Two heads (or three, or four, or a dozen) are better than one! Find friendship and feedback in a blogging community.
Did you know? Bloggers who participate in group blogs and blogging communities blog for longer periods of time than those who go it completely alone. After analyzing the history of thousands of blogs, our data wizards concluded: “People who write in groups are more likely to keep writing.”
While it’s easy to focus only on our own blogs and what we want to create, paying attention to the social aspects of blogging has myriad benefits — it’s an excellent way to get constructive feedback on your work, technical help, and stretch yourself as a writer (or photographer, or sketcher, or poet, or…). And being social generates friendships and views, which don’t hurt either!
Here are a few of our favorite ways to get involved with a supportive blogging community.
Home-grown help: The Blogging Meetup
Folks who participate in Blogging U. often find themselves eager to keep in touch with other bloggers taking the same course. A group of Blogging 101 alums took matters into their own hands and created The Blogging Meetup: a group site for anyone who thinks blogging is more fun when done with friends.
A community chat area gives members a place to ask one another for support, whether creative or technical, and share new posts. Weekly blogging events make it easy for participants to get involved and find new reads and new fans. The community also highlights different members’ blogs each week, which brings a nice readership boost to each blogger.
You can browse the site, follow along on their Facebook page and Twitter feed, or head to their registration page to let them know you’re interested in joining the fun — previous Blogging U. participation isn’t required.
Special interests (the good kind)
If you’re interested in connecting with people around specific topics, there’s no shortage of special interest blogging groups, on WordPress.com and beyond. Some googling will turn up countless groups, and here are a few of our favorites:
If you’d like some peer support but don’t want to join these (or any other) group, the Community Pool — a place to give and get feedback on any aspect of blogging — is here for you! A new thread opens every Monday.
- Canvas of the Minds: a group of folks blogging about all aspects of mental illness, supporting one another both in blogging and health.
- Cee’s Photo Challenges: a variety of themed weekly photo challenges, giving an easy in to photographers of all levels.
- Friday Fictioneers: this micro-fiction challenge — 100 words or less! — has been going strong for four years, and has a dedicated group of supportive participants.
- Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge: hundreds of writers converge on Chuck’s site for semi-regular writing challenges. Here’s the latest installment.
- #weekendcoffeeshare: we recently highlighted this fluid community of bloggers who post weekly “coffee dates” — a lovely way to publish more intimate posts and get to know other bloggers more deeply.
And of course, you can take a look at our Community Event Listings to look for groups that are up your alley. We just cleaned ’em up to purge defunct events, so you’re more likely to find active events.
Create your own group
If there’s no existing group that floats your boat, or you already have a group of regular readers and commenters that you’d like to work with, make your own group! Create a new blog, invite your co-bloggers as users, et voilĂ , you’ve got your own little network.
For group collaboration, we love the P2 theme and its ability to let site members post directly from the home page; it’s what the The Blogging Meetup uses, and what we use to collaborate internally at WordPress.com. But you can create a group blog with any theme you love.
Part of a great group? Please share! Or connect with others in the comments, and create something new.
Currently blogless? You’re a click away from sharing your story.
Create your blog at WordPress.com
Hi Michelle,
Thanks so much for mentioning my blog. It’s a real treat to be mention to you. You also mentioned some other great blogs that people can respond to. I know I have a wonderful community of friends and bloggers because of the challenges. Once again. Thanks.
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Reblogged this on Cee's Photography and commented:
Michelle, at WordPress, Daily Post, mentioned my blog and its challenges. Needless to say I am honored to have been mentioned.
Also, thanks to all of your who have responded to my challenges. I have met so many wonderful people and have had so much fun with everyone.
Hugs
Cee
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Great information! Thanks for the post and as soon as I settle, I will join a couple other groups. I love the coffee share but I am not sure I am a group participant. I have just been responding to the actual posts from some of my friends. Just need to get back on track with these events.
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I didn’t even know there was such thing as blogging groups! That’s so cool! Someone check out my blog and form one with me lol!
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Hi Michelle, I did not see a way to comment. I started a Blogger Collaboration group for subscribers of my site. We help promote each other’s posts or give whatever other help we need.. http://mostlyblogging.com/blogger-collaboration-group/ If you could promote my group as a way for bloggers to help each other and get help, that would be great! Janice Wald
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You just commented, so folks will see your link here — nice initiative!
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I couldn’t comment in the comment section. I didn’t know how. I only hit “reply” and replied to the Email. I didn’t leave a comment on your post like the others.
Janice
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I see my comment is there, after all, thanks Michelle!
Janice
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For more details about the data behind the statement “People who write in groups are more likely to keep writing”, see this post https://randomstratum.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/a-problem-shared-is-a-problem-halved-2/
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Thank you so much for posting!
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Thanks, much appreciated, will chk the Facebook and Twitter page….
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Two groups I greatly enjoy are Norm’s Thursday Doors group (https://miscellaneousmusingsofamiddleagedmind.wordpress.com/) where every Thursday we post photos of…doors. đŸ™‚
Every Monday, Sally hosts a week-long photo themed photo challenge for anyone taking photos with a non-traditional camera, such as a phone, iPad, etc. Themes repeat monthly. Here’s her site: https://lensandpensbysally.wordpress.com/.
janet
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Nice! Thanks for sharing đŸ™‚
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Hey great post! Bloggers there’s safety in numbers.
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Thanks again Michelle for the shout out and continued support for the Blogging Meetup. We are working hard at continuing to cultivating a community of bloggers that want to discuss/help/assist blogging with other bloggers.
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Totally agree and I love blog groups. Do let me know of the tasks too.
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I love doing these things, seeing all the different kinds of people that club together, the sheer randomness of the blog categories, I love it!
So, mines about writing, generally I’ll post writing prompts of the larger kind when I can, but occasionally I post thoughts about current situations.
Course I’m working now so I can’t post as much but I try my best haha.
I hope to see more of everyone in the future.
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While reading this blog I was feeling like I am being facilitated for joining WordPress. Its really nice to know someone cares for fellow bloggers. It’s great help, this blog post is awesome.
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That’s a great list. Here’s another option for whoever might be interested – https://blogging101alumni.wordpress.com/
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Hello Michelle,
Thanks for this article, I am a beginner blogger @ kewanblogs.com
So appreciate such
#kewrites
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i do have interest in group blogging… seems perfect to be in the working committee
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i’m a beginner and i had no idea there was such a thing as group blogging! doing this alone can get boring! someone check out my blog and form a network with me please!please!please! thanks!
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This was really helpful as I am a new blogger and had read that building up contacts was useful. Thank you so much for such a helpful, informative piece
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How do we interact with fellow bloggers now that you’ve done away with The Commons đŸ˜¦ @michelleweber đŸ˜¦
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We’re working to create spaces for you to do that here, and encourage you to interact as much as possible directly on other folks’ blogs; if you’re taking a Blogging U. course, each course still has a recommended tag to make it easy to find other folks taking the same course.
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Hello world.. This is poorva from India đŸ™‚
I m just 16 now..
Just started posting my handwritten work today..
Kindly check it out..
Need ur suggestions !!
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Hello Poorva! Would love to look, I’ll take a look later today and shoot some feedback. I’m not a master or anything, but perspectives never hurt! Feel free to do the same on my page đŸ™‚
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Sure.. will have a look đŸ™‚
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If you’re looking for support and feedback on your new blog (congrats!), check out the Community Pool, as mykulmitch suggests:
https://wordpress.com/dailypost/category/community-pool/
There will also be a new open thread starting tomorrow specifically for new bloggers to share their very first posts, so look out for that and do share your link!
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Sure đŸ™‚
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The bloggosphere has been so helpful in the development of my blog. The feedback received from my fellow bloggers is so valuable and greatly appreciated.
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I’m in the same boat as you! I didn’t know where to even turn in order to get help developing my content in general. Community pool has been a huge help for me.
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When I saw this I gave my friends my blog info
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good post. good tips. I am always on the lookout to share experiences with other health/fitness/weight loss bloggers!
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Really useful to know!
Thanks
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hi, i cannot get logged into word press, to log into Harlequin(jewelry).com on word press, help!!!
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It doesn’t look like that’s a WordPress.com site; if you’re having trouble, you’ll want to contact your web host or ask for help in the support forums for self-hosted WordPress users at http://wordpress.org.
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Hi Michelle. I had no idea blogging communities existed. I am such a newbie. Looking at some of the other blogs is inspiring. Thanks for opening new worlds for me.
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Perhaps ,this is one of the challenges one encounters while starting out as a new blogger,the urge to stop while one hasn’t done anything yet.I would love to join a group that pens their thoughts daily…Mochadhino.wordpress.com
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Wow! This looks great. I can’t wait to get connected with other like minded and creative minded minds.
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Aww a lovely idea!
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