How do you attract new people to your blog?
I participate in a number of things (take a look at that sidebar) which does bring more people to my blog. Unfortunately I’m a horrible commenter, so that’s not one of them.
What do you look for in the blogs you read?
Something said in a way that doesn’t annoy me. Some content. I want a diary – not a journal. IE: Don’t tell me that you had steak for dinner. Unless it’s told to me in some story about how that came to be? I don’t care. But – had an interesting trip to the grocery store to get that steak? That I want to know about. Struggles you had in cooking it? Okay. Just the fact you ate it? Not so much. The voice of the person is also important to me. I want to get to know you through your use of language – really, what else is the point?
However, a caveat – your blog is your personal diary or journal. You put it out there, but ultimately it’s yours. If all you want to write about is what you had for dinner, you absolutely should! I just may not read – and you shouldn’t care that I read.
What excites you? (In blog land, that is:)
Collaborations, special events, special events in people’s lives, personal growth.
What turns you off?
Please don’t put music on your blog. If you have something you want me to hear? Great – blog a link to it, and make sure I know. But I sometimes read from work. I sometimes read when the house is quiet, and the kids are asleep. If there’s going to be something coming out of my speakers, I want to know about it first.
Ads don’t annoy me, but the one’s that block the content do – or the ones with blinky flashing things all around do.
And neon colors or white font on a black background really really hurt my eyes. I won’t read them. If you’ve got good content, I may read through a reader instead, but I won’t come directly to your site.
I guess the bottom line is an assault on my senses is not a good thing. I live with three boys (hubby included) – I get enough of that already.
How do you discover new blogs?
All those sidebar thingies in the first question introduce me to a lot of new things. Commenters, or links via my regular reads is how I find new reads.
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