How to use this Page

Great tips! Thank you!

Great, useful post. Thank you.

Excellent things to do! I plan to also change the color scheme of my site and lighten the heading font. used a “Chunky” font for the winter, and plan to use a “lighter” font choice for the spring and summer

Your Spring-tips were very welcome – I have already applied some of them! Thanks!

One thing I would encourage is that everyone ADD a Recent Posts widget. I’ve visited blogs where you had to click ‘Previous post’…and click ‘Previous post’…and click ‘Previous post…’ if you wanted to know anything about what the blogger wrote before today. I like to see at a glance the titles of their last five posts so I know if their other content will interest me or not.

Another thought: If bloggers go back and edit the Tags on some recent posts, why not also spice up some titles if needed and be sure they accurately reflect the post’s central point?

I advised one man yesterday to change his Archives to a drop-down menu because he had a long line–30 months I think–in his sidebar. I did the same for my Categories.

The blog is excellent, but I did not get the third point.

It’s so easy to accumulate clutter and you are my hero for publishing this excellent advice. May I also suggest that broken links checks and editing to update popular posts with new information ought to be on our spring blog cleaning list?

Thanks for reminding me about all the unfinished drafts that are stuffing up the closets in my blog. Time to rummage through them and either use them or throw them out! (Wonder if there’s a “Second Hand Store” for drafts?)

Right on time!! I’m in the process of revamping or as you say Spring Cleaning!!! Thanks for sharing.

There is one more idea that hasn’t been explicitly mentioned in this (very helpful!) article — disabling pingbacks and trackbacks. I don’t how you guys feel about it (and I’d love to hear your opinion!), but I recently disabled these because I was unhappy with the dozens of automated pingbacks to my Daily Post responses. Now I think it’s much better.

Broken link checks are a great idea — it’s a small detail, but it can be so frustrating for a reader to click through only to find… nothing.

Thanks for the additional tips — very helpful! I particularly like the idea of going over titles to make sure they do a good job channeling the essence of your posts.

It’s aimed for those among us who start many drafts that we then let languish in our dashboards, unpublished. It’s a good idea occasionally to go over them to create material to publish.

I think that’s a solid choice if you want to exercise stricter control over your comments section, especially if you’re part of a very active community, like the one at The Daily Post.

Wow, thanks for the tagging tips, I was much in need of a spring cleaning!

Fascinating post. I really enjoyed the links to the ATLANTIC pieces since I’d not read them before. I’m glad she responded with the follow-up article. And Pinterest? I still don’t even know what it is let alone how it works!

Wow! Just noticed your pingback on my latest post and thought I’d explore further by visiting here. I’m totally taken aback by your comments above though. A few facts to clarify:

First up, . although the content of this particular post is about school libraries, my blog which you quote from – NovaNews – is not a library blog, but rather a blog reflecting my online learning journey.

Secondly, and most importantly, is the accusation of deleting your comment. No way would I delete comments posted to my blog consciously. In the interests of an open forum, if anyone takes issues with what I write, I would in fact post it and then respond. If I did, however, inadvertently, delete your comment, this may have been in the process of quickly viewing comments posted by someone I’d not ‘met’ before. Your comment unfortunately came in with some spam – a happening I’ve experienced very rarely. As you can see, the pingback alerting me to your post sits alongside other comments I’ve received to date. If my intention was to not allow negative comments to be posted on my blog, publishing this pingback would not have occurred. Please accept my sincere apologies for inadvertently deleting your comment. I’d be pleased if you would re-post your comment so I could reply there.

In brief though, my reference to Kawasaki’s fourth point “Celebrate Diversity” did, in fact, only elaborate on half of his point – that of teachers making great Apple salespeople. Conscious of not wanting to make my post too long, I chose only segments of Kawaskai’s comments to elaborate upon. By choosing to elaborate on Kawasaki’s comments about teachers being great Apple salespeople but not on his comments about the “diversity of customers”, or in library terms – patrons, should not in any way be construed by you or your readers that I am unwelcoming of the diverse range of patrons who populate our libraries. As you so clearly point out, discrimination on the basis of race, religion or sexual preference is totally unacceptable.

Hi NovaNews,
Thanks for responding.

I am afraid I miaou rather loudly at times! You know I am here but I have to agree - I wonder if people who visit my blog even read it or whether they are just searching for something else and happen to come across my witterings instead. There is no way of knowing.

I'm a writer, and for me all your stuff about writing is wonderful.

But I'll be really interested in your replies - I, too, blog and suspect my followers, who are wonderful and loyal and interesting, are also writers. I hope someone will crop up here to tell us how to reach the readers. I'm not convinced they drop by writing blogs.

Excellent point, and one that bothers me too. I think you have to take the view that, with a blog, you reach some people - without one, you reach no one.
I search for people who share my interests on Twitter and Facebook, and try to connect up with them. And my hits and followers are - very slowly! - climbing.
BTW, I'm over at http://susanpricesblog.blogspot.com

I am one of your (mostly) silent readers. I am an English teacher in a secondary school and I read all your posts for personal interest, but you may like to know that I have also:

forwarded particularly interesting posts to school librarians or colleagues

used some of the discussions as a basis for a lesson activity or classroom display

bought books on the basis of reviews/recommendations

followed up links and discovered much food for thought on other blogs (including yours, Susan)

given a list of these blogs to friends in my book group (all parents)

and more!

I hope this serves to reassure you that you're not only in a circular conversation with other writers!
Also, Anne, I think I was taught by you at York University many years ago (possibly 1987?) so it's good to "meet" you again!

Juliet - yes, York! How fantastic! It's wonderful when students reappear years later and are doing something actually related to their degree, I am so pleased you owned up to that connection. Do feel free to email me and update me on what you're doing.

And it is most reassuring to hear that we are not shouting into a void. I am *so* glad you find so much useful stuff on ABBA, and that it feeds into your teaching. That's superb.

And there's plenty more of us glad! Thanks, Juliet! You've given us hope.

I know I often pop into blogs but haven't then got the time to think up or decide on any comments.

Thank you - I think - for raising this topic, Stroppy Author! :-)

I'm one of the silent readers who lurks, I'm afraid. I'm also a writer. I do, however, forward links to blog posts I find interesting to friends who are and are not writers and both seem to find them just as engaging.

Is that a real snake? Poor thing ...

I'm an occasional commenter. Sometimes things interest me and I want to add my tuppence - or else I have nothing more to add to what has already been said. Maybe in such instances I should just add a 'hear, hear'?

I am usually silent these days, since blogs often swallow my comments when I've spent ages writing them! But I do dip in and out of my writer-friends' blogs for "fun" as well as those that comment on the publishing business for "work".

Buying books? Yes, I've bought books recommended by book bloggers.

Blogging myself? It can be hard work and gets neglected when you also have writing deadlines. But between contracts, it can be a creative outlet that exercises the writing muscles and gives a platform for promoting older books and trying out new things.

I think blogs are great, because they are easy and free. It's just the commenting that's difficult...

Have no idea if this one will get swallowed!

I think writer's blogs get a wider readership i.e. at least some non-authors!, than the various writers' forums and indie author promotion sites. I've given up with those since it was definitely only writers there who only wanted to talk about their books and didn't seem to listen to anyone else! It's so hard to get to readers ... but we need to keep trying!

I literally found this blog a week or so ago and have been on here daily since; the things I have found most interesting to read are the entries about struggling to get going during writing because it's nice to know other people are in the same position!! I also liked blogs about notebooking because it's nice to see that other people do the same little things as I do. :)

I'm a reader, a writer and an editor, and I find writers' blogs of interest for all three activities. I love to read about 'writerly' things (because all three are solitary activities, and it gives a sense of community), I like to know how writers go about their work, and I also like the little personal insights. (And I have often bought books on the recommendation of bloggers I have come to trust.) But since I've been blogging I realise how precious comments are. So I've resolved to add my two penn'orth whenever possible - even if it is only 'Hear, hear!'

Thank you, everyone. It is encouraging that not everyone is a writer! And yes - please keep on commenting; it's great to know what you think of our reflections on our rather insular (and yet at the same time infinitely expansive) doings

I have read each and every point and found it very interesting.
friv | friv games | friv 4 | y8 | kizi | didi games

I hear you Pam - and you make a good point. That's all my witty clever comments for the day because I'm out!

I hear you. We're here...Maybe once a week but we're here and we're listening

Good post about taking the mystery out of commenting. Hopefully, people will feel more comfortable commenting on blogs!

Over-thinking. Re-thinking. Re-re-thinking. Revising. (I am doing it RIGHT NOW.) Argh.

Great post! Perfectionist tendencies should not apply to commenting. Many "witty" comments are stupid and pointless, anyway. Much better just to get a nice "Haha! I enjoyed reading this."

So true, on every point! Thanks, Pam.

Good points. I'm guilty of reading blogs like articles. Definitely going to try and leave more comments. Thanks!

Point number one had me rolling. Seriously. :-D

Yup! I do these things. And I am laughing at myself at how afraid I am NOT to comment on this post. Sometimes it's hard to remember to go back to blogs to see if the bloggers comment back. A.
ps - I love my word verification - emoofer!

Love those thoughts! That used to be me, over thinking my comments and then often times not commenting at all. Now, if I read it, I comment, even if it's just an "attaboy!"

It is so very refreshing to read your thoughts about commenting today. At my kids' school, each class has a blog, and it seems that teachers have a hard time getting kids and parents commenting. I think maybe this is because it's all taken a bit seriously - like, if you don't have something positive, constructive, and pedagogically sound to say then you're not helping. But often, the only thing I want to say is "how awesome are you!!?!?! I love what you have done there!". So from now on, I'm going to do that :-)

Thanks for writing this! I think I fall into all these traps, and one more: I'm often so far behind on my blog reading (days, if not weeks, and sometimes *cough* months) that by the time I get to reading it, I tell myself that it's all been said already. What I forget is, not by me.

I really fell down on this particular Comment Challenge, for a variety of reasons. A good couple of days initially and then . . . nothing. But I'm going to use that to inspire myself to do better.

Definitely hearing you on this one! I'm awful at over-thinking and writing way too much...here I go...

Thanks!

Bravo! Excellent post, and excellent points. I think you really hit the nail on the head, in terms of "setting the bar too high" Yes, yes, yes, it is absolutely true. Look around at the rest of the Internet, people! If you're a book blogger, you are probably already far more witty and urbane than 90% of the Internet.

This is kind of ironic in a way since I currently have Zombieland on my TV in the background. Hmmm.

I'm so bummed out I missed the comment challenge. That was my favorite challenge last year, but this is *really* helpful. I'm saving it to bookmarks and am going to pass it along. :D

I also cannot read any comments on Yahoo/YouTube anymore it's crazy insane and well sad.

Great insight. I tend to over-think my comments. Either that, or Blogger takes too long, so I give up before they actually post.

Thanks for this post. Comments fuel me as a writer and they make me pause and think as a reader. It's a win-win deal. :)
Ruth

I try to just post a comment without too much fanfare, but I do look for spelling errors. The Comment Challenge was a great experience, but I have noticed comments have really fallen off since it ended. That is really too bad. I was away for a few days but decided when I came back to do the 5 comments a day unofficially. Thank you for starting something very positive for me.

I'm so guilty! Thanks for the reminder.

Just the other day, I was having this discussion. I will be more mindful to leave a comment. Thanks for the post!

I've already backspaced on three sentences! Oops. Make that four. Thanks for this reminder. I hear you. :)

Thank you for this - I know as a blogger how much I love, love, love getting comments, even if,as you say, it's just a hello, I read this - and it has meant that I have discovered some amazing blogs - as has reading comments on other people's blogs. And your comment on my post, brought me straight here... 'nuff said :-)

Whenever I post a comment on a blog, I start with one of the following:

"I'm into 1st Person Present, how about you?"

"You got a nice set of vowels."

"My POV or yours?"

Sincerely,
Literary Lothario