This is number 2 in a series of presentations that discuss the hows and whys of building a community around your blog. Let the comments be your content!

1. Building a Community
Around your Blog
2
Let the Comments be your Content!
@digibomb

2. First, a quick recap ...
Check out par t 1

3. If readers h ave a personal
attachm ent to you and
other reade rs of your blog
they’ll be more likely to
return agai n and again ...

4. The pro blem with blogs

5. 1 Community is only in
the comments, and that is
ver y limited!

6. 1 Community is only in
the comments, and that is
ver y limited!
Reade rs are forced to
discuss the topic at hand.
No new discussions.
No interaction.
2

7. What’s the
solution?

8. Anybody?

9. Stop speaking and listen!
Let the comments be your content.

10. Interac tivity engages
readers a nd creates a
positive impression

11. Interac tivity engages
readers a nd creates a
positive impression
A sense of community
creates loyal readers

12. Interac tivity engages
readers a nd creates a Readers who like you
positive impression will help you out in
various ways
A sense of community
creates loyal readers

13. Interac tivity engages
readers a nd creates a Readers who like you
positive impression will help you out in
various ways
A sense of community
creates loyal readers
Even if your community is
small, it p rovides you with
an o ppor tunity to get to
kno w your readers

14. Where do
I start?

15. Bork!
You need
the right
ingredients!

16. 1 Notifications

17. Let users know
what’s going on

18. Let users know
what’s going on
Give them a reason
to come back

19. 2 Keep the barriers low

20. Easy to enter

21. Easy to enter
Easy to post

22. 3 Monitor content

23. Prevent trolling
What a bunch of crap.
This site sucks and your
question is
stupid.don’t bother com
ing here
for anything

24. Prevent trolling
What a bunch of crap.
This site sucks and your
question is
stupid.don’t bother com
ing here
for anything
R emove noise
Title: How this work?

25. 4 Promote Influencers

26. Give members jobs
It’s amazing how many people don’t want to just read and consume
– they want to be a part of building something that matters.
Jobs can be anything from moderators, contributors,
documenters, or recruiters.

27. 5 Be a cheer leader

28. Answer questions and manage user expectations

29. Answer questions and manage user expectations
Give feedback regularly

30. Answer questions and manage user expectations
Give feedback regularly
Mention milestones in newsletters, etc.

31. Answer questions and manage user expectations
Give feedback regularly
Mention milestones in newsletters, etc.
Remember: The community belongs to the community!

32. 6 Give your readers homework

33. Tips and tricks

34. Tips and tricks
Tutorials

35. Tips and tricks
Tutorials
Ask questions

36. Tips and tricks Survey and poll
Tutorials
Ask questions

37. 7 One last tip

38. Determine who your community is and what they want

39. Determine who your community is and what they want
Uploads Notifications
Voting
Shares
Badges
Follows
Signatures
Attachments

40. What’s the
next step?

41. Get the
plugin!

42. Get the
plugin!
So easy a Caveman can do it.

43. Dow nload the plugin
from WordPress.org

44. What’s inclu ded in the suite
<embed> Vanilla plugin – Allows you to embed your
Vanilla forum into WordPress with a single line of code.
Discussions widget – Displays recent discussions.
Activity widget - Displays recent activity.
Users widget – Displays recently active user profile photos.

45. ... then download Vanilla

46. Download for FREE Signup for FREE
at VanillaForums.org at VanillaForums.com
or

47. The sweetest forum on the web!

48. Thank You!
@digibomb