I've been noticing an increase in new blogs recently, which can only be a good thing - apart from the fact that it means I need even more time to read them all. And I've been receiving quite a few emails from people just starting out, asking for advice about blogging. Apart from the fact that I'm very flattered that anyone would think I might have any decent advice to offer, I'm also very aware that I'm probably not the person to ask.
I have no idea what makes a good blog. I can tell you what I enjoy in a blog but that's really about it. So I was thinking that it might be a nice idea if you all could chip in and tell me and anyone else interested:
What makes you enjoy a particular blog (not just this one, any one that you read)?
What type of post is your favourite?
How important are the photographs?
Does the design of the blog attract you or even stop you from reading it?
Do you like blogs to be colloquial/regional or fairly generic?
An equal amount of craft and family, or does too much of talking about the kids put you off?
What else? What are the best words of advice you can give a blogger?
I know that there's a lot of people out there that would really appreciate reading what everyone has to say about this. Lots of us have written about why we blog, but not very many write about how to blog successfully. So either leave a comment here, or answer the questions on your own blog (but leave a comment here linking us back to it). And it's not just for the new bloggers out there, it's also for those of us that have been doing this for a while and don't want to become stale and boring.
And as for me? Well, I really like bright, clean looking blogs. I have to admit that if a blog is too yellowy/brown looking then I can be a bit put off. Equally if there aren't many photo's or if they're badly lit or blurred, I struggle with wanting to read it. I like a good balance of words and pictures, and I prefer it to be more craft based generally, rather than family based. That's not to say that I don't love reading about families, I do, but if it's a craft blog, then the actual crafting's important too!
That's about it for me really. I don't mind whether the blog's British, American, Aus etc and it doesn't bother me if there's swearing (in some cases I prefer it!). I like there to be a sense of fun and I'm not hugely keen on people that take themselves too seriously. Oh and I struggle to read blogs that give their readers a collective nickname, but that's just me, I've never liked being part of the crowd!
I really think it would be interesting to find out just what makes us all like some blogs more than others. Oh and that's the only advice that I can really give - go to a blog that you love and work out just what it is you love so much about it and then (without ripping them off) try to recreate that feel, but your own interpretation of it.
As my daughter would say - this a good idea, yes?
