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.

April A to Z Challenge

This is the start of the April A to Z challenge. Firstly, a confession. I am a lapsed blogger. I haven’t written a blog post since the 8^th October. Since that day, I’ve considered blogging many times but written nothing. This really is going to be a challenge.

I’ve chosen an appropriate overall theme for the month – “back to blogging”. This is my attempt to revitalise my blog, and (just maybe) get back my love of blogging. I might also throw in some actual posts about random things too, so none of us get too bored.

I’m hoping that many of you signed up to the challenge because you too are lapsed or disenchanted bloggers…….perhaps we can band together. My posts won’t be tips or advice – I am in no position to give any – just my own ideas to spruce up a tired old blog and engage with the habit again.

But none of this begins with A.

Chair. One Object, 30 Days.

This is how I spent my September. With a tiny chair and camera in tow. 

It was day 15 when I first regretted taking on such a directed project. I was beginning to get fed up of my cute little chair. Still, we muddled through together and completed day 30 with a celebratory sit down.

For October I'm taking my prompts from Capture Your 365. Thankfully this means a lot more diversity, although it looks like there are a few challenging ones too.

Claire x

Saying hello in 2014!

It's been a while. Getting on for a year in fact, so I've got quite a few things to fill you in on. I hadn't been keeping up with any photo projects or even posting to Flickr, but a couple of weeks ago (on a quiet day at work) I decided to join Instagram. I know, I'm late to the party. I'm still not that enamoured with it, but it has provided me with that all important nudge back to creativity. For most of 2014 I've only taken photos while I'm been somewhere interesting, so I haven't been creating my own props or setups at all. I've been really busy going to music and things, and told myself I didn't have time for photos. Perhaps I just needed some time off. Well, now I'm back and starting to feel inspired again.

This month I am doing a "30 days, one object" project again. This time the lucky prop is a little chair. 7 days down and 23 to go. It's going to prove to be a tricky one near the end. If you'd like to follow my project and see my other shots on Instagram you can find me as @camerawillfly. 

I'll add some updates, lists and, of course, lots of photos, in the coming weeks. I hope to see and interact with many of you on here again very soon!

Claire x

Commuter Problems - a Twitter series.

After finding the single best Twitter account the other day, called Very British Problems, and squawking "this is me!" between uncontrollable laughter on reading nearly every tweet, I decided to start my own little Twitter series.

Every day the human beings of this world surprise me, and this has never been more obvious than on the commute in London. Unfortunately, most of these little surprises are nothing more than unpleasant examples of rudeness. If the British are generally thought to be polite, then I am scared to know what it's like in other big cities. (Of course I know not everyone commuting is British).

And so, #CommuterProblems was born. I have been on Twitter for a few months but more in a skulking/stalking capacity. I've retweeted the odd funny message, usually to do with Karl Pilkington, or tweeted Turin Brakes/Olly Knight about how awesome their music is (and got a reply!), but I'd never actually used this whole hashtag thing. I thought about setting up a separate Twitter account but someone beat me to the name. Grrr. So, if you are as deeply affected by a commute as me, please come follow me, and share your own issues too! 

You can find me here...............

Commuter problems No.1

Check out my new Twitter series straight from the London commute: https://twitter.com/camerawillfly/status/388216164352274432

No.1: When you continually get barged by a rucksack attached to a man seemingly practising his discus spin.

Meeting my musical heroes.....yay!

I have now had the absolute pleasure of meeting one third of my own personal heroes. Being an introvert personality (more on that to follow soon), there aren't many famous people that I would actually want to say hello to, but Turin Brakes are definitely on that list. And on Monday I got to do just that. They were performing and signing in a record store called Fopp in Covent Garden to promote their latest album, We Were Here.

I was lucky enough to receive my preordered copy through the post on Saturday and had been listening to it on repeat ever since. I had been feeling a bit down, but as soon as I put the album on I was surrounded by a lovely warm comforting feeling. I'm going to write more of an album review later on so I won't say too much now.

I've never been to a signing in a store before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we all queued up outside and were ushered in to a cleared space downstairs. They came out and sang 3 songs from the new album and 2 old favourites, including my second favourite song of all time (Underdog). They were fantastic as always, and it sounded great being in such close proximity.

I have to admit to being very nervous waiting to get my album sleeve signed - I find talking to people I don't know pretty difficult anyway, especially the dreaded small talk, but actually being face to face with the people who have created such beautiful music that really has meant an awful lot to me, was a bit scary. I decided to just tell them that I thought the new album was like a great big musical hug. And that really is true. If you're in need of some comfort, go order it. Until you do, here is a sneak peak.....

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the other 2 people on my list to meet are Som Wardner from My Vitriol and the legend that is Karl Pilkington!