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.

[DM Yates]

Mary, thank you for talking about this.  I am off to check my blog now.

[Gilly Fraser]

At the risk of sounding like a real numpty (that's a very Scottish word, meaning an idiot!) - I'm really not sure what an RSS feed is - or how it works! (Off to hang head in red-faced shame...)

[Mary (BookHounds)]

HERE is any explanation.  Basically an RSS feed is just a way for people to follow your site. I had no idea either until I started to using them.  No need to hang your head :)

 

[Gilly Fraser]

Thank you Mary - that does make things much clearer.

[Paul D. Dail]

Mary, some good points here.  I have been told that WordPress blogs can't do the GFC.  Is this something new that we can now?  I offer both email and RSS subscriptions, but I admit that I really like the GFC following.

 

Thanks in advance for any additional information you might provide.

Paul D. Dail

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

[Mary (BookHounds)]

YES! GFC works easily on wordpress!  I know several authors who have installed it easily and trust me, if they can do it, anyone can. 

 

HERE is the link to wordpress with the directions.

 

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

[Nat]

It only works on self hosted wordpress (wordpress.org) and not on wordpress.com =/

[Mary (BookHounds)]

Yes, I now know that -- I think I posted about this in my other post, which I will repost here. sorry

[Suze Reese]

Thanks for the info - maybe you would have some insight with a problem I'm having with my new blog? About half the time my Google Friend Connect feed doesn't show. I've had the problem on chrome, firefox & explorer. And I don't have the problem on other blogs. Since its automated with blogger there isn't much in the way of code or anything for me to check. I tried clearing my cache but that didn't do the trick. Any thoughts?

 

My blog is: www.suzereese.com

[Mary (BookHounds)]

There is nothing wrong with your GFC -- I had no problems signing up. 

This drives me bonkers with GFC -- it doesn't show up on my site sometimes as well or when I go to other sites. 

Simply REFRESH your page and give it a second - -it should reload and your followers will be visible again. 

Also, google is rolling out changes to integrate blogger with google + and has changed google reader.  If you want to know your rss feed numbers you need to bring up your feed, click on feed settings and choose details and statistics - you even get a cool little graph!

 

[Marta Szemik]

Thanks Mary. I'll add the RSS feed this morning!

Marta

[aparajita basu]

This is a new book Tour website I have launched. Hope You all will sign for it.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE- http://tourzdecodex.blogspot.com

Tourz de Codex is an online virtual book tour hosting organization started by Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex. Everyday millions of books come out in print, so our long term goal is an attempt to foster the magical and exciting moment shared between the author and their readers by bringing together a cost friendly and an exciting virtual blog tour program. Authors value the opinions of their readers a lot in shaping their book so it is a small attempt to do just that with exciting interviews, elusive book reviews, amazing giveaway and add some guest posts to the mix too and you get an exclusive and an exciting package of bookish goodness.