We've all seen it, and most of us have experienced it. You write learned, thoughtful pieces on important topics, only to see them sink out of sight with little notice. You can't help but see all the diaries of less import that are successful. Is there a way to make your diaries more successful?
I think there is.
Some folks hate the pet diaries. They think they don't belong on a "serious" site like Daily Kos, and that's fine. We're all about freedom of speech around here. For those of you who avoid the pootie diaries, let me tell you what I learned from the pootie diarists.
Long before there was a Nurse Kelley Sez, long before I began writing diaries, I was a pootie person. I noticed how the diarists "work" their diaries. I can't make you a better writer, if that's a problem, but I CAN make you a more successful blogger. Here's what I learned from the pootie diarists:
Interact frequently with early commenters. One thing that attracts the eye when looking at the list of recent diaries is number of comments. Are you more likely to click on a diary with one comment or twenty?
Become known in the community. Read, rec, and comment in all kinds of diaries. If you like a diary, say so. Writers love compliments! Maybe you are not particularly interested in, say, healthcare reform, but any topic that engages this community for a long time is something you should be able to discuss on some level.
Read before you write. I read and commented in hundreds of diaries before writing my first post, and I learned something from every one of them. If you pay attention, this is possibly the world's largest writing workshop. Some diaries are good examples of ineffective writing. Rather than attack the writer, analyze the diary and ask yourself if you make the same mistakes. Whenever you come across a diary that makes you think, "Wow! I wish I'd written that!" see if you can put your finger on what makes that diary outstanding.
Don't get a bad reputation. If you become known for inflammatory comments and rude remarks, people won't take you seriously. Worse, they won't read your diaries. Also, some of the most annoying curmudgeons are those who go into community diaries and announce how much they hate them. Don't be one of those people.
Why would you intentionally piss off hundreds of potential readers?
Be nice to n00bs. Most people look to see who has recommended their diary, hoping against hope they'll see some really low user id's. I suggest you pay attention to the new users. New users get no respect, mostly because the few who are trolls are so prominent in Hidden Comments. Our new users are prolific readers - and diary recommenders. Pay attention to our latest membership statistics, know how to recognize a really new user (today, that would be in the neighborhood of 238,000) and welcome them to the community when you run across them. They will remember you were nice to them when you post your diaries.
Don't post and run. People who post and run are not bloggers; they're writers. Blogging has two components, writing and interacting. If I care enough to read something you've posted, you should be there for conversation or, if you will, the Q&A session. You can get away with posting and running if your name is Jeff Lieber, say, but you wouldn't be reading this diary if it were. For most of us, posting and running is a one-way ticket to obscurity.
Occasionally, you may write a diary where your input is counterproductive. My birthday card for BFSkinner was an example of that; I saw it as my job to step back and let people post comments for the birthday boy. However, even then it did not occur to me to post and run:
Moderate your diaries. Everyone has a bad day now and then. Many flame wars could be headed off at the pass if the diarist would jump in with, "That's an interesting topic, but it's not the topic of THIS diary," or "Please rephrase that", or "Having a bad day?" With your own comments, notice there is a button saying "cancel". If your diaries become known as places where civil conversation takes place, more people will read your stuff.
Have a sense of humor. Learn how to poke fun at yourself. Laugh at the silly stuff. Be gloriously genuine. Take your topics seriously, but don't ever take yourself too seriously. We're not doing heart surgery here, my friends; we're jes' bloggin'.
Pimp other writers and their diaries. The pootie diarists taught me about this form of generosity. It's a rare day when there isn't mention in the pootie diary of another diary. I'm not just talking about the diary proper, although that happens; I'm talking about the flow of comments. If you're a pootie person you can always mention something you're working on, or something good that you read, or ask others about their work.
What else works? There are good meta diaries in the archives that provide advice about the timing of posts, or using social media to announce diaries. I confess I'm not that sophisticated. I write diaries when I feel inspired to write, I write about things I feel passionate about, and I post them when I'm in the mood. It sometimes works.
Now it's your turn. What do you think makes a diary successful?