i've posted my stumbleupon strategy that has brought over 20% of the total lifetime traffic to my blog:

http://www.carrieactually.com/stumbleupon/

1.) How does the way you build your blog's profile change after reading this task?

Not a lot - I had been working on a plan since the challenge started. I keep refining it as I learn more.

2.) Give us an example from your strategy! For one site: how much time will you spend there? What are you going to do?  When's the site most active?

Right now I have decided to invest more on my Facebook page, since a high percent of my traffic comes from there, yet i still have a low number of followers. I give it at least 30 minutes every day an try to post at least a photo a day.

Today's post has me starting a cult for my son's admirers: Reason #68: I plan to use my baby to start a cult

1.) How does the way you build your blog's profile change after reading this task?

I with Maria Del Mar on this one, since I've started this challenge I've been trying to work out more visibility and connecting with other writers out there on the net.

2.) Give us an example from your strategy! For one site: how much time will you spend there? What are you going to do?  When's the site most active?

Sadly, a little trip through google search has precious few options for feminist mothering sites and net locales... that is the rub about my niche.  If you have any resources, please send them my way. 

1.) How does the way you build your blog's profile change after reading this task?

• Since the challenge began I've been trying to comment more on blogs related to my niche.  It's slow going, but I'm beginning to find others who are like minded, and they seem to be coming back to my blog.

2.) Give us an example from your strategy! For one site: how much time will you spend there? What are you going to do?  When's the site most active?

• For me, that totally depends on how interested I am in the site.  If the content is great, and I haven't read the blog in a while, I'll spend more time than usual.  I also try to tweet the articles/posts from other niche related bloggers.  I feel it's the nice thing to do, and hopefully they'll be kind enough to return the favor, but it's not a deal breaker if they don't.

Once all of this 31DBBB hoopla has died down I plan to get more involved in forums.  Honestly, I didn't have any idea how to do this before.  I did not even know the Sits Community existed beyond the Blog of The Day.  I know, bad mama blogger. But I have to squeeze all of my online time into lunch time, and after the kids have gone to bed.  I was going too fast to notice these things let alone figure out how to use them.  I was too busy trying to figure out how to use twitter.   Six months ago I told my brother I was too busy and too confused by it to bother.  I had three followers and did not even know what that was.

So, my plan is to focus on three forums and see how that goes before moving on.  Staying focused is a huge stumbling block for me.  So I'm going to set that goal.

1.) How does the way you build your blog's profile change after reading this task?

It doesn't.  I changed my blog and reader focus 2 weeks after I started my blog little over 3 months ago based on the reader traffic patterns.  I went from a blog designed for my clients to making articles more accessible to regular readers. 

2.) Give us an example from your strategy! For one site: how much time will you spend there? What are you going to do?  When's the site most active?

My strategy from the start has been to focus on my local community (physical).  Once I'm finished with the major tweaks on the blog's programming, we'll launch and announce the blog's existence to my business network and to the local media. 

The main area that we'll focus on is business forums but traffic tends to be very sporadic.  Real business owners are too busy running their business to be online reading forums. 

I have plans but we'll see how they meet reality after the site launches.

I really could do with setting aside some time for this. "Bloggers mustn't go wandering around the internet willy-nilly" - that is pretty much my current approach!

I've been thinking a lot about my Reader Persona since Darren mentioned it and I think it's a great way to go, particularly for a blog which doesn't fit into a specific niche.

I think most of my readers are bloggers too, I'm going to try and interact and email more readers and build a newsletter group. I'm also trying to do more guest blogs on other blogs which I think have a similar reader persona.

I've not had many visits from Twitter yet, but I'm enjoying using it.

Strategy - per week:
1hour commenting and emailing people who fit the persona
15mins 3 days a week on Twitter, retweeting etc
1hour every fortnight to write guest posts and contact possible bloggers for guest posting

I have a full time job too so I've got to squeeze blogging in - think this is about right. I'll still spend time here and there commenting on blogs I like reading whether they fit the persona or not. You've still got to have fun, right! Everything doesn't have to be about increasing numbers.

1.) How does the way you build your blog's profile change after reading this task?

Well it causes me to start looking in more places for readers. I have been through the forums, shared, tweeted, gotten involved in communities and still am having trouble getting readers involved on my blogs unless it is a giveaway so I guess I am not looking in the right spots for the readers that I want.

2.) Give us an example from your strategy! For one site: how much time will you spend there? What are you going to do?  When's the site most active?

I am going to get more active in forums and such but I really think since I interact with so many people on facebook that I need to start there. I think I will spend 30 minutes to an hour a day

Isn't that what we've been doing, bit by bit, for the past 29 days? It certainly feels like it!

Has my blog reader population grown over the past month? Yes, though not by leaps and bounds. I think I've been too busy with multiple projects to spend the amount of thoughtful time that I should responding to comments and visiting bloggers who visit me.

My plan? 

• Continue to refine the focus/direction of my blog
• Define who my intended audience is more clearly
• Build relationships by replying to comments and visiting other blogs. I recently developed a reading schedule to help facilitate this goal.
• Spend 30 minutes to an hour a day on 3 or 4 forums (blog frog)
• Keep TweetDeck open during the day and chime in as appropriate and as time allows.
• Keep looking for opportunities to grow!

I posted my first (of a series) Blog to Bookmark this morning. 

Beth said ...
Isn't that what we've been doing, bit by bit, for the past 29 days? It certainly feels like it!

”

Yes, it definitely is!