This summer I have been really focusing on the growth of my celebrity/entertainment blogs on b5media. Seeing what I could do to build up the community of readers and provide them with more value.

I’ve done some backend tweaking of templates and plugins and whatnot, and on the writing side, I’ve focused on providing faster turnaround on news, more pictures, more polls, a contest or two, and more focused writing.

The type of focus I’ve gone towards has been in how I spin the content. Leaving more up to the readers, asking questions, provoking them to comment. And I’ve watched how people comment and turned that around into better and more focused writing.

As a rule, I’m fairly stand offish on these blogs. I don’t go in much to comment. Most of the comments are fairly "teen" based, going ga ga for the latest celeb sighting. And that’s totally fine by me. However, this summer I did make a point of watching the comments, and sometimes going in to direct them to other posts or things of that nature.

As time went on, the comments did grow in number. I cannot take all the credit for it - I am fully aware that this is summer vacation and my main readers are on holidays, spending their timing browsing my sites and others. I just kind of built on that and gave them reasons to stay on my sites.

This month in particular I went crazy on post volume. And I have as a result seen a daily growth in visitors. Many thousands more. I am sure the latest search indexing was in my favor and I’m getting all that. I am on page 1 or 2 for all main celebs I cover, sometimes quite high, and that is a bonus.

I’ve actually been really happy with the progress of my Gilmore Girls blog in particular this summer. It’s in reruns so that usually means a downturn. However, I had two big things going for me that I totally milked. First, the creators left. Second, one of the main stars broke up with her boyfriend and former co-star. Couple that with the uncertainty of how long the show will last, and it’s been a blast. I actually enjoy the blog so I do interact in the comments and they are usually "higher quality" comments too. Today I had my first surprise. For no reason I can gather, I had pages more of comments over yesterday. The highest comment count I’ve ever had.

I want to take the things I have learned from this industry and apply them to other blogs in other ways. I think it’s been a great experiment!

Tags: blogs, comments, commenting, blog comments

I am a big fan of both Bloglines and Google News. They are the means by which I make my living: the edge I get in providing my readers with up-to-date news.

Now, I gather news in a variety of ways: Google News, Yahoo News, Technorati Search, Technorati Tags, Feedster, PubSub to name a few. Google News provides me with the most relevant "news" pieces for my blogs.

However, I have one main beef about Google News/Bloglines. If no "new" news has appeared since my last check of the feed, it will update the feed as "new" and show me all the stuff I’ve already read. Sometimes with mixed up timestamps. However, it’s inconsistent. Sometimes there are a few new ones and 20 old ones. Why does it do this?

This is annoying to me because I’d love to just click on an entire folder and read it through - it’s all new, and I need to read it all anyway. However, I go feed by feed just so I can eliminate having to scroll down tons of stuff I’ve already reviewed.

So - whether it’s Bloglines or Google News or both, please find a way to fix it. Thanks!

Tags: bloglines, google news, news readers, news, reading, blogs, blog readers, rss reader

Ok, I must be doing something wrong (or very right) here. I cannot recall in an entire year when the last time I had only one tab open (Bloglines is always open).

I am a mass-tab Firefox user. Usually have 20-40 open at one time. I read, open tabs, write, and repeat. Usually never quite finish getting through the tabs. There is always something I want to write about, but am not quite in the zone or mood to whip off. So I leave it and repeat the read, open tabs bit. Many times a day - I have a lot of blogs, remember.

But now, I am through them. And some of my Bloglines folders are very much under control. My blogs are almost entirely updated. And it’s 4pm. This is just really weird. And I have no idea how it happened.

I guess I’ll go open more tabs now ;)

Tags: firefox, tabs, weird, blogs, blogging, workflow

The Blogaholics are for hire. It’s been over a year since both of us quit our "traditional" jobs and began consulting and working in Web 2.0. 

I started off first, going "pro" into blogging. My blog list has in that time jumped from 3 to nearly 20. I blog for myself, for b5media (also Channel Editor there) and have outside contracts. Additionally, I am Qumana’s Marketing Director.

Ianiv has, for the past year or so, been the developer of the new Qumana, building it into a cross-platform blog editor that is easy to use and has advanced functionality. Although he blogs very little, he is the man behind the technology that drives what I do, and spends a great deal of free time exploring and creating Web 2.0 technology.

We both feel it’s time for a change. A time to grow and explore and lend our expertise to other efforts.

Hire Arieanna: I plan to keep all my blogs and my role with b5media, but am looking to evangelize a new product. To work with a company to understand and internalize user needs. My goal is to "create a community of passionate users around a social software product or service."

Hire Ianiv: Ianiv wants to put his Web 2.0 knowledge to good work as a part of a team developing social software. He is passionate about helping people communicate and connect.

If you are looking for passionate employees or have any leads, let us know.
ianiv@blogaholics.ca
arieanna@blogaholics.ca

We are willing to locate outside Vancouver and will be in the San Jose area July 26 - 30.

You can check out our CVs (Ianiv | Arieanna) - or, better yet, browse through our archives here on the blog or ask around.

Tags: arieanna, ianiv, blogaholics, hireus, hire us

As an early kick-off for BlogHer, which is now 10 days away (I’m quite excited to network with my fellow BlogHers again), I am going to interview myself. To pre-introduce myself to the other BlogHer attendees, and anyone else who may be interested.

 So, hi :)

In choosing to interview myself this way, I am choosing questions that are more unusual than your standard interview. So here we go.

Why did you choose to share that piece of yourself in a photograph?

Getting married to Ianiv represented, to me, not just love but personal growth. To get married takes trust and responsibility and dedication. I feel like I have made great progress in my life and I am proud now to be married and committed to Ianiv.

The picture also represents an achievement of other sorts. Not just the stress of planning the wedding (there was lots of that), but of the year in general. It was the year we both quit our jobs and started our own business. A very public business, interacting daily with people around the world. So, the hands represent not only that achievement and love, but also the reaching out to the world through what we do together.

Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

I think every blog I write has a little piece of me, but some blogs get a larger piece than others. Blogaholics represents my "blogging home" - it is the place where I try to share "me" as if I were conversing with friends. Telling people what is affecting my life and what my opinions, joys and sorrows are. Not everything goes online - I make choices, and the act of writing does distinguish between the "online me" and the "me" in general. Blogaholics is the most accurate portrayal of me, but it is still yet a persona.

As we brdge out into my other blogging efforts, we find different pieces of me. Cooking Gadgets has my love for food and for baking and gadgets - but has only parts of my personality. She Knows Best has my love for shopping, for helping others, and my taste - but only in that area. Gilmore Girls News is an over-amplified version of my liking of the show. And then we move to my least authentic blog, Lohan Groupie. Following a celebrity who honestly annoys me, and writing in a style foreign to my beliefs. Pure profit incentive, nothing more.

So, when you read me, you don’t always see me. It depends where you go ;)

How do you use blogging to build friendships?

I love to talk with other bloggers. I often email back bloggers who left good comments and that leads to emails or Skype conversations. I use Skype almost exclusively to speak with other bloggers. Conferences have been a great way to meet other bloggers and start those relationships as well. To find new people to read and talk to, and new ways to express myself in my writing as a result.

My involvement with b5media has given my a very good opportunity to meet and work with some amazing bloggers, and to develop new relationships. At first, my role as CE was overwhelming. Hard to manage the growth of the channel and the needs of bloggers. But as relationships have formed, I have come to love my role. I act as friend and advisor, but I learn always from them and my experiences in the network.

If you had a super power, what would it be?

To fly. Oddly enough, I don’t like the feeling of free-fall - would never skydive - but I have always wanted to fly. To feel weightless and to power through the wind and see the world below. Freedom.

What is your favorite thing that you wrote? What got a strong reaction from readers? 

These are two different questions. My favorite post is the one that was hardest for me to write - I have struggled with the question of Canadian Identity, and identity in general, for a long time. I tackled the question in school, and again on the blog. I am still dissatisfied with my writing, which is why I like the piece. It’s not complete, but it is an expression of my personal struggle.

As for a strong reaction, it was my blunt honesty about a cafe that drew the strongest, and most negative, feedback I’ve ever received. It caused me much pain but reminds me that I need to be inclusive - to involve the people behind the story in the story, rather than omitting them. However, it reminds me also of the progress yet to be made by the corporate world in embracing open commentary.

Tags: BlogMe, BlogHer06