"It's not how much we give, but how much we put into giving." - Mother Teresa
We all have a purpose for creating and sharing content online. For some, it's for therapy. For others, exposure. Regardless of "what's in it for me," one thing is certain: we want people to like it.
I have always viewed my blog as a creative outlet for my career. A way for me to document and share what I've learned about marketing over the years. Much of the advice I've written in the past has focused on getting the most out of your content via shares, likes and comments. Creating content that makes people want to engage with it. Yet lately, more often than not, I find myself not following my own advice.
We all blame time. "I don't have time to follow Sarah's blog because I have too much going on. I can barely find time to work on my own blog."
Does that sound familiar to you? It does to me. Yeah, I don't have time for someone else's blog. But somehow I always have time to spend wondering why no one's spending time on mine.
So what's the problem? In my case, it's a pretty simple case of selfishness. Relationships are a funny thing, you get back what you put into them. I'm not saying I should like other posts for the sake of getting a like in return. That strategy is inevitably disappointing, for a few reasons:
Reason #1: It's too obvious. Hmmm... why does Mike only seem to like my posts when he posts something? What are his motives?
Reason #2: It doesn't always make sense. Wow, I didn't know Tom was interested in running. He hates working out.
You just need to be thoughtful about it. Find other blogs that are similar to yours that you enjoy and say something meaningful. Share and connect with them. If more time was spent building a network of people to share with, you'd spend less time twiddling your thumbs listening to crickets.
Just my and Mother Teresa's two thoughts for the day.