4.5.10

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: The Dalai Lama Effect

the dalai lama

In my last post (which was the first post... of the 31-Day series), Melissa told me that one way she got a lot of traffic to her blog was to mention the Dalai Lama and a current event (all in the same post, I believe).

This led her to the conclusion that name-dropping and current-event-dropping will increase your blog traffic. At least for a week or less.

So of course I absolutely knew that if I was going to do my homework and Write a List Post, I would have to take Melissa's scientific discovery into account.

Thus, my Super-Traffic-Building List Post:

The top-10 famous names and current events to increase your blog traffic, for a week or less...

1. ProBlogger. (He's the guy who wrote the 31 Day book, and it would be silly of me not to list him here at the top of the Top-10 List, because he gets like a gazillion page views a day, and I am quite confident that he'll see this name-dropping in his Google Alerts and reward me accordingly)

2. Shel Israel is the author of the first book I ever read about blogging. He was even the very first person to comment on my very first blog post, almost four years ago. So I owe him one. Besides, he is famous. At least in the Social Media world.

3. Seth Godin's blog is also famous. I should read one of his books sometime. But this month I am too busy writing a post a day, to increase my blog traffic. One of Seth's recent posts got 352 retweets. I am guessing that no Google Alert in h*** will bring him here, where the average retweet on a post is... hey, stop laughing, THREE!

4. Brian Clark can tell you how to write a really great blog post. So, when you are done with my Top-10 Name-Dropping-List to Increase Your Blog Traffic, you should go read him and take his advice.

5. Glynn Young is a rising star. I met him about a year ago when he had about two followers, and now he has 75, which is very impressive (and I am not actually kidding about that). Glynn will someday rival Brian Clark. And I'm hoping he will remember me. (There is some chance that he might, since he is one of our cool writers at HighCallingBlogs.) I could say the same about another one of our writers, Maureen Doallas, who is also racking up followers faster than I can count.

6. Dan King is our Twitter and Facebook guy at HighCallingBlogs. He practically quadrupled our Facebook followers since he came on with us in January. At this rate, we'll be feeding him grapes and fanning him with ostrich-feather fans at our Fall Leaders Retreat, to thank him for his awesome social-media savvy.

7. Katdish, of Hey Look, A Chicken! (she is more infamous than famous, as you might guess with a name like that, but no Top-10 Name-Dropping List would be complete without her ;-)

8. Billy Coffey is about to be famous. I think that should count. Just wait until his book Snow Day releases this Fall. People will be flocking back to this post through the Google Machine all because of Billy.

9. Marcus Goodyear. He is also about to be famous, for a book called Barbies at Communion. And even if he doesn't achieve poetic fame, I have to include him in this list. He's my boss, okay? (Don't tell him I said that. :)

10. Shoot, I forgot to mention a current event. Super Saver Triumphs at Kentucky Derby. What can I say? My grammy always loved the horse races. This would be the current event of her choice, if she were here to advise.


RELATED POSTS
LL's How to Quadruple Your Blog Traffic in a Single Day, Day 1: Bambi in the Database and Julia Cameron Meets ProBlogger
ProBlogger's Day 2: Write a List Post
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
31 DBB: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me for Day 3: Promote a Blog Post


Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

31 Days to Better Blogging




  • Dalai Lama photo by Sapru. Used with permission.

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  • 17 Comments:

    Blogger Glynn said...

    So I fell over laughing here. Nancy at Poems and Prayers is walking around singing "King Tut" and I'm crooning "Fame! I wanna live forever..."

    Actually, though, the most famous person who ever left a comment on my blog is an author and poet, and she knows about fame from the InsideOut.

    8:09 AM  
    Blogger katdish said...

    Infamous?

    Pish Posh! I am goodness and light!

    And Billy Coffey is well on his way to being famous, even though he'll never admit it.

    8:14 AM  
    Blogger Dan King said...

    LL... you've got me LOL!
    I love how you've taken the task for the day and built something cool like this off of something mentioned in a comment on another post! THAT is the kind of creative genius that I like about you!

    Oh, and the whole idea that you had about feeding me grapes ain't too bad either... LOL!

    8:35 AM  
    Anonymous Maureen said...

    I owe it all -- whatever "it" is -- to you, because I didn't start blogging until late last September and I only started blogging because somehow I found you and thought you had a great site and that Random Acts of Poetry thing that was going on and that I wanted to join because it sounded fun. So, my question would have to be this: "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

    P.S. I have no idea how anyone gets 9 gazillion people to read a blogpost on any day. I can say, however, that I have been one of those 9 gazillion visiting someone else's blog.

    9:26 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    This is pretty much awesome. I feel very good about myself because a few of these famous people have commented on my blog as well. Next thing you know I'll be on The View like Pioneer Woman. Ha!

    9:34 AM  
    Blogger MOLLYC said...

    I had no idea that mentioning The Dalai Lama would bring me traffic! Since I am an Erma blogger, it will take me awhile to figure out how to work him in to my blogs about bagels and laundry...thanks for the great tips. molly

    9:40 AM  
    Blogger Billy Coffey said...

    I'll echo Maureen here. I wouldn't have had a blog if it weren't for your kindness. I'd say I'm famous for just being included in this list!

    9:43 AM  
    Blogger Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

    NEWS FLASH: If one Googles DALAI LAMA KATDISH, this is the first hit in the list.

    :-)

    9:59 AM  
    Blogger katdish said...

    WHAT????

    Dalai Lama Katdish???

    How dare he try to ride on my coattails! Head are gonna roll!

    Thanks for the heads up, Jennifer.

    10:03 AM  
    Anonymous Scott said...

    That's pretty funny.. Hope you have Google Analytics on your blog so you can track the traffic and any keyword searches.

    12:06 PM  
    Anonymous Ann Kroeker said...

    Rats! I didn't make the list...

    I guess anyone who writes about slowing down in our fast-paced world can't expect to run with the big dogs. ;)

    Fun post, LL. I think you are someone who pegs people for fame and propels them toward it, helping them build momentum. So you are a fame-spotter ... and fame-builder.

    It's very generous and behind-the-scenes of you.

    1:43 PM  
    Blogger L.L. Barkat said...

    Glynn, poetry lives, so keep writing, and in your way you will live forever. :) And you are too sweet with that comment. Well, I'm not famous. (Yet. Just wait until tomorrow when Darren Rowse links to me ;-)

    Katdish... lol. Well, I think it might be possible to be both "goodness and light" and infamous.

    Dan... red or green? :)

    Maureen... wow. I don't think I knew that story. Thanks for telling me. Really, you made my day! :)

    Erin... see, you are rubbing elbows with the Big Guys. (You're not paparazzi, are you? ;-)

    MollyC... Lama in the Laundry kind of has a nice ring to it.

    Billy... remember those first days? And now you are the one who will bring others along. :)

    Jennifer... hilarious! Who knew?!

    Katdish.... Dalai's got nothin' on you, girl.

    Scott... I'll let you know who brings more hits: Dalai Lama or Katdish (shh, don't tell her, in case it's Dalai)

    Ann... yeah, after I put those names there I thought... darn, look at all the famous people I didn't put (that Ann Kroeker, for instance... dripping with Slow Fame!) Seriously, you are famous too. Don't let anyone tell you different. :)

    2:22 PM  
    Blogger Kevin said...

    I have dally'd some roping steer and once roped a llama, but that wasn't near as much fun as readin' your post today...Good luck on your way to a gazillion..

    You deserve it today.

    2:23 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Great list and three RT's is way more than I get :)

    3:39 PM  
    Blogger Unknown said...

    ll, you are a crazy nut and i am so glad to know you : )

    xox

    ps- can i tell you a secret. i wrote the post before i realised it was day 2's task. i better go read the book now to find out what i was actually supposed to put in that list. ; )

    5:56 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    SO? Did this list increase your blog traffic? That's what I want to know! Can you write a post about that?

    5:59 AM  
    Blogger amy in peru said...

    I guess I'd say who cares if it increased traffic... it was funny.

    I came over from who knows where and the title and blurb about it are what sucked me in... the dalai lama?

    I'm going to have to come up with some different tactics though as I can't foresee working any of those names in on my blog and I'm not as witty as you are either...

    I guess I'll go eat worms.

    amy in peru

    12:02 AM  

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