Why You Shouldn’t Promote Your Blog

…Using one of the ways below
Let’s say you just started your blog 10 minutes ago and now you’d like to tell the whole world about it. You have no content or anything to provide and yet you expect people to start pouring in by the thousands. Wrong! The minute you start using the methods I’m about to mention below, is the minute people lose respect for you and not bother to read anything you have to say.

I admit I’ve done it before and had to learn the hard way; from the consequences. Sure, these methods can bring some fast traffic, but what about the effects they will have on your blog in the long run?

When I first started my blog (not this one), the only things I thought about were ways to get some instant traffic and exposure. I spammed forums, social networking sites, blogs, and even sent hundreds of emails to promote it. Although I got what I was looking for, it wasn’t done in the in the way that it’s supposed to be.

Just be sure not to use the ways below unless you want your name to be listed on peoples blacklist!

-1- Annoying Your IM Contacts
Here’s a typical situation that might occur between you and one of your IM contacts:

You: Hey John, I just started a blog about and would like you to tell me what you think of it! The link is www.furrypaws.com
John: Wow! I love the design and and the content, and that post about the whiskers.
You: Thanks! I just published 7 others, what do you think of them?
John: Ummmm, I’m kinda busy now so I’ll read them as soon as I finish my work.
20 Seconds Later……
You: Nudge! So did you read them yet?
John: Uhhh, I still haven’t finished my work. It’s really important so it still might take me a couple of hours.
You: Oh, alright then, I’ll just go and post some more articles!
30 Seconds Later…….
You: Nudge! Nudge! Nudge! Hey John, I just added 16 more posts and increased the sites font by 1px so why not head over and check it out!
John: Goodbye. Right Click > Block

So what do you end up with? Being blocked by someone that might have become a regular reader and that is something you definitely can’t afford when you first start your site.

-2- Polluting Social Media (Digg, MySpace, Facebook, etc.)
Social Media websites are really great for people that want to share what matters to them, but sometimes certain users have the urge to ruin the site for others.

You may be one of the people who posts spammy links to his blog on every single Facebook wall you can find. As a result, people start seeing your name all over the place, so they will definitely visit your site, but only to see what’s so great about it. The problem with doing this is that everyone will start to get fed up and to delete you from their friend list or groups. So instead of making them want to return to your site, you did the total opposite, making them wish that they had never met you!

Another thing I see online is bloggers submitting way too many articles to Digg, Sphinn, StumbleUpon etc. When users start seeing your articles over and over again, they will eventually stop helping you promote them. One good article that reaches the front page is better than a hundred that don’t.

-3- Spamming Forums
There isn’t much to explain here. You sign up on a forum and start spamming it with threads containing links to your blog. Your posts get deleted, you get banned, and nobody asks about you again. It’s that simple.

-4- Useless Comments
This is one of the worst ways to cause people in your niche to lose respect for you and stop reading your blog. And if they aren’t reading your blog, who will? So think twice before you start spamming every single blog in your niche.
Although I don’t mind comments like “Great post, keep it up!” and “I agree with you”, some bloggers don’t like seeing these kinds of comments because they feel they are useless.
I’m sure you agree that there is no problem telling a blogger that you liked his post, but the problem arises when all your comments are like that.

Have I missed any promotion ways that will kill my blog?