J is for Joy

I find a lot of joy in stupid little things, but how do you get across that joy in a blog post? So many times I've found inspiration in the tiniest thing, and thought "that'd make a great post for today!". But when I start to form the words to describe it, they seem to sap all the joy away. If it's something that can be written about in less than 140 characters then I'd tweet it instead, or if it's visual then an Instagram photo would do. Plus, there is often such a delay in actually finding time to write something down that the moment is passed. You don't want to end up sharing everything immediately either as that might detract from real life. Perhaps the key is to simply write it as if you were telling a friend. 

I had an idea a while back for a project called something like 'it's the little things', where I share and collect all those simple things that make me smile. Seems like this might be the perfect time to start.

I is for Interviews

Interviews don't have to be with someone else. You can also interview yourself.  There are lots of quizzes and fun questionnaires you can share on your blog. Your readers can find out more about you, and you might just enjoy finding out about yourself a bit too. I personally love filling in questionnaires or making random lists of things I enjoy or things I want to do. 

Once I've found a good set of questions I'm definitely going to interview myself for my blog. I might even combine it with a 30 day or photography challenge.

H is for How To

A really great thing to share on a blog is a well written and useful ‘how to’. Tutorials and how to’s are one of the top reasons I’ll visit a blog, and if I’ve found them helpful I might stick around to explore more pages. For most things you can think of, there will already be a blog or article with instructions or helpful tips. This doesn’t mean you can’t make your own of course. Frequently instructions are poor or make no sense, so there is always something you can add to a topic. Perhaps you have great examples, or have worded something in a much clearer way. Or maybe you have found a topic for which no one else has made a tutorial. Hopefully this doesn’t mean no one else is interested. Just that you got there first. And that can only be a good thing.

G is for Goals

In my head I have a vision of me as a blogger; effortlessly writing thought-provoking and beautiful posts each day, whimsically replying to the many insightful comments I receive, following the creative opportunities merrily presenting themselves to me after seeing something amazing on my blog. Sadly, the reality for most of us bloggers is pretty far from this magical ideal. Sometimes, no-one at all will read a post, and even if they do, there will be no exciting comments to encourage us. Visitors may not even look at anything else you've written. It can be a slightly soul destroying experience. That's why I think goals are very important.

Goals can stop us feeling that it's all a complete waste of time and getting overly disheartened at the start. Once you've faced the reality that most blogs are not going to become an overnight success, you can really focus on what you personally want to achieve. That can be a tough question. I've still not decided if I definitely want to run my blog again or not, but the process of goal-forming should help........

• I want a place online to share the projects I'm doing 
• I want to share fun things I've found or ideas for things to buy etc with others
• Ideally I'd like to establish a core set of readers that will comment and converse occasionally
• I want to make something that represents me, shows my creative side and inspires me to continue making art and taking photos - something I can be proud to show people

They may be a little vague to some, but those are the reasons I want a blog. It's about sharing what I'm doing and what I find with people who are interested. It is great when one of your posts is viewed by more than a handful of people, especially when they take the time to comment. Now I just need to create posts that encourage people to do just that. Simple.

F is for Followers

I have 152 followers as of writing this post. Most of these came from the first couple of times I completed the A-Z blog challenge. Some were from flickr groups and online courses I took. They were all from before I changed my blog title from ‘fur will fly’ to ‘flailing DORIS’, and I don’t even know if any are still active followers. It would be great to get some more followers, but for that I need to write more regularly. Perhaps then I can start actively looking for more. 

Then the question is, how do I get more followers? My brainstorming has come up with these ideas so far…..any others are very welcome!

• Host a giveaway (entry is by following blog)
• Link to new blog posts on social media – build up those followings first/as well. It’s easier to gain twitter or Instagram followers than blog followers
• Follow and comment on other blogs
• Post regularly
• Label and tag posts with common keywords
• Write about popular topics
• Make it easy for people to follow you
• Guest posts on other blogs or get other bloggers to guest on yours

E is for Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm goes a long way. It’s so nice to read a blog and really get a sense of how passionate the writer is about their topic. Of course it can be difficult to get that across, and more often than not something that sounds so much fun in your head doesn’t come out that way on the screen.

On my own blog, the fact that I have lost enthusiasm for blogging itself probably comes across. I need to get back into so many of my fun creative hobbies, that blogging has taken a backseat. Perhaps I need to see my blog as a good tool to encourage my creative outlets, not to take time away from them.

D is for Design

When I visit a new blog I can be very judgemental. If it doesn’t look visually appealing then I probably won’t stay long, and I certainly won’t return. The design is very important. Obviously everyone has different opinions on what they like, but for me……

• it should look full but not cluttered,
• clean and fresh,
• have big bright photos or images,
• have a readable font in a normal size (nothing too fancy or small),
• definitely not have white writing on a dark background,
• it should be simple to navigate – I especially want to find the about me section, the follow button and the blog archive easily

I can see I need to improve my sidebar areas and make sure navigation around the site is easy. My blog can look a little cluttered sometimes, but I like the double sidebar layout for now. Perhaps it looks cleaner with one sidebar and a larger blog post area, but then I find too many things listed in the sidebar so it becomes a longer process scrolling down to find things.

I’d be interested to hear what you think are the key design elements, and what changes you’ve made to simplify your own blog layout.

C is for Comments

Ah, the elusive comments section. Much underused. Maybe people can't work out how to leave a comment (although spammers seem to manage). It can't be because there is nothing worth commenting on, can it? 

Often perhaps, that is exactly the case. Unless you've written a piece that sparks debate or challenges concepts and viewpoints, perhaps it just doesn't require a comment. Someone may have enjoyed your post, and even found something new because of it, but just not been compelled to tell you about it. Sometimes you have to log in to leave a comment, or decipher an indecipherable captcha. If it is hard work in the slightest, then only the most conscientious reader will bother. 

I've read that a good way to encourage comments is to start a dialogue with your readers; ask questions, ask for their opinion or ideas. If the post is being read by the right people then hopefully someone will take the time to write. If they do, it is a good idea to reply individually to them, starting a conversation perhaps, and hopefully encouraging them to return.

B is for Blog Header

Your blog header is usually the first thing people see when they start investigating your blog. Therefore it should be something you put a fair amount of thought into. Done well, it can really represent you and your style. A good header can also make your blog appear more professional. I made mine using Paint and Photoshop - and once I had the right shot, it didn't take long at all to complete. Well, a day or so of fiddling, but that's only because I get extra fussy.

I'm actually pretty pleased with my blog header. It's not perfect but it says what I want it to - it clearly shows I like photography and the photo itself is in focus and nice and bright. I've had a number of different headers but the one I have now is my favourite, and for now is one thing about my blog I don't need to urgently fix! 

A is for About Me

The About Me section of a blog can be a very important tool for gathering followers, or it can be completely irrelevant. Personally, If I’m reading a blog for computer advice or quick tutorials, then I don’t really care much about the author. That might be a little harsh, but I only really become interested in the author when I’m reading a lifestyle blog or something that deals with more personal issues. I like to read blogs by people who are similar to me or have shared interests. And if anyone else is like me then I need to spruce up my own About Me page.

Mine was written years ago. It isn’t even called ‘About Me’. In fact, I have 2 sections; ‘My Story’ and ‘Who Am I?’ which is confusing and unnecessary to begin with. By the end of April it’ll be fixed. I have ideas……….these are the questions I’d want to know the answers to………

• Why is your blog called that?
• Who is the person behind the name? How can I relate to you?
• What is the blog about? Why would I want to read it?
• Where else can I find the author online? 

Some tips for answering my own questions:

• Succinct but interesting answers
• Include some random facts to keep me interested
• Remember a photo sometimes speaks a thousand words

I'll keep a look out for good About Me pages on the challenge blogs I visit. So this is homework for us all.