N is for News

I'd like to make my blog slightly topical - not to say I want to write about the big issues happening in the world, but sometimes the smaller, or weirder, news stories I read online can inspire a blog post. For a while, when I was posting regularly, I did indeed post an 'in the news' topic each week. I wrote about robots and car eyelashes, all the important stories of the week.

I am not an avid news watcher. In fact, the only news I do watch is online. Most days I'll take a look at the BBC website, followed by the Telegraph. I admit that I only read the short interesting stories and often the 'most read' headlines. I love the weird news section on the Telegraph website, and their science stories. They can be much more inspiring and fun to write about than the heavier stories throughout the world.

M is for Music

I love music, but I'm never a fan of opening a blog and having music that you haven't asked for blasted out at you. Especially if you're already listening to your own music - you end up with a horrible noise, and often you can't find the mute button on the website. Very frustrating. Optional music is a much better way to go.

L is for Labels

Another tricky one today. Labels are a feature that allow you to attach keywords to your post. That's about all I know. I don't know how much they actually aid in the search process (perhaps someone who does know could pass on the knowledge please!?). Even though I'm not entirely sure of their importance, it doesn't hurt to get into the habit of using them. I think of them as Instagram hashtags - how would I label this if it was a photo on Instagram? It's a bit more tricky when it's a blog post, but there are always keywords available if you have a good think.

For example, what can I label this post with? 

• a-z blog challenge, challenge, labels, labelling, hashtags, keywords, searching, search

K is for Kaput

As I've previously written, a number of years have passed since I blogged regularly, but it has always been in the back of my mind. I kept having that thought, "I really should get back to blogging", nagging at me. Instead of my failed attempts to get back into it by writing a halfhearted post every few months, I probably should have just wound up the page. A simple statement of intent; that I couldn't see me blogging for the forseeable future so am taking a break. That might have helped give me some closure for that time off. Instead, every time I thought about blogging I felt like a failure, and it became a bigger and bigger deal. Maybe sometimes a blog going kaput is the best thing for it. Then you can come back fresh and strong if/when you do decide to.

I'm still hoping that my blog will not go kaput. 

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.