The bloggers's support and blathering thread

[DillyTante]

I thought I would start off a new thread based on a comment by Queen Maeve on another thread, which I completely agree with. In the beginning, the bloggers' chat thread was just that, we chatted, shared links, tips and exchanged views on each others' blogs. Now it has become a bit 'post and run' sort of a one way street really.

While I think that has it's place, as I like to have somewhere to go to pick out new blog posts, I miss the chat and the community, so I am deeming this a chat/support/blather thread. Posts and running will only be tolerated in extremis from regular contributors. Otherwise we shall glare at you via our screens.

So, I'll kick off: how's your blogging going? I hit 101 posts today! That's since July. What sort of numbers are you averaging?

I was really inspired by Latte Lady's post here, and have decided I need to make my blog more instructive, rather than just bumbling around going "oh look, I made this, it's really easy, I bet you could do it too" and sticking a couple of instagrammed photos in. And I want to be more passionate and more interesting. I want to branch out a little, but I'm worried about putting off any followers I do have who follow me for my niche which is mainly crafting.

Blogging has also made me think a bit more seriously about writing. I have always enjoyed writing but never pursued it in anger. I did NaNoWriMo and loved it, but I think that blogging has shown me that if I am going to give writing ago, I don't think fiction is my thing. I'd like to write features. I currently have complete career envy of Perri Lewis. She craft blogs for the Guardian and writes on Mollie Makes and Psychologies. She get to write about craft and psychology, that is what I want to do!

Hi mrsdanverclone, mumsnet has been my main source of education too. Stick with it and hopefully it'll start getting easier.

I blog very occasionally, I do it purely for me and the enjoyment it gives me. My kids like what I have written, and beyond that I'm not bothered. I don't know how many hits I've had as I haven't bothered to look at the statistics.

GentleOtter, your blog is beautifully written. I aspire to writing with such passion and eloquent fury.

My blog is almost 5 months old and I only post twice a month on average. I write about travelling with a foodie family and decided to write a couple of entertaining (hopefully) pieces each month with photos and recipes - although I have yet to really get going on the recipes. Never seems to be enough time as blogging is very much a new hobby. I have had about 800 views a month and some of the comments are hilarious as they are obviously translations which sometimes make for entertaining reading. My children check each day to see if I have had any new comments and get really excited if comments have appeared. Strangely most of my commments are about one particular post which is about finding the best ice cream in Rome and I wonder how this story has found its way out into the world more than the others.

In response to the comments on Twitter. It is a handy way to tweet your posts and share them with your followers but also it is a great way to find other blogs that you might like. I have stumbled across some really good ones through it.

Thank you Hedley and DillyTante.

Evening all.

Sparked off by the mumsnet blog newsletter, I'm wondering if my blog needs a bit of redesigning. It's deliberately simple but I wonder if that puts people off & is a bit of a newbie sign. Trouble is I have no idea how to jazz it up, both in a creative sense & a technical sense.

Would appreciate any advice.

I love your blog as it is, Dilly.

Some blogs confuse me and are quite terrifyingly technical but it is easy to find my way around your blog and it looks fresh and uncluttered.

Thanks GO, that's the look I was going for, not down to lack of technical knowledge at all!

I also think your blogs works really well as it is Dilly

It's also one of the only two crafting type blogs I read (not being a crafty person, so to speak)

Hello all, thought I would join in with the Twitter subject, I joined up but really am clueless. DS was telling me some of his chums tweet virtually every move they make, going to the toilet now, going to the pub in 5 etc. Very bizarre. But there is an expression that has put me right off in one fell swoop, and that is leeching. Think it means that you scoop up loads of twitter people it gives you kudos apparently if you have gazillions of followers. So think I will not be a heavy tweeter, rather like the FB thing, I really have no idea who all my new found 'friends' are!!

As to the blogging I am new to it, but really find it cathartic, and I am hoping helpful to others, I really enjoy it, words can be such beautiful things.

Hi Dilly

I like the way your blog is laid out, its simplistic style makes it easy to follow. I've been looking at quite a few blogs recently, not on contents but on lay out, trying to decide how I wanted mine to look. As GentleOtter mentions, some blogs are just so busy it can be quite off-putting trying to read them.
Then again, I am totally new at this lark and haven't really a clue what I am talking about.

Dilly, I design blogs (among other things) for a living (but don't go by my blog as the blog designers blog isn't designed ) and I think yours is very nice. It does what you want it to do, show off your work, right? I wouldn't change a thing!

Thanks for all the lovely comments. Just feeling a bit inadequate compared to some of the big league crafters. I need to try my hand at some tutorials.

I too like your blog the way it is dilly. Its simple and easy to find posts

Firstly, Dilly i like your blog the way it is too.

I am feeling very excited because I finally cracked the button that takes you to another post issue I was having! Well, actually Mr Myrtle did the first one, but I did the second MYSELF! So, I can help - if it is blogger you want a button on!!!

You know I love your blog, Dilly and in fact I've just linked to it with my most recent post. (Hope you don't mind)

Great idea for more of a 'chat' thread Dilly, I confess I'm so pushed for time these days I'm a bit of a post-and-run kind of gal

I've been blogging on a reasonably regular basis for about 6 months but I've still not got a large amount of followers etc - it's gone up massively since I joined the MN network which is good, and for now I don't really mind. This shyness about wanting to share my words with the world is strange, and contradictory, as I'm a journalist - but I still feel like I'm trying to work out my online 'persona' IYKWIM? Like some of you, I want to use my blog as a springboard for writing more, bnd I'm trying to figure out my niche - where do I fit? What should I blog about most regularly? Do I even HAVE a specialist subject?? I'm quite envious of those of you who are crafty bloggers - you've got a very obvious topic. My blog still feels a bit...rambly and all over the place. It's loosely based around being a mum and liking coffee. But I think I may need to find more direction.

Dilly I'm another one who likes a simple blog And if you want to be a writer - go for it!

I don't really frequent these parts of the forums, even though my blog is on the MN network! I've not got any followers on my blog and it's understandable as my blog is essentially me wittering (is that a word?) on about nothing much. Mainly my confusion in life, being young with health ishoos that terrify me but aren't that scary in reality, my desire to travel which conflicts with my desire to fix my health and falling for my best friend. In fact, my blog is summed up by those four topics!
As for numbers on my own blog, a couple of page views per post? I'm not too bothered about that right now though, as I said, I am not too interesting on my blog at the moment! I'm with those who say their blogs are therapy for them!

I post sporadically, more so since Christmas and three times today ( joined in my first bloghop though and think I did it wrong, oh well!) and I have no clue where I want to go with my blog as it's quite personal, but I feel like I could have something to say if I could work out what.

I really enjoy reading other peoples blogs though and go through phases of reading and not, mainly through links on twitter from MNetters!

If I suscribe to peoples blogs by adding them to my google reader, would they know? Would it appear in their page views? I read blogs from reader mostly and have some I really enjoy reading but feel like I'm cheating sometimes!

polkettle: Is your blog Read with Rosie? I came across it on the book bloghop and love ti, it's gorgeous!

Dilly: I love your blog, though read it from reader so don't see the format usually. having popped on though it seems good to me, nice and simple and I have always envied your header!

Google Reader subscriptions don't show up in page views unless you only have a teaser few lines of text with a link to the actual site, which most bloggers don't enable thank goodness as it's a chore. Otherwise, it never actually takes you to the blog unless you want to comment on it. :)

It's possible to look on the Google Reader site and see how many people have subscribed with it though. Just go to 'Browse for stuff' then 'Search' and type the blog name you are looking for in the search box - it'll come up with the number of Google Reader subscribers and an average weekly post count. :)

Thanks for that info MmeG, I have 22 subscribers :)

Confusedpixie, sometimes it takes time to distil what you want you blog to be. Mine is evolving too. I want to get more into psychology. I'm even trying to come up with ways to combine craft and psychology together

MmeGuillotine - so are google reader subscribers different from people who have joined and people who subscribe? Or is there some overlap? Can we see who these google reader subscribers are?

Sorry, I seem to be learning new things everyday....massive brain overload!

Thanks for explaining MmGuillotine :)

I sincerely hope that you keep up the crafting still though DillyTante! Is there any way it can be merged like a branch of geek craft?

I adore geek craft, the scientific bits are my favourites but I am like everybody else of my generation when it comes to Nintendo 8-bit graphics too!

I really need to discipline myself to post more regularly - tonight's post, capturing the last week, was mammoth!

Dilly, I also think your blog works well as it is - simple is better for me (I am a bear of very little brain and what brain I have has been a bit frazzled!). I think I need to do something to make my blog look more interesting - at the moment I don't think it looks very appealing so I rely on people wanting to read the content and not minding too much what it looks like!

I do love the yarn bombing Dilly, you have to keep that up!