Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Decoding the Blogosphere





I set up my blog in January 2012, with not much knowledge of the Blogosphere, other than I knew I wanted to start my own blog. Now, five months later, many elements of how everything works is still somewhat a great mystery to me.

Designing my page was the easy part; Blogger walks you through the entire process. Once it was set up, however, I stalled. More than a month passed before I wrote and published my first post. It felt like I would be baring my person to the world, and I am by nature a private being.

But once I got started there was no stopping. So many things I wanted to say, to share, to seek feedback on from others. I haven’t missed very many days writing a post, and sometimes it’s been difficult to find the time, but I did it anyway
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I visit several other blogs daily. Some are beautiful, some inspiring, others educational/informative. I am only now beginning to notice details about how other blogs look. Some have print that’s too light, others have a dark background that makes them difficult to read. Some blogs have “too much” information; too many details; more than I want to know (but that’s just me, I’m sure). Some blogs are “too busy” and it makes me dizzy trying to take it all in. But hey, that’s the great thing about blogs: the owner is free to make it whatever he or she wants and if someone doesn’t like it, too bad, you just mark it off your reading list.




One thing I may want to venture into (I’m not yet convinced) is installing widgets such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, RSS Feeds and Google+, but I’m totally in the dark on how to go about it. Sometimes I read the instructions and they sound like Greek to me. So, slowly, I will crawl my way through and hope for enlightenment along the way.

One thing that’s amazing to me about my blog is the number of daily readers and their locations. My stats tell me that the U.S. readers outnumber all others, with Canada, the United Kingdom and India closely tying for second place.  A few countries I understand, because I have blogging friends there – Finland, Australia and Spain, for instance. But Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Russia, Indonesia, Philippines, Ghana, Pakistan? How do all you lovely readers find this, or any other blog, for that matter? I would love it if you could share that information with me.

Also, my stats rank the number of hits each post receives. I am somewhat startled to see that the Positive Thinking post has had, and continues daily, to be read more than any other post. As of today,there have been 2,477 page views, compared to, on average, 50 page views of other posts.

Most blogs I follow do not have ads; a few do. How to readers feel about having to see ads on blogs? In some cases they don’t bother me. I might consider allowing ads if I could control what ads would appear; I wouldn’t mind those related to cooking, gardening, books, fashion and similar subjects that interest me. But I think it’s out of your hands once you open the floodgate. Are any of you out there familiar with exactly how that works? What is your opinion about ads on blogs?

These are just a few musing I am having tonight as I think about blogging and what it has meant to me. I very much enjoy hearing from each of you who leave me a comment. In this short time I have come to have blogging friends  I feel I know, even though we are miles apart.

Any feedback you can provide on the topics I’ve discussed above would be most appreciated. And thank you again for visiting my blog.

Sanda 

8 comments:

  1. Very interesting and I know you will soon have all this figured out. Just glad for people like you that can put interesting things out here to read and others can learn so much from reading about it.

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    1. There's plenty I haven't figured out yet! It certainly keeps life interesting -- this trying to keep up with everything! Thanks!

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  2. I think I'm in the same position considering the technical aspects of the blog. I have an Oklahoma Blog Group icon on my blog, that I wrote to someone about, after having a friend suggest me for it, and then it just appeared at the bottom of my blog. I can't remember any more than that.
    I just don't think it's worth having Facebook represented on my blog, since their new format - Timeline - is too confusing for me and I have completely stopped reading it.
    As to ads on blogs, there are two blogs that I used to read that seem to have turned very commercial. I don't even look at them anymore. However, Faux Fushia is still a must read for me, even with the advertising. I think the difference is that her advertising is for companies she has always mentioned as good things, long before they became sponsors.
    My niece writes a Vegan Cooking blog with a different hosting company from the one we use, and she has ads on her blog, that the hosting company puts there. She has no control and gets nothing for them. But the ads are small and unobtrusive.

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    1. Thanks for your input, Beryl. It can get very confusing at times. I find Facebook to be less and less interesting and like you, I do not like the Timeline. I don't think ads are in my future!

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  3. Well done to you Sanda, you come over as a very professional blogger with a great range of interesting topics.

    My first blogger find was Metscan think I have been following her for 2yrs or so (she is my best blogger friend).Have no idea how I found blogosphere..just cruising the net.

    I prefer the blogs without too many side pictures,and those with adverts do my head in,they slow my laptop up so I stay away from them....do people really make money from them?

    I started out on a social network over here,it was an unpleasant experience women making spiteful remarks which turned into cliques...again not sure if this applies to all social websites?

    I like your blog as it is (just my personal thoughts) Ida

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    1. Thank you very much, Ida, for your vote of confidence. I, too, believe simplicity to be the key for blogs. Some I look at are just over they top they are so "busy." I will likely keep my blog just as it is. I very much appreciate your following it, and always, your thought-provoking comments.

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  4. Your blog is a very good one. One of my definite " musts ". I like the diversity of your posts. I like your honesty, and I believe that you are a nice person IRL too.
    I prefer blogs with " depth ". You have it.
    Not reading food, flower, nor interior design blogs ( although i.d. is my passion ). Not interested in blogs with " What I wear/wore yesterday, today, tomorrow "...
    I personally am not going to use ads. Like to keep my blog " Feng Shui " clean.
    This blogging has been therapeutical for me. It´s like writing one kind of a diary. Only this one is open for the whole world - and oddly, I am not bothered about it.
    I too am surprised by all those readers from all those strange countries; who seldom ( if ever ) comment, only why?
    I am happy reading your blog as it is. Doing small changes is refreshing. I also have to think about something new..
    Thanking Ida for her wonderful words here, if I may : ). And thanking you : ).

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    1. Thank you, Mette; I appreciate your nice comments. And yours is probably my most favorite blogs of all the ones I visit; certainly the only one I regularly comment on. Your blog always puts me to thinking! The simplicity of your blog design is very nice, very elegant, just like you! Like you, doing the blog is therapeutic for me.

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