What are People Saying About You Online?

There’s a lot more to blogging than just writing a post. Successful blogging also means meeting the needs of your community. Yes, your blog is there so you can say what you want, whenever you want, but if you turn off your regular visitors or don’t give them what they want, you can lose  a lot of readers.

That’s why it’s a good idea to know what people are saying about you – and your blog. It can help you gauge whether or not you’re on the right track or if you need a little work on your delivery. It will also allow for you to see when other blogs are talking about you, allowing a good, old-fashioned, friendly, cross blog debate.

How to tell what is being said about you online

• Twitter- One way to learn what is being said about you on the interwebs is to monitor Twitter by using Twitter search. Another way is to set up your Tweetdeck to display Tweets using certain keywords or Twitter handles.
• Google  Alerts – With Google Alerts you can enter a keyword such as your name or the name of your blog, and receive updates every time that word or name is mentioned online.
• Google Blog Search - By using a Google Blog Search you can find what other bloggers are saying about your or if anyone is linking to you.
• Analytics – What type of traffic is coming your way from other blogs and websites – and why? Use a metrics package such as Google Analytics to track what is being said about you online, enabling you to say thanks or do the necessary damage control.
• Comments - Be very mindful of what is being said about you in your blogs comments. Don’t pay attention to the obvious trolls but if there are concerns or accolades being offered, you’ll find them in the comments. Do take time to response to them in a kind manner as well.
• Vanity searches -Use your favorite search engine find out where your name is showing up lately.

What do you use to learn what is being said about you or your blog online? One of the above -or do you have a different method to share?