Collaboration between bloggers is very important when it comes to building blog networks or maintaining large, content-rich sites such like Blog Herald and Performancing. Not only do you get the benefit of sharing the load of blogging, but you have two (or more) different social and blog networks within which to promote your joint venture, which can only help your blog’s promotion efforts.
For single blogs, partnering up with other bloggers (as long as you can resolve your differences, if any) can bring you plenty of benefits, especially if your skill sets differ.
For example, I’m involved in several blogs where my role is that of advisor and manager – I advise, help monetize and promote the blog and manage the design, while the other blogger does what they know best – write about what they love. As blogging partnerships go this arrangement is one of the best ones to have (most, if not all, blog networks work this way).
In one of the early posts on Performancing Chris Garrett wrote an excellent article on Co-blogging, which I highly recommend you read. In essence, the idea is that by sharing your blogging responsibilities, you take a lot of the pressure off you that goes with blogging by yourself.
The big question before you get into a blogging partnership, however, is whether you are ready for it or not.
Undoubtedly there needs to be a match between the team – the bloggers must be able to trust each other and respect the quality of their work – but above that there is a mindset issue, where most people are just not willing to give up control on their blogs.
Several bloggers I know are extremely passionate about their work and are quite good at what they do. However, they find it hard to ’share’ their blog – even in the rare case when they allow others to write on their blog, that person never has editing access.
It sounds trivial but the mindset behind this is one of a fear of losing control, and having co-blogged on several blogs myself, I can assure you that it is a genuine fear. BUT, if you are working with the right people, if the roles are clearly defined and if the terms are fair and agreed upon from the start, there are rarely any problems that cannot be resolved.
Blogging Partnerships can help you scale your business, make your blog bigger and better and as a result, help you make more money.
The only question is whether you are willing to take the step forward and open up your mind to the possibility of sharing your blog.
If you are apprehensive, I’d advise that you break it down into smaller parts or projects and take them one at a time. Start with a small one to see how you both go, to see how you get along and to learn how to work with one another.
What do you think? How have your experiences with blogger collaboration worked out?
This article was originally written on 18 Aug 2007 for Performancing.com.
