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!

I've found it fairly quiet this weekend comparatively. I think it's because everyone's gone away on hols (or at least I hope that's why!)

I'm with Blogger, and I've had a few problems with it loading slowly sometimes, and other times giving up and showing an error. But if I try again it's usually fine. I thought the slowness was probably because I've got a fair few linky widget things on my home page at the moment, which Internet Explorer isn't too keen on. It's fine with Firefox.

I've found Blogger OK to start with, but once you start wanting to do fancy website things (other than simply keep a diary) it starts to have limitations. So I've started to try and learn html (how sad am I) as I think I'll have better control of where pictures end up for example, if I understand the language!

ooooo... just spotted the bunny smileys [bushock]. That's how out of date I am! Sorry folks - been working full time this week (I'm an accountant and it's year end - boo hoo [busad].

Now off for a [bubiscuit] just so I can add that bunny too (any excuse! [buwink])

Hello all. Still around?

Yes, still here - it's all been very quiet over Easter. I posted weekly but nothing particularly interesting as I was super-busy with visitors and going away plus the children off school. This week is a bit more normal - I must be feeling inspired because I posted my first proper craft blog about a cabled cushion I've jsut knitted. I even posted it on Ravelry (hung around it for years but never posted on it before).

Trying to get to grips with Google Analytics but I must be very dim as I can't find where to post their code. Does anyone else use it? Not sure I want to know my stats in that much detail!

I should maybe put this here ... I have had 1.370+ page views in the last hour - my usual daily total is around 75! Whats with that? Glitch or something?

Wow! That is some jump! I have google analytics - managed to figure out where to put the code although not sure that I am competent enough to advise...But, I have no idea what all the data means Anyone?!!

It appears all teh traffic came from "stumbleapon" and no one stayed more than a few seconds :(

Wow! I didn't know Stumbleupon was that popular - I have no idea how to do anything with it
Pity they didn't hang around

Its calmed back down again, so I wonder if it was soem sort of glitch? It all ahppened within an hour too. Very weird!

Please excuse my typing :(

Wow, interesting Black - did you get to the bottom of it?

Nope. Ah well, I was popular for a wee while there

It's nice to see people around again, it was sooooo quite over Easter! I have been doing the A to Z Challenge www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html which has kept me busy since the start of April. I am hoping by the end of it I will have thought a bit more about blogging on things other than my mental state!

Have been overwhelmed by work recently but back blogging now. Ds1 made a real leap with his talker in the last ten days or so so it's a good time to return. Now to catch up....

I passed 10,000 views on my blod during the night, I feel quite chuffed with that!

If you sign up to su.pr and use it for link shortening it adds your page to stumbled upon. You can link it up with twitter too & even schedule tweets.

Wow, blackaffronted, that's great. How long have you been blogging?

Sparodically for about 15 months, but have only recently been doing it daily. Its just a food/recipe blog, so not all that interesting, so I am surprised!

Dilly, I think I have just worked out where my 1,500 pageviews came from! Thanks lol

Just a note about StumbleUpon. The site can send you traffic, however, because people are only clicking on one page and moving on, this kind of traffic can actually hurt your bounce rate, thus your Google rating. The more page views you get per click, the more Google thinks your blog is relevant to your keywords (your topics).

I talk a lot about traffic and posting on my blog listed here. It's A Blogger's Books and you can find it on the blogs page on mumsnet.

Hello all. Havnt posted on here for a bit. Am doing extra days at work so haven't been blogging as much either. Going to catch up on some of your blogs over the next few nights.

Evening everyone

This is my first time posting on this thread (though I did lurk on it when Dilly started it) so thought I'd wave hello .

I've been on a blog holiday since my second DC was born a month ago, though things are settling down so I'm hoping to start blogging properly again now. Though life with a newborn and a 2 year old means I may just ramble in a sleep deprived way!

Now I just need to properly start catching up on blogs...

Actually, can anyone recommend a reader? I tend to subscribe via email to some blogs but otherwise just hop into blogs via twitter/facebook/MN and would love an easy way to have them in one place (google reader perhaps? Have no idea how that works though [idiot emoticon])

I get my absolute favourites directly into my inbox by subscribing by email. One I keep tabs on I join with google reader if I can.

That should say... ones I keep tabs on...

I use google reader, it's good to have the blogs in one place, but I do get some to my inbox too. I've got so many blog posts to read at the moment I can't keep up.

I had no Internet for a couple of days and it's been so hard! I never realised how much I use the Internet!

Hi Lowimpactmama,

I've just found Alltop. It's a wonderful platform and lets you choose blogs in different topics to put in your reader. You can also add your blog on the site. I'm getting quite a lot of traffic from them and I've only been with them for a month. Let me know if you need more details. I've written about them on my writing blog.