You do want to build the strongest possible bonds with your readers don't you? You want your blog to be a community with you at the center, right? I'm assuming, that you know the importance of building relationships with your readers and that by connecting with them on a personal level you can help ensure they keep coming back to your blog. But maybe I'm wrong. I have noticed that many sites I visit don't have a strong personal presence connected to their site. Without that you are a faceless, unknowable entity and ultimately so is your blog.

Follow up:

You can't be shy about this, it's important to your blog success to practice some level of blog branding. You need to promote both yourself and your blog. It makes the blogging experience less surreal to your readers and your face becomes associated with your blog. Not only that, if at some point you want to sell or promote products, a recognizable and friendly face is a great selling point. If I've seen your face before and already read your blog, I am more likely to trust you and what you have to say. I'll be curious about what you are selling and will probably take the steps to find out more. This brings you one step closer to a sale. Even if you aren't planning on making money it is still a real boon to your blog to present your readers with a more real and accessible you.

Is it really important to add a face to your blog? The big guys seem to think so. You know, the guys who are making six figures blogging? They all have a strong personal presence online. Their faces show up quite a bit and most of us have seen them around:

From left to right that's Darren Rowse of Problogger, David Risley of David Risley.com and last but not least, Yaro Starak of Entrepreneurs-Journey.com. Maybe you don't want to be a six figure blogger. Maybe you don't expect to get rich and famous blogging. And that's okay, but your blog can still benefit from being personalized with your smiling face. No matter how you define blog success, connecting is important. And ultimately, it's easier to connect with a face than it is to connect with just the words in your posts.

I've written about blog branding before in this post - They Brand Cows, But have You Branded Your Blog Yet?, but I really didn't stress personalizing your blog with your face as part of the process. So over the next few days I will be blogging about different ways you can use your face and an About Page to add a personal touch to your blog. I'll also suggest some things you can do to make your face more recognizable on the web and ensure that it is strongly associated with your blog.

Some of the things we'll be covering:

• Effectively including a picture of yourself on your blog.
• Importance of an about or profile page.
• Online Hosted Profile Pages - Alternatives To Your Blog About Page
• How to put a face on the comments you leave around the web.
• Other ways to get your face and your blog "out there" on the web.

So tune in tomorrow for the next installment:
Choosing & Using A Blog Profile Picture - Putting Your Best Blog Face Forward

Blog Angel Is Looking Forward to Seeing You! Everywhere!