Friday, October 10, 2014

I'M IN A BLOG HOP!!! Now What? #MFRWAuthor

We all know a blog is an on line method of communicating with readers. So what's a blog HOP? A Blog Hop is a grouping of blogs, connected in some fashion. Generally hops continue over a period of two to three days, with a goal of increasing attention for all participants. MFRW has been fortunate to utilize a unique software for the bi monthly hops, which joins all the blogs in a simple to navigate progression. The weekly excerpt blogs connect via 'linky links' which keep a list of participants. Each blog then copies the links to connect back to the main page and the other blogs.

Sounds interesting? Think it might help spread the news about your writing? How can we best utilize this organized effort, and what can we as participants do to make the hop even more effective?
Woody Allen has been heard to say 90% of success is showing up, which certainly applies to writing, and even more to blog hops. You need to have your blog ready in time to go live along with the rest of the hop participants. Most blogs these days are shared through Facebook, Twitter, and Triberr. To get the maximum benefit from Triberr, you'll want to create unique titles. These titles can reflect the hop theme, such as "Endless Summer" or "Home For The Holidays" but should expand on the initial wording. You might use "Anthony's Endless Summer Memories" or "The Duke Goes Home for the Holidays." This way your title will be within theme but will stand out from the crowd plus you won't hit a Triberr traffic jam of too many to count "Endless Summer" or "MFRW Summer Blog" titles.
If there is a recommended Twitter identity, such as #MFRWAuthor, you should use it in your title. This identity flags your title on Twitter and guarantees greater exposure.

Once your blog publishes with a unique title including the Twitter flag, you can sit back and enjoy your success. Or can you?
A blog hop is a community effort. The more you put into the hop, the more you get out of it. Invest time in checking the other blogs in the hop, and in making supporting comments. Go out to Triberr or Twitter and give those other blogs more exposure; you know the other participants are doing the same for you.

When Monica's not helping with MFRW blog hops, trying to garden in the high desert, or playing with her dogs, she dons her super heroine costume as Mona Karel, Romance Writer. She often shares story information, recipes, and pictures on Mona's website


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