Happy (One Month) Blogday To Me!

I just wrapped up my first month as a blogger, so I thought I’d step back and share some of my newbie perspectives and experiences. Also, in the spirit of transparency, I want to also share all my behind-the-scenes statistics and stuff. So, why don’t we start there…

First off, at this very moment, my blog – Todd And (The Power To Connect) – has had 1,508 hits. I’m not quite sure how WordPress defines a hit, but I’m pretty pleased with that number for my inaugural month. Of course, about 10 to 15 percent of those hits are likely my own.

Over the last 30 days, I’ve written 41 Posts, which generated 42 comments and are contained within 53 categories. My Technorati ranking is 210,591 (out of a kajillionbillion blogs). According to Technorati, I have 41 links from 15 blogs. Again, all these numbers seem decent to me for a one month birthday.

NOTE: No matter how often I ping ‘em, my “Most Recent Posts” on Technorati are still 20-something days old. WordPress won’t allow me to throw any code into its templates, so I don’t know what else I can do to get Technorati to update my directory of most recent posts. Any ideas? I currently have an email into support.

My top 10 blog posts were:

1 – Bad Blog Pitch = Fired! (104)

2 – “You know… If we roll, we roll BIG!” (92)

3 – The MKTG/PR Top 10 of Top 10s (56)

4 – PR vs. Advertising – Who’s The Heavyweight (37)

5 – Name That Tune In One URL (29)

6 – Whose MKTG Is It Anyway? (25)

7 – Psst. Viral Marketing! Pass It On… (17)

8 – New Rules of PR (16)

9 – Proximity Marketing Gives People The Blues (15)

10 – Simple Secrets to Business Communication (15)

My top referrers include (in no particular order):

1. overtonecomm.blogspot.com
2. ideagrove.com/blog
3. whenwerollwerollbig.com
4. badpitch.blogspot.com
5. wagnercomm.blogspot.com/
6. muchadoaboutwhatever.blogspot.com/
7. andreaweckerlecopywriting.typepad.com/new_millennium_pr/
8. leehopkins.net/
9. field.prblogs.org/
10. intopr.prblogs.org/
11. badpitch.blogspot.com/

My 30-day WordPress blog and feed stats are:

According to FeedBurner, my feed subscribers have hovered between 15 and 20 on a consistent basis. FeedBurner’s feed stats are below:

So, my question to the seasoned bloggers out there is this: Do I add my FeedBurner subscriber numbers to my WordPress subscriber numbers for a rough total? If that’s the case, I’m looking at about 35 to 50 total subscribers.

Now that we have stats out of the way, let’s focus on perceptions and experiences.

I went into blogging thinking it was a good way to connect with others who have similar interests – primarily marketing and PR. It was an experiment of sorts because I had read blogs and about blogs, but didn’t really have the first-person perspective. I was curious.

After 30 days, I equate blogging to a free professional convention without ever having to leave the house. I walk around (browse the web) and stop by different presentations (blogs) to hear what others (bloggers) have to say about specific topics (read posts). Between sessions or blog posts, we network in the hallways (comments and email).

Bottomline, blogging – at least in the marketing and PR worlds – is an alternative venue for professional networking. Network marketing if you will.

I’ve also noticed that the blogging-like gravitate toward other blogging-like. It seems like the only comments I receive are from fellow bloggers. And only from other marketing or PR-related bloggers. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I tend to read mostly PR and marketing-related blogs because I want to stay cutting-edge with my knowledge base and pick up new ideas, tactics, strategies, etc.

Plus, as a blog author, I force myself to research more topics. By blogging, I anticipate gaining a greater depth and breadth of PR and marketing-related knowledge. Geez, when I think about it, it’s much more than just PR and marketing stuff… it’s all business, technology, media and culture. Blogging is a priceless education and extremely useful in the professional world. Who needs the best B-Schools (business schools) when we have the Ivy League of the other B-Schools (blogs).

Of the other PR and marketing blogs I frequent, it’s clear that all the authors are passionate about their subject matter. I praise my fellow MKTG/PR blog authors for their best practices in sharing experiences and knowledge. It’s like we’re all out here in the blogosphere to support one another, point out useful resources, and give some high-fives (positive feedback and comments). Blogging is all about the digital high-five. That’s one of the reasons I’m enjoying it so much.

When it comes to sharing, I’m impressed by the trust and open exchange of information among the bloggers. I already feel lucky to have stumbled upon so many great blogs and am on my way to making some great professional contacts… and possibly friendships.

As in most professional networking situations, I think the true value of blogging is problem solving, not finger pointing. That said, it’s evident that some bloggers are stronger than others. In my opinion, the successful bloggers are those who write with openness, comment with respect, have a positive attitude, trust in others, and maintain an unwavering commitment to sharing.

And just as the “successful bloggers” are the ones you want to read, they’re also the ones clients and companies want to hire, and fellow MKTG/PR professionals want to partner with.

Fortunately, it does seem like most of us strive to build connections and learn from other bloggers. How can you not want to read and learn from your blogger comrades? The MKTG/PR blogosphere alone gives people direct access to our respective books of knowledge and certainly is a treasure trove of quality information. I can only hope that as the blog proliferation continues, more and more professionals will utilize the power of blogs.

Now, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m still on my blog honeymoon. My reflections may change drastically over the next few weeks or months as I gain more blogging experience. And while I’m on my blog honeymoon, I’ve made a blog widow out of my wife because I spend so much of my free time reading and writing. So, I’m not sure the frequency of my posts will be sustainable.

In summary, I think it’s important to note that with every new blog post and comment (both that I read and write), I’m gaining a greater appreciation and respect for blogs and their professional connection power. After all, that’s why I called this blog “The Power To Connect.”