5 Ways to build relations with bloggers and readers beyond comments
22. Apr, 2007 
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Just like a good business, many bloggers and readers try to appreciate each other via comments left on a blog. People may respond to each other by leaving each other comments. While comments are very good at helping two people communicate with each other, you can try a few other things to build more tighter relationships with people, outside of the comments area.
Following are 5 simple ways to appreciate bloggers and readers beyond the comments area. Taking these extra steps helps start the building foundation of a growing relationship.
5 simple ways to build relationships with bloggers and readers
- E-mail them
This may seem trivial, but many people simply rely on comments to communicate with other people. Moving a conversation to e-mail allows you to increase the numbers of ways you can communicate with a person, and thus increase the likelihood that you and the other person will communicate with each other more effectively
- Instant Message them
Slowly, the chatting philosophy that instant messaging is reserved for private chats with close friends or family members is changing. If bloggers or commentors allow people to instant message them via services like Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Livejournal IM, etc, be sure to use those services to chat with those bloggers or commentors if you want to develope closer ties with people. A person may occasionally check their comments area, but may be on instant messengers programs at even the odd hours of the day.
- Send them postal mail
- Call or do a video chat via programs like Skype
This is one of the hardest things to do; talking or video chatting with someone over a program like Skype or MSN Messenger. However, if you want to build real relationships, you may want to hear or see the other person. Otherwise, the relationship will depend on an assumed representation of you in someone’s mind.
- Meet them in person
This is probably the hardest thing to do for many people. Meeting a blogger or a reader in person can either make two people really good friends, or it may make people hate each other more. Sometimes, people realize that it is easy to portray a certain character online, while having a completely different character in person. Regardless, if you act nice and normal when you meet someone, or probably the way you usually act online, the other person will probably feel more comfortable hanging around you.
This is one of the best ways to keep in touch with someone if you cannot keep in touch with someone on a regular basis. I tried this with Sidney around 2005 and got a really nice card from her. I was really happy and surprised again this year when Sidney sent me another card via postal mail last month. I personally consider Sidney a nice person who knows how to communicate with people, as even keeping in touch via postal mail, while we know each other’s websites, is a very good thing to do. If you cannot comment on someone’s site all the time for various reasons, see if you can keep in touch via postal mail. A card from you to someone may make a person appreciate you more than an online comment.
Those are the 5 simple ways you can build relationships with either bloggers or readers outside of the comments area. Each of these steps can be take one at a time also, going from number 1 to number 5, depending on the level of comfortableness you and the other person feel along the way.
What do you think of the list? Can you think of some other points and ways to communicate with people more? Thank you for reading. 
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I really like #4. One conversation using voice or video will outdo e-mail or IM any day. However, it is a big jump to have a voice chat or video chat with someone.
I wouldn’t call these steps “simple”, but they’re definitely valuable.
And the way you’ve ordered is exactly how people should start following them, one at a time (some may skip #3 though).
You forgot to mention about the conference chats with several bloggers at a time
Ronald, yes, that form of contact is a really good alternative to all other forms of contact except meeting someone in person. Maybe even meeting someone in person and discussing things can be hard: how can you tell the other one “let me send you this file”, unless both people have a laptop or something.
Yes, it is indeed a big jump, but a good jump
Vivien-inspirationbit, thanks. You are right; they may not be simple. Some steps are not simple for me also. You are right about postal mail; many people skip that step, since they can simply e-mail or video chat or meet in person. Postal Mail is a hassle for many.
I am sorry for forgetting about conference chats!
That should be between number 4 and 5, or maybe it should be number 6. 
I wonder how many people actually think they are building relations by following any of these steps.