Be a More Successful Blogger

My blogger friend Jessica, domiciled in the depths of Southern Ireland, pointed out to me that this  blog was not getting enough comments.

`You’re obviously not writing stuff that people want to read,’ she observed kindly and went on to tell me that her own gets several comments daily.    I said that was possibly because she blogs about knitting and lots of people in the British Isles and indeed many more in North America, are fanatical knitters.

`I think that’s where you are going wrong,’ she pronounced, `You don’t have a focus – if you want to be a successful blogger you have to cultivate a niche.’

I said that this particular platform did not make it particularly easy to work out how to make comments in the first place.  How many people  immediately realise that a comment is made via `No Comments'.

She ignored me and repeated that I needed a niche.

`A niche,’ I echoed and she said, `Yes, a niche.  The trouble with you is that you just seem to spew out what’s on your mind at the time – you’re all over the place.’

Oh yes, she's always had a lovely turn of phrase.

It’s quite hard to be affronted via Skype, especially when the reception is not at its best so I remained silent until she chose to speak again.

`Concentrate on just one area,’ she suggested helpfully, `Do New Zealanders crochet for example?’

I said yes they did, as well as knit, and what was more I was competent in both crafts myself. 

I told her that just before I decided I had to go because I could hear someone downstairs trying to deliver a book from Amazon.  Then I stared at the laptop for a while. 

I was still staring when the husband appeared to tell me he was going into town to get a haircut and that his tablet needed re-charging; he thought there might be something wrong with the battery.

`By the way, I didn’t think much of your post on Bill Cosby,’ he said, shrugging on his jacket, `I couldn’t work out what your point was’.

As he went down the stairs he added, `Maybe your blog needs more of a focus.' 

 I visualized with relish penetrating the space between his bony shoulders with a kitchen knife.