Feedback is great when taken well!
[This is part of the Developing Great Blog Content Series and a great follow-up post from this site about being an accessible blogger.]
I was very encouraged by one of our community members here this morning as I finally had time to respond to some of the great responses and comments over the last week; with launching a new product, feeling a little “under the weather” and a bunch of non-blogging business needs, I couldn’t get back to the community with the response time that I normally value!
But Alvin’s comment really spurred me on to think about how feedback is not only good but feedback that is leveraged well is even better!
I’ve learned a thing or two about developing and engaging community via blogs but I am by no means an expert – in fact, there are parts of who I am that are not naturally predisposed to creating community and I’ve had to work at them a lot.
But one thing that I believe I’ve done well is listening to what the community has to say as well as responding well, not just by saying “Thanks!” but by actually doing something about it.
Here are a few things that I came up with this morning that have helped me (and other bloggers) leverage community feedback well:
- Really Listen – This one is obvious but I think this has more to do with the culture of the blog and the perception of the blogger than the actual technological piece. Have you developed a culture around your blog where people know that you will listen and listen well?
- Be Honest – I believe that a blogger who is transparent with their faults and shortcomings and humble with what they are proficient at can produce a culture of transparency and honesty which pays off big time. Feedback is given when people know that they won’t be ignored by an egomaniac.
- Execution – Listening to someone’s advice, suggestions, and perspective is one thing – doing something about it is something entirely different! If you receive a lot of feedback but don’t make the wise (and sometimes necessary) changes, your community will “get the picture” and stop giving it. Not a good place to be!
- Visioncast and Share – Share the feedback as well as the changes that are coming down the pipe. Give people something to look forward to and visioncast for your readers a “better blog.” People like seeing change, which is a good thing, but love being a part of even more.
- Be Confident – I also believe that taking feedback and leveraging it well also has to do with being confident in the choices you’ve made and “standing your ground.” Don’t be reactionary or a doormat – it’s your blog, remember! I think feedback that is politely rejected is just as good as feedback that is accepted and executed.
These things have helped me time and time again, but I’m still learning and every community around a blog is different!
How have you leveraged feedback well recently? Are you even getting any, and if not, why?
[This is part of the Developing Great Blog Content Series and a great follow-up post from this site about being anaccessible blogger.]
I find that the most active feedback has been to posts that are very practical…giving “how to” advice. My comments are not at the level I am shooting for though. I make sure to respond to every commenter. I think I need to encourage further conversation with more questions that invite additional comments.
very good strategy.
I’m still trying to figure out how to leverage feedback. I recently rebooted my online identity with a new blog, but I had another blog for over a year and a half that I learned quite a bit from. One of the most important things I learned was how *not* to take feedback. It got to the point where the readership was dictating the direction of the blog and even my online ‘persona’.
With the new blog, I’m trying to find the middle ground between giving readers what they want and making sure the blog fulfills the purpose it was created to fulfill. All the advice you’ve given in this post is in line with my strategy, though I might do some (like transparency) to a lesser degree. I’ll be transparent inasmuch as it relates to my blog and my field. The mistake I made with my old site was that I revealed too much about my personal life.
definitely. that’s a personal decision on how personal you get!
Real community and real engagement is something I find way more valuable than sheer traffic alone. I’d much rather have 1000 engaged than 10,000 who are not. Cultivating this type of community is a BIG goal for me and something I’ll be working towards more in 2011.
I’ve always been intrigued with the relationship of how many visits a post or a blog gets and the small % of people who leave a comment. I know a lot of it has to do with the type of blog, posts, whether posts are framed to elicit comments naturally, etc but the ratio overall seems low across the board. I wish the average reader would interact more and not just lurk.
I look at guys like Chris Brogan who has like 69k RSS subscribers and see an average of 40-50 comments per post. Or Mike Hyatt who I know has a ton of subscribers but seems to average 60-70 comments per post. Excellent # of comments but still low in % to their readership.
Hoping to find a way in my blog properties to bring more people into the conversation.
I agree…the essential goal is engagement; a conversation. That is the real test of whether community is being established and cultivated. I am re-thinking the way I respond to commenters so that I keep the option of conversation open. I see the information and benefit being a two-way street when the community is functioning well. As far as getting lurkers to comment, I haven’t done the research, but I would say 50% would be a good number. Someone else reading this (and having done some research) may be able to speak to this.
50%? that’s super high! way to high actually… man, if you could get 50% of people to comment as per traffic…… dang! that would mean, on average, each post here would have 300-500 UNIQUE comments.
hmm. so what do you think about the amount of convo on this blog?
John,
I’ve really found being honest goes a long way. If you are truly transparent with your community you not only help your community, but you also help out yourself. If you have to admit mistakes to your community (you should) but teach a lesson on how they could avoid it and how you should change that… just like you’ve done in this post.
Best, Derek
i love some of the stuff you’ve already shared on your blog. keep it up. that’s great stuff.
I like your 5 bullet points. They apply in a number of other areas of my life, as well.
Thanks for the link, too. That feels really kool.
sure thing alvin!