Hey Authors and Publicists! You may be losing followers.

[Mary (BookHounds)]

I do a lot of author Q&As and giveaways and nothing frustrates me more than sending readers to an author's blog only to be told, "I can't figure out how to follow it." 

 

Please give readers a choice by adding an RSS feed and an email option.  Most of my readers adore Google Friend Connect since it only takes a couple of clicks to add the feed to their Google reader.  You can even get GFC for wordpress! You might be surprise that people may follow you more than one way and by not giving a choice, you may be losing those potential readers.  I follow a lot of blog both by email and by an RSS feed. I know some authors only want email subscribers, but please think this one over before you exclude those of us who adore our RSS feed and GFC. 

 

Check out this discussion from google HERE

 

Also, Google is updating the blogger platform to integrate more easily with Google + in the next few weeks. Google Buzz is going away too.

[R. M. Wilburn]

Great advice....tweeted.

[Grace]

Pretty sure that you still can't use GFC on wordpress.com blogs.

 

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Books Without Any Pictures

[Mary (BookHounds)]

Here is how to add it to wordpress

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-friend-connect-integration/

 

I know several authors who use it and have seen there reader base grow. 

[Grace]

That's for wordpress.org, which is different than wordpress.com.  Wordpress.com is free, but doesn't generally allow embedded code from outside sites.

[Laura O in AK]

Grace,

 

I believe you are correct.  I have friends on wordpress.com that wish they could have GFC.

[ManOfLaBook.com]

I use GFC on my wordpress enabled blog : http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

 

Not only that, I moved from Blogger and installed the same widget keeping all the follower with very little hassle.

[Paul D. Dail]

Hey Man,

 

Out of curiosity, are you going through wordpress.org or .com?  See my comments a little further down.  I'm using .com (the free hosting service) and after searching around was basically told we can't do it (unless we go through wordpress.org).  If there's something I'm missing I would love to know.

 

Oh, and as I mentioned at your blog, I like your new secret identity.

 

Paul D. Dail

www.pauldail.com- A horror writer's not necessarily horrific blog

[Terry Morris]

Thanks. Done and done.

[Paul D. Dail]

Hi Mary, the GFC plug-in is only for Wordpress.org which is not the same as Wordpress.com.  For the former, you have more control over your site (such as adding in GFC) but you have to find a way to host the site (I'm not a super techie, but you have to find another server or have your own, I believe).  Ergo, it's not free, but many people are willing to pay for the increased control over their blog appearance, etc...

 

I think most people use wordpress.com because it's free and doesn't require much in the way of technical knowledge (that's why I'm there :)  But I would love it if you could tell me differently.

 

Paul D. Dail

www.pauldail.com- A horror writer's not necessarily horrific blog 

[Mary (BookHounds)]

You are correct, Paul.  The authors I know have hosted sites through worpress.org.  so if you want it to add common widget like blogger, you need to pay for them.  I know a lot of authors switch to wordpress from blogger since it is an easier integration to their own website. 

I guess that explains why they did it so easily since they pay for hosting through wordpress.  I guess if you pay for it, it works better. 

 

You can still add an RSS feed widget, but wordpress doesn't make it easy.  Check out the WP discussion here

WP is known for their SEO but I think since Google bought Blogger that may change soon.  Blogger will be integrated into Google + in the next month.

 

I have used both blogger and wordpress and I like blogger a bit better since I can add a lot of widgets easily with no coding involved. 

[Lana Bradstream]

I have a blog and I'm having trouble getting my friends and family from Facebook to follow me. They either absolutely refuse or they cannot figure it out. I have GFC and Networked Blogs and I've noticed people from here and from other blogs have no problem in joining my blog.

[Mary (BookHounds)]

Lana

Your family may not understand at all what following is.  I started a facebook page for my blog and have the blog set up to post to my page when the post goes live.  They read the blog on facebook.  My sister in law subscribes by email - they just don't understand google or msn's readers and probably never will.