Monday, December 6, 2010

Do People like YOUR Blog?

I came across a great post about blogging by Rachelle Gardner: http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/


Several of her tips caused me to pause and consider my own blog:

1. Ranting - I do it sometimes... No apologies. You can skip those posts if you want to, but my ranting tends to be more about daily life issues, not the publishing industry.

2. Irregular and Infrequent posts - I'm getting much better at this since I figured out the "post options" and now know how to schedule future posts. I know some blogs have a "theme" for every day they post. I can't do that. I'm too ADDOS for that. (What is ADDOS you ask? Attention Deficit Dis- *head jerks up to the flying object in the sky* OH SHINY!)

3. An unfocused blog that doesn't know what it's about - OH I KNOW. Look at my header! It's about reading, writing, and eating... not necessarily in that order!

Do you follow a check list for your blog? What do you think makes a great blog?

9 comments:

  1. I struggle with the so-called "rules" for blogging. I think as long as we're honest with our readers, and post more than once a year, we're doing ok. At least those are my rules :)

    Thanks for sharing the post link! Rachelle always has great information!

    ~Jen

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  2. My blog is about as irregular as they come, and I think that's one reason I don't have a ton of followers. That, and my life isn't that interesting. ;)

    The blogs that are the most successful do give some semblance of attention to those rules, I've noticed. But I use mine more to empty my brain than anything else.

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  3. Great post, Margo!

    I try to do right by the blog gods and keep my content updates semi-regular, not get too personal, and generally try to not suck. However, some of my favorite blogs are the ones that keep you guessing and wander about from time-to-time.

    Blogs are partially about writing, and I've found the 'voice' of the bloggist also plays a big part in my enjoyment. I like funny over serious, but that's subjective. I also think you can get too cutesy where everything is a 'squee' or a 'meh' or some other kind of 'speak', and finding balance in that is something I have to work at.

    One thing I'll say is that I've noticed some of the blogs that have scheduled content aren't gripping my attention any longer. So I think you can go overboard on the 'Monday is this, Tuesday is this, etc.' format. I also believe you can kill people with content.

    In the end, I want to post just enough that people will jump over to see what I've come up with lately, but not so much that they just say, "hey that's a good blog I follow but rarely read." If that makes sense ...

    -EJW-

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  4. I'm not terribly concerned about whether or not strangers like my blog. Is that bad? It's a blog. It really has very little to do with the air I breathe or an indication of my ability to succeed in the survival of the fittest. We must not take life too seriously, nor the blogging world.

    However, I try and post at least once per week. Which day of the week depends on the kind of week I'm having. Starting out, I posted every day of the week to get a foundation. Posting every day was a waste of my writing time. So I stopped. I've noticed I get more comments per post by posting this way. There are just a lot of blogs to follow and it might take all week to get through them.

    All that should matter is having a good time blogging. Are you having a good time?

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  5. I follow a lot of blogs. The ones that catch my eye and make me stop to comment are short and to the point, plus they're on topics that interest me. I don't waste time on blogs that rant.

    The last few weeks I've been swamped and have been unable to go around the blog block. I hate it when that happens because I know I miss a lot of good stuff.

    I use Google Reader to keep up on my blogs.

    Great post!

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  6. Yep, as Kathi says, Google Reader!! It is my new-found friend. I don't rant on my blog, but I do try to post regularly. Every Wednesday, with an occasional special post on Monday or Friday. I have to have time to write on my WIP, and have a life beyond blogging.

    ADDOS--that's hilarious. ;o)

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  7. Sometimes I read a blog and I can't believe the blogger was even able to get a blogger account going. Those are rare and kind of draw me like a moth to a flame. I'm a sucker for a train wreck.

    Most of them don't puzzle me.

    I think the good ones just have the mystical 'voice' writers like to talk about so much. I love it when I find a kindred spirit through their blog. Even then, though, I feel quite awkward when leaving comments for bloggers who I do not really know.

    Okay then! I've been weird enough in your comments.

    In summary: I've no idea, and I rarely follow blogging rules.

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  8. I tend to keep to those three, although I do rant sometimes - not about the publishing industry, yet - but I always warn my readers beforehand.

    I can be infrequent during exams, but I also let the readers know if they come up.

    On message? Not quite sure, but I haven't gotten any complaints...

    :-P

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  9. I rant to sometimes, but it's just to be funny and it's usually about my life or my own frustrations with myself. I think when you can laugh at yourself, people can usually relate to you much better. The writing process and life itself can be pretty hard when you're not laughing;)

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