Why Aspiring Bloggers Should Participate in Blog Carnivals (Part 1)
Let me start by saying I’m a huge believer of blog carnivals. Of course, they’re not without their drawbacks, but the advantages completely outweigh the amount of effort and time that you put into them.
That’s why it confounds me that blog carnivals aren’t more popular. Yes, the first few times that you participate in them, it will take you a little extra time to learn how things work. And new carnival networks can sometimes be more unreliable than you might like. But get connected with a reliable group of bloggers in your field, and carnivals are effective ways to:
- Increase your authority
- Quickly get profitable, regular subscribers of your partner blogs
- Get an immediate boost of traffic to blog posts
- Get a longer term increase in search result rankings
Carnivals: What are They?
A blog carnival is a web event consisting of a group of bloggers writing about a predefined subject. The posts created (or linked to) during a carnival usually resulting in a magazine-like format. The carnival has a theme, title, writers, editors, and consumers. Most carnivals are held on a regular basis with rotating hosts.
A carnival usually has an owner, who is the organizer of the overall carnival, deciding or collaborating on things like frequency, rules, editorial guidelines, how to blog in the carnival, and such. The owner also acts as the coordinator, determining the hosting schedule for the carnival.
Each carnival has a specific host, and the host’s blog is where all the blog articles for that specific carnival are located. In response to the call for submissions, every blogger participating in the carnival sends their post to the host, where it is reviewed, edited, and published in the wild as one giant linkbait post or a series of posts. Obviously, you had better know how to create blog posts that are compelling and effective to get the greatest benefit.
Carnivals usually draw a lot of relevant traffic, so bloggers participating in the carnival receive a valuable backlink from the host and the immediate traffic surge associated with the initial readers. The carnival host gets links from each of the participating bloggers who have teamed together to publicize the carnival, knowing that the better the carnival is, the better the links will be when it comes time for their turn to host.
Now that you know what a carnival is, we’ll review how you can get the most out of your carnival participation . . . in our next post!
In the previous article in this series, I mentioned what blog carnivals are and why all new bloggers should be participating in them. In case you missed that post, let me review briefly the benefits of participating in blog carnivals:...
Bloggers Resources For Managing a Useful BlogThese days, it is fairly easy to set up a simple blog for personal use or even for a small business. There are an ever increasing number of tools and software programs available nowadays to help bloggers design their blogs...
Can I make money with blogs? Look at my free moneymaking blogCan I make money with my blogs? Look at my free moneymaking blogger and learn how to do it yourself. Lots of people ask me how I promote GDI or Global Domains International. How do I get my online business...
Characteristics of your Blog Platform ChoicesThere is no more common question or concern among both novice and veteran bloggers alike: what blogging platform should I choose? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern. And there is no definitive answer. All bloggers...
How To Create Your Own Blog AccountHow to Create Your Own Blog Account Creating your own blog account is relatively easy, especially when compared to building a website. Even if you’re using a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor to build a simple website, you will still have to...