Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 20

What's Happened To Our Blogs?

Don't stop writing on your old blogs!

Today I decided to go through my blogroll to see what's happened to everyone. Since it's the holidays my thought was, this is the time when people are apt to reach out and touch someone by writing on their blogs.

This is my last (and oldest blogsite) on Blogger. I made a lot of my online friends here some of whom I still see on social networks and such today. This is the only site where I still have a blogroll. 

Old-fashioned blogs have pretty much gone obsolete in 2017. I know I haven't had time to look at what other people are reading when visiting their sites these days. I sometimes scan blogrolls when I run into them but mostly to see if I'm on them.

In the early days of blogging, we were being introduced to spaces and blog spots. We featured other bloggers (unknown popular authors) on our sites, handed out blogging awards, had blogrolls, and other tricks to get more traffic to our blogs. You remember those days if you're an older blogger.

As I went through my blogroll I was sad to remove several of my old friend's blogs. What was worse was the number of blogs still up that haven't been written on since 2015 or later. 2013 was the last prime year on Blogger that I blogged too so I understand the timeline. It was a good time to blog, get comments and make friends. So what happened?

The blog killer appears to be time itself. Once the blog world settled down and got serious "everyman blogs" lost readers because they had no lasting substance. Online friends are wonderful but you can't count on them to come read your posts and bring their friends if they aren't relevant. People want to read more than just hear about your day or look at your family photos anymore there's a big world out there.

A handful of popular blogs on my list got more popular. They made it because they had funny stories, real artwork, already large followings and daily posts. Some of them moved to better homes (different URL's) but I was happy to see some of them still around.

So what can we do with our old, lonely blogs? Bekkie In Wonderland is my oldest blog and in the same boat. I've written on it a long time and lost some of it to old failing coding and losing Windows Live Writer which I used for years.

As I moved my main blogs to Wordpress and new audiences I stopped writing on BIW and forgot about it. My comments, coming from old friends who also had Blogger blogs were sparse and I almost deleted it with the others but I couldn't.

I decided to give Bekkie In Wonderland another chance for readers. I updated and started writing on it again. I want to invite you to do the same. There is one good reason:
  • the older the blog the better the place on the search engines
There is power in this. A brand new website takes time for the search engines to pick it up and then it will not be on the first page of said search. This is the only way people will find your site so it's super important. Even if you change the name of your site as long as it's at the old URL it will keep its place when doing a search for it.

If you aren't going to write about a certain subject anymore you can redo your site, even rename it. The only thing you can't do is change the URL and what does that matter if you are only blogging about normal things in your everyday life?

I ask you to reconsider. Don't stop writing on your old blogs, an occasional post keeps them alive and will keep your readers from jumping the sinking ship. Writers need to write and we need practice if anything. Write about the news, trends, things you like that are in the news or trending...I think you get my gist.

Of course, if you can't ride get off the horse. Everyone has a website these days but not everyone was meant to be a writer. Writing is more work than glory.

Some Good Quotes About Writing

“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”

—Allen Ginsberg, WD

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”

—George Orwel

“Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. … It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.”
—Enid Bagnold

“It ain’t whatcha write, it’s the way atcha write it.”

—Jack Kerouac, WD

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”
—Virginia Woolf

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
—Samuel Johnson

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”
—Stephen King, WD

“Beware of advice—even this.”
—Carl Sandburg, WD

“Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.”
—Ray Bradbury, WD

And this sums up what's happened to blogging and life in 2017.

“We’re past the age of heroes and hero kings. … Most of our lives are basically mundane and dull, and it’s up to the writer to find ways to make them interesting.”
—John Updike, WD

Isn't that the truth? ~laughing~

I hope to visit some of the blogs I left on my blogroll and see some writing spawn again. Most of all, I hope to get a few readers back to my Wonderland because I still have a lot to talk about. This is where I can write about anything I want, unlike my other sites.

Happy Holidays!

Thursday, May 28

Social Networking Etiquette


We've come a long way baby and how we interact with other people online has become extremely important whether it be on social networks, video calls, or hangouts. One thing is certain if you spend any amount of time online you will be judged by how you act online. 

There is no doubt about it the social networking giants are all the buzz. A research report I read today on the internet says that 51% of online Americans have joined a social network. Another 73% are consuming some form of social content on a regular basis on networks like Sony’s PlayStation. People are connecting with, listening to, following, and collaborating with each other online at an amazing rate.

We are sharing just about everything with each other these days. Photos, recipes, plans, and even locations just to name a few of these things. Business people are using social networks to build their careers, promote themselves, their websites, and their reputations. Networking is the social norm.

Some of the most popular social networking sites are Google Plus, Facebook, and Twitter with LinkedIn catching up fast. Each one of those sites is uniquely positioned and serves a particular population or purpose. There are other online networking sites, numbering in the thousands, so at this point, they shall remain nameless.

After researching social etiquette I specially wrote these tips with Google Plus in mind. It’s no wonder people get confused we receive this technology quickly and it changes so much that we forget how to play nice with others while keeping up.

Social Network Etiquette-Community=Google Plus

1. Give more than you receive. If you want attention from others online you have to be willing to give it first. Become a good commenter and stay positive. If you’re in a bad mood stay offline!

2. Don’t be a keyboard gangsta. The worst thing about the Internet is the keyboard trolls. They’re the people who have to talk trash to everyone they meet. They say things online you would never say to a real person’s face. If you are this person I bet you’ve been blocked already. Get a clue.

3. Add value to the community at large. This means not posting things nobody cares about and not constantly promoting your own brand. Before you post anything to a social media site ask yourself; “Does this really add value to the community?” If not, reconsider posting it.

4. Don’t start arguments and sabotage others efforts. Drop all of your e-beefs and hatred. Don’t try to bury others just for the sake of getting ahead. Making enemies on social online media sites will get you nowhere and you reap what you sow.

5. Remember that cheaters never win. Sure, you might be able to get somewhere by cheating but eventually you’ll get caught. Once everyone sees you for the cheater you are, you can’t take it back ever. This applies to people who use more than one profile or websites that look good but are made to stay anonymous and cause trouble or spam.

6. Build quality relationships and get to know your friends online. People are more willing to help those who they really know. Remember relationships require the participation of both parties and you’ll always have someone in your corner and a network of useful people. To get help you should give always give it back.

7. Stop pushing the Envelope. One of the fastest ways to alienate people online is to constantly flood them with requests for helping you out. Whether you’re constantly asking people to comment on your blog or shouting your content, eventually, everyone will lose patience with you. People will learn to tune you out.

8. Respect the community. This is one of the most important rules of social media etiquette. Show respect to the people in the community. Just make sure you don’t step out of line and always treat others the way you want to be treated.

9. Listen to others. It’s easier to tell someone they are wrong than to take the time to listen to what they’re really saying. Understand where the people who comment on your post are coming from. You don’t know everything and you can learn from others if you’re a good listener.

10. Be accountable for your actions. Because of the anonymity the Internet allows, there is hardly any accountability online. Instead, try to be honorable by taking responsibility for your actions. People will respect you whether they agree with you or not. People want to be trusting, give them the opportunity.

11. Don’t step on other people’s posts. Repost responsibly and people will admire you for it. If you have a link to share do it on your own post and if you don’t like what you see instead of leaving a negative comment pass that posts up. You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar.

12. Use a photo for your profile picture and put some information on your profile. If you’re joining a social network why not be social? When a person sees a blank profile and no picture at all they don’t make any connections about you and don’t want to deal with you. At least use some other image if you don’t want to show your mug online.

13. Be polite to one another. If you can’t be nice be civil and remember the common courtesy's you give people in your offline life and apply it online. One of these days you might be talking to someone who will give you your next job online and you don’t want to blow that! Can’t we just all get along?
This is my equation and I believe it works! Credibility+trust=Followers on Google Plus

Social media and online etiquette give you a rough guideline on how you can communicate to online audiences without irritating anyone. When you operate above these minimum ethical requirements, you will gain credibility and trust among people.

Sources: Google Plus, Facebook, Windows Live, AOL, Tagged, Linked In, My Space, (to name a few of the social network’s I’ve belonged to in the past,) Wikipedia, Google Search, and Internet