I have two blogs and have recently changed the focus on one of them to the readers. The results have been quite positive. The other one already seems reader-focused, but it’s growing slowly. You’re correct about the theory, but I’m finding putting it into practice to be challenging. Thanks for the tip!
doug_eike
http://www.slingingthebull.com

Jk,

In the words of The Emperor from Star Wars:
“The force is strong with you”

Man, this is the most genuine post I’ve read addressing every bloggers internal struggle of keeping it real vs chasing the stats. Your ‘real life’ parallel to blogging is stinking spot on, and what I loved most about it was that it cut straight to our intrinsic worth, both to ourselves and our family.

My approach to blogging has evolved just as yours has. But my approach from the beginning has always been:
1. To work as hard as possible to bless the lives of others
2. To build great relationships

I’m actually to a point now where I very rarely check my stats….weird huh? I base my success solely on my interactions with others.

Dude, you just keep elevating your game….it’s an inspiration to watch Jk!

Wow, two bad ass posts in one day…making the rest of us look bad, JK.

If I wrote for the comments or traffic, blogging would drive me mad. I write for myself, and hope as I stick with it, the readers come if they like what they see…

Joe, I wholeheartedly second your sentiments brother : )

Hi Jason, just thought I would add two cents here; I don’t even know how to check my stats. Pretty sad on one hand, but that hasn’t affected me from connecting with some of the most amazing people in the blogosphere who I now call good friends!

BTW, you do have an advantage with this blogging stuff… You business partner, TheSalesLion, is one of the best bloggers in the world in my opinion. He’s all about being real and building value through relationships and you’re following right in his footsteps sir : )

OK, anyone who has a relationship with Marcus has an advantage to be fair!

Cheers Jason!

Awe thanks Joe! Glad you like it.

And I think your approach is awesome! Getting caught in the hype will only feed us hype, right!

Jason,
That internal struggle is strong! And it makes sense – it’s like work – if we work hard, we want to see results. We want to see tangible results. But the reality is that there’s a tendency that comes with that hunger… we can quickly fall into the “want for the sake of waiting numbers” mentality – and not for the purpose as you shared: to bless the lives of others and to build great relationships.

I check my stats once per week. I have this app on my phone where I can see my traffic, so I can’t shake that (it shows up to date numbers), but what I really wait for is my email inbox to buzz, letting me know I have a comment…not for the sake of a comment – but for the sake of connecting.

Thanks for all your kindness Jason.
PEACE

Hey Mark…I must agree – that advantage is a powerful one.
And to top it off, Jason carries big time chops for this writing/blogging thing! Now that’ a double-whammy!

How’s it going Doug!

I share your challenges. I often have to remind myself that I simply can’t get everything I want out of my blog overnight. I’m in it for the long run, so I’ll have to take the slow/steady incline upward (hopefully, of course). And actually, I’d prefer that over the roller coaster trend.

I’m looking forward to checking out your site. Best of luck and nice to meet you Doug!

How’s it going Doug!

I share your challenges. I often have to remind myself that I simply can’t get everything I want out of my blog overnight. I’m in it for the long run, so I’ll have to take the slow/steady incline upward (hopefully, of course). And actually, I’d prefer that over the roller coaster trend.

I’m looking forward to checking out your site. Best of luck and nice to meet you Doug!

How’s it going Doug!

I share your challenges. I often have to remind myself that I simply can’t get everything I want out of my blog overnight. I’m in it for the long run, so I’ll have to take the slow/steady incline upward (hopefully, of course). And actually, I’d prefer that over the roller coaster trend.

I’m looking forward to checking out your site. Best of luck and nice to meet you Doug!

Mark,

Thank you for featuring my little guest post here. I haven’t done many – and I’m honored to have my work live on MarkHarai.com!

My hope with this message is that it strikes a chord with the leaders who come here…not because they have it twisted, because they don’t – but so they know what guidance up and coming bloggers need.

Thanks for all that you do, and all that you represent!

Jk great post. I think definitely as a young blogger myself I get too focused on traffic. Because traffic is what makes a blog successful right? So many blogs talk about how to drive traffic.

Though I am trying to get more traffic I’m trying more to build a community. Get those people who visit to come back cause they like what I have to share.

I will take your advice as someone who has done it longer than me. Thanks JK.

Hey Benny, my two cents: it’s the quality of the relationship you develop with your community that makes all the difference.

If you connect with and start participating with bloggers in this community and Jk’s, you’ll start to see the positive effects this can have with your blogging efforts.

Cheers Benny!

Hey Benny,

I’m pretty new myself Benny… only 10 months seasoned in the game. But in this time, I’ve learned from some of the best who blog by the philosophy I shared here.

You’ll find the community approach extremely fulfilling. In fact, I already get a since of that from your blog.

Glad you liked the post buddy. Thanks for the support on all fronts!

Sorry for being late to the party here Jk. I’m thrilled to have your work here on my blog. My home is your home anytime my friend.

Why some may ask? Because over a few months time interacting with you many times, sharing in many of the same communities, I’ve come to know and trust who you are and what you stand for.

That’s the beauty of being social and engaging with the community. If you don’t do that, your experience will be limited in value and substance.

This post is awesome Jk and I’m certain many will see and utilize the benefits it provides. You’re spot on here!

Cheers to you my good friend ; )

Hey Doug, jump in to some conversations on other blogs often… contribute value, opinion, feedback… connect with people that inspire you – make some strategic friendships and things will really start to click for you my friend. I started this blog just a few short months ago, and that’s precisely what I did to develop community.

Best of luck to you Doug – off to check out your blog ; )

Agreed Jk, Jason is tops!

I wouldn’t think Marcus would be in business with anyone who wasn’t brilliant. He’s one smart cat!

JK, You raise an interesting point, something that has been not only on my mind but floating around the Blogosphere lately. For love or for money, fast or slow, organically or artificially? Griddy just said over at Troy’s place: “I don’t believe in passion over profit. I believe in profit from passion.”

I think my approach to blogging is to #1 be true to who I am and there is no #2! That principal, if applied to my decisions, guides me. Sure, I want to grow fast and strong, not artificially, but authentically. Yes, monetizing will have to happen some time, but I can’t force that either. Networking takes time, but that’s the fun part – whew! So I think I can do this.

I have to believe that doing it my way, slowly but surely, while giving it everything I’ve got both in my writing and in the Blogosphere, will eventually add the profit to the passion. Am I naive?

JK, I am getting tired of the awesome content you are producing. Please step it down a notch so I can catch up

I’m a new blogger. I started out in fall last year and I can say I still have no clue what I’m doing.

What I did learn is that relationships can be built online. My friend Mark Harai was one of my first A-list bloggers to support my efforts and for this I am eternally grateful to him.

From these humble beginnings I started to meet some great people online, as you and I are in the same community you know the peeps.

Each one taught me what I know about blogging, each one has a speciality, comments, community, posts, sharing personal experiences, sharing business tips, etc…

I got the best blogging education from these great peeps.

From your blog JK I learned that having a side hustle is possible. More importantly you taught me how someone in corporate America can achieve greatness and create meaning by managing his career like a business.

Numbers don’t mean jack. Real relationships with great bloggers is what matters.

Thanks for bringing me value with your blog and thanks for your support JK.

Jk,
Great to see you here!!

I am completely behind this concept that it about the relationships we forge in this blogging space. There’s a humanity in this connection – it’s not just a number, there’s a real live person out there – connecting with me. And that’s meaningful (and has the potential to raise both people to higher places).

My approach now is to share content when I have something worth sharing (not on a schedule) – and really connect and build relationships with those who are actively care.

And I’d say you’re doing a GREAT job at this approach!

Hi Lori,

Yes, I’ve been feeling the back and forth pull through out the blogoshpere. And Griddy’s quote that you shared, is a perfect one! Thanks for sharing that.

You so eloquently explained your approach. I love how you set up a #2, but don’t have a #2, only a #1…everything else falls into place after that.

I think monetizing is great. As Griddy’s quote; “…profit from passion” is something we should all strive for. It takes time, but so does anything else that has worth.

Thank you for the comment Lori – I’ve seen you around all over the place. It’s a shame that we only connect now, but the connection has been made.

I found this to be true for me as well. Once I stopped worrying about money, traffic, whatever…all those things just came…weird how things have a tendency to work out

Great stuff Jk.

Your premise that when we focus on thing like giving value and interaction with our community that traffic and subscribers come naturally is spot on. I have seen it in my blog and the blogs of others that I read n a consistent basis (like Mark’s).

Having our focus right is what it is all about.

Cheers!

Very valuable discussion, Jk.

I try not to fall into the trap of looking at traffic, subscribers, or Alexa rankings (which I know aren’t accurate and don’t matter, but it’s still fun to watch it drop), and remember that every comment is a person who read the whole post, and every visitor is a human being who is giving away precious minutes of their day to read what I have to say.

It’s not easy, but the more excited I am about the content, and the message, and what people stand to learn from it, and the more I forget about traffic numbers, the better the content tends to “perform” – in that it is actually helpful to more people.

Mark, thanks for giving Jk your podium!

Hello JK, good to see you are Mark’s house.

I guess number provide some form of measurement but I’m nowhere close to worrying about them. My model was probably doomed for failure but I had very little expectations for by blog. Somebody in my office was doing a niche one and getting 3-4 responses.

When I hit publish for the first time and got a comment I thought “whoa, that’s success”. I still expect absolutely nothing in return. If I go to your site and comment it’s not quid pro quo. I will still follow and comment on your site if we are having active engagement. The fact you do take the time to stop by is much appreciated however.

At the end of the day I hope I have provided a readable product that brought some value to somebody. I see you doing the same thing; if that is your intent then everything else seems to fall into place.

Let’s just keep moving forward and make this blogosphere a better place because of we took the time to be here.

Best of luck and hope you have had a great day.

Hi Jk,
This is a issue we all have to answer for ourselves. I think I simply want to maximize happiness and joy in my life. And so far the best answer for me is to figure out who I am (not who others wish me to be) and be that person. To me that means realizing my potential and not compromising my integrity. I define integrity having my actions be consistent with who I am. I guess that’s another way of saying be real or authentic.
Riley

Hi Jk,
This is a issue we all have to answer for ourselves. I think I simply want to maximize happiness and joy in my life. And so far the best answer for me is to figure out who I am (not who others wish me to be) and be that person. To me that means realizing my potential and not compromising my integrity. I define integrity having my actions be consistent with who I am. I guess that’s another way of saying be real or authentic.
Riley

Hey Dino!

I look to you as a veteran in this blogging and social media game. And since you second the notion here, it must be solid.

Thanks man! PEACE

Hey Dino!

I look to you as a veteran in this blogging and social media game. And since you second the notion here, it must be solid.

Thanks man! PEACE

Hi Frank,

Thank you for co-signing the message and sharing your experience. It’s such a natural feel – but I think many of us are driven by tangible results. But with the right focus, even if it may seem to be counterintuitive, the tangibles results will come.

Cheers back to ya Frank!

Hello Lance,

I tell you, it’s nice being here! I’m honored. Mark has a great thing going and it’s special be a small addition for the day.

I enjoy the connection piece a lot. I’ve met folks online who I consider to be real/good friends. Can’t be that – because in my book, GOOD friends are hard to come by.

Lance – thanks for the support sir. I really appreciate your kind words and making me feel welcome here at Mark’s great blog!

John, I’m trying to catch up to you. I’ve been blogging for a few months longer and you’ve left me in the DUST!!!

I’m fortunate to be learning the same great lessons as you John. It took me a good 6 months before I started to get it…but I’m getting it more and more now.

I’m glad you find some value from my stories from the corporate world. It’s been a fantastic training ground for me. But it’s NOT where I’ll be for long. No way! (I hope!)

Thank you for the support John!

Hey Bill – I tell you, it’s nice being here at Mark’s house!

One thing that you do great at is keeping the conversation moving. I understand that it’s a difficult thing to do at times because there are so many good conversations going on. I appreciate that about you.

Your product (posts) is more than readable, it’s downright entertaining and packs a message behind it. That’s what keeps me going back!

I honor the responsiblity to make our space (the blogosphere) the best space possible. Let’s make it happen.

Enjoy the evening!

Hey Danny – I agree, it’s fun to watch the rank drop. I only recently downloaded the toolbar and find it pretty neat.

Trust me, I keep track of things, mostly on a weekly basis, but I don’t obsess over it. I keep track to understand the scope of my audience.

More so I spend time replying to comments, leaving comments and creating content. It’s not always easy, but it’s always fulfilling.
Thanks buddy!

I love that attitude Bill, you’re the man..! Now shut up and get back to work

You’re family Jk — you too Bill – open invitation to use this platform to share anytime sir : )

It’s pretty cool to have good people leave their pen prints here : )

Cheers to both of you!

Hey Danny, I’m stoked that Jk delivered such a powerful message here… He consistently delivers up value to the community : )

One thing I really love about the community’s we’re mutually plugged into around the blogosphere is everyone involved is about contributing value and figuring how to do it better everyday.

I love your work and your attitude Danny – kudos bro!

Hi Riley – I really like the things that make you tick sir… It’s the stuff fulfilling lives are made of : )

Cheers!

Love it Lance : )

Hey Jk! Hey Mark! Two of my favorite people in one place – gotta love that! I enjoy reading the way Jk’s mind works and the conclusions that he comes to along the way. I’ve especially enjoyed watching his progression from where many a blogger starts (feeling their way along into the big unknown) to the A-Lister he is today. Impressive.

To answer your question and add to the discussion, I approach my blog in a number of ways: one is for me and the other is for my clients (existing and potential). The part for me is a process of personal development and growth (those are obvious posts). The part for my clients, well that’s all the stuff that I have learned and experienced along the way professionally that can help them with their marketing, social media and/or PR efforts.

The posts for me, well the numbers and analytics don’t factor in. The posts for the clients, you can bet that they do. I want to make sure new clients, existing clients and referrals are going to my site, usually via my blog. Using analytics, I can see that they do. Do I write for the numbers? No. Do I check out the numbers afterwards and potentially modify future content based on that? Yes. I am a B2B shop; my brain is what I’m selling. If I can ‘show that off’ somehow via my blog, and the numbers can verify my hunches on what works, then I use them. But, the numbers are just one tool that I’ve found very helpful; my instincts are the other.

Hope that answered your question! As always, I’m glad to read you and so look forward to seeing what’s in the future for you, Jk!

Thank you for the wisdom Riley! I see you as a VERY wise man and still you speak from the heart of a student of live. Totally inspiring to me.

I love your definition of integrity and I too see it in the same light. I promote and practice it.

Thank you kindly for sharing your wisdom with us sir!

Hi JK,

I’ve seen you everywhere, but I haven’t actually contacted you, until now.

This post is exactly what I have been experiencing as well. When I first started blogging, I didn’t know what I was doing really. I think that I started because I read so much about people making easy money from writing online. And I wanted to be a part of that. Then, I realized that it was a lot harder than I thought. But it was all about numbers and statistics, and love a good challenge. So, I kept fighting the numbers and looking for ways to drive extra traffic (no matter what kind of method I used, even traffic exchanges). I was also looking for money, but I learned that if I just had enough traffic, the money would follow.

Now, I have a completely different approach. I got tired of just writing for numbers, and I didn’t see any joy doing it. I am blogging in order to learn and to create relations, and to make a difference.

I think about the personal experience, and how I can provide value, but also how I can be a part of a great community. I don’t just want to be writing mediocre blog posts, and that’s it

Thanks for the awesome post.

- Jens

Jk, I read this post, and I’m transported back to many months ago, around the start of November last year.

I had just been starting out in blogging, hadn’t a clue how to approach it, hadn’t even looked up many blogs at all. And I was kinda scared.

I’d written about 4 or 5 posts, which no-one commented on, and I was getting about 10 views a day, at the most. I was starting to despair a little, and not much was coming about in terms of traffic, subscribers, comments, anything.

Then I get a comment for one post from you Jk, as well as comments from Dia Thabet and Jonathan Figaro, and that lifted my spirits. But you know the best part? You sent an e-mail to me. I didn’t ask you to, you just sent it thanking me for a good read and you hoped we’d stay in touch. You were the first person to contact me willingly and say good things about me.

That e-mail nearly broke my heart, it was wanted so badly at that time!

From there, our blogs have grown and grown, and we now stand with many comments, many views and a lot of connections to our names. But there’s one connection which I will always value as having ‘saved’ me from blogging despair, and that’s you Jk.

So thank you. Thank you for being true to yourself over the months, and for not focussing on traffic and subscribers relentlessly. I wouldn’t change a thing about you amigo

You’re doing everything right, Jk – it’s an example for all the rest of us. Seriously – I think there could be a market in bumper stickers that read WWTHD? (“What Would The Hustler Do?”)

That means a lot, Mark, especially coming from you. I feel the same way about your work – it is just simply QUALITY – every time, again and again.

I agree with you, and I think what’s really cool about this environment of growth and contribution is that there is an acceleration that happens as it continues to grow.

I agree Danny, Jk adds value everywhere he goes : )

Jens, I would highly recommend that you go read some of Jk’s articles on his blog. He consistently serves up value to the community and he’s a real friend if you’re interested in those too : )

Hey Eric, thanks for this awesome comment. I like how you breakdown how you use analytics to measure sure results.

I would have to that I believe good instincts and personality can get you places in the blogosphere nothing else can.

You have both of those covered quite well Erica and I appreciate the opportunity to share and discover with you in this journey.

You certainly are on my favorite A listers : )

JK Freaking Allen. Dang I love you brother.

Apparently you have taken over the blogosphere and now we just get to sit back and watch it all happen.

There was so much great stuff here, but the statement you made that called me the most was:

All this made me quickly realize what matters most to me; it wasn’t
about money – it was about family, relationships, serving and bringing
people together

As you likely know, this is EXACTLY the way I feel these days. And honestly, the longer someone blogs, the more they should experience this paradigm, otherwise they’re living a pretty empty freaking existence.

Like you, money is cool and good and all, but it ain’t the man. I know it will take care of itself as my community builds and as I connect with other tremendous folks like you and Mark.

This was dang awesome.

Marcus

Hi Erica!

A-Lister! Someone had an overdose on NICE pills! But hey, I’ll take the compliment. Trust me, I’m smiling!

Thank you for breaking down your approach. You certainly have a methodology that makes a lot of sense…even to a rookie like myself.

I like the way you approach the analytics of your blog. Makes sense, especially considering it’s an important layer of your business. Taking that information and creating content based on those results. Anything less would be “uncivilized”.

Thank you for the kind words Erica. I appreciate what you represent. Happy Friday!

What’s up Stu!Now that was a nice comment Stu! I appreciate that so much man. I remember those days… I recall seeing your site, and appreciating the raw’ness of it; it was new, offered a fresh perspective and certainly a unique style. And now look how far you’ve come in such a short amount of time. At this point, we’ll always be in touch and I’m glad that our paths crossed when they did. Now we get to watch each other grow and support each other’s growth. Once more, thanks for the meaningful comment Stu!I’ll be in touch Stu!Take care

Jens

I’ve seen you around as well. Sad that it’s taken this long to connect – but what the heck – at least we’re now connected!

I think your story matches the classic story of a beginning blogger. I went through many of the same exchanges of battle – but finally figured it out after following the right folks what it’s all about.

Now, like you, my approach has changed. I’m trying to get involved and be a part of the rich (not money) communities that have so much to offer.It’s been a great experience.

It’s nice meeting you Jens and I’m sure we’ll connect further in the very near future.

@dannyiny:disqus @markharai:disqus Thank you guys!

I like the WWTHD. We should get tattoos of that! hahaha!

Thanks Marcus!

I’m glad my professor came by so I can declare openly where I’ve gained a massive chunK of my online knowledge from.

This philosophy I spoke about here didn’t cross my path until I met the you. It was not only reading your work – but watching your actions that completely brought the power of “what matters” to my blogging life. So thanks for all that you do.

Pit Bull Pupps like me might chase cats – but we know when to follow lions.

PEACE

I must jump in and thank you too Marcus – you’ve been a great inspiration and big reason I found a bit of success with my blogging efforts too – I appreciate you very much sir : )

I think I impact my audience most when I strive to write something that’s soley for their benefit and gain. No hidden agenda. Not being contrived. Trying to me be; for them.

@hustlersnotebook:disqus I think that the first question that every blogger needs to ask themselves is why are they blogging and what do they hope to accomplish. Ok, that is two questions but they are still very important.

So many people start blogging because they think that they should but they haven’t taken the time to figure out why they are doing it. I have that conversation once a week it seems. Friends ask me to help set them up but they don’t know why they are doing it and don’t understand that it takes time and effort to do it right.

I am a fan of building your community around you. Be authentic. Be honest and be open and your blog community will form around you. That of course includes working on building relationships with others.

Go out and engage. I always say that I see my blog as a backyard BBQ. I am there to pass out food, drinks and help facilitate conversation. When I do all of those things effectively good things happen.

Hello @TheJackB:disqus J

Great starter question(s). So simple. Honestly, I think many forget to ask this in complete form and/or forget to answer it in complete form.

When I made the decision to create my blog, I asked this question, but I really didn’t answer it clearly regards to the “what do you want to accomplish piece. I honestly didn’t know what to expect because it was completely new to me.

I looooove BBQ, so I bet I’d looooove your blog!

Thanks for the comment JackB. It’s very nice to meet you and look forward to connecting further.

Have a good weekend!

Hey Christian,

I agree with that, we have to look for the benefit of others. Naturally it will swing back in our favor. I’m a huge believer in that.

Nice to see you buddy!

i agree with you, while i feel great when i get more traffic still there can be very important other metrics

Yeah seriously @hustlersnotebook:disqus , you’re giving the rest of us a bad rap…LOL. How are we to get more subscribers, traffic and money with bloggers such as you putting stuff out such as this? lol

Seriously though, quite an aha moment you had there. “I now measure success on one’s ability and drive to deliver positive impact to others. My mindset has changed!” I really love your new measure! I think I will take that on too!

I’ve had my fair share of aha moments throughout my journey of blogging and one big one is that it’s NOT all about me. Once I started focusing on listening to what my audience wanted to hear and not what I wanted to talk about, things started to slowly shift for me.

It’s still a work in progress.

Very inspiration Jk. Seen you for a while around blogsphere and this is the first time I’m reading one of your articles. Thanks
@markharai:disqus
, for not just continuing to put exceptionally, quality content out, but to host guest bloggers who do the same.

All the best.

You rock n’ roll Sales Lion ; )

So, BBQ over at your place Jack?

What? It’s not all about you??

I love this Christian : )

This has been a great discussion here Jk… Anytime you would like to share in this house, it’s all your’s bro.

Thanks again for delivering a great topic of discussion for the community : )

Puuuuleaseeeee; don’t start this love fest thing all over again. How do you expect @hustlersnotebook:disqus to keep it real with all these accolades. Next thing you know he will want the lion’s head and I haven’t even had a chance to wear it yet………..

Jk,

When I first came into the blogging game my purpose was so far from what is is not. I wanted to earn a secondary income. I wanted to become an a lister and work from home. In my journey I have turned 180 degrees from where i started. Now I don’t focus on subscribers as my metric of sucess I base it on if peoples lives are being changed. It is a lot harder to measure but it feels a lot better than than basing it upon something I can’t control. I write to change lives now, nothing else matters. Thanks for untwisting it for me. Great post!

@markhello markhow are you?i found your link on stuarts(unlockthedoor.net)blog and it’s great to read jk’s post here.@jkjk,you are not called the hustler for nothing lol!!!you know you are the man any day, time and placehow are you though?it’s great to read about a shift in your mindsetin my experience, i found out (the hard way) that a lot of what i had read, bought or subscribed to didnt help my blog grow in any shape or form in its first few weeks.there was this hype about generating traffic through this and that method and my fingers got burnt in the process.however i recognise it may not have worked for me for different reasons or probably because my blog is an extension of my part time practice as a counsellor but….anyway you hit the nail on the head with reference to providing value to your readers as well as buildin relationships.
i remember my first exposure came from steve aitchison and he has always helped me till date.through constructive relationships i have come to know people such as your good self and the blog/magazine has grown with so much input from you and other bloggers on the back of RELATIONSHIPS.take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of the day

Hi @michelewelch:disqus !

Trust me, I want the numbers just as bad as the next blogger. However, I had to get honest with myself and that placed me into my current frame of mind. For me, it’s multiplied my blogging numbers tenfold!

I too have seen you around Michele. Nice finally get to meeting (a little better). I look forward to connecting further in the near future.

PEACE

Hey Farouk – yes, many other important metrics to follow. For me, I can see those metrics by the people I meet online and the types of conversations I have with them. It’s not quantifiable…but I can feel it!

You @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus have dibs on the lion head Bill. I’ve seen with my own two eyes your request for it a couple weeks ago. But just don’t get it all sweaty and stuff – so when I put it on after you, I don’t mess up my hair.

Ayo – didn’t expect to see you hear.. But I’m sure glad you made it to the little fiesta we have going on at Mark’s site. By the way, subscribe cause you’ll want to keep up – Mark’s a fast mover in this blogging space.

I think what you have going on Ayo is great, and one thing I’ve never considered about you is a guy who blogs simply for the numbers. I happen to know how much time, effort and energy you put into your craft (including your magazine that you offer for free).

You’re a grade “A” guy and I’ve learned so much for you. I recall you first reaching out to me, asking me to contribute. MAN, THAT MADE ME FEEL SO SPECIAL. I’m still chasing that high!

PEACE bro!

What up Frank!

now to my reply to your comment (I got a little carried away there)

I too had aspirations about making money online. But wants I got int he game, I wasn’t very savvy about the biz models of doing it online. Once I learned the ins and outs – was about the same time that my mission is much different from that at this point. Nothing wrong about making a little extra scratch, or a lot of it…don’t get me wrong there!

What you’re up to is great. You give us inspirations from the soul. It’s like oatmeal..it sticks to our bones!

*side note*: So I got home from getting the tire fixed, right…I was hot as ever – the hottest I’ve been since last summer – and HUNGRY. Today was in the low 80′s here in Denver. So I walk around the crib, closed all the windows…go to turn on the AC – and what do a hear – a “snap-crackle followed by a pop”. When it rains it pours!

PEACE

Mark – what an honor for me to have shared my post here on your site. I’ve gotten to meet some great new people and have some down right good convos in conjunction.

Thanks for stopping by Ayo – I hope to see more of you around the blogosphere : )

Hi @uredune:disqus , it’s great to see you bro and I’m joining my faith with yours and looking forward to changing as many lives as possible along this journey.

I love it!

[...] Don’t Get it Twisted: Blogging Success is Not Based on Traffic and Subscribers Alone – by JK Allen, markharai.com [...]

Great post as always.

I wasn’t expecting to see Jk’s face when I came here today. But apparently Jk doesn’t sleep

He started hanging around Mark and got too popular; no sleep allowed.

He doesn’t… : )

I’ve noticed those bags under your eyes recently Bill ; )

Hey, did you leave me a message late last week? We need to catch up on a call soon : )

This is a good place to come and listen as much as to lay down a comment.

Hey Bill, I think we’re having miscommunication through email???

Not 100%, but I am missing some information from you… Let me know – thanks!

I’m not sure what you mean, here is my email address if that helps. billy@social-tango.com.

I will send another to you if that helps. I have sent a few and did not hear from you I thought it was because you are quit busy here, and I don’t mind at all about that. Billy

Yes…Yes it is Billy. This is a great corner of the web where great conversation thrive…always!

Nice to meet you Billy!

Hey Eugene – I pulled a quick one and made it happen! Thanks for stopping by buddy!

@hustlersnotebook:disqus Well, well, my friend you are making your rounds with quite the splash and I’m SO excited. I think you nailed the essence of this post with “The numbers alone don’t mean much without having a purpose.”

PURPOSE. For me, it’s about purpose. I believe my purpose is to empower others and that is how I measure my blogs success. When I can see that what I’m sharing is fulfilling my purpose I know I’m doing things right.

All of the other things follow purpose. To me the key question is “What is your purpose?” “What is your WHY?”

Nice job, JK.

PEACE (stole that from some popular commenter)

Nice to meet you here too. I’m new but I get good help here to learn and grow. See you in the stream

Just found out I could post to you through Disqus? Who knew.
I am, right now, putting up a contact page on my site. I did not even realize that I had not done this. Oh well! It should be up soon.
All the best Mark, and lay the path we are following.

It’s so true JK. There is so much focus on numbers numbers numbers. As an ex database mareting analyst, numbers are tangible. Numbers drive business decisions. My email signature at work used to be

“if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. LOL, i know.

But since i left the corporate world, my success has been measured in the amount of satisfaction i get from interactions and experiences. It’s not measurable / quantifiable.

I think that is why so many people, including myself are drawn to the numbers.

Having said that, i’ve already experienced success in work through my career and financially. If i hadn’t i don’t know if i would be content with subjective satisfaction. I think the experience of climbing the career ladder, and the grind of 9 to 5 has helped me appreciate how unimportant making a lot of money is.especially at the expense of spending time doing the things you love and being with the people you love.

hope i am making sense.

I subscribed to his blog a few days ago, after reading this article. And wow, I’m really impressed. Thanks a lot for introducing us

JK, I see this shit with newbies * mommy blogger * (don’t hate) all the time and I fell into that mess for a hot minute. Then I sat back and realized how fake it was to just have a site with numbers and no one actually READING YOU BLOG! To me that was simply stupid and pointless. Whatever, if it works for some, but for me, I had to be realistic about it and just be me. 

Read my blog or not, I really don’t care because for the people that do that is what matters most. I love the feedback I get and the interaction. To me that is killer shit that you can’t buy, bribe or lure in. Readers give you the most important gift of all: feedback!  JK, my brother and friend, you always keep it real… Don’t get it twisted had me cracking up! Kick ass post my friend!

Hey Sonia,

I’m with you, the feedback and interaction mean so much. I learn form the feedback, and leave the convo smarter and more prepared. 

Thanks for chckig out Mark’s highly  time and use it to the ma then.

[...] Don’t Get it Twisted: Blogging Success is Not Based on Traffic and Subscribers Alone May 5th, 2011 Add Your Comments Share Dont Get it Twisted: Blogging Success is Not Based on Traffic and Subscribers Alone [...]

I found this to be true for me as well.Thank you for your article, and it reminds me a lot.

Thanks for stopping by – make it a great week ; )

Amazing write-up! This could aid plenty of people find out more about this particular issue. Are you keen to integrate video clips coupled with these? It would absolutely help out. Your conclusion was spot on and thanks to you; I probably won’t have to describe everything to my pals. I can simply direct them here!

 
“”Its
always good to learn tips like you share for blog posting. As I just started
posting comments for blog and facing problem of lots of rejections. I think
your suggestion would be helpful for me. I will let you know if its work for
me too.”

Don’t sweat the so-called rejection… It takes people time to get to know you. Just be yourself, contribute as much value as you can and people will start connecting with you.

Tip: I don’t know your name, there is no picture (avatar) associated with your response, at least on DISQUS, which is the commenting platform we’re communication on.

Try as much as possible to put your face and name on everything you do online. People will get to know you much faster and respond to your contributions.

Hope this helps,
Cheers!