First I want to say I am thankful that John created the BloggerLuv community. It is a place we can all hang out and get to know each other better and I hope every one of us invites ALL of our favorite bloggers to join and participate here.
Some of you may know I am Editor-in-Chief at CommentLuv and co-moderator of the Secret Blog Club started by Murray Newlands. I would like to share my vision of why participating in all three is best for us all because they are each useful for different purposes.
Here is a brief description of each:
BLOGGERLUV
As I mentioned, BloggerLuv is where we can socialize and enjoy each other’s company. We can just come here to have fun and see what other bloggers are up to or we can bounce ideas off each other and have discussions – serious or otherwise. 
The site John has built here is friendlier and far more conducive for chatting and trading ideas in real time. I like how Stephanie describes BloggerLuv:
“BloggerLuv is a lounge for active bloggers to connect and trade ideas and where to get what resource.”
BloggerLuv to me is the place to meet. The Members section is an easy way to find bloggers by their Avatars and keep up with who has registered lately. Be sure to fill out your profile and check out the other options found by scrolling to the very top and looking for My Account.
You can find My Account just to the right of Welcome to BloggerLuv at the top left corner of the page. Point at it and more options drop down. Here are a couple tips that came out of my discussing BloggerLuv with others:
- Groups are best when specific people want to regularly discuss a particular topic.
- Forums takes you to a search by topic and shows all discussions in all groups.
MoneyandRisk is working on a TweepML so we can easily follow other BloggerLuv members on Twitter. Just click the button below and you can select which members you want to follow and follow them all at once. (We aren’t all in there yet so you may have to come back later and click again!)
Even though the Internet gives the illusion that everything is free nothing is totally free – including BloggerLuv. Anything that is created that adds value has overhead and this community is no different. If we want BloggerLuv to grow we have to support it. Here are some ways we can do that:
- Support the advertisers whose ads you see in the community. If we visit them and consider them when we have a need they are more likely to renew their ads.
- Consider buying ads ourselves whenever we have something to promote or even just to raise visibility for our blogs. I know not everyone can afford to do this but those that can could.
- Tell others about our blogging community including businesses who are interested in blog outreach and let them know this is a great place to buy advertising if you want to reach bloggers. (Blog outreach is one way bloggers might be interested in to earn a living. Murray has a good definition of Blog Outreach here.)
NOTE: John does NOT know I just added this section about supporting BloggerLuv. Neither does Andy over at CommentLuv or Murray at Secret Blog Club. None of them asked me to write this post or mention them in any way. I am just “doing my thing” which is anything that needs doing for the benefit of the greater good.
COMMENTLUV
CommentLuv is a WordPress plugin that makes it easy to find other bloggers with the same interests by allowing you to share one of your posts when you comment in other blogs that have the plugin installed.
Even if you do not install the plugin in your blog you can register to show your posts in CommentLuv-enabled blogs. You can even benefit from CommentLuv without registering – but registering is definitely best. This post about How CommentLuv Works explains that.
Originally, CommentLuv allowed you to feature only one of your last ten posts. Now you can also use default links that allow you to feature any post or page you wish and choose the specific anchor text you prefer (your keywords or an invitation to visit your blog).
Although default links are not free, IMHO, the small amount they cost to be well worth the benefits and they support the wonderful CommentLuv service that Andy has provided for us. CommentLuv is so popular that the overhead is growing rapidly and to keep it viable it will need our support.
Default links are one way to receive benefits while keeping CommentLuv available. CommentLuv is a great way for the bloggers who meet each other here to share more about themselves when commenting in each other’s blogs. Don’t forget to invite the bloggers you meet back here to BloggerLuv!
SECRET BLOG CLUB
Where BloggerLuv is our community and CommentLuv is a way to enhance interactions on blogs, Secret Blog Club (SBC) is where we go to get fast answers and document what we may have shared here in BloggerLuv or elsewhere.
Although SBC is built on a forum we aren’t really using it like a typical forum. It is structured to make it easy for members to pop in, find what they need, and leave.
We could have discussions there, but BloggerLuv is a livelier place to hold them so I recommend BloggerLuv to all our SBC Members. We can chat here and later capture what we learn there.
Here is the kind of information we compile at SBC:
- Blogs by Niche
- Direct contact information
- Preferred Anchor Text and Landing Pages
- Recommendations on Hosting, Themes, Products and Services
- How to Information
We can get the most benefits and find more bloggers to collaborate with by being active at all three: BloggerLuv, CommentLuv and Secret Blog Club. SBC started out as invitation only and the forum is private (not indexed in the search engines).
Most of the time, any blogger active at BloggerLuv or using CommentLuv will be a great fit for SBC so I am extending a group invitation to all members of BloggerLuv.
I don’t want to publish the link to join because the bots and spammers will try to sign up, so I am asking anyone interested to simply contact me for the link. Please do NOT assume you are not “good enough” or too new or anything else. Weleome all those interested in becoming better bloggers.
You can do that here, or through an @GrowMap message at Twitter (not a DM – I might miss that), or through my contact tab on my GrowMap blog – whatever is easiest for you. The easiest way is to just point at my Avatar here and send me a message right here on BloggerLuv.
Do you know a blogger who could benefit from this information? Why not share a link to this post with them?
Feel free to email it, or Tweet it directly to them, or even use the contact form in a new blog you discover to share it with them. First let them know why you admire their blog and are taking the time to connect with them because you would like them to benefit too.
Hi @growmap. As you know I’m a huge supporter of BloggerLuv and CommentLuv. I have so many default links on CommentLuv (some of them are from BloggerLuv) that sometimes they run off the page! LOL
I’m really glad you explained more about the SBC. I’ve seen you mention it in passing but I think there is something about the word “secret” that had me confused. Now that you’ve cleared up my concerns, I’ll send you a request. Looking forward to participating.
Thanks @jsinkeywest for letting us post on the blog. This place is awesome!!
Hello Ileane,
I am so happy to hear you will join us in SBC. Murray installed the forum and named it Secret Blog Club way back when. To me, forums are cumbersome and, like blogs, it can be challenging to quickly find specific information you want.
That is why I feel BloggerLuv is better for community, chatting and live discussions. It is friendlier and easier to use for that.
I requested so many changes at SBC to make it easier to find the most important information there that Murray made me a mod. I know from years of experience what we most need to do in what priority and that is how SBC forum is laid out.
I ended up being Editor-in-Chief at CommentLuv the same way. I asked so many questions about CommentLuv so I could better understand it to recommend it in posts and requested so many usability improvements to make the official ComLuv site easier to use that Andy brought me on board.
I encourage everyone here to join and be active on all three. There are many others and you may also want to join one specific to your particular niche but few give away as much quality support as we do on BL, CL and SBC.
When I went on your blog to request an invite, I got distracted by your new captcha experiment…and had to go back when I remembered what I was doing.
Hi Melinda,
Did you send me an email? I don’t remember finding one. You can just message me here and I’ll send you the link if that is easier.
I didn’t know there was a secret blogging club.
Hi Hart,
That’s because it was a secret.
Just kidding.
It was kind of a secret because it is invitation only and the information there is private (not indexed in the search engines). I invite people as I have time and can find or ask for their email addresses. Would you like to join.
I want everyone to know there is no specific activity level required and you don’t have to feel guilty if you don’t have much time. I guarantee that you WILL find important support and information in the SBC.
Many bloggers have already saved tons of time from what is in there. Here are some examples:
Want to know what the best affordable hosting company is without the pain of trial and error? Members have shared who to avoid and who to use.
You know you need to be building a list but what should you use and how do you use it? That information is in there.
You see a blogger here you would really like to connect with on a time-sensitive opportunity but they aren’t online here or at Twitter right now. If they’re in SBC you can go to their Direct Contact info and get their email address, chat information, and probably even their phone number.
If you write a blog post here or on your blog and you would like to spread the word you can use the SBC special requests section to ask others to share it. (I recommend you do that here too – BloggerLuv is live and fast and SBC is more static so it may be seen by more people over time.)
We post opportunities there too. Here is an example. See the link I put in CommentLuv? That is a Social Media Marketing Event for integrating email marketing with Social Media (which is what all of us should be doing eventually).
Influence people is putting that conference on and is offering bloggers a 10% commission on any tickets they sell. I provide each blogger with a unique discount code their readers can use to save 10% when buying their ticket and that is how you get credit for the sale.
Anyone interested in promoting that event and potentially making money from ticket sales is invited to contact me for details, html they can use, example posts and their unique discount code.
I hope I have given everyone enough incentive to get involved in all three so we can all learn to use them more effectively.
Thanks Gail
Thank YOU John. This post is the perfect link for me to promote all three at the same time. I’ll be sharing it all over and sending more bloggers to BloggerLuv.
Interesting. Well, I am using CommentLuv and BloggerLuv, I guess I can give SBC a try. Sign me up! Retweeted also btw.
Thank you Wayne,
I sent you the link and appreciate the RT too. If you have any questions or don’t get the link let me know here.
Gail
I approved you and you should be in.
So are you going to join us there, Josh? Message me here and I’ll send you the link.
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Does anyone here know if there is an easy way to find older posts you remember so you can share them again? I share this one quite a bit but am unsure how I would find it again on the site if I didn’t have the URL handy.
Wow even though I’m new to blogging I’m getting some great information. Thanks Gail for letting me know about this. I have been over to SBC and asked to be a part of the community there. Feel as though I am learning heaps and to be part of the blogging community is so cool
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia,
Thank you for commenting here and joining us at SBC. Everyone is very busy yet willing to assist in any way we can. Feel free to email or contact me any time using the Direct Contact information available at SBC.
Hi Patricia,
When you’re new is a great time to collaborate. Look at Stephanie for example. She has done amazing things with her blog in only TWO MONTHS!!!! Can you believe it?
Look at it at http://stephaniesuesansmith.com/ – I have seen blogs two years old that aren’t PR2 and so far along. Her Alexa rating is already down to 49,344 (today) ! I just looked at a blog a few days ago whose Alexa was 6 million after 2 years!
I’d like to join, Gail!
I already have CL at my site. 
Thanks!
Hi Cecile,
Did you get the invitation link and into the forum? It isn’t easy to tell because all I can see on the members page in the forum is nicknames so unless I know what someone uses to sign up I can’t tell if they got in or not.
Just in case I sent you the link directly here. Let me know if you have any problem getting in?
Yes, Gail, I did! Sorry for the late reply, I just got back here again now. I was just reading yet as I didn’t want to step on someone’s toes by accident. I often use ceefive as a username in most sites.
Wow Gail, you’ve been super busy (and forever helpful) to the blogging community.
Hi Karl,
I’m really glad to have you join SBC. Do let me know about any other bloggers you feel we should invite in. The more quality people the better!
I’m doing all I can but sometimes keeping all the plates spinning is pretty challenging. I am hoping maybe someone who has time to trade for one-on-one coaching will come along and help me.
There are some things I could delegate but since what most needs doing doesn’t pay anything I can not yet afford to hire anyone. I can share everything I know though which includes how to double traffic to a blog and get an Alexa rank under 30,000 (and probably under 10,000).
Hey Gail, you’ll have to let me know what things you are looking to delegate and the time-commitment involved… I may be able to be more involved (inbox me if it’s easier).
Hi Karl,
Let me know if you get notified that I answered here so we’ll know whether it is better to message directly or reply here. I see BloggerLuv is confused again – your CommentLuv latest post is Kristi’s instead of yours.
No particular time commitment involved. We just do what is next when we have the time. You joined SBC, right? Add your Direct Contact info and Anchor Text and Landing Pages so we can connect and I can add links for you whenever opportunities present themselves (or I make them).
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Hi there, I found you site by accident when running a search for commentluv related results. I’m already a member over at commentluv but I didn’t realise that the plugin gave you the option of selecting a post to show as your linked article. How does that work?
Thanks,
Richard.
Hi Richard,
I’m guessing you are asking about what Andy at CommentLuv calls default links. If you register your blog at CommentLuv you can choose from your last ten posts. That is explained here: http://comluv.com/news/how-commentluv-works/
If you want to be able to feature older posts or specific pages or even a static site you use default links. There is a small charge per year (currently $4 per link) to set those up. How to do that is explained here: http://comluv.com/news/anchor-text-links/
I find it challenging to locate posts on CommentLuv so I created a compilation post there so I have all the posts and videos I regularly use in one place.
Best of CommentLuv aka ComLuv posts and Videos here: http://comluv.com/news/2010-comluv-posts-and-videos/
Great. Thanks for the response. I need to check that out as it’s something I’ve missed.
Cheers.
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Bloggerluv is so large I’m still wandering here and there trying to learn and make myself familiar to different avenues. Its infact a blogging universe. I need direction and some pathnames.
Hi Suresh,
We all have that same challenge. I am always concerned that I am missing something here.
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