06.28.07
My friend started a blog. What does she WANT?
My friends were so supportive when I started a blog (probably happy that I’d stop telling them about the crazy things I read and think about). They’d sometimes even log on and read my pearls. (Usually in front of me just to show that they had looked at it.) Sometimes they’d even call me up to comment on something I said. And my happiest-to-be-supportive friend told me – “your blog was great. I clicked on all the ads dozens of times. Did you make a lot of money?”
Arrrrgh. What exactly was I expecting?
If you want to support a friend starting his or her own blog, you can do a lot.
Read the blog  multiple times
First, read it several days in a row. New bloggers very quickly find ways to track who’s looking at their new baby. They might not know that it’s you, but they know which town you’re reading the blog from. If you go an a trip to Spain and read the blog there, your new blogging friend will know you stopped by. (Assuming of course that they know you went to Spain.) This is not to say new bloggers aren’t gratified by their friends reading in front of them – comments like “What a pretty title picture.” or “Do you really think a hot pink and orange background really goes with a Save Darfur site?” can be extremely helpful.
Leave comments about the blog for other people to read.Â
If you’re slightly embarrassed about making public comments, use an alias. Your friend will know from your email, which isn’t published, that you’re you. You can even still call and tell your friend you left the note. Comments let other readers know that they are not the only ones looking at the blog. Sometimes the comments are even better than the original post. (A situation that your blogger friend will not be offended by at all – lively conversation is a tremendous compliment to a site.)
 Ads? – I train my mind to block them out
If your friend has put ads on a site he/she is trying to make some money. It’s not really helpful, however, to click on each ad dozens of times. If the ad is pitching something you might buy (even in the future & you’re just looking for info now) click the ad. If you’re actually going to buy something you saw on your friend’s site, make the effort to find the ad again and buy after clicking on the ad. The commission your friend earns is probably large enough to pay his or her blogging costs for the month. (Theoritically you could go straight to the vendor’s site within a reasonable period to make your purchase and your friend should get their commission. I block and clean cookies so vigourously that a vendor probably wouldn’t be able to tell if I’d seen them from a specific site. The problem is probably worse if you use multiple computers.)
If you have a blog or a website, link to your friend’s new blog.
 Even if your website is just your family info site, link.  (You should also link to your community groups, your favorite local restaurants and any others you’d like to give a helping hand to.)
Finally, email another friend a link to an article you like and tell them to check out the site.Â
Follow these steps and your friend will really appreciate your support.
