Part of my sidebar housekeeping is to consider my bloglist. - which blogs should I remove and which new blogs should I add? I know other bloggers are going through the same process.
6 months ago
Friday, January 9
28 comments:
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I often ponder the same questions. Of course, my blog is not as professional as yours, and I would love to get more followers~and comments!~but I do it for me. Sometimes I take a break, if I have nothing to say, so my blog might appear inactive for a few weeks. I have, however, got three blogs and two of these have not been posted on for over a year. It is all down to time and trying to focus on what is right for me at the time. One of them languishes because the setting up of images simply takes too much time.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a large following, and it really hurts me when someone unfollows me. I wonder what I did wrong.
Personally, I find the changes Google made very confusing. I don't know, properly, who I am following, who is following me, whether or not I am following them on Google, Blogger, Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin, or any one of a number of other vehicles available to us.
Sorry, I know I've rambled on a bit, but sometimes I wish Blogger would just go back to how it was in the beginning, a simple and easy to use, not the complicated thing it has become. I just haven't got the time, or tech savvy, to work out half of what they want us to do any more. Just keep plodding along with the flow these days.
Ramble as much as you like Deborah. I too find it annoying when utilities like Blogger change things suddenly. It's even worse when something that you have spent time on disappears completely which has happened to me a couple of times in the past.
DeleteIt is difficult to keep more them one blog going. My other blog The School Vegetable Patch suffers from neglect, Is it possible to combine your blog content into just one blog.?
I tend to use the bloglist on the sidebar as my main prompt to visit as thus updates when a new post is written and it is convenient ti glance at ut when I am on my blog.
In the past I have sent How to help sheets to people who ask for advice on how to do some of the things they see on my blog and a, always happy to help if ever that is appropriate,
I hope you don't mind me mentioning but although the font on your blog us lovely have you considered that it may be difficult for some people to read especially on tablets etc and when used for large areas of text,
Well, if you think too much, so do I. My Pageview numbers declined a lot during 2014, which could be for any number of reasons. For instance I think a lot of people follow via email these days (I have about 500 followers who use this route.) I also think that Blogger's stats are a load of rubbish and completely unreliable. But I also do think that blogging and reading of blogs has declined in popularity, certainly in the field in which you and I specialise.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't really know how many follow using email, Mark but you do have a phenomenal following. To be honest I rarely look at Bloggers stats as I use a third party utility/
DeleteMaybe you are right and we have become old fashioned,
I commented on a similar topic on Mark's blog yesterday, I don't think that growing veg is as popular these days as it was four or five years ago. It was all the craze but like most crazes, it's dropped off. We don't have a waiting list on our allotment site any longer. I suppose some people took on an allotment when veg growing was fashionable, set up a blog, but no longer have their plot so they've stopped blogging too. How do you find out how many daily visitors you've had to your blog each day like that? It's something I've never really looked in to.
ReplyDeleteI smiled when I read Marks post yesterday as I write this a few days ago and know I was posting today. We were on the same wavelength, I use a free utility called Statcounter It sends a weekly report but there is also a lot of other information linked to your account stored online
DeleteI love looking at the blog stats and trying to work out whats going on, but always try to take them as general trends rather than specifics. As you say, there are many different ways of viewing and following a blog and not all of them will result in a hit. As to old blogs its a hard call. Is there somewhere else you can keep a note of blogs you once enjoyed but seem to have stopped so that once in a while you can pop over and see if anythings changed, but they're not clogging up your reading list?
ReplyDeleteI agree Jenny that stats are not really accurate. I actually keep a list of blogs in the way that you suggest but these are ones that I am visiting before I decide to list them just to see how active they are and whether the posts keep my interest. I used ti keep an old blog list as well but always forgot to keep an eye on it. At least when they are on the main bloglist they pop up automatically when something happens and I suppose that there is no problem when they stay out of sight,
DeleteLike you I do sometimes wonder about these things, but have largely given up doing so now! That said, I have nowhere like the footfall you have:) When I posted every day it was larger but circumstances change and people cannot always keep up the same commitment.
ReplyDeleteThe ones that really distress me are the ones who suddenly go silent:although I have been guilty of this myself, and not told people why.
I always worry that something bad may have happened to the writers. It did once to one blogger, but kindly her husband put a tiny sentence up after a few weeks to explain that she had been in a car accident and was critically ill. However, nothing ever appeared again so I fear the worst.
In the end, I suppose it is a personal decision how long to wait for any further appearance. I keep some which are dormant just because I sometimes go back and read previous posts.
Posting every day is a challenge sweffling, Some times that would be easier than others, I often batch write and publish over a period of time. I try not to make posts too long so a visit to the plot may provide material for several posts each with a different focus, To be honest if all the blogs that I visited posted every day I would find difficulty keeping up with my reading,
DeletePerhaps real life gets in the way for some people. It does I feel take a little dedication to keep a blog going & like others have said a slight decline in growing your own. I know me, the veg patch & my little blog will be around for a good while yet.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are a sticker, Jo. I think a few short term plotters over the years have had a reality check as often growing your own is portrayed as a breeze,
DeleteOver the last year a lot of people seem to have stopped blogging, perhaps moving across to social networks.
ReplyDeleteWhat annoys me most are the people who follow you, especially on Twitter, and then drop you a couple of days later unless you follow them straight back. I've come to accept that these are not genuine followers but still resent the fact that some seem to see the sole purpose of any form of social networking, blogging included, as an exercise in building their own follower list.
I know what you, mean Jessica, I usually only accept facebook friends who I either 'know' in person or virtually or who seriously seen ti have an interest in the things I have. I never automatically follow people on Twitter or Google+ just because they follow me.
DeleteFrom the number if comments that you get you have built up a really healthy following that many if us aspire to match.
A very interesting post Sue. I have given up trying to figure out how many followers I might have. Like you I would like to know sometimes about people who read the blog but do not leave a message. At one point last year, I had quite a few people looking at my blog from Moldavia!!! I would have given a lot to have some idea who they were and what interested them in my blog.
ReplyDeleteI get visits from he most unlikely places too Alain and often wonder whether these are just accidental or are people interested. As you say it would be interesting to know whether they have gardens and what they are like, Nowadays the Translator though not perfect means language isn't a barrier,
DeleteWhat a lot of interesting points you raise! I understand the dilemma re people who have not blogged in a while, there was a brilliant blog I enjoyed which went quiet a year ago, the last line was "hospital visiting" I really worry what happened, it's a shame when people don't share their troubles here as bloggers seem to be such a supportive, caring bunch of people.
ReplyDeleteI don't do facebook, but do use twitter, only to sign petitions, it's excellent for that! Downside is you get to find out things that are beyond barbaric.
I don't get stats....don't know how too....but I have learnt that some play a comments game, just to get comments back and once they do they stop visiting....what a strange little game! I only want genuine people commenting on my blog, one good egg is worth fifty fly-by-nights!xxx
It;s a shame some people find blogging to be a competition Dina. It's a bit like bird photography, Some like to tick off rare species (nothing wrong with that) We are happy just to get interesting photos of any birds even the ones we see every day.
DeleteThe stats started off as just interesting tp know if anyone visited in the early days, now they are just interesting to dip into now and again.
I tried Facebook once and abandoned it then went back and have found it can be interesting depending on how you use it. Some Bloggers post extra snippets and photos. There are also interest groups that you can join and also places the we visit such as the RSPB reserves have pages. Does your rescue have an account as it could be useful?
We also link blogs to Facebook so that people who wish to follow that way see a link when a new post appears
One of those mysteries I guess, maybe it's just the winter that has people not reading about allotments so much. I'm sure it will all go the other way before too long. I do wonder about these things sometimes, but I don't do facebook or twitter either, I keep it all rather simple. To be honest I don't really do technology much!
ReplyDeleteYou have plenty of other things filling you time CJ and for someone who doesn't do technology much you have a great blog and take beautilful photos
DeleteI'm still here and reading. I couldn't find a widget for my sidebar that didn't slow my website down, so now I follow all my favorite blogs on Bloglovin. There have been so many changes in blogging in only a few years. I think there is a lot of competition for readers now with so many different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. I don't trust stat counters either and use Google Analytics to track my views.
ReplyDeleteGood to know Rachel. You are right in that counters only give a general idea,
DeleteIt's seems funny when I've had the same 18 followers for years but know many of them don't visit anymore. Some bloggers go inactive for so long it's hard not to suspect the worst. If it's over a year I usually remove them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe some people just like to try out different things, I often forget to become a follower on if blogs that I visit frequently, Also sometimes I think that I am a follower and realise that I'm not. I must put that right,
DeleteIt is so hard to say why things go up and down like that. I've never "followed" anyone as I prefer a feed reader. I guess everyone has their own favorite way of reading blogs. And like tpals I go through my list occasionally and if people haven't posted for a long time they get removed. Of course I wouldn't do that if they don't post in the winter, but if they haven't posted for a full year I'm pretty sure they are gone.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking to add some new ones to my list, Daphne
DeleteYou have very good blog with informative information! Of course i would visit you when i have time! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you Malar.
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