I Love My Readers

I love my readers, and you should love yours. Treat them with respect, courtesy and dignity. Without them, it doesn't matter how loud you are, they're the ones that listen. My readers are my support. They are the people who inspire me, keep me writing; the people who make me want to do this day in and day out. My readers are my best friends and the harshest of critics.

Feel lucky, because you have the job of making your readers' time worthwhile. Think of it, they're taking the time out of their day to see what you have to say. Why wouldn't you want to keep them as interested in your offering as possible? None of us in this industry deserve our readers, we have to earn them. Each reader who subscribes to your site is establishing a friendship and a trust with you. But as with any friendship, work must be done in order to maintain their trust in you and your content. Common sense right? Doesn't seem so from the looks of it. Remember that even the biggest of publications, newspapers and now blogs, didn't start out with a large following. How did they do it though? Concentrated content, focused and targeted content as well as compelling pieces of writing that have readers wanting to voice their opinion in a heartbeat. In short, they care.

Make sure you interact with your readers too. You'll see that I like to respond to comments frequently, mainly because I have no life, but the more applicable reason is that my readers know I'm there. Many bloggers these days seem to like to post, and then never comment. When your readers have questions, you should answer them. That's why our medium is so powerful. There are no "Letters to the Editor" sections to wait for, editors like you and I can answer in an instant. So why not do so? Stay involved with your readers, and try not to be so closed. You're already spilling your life, why do you have to hide when you're done?

This is a labor of love, blogging is. Sure, you'll find that my reasons for doing things are pretty innocent, but my actions can only back up what I say. Let this serve as a wake up call for some, and a "yeah, I already knew that" for others.