Blogging Tip: Getting Followers

I never thought I'd really be qualified to post this, but I've actually gotten quite a few emails about it, so I figured I'd post about it for everyone else who's looking for some tips on the subject.

So, how do you get new followers?

Well, firstly: don't expect to get hundreds of followers in one night. Getting a solid reader base is a long process, which is why it can be so rewarding. With that established, my main tip would be to network. Make sure people know your blog exists. If you want to be known, you can't be shy. The best ways to network with fellow bloggers, authors, and publishers are:

--Commenting. This really only works with bloggers, but leaving nice comments are definitely effective. I'd recommend leaving a link to your blog at the bottom, without saying something like "comment for comment!" or anything.
--Twitter and Facebook. Twitter especially is the best way to communicate with bloggers, authors, and publishers. Not only will people discover your blog, but you'll make some fantastic friends! Facebook also has a lot of authors and blog pages to connect with.
--Follow Friday. Book Crazy Jenn hosts a wonderful weekly meme that helps you discover great new blogs, as well as help a few people find yours. Note: this is only to be used for blogs that are centered around books.
--Friend people on Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing.

I'd also recommend having a giveaway when you can, but you have to be sure to have a good amount of good content with your giveaways. Nothing's more annoying then a blogger who does nothing but give away books and never reviews anything.

And if you have a blog on Blogger, be sure to add their Google Friends Followers widget. Also install email subscribing and Feedburner subscribing. You want people to have easy access to staying updated to your site.

So that's all I got. Hopefully I helped someone out--I know I was looking for advice when I was a new blogger. If you've got advice to share, please comment.