Looking at (literally) all the new blogs now on my blogroll (via yesterday’s “Send Me Your Blog Address for My Blogroll!“) made me want to quickly offer up these two tiny little tips for General Blog Improvement:
1. Make sure your blog has a little something on it about you. It’s hard for people to connect with you if they don’t really have any idea who you are. A picture of yourself, along with a short bio, that’s either always on the front page or easily accessible via an “About Me” tab, goes a long way toward helping people know right away where they are, and with whom they’re engaging. That’s important if you want to make people feel to feel good about having visited.
2. Um. I’m not sure how to delicately put this, but if you ask someone to blogroll you, be sure to blogroll them.
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![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Mick's Grill http://www.micksgrill.wordpress.com
You're awesome
I’ve blog rolled you already, which is preferable to being rick-rolled. I had already had you on my list of blogs I read a whole whole lot just not on my blogroll list..I have corrected that heinous error.
I rolled you long time ago, man. How could I NOT?
This has been helpful to me, John. I hadn’t identified myself on my blog, largely due to my profession, and the need to maintain privacy/boundaries, and not wanting clients hunting me down. BUT, after reading your post, I’ve changed my profile so that it’s not just a pseudonym and nothing more. Humanized it, a little bit anyway, without giving my real name.
Your second tip, about the blog roll also got me thinking. I don’t have a blog roll. Only because I’m not that facile with how to use all of the features of the blog. Computers/tech stuff, just aren’t my thing. So, I went into the blog features and tried to figure out how to do this. Deep within the depths of the page (even I had trouble finding it) were the names of two blogs that I have read in the past, and must have somehow managed to list. I have no recollection of doing this.
So, all of this got me trying to overhaul my page entirely and learn a little about it. It was miserable. I mean, what a frustrating waste of time. The help menu was useless for me, as I seem to have been using a template from generations ago.
Do you recommend word press? Do others have suggestions of good blog services for someone not of the 20-something generation, and with not a lot of time to learn CSS or HTML or anything else? User friendly is what I’m looking for. The Blogger service from Google is what I use now, and I want a divorce.
Oh, yeah, WordPress.com is the bomb. It's what I use here. It's absurdly easy.
Picking a theme…oy.
And you're the only blog on my virginal blog roll. For now…
as a textbook narcissist, I’ve never had any problems making my blog about me.
you’ve been blogrolled ever since I saw your stuff on the huffington post–you say good things
Done.
On polite point #2 – Well Duh. I meant to add you before and forgot. Dully noted and added.
I promise to add you when I get access to a computer on Sunday. I can only do so much from my phone…..
Thanks for the browse and the advice.
Fair enough. Favor initiated. http://fromthehip365.blogspot.com/