Should You Create a Google+ Page For Your Blog
I answered my own question by building a Google+ page for my blog. If you are like me and you are trying to build a community than there are a number of ways to do so. One of the more obvious to me is to build outposts that your community can hang out/visit you in.
You might not find time to visit me here on a daily basis but I am guessing that many of you will make it to Facebook and or Google+ on a daily basis and if you do it gives me one more chance to engage/interact with you. That engagement is important to me and here is why.
One of the many things that I want to do is become a published author. In a “perfect” world the publishing houses would find me and offer me ridiculous amounts of money to do what I love- write. That is not an impossible scenario but the probability isn’t as high as I might like it to be so I am working on alternative solutions.
Self publishing is one of those and if I go down that route than I need to marshal my resources and do my best to try and market/promote the hell out of my book. A bigger platform provides more reach and offers a greater shot at helping me reach my goals so it makes sense to me to try and build.
The trick is to try and do so without losing touch. Â As you grow it gets to be harder to continue to really engage and make yourself “real” to people. It is a problem that I want to have but it doesn’t mean that I am not paying attention to it.
Social media isn’t any different than the “real world.” People remember how you made them feel so it behooves you to do your best to be real and show them who you are. I am a goofy guy who likes slapstick comedy. I am a father. I am a friend. I am a man who sometimes rants about the world. Some people love me and some people hate me, there really isn’t too much in between.
But I have done my best to be transparent with you. Some of us will develop real friendships. Some of us will be online acquaintances and some of us will be something altogether different. It is all part of how it works.
Circling back to the initial question of should you create a Google+ page for you blog I say absolutely.
vanita November 8, 2011 at 10:10 am
Jack, seems we had the same idea at the same time. I believe we both mentioned it on twitter within a few minutes (LOL) and I did head over to your page.
Jack, I can honestly say, that I believe you’ll find what you need from your community.
I’ve picked up a decent amount of work over the past few months due to my social media support. In the five years that my off-line friends knew that I was a web designer, I was lucky to have one gig through them. In the year that I’ve connected closely with my community, I’ve had 8 gigs. Small, but experience building and paying.
I agree with you, it’s all about community and being real.
Jack November 8, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Vanita,
We are absolutely on the same page here. If you build a strong community on your blog you find yourself with a tremendous resource that shouldn’t be ignored.
TechyDad November 8, 2011 at 8:27 am
I created one for my blog and another one for my FollowerHQ Twitter application. Not sure if/how I’ll use them, but there’re there now.
Jack November 8, 2011 at 4:11 pm
I figured that I’d set one up and work on the details later. As Amy Kramer said, should help with SEO.
Harleena Singh November 8, 2011 at 1:01 am
Hi Jack,
Just circled you right away before I forget!
I have been reading so many posts about how to go about creating your business pages on Google+- and even though I need to create my own business page – I wonder how many can we really handle!
Overall social media just keeps increasing with new stuff coming up daily, it does get tough to handle and manage things. But, as you rightly mentioned- if it’s not here, maybe we can connect on Google+ or Facebook. This being the very reason people tend to choose so many networking systems.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Joanne Cipressi November 7, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Jack,
I will have to find your page on Google+ and circle it. I am planning on setting up my Google+ page tomorrow. Am just trying to figure out what to call it.
Love what you wrote here, “Social media isn’t any different than the “real world.†People remember how you made them feel so it behooves you to do your best to be real and show them who you are.” I completely agree. 🙂
Jack November 7, 2011 at 11:42 pm
Hi Joanne,
People say a lot of things about social media but the only universal truth I know is that one.
Janet Callaway November 7, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Okay, Jack. It is now added to my “to do” list which so needed another addition.
Do you follow Seth Godin’s Domino Project? He has shared some amazing statistics on the book publishing industry. One thing I know, Jack, he would say “Go for it! Build your community. You can do better with your community than you can with a publishing house.”
Even though I do not have the interest that you do in being a published author, I find the statistics and the changes in the industry to be quite fascinating.
Until next time, aloha. Janet
P.S. It seems that each time I come over there is something slightly different. Jack, I like the way your blog is evolving.
Jack November 7, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Hi Janet,
I know Seth Godin but I don’t know what the Domino Project is. I suppose I should check it out, most of the time I find Godin to be pretty sharp.
The community is important and frankly it is something that we have more control over. I can’t guarantee or promise that a publishing house will find me but the community is different.
It is different because we have created a great community here, you, me and everyone else. The community exists and I think that we can continue to build and create an entity that looks out for each other.
You are probably right about this place evolving- I certainly am so it would make sense that this place would too.