Of course you do! Well, you must at least read them, because you're here, right now, reading... The reason I ask is that I'm supervising Tina, a postgrad at Kingston University, and she's keen to ask you about a few things. I very much hope you can help!
Now... I'll hand you over to Tina:
"My name is Tina Mories and I am currently studying for an MA in Publishing. I am in the midst of researching my dissertation which is about blogs and the people who read them. I want to find out - with your help - more about the importance of having an online presence in today's fast-paced digital world.I have a short online survey and I am very interested in hearing from you, whether you are a blogger or someone who reads blogs.
Some of the things I'm looking into are: who reads blogs and why, why writers blog, and whether the platform is an entirely positive method to publicise your career. Could it have any counter-effects? Maybe it distracts writers from the business of book writing?"
If you can spare a moment, please fill in Tina's survey here. It doesn't take long and you'll be helping to shape a very interesting piece of academic work.
Many thanks,
Claire Fogg (Publisher)
I've been blogging for nearly a year now and I've found it an invaluable medium to share my work with other writers. It provides me with a platform to join in writing projects as well as sharing news of competitions and book/author reviews.
The links gadget on my blogpage acts as my one-stop-shop for keeping up with regular bloggers and sites - I check it at least every day!
And using a hit-counter, it's always nice to log on and find peple have been perusing your site in your absence!
Tina,
Though very busy, spending long nights composing a poetry series and completing my breakthrough book, all while pouring heart and soul in an avid attempt to create a quality story of style and substance for a short story contest; I did take a moment to complete the survey for your intriguing endeavour. Hope it will be helpful. May you find the answers you seek.
Xean
2/8/2010
Just a thought - on the 'promotion' side, I've found it useful to get involved in Forums on related sites. A decent number of hits on both website and blog come from readers who've hit the 'My Blog or 'My Website' links I always add to a comment.
And it's a numbers game, I believe.