Does Your Blog Make An Impact On Readers?

Read more from Carol Graham on her blog, Battered Hope.

As a blogger, I believe many of us live in a constant state of being overwhelmed. Overtaken with how much there is to learn to how much there is to do. Overwhelmed with the lack of knowledge and time we need to accomplish our goals.

When I published Battered Hope last year, I assumed I would  sit back and relax. I had published my book, paid my publisher to market it for me and all was well in my world. I wrote my first blog post and waited for book sales and thousands of readers to come knocking at my blog door.  It didn’t happen – at all!

I was completely naïve of any social media networking tools and was clueless where to start.  I wrote a couple more posts; and by some sort of miracle, I captured the attention of a woman who was an administrator for a blogging community.  Diane had her fingers in many areas of marketing and networking. She worked around the clock. Why was she the least bit interested in me?

We started to chat on line and as a nurturer; she felt the necessity to help this pathetic blogger.  Very quickly, she noted that I had been taken advantage of by my publisher and pointed out that I had been steered in the wrong direction, on every count.  This was one of the initial triggers for her to advise me.  She was angry to see how I had been misled and robbed of royalties from my book sales. I have since met several authors in similar positions  In hindsight, I now realize they ‘saw me coming’, took my money and kicked me out of the nest.

Diane graciously taught me what it meant to engage with other bloggers.  She helped me revamp my blog from A – Z. I was embarrassed that I was so green and had no indication to what I was doing. She spoke in a language that was as foreign to me as Greek – the language of the internet.  She took me by the hand and walked me through the simplest of steps. Honestly – I knew ZIP.  I wasn’t on Facebook or Twitter.  I did not know what social networking was or how to market on the internet. How long did she work with me? Months.  What did she charge for her service?  ZERO.

The only compensation she wanted was for me to make her proud.  I worked hard and hoped I could accomplish that in some small, or maybe not so small, way.  I felt stupid most of the time and it seemed to take forever to grasp even the simplest concepts.  But she never grew impatient; I imagine she bit her tongue a lot.

Why would she do that?  When I asked her, she said some incredibly nice things that I would be embarrassed to disclose here.  Basically, she saw potential and I had to force myself to believe her.

Many of us as bloggers meet and become close friends with people from all over the world – people who we will probably never meet in person.  People whose paths we never would have crossed without blogging.  And most importantly, people who will make a difference in our lives in ways we never would have thought possible.

Diane was one of those people and what happens next is almost unbelievable. Diane was in a near-fatal car accident and actually died at the scene, not once — TWO TIMES.  But she was far too feisty to stay down.  That was in November and I spoke with her a couple weeks ago.

The accident happened while en route to her new home.  I was thrilled that she was moving within a few hours driving distance to where I live.  She has been in the hospital for three months, and I am not sure how much longer before she will be released.  She had all her worldly possessions with her, and they are all…..gone.  Her two daughters were with her but Diane took the brunt of the accident and suffered the most injuries.

Although the doctors cannot believe she survived, she makes light of it and her sense of humor is intact.  She continues to be my cheerleader.

And the most exciting part?  Next Saturday, I am going to meet her.  Because of body traction, I may not be able to hug her; but I don’t think I have ever been this elated to meet anyone.

My friend.  My Teacher.  My Champion.

I endeavor to write from my heart with passion and warmth.  This is what Diane said drew her to my blog.  I will be eternally grateful for that.

Has your blog made an impact on someone?  Do you have any advice or experiences you can share?