger shouldn’t be taken for granted by his reader as well.

Bloggers put considerable effort into producing content, and a blogger tries to be compensated for this effort by making a little bit of money. And it would be awfully hard to make any money if the readers weren’t around linking to the posts and clicking on the ads.

A reader isn’t obligated to really do anything. The reader doesn’t have to comment. The reader doesn’t have to subscribe.

And the reader doesn’t have to come back. And from the comments I’ve read on the controversy, it’s a shame that some bloggers are happy with this conclusion.

Is the Reader Freeloading by Blocking Ads?

Read more…

The Readers First award is awarded to bloggers and/or website owners who show exceptional selflessness and devotion to their readers. For more details on the ‘Readers First’ award, please check out the ‘Readers First’ page.

Sites which are awarded this award have no obligation to display the badge and/or link to the Reader Appreciation Project. The sites below currently show an exceptional dedication to their readers and have proved that it is indeed possible to put the readers first and grow a wonderful site atmosphere.

Be Inspired with Inspiration Bit

Vivien from Inspiration Bit was the one who inspired Ajax Edit Comments and also the text for the very award she is now being awarded. She’s been a big supporter of the Reader Appreciation Project from the beginning and is an invaluable friend. She also introduced Simonne to the project, who is a superb RA Project contributor.

With all of Vivien’s contributions, how could we not give her this award? If you head over to her site (inspirationbit.com), you’ll find a plethora of inspiration posts, and the warm and friendly conversations of the hostess. Vivien is an exceptional blogger and is truly a great example of someone placing her readers first.

Liz Strauss, the Queen of Reader Appreciation

I don’t know how Liz does it, but somehow she finds the time to respond to virtually every comment and e-mail received from her readers. She builds reader confidence by handing out awards such as the SOB and B.A.D. awards.

She provides sound relationship-building advice to her readers, organizes blog conferences, and provides real-life experiences that are sure to benefit just about anyone.

Liz Strauss is the queen of Reader Appreciation. With her hectic schedule, she still finds time to place her readers first.

Fight Back at The Fight Spot

Shawn Blanc is a full-time intercessory missionary, on top of being a husband, blogger, musician, and a host of other talents. He helped found Reader Appreciation Week and inspired the formation of the Reader Appreciation Project.

The Fight Spot is a good example of a blog where the readers have banded together to form a community and driven the blog in a certain direction. The topicality is primarily Christian-focused and the readers provide terrific commentary to the many great articles Shawn churns out.

Shawn has nurtured his community on The Fight Spot and put the readers first by giving them a great voice. He routinely spotlights a reader or reader’s comment and is very approachable in the comment and e-mail section.

Just Thinkin’… About Readers

I first had contact with Kirk from a bug report on Ajax Edit Comments. I’ve since subscribed and dig how personable he is and how much he interacts with the readers on his site. He describes himself as an ex-Cold War submariner in his late forties who spent most of his life in computers, peripherals, R&D and anything else technical.

He’s not afraid to try new things on his blog (in a gutsy move, he upgraded to WordPress 2.3 on Beta 1), and admit his mistakes. And he is excellent at responding to reader’s concerns in the comments. He’s also not afraid of spotlighting his readers.

What’s Life Like in the Country?

Snoskred describes herself as a 32 year-young female who lives in NSW with The Other Half and two kitties. She has also been a big supporter of the project since the beginning and is very generous with her weekly link posts (example).

Snoskred is a good example of a blogger who blogs on a hard-to-comment platform (Blogger), but still can build a good community and respond directly to the readers (example post on losing feed subscribers). With her weekly link posts, she spotlights her other readers and is very loyal to the blogs she enjoys.

She makes contacting her easy, and from my observations, addresses each reader individually as needed.

Reader Appreciation Technology with Jeffro 2.0

Jeff is a good example of a blogger who can blog technology-related topics, yet still show a great deal of reader appreciation. He periodically runs polls asking for his readers’ opinions, and takes a look at his site from a reader’s perspective (and follows up with action).

Jeff responds to almost every reader comment (as necessary), makes himself easily contactable, and provides a balanced view on providing full feeds for his readers.

Jeff’s site is all community, with recent comments displayed prominently, and the MyBlogLog widget placed high on the sidebar. He also has a neat little widget that shows who all is online. He also is trying to promote and give back to his readers through a photography contest.

Jeff is a big supporter of the Reader Appreciation Project, and has left some very supportive comments on A-Lister’s sites trying to promote the project and the concept. Jeff is a shining example of someone placing his readers first.

The Badges

The winners of the ‘Readers First’ awards are under no obligation to display the badge and/or link to the Reader Appreciation Project. The ‘Readers First’ award is our way of spotlighting other blogs and/or readers who show exceptional reader appreciation.

Please Check out the ‘Readers First’ page for badges for multiple background colors.

Know of Someone Who Places Their Readers First?

Let us know about the site through our contact form. It’s always encouraging to see other sites out there who have embraced the concept of reader appreciation.

The Reader Appreciation Project was started six months ago. What started as a simple place-holder for Reader Appreciation Week has turned into an authoritative source on reader appreciation concepts.

The Reader Appreciation Project couldn’t have gone anywhere without our readers, so a big thank you to all of the readers who have visited, commented, linked to and/or downloaded our stuff. It is my hope that we can continue to pump out thoughtful and entertaining articles, and also provide other reader appreciation resources including the very popular Ajax Edit Comments.

New RA Project Badge: The ‘Readers First’ Award

Some RA Project readers have requested that a badge be made that can be included on a site to show support for the Reader Appreciation Project. Although we hope to eventually release a universal badge representing the project, the first badge is going to be something that is awarded to select websites who place readers first.

I’ll be announcing the first websites to receive the award shortly. To view the badge and the award, please check out the Readers First page. If you have a website you feel deserves the award or would like to nominate someone else’s, please use our contact form.

The badge text was inspired by one of the RA Project readers, Vivien (from Inspiration Bit). The badge was designed by Brett Terpstra of Circle Six Design.

New Interviews

Bes posted the first Reader Appreciation Project interview this past week. The topic touched on a very sensitive issue where an Adult MySpace owner was leaving legitimate and thoughtful comments on a blog, but admin were deleting them without notice. I found the interview very insightful view of how a reader is treated when he/she has a controversial website. Please check out the full interview.

More interviews are planned, and it is our intention with the interviews to provide different views of reader appreciation from a multitude of sources. Any feedback on the interviews is much appreciated.

Calling on Guest Contributors

If you would like to support the Reader Appreciation Project by providing a guest post, please feel free to get ahold of us by our contact form. This blog is yours too, and readers have a voice here. As far as incentives, you’ll get a link back, a spot in our sidebar, and a dedicated author page where readers can look up your details.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail via our contact form. We’d love to hear from you.

Posting Schedule

The posting schedule is still Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. To stay up to speed on the project, please subscribe. If you’d like to contribute a guest post or perhaps join us as an author, please contact us and review our contribution policy.

Posts/Comment/Feed Stats

There are currently 174 posts, and 1,718 comments. As of today, we have 84 feed subscribers.

Plugin Stats

• WP Ajax Edit Comments currently has 9,056 downloads (6,519 on WordPress extend).
• WP Do Nothing currently has 113 downloads.
• WP Categories and Posts currently has 645 downloads.
• WP From the Vault currently has 4 downloads.

Technorati Stats

RA Project is currently ranked 10,207 with 1,088 incoming links. Our blog authority is 375.

If you feel so obliged, please add RA Project to your Technorati favorites.

Conclusion

The Reader Appreciation Project is still growing. We’re not growing quite as fast as some other sites out there, but the reader appreciation concept is firmly taking hold as more and more bloggers talk about it.

Thank you for supporting us for these six months. It’s been a fun journey and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.