A year can go quickly…

May 10, 2011

Those of you who follow my work know that I like to reflect periodically and within communities of practice (formal and informal) on what I/we have learned.  So as my informal blogging community of practice I invite you to reflect with me on my one year blogging anniversary.  What have I learned?

  • Getting started: I was inspired (and encouraged) by some Twitter friends to move beyond 140 characters, start a blog and start writing on a regular basis.  I had resisted a blog over the past few years (as blogging really “took off”) because I didn’t think I had time for it.  Although I’m not a natural writer, once I did start writing I found that ideas and posts came fairly easily, and as a regular traveler, plane flights have provided a good opportunity to do drafts.
  • Finding a niche and an audience can be challenging.  My field and range of interests in it –  “engaging internationally” – don’t lend themselves to a particular audience.  The subscription base is relatively small but there has been an average of 192 views per post  (ranging from  303 on the most popular post, to 44 for the least read post) so modest, but not insignificant.   But we all know there are better ways of assessing ‘impact’ than numbers.
  • Worldwide visitors/readers:  Visitors have come from over 30 countries on four continents.  This does mean that I’m writing for a global audience which was my hope.  Although the Internet and social media are opening up our ways to engage further, I am grateful to be able to attract and engage an international audience, and I am sorry that it needs to be limited to those who feel most comfortable in English.
  • Visitor/reader involvement: Additionally, there have been 49 different people who have engaged beyond just reading by commenting.   For this again I am grateful for those who have taken the time to engage in these discussions.
  • Going beyond ‘the already converted:  Although there is an important value in supporting our close colleagues and those who do similar work or have similar approaches, I do wonder sometimes how much we are creating ‘echo chambers’ commenting among those of us who think in similar ways, perhaps stretching our thinking a bit, but are we reaching the audiences who think very differently?

So I would like to ask those of you who are reading this to reflect with me a bit and help us learn together:

1)      If you have a blog, how do you assess your ‘impact’ beyond the numbers?

2)      Are there ways you look to reach, not necessarily a bigger audience but a more engaged and/or diverse one that challenges and stretches our thinking?

3)      Are there particular topics you would like to see me tackle under the broad subject of ‘engaging internationally?”

** A special thank you to David Svet  for being the first to encourage me to blog and Nicole Harrison for her advice to draft a few blogs before you get publicly started (I didn’t use many of them in the end, but it got me in the habit of writing in a blog style).

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  • http://goodintents.org Saundra

    Happy Blogiversary! Has it been one year already, seems rather amazing.

    There are a few ways I gauge the impact of my blog. One of the ways is looking at the number of people the link to my posts. Especially new blogs that I haven’t heard of before. This means that my work is reaching a potentially new audience. Another way is through the type and frequency of media that either contact me for an interview or link to my blog in their stories. And finally, the thing that keeps me going in the hard times are letters from readers.

    I’ve found that writing for the Chronicle of Philanthropy has brought in a different audience, also writing guest posts or commenting on other people’s blogs also bring in a wider – and depending on the blog sometimes different – audience.

    Best of luck in your second year.

  • http://petercasier.be Peter

    I should admit, measuring impact on soft issues is very difficult. I am just preparing a presentation for a CGIAR training on “reach versus impact”, and have been reading up. Little on impact, or return-on-investment for organisations regarding social media!

    To measure “Impact”, you really need to measure your performance versus your goal. Define your goal, and then check how you are doing. But often, while blogging, our goals are very loosely defined. E.g. one of your goals was to reach an international public, which is good, and measurable. But maybe this was still more “reach” than “impact”.. What changes did you instill within the people that read your posts…?

    On engaged audiences: in my experience, if you write on controverial issues, ask questions, stir things up, in your blogposts, you will get a more actively engaged/interacting audience.
    Also returning visitors are often also more engaging, as they feel more ‘at home’ on your blog…

    Hope this helps,

    Peter

  • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

    Saundra and Peter – Thanks for helping to continue this discussion on how to look at blog ‘impact’. We may be developing a very useful list (and perhaps another blog post :-) Peter, you mention ‘what changes did you instill within the people that read your posts?’. Do either of you ever do a short survey of your blog readers?

    • http://goodintents.org Saundra

      I did a survey last year. Here were some of the findings http://goodintents.org/staffing-or-employment/a-few-results-from-the-reader-survey-2

      It was interesting to find that my readership was not exactly who I thought they were. I don’t seem to be hitting my target audience as much as I’d like. I think it’s improved since the survey, but I’m not certain. I am thinking of doing another survey when I return in the fall.

      I found the suggestions for improving the blog from my readers to be very helpful as well.

    • http://petercasier.be Peter

      I have done surveys on my blog in the past, but that was more to poll on certain issues, not to “get to know my audience”.
      For all my blogs, my audience is diverse and widely spread. I don’t think i write for a niche audience, so I don’t really target any particular audience…

      P.

      • http://www.communityorganizer20.com Debra Askanase

        This thread, especially about surveying your blog readers, is something I’ve thought about for years. Thanks for the inspiration; I think I’ll ask my readers who they are and what they want to know.
        Thanks!
        Debra

  • http://www.desireeadaway.com Desiree Adaway

    Congrats on reaching this important milestone. I love your blog, your amazing insight and never ending knowledge. You have been and will continue to be on eof my go to blogs.

  • http://www.aidstar-one.com Lauren Alexanderson

    Bonnie, I always appreciate that you seem to ask the underlying questions when it comes to health, social media, or other “engaging internationally” topics. Your last point of reaching beyond the already converted is one that keeps surfacing in my thoughts lately. Achieving a deeper level of engagement with new audiences is, imho, the next big challenge in the spheres I work in (public health & social media). And really, what does a deeper level of engagement look like? I’m very curious to continue to have this discussion in the months to come – on twitter (@lalexanderson) or in the comment section of your blog!

  • http://www.askbethz.com Beth Ziesenis

    Congrats on your milestone! I do indeed remember when you got started, and I was impressed to see you turn your dream into reality over the past year.

    As for measuring impact and interacting with your readers, far be it from me to offer advice here. There are thousands of resources and experts who write books on the subject, offer tools and sell advice. They know much more than I.

    But I wanted to point out a different benefit that blogging gives a professional… it helps *you* think. It helps *you* analyze. It helps you clarify your thoughts and really apply some of your philosophies to thoughtful pieces that make you a better expert. Look back at the body of knowledge you’ve created over the past year. You now have a library of thought pieces that show you and your customer base how much thought you give to important issues that affect your business.

    Perhaps you could give some thought to repurposing some of the material here into white papers, articles and more to distribute to your clients and your community. Or maybe you see a book in here somewhere. Whatever you’ve created, look at it as a wealth of resources that have helped you explore and share your expertise. You should be very, very proud.

    Congratulations again!

  • http://www.aidstar-one.com Lauren Alexanderson

    You know, on second thought… Early in my social media days, when I was trying to sell the “Twitter gospel” to the company’s “atheists” (sorry for all the religious analogies) I spent a lot of time just talking to people. One-on one, in meetings, brown bag lunches, in the hall, over lunch…you name it. There are still plenty of non-believers, but there have definitely been some converts – people who were not at all interested in social media nor believed that it could be beneficial are now trying to include it in their projects.

  • http://www.socialnicole.com Nicole Harrison

    Bonnie

    First a big congratulations! It is amazing how quickly the time flies, it seems like just yesterday since I started my blog. Second, great analysis of what the numbers mean and impact of your blog. Third, I am humbled that you mention me in the blog post. It is so kind of you to remember me and to give a shout out. It reminds me that we often times do not realize the impact we have on others and it’s important to tell others about the impact they have on us. If more people made this effort I think the world would be a better place. Congrats on your blog and I look forward to watching it grow.

    My best
    Nicole Harrison
    @socialnicole
    http;//socialnicole.com

  • http://twitter.com/gaurisalokhe Gauri

    Congratulations on this milestone Bonnie and all the best for many more years of blogging and sharing!! I think its great that you stand back, assess what you have done and learned and ask questions about your work. Thank you for continuously sharing and I am glad for those twitter friends who motivated you to go beyond the 140! Looking forward to many more posts.

  • John Haydon

    Bonnie – I can’t believe it’s been an entire year!

    Impact beyond the numbers: For me – and I imagine a lot of people – blogging has been a way to define my voice, to get to know how I feel about certain topics. It’s a powerful way to get a reality check on your thoughts about the world. Think about it: No one is checking your work before you hit “publish”. Only after you’ve put something out there do you get feedback. That feedback in turn helps you reflect and further refine your thinking.

    In this way, a blog is a tool of self-reflection and growth within a great ecosystem (blogosphere). You can’t put a number on that kind of impact.

  • http://lindaraftree.wordpress.com Linda

    Hi Bonnie and congrats on your first year! I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts here quite a bit.

    In terms of assessing ‘impact’ beyond the numbers – I think side collaborations or projects that materialize due to connections made on your blog are a good measure. Also comments and discussion, “Retweets”, emails that come in, places you get asked to guest post or that run/re-blog your post, trackbacks/links, when people ask your opinion on things, and if mainstream media picks up your post or your topic (even if they don’t credit you – sometimes your blog along with other blogs helps to push a topic into MSM)

    I’m not sure how to reach a new audience, except by guest blogging or when someone who has a foot in both ‘audiences’ picks up your post/thoughts/topics and spreads them there. Facebook sometimes helps reach a new audience. I think also we need to be clear about why we are blogging. Sometimes a small readership can push a topic with the “right” people and those few “right” people are better than trying to reach a huge audience.

    Ref your 3rd point, I think you’re doing a great job of pulling in good topics!

    Best of luck in your next year and beyond!

    • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

      Thanks, Linda, for your comments. You raise a really good point about ‘goals’ and it occurs to me that individual posts may have different goals – in some cases one may be trying out an idea with a small ‘audience’ of regular readers, in other cases one may hope to reach a larger audience and a different strategy might be needed…Thanks also, for your comment on my question #3 :-)

    • http://km4meu.wordpress.com/ Ewen

      Hi Bonnie – and happy blogday to you!

      I think Linda here nails a lot of good ideas and issues around assessing blog impact beyond numbers. In much development work, but even more so in work that is shared at an interpersonal level like a blog, I reckon impact is all about changing our behaviours, bit by bit, and that comes through changing the way we describe our world, choosing words that resonate more strongly and amplify the meaning that we assign to these words (e.g. that’s why I prefer social networks to social media because I think they’re much more networks and interconnected than media, more often unilateral). It’s also about how we change the way we do things.

      All of it is difficult to assess simply from a blog, but again Linda provides a great overview of simple ways to show you’re actually affecting others (and your ideas infecting them ;) And perhaps 2 other things to keep in mind: changing behaviours comes from planting seeds. Sometimes that seed blossoms only much later, when the time is ripe – so it can’t be told just here and now. And also that seed sometimes is carried by bees pollinating other fields that are not directly visible – but the change still IS occurring. Hence the value of ‘lurkers’ in CoPs: they may well be silent in one place and very vocal in another one.

      As for reaching a more engaged audience, I haven’t put much consideration in it for my own blog but I reckon it builds up slowly over time, and you engagement on e.g. Twitter is probably the best way to let interested peeps come to your blog. Getting people that may not be interested at first sight will likely remain difficult and probably is best achieved face to face or in structured forum-type discussions – but posting controversial comments on other peoples’ platforms linking to your blog may be a useful way to get some reaction perhaps?

      Finally, on the topics you choose: I think they’re just fine as they are. If you have more on multiple knowledges / perspectives / multi-stakeholder issues, I’m particularly game but hey, that’s my hobby horse, and our blogs are just connected orchards that don’t need to all look the same :)

      Keep up the great work and fun of blogging Bonnie, and again happy anniversary!

      • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

        Thanks for your comments, Ewen. I like your concept of ‘planting seeds’ and you don’t always know when or where they will take hold. I think that probably is the reality of the way ideas spread. Makes it a bit challenging to measure outcome but we can keep working on that! Thanks also for ideas of other topics…will pursue that with you further…

  • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

    Desiree, Lauren, Beth, Nicole, Gauri and John – Thank you all so much for your comments! I appreciate you being part of my blogging ‘community of practice’. Beth and John, I appreciate your focus on how blogging helps the writer to explore ideas as well as the reader. Lauren, I also hope that we can continue this discussion on how we evaluate blog ‘impact’ on social impact as the whole field continues to evolve….Nicole, thanks for reminding us all of the importance of taking the time to give feedback…

  • http://www.spurcommunications.com David Svet

    Oh my gosh! Congratulations Bonnie! It’s been a year already? That’s just amazing.

    I am as astonished as anyone about how much global reach a person has through social media and blogging. This has to be the one of the biggest changes in communication in history. The openness that has come about is mind boggling. Revolutions are happening, corruption is being exposed and people all over the world are now able to get much needed help. It is truly something to behold. I am so glad that you are part of it!

  • http://laramieboardlearningproject.blogspot.com/ Debra Beck

    Congratulations on reaching this important milestone, Bonnie! I remember feeling like I’d never make it to my one-year anniversary (and, indeed, had a major dry spell later on). But blogging has become a ‘lifeblood’ kind of process. I suspect that, while it may still feel like a work in process (with a high learning curve), that may ring a bit familiar. :)

    I’d like to echo Beth Z’s observation, about blogging being a critical part of your own reflective practice. You’re thinking out loud, sharing ideas/experiences/insights for peer review. In the process, you’re strengthening your own creative capacity – and voice.

  • http://www.poverty-action.org Lee

    We do RCTs on all of our blog posts :)

    • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

      And what do you discover? :-) [For anyone who isn’t familiar with RCT’s (randomized control trials or rigorous experiments) more information here i.e. too rigorous for blog posts :-)

  • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

    Thanks, Dave and Deb for being part of this ‘community of practice’ on ‘blogology’!

  • http://antrosocial.wordpress.com/ Pablo

    Bonnie, it is less than a year that I discovered you and your blog, but I don´t miss any of your posts thanks to your active involvement in Twitter. So, first of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    About your thoughts and questions in this post, well, they make me think and question myself! I am not an active blogger (although this semester I am doing a lot of it with my students -this is strange, posting twice in a week and I don´t feel like a “real” blogger-), but I have been thinking a lot about beginning this career (!). I am a bit concern of the time it could take, but you have added many other issues!
    Seriously, I am a bit worry of feeling more involved in an international blogosphere and twitoshpere in English than Spanish (my mother tongue). And at the same time having hard time in finding bloguers in Spanish (bloguing about the issues you and many of our friends do).
    So, I don´t have any answer to your questions, and you gave me more questions to the originals one. You are a good blogger!!!
    Best wishes,
    Pablo

    • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

      Pablo – Thank you so much for your comments here. Your English is excellent but (as I often stumble along in French) I appreciate the courage it takes to share comments in a language that is not one’s mother tongue. I will take that as a sign that you feel comfortable with this space and this ‘community of practice’ and I am grateful for that. Vis a vis your own blogging, I think there is a spectrum of how much one blogs. The ‘real bloggers’ you refer to are those who make it a priority and have it as an important part of their external presence or professional identity. But there are many others who just blog periodically. That is one of the things that convinced me to start blogging – that I wouldn’t have to stick to any particular schedule. So I hope you will blog more often, at your own pace, and continue to reach out in Spanish and English…we will all be the better for it!

  • http://www.travellerwithin.com Mo-ha-med

    Woohoo! Happy One-Year! :)

    The main challenge of every blog is really to find its ‘niche’ – which may be as specialized as you want it to, from something as specific as “sports and conflict” to as general as “Mdidle East politics”… and then target the readers.

    A bit of advice i was given at the very beginning was to go on other ppl in the field’s blogs and leave comments – it becomes a little like your gonzo advertisement everywhere. :)

    Regarding metrics: I like the stats on bit.ly to measure the retweets, also a good way to track – as well as it gives you an idea of where your stuff is read.

    • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

      Thanks, Mohamed. Very good advice! I like bit.ly as well, especially helpful for country breakouts.

  • http://amysampleward.org Amy Sample Ward

    Congratulations, Bonnie! Already 1 year down, many more to come :)

    I did surveys on my blog as part of my redesign process. I knew that I could tell the designer what colors I liked and all of that, but much of the redesign was focused on content and engagement so I put it to the community of readers to share feedback on what kinds of topic, what length, and everything else. It really helped get a clear picture of the kinds of content and topics that people liked and found valuable and ultimately helped a great deal in organizing all the content that’s piled up over the years into a more easy-to-find resource of a website. I’d totally recommend doing something similar if you want to do some polling of readers. At least to me, it matters less if someone is a certain age or of a certain job title than it does why they come to the site and what they want to learn, etc.

    I’ve also found over the last year or so that I tend to share posts by friends and colleagues on twitter but don’t comment as much there; instead, I’m commenting more on blogs where I do not [yet] know the author or community and it’s a new conversation to join.

    Thanks for sharing your reflections and inviting us to celebrate the anniversary!

  • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

    Thanks, Amy for your comments and for chiming in on the survey concept. It does seem like a good way to find out more about why people come to the site and how one can improve the content…

    I also like the idea that you, Ewen and Mohamed all talk about (in slightly varied ways) regarding doing outreach for one’s own blog and ideas by visiting and commenting on the blogs of others. Especially those who aren’t currently in one’s own networks but whom one would like to know better…It seems like a win-win: provides more engagement on the blog where you comment, and may bring new readers to one’s own blog.

  • http://www.communityorganizer20.com Debra Askanase

    A one-year blog-a-versary is an important milestone to honor. It represents commitment to your own blogging process and to creating a community. On both counts, you’ve done just that. It is no surprise to me at all that you are now reflecting on one year of blogging, as that is just the kind of blogger you are: reflective, curious, and engaging.

    I don’t have a lot to add that is new to the conversation, only to echo Linda’s points that collaborations that materialize might be another measure. Another way to look at that is: what were your professional goals as a blogger and did you reach them or come closer to reaching them during the past year of blogging?

    If you are looking at reach, then inbound links, number of countries, and shares are good measures for you (as mentioned by you and others).

    I echo John and others that it can also be a great tool for refining one’s thoughts and blogging voice.

    Lastly, as to the questions you specifically ask: going beyond the audience you’ve already reached is a challenge. I think entering different twitter chats and commenting on others’ blogs are good methods for reaching new people and communities. As Amy wrote, I also comment on blogs written by those with whom I’m not so familiar in order to begin conversation. However, I also enjoy being part of a blog community, and getting to know the other commenters within that community.

    Lastly, I think another way to measure your year is not how many different people you have commenting, but have you built an engaged community? I would say that you have absolutely, and that is beyond measure.

    Best to you and Engaging Internationally in the coming year. I’m looking forward to it!

  • http://www.goinginternational.com Bonnie Koenig

    Thanks, Debra, for taking the time to comment. Appreciate your kind words and having you as part of my blogging community!

  • http://www.architecturefordevelopment.com David Week

    Hi Bonnie

    I think I’m nearing my bloggiversary too. My efforts started in earnest in August 2010. You, by the way, were a very friendly voice in the blogosphere.

    I have the same concerns you do. I don’t agree with trying to measure impact by asking readers.

    In offline terms, I think what we have is a bunch of reading each other’s monologues, and somtimes commenting or asking questions. We do not yet have a discourse, a dialogue, or a conversation.

    That’s not a reflection on us. That’s a reflection on the nature of blogging, which started as weblogging, which started as online diarizing. A diary is not a discourse.

    I think we have to be pro-actively using this technology in a different way: different from the kind of action and inter-relationship it leads us to do, if we stay within the bounds of what’s enabled by blogging.

    More soon!

    David

  • http://goinginternational.wordpress.com Bonnie Koenig

    Thanks, David. Happy bloggiversary to you as well! I agree with your observations. Blogs do seem to have a ‘style’ where people comment and may comment once again, but there is very little actual give and take. It is an interesting question as to what formats/forums we can find that can take us to the next level of online dialogue. Communities of practice allow for a little more discussion, but they tend to be closed systems. Will be interested in your continuing ideas on this!

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