Thursday, August 6, 2015

Do You Know the Unwritten Rules of Linky Parties?


Now that most of us are heading back to school, you might be heading back to that thing you call a blog and getting into the groove of posting regularly again...  That includes participating in Linky Parties!  If you're a new Blogger or a seasoned one, keep reading to discover all the "unwritten rules" of Linky Parties.  You might just discover you're not giving all the Linky Love  you should be!

 This topic is an important one, especially if you're a new Blogger.  Let's back up and define a Linky Party...


Linky Party (noun):  A Linky Party, or Linky, is when the author of a blog (Host) invites other blog readers to "link" up their blog posts that relate to the same topic as the Hosts.

BUT...There are basic procedures and manners to follow that you're not told and just expected to know.  Today, I'll share these 7 "rules" so you're not the Broken Link of the party!


 The first step is to link up your own blog to the Host's post.  But what do you link up from your blog?  You're related post or your blog itself?  Forget your Homepage!!!  Readers hate nothing more than to click on your link, expecting a specific topic, and they're lead to your Homepage instead.  So take the time to get the URL of your specific blog post and link that!







 You need to mention the Linky Host at least twice in your own blog post!  The Host will probably have a button (image) for you to include in your post AND you should mention them by name.  You really should link their name back to their blog also.  So mention them thrice, not twice.




Please make sure your blog post matches the Linky theme.  You'll look desperate for readers if you don't.







You shouldn't just link your blog and that's it.  If you don't do the next step, you won't get many readers to your own blog, which is the purpose of participating in the Linky in the first place.






Pay close attention to this unwritten rule.  If everyone did this in the Linky, they would all benefit extremely!  After you link up and post your own post, you're not done there.  If the Host doesn't give any direction to visit anyone in a certain way, than come up with your own method of visiting the other blogs in the Linky.  Maybe you want to visit all the even numbered blogs, or all the blogs that link up after yours.  Whatever method you choose, please make sure to visit the other blogs because that's what makes the Linky successful!







This rule is probably the most important for you personally.  When you visit the other blogs, you have to give them some Linky Love!  By that I mean you have to leave a comment that is meaningful.  Don't just say, "I'm visiting you from Cara's Creative Playground Linky..." because that doesn't show that you really read their post.  Leave a comment that will BRING readers to YOUR blog because of your sincerity or relevance of your comment.  If you're successful with this unwritten rule, you've mastered the entire purpose of the Linky Party!  So make sure to give some Linky Love...



Don't get discouraged if no one visits your blog or comments.  You just make sure you're following the Golden Rule and doing what you're supposed to.  Eventually, others will notice in the blogging community and visit your blog, which is what you want!  Right?

I hope these unwritten rules have helped and you learned something new from at least one of them!  If not, you're a Linky Party Love Giver and pat on the back to you!


I'd love to hear if you have any other Linky Party unwritten rules or pet peeves that really irk you.  Leave them in the comments below!

Until Next Time My Friends,


10 comments:

  1. Great post Cara! Lots of social media etiquette is unwritten- we need more posts like this to spread the word. Most people want to be polite and helpful, but don't know what is expected of them. (I know I am still learning).

    I have tried to visit others, that always helps, but I don't think I have mentioned the host 2-3 times (just once)... I will do better in the future! Thanks for the tips
    Lisette (Speech Sprouts)

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    1. Hello Lisette! I'm just like you and have to mention the host more also. Sometimes I put so much time into my post and putting everything together that I forget the tips above! Linkys are a lot of work! Thanks for visiting Lisette! Cara;)

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  2. Thanks so much, Cara! I just started my blog this summer, so the timing couldn't be better got getting me off on the right foot! There are so many generous folks at TPT, I'd hate to step on anyone's toes unknowingly. Your thoughtful post is very much appreciated!

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    1. Congratulations on your new Blog! I'll come visit you for sure;) You're very welcome for the post; sometimes I don't think we share enough with each other, so I like to do posts like this. I appreciate your comments and visit Linda! Cara;)

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  3. Thanks for this post! I have been trying to comment on other Linky blogs and found that I really enjoy reading the posts. I mean, that's how I got interested in blogging in the first place. Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Hello Kristin! Yes, I agree with you 100%! Visiting others' blogs is a perfect way to meet new people and to really "see" how other blogs "work". I'm always trying to learn something new from others' blogs, so visiting is also important to me. I appreciate your visit, Cara;)

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  4. Hi there Cara - I cannot thank you enough! I did not know many of these "unwritten rules" at all...I didn't realise the underlying purpose of linky parties - I thought they were simply to give freebies to the readers of the host's blog post...thank you so much!!!
    Kylie
    http://ripperresources.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. Hello friend! So nice to hear from you! I like to learn new things and sometimes I feel silly asking questions that are to others "obvious"... So I don't mind doing posts like this at all. I wish more people would share other secrets. I think I'm going to do more posts like this in future; if one person learns something it was worth it. Thanks for visiting Kylie, Cara;) Hope all is well with you way over there;)

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  5. This is a great post, Cara! I know that I had to figure out the etiquette on my own and there were a few unintentional faux paus along the way :) Great information!
    Laura

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  6. It's so hard sometimes to "figure" it out on our own... Hopefully more people will share info on how to do things on blogs. Maybe a Blog 101 Linky should be in the works! Thanks for visiting Laura, Cara;)

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