Using BlogCatalog to Manage Your Online Presence

If you are a blogger who is trying to create a strong online presence and possibly a vibrant online community around your blog, then you know it is no easy task and one that takes a lot of time and determination.  Yesterday, as I cruised around the web looking for information on blogging and social media strategies, I came across a great post by Chris Brogan called 19 Presence Management Chores You COULD Do Everyday, which gives a great rundown of some online “chores” you can do each day to manage your online presence by utilizing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, visiting blogs and engaging other bloggers.

This post got me thinking about a few things.  First of all, I have to be much better about promoting the great work done by all my fellow bloggers here at BlogCatalog. Second, I thought I should share some tips on how you can use BlogCatalog to manage your online presence.  So, here it goes:

1. Spend time creating (or editing) your Blogcatalog profile. From your avatar to your written description, your profile is letting people know who you are and why they should read your blog.  So, spend a little bit of time and make sure that everything you include in your profile helps to create or reinforce your desired online identity.

2. Pick 3 to 5 BlogCatalog bloggers and go visit their blog and leave a comment. Now, don’t just go skim it and leave a comment like “nice blog, be sure to visit mine.” Take some time, read a few posts closely and leave the author a valuable comment.

3. Join in the discussions. While the discussion area is a very active part of the BlogCatalog community and new discussions are always popping up, it seems that a small percentage of members regularly use this area. Starting a new discussion or joining an existing one is a great way to make some new friends. By starting intelligent discussions pertaining to your blog’s subject you can get people interested in what you write about and position yourself as an authority on the subject.

4. Add your social networks to your BlogCatalog profile. Share your tweets, diggs, stumbles and status updates with all of your BlogCatalog friends simply by adding your social networks to your profile.  After they’re added, all of your friends can see what you’re up to just by logging into BlogCatalog and checking their News Feed.

5. Add the BlogCatalog Newsfeed Widget to your blog. This widget keeps track of the networks you participate in and shares your latest activies on digg, delicious, stumbleupon and many more! You may not have the time or the energy to write about everything that interests you, but by adding this widget your readers get to know your interests better and it’s a simple way to help suggest new articles for them to read.

Do BlogCatalog members have any more suggestions on how to use BlogCatalog to help create or strengthen your online presence? Any general suggestions on how to manage your online presence?