I just found out via Power Line that blogger Arthur Chrenkoff is leaving the blogosphere. I wish him well.
I’m often asked what it takes to build a blog readership. My traffic numbers aren’t astronomical (yet), but I do know what draws in readers. One such method is to build an expertise in one or two subjects. Arthur had become the go-to blogger for news about Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, his posts were so in-depth and informative, they were regularly published in the Opinion Journal.
Expertise-building is gold in the blogosphere. The blogger at Riehl World View, for example, started blogging in late May, and he already averages close to 50,000 unique visitors per day. Why? He’s the go-to blogger for information about Natalee Holloway and probably a few other topics.
The Political Teen, who seems to be buckling under the weight of his traffic, is the go-to blogger for video clips. (He’s back online now.)
Throughout the day, I’ll update this post with links to bloggers who’ve built an expertise. In fact, if you currently visit certain bloggers who cover specific topics, let me know in the comment section.
Now that Arthur is leaving, the opportunity to fill the Iraq/Afghanistan news void is wide open. There are other bloggers, but none as big as Chrenkoff.
Others bidding Arthur adieu: Michelle Malkin, The Laughing Wolf, Mudville Gazette…
Update: Speaking of expertise, Brian Maloney is all over the Air America scandal and getting not-bad traffic, I’m sure.
Update II (8/6): Chrenkoff says: “A few days ago, I accepted a new job. Unfortunately, one of the conditions is that I will not be allowed to blog, or indeed write much on my own. As you can imagine, it has not been an easy decision….Don’t leave quite just yet – the blogging will continue for another few weeks.”
