How To Collaborate With Bloggers.

If you’ve read my recent post,“Unfollow Them If You Can’t Support Them”, I would love to know your thoughts and conclusions about it.

To get straight to the point, a friend of mine(Nawfal) shared his thoughts about my previous post ,“Unfollow Them If You Can’t Support Them” and asked some questions which prompted the creation of this post.

Nawfal‘s Comment:

Hi Anita! Nice post. I enjoyed this, and feel the same. Collaboration, is a good idea. At the moment, I’m not sure how we could collaborate together, as I have not thought about it enough….and I am a bit reserved and cautious when thinking about collaborating….Having bad experiences in the past tends to leave bad notes in my mind. But, I would be willing to hear ideas. I think it is difficult, I’ll speak for myself, to consider collaborating with other bloggers, when perhaps, my subject matter is very different from others who are open to the idea of collaboration. So, if one blogger, for example, specializes in ‘Oil’, and the other blogger specializes in ‘Water’, then, in the physical world, those two things don’t mix well together. So, how do bloggers with very different topics collaborate? What are the connections? How can bloggers like these two in my example, do something to get the other blogger’s subscribers interested in your content?
I guess, your post has me thinking about the topic again.
I have collaborated in the past, but it wasn’t all that fulfilling, that’s another issue, I guess …. If nothing else, I did enjoy reading your post.
Take care!
Nawfal

Here is why I made this post:

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As stated earlier, bloggers need other bloggers. The blogging community wouldn’t be nearly as successful as it is if it weren’t for bloggers supporting other bloggers.

If it wasn’t for collaborating with other bloggers, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today as a blogger and even, as a person. From hosting giveaways, to guest posts, to being an admin at Elevation, I wouldn’t have expanded my horizons like this if it wasn’t for connecting and collaborating with other bloggers.

Collaborating is a challenging job–especially when there are already thousands of bloggers around you for every niche. Even if you have been a blogger for many years, you will still find something new every day and find it weird to Collaborate. If you are new to blogging, you are probably going to face (or have already faced) many challenges in the beginning of collaboration. Some of these challenges can be materialistic and some are related to your mindset. I will be discussing the challenges of collaborating with other bloggers and solutions to them. Read Along.

Challenge #1: Over expecting and demotivation

The 1st challenge you might face when collaborating –sometimes even before you start–is the feeling of demotivation and pressure you might feel when you see other famous blogs. You know the ones… Those high-definition pictures, fancy websites, high number of followers, sponsored posts, and big jargon words. One look at these things can easily make you doubt yourself.

But it’s important to understand that the most important thing to start collaborating is self confidence. As a blogger, you should not be seeing those famous blogs and bloggers as impossible icons to communicate with. Those famous bloggers were once beginners and it took them a lot of hard work, time, and patience to make their blog reach where it is now. Don’t make the mistake of making those famous bloggers your fear instead of your inspiration! Try talking to them, learn from their experience and ask them if they could collaborate with you.

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Challenge #2: No Common Measure

Make sure that you and your partner(s) are “on the same page.” Not only should the two of you have the same agenda and goals but also the same sense of urgency. In other words, if you are deadline oriented and the other person has to wait for the “right mood” to move forward on things, these differences will cause tremendous stress and potentially sabotage your collective success.

Of course, you can’t just command collaboration. It has to be organic. You need to ensure you have the right kind of people filling roles that suit their personalities, skills and abilities. As you shift gears through the lifecycle, it’s important to determine what type of people you want in the room at each step in the process.

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Challenge #3 Unknown Partner

• Who is she?
• What type of blogs does she read?
• What are her interests?

You can’t just blend in with everyone. People are different and you should get to know who you are working with.

You should also do your own research – dig through their blog and take a look at past posts:

• Do you like how they present other brands?
• Were readers engaged and commenting on the post?
• Do you feel their blog reflects your niche?

The hard truth is that you cannot collaborate with a blogger who doesn’t like your niche. Its only going to promote a weird looking blog with unbalanced blog posts.

Challenge #4 Working With An Opposite.

Every blog has a niche or niches and every blogger works on a niche or niches. To collaborate successfully, you both need to work basically on the same niche or similar niche. What happens when you both are blogging on two opposite niche? Two different niches?

Learning To Work With An Opposite Is Quite Hard If You Not Don’t Recognize The Similar Features About Your Niche. Everything In life is connected to something else and belongs to a particular category.

Nawfal mentioned “water” and “oil”, two opposites but yet related and generally categorized as natural resources.
In this case, the collaborators should be able to make out topics like:

Importance of natural resources and explain the two in details.

Importance of water in growing oil producing plants.

Importance of oil to the marine industries.

A lot can be discussed despite they are working on two opposites. Learn to know what your opposite can offer you and get ready to grab it.

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Other Key Factors To Note Includes:

Document who will be responsible for what and when. The more parameters you have regarding roles and designated deadlines, the better.

Make sure that your strengths and weaknesses are complementary and not conflicting. Remember there is no ‘I” in “team.” Each person must bring something to the table that makes the work and result stronger.

Cultivate the art of compromise. Even in the best scenarios, people disagree on how things should be handled. Be willing to see your partner’s perspective, and to find a happy medium. (If you’re married you will have plenty of practice here.)

Pull your weight. There’s nothing worse than working with a slacker. It also can be a detriment to future collaboration referrals.

Consider brainstorming individually and collectively. Some of my best creative ideas come to me when I’m all alone in the solitude of a bubble bath, and my muse is not feeling pressured. Your “genius” may come to you while working in your garden. On the other hand, brainstorming with others can spark new ideas, perspectives, and inspiration. Whatever works, work it!

Remember to treat your collaborator with respect and as a valued professional. In too many collaboration situations, one person wants to act like a parent or supervisor. Let go your ego!

Be each other’s cheerleader and support system. By supporting and encouraging each other, you both remain motivated and bonded. Plus, you’ll have a greater sense of fun as you work toward crossing the finish line.

Keep a journal to record your ideas, mishaps, research notes, and the collective experience. Those records will prove valuable for future reference should you decide to work on another collaborative project or with the same person again. And having notes to which you can refer later can decrease your learning curve next time.

Keep the lines of communication open. Writer and editor Ron Moody adds the following: “Don’t expect your partner to be a mind reader. Speak what’s on your mind and keep your relationship and your project moving forward as you discover how this ‘third dimension’ to the creative process can help to improve both your writing and your relationships.”

Creative collaborations are a great way for you to make progress in your blogging and writing career, build platform, make more money, and make new friends. So pair yourself up with someone, and reap the benefits of working together.

Have you been paired with another collaborator? Tell me about your experience?