When you write a popular blog post, there’s a good chance that someone has linked to it. You just don’t know when and where.

One simple technique you can try is to search your first name and last name in quotations, and then the subject of a blog post.

For example, my blog post about David Chang hit the front page of Hacker News, so I figured a bunch of people may have written posts that linked to it. I typed, ““herbert lui” “david chang”” as a query into Google, and I found this note from Kevin Lin.

This technique isn’t particularly useful for making you feel validated (in my experience, it only increases the appetite!). 

You can, however, use it to help you find like-minded people. Have a look at what else they’ve been writing and linking to; there’s a good chance you may find that material interesting.

If you’re inclined—and I often am—you can also reach out to them via email and say hi. Who knows how your paths may cross in the future.

While it’s not as convenient as having someone tag or reply to you via social media, and it honestly feels very clunky, this technique can help facilitate connections. (I’m sure there’s a software-shaped solution to make this technique smoother.) If you’re writing for a small audience, it can feel very fulfilling to deepen your relationships. 

The web is full of conversations, and they take place with other people.