5 reasons why bloggers appreciate readers
03. Aug, 2007 
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With more and more people realizing that appreciating readers is a good thing, I think it is time the blogosphere figured out ways to analyze different kinds of appreciation. The same way a person may find differences between appreciation from a sales agent and appreciation from a close friend, different trends and techniques related to appreciation online can be observed in order to find out the reasons behind their existence.
Here I would like to present to you 5 different reasons why different kinds of bloggers appreciate their readers.
5 different reasons different bloggers appreciate readers
- Have more direct sales
Some blogs tend to show appreciation to people in order to have more direct sales. For example, if Bob Parsons of GoDaddy takes some action related to a comment on his blog, when before that action was not taken when brought to Godaddy’s notice outside of Bob’s blog, it is more of a sales approach. By appreciating a specific reader, a customer is either being preserved or future sales are being secured publicly.
- Have more readers
Some blogs tend to promote appreciation as that will result in more readers, and for some bloggers that means more indirect advertising revenue or popularity of one’s business of some kind. Daily Blog Tips, when observed, appears to be a great example of this.
- Build business contacts
Some blogs appreciate their readers or the idea of appreciating others as a way to build more business contacts, which can result in either more readers, more sales, or both. This can usually be done by linking only to blogs that one wants to have contacts with. Many A-list blogs are examples of this, where bloggers usually tend to, want to, or prefer to, talk about, appreciate and link to other A-list or prominent bloggers in order to build more business contacts. An example of this is Chris G‘s blog.
- Build non-business relationships
Many of the original bloggers and the bloggers who defined blogging appreciate their readers in order to build non-business relationships. Majority of the original bloggers were personal bloggers. These old time bloggers may not be called A-list bloggers and they may also not be making money through their blogs, but they know about blogging very well, since they defined and shaped it through experimentation and hard work.
For example, from my personal and direct experience, Sidney’s BubblesSoc is a great example of a blog where the blogger loves building non-business relationships with others.
Old time bloggers who want to build non-business relationships are like the realistic real-life super-heroes, who do not get any media coverage, because the media prefers giving coverage to those who publicize the amount of money they make or because of a celebrity status-type hype. These original bloggers tend to appreciate readers in order to have more friends or spread good feelings, like Valerie’s Spoken-for.
- Feel better
This point can apply to many types of a blog, specially the original old-time bloggers. Many bloggers appreciate their readers because they feel better about something. One blogger may appreciate readers because doing so may result in more sales, and thus feeling better about earning more money. Another blogger may simply want to appreciate readers because sites like RA Project are talking about it, and thus it feels better to talk about a growing trend simply to jump on the appreciation wagon.
Another blogger may be appreciating because doing so may result in attention from other prominent bloggers, and thus that attention may make that blogger feel better. Still, other bloggers may be appreciating readers because they feel better when they are nice to others. This very point can define, for many, the selfish or the selfless reason why one tries to appreciate others.
The above points tell you 5 different reasons why bloggers appreciate their readers. From wanting to have more sales, to more readers, to more business contacts, to more non-business contacts and to feeling better, the concept of appreciation has different meanings for different bloggers. There can be other reasons for appreciating readers too.
The sincerity level of each of the above reasons may either be relative or absolute
The sincerity and the level of honesty of any appreciation for any of these reasons can easily be judged, depending on what kind of appreciation from you above list you prefer yourself, or the kind of appreciation you think is beneficial for the masses.
Question: Can you identify the reason or reasons under which most of your favorite and non-favorite blogs fall under? Can you relate to any of these reasons if you have your own blog?
Thanks for reading. 
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After reading this post, I would have to say that I fall under number 4 and number 5 in terms of appreciation. As it stands, I am blogging for fun and to gain non business associated relationships. I’m extending my friendships online. I would guess that the majority of blogs fall under number 1 and number 3 based on how many internet marketing blogs I see.
Jeffro2pto, thanks for the comment. It is a very good thing to be able to realize what one falls under, as that can help a blogger and even a blog realize whether or not one is headed in the direction they want to. In your view, do you think it is easy to only focus on #5 [wanting to feel good] when appreciating others? Or do you think some other point, like wanting to feel good about having more money or more friends, has to go along with that feeling in order to work?
Also, yes, many of the money and marketing blogs fall under #1 and #3, as the aim is to earn more money and have more business, opposite to what #4 and #5 kind of bloggers want. That again comes down to intention, sincerity and the question of why one is wanting to show appreciation.
Off-topic: you have a really nice navigation menu on your site, by the way.
Thank you for the comment on my navigation menu. I have been receiving quite a few compliments in regards to my design. I hope my blog doesn’t look too much like a blog as that is what I was aiming for.
At any rate. In my circumstance, I feel appreciation when I realize that a review or article that I published actually helps a reader in some way. The user is appreciative of the published text, while personally, I feel good because of the appreciation shown.
While you are entitled to voice your opinion of me, using my blog as an example in number 3 is incorrect. You say “where bloggers usually tend to, want to, or prefer to, talk about, appreciate and link to other A-list or prominent bloggers in order to build more business contacts”.
In actual fact I link to what is believe is relevant or what I consider newsworthy. My readers needs come first, links should be useful to your audience.
Jeddro2pto, thanks for coming back and explaining; I really appreciate it. I think at the moment your site looks sophisticated, and something that rounds up content fairly well.
That is a good way to realize when one is being appreciated; by hearing something from someone else. Do readers usually e-mail you or leave a comment to let you that they appreciate your work, or do you usually see the appreciation being put into practical use by others?
Chris Garrett, thanks for the comment on this post too. I am glad that you came and offered some insight into this, as I really feel the need to know if, when and how I may be misinterpreting something.
My article was not an opinion of you but an observation and a small analysis of your blog trend, though since you think it is an opinion of you, your blog may be a good reflection of you which is good in many cases. Now, regarding the article, I was under the impression that the way ChrisG.com operated and interacted, it was to provide quality content and to somehow build more income or business contacts, or to refer people, indirectly, to your business “Omiq.” You provide quality content on several levels, which I read also, and in turn that helps you business wise by bringing in more publicity and customers to your business, or more business contacts to network with. The “quality content + getting indirect business/financial returns through networking and contacts” model was the sole reason I listed your blog under #3 above.
Please let me know if I am misunderstanding something. I may be analyzing things incorrectly, since you probably know your blog better than anyone else. Do you think your blog falls more into combinations of # 1, 3 and 4, or combinations of # 2, 3 and 4 above, or something else?
Also, I agree with you that links should be useful to my audience. For me, however, appreciation includes links, and does not consist solely of links. To divide the idea, among the many other things, it is the atmosphere, the attitude, the reasons why someone does something, and the reasons why someone wants to appreciate others, and many other things like self interest or financial interest in appreciation of others itself, that define appreciation.
@Bes – It was the “only link to a-list” part I object to, because it gives an untrue elitist impression. My philosophy is pretty well documented, it is all about giving and if you do a good job perhaps you will remembered in a good light. Only linking to the a-list I am sure you will agree goes against that policy.
I admire your initiative in putting this blog together. I find it a useful resource. As a reader of Chris’ blog, I feel that the observation that you make about Chris’ overall business model is generally OK. However, I feel your reference to the A-List in connection with Chris is inaccurate. The business model issue and the A-List issue are, IMHO, 2 different issues.
Unfortunately, the A List issue is a bit of a red flag, because it provokes controversy, rather than reason. As a newbie blogger, I get a lot of value from Chris’ blog, forum and newsletter and I feel that he serves as a model as to how to appreciate one’s readers. I’ve never seen Chris promote the concept of linking to an A List. I have seen him set ideas about linking to quality, valuable content.
Bes,
You have a good point about A-Listers, but even I would find it hard to say there is even such a list. Chris has made a point to say that he earns money indirectly from blogging. I’ve followed Chris since his Performancing days and since his new blog opened, and although I haven’t been reading his posts at a microscope level, I don’t believe he has the practice of only linking to A-List type blogs. He does use his blog, however, to build personal and business relationships, so that may be why he says he earns money indirectly.
Your argument is a little more tiered rather than absolute, which is fine. It presents an intelligent thought process when deciding who to link to and who not to link to. To me, however, the motivation for the blogger to continue blogging does not have much play in who I link to. If John Chow produced a useful post on reader appreciation, I might just link to him even though I despise his schemes. But the post better be genuine and not another one of his “schemes” to get more readers to click ads.
Thanks for the comments everyone, I really appreciate them. Please let me know if you can help me a bit: you will see what I mean below.
Chris, thanks for the comment. I am not sure how to modify anything in that point other than to change the facts [can you help me modify it please in theory?]. If it gives an elitist impression, maybe because there are many bloggers in that point that act like elites. You do bring up a good point [more about it below] and thus I have to now think of a new logic to separate that point into further points to divide the elites who prefer being elites and helping elites, and others.
The link you gave is very interesting; thanks for sharing. If the policy that you gave me is actually put into practice, instead of just written out, then yes, I agree that it goes against that link’s policy that one does not help others: however, maybe I am missing something, since it does not talk about preferring someone over another based on their popularity.
Thank you again Chris. I appreciate you taking the time to weigh in on this more, as this can define probably another point to separate the elitist bloggers from bloggers like yourself as you point out. I may link to the policy you linked to also.
Galba Bright, thanks for coming and commenting. Thanks also for your input on this. Your comment helps clarify a lot of things and also offers more unbiased opinion on this.
Could you also please help me in letting me know which point Chris falls under? An A-lister can be anyone with any kind of an actual business influence, by the way. I also read Chris’s blog via e-mail [I think I have been saying that like a broken record for months now], and sure, it does offer value. However, I still notice the trend and see the above points, and classify the blog in that field. The other more flexible points, as you go down the list, are more free to do anything, without any concern for money or any link or promoting anything in order to get something in return. Is there something that I am missing which can help me put Chris’s site in another point somewhere?
Once again, thank you. I really appreciate your views and help on this.
Ronald, thanks for weighing in on this.
Regarding the A-list, let us assume we are talking about popular bloggers, since the A-list issue itself is besides the point: A-list, rich bloggers, bloggers with influence, popular bloggers, and so on. That topic of A-list classification is just used as a reference to help narrow down a group of bloggers as an example so we can understand this issue more. Does that make sense?
Also, I sometimes use the word “usually“, as I think that word is sometimes helpful and sometimes damaging. Thus, my point is to say that many bloggers, whether consciously or unconsciously [adding this now to explain things even more], tend to link to other prominent bloggers of any kind [to help solve the confusion for you caused by the term "A-list"] in order to achieve some benefit, while providing some benefit. Chris’s site is a bit similar to John’s since they both aim to earn money online based on the topic they write. At the same time, Chris’s site is a bit different than John Chow’s in one manner: Chris actually provides value, and you can see me say that for a long, long, long time. Maybe another point should be added separating Chris from others like John and putting Chris into that new point? That is why at RA Project here, having the strictest rules and really new ways of policing advertisors must be thought up of, if and when any new sponsors come to this site.
Also, maybe I confused things more into making this article looking like an argument to you; it is not an argument. What I listed was an actual observation, and I am not arguing anything. Instead, I am telling what I am observing. Everything is hopefully categorized based on what I notice; that is how I do things, as I avoid and do not like the idea of arguments, since my purpose is to show what I think is right and not win arguments. That is why I really think this is a serious topic that should be changed only when there is real logic and reason to facilitate such a chance. Your comment gives me a bit more reason, in addition to the above comments, to add more division into the original points I listed to clarify more about the classification that I did based on what is already happening.
For example, if Sidney’s BubblesSOC site above starts making and focusing on money, I will consider her in one of the top 2 points, or probably third if she still offers some value and if direct sales was not the only main focus, like many commercial or business blogs. If Chris’s site stops making any money directly or indirectly through any kind of online activity, including advertising or anything related, I will consider his site to be in only the 4th or the 5th category only. Does that make more sense? For example, your site falls into the 4th category at the moment I think, when it comes to the concept of making money or getting some benefit, if we ignore opinions or any possible bias against readers who may be associating with an idea you do not agree with. If you add the money factor to it without offering any real benefit, then it would be the same as John Chow. However, if you add $$ and do not let the $$ affect your writing in any manner, and you do not write in order to make $$, then you can fall more into the lower points instead of the higher points. Does that make sense? If a site can make money without being influenced even a tiny bit by the money factor when it comes to writing, then that site can be unique and probably fall into #3 aspect or something similar. Hopefully RA Project can be such a site if it ever goes in that direction.
John Chow’s example is just unique. He changed from someone I really admired because of his writing [no idea who he ever was in real life, so I can never say I have respect for him or anything, as, like I have pointed before for people like Matt, I respect people for what they do and not for things I cannot see, so regarding him personally, I have no idea who he is and thus he is simply a pixel and nothing more for me, specially if I notice bad things about him. Better to be a pixel than a bad grudge, in my view. Also, I do not respect people based on their popularity]. John used to produce a lot of useful content, but now John’s site is all only about point #1 mostly, while manipulating readers. That is why for me, first the existence of a benefit like money differentiates bloggers who want to earn such money from those who do not, and then, based on all of these comments, we can subdivide them more.
Again, the more you guys talk about elite bloggers or hint at them because of me pointing out such a nature in my points above, the more it seems one of the top 3 points needs a division into another point to separate people who constantly manipulate all the time now, like our favorite John Chow, and people who do not, like Chris.
Thanks again. So far, it seems I need at least one more subdivision to have more precise pinpoints of blogs like Chris’s. What do you all think?
I really have to think, analyze and come up with a serious, realistic point that stays valid and is applicable to as many blogs and realistic observation as possible. This is an analysis for all of us and the future, and thus needs a lot of careful application and testing [any blog in any of these categories must have the minimum requiring points mentioned in each of these categories, and that is why it seems that maybe Chris's site can be further divided to further explain the division between points]. The online world for me is as serious as the offline world, so I need actual reason and logic to divide things and then start considering them as being valid. Let us see how I can modify this article and add more information to it.