I just noticed on my site meter that Gumbo Writer blog is approaching the big 10K visitor mark. Wooohoo! In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm giving a prize to lucky number 10,000 who comments here...or at least, as near as I can determine who it was. I'll have unbiased persons in the form of kids and DH (Deer Hunter) to help me if dilemmas arise. The prize will be in the form of a gift card because postage is cheaper.
Now, about blogs & blogging, a few questions have been circling the gray matter:
- Do you only visit others who comment at your place each day, or do you have a strolling route you just automatically take each time you read others' blogs, or maybe you only visit the places listed in your blog roll? How do you decide where to visit and/or comment?
- Does anybody in here know how to teach dummies about linking to others' posts beneath comments? What's it all about, Alphie?
- What makes you want to follow a blog and/or add them to your roll?
- What do you hate about blogs/blogging?
- Lastly, is ya fer or again' comment word verification?
Okay, time to go check on Bandit (the new pup) and do some Ledbetter Lunacy drawings for tomorrow. Hope you get a nice surprise, good news or just a day without stress today!
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38 comments:
I wander randomly,and mostly blindly, as far as know how goes, picking on names or blog titles that 'call' to me. I hate the fact it's so easy to look extra dumb because of spelling/typing gaffs, as speed of brain outstrips bodily functions. And the odd word verifications sometimes have totally indecipherable letters - is that 'ch' or a 'd', for example. Why can't it use proper typefaces to copy. AARRGGHH! As for what makes me want to follow a blog - guess it's how much the blogger's mind resonates with mine, because that makes me feel I can already understand where they are coming from. Congrats on the milepost number, by the way.
I have waaaaay too many blogs on my google reader and now I don't get around to them all every day. Which bothers me more than it should. I always read the post of anyone who comments on my blog - and I usually comment back. I am clueless on the links beneath the comments but they seem to be getting more prevalent so I am sure some techie person can help you. The only thing I hate about blogging is that I can't spend every minute on it! And as far as word verification, I guess that would be the other thing I hate. I can never get those darn letters right.
I gave you a little linky love today. Be sure to stop by.
Every morning I check out what's new on the blogs on my blogroll. I don't read all the posts - just the ones that catch my eye. I also read the comments on the posts. If a comment is interesting, I might pop over to the commenter's blog hand have a look around. If I like what I see on the blog, and feel that it is worth following and checking up on, I will add it to my blogroll. I don't comment on everything I read...I have too many spelling mistakes to feel comfortable with that.
Thanks, Jinksy. I guess you know your Napple/Nipple Notes resonated with me. *grin*
Debbie, you're right. I've noticed more and more links in the last few weeks too. Will visit your very fun blog again in a minute!
We kinda visit the same way, Stina, except I pretty much always leave comments. Is that compulsive? Electronic typos don't count. Didn't anyone every tell you that? :) Thanks for stopping in.
Mornin' on ya! Congrats on your numbers. :D
I'm okay with word-verification; could take it or leave it. I check my faves (blog roll and those I follow, some don't overlap) daily, and keep my eyes open for any others that may be interesting. I've found a lot of new blogs I enjoy through others. And what I look forward to least about blogging is the pressure I put on myself, both to post regularly - and to try to make it something good. But it's part of who I am as a writer, so I deal with it. :)
Bandit's a cute, cute name.
I have a routine on reading blogs. I read those who follow me and then as I am reading their site, I look through the postings there and if something catches my eye, I wander aimlessly. I enjoy reading blogs that inspire, teach, and just talk about writing or their day. Word verification has its pros and cons; doesn't really matter to me. I really don't see the need in it though. The one thing I like least about blogging is trying to keep up my site daily. I know that sounds maybe lazy, but sometimes I feel so out of touch if I don't get to my site or others on a daily basis. I think it is more of a personal thing. I try to set a certain schedule for my blog but find it is sometimes hard to stick to it with other tasks in my life. (This is where organization is coming into play this year...one of my new resolutions.) I guess it is more of a dilemma in my life knowing I would rather spend my day working on the writing craft and reading than going to the 8 hour-a-day work place but I have a family who depends on my regular paycheck. It's frustrating sometimes to know I can't really do what I WANT to do with my life and no way out right now. But hopefully, in time, that will change.
Congrats on your big 10K! Take care of Bandit; he is precious.
I always try to visit when someone visits me and etc.
I used to "blogwalk" but that can be difficult and...weird. One time I hit "next blog" and I got a blog with a photo of a man with his...um...wankee hanging out...erk eyewww, then I hurriedly pressed "NEXT BLOG PLEASE!!" and it was a woman plying her wares so to speak NEXT BLOG HURRY HURRY and I got a site that was all in a foreign language so I didn't know what it was about, so I gave up doing that...laughing.
But, there is such a wonderful community, we eventually find one another, don't we?
I hate that word verification, which is why I just took it off tht TG site - however, if I begin to get spam, I'll have to put it back - Hate Spammers!
My answers are, to the first question, I always visit blog that comment on mine first an foremost. Then, if I have time, I visit other blogs on my roll or just plain enjoy.
My other answer is that I hate word verification. Just say no!
I'm not a fan of word verification. Honestly, I have never had a problem with spam comments. Here and there one will pop up, but nothing too difficult to deal with.
I visit everyone on my blogroll who has updated their blogs and almost always leave a comment. I usually don't read through the comments unless I'm in the mood and sometimes, what someone will say will interest me enough to go take a look at their blog.
And if someone comments on my blog, I will definitely go to their blog and check it out and leave a comment.
Now I probably have more time than a lot of people to read my blogs every day because I sit in front of a computer all day for my job. I find that I don't do near as much blog-reading on the weekends. :-)
I have a list of daily blogs, although I sometimes post a comment later when I have the time. I have not figured out the link thing, and that has been bugging me for a few weeks now along with how to make italics in comments. I can't stand the word verification, but deal with it. I'm trying to visit everyone, no matter if they are on the blogroll or not.
i try to visit the blogs i follow daily. i sometimes visit folks they follow if a blog title catches my eye. if time permits, i leave a comment. even if it's just a short one.
word verification? i can take it or leave it. it's not really a big deal.
congrats on 10000...that's awesome!
oooooooo, I do not like comment word verification!
I read EVERYONE who leaves me a comment.
I love to read the blogs of people who have left comments on my other favorite blogs.
I forgot the other questions...hold on
Ok, I'm back.
Linking to other posts below coments?
Can't help ya.
I love to blog because it makes me feel I'm part of something REALLY important.
The things I say are not important, but being a part of this comunity is.
I mostly follow my blog roll. I also like reading all the comments. If someone says something that seems interesting I'll check out their blog. Don't care on the word ver. Love feedback and comments on my blog, especially if they're humorous, and I enjoy posting comments as well. It's a great, supportive community. I also learn important writing tips along the way. Congrats on your high viewing numbers! (BTW: I'd like a Brighton or Border's gift card, please.)
Mornin', Janna. Hear ya on the guilt/pressure. Bandit says hey!
Ang, thanks, and I'm hoping you get more computer time soon.
I hate spam too, Kathryn. I've only had to delete 2 comments since I took off the word verification thingy, though.
Colby, see above answer to Kat. LOL
Melissa, you got a good routine going there.
Maybe someone will give us some help understanding the "Links to this Post" thing-a-ma-bob, Michelle.
Jill & Marilyn, thanks!
LOL, Debra S. I'll get right on that gift card purchasing. :)
If someone adds themself as a follower, I try to visit them every time they post. If someone comments on my blog, I try to repay the visit. Otherwise sometimes I like to scroll through commenters on the blogs I comment on, just for fun. :-) Congrats on the huge visitor number. Amazing!
I don't get to my blog every day but I try to visit everyone who comments and I keep up with my faves pretty well. Sometimes I wander off to a new blog if a comment or the title catches my eye.
Aren't those links below the comments just people who have linked to this blog? Like Debbie? Maybe that's not what you are asking.
I'm usually attracted to other bloggers that I have something in common with... situation, age, warped sense of humor. I'm not so much into the serious literary stuff.
Can't think of anything I particularly hate. Oh, except the pervs.
The word ver doesn't bother me. I haven't had a need for it yet, but I imagine there's a good reason people use it.
Questions.. questions. Here are my few answers.
The links thing has changed recently and become less reliable in my opinion. First, it's not something you do.. it's kind of done to you. It used to be simply that when someone had your blog address within one of their posts (like if I were to talk about and link to a post written by that pesky Michelle H. character, ;) my blog name would appear in her "Links to this post" on that particular post. Lately, it's no longer that simple. I'm seeing my own blog posts appear below and I know they don't link to the post in question. I'm thinking now that it's picking up blog roll links on the individual sidebars. That's less informative and doesn't tell you if someone has intentionally linked to you in his or her blog post.
I think Michelle is thinking about how to make a link within the comments section. You'd need the following code (which I keep handy in a text file)
WORD TO LINK
You would change URL to the actual URL and WORD TO LINK to what you'd want to show as a link. As for italics, you need to put a immediately before the word or phrase, without spaces, and a immediately after. Bold can be done by replacing the i with b.
I'm against word verification. It's just an added step that I don't care to have and I've read a few posts by dyslexic people who have a hell of a hard time with them because they're not logical words.
I answer every single comment I get. I also visit those sites at least once and comment in return. If I like them, into my Google reader they go.
As for your 10K visits.. a big Congrats. :)
Ok so that doesn't translate well as far as trying to show how italics work because it just turns them into italics.
Use the less than symbol followed immediately by the letter i then the greater than symbol immediately before a word or phrase. And the less than symbol, slash(below the ?)the i and the greater than symbol immediately after.
It's impossible to demonstrate the link in the comments too. Ugh!
I'm ambivalent about word verification at this point. My blog is still too new for me to have any spam or problems of that kind. We'll see after I've been in the blogosphere for a few months.
I make it a point to check out the blogs of those who comment on mine first and comment on theirs as well (case in point!). Then, I scan my blog roll and read all the posts I find interesting. I often find new blogs by visiting those of people who comment on the blogs on my list; that way we're more likely to share the same interests.
I like blogs that are laid out well (creative design but not messy-looking) and of course have interesting posts. And they usually need to be funny. Humor is a big thing with me. If I'm going to stare at a computer for hours every day, I need to spend some of that time laughing out loud!
I haven't figured out the whole "linking to posts below comments" yet. If anyone has any tips, please share!
Oh yeah, and congrats in advance on making it to the 10K visitor mark, Angie! You obviously deserve it for all the hard work you do!
Let's try it this way. Try clicking here
This is for you, Michelle. :)
crap! I wrote this whole long comment answering all of your questions, and it lost it!
I usually just hit next blog because, let's face it, I'm somewhat of a newbie to the blogging world and that's pretty much the only option I know about LOL. I always make it a point to visit and comment on anyone who comments on my post. I also really like reading the comments on blogs that I follow and checking out all those people. So... looks like the comments from this one post could keep me busy all day LOL... so yeah, you can all expect me soon! :D hahah!
Congratulations!
I don't mind word verification - spam makes it a necessary evil.
I'm fairly new to the blogging world and I use several methods. I visit those on my Blog Roll and I try to comment on most of them unless it's a topic totally out of my sphere. I need to work on responding better to all of the comments left on my blog.
I tried using "next blog" but I didn't find many blogs that matched my interests.
I've googled using the words blogspot, blogger, and blog with different interests i.e. recipes or photography and have found many interesting blogs. I also visit sites suggested by someone on my blog roll.
ARGHHHH, I just posted comments to about 10 comments and then they disappeared and some weird Blogger code came up! *cuss words*
Working on tomorrow's post, so don't know if I can duplicate all the responses, but thank you ALL for the answers, Hilary - for your perseverance in the tutorial, and all your good kindnesses.
Maybe we should start copying our comments before hitting Post just in case they disappear. *more cussing*
Wow--I loved reading the comments today! I read everyone who leaves a comment on mine and I have a few favorite sites (like Yours) that I try to read each day and a bunch I get to every few days whether I've written anything or not. So what number am I??
Wow, I think everyone is here at your blog...29+ comments!!
In answer to your questions: I like graphics, so I enjoy those on blogs and since I'm a busy lady (like most women), I like posts that are not too long. I also think it's fair to expect comment's in return when I leave them.
I think your blog is a good example of what draws readers and your "reader comments" prove it. Good job!!
hm. i posted a comment yesterday. where the poop is it?
what i said was: that of late i have done a very bad job of following blogs, and an even worse job of commenting.
and also that i don't like to comment unless i have something real to say. b/c then it just feels silly.
but maybe, even if i have nothing to say, i should at least say "i read and appreciated this." poo.
-p
Just popped over from Carrie's blog because I found your comments there interesting. I have a regular group I check in on and then read new ones through comments. Didn't even know about 'blog walking' and I am link-challenged also. In fact, the instructions above give me the same flight urge that knitting does! Just some things I am not cut out for. Congratulations on your big numbers!
Terri, still got hundreds to go before 10K. Love your blog too. :)
Thank you, Barbara.
p-Diddy, I tell ya, the cyber gremlins are out en masse the last week or two, eating up comments and graphics and causing havoc. Thanks for persevering! Anything you have to say is welcome here. :)
LOL, Nancy. Thanks for stopping in. I enjoy Carrie's blog. I'll be stopping by yours next.
I find that the people who read the blogs I like best have interesting blogs themselves, so that's how I find new ones. I had a similar experience on the "next blog" approach, so stopped that unless I'm really killing time.
I love the way blogging connects people from widely dispersed parts of the planet. I don't like the way it takes energy from my fiction writing. But I use photographs, too, and that lets me have a lighter text day, once in a while. I think the word verification is good, as long as the word (or more accurately non-word) is legible to me!
Bdogs, I agree with this: "I love the way blogging connects people from widely dispersed parts of the planet. I don't like the way it takes energy from my fiction writing." :)
Having a task everyday about blogs, I read different blogs everyday and I love to read their content especially about interesting topics. I hate blogs when they wrote about unprofessional things or article that could not respect others.Most of the time some of the blogs I visited are having verifications.
Are we there yet??
I'm still looking for an "organized" way of visiting others. Some days I think I'm really doing great and visiting everyone ... and then I'll see a comment by someone and I'll think ... it's been ages since I've been there. Ugh! :)
Those links ... I haven't got a clue how that works. I see my blog show up as a link and I wonder how it happened. I'm ... clueless!
When I read a blog, if I find it fascinating, I follow and add it to my blog roll. I also like to feature people who are really trying to do something important ... like tackle depression or alcoholism (whether they write for their own health or other's). I also like to give my readers a lot of interesting stuff to read (after they read mine, of course ... lol).
I hate bad language in blogs ... it's not necessary. I also hate (well maybe hate is too strong of a word) that I can't stop thinking about it .. I even dream about blogging. :)
I'm for word verification ... keeps the spammers out which is hard even with word verification.
Thanks for asking! :)
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