There's no doubt that just as every blog writer is unique, so is every blog reader. However, they can be classified into different general categories according to what they are seeking in a blog. And these reader intentions correspond pretty strongly to blog niches.

And if you write a blog it's really important to know what these general reader motivations are because then you'll be much better at giving them what they want. You'll gain an appreciative and loyal audience in a much shorter space of time as a result. And that's definitely something to aim for -- particularly if you intend to make money from your blog. 

I've really noticed this difference in readerships because I blog about different subjects. Politics is the subject of a couple of my blogs. Not surprisingly, blog readers in this niche are seeking people's opinions. So that's what you should focus on. There's certainly a large audience out there, and it's quite easy to get readers. You just have to give your take on current events in a clear, thoughtful manner and you'll draw a solid audience before too long.

The blogging about blogging niche, which this blog is in, is very different however. Sure, you can write your opinions. And it's a good idea to throw them in from time to time. But the overwhelming reason people read blogs in this niche is to find tips and techniques that they can use on their blogs, usually to bring more targeted traffic to them.

For this reason, whenever I write in this niche I always ask myself whether the post I'm creating is useful to readers. And hopefully this was exactly that!

Like many people I love to blog. I also have a lot of interests. So whenever I want to share information that I have learned I tend to start a blog about the subject. I always begin each one with a lot of enthusiasm but after a while having several blogs can become a burden. That's because you feel constant pressure to keep them all updated. And unless one of them starts to draw substantial traffic, you can feel like you're not making much headway with any of them.

That's why I really love Twitter. Yes, it's a social networking site, but it's also a blogging platform in its own right. Actually its not unlike Blogger -- but on a smaller, faster scale. So you can still record your thoughts on any subject and have them read by others, and thereby get the same sense of enjoyment out of the process, but with far less time and effort expended.

And unlike with traditional blogging, the social networking aspect of Twitter enables you to gain many times more readers at a much faster pace. So you can achieve a similar level of influence in a much shorter space of time.

For these reasons tweeting can actually completely supplant blogging. And I think it does for a lot of people.

Nonetheless, there's a lot to be said for maintaining a blog. You can explore a subject and express your thoughts much more thoroughly in a post of several hundred words than in a tweet limited to 140 characters. That's why so many tweeps keep their blogs going.

Foe these people, Twitter is an extremely useful complement to blogging. Once you have a decent following of people who share your interests, you can tweet each and every blog post and draw a substantial amount of extra traffic to them. It's a bit like having an e-mail list in that regard.

And as well as Twitter being microblogging in the true sense of the word, it can also be seen as pre-blogging. Each tweet expressing some thought, observation or tip can be expanded into a more comprehensive, nuanced article that you can then publish on your blog.

For these reasons alone I think Twitter is an excellent content creation and promotion tool. Just as any webmaster would be mad not to have a blog as part of his website, any blogger would be crazy not to be active on Twitter!

Like so many bloggers I really do enjoy writing. And from years of experience I've learned that if you do nothing other than crafting blog posts, while remaining mindful of search engines, you can end up drawing a constant stream of traffic to them.

This can be quite satisfying for a while. But eventually you'll want more traffic. And there's no doubt that if you don't actively promote your blog posts then you are missing out on loads of it. That's why it's extremely important to get into the habit of sharing those blog posts on social media.

I know that a lot of blogging purists are reluctant to do this. Before I got heavily into Twitter and other sites like it I certainly was.

I thought the process would be time consuming and boring. It would be like placing ads on classifieds sites. Just cutting and pasting, cutting and pasting.

But you don't have to do it like that. The key is to become an engager. If you cnstantly and meaningfully communicate with other social media users then you'll constantly be writing new content anyway. It will be a a creative exerence just like writing the blog post in the first place was.

The groups and communities on Facebook, Linkedin and Google Plus are among the best ways to do this. When you have a new post to share, check if it's okay to do this by seeing what other members are sharing as well as reading the group rules. If it's okay to share your own blog posts then stay away from just link dropping. That annoys some people. It's always best to write a little introduction for your blog post.

You can increase engagement from other community members by including a question as well. For example, when sharing this very post I could say something like "Promoting posts is crucial for bloggers. Here are my thoughts. Do you agree, or can you get by on writing quality stuff alone, letting others do the sharing for you?"

Using this approach so can often bring quite a few clicks in a short space of time, which is always a buzz. And since Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and similar sites are just chockas with other bloggers and webmasters, the odds of your blog getting voluntary one way links go way up as well.That certainly helps with SEO over the long term.

No matter what niche you're in on Twitter, tweeting tips is a really good strategy for several reasons:

They are useful

People love stuff they can use. All the better that they can be read quickly and are easily absorbed. Offer quality tips and your followers will appreciate it. they'll keep an eye out for more whenever they log in. There's a good chance they'll retweet them too.

They stand out

Remember that a lot of tweets contain links. Actually, it seems to be the norm in most niches. Yet a tip is self-contained and link free. Such little short tweets do tend to stand out amongst the others. People appreciate the fact that they don't have to click on a link -- another reason they like to read them. 

They build authority

Just as good content on a blog builds authority, high quality tips will do the same on Twitter. After a while you'll start to be seen as an expert. More followers and greater influence will ensue.

They are worthwhile on their own

Even if you don't actually tweet all the tips you come up with, just formulating them would be worthwhile. This is because creating them requires that you think hard about your niche, recall the lessons you have learned and pick out the ones that are most useful to others. Then you have to put each bit of advice into less than 140 characters. This is a good writing exercize apart from anything else.

They can be collated

Tips are crystallized, concentrated nuggets of wisdom. And if you create them regularly, before too long you'll have dozens of them on various themes. You can choose one particular theme and then collate all your best tips on it and put them all in a blog post. As bloggers know well, readers love those list posts. They get shared a lot too!

They are great reminders

By crafting these tips and sharing them with others on Twitter, you're also reminding yourself of the tactics that work -- tactics that you may have stopped using for one reason or another. So you can take your own good advice, make a point of utilizing these approaches and reap the rewards.

There are many examples of successful bloggers getting book publishing deals or making squillions from affiliate marketing. But there's another way to leverage your blog for commercial gain. And that's to build an active community around blog, and then use that as a kind of bargaining tool to get a regular gig in mainstream media.

Michael Smith News

Aussie blogger Michael Smith is an example of this approach. Sure, he was well known as a broadcaster a while back, hut he ended up losing his job as a result of his criticism of former PM Julia Gillard.

Rather than sit around feeling sorry for himself he started a blog. Michael Smith News soon became a must read for many Australians.

Quality and controversy

There's no denying that doing this was easier for him than most given his previous media profile. Still, he certainly built it up a lot by adding heaps of really interesting stuff. His blog looks awful in many ways, but he does a lot right. He breaks stories. He updates it regularly with fascinating material. He upsets the powerful and doesn't shy away from a stoush. He uses wit and humour. He uses different types of media including Youtube videos and voice recordings with Audioboo. He appreciates and thanks his contributors and shares what they offer. As a result the blog gets absolutely enormous traffic and heaps of social media shares.

Back into the mainstream media

From time to time he wrote about how he was keen to find mainstream employment again, but was having no luck because his reputation was so thoroughly trashed by Gillard. Just recently, however, he's scored a weekly spot on radio station 2GB. But he's certainly not ceasing the blog. He's vowed to keep that going.

Clearly, having the blog was instrumental in him getting this gig. He's built a huge and active community around it, a fair proportion of whom will listen to him on 2GB. So the station benefits commercially. And the mouthpiece he has there is obviously going to help the blog some more. So it's a win-win situation.

What he's done is very impressive. And there's a lot to be learned from his melding of blogosphere and mainstream media. Bloggers with skill, passion and expertise could certainly could do what Michael Smith did on a smaller scale -- for example writing for a big site, or becoming an expert commentator on a local radio station.