I’m not talking about Paris Hilton or Paris, Texas. Since I just got back from Paris, France, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post in relation to it.

Being in good relations with other bloggers in your niche is really important! Here are some tips to remember when trying to build a good relationship with another blogger.

Be Polite

Remember when your mom always told you to say your “Please” and “Thank You”’s? Well, use them. When contacting another blogger, don’t demand anything out of them. Instead, ask politely if you could interview them, or exchange links. One of the few phrases I know how to say in French is “Thank You” which is “Merci”. You can bet I used that everywhere.

Compliments are Key

You bet. Being a suck up just might get you somewhere. Start off your e-mail to the blogger by telling them how much you love the blog, or style of writing, or layout, or whatever you do like about the blog. Let that person know you admire them! Don’t push it too far, and keep it real. Unfortunately, the guys that attempted to compliment me failed for them because I had no idea what they were saying. So, make sure you speak their language.

Unfamiliar? Get Familiar.

Sometimes if you want something from another blogger, you’ll have to build a relationship with them first. Let’s say you wanted a free review from John Chow. I highly doubt that if you just send him an e-mail asking for it, he’s going to give it to you. Sometimes being polite isn’t enough, especially if they are a bit more popular in the blogosphere than you. Instead, keep in touch with them and build a good relationship. In Paris, I was pretty unfamiliar with everything. The time, the food, the people, the places. I guess I should have done a bit more research, but my mom had been there three times so she made out to be a good tour guide.

Stay Professional

Your relationship with bloggers should be kept professional. Though you may remain friends for a long time, it still wouldn’t be appropriate to share your love life or family issues with them. When dealing with problems with other blogger, or if you disagree with something they wrote about, just remember to keep your cool. Crap, I don’t have a good example from Paris, but this is still an important part in a blogger to blogger relationship.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

If you’re confused about something, have a question, or want to do a link exchange with another blogger, don’t be afraid to ask them. You’d be surprised how helpful they can be! Blogging is partially a learning experience, and if you learn something new about something in your niche, share it with your readers! The only thing you’ve got to lose when asking something, is the time you’ve spent asking it. Asking for something from another blogger is usually the first step in building a relationship with them. Of course, if their blog is more popular, you should probably just start by asking them a question, and then build your relationship to get more from them. I asked tons of questions in Paris. Usually it was to my mom, asking to translate the food menu, or where the Louvre was, or what that guy just said to me.

Having good blogger relationships will help you SO much, especially in the long run. Look at me, I was able to get a week of posts covered by Bush and Greg while I was gone. Trust me when I say, you can’t do this on your own. So if you find a blog that you enjoy reading, don’t hesitate to tell them you love it. Maybe you can get some tips from them!