Growing your blog is not just about writing great post, or randomly commenting on other blogs, its also about interacting with fellow bloggers. To use an analogy. We can walk around down town and not talk to a single person, but put us in a room with the same people and tell us that we have something in common, and we will soon be chatting up a storm.

In the same vein with blogging it is the opportunities for social interaction (being put in the room) that really help us and our blogs grow.

Darren Rowse at Problogger is running a Group Writing Project, which is a great opportunity to meet new bloggers, check out what they have to say and have them check out what you have say.

The topic is ”Reviews and Predictions” what happened in 2006 what’s going to happen in 2007.

One thing I can predict is, if you participate you will meet some incredible people and traffic will increase to your blog.

Check it out now! 

Group Writing Project at Problogger

“ History never remembers the followers, it only remembers the person that was their leader.” - Anon

“If you save one live, it is as if you saved an entire world.” – Babylonian Talmud

These two quotes embody the readers’ responsibility to commenting.

Most of us are afraid to stand before a crowd and express our inner self. We much prefer to be followers, part of the herd. We do this because it is safe.
It is the one who bravely steps forward and takes a stand for what they believe who is ultimately recognized and remembered. They might fail they might be wrong, but at least they tried, and for this they are respected.

The idea of saving an entire world by saving one life, is that from one life endless generations will be born, enough to populate the world.

When you read a post that strikes a chord in you, even if there are 0 comments, be brave, be a leader and comment. Not only does it give those that are followers the opportunity to express their voice, but if you also have a Blog there is a good chance that you will get traffic by being one of the first few who comment.

Also if the Blog has the potential to share great ideas, then by commenting you keep it alive, you help it to grow, you become part of its eventual greatness.

It has been recommended that a Blogger keep comments off until they have a strong readership, because if a reader sees 0 comments than they think the post has no value. If you are walking down the street and you see a diamond ring on the ground, do you leave it because no one else has picked it up?

Will you be a leader or will you hide in their shadow.

When I started my blog I had heard various opinions on whether you should have comments on or off.  Some of the opinions amongst the Blog leaders;
 

Steve Pavlina – His feeling is that as your traffic grows it becomes time consuming to maintain the comments, and because the small handful of  people that comment don’t represent the overall view off your mass readership, it can end up taking you off course. Steve also mentions other alternatives, such as e-mails, forums and opening certain post to commenting when desired.
 

ProBlogger –  Darren Rowse doesn’t’ take a hard line view. When your post has an interactive nature you should have comments on, if it’s a news report maybe you would turn them off. Within the context of ProBlogger comments on is a definite.
 

John TP – “But what if your blog is new or has low traffic? Most of your posts will then have no comments and it will likely turn away new visitors as they will feel that no one reads your blog.
In this situation the best thing to do is to disable comments and enable it back when you have about 500 unique visitors a day or say about 100 RSS subscribers.”