Yesterday I answered the question, “Where is your blog community?”

It’s in the mind.

But minds scatter online attention across vast fields of URLs.

Which is why, for example, it’s not uncommon for your Twitter account to sparkle while your blog gathers dust or vice versa.

It’s not enough to just get more “friends” or “followers” or commenters in a dozen different places.

You’ve gotta unify the fragments and make each community member aware of each of them. You’ve gotta bring together the logs so your bonfire can be much bigger and brighter and hotter than any smaller fire could be.

With that in mind, here are 8 ways to unify your blog community so that your blog and social media profiles work together (not just apart) for your business.

Your blog community is at your blog, right?

Duh. That was easy.

Wait a second. No, it’s just centered at your blog, but it has octopus legs at your Twitter account and at your Facebook page and at all your other social media accounts, right?

Um … or maybe your blogging community resides at all those places and in your email inbox and at the blogger conferences you attend? Maybe it’s everywhere?

Actually, it’s nowhere.

I’ve just added another free guide to my growing blog consulting guides area (22 and counting).

It’s called How to Improve Your Blog Community. It includes my best advice from more than three years as a blog network editor, social media event organizer and new media consultant.

Specifically, it covers the following:

• What a blog community is
• Why your blog community matters
• 4 common aspects of all communities
• 10 ways to measure blog community growth
• 5 steps to building your blog community
• How to get “unstuck” in your community-building efforts
• 6 excellent resources for further reading

Grab the printer-friendly PDF version (848 KB).

Let me know what you think! More guides coming soon …

Happy New Year to you. Have a wonderful 2009.

It’s a new year. A fresh opportunity to ask yourself some serious blog improvement questions.

Speaking of questions, here’s one.

May I give you $200 cash?

I will if you help me find a new blog consulting customer in the next 14 days.

2008 is almost over. 2009 is about to begin.

Have you considered your blog improvement plan for next year?

Here are 7 strategy-related questions you should ask yourself.

1. What will I accomplish with my blog in 2009?

Set a few goals for the next 12 months. I recommend having at least one clear, measurable goal for your blog’s overall performance, plus at least one goal each for the following areas:

1. Blog content improvement
2. Blog design improvement
3. Blog community improvement
4. Blog traffic improvement
5. Blog RSS feed / Atom feed / email subscribers improvement
6. Blog search engine optimization (SEO) improvement
7. Blog social media optimization (SMO) improvement
8. Blog monetization improvement
9. Blog value / return on investment (ROI) improvement

Which means you’ll have at least 9 area-specific goals plus at least one overall blog goal for next year.

I’ve had it.

No more.

I’ve had it.

The slope is too steep.

The wind is too fierce.

The pain is too great.

I could never reach the summit.

Why did I even bother?

Nobody cares.

Go on or go back – it won’t make a difference.

So scream the voices.

But I refuse to listen.

Because I can see.

And I can see …

… because I believe.

photo by Peter Gene

The hardest thing about blog improvement is ____________.

We recently announced the creation of a new Blog Improvement Resource List. We intend to make it the best list anywhere of resources to help you improve your blog in every way.

And now there are over 100 new resources listed! Check it out. (Note: It’s a bit messy at the moment, but we’ll get the formatting fixed up as soon as possible.)

We’d love for you to suggest new resources to be added to the list, which you can do by filling out the simple form at the top of the resource list page. We’ll gladly include a link to your website once we add your recommended blogging resources to the list.

Thank you for your support of the Visionary Blogging community.

Right now I’m cooking a blog consulting service called Iris (because it helps you focus, just like the irises in your eyes).

Iris will be (I hope) the best way to get expert blogging advice and improve your blog fast anywhere on the Web. It will be totally unique from all the other fine blog consulting services available online.

Will you please help me?

I’ve started a project – the Blog Improvement Resource List. It’s a companion to the Blog Improvement Checklist.

It will be the best list on the Web of resources to help you improve your blog in every way.

Visit the Blog Improvement Resource List now and fill out the simple form there to suggest any resources you know, whether they be blogs, books, articles, organizations or even people who have anything to do with blog improvement.

If you are the first to suggest a resource, I will include your name and a link to your URL at the resources page.

Many hands make light work.

Thanks for your help!