Why I read (or unsubscribe from) your blog…

My take on reading blogs and keeping them in my Google RSS feed.

I admire that you took the time to think about what you wrote, and that each paragraph starts off with a different word each time. I read a blog once where I literally saw the word “So,” at the beginning of each of each paragraph. Add that with no photos to look at, makes for a pretty boring blog if you ask me.

For instance. I bought those pens off Ebay from Hong King because Pilot doesn’t make them any more. They’re my favourite. And, like my watery Victoria Secret hand cream that I don’t really recommend.

I love looking at photos. Are you the same way? I really don’t care what they’re of either, heck it could be a photo of the new Christmas garland you just bought — hey I’m an early shopper too, I understand. Not every post needs to have photos, but it sure helps to break up that monotonous text that we sometimes skim through. Stock photos are also kind of lame — but use them sparingly if you really feel the need to. That last part could also be just my personal preference. Anyone care to chime in?

So, this is what I did today…blah

So, my dog is sick and I’m sad.

So…I’m not doing much this weekend.

Starting every paragraph with the same word? It gets old fast. Makes for a fast mouse click to the unsubscribe button. Use a thesaurus. Use the dictionary and elaborate your vocab peeps. I’m not saying that my blog is popular by any means, but I did find that reading other people’s websites and the style of writing, it made me find my own style as well.But read each sentence out loud and see if it flows well together. I usually type the same way that I think, and then I re-write it after I have a paragraph or two written, to make it flow better. Because lawd knows I sometimes don’t know how to talk :)

So Also, if you are paid to write a blog entry, don’t just write the minimum allowed. Make it interesting, and put your own  take on it, do a bit of research. That goes for reviews too. Many people ask me how I had the chance to review some great products, or how I got started doing reviews for companies.  Companies will contact you, and they will find you.

How?

  • Interact with your readers/comments.
  • Ask questions at the end of your post (or somewhere in between — whatevs). Maybe the readers of your blog will also interact back with you.
  • Post on a scheduled basis. I usually post only on week days, but I am also known to post 2x/day or even on weekends.
  • Be positive. Nobody really likes to hear people whine or complain too much on a blog. Save that for something like Twitters 140 character limit. OMG add me!

That’s basically it! Then I honestly think it’s just my style of laid-back writing that flows easily and gives a good honest opinion about what I really think. Companies will contact you.

Use spell check. Nothing irks me more than definitely spelled with an “A” (definaitely) or hilarious (halarious). Use firefox if you don’t know how to spell the words. Anytime I type something out that is spelled wrong, it has a red squiggly line underneath. I tend to ignore the red squiggles when I make up my own words, however ;)

There you have it. My two cents on why I read, or do not read your blog!

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Blogging pet peeves

ikea-desk

What are some of your blogging pet peeves? Most of these topics I listed doesn’t bother me incredibly much, but it’s a fun way to subliminally get messages across to people, right? :)

  • Multiple blog entries with no photos! I’m a visual person − I love pictures.
  • Huge blocks of text without any paragraphs. Please hit enter.
  • I have a few sites that I would like to comment on, but rarely do because of the security feature they have on their comments section. If I have to enter a code in order for my comment to get verified, I’ll rarely comment. If you’re worried about spam, there’s a feature on WordPress called Akismet Stats. It catches all your spam so you don’t have to use that double-comment feature.
  • People who visit your blog for the giveaway you’re hosting – saying they love your site, but never return. 
  • Bloggers that just use their website to complain. I also dislike bloggers calling other bloggers out. I unfollow their blog when that sort of thing happens. Remember, if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all.
  • No “About Me” pages. Those are so informative, or just fun to read. Who are you?
  • Ignoring spell check. Grammar, and punctuation doesn’t bother me all that much. But please learn the basics on how to spell definitely without an “a”, and use the correct your, you’re, it’s, its … etc.
  • Partial feeds on Google RSS. I dislike clicking on websites to read the whole entry, I want to read the post faster through my e-mail. If I like what I read, I’ll visit your site then
    comment.

What sort of things annoy you? Minor or major! Comment below and let me know :)


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