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You guys are mentioning stuff I haven't even seen yet? Something can hover over the page when you move your mouse? Smack talk? You mean like Don King promotes a fight? Yeah, I'd love to luck up on one of those blogs. Seriously, it is nice to know that most people want to read blogs and really don't care for a whole lot of hoopla and jazz. C, I was thinking maybe I didn't have enough "stuff" on my blog that I should or maybe I had something that I shouldn't? I don't know?
PS. I'm sneaking and typing b'cuz it is my anniversary in about 13 minutes and I promised I could keep my face out of the laptop......he's in the shower, bye.
while i'm cool with music on a person's blog [if their tastes are that different from mine, i just don't blurf there anymore] - what's annoying to me is hearing it blast off when i'm at my desk working, errr, i mean taking break!
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I'm one that Use to have music on her blog. But I dropped it.
Things I don't like are the Widgets on blogs. and some of the slide shows slow the blogs down. I have high speed internet, and if it slow me down, What's it doing to those with dail up?
I don't like the music players - simply b/c they take much longer to load. It's not too hard for me to hit mute if I don't like what they are playing - although I often *love* what they have playing....I just don't like how long it takes to load.
The other thing that really annoys me is the verification process in typepad and wordpress. Blogger is okay b/c it's on the same comment page - but typepad is a whole new page and it takes "forever" to load and process.
You guys are mentioning stuff I haven't even seen yet? Something can hover over the page when you move your mouse? Smack talk? You mean like Don King promotes a fight? Yeah, I'd love to luck up on one of those blogs. Seriously, it is nice to know that most people want to read blogs and really don't care for a whole lot of hoopla and jazz. C, I was thinking maybe I didn't have enough "stuff" on my blog that I should or maybe I had something that I shouldn't? I don't know?
PS. I'm sneaking and typing b'cuz it is my anniversary in about 13 minutes and I promised I could keep my face out of the laptop......he's in the shower, bye.
"Smack" is specifically designed to target individuals, companies, or whatever it happens to be, for the purpose of criticism, or to berate publicly. Often from behind a veil of anonymity (to avoid being held accountable for anything slanderous or libelous said).
__________________ JulieHRR papertrufflez.com
"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I voted for music players, and I love music, but I am on dial up and all it sounds like is blips of screaming, never really any music, I just have my computer on mute the whole time!!
I just visited a blog and the music popped up and I instantly closed my browser. It drives me crazy.
I think the thing that bugs me the most is pimpage. Hardcore pimpage. I love it when people share their favorite products, even if you are selling, but when it is blatantly, obviously thrust in your face every other posting how much they "LUV product XYZ", gushing ceaselessly about the merits of said product, it starts to become a little insincere. I start second guessing everything that the blogger is trying to share because I am constantly wondering what their motivation is.
If you are a distributor for a product line, on a design team, or otherwise being compensated for the sale of a product, share the love, but please, keep it real.
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Milette
The dreamers of the day are dangerous people,For they dream their dreams with open eyes,And make them come true.- D.H. Lawrence
I dislike the music on blogs too, what a relief to see I'm not in the minority - I could turn the volume down but as I'm surfing I like to play a CD of the music I like or listen to internet radio so it becomes doubly intrusive. I also feel a bit iffy about those widgets that seem to know what town I come from
I dislike the music on blogs too, what a relief to see I'm not in the minority - I could turn the volume down but as I'm surfing I like to play a CD of the music I like or listen to internet radio so it becomes doubly intrusive. I also feel a bit iffy about those widgets that seem to know what town I come from
Now I have one of those and I thought it was kind of nifty on one hand, but possibly intrusive to others? Anybody else have some feelings about feedjit?
This is a great thread! Hmmm, most hated: the dreaded music that is way too loud and when I can't find anything! You know, you clicked a link (and so on) and ended up on some blog that looks really cool but you can only see one project. You want to see more (!), but there is no visible link to the home page. Grrrr, I hate not being able to get to the top page easily.
Oh, and if you have a HUGE list of blogs that you like to visit (seriously, you have that much time??) at least give me an idea of what they are. I'm not all that interested on dropping in on your sisters/cousins/kids blog.
I chose music and slide shows. My reasoning is that is seems to slow the blog or site down when you are trying to scroll down. Every blog I go to with a slide show has been very slow to navigate around.
This is a great thread! Hmmm, most hated: the dreaded music that is way too loud and when I can't find anything! You know, you clicked a link (and so on) and ended up on some blog that looks really cool but you can only see one project. You want to see more (!), but there is no visible link to the home page. Grrrr, I hate not being able to get to the top page easily. Oh, and if you have a HUGE list of blogs that you like to visit (seriously, you have that much time??) at least give me an idea of what they are. I'm not all that interested on dropping in on your sisters/cousins/kids blog.
ROFL! Ok, I know what you mean by the blogroll nightmare that goes on and on....and on...But my thinking is this, (and I have been known to be wrong) you don't want to exclude anybody by not having them up there? That is the feeling I'm getting? By making a list you are including people, but it just isn't practical or possible to list everybody, so then the dilemma becomes who to list and why and in what order. My blogroll is relatively short and it is NOT indicative of the only blogs I visit, but before I jump on the blog comment thread, I go down my blogroll list and leave some love on a regular basis.
I think the thing that bugs me the most is pimpage. Hardcore pimpage. I love it when people share their favorite products, even if you are selling, but when it is blatantly, obviously thrust in your face every other posting how much they "LUV product XYZ", gushing ceaselessly about the merits of said product, it starts to become a little insincere. I start second guessing everything that the blogger is trying to share because I am constantly wondering what their motivation is.
I agree 100%! Constant gushing gets old really fast.
__________________ Debra --- artist * teacher * designer
Say yes. Be generous. Speak up. Love more. Trust yourself. Slow down. ---Patti Digh
I actually love the music... I have added so many songs to my itunes b/c of music on someones blog... I even had music on mine until I read all of the reasons everybody hates it... so it's off now...
I have been trying to simplify my blog. I try to go through my links at least once a week to be sure they are (1) all still working and (2) links I really want to have there for other people to look at ( as opposed to just having them as bookmarks for my private use).
I recently changed my archive list to just a drop down, and need to work on my categories next. I have to wonder if anyone ever even looks at those...of course, I do not have many readers so.....
Guess I do the blog primarily for myself and the few readers I do have. I enjoy the friendship, commments and mutual support system.
The background color convo is interesting! I keep changing mine and really like the black, and like the way it looks on other people's blog but wonder if is it really annoying???
This is interesting talk! I think it is important for any blogger to periodically take a look at their site and keep it maintained. I know one of my "pet peeves" is to find links to people's blog on sites that no longer work. Guess that makes me wonder how often they really look there and converse with people!
ROFL! Ok, I know what you mean by the blogroll nightmare that goes on and on....and on...But my thinking is this, (and I have been known to be wrong) you don't want to exclude anybody by not having them up there? That is the feeling I'm getting? By making a list you are including people, but it just isn't practical or possible to list everybody, so then the dilemma becomes who to list and why and in what order. My blogroll is relatively short and it is NOT indicative of the only blogs I visit, but before I jump on the blog comment thread, I go down my blogroll list and leave some love on a regular basis.
Not that I have a blog (maybe someday when getting pics off the camera isn't such an ordeal ) to worry about - so I couldn't possibly hurt anyone's feelings - wouldn't it be easier to have like 5 or 10 links to different styles? You know, like this one is CAS, this one layers, this one technique heavy, etc. Not even your faves, just a sampling of your favorite types. Anyway, just an idea.
Oooooh, one more peeve I ran into today: type that is too light to read! She had a white background & this really light aqua type that was completely illegible. Seriously, I couldn't figure out why you wouldn't at least have credits with the pics. Once I figured it out I didn't stop to read it, felt like I needed a decoder ring!
Not that I have a blog (maybe someday when getting pics off the camera isn't such an ordeal ) to worry about - so I couldn't possibly hurt anyone's feelings - wouldn't it be easier to have like 5 or 10 links to different styles? You know, like this one is CAS, this one layers, this one technique heavy, etc. Not even your faves, just a sampling of your favorite types. Anyway, just an idea.
Oooooh, one more peeve I ran into today: type that is too light to read! She had a white background & this really light aqua type that was completely illegible. Seriously, I couldn't figure out why you wouldn't at least have credits with the pics. Once I figured it out I didn't stop to read it, felt like I needed a decoder ring!
Now this is a challenge that I might take up under my belt. I like to do different stuff on my blog and to categorize links to really useful and diverse sites. I just changed my blog from a 2 column to a 3 column (what a nightmare), I categorized info vs. purely eye candy, and I went with a really bizarre color that has me wishing I could find some cardstock and put a name to it? At the advice of JulieHRR, I checked out that link...which led me to another link on being a more effective blogger. When I picked it apart, for what it's worth....I did find that although "my life story" is fascinating LOL, sometimes people may just want to know how you did the project? If they have to sort through tons of chat to do that, well....u know?
I ran across a blog with a music player in the corner that did NOT start when I opened the page, but I noticed the first song was one I really like. I'd be curious to know if more people would like a choice of whether or not to hear the blog music and do these players slow down the loading of the page?? Anybody have one of these players or know how to configure the settings to NOT autoplay? FOR DUMMIES VERSION, please.
Music on blogs turns me off. Most I can find the pause button, but a couple I couldn't even find the player. I love to leave comments, so I have to visit the blogs, but loud music is a deterrent for comments if I can't find a way to turn it off.
The other thing that just kind of creeps me out is the feedjit tracker...it's like big brother...Red Deer, Alberta came from this SCS! Gosh, I know most of that can be tracked otherwise, and I'm not invisible when I visit, but when I land on a site that has one of those...I just find it creepy.
So those of you who hate music, please don't click on my link or you will get mad at me for sure. But I'm posting because I'm starting to think I need to get rid of my music.
It has been my way of expressing how I feel or create but if it is really that obnoxious, then maybe it needs to go? That makes me sad. But then again, I never realized how much music on blogs was disliked by so many. I just mute my volume when I go visit other blogs so it never dawned on me that it could be considered obnoxious. I work hard on my tutorials and don't want people to be distracted and annoyed... I can see that now.
Music on blogs turns me off. Most I can find the pause button, but a couple I couldn't even find the player. I love to leave comments, so I have to visit the blogs, but loud music is a deterrent for comments if I can't find a way to turn it off.
LOL I know what you mean about not finding the music player. You can bet that I'm out of there if I don't have the option to turn it off, let alone scrolling to try to find the darn thing.
I'm glad I didn't choose auto start on my music player. This way it gives people the option to listen if they would like to.
"Smack" is specifically designed to target individuals, companies, or whatever it happens to be, for the purpose of criticism, or to berate publicly. Often from behind a veil of anonymity (to avoid being held accountable for anything slanderous or libelous said).
Yes, it sounds very childish....but apparently it happens. I say, save it for myspace, but that is JMO.
So those of you who hate music, please don't click on my link or you will get mad at me for sure. But I'm posting because I'm starting to think I need to get rid of my music.
It has been my way of expressing how I feel or create but if it is really that obnoxious, then maybe it needs to go? That makes me sad. But then again, I never realized how much music on blogs was disliked by so many. I just mute my volume when I go visit other blogs so it never dawned on me that it could be considered obnoxious. I work hard on my tutorials and don't want people to be distracted and annoyed... I can see that now.
I think the general consensus was in the way the music opens up when u open the page. I expect music on the tutorials and watch plenty of them....again, it is the surprise factor or not having a choice? And it was previously mentioned that hey, sometimes it is a great song!
I'm another that hates the music and the slide shows or other action. That stuff really slows down loading the page.
Regarding the black background -- for me that is extremely hard to read. My dad was a sign painter and said that a light background with dark lettering is the easiest to read. I would have to agree with that. And the older I get, the bigger those letters are, the better.
Can someone explain how Google reader works? Right now I get notifications through email, but if there is a faster way, that would be great. Oh, and in simple terms, please... I'm computer challenged.
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Melody ~ Isaiah 40:31 ~ Fan Club Member ~ gallery
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I voted for music.... I don't mind music sometimes, but if there's not an easily visible way to mute it quickly, I usually just leave.
My main pet peeve, though, is people who write in all lower case letters with terrible spelling. I find that to be very annoying. I know the lower case letter thing is trendy, but even so, they could still click on the spell-checker once in a while. (Not to say that I never have spelling mistakes myself, but I do try to proof read!) My parents were both English teachers- need I say more?!
I have the Feedjit widget on my main blog, and I find it fascinating to see where readers come from... sometimes from countries that I haven't even heard of! It does not give me any information other than what appears on the screen- it's not like I can track somebody down using it. It never occured to me that someone might find it intrusive.
One thing that turns me off is a bad color combo...like Dr. Suess green and pink. But if the content of the blog was worth reading I guess I'd have to put up with it!
Feedjits annoy me too. One reason is that they are so danged ugly! I'm undecided about the hit counters.
I think the general consensus was in the way the music opens up when u open the page. I expect music on the tutorials and watch plenty of them....again, it is the surprise factor or not having a choice? And it was previously mentioned that hey, sometimes it is a great song!
I agree. I don't think music needs to be totally removed, just easily controlled by the blurfer. 90% of the time my system is on mute, but when it isn't.... I love the ability to turn it off or on, but as long as it's not too loud when I get there, it won't make me close the window.
Besides, isn't that supposed to be a sign of maturity? Knowing that the volume can turn to the left too....
I'll have to say that the music turns me off too . I often blurf while other are watching TV and it is quite annoying when your not expecting it and it starts blaring and interupts the families TV watching . It like feedjits and the stat counters , I find them fun and interesting and unless you know the person that has visited and know where they live , then we don't know it is you that is from wherever you live that has visited , as it does not post your name by the state .
One thing that turns me off is a bad color combo...like Dr. Suess green and pink. But if the content of the blog was worth reading I guess I'd have to put up with it!
Feedjits annoy me too. One reason is that they are so danged ugly! I'm undecided about the hit counters.
however; it makes a dang nice card color combo! LOL.
I HATE music!!!! Esp. when it's late at night and I forgot to turn the volume down. No, no, no, no, no!!!
Here's what I learned in web design 101: no annoying music, no annoying animated gif (I have one in my blog just because I have to for the designer I'm CT-ing for, but I can do without), counters are actually tacky (and it's so hard to tell clients this).
If you want music, don't auto play, let the viewers pick to push play. If you want some moving image, use Flash.. and with a nice design.
I have a few things on my blog that I think is cool, like the feedjit deal and twitter, but since it's more of a personal blog and not a business, I think I'm ok. I just like seeing where people's coming from. I think it's cool and Twitter... well, I'm doing a test... it's actually work related... I got to have a blog to pop it in that I check everyday
What's this tip jar? Is it like a donation jar?
Tacky? Well, it depends. If the site has a lot to offer, I think it's ok. If it's a mediocre site, then yeah, I'd say tacky. I've been to many sites, mostly open source/free software, and I'd leave a tip when I really love the application. It's free and I don't want it to go away.
I just visited a blog and the music popped up and I instantly closed my browser. It drives me crazy.
I think the thing that bugs me the most is pimpage. Hardcore pimpage. I love it when people share their favorite products, even if you are selling, but when it is blatantly, obviously thrust in your face every other posting how much they "LUV product XYZ", gushing ceaselessly about the merits of said product, it starts to become a little insincere. I start second guessing everything that the blogger is trying to share because I am constantly wondering what their motivation is.
If you are a distributor for a product line, on a design team, or otherwise being compensated for the sale of a product, share the love, but please, keep it real.
After reading this its made me think about my blog. I love one make of stamp because the designs are so cute. I think the very high majority of images is their stamps and it may come across that I sell or am some way connected to them and I'm not. So after reading this I might put a disclaimer up as my enthusiasum for these stamps is 100% legit.
I too did some evaluating and adjustments to my blog. Keeping in mind that it is still MY blog and reflects my tastes and preferences, I tried to strike a balance.
I changed the format from a 2 column style to a 3 column layout. This presents more of the information at the top without having to scroll down lengthy pages. I placed my info left top with the subscribe button at the top so that if a person is pressed for time yet wants to find my blog again, they can return to top of page and not have to search for the subscribe or feed button. Many people mentioned they just browse for pictures. I placed all the interesting ones on the sidebar right and I organized the articles by category to allow people to go to a specific picture without having to sift through the archives. I reduced my archives down to a single drop down menu and removed all unecessary widgets. If you are using a tracker program like quantcast, you don't need a widget to activate it. Only you need to know that you're using it and the widget just takes up space. Another option is to use the bottom or footer bar for things you just have to have up there, but other people don't necessarily need to see everytime they open your page. IE, AWARDS......you may have half a dozen of them, but so do most other bloggers, so they really just take up space. I chose the universal feeds widget as opposed to a button for every type of reader/or feed service. I also reduced the number of pages displayed, but left the link to more posts prominently displayed. I enlarged the font to something more easily read and renamed links to other sites. I also cut down on unecessary spacing and removed a signature from every post and placed it beneath my profile pic. That saved a ton of space and really cleaned up the layout. I'm working with Mary on a new banner so that color I've chosen will make more sense and be tweaked when I get my banner up there. I removed my blogroll, but subscribed to all of the ones that were listed. I chose instead to create another category that will change periodically called "unusual finds". This a great way to highlight something you think is unusual and you still have your subscription list to stalk your fav blogs. That was a lot of evaluating, but I'm happy with the changes.
I too did some evaluating and adjustments to my blog. Keeping in mind that it is still MY blog and reflects my tastes and preferences, I tried to strike a balance.
I changed the format from a 2 column style to a 3 column layout. This presents more of the information at the top without having to scroll down lengthy pages. I placed my info left top with the subscribe button at the top so that if a person is pressed for time yet wants to find my blog again, they can return to top of page and not have to search for the subscribe or feed button. Many people mentioned they just browse for pictures. I placed all the interesting ones on the sidebar right and I organized the articles by category to allow people to go to a specific picture without having to sift through the archives. I reduced my archives down to a single drop down menu and removed all unecessary widgets. If you are using a tracker program like quantcast, you don't need a widget to activate it. Only you need to know that you're using it and the widget just takes up space. Another option is to use the bottom or footer bar for things you just have to have up there, but other people don't necessarily need to see everytime they open your page. IE, AWARDS......you may have half a dozen of them, but so do most other bloggers, so they really just take up space. I chose the universal feeds widget as opposed to a button for every type of reader/or feed service. I also reduced the number of pages displayed, but left the link to more posts prominently displayed. I enlarged the font to something more easily read and renamed links to other sites. I also cut down on unecessary spacing and removed a signature from every post and placed it beneath my profile pic. That saved a ton of space and really cleaned up the layout. I'm working with Mary on a new banner so that color I've chosen will make more sense and be tweaked when I get my banner up there. I removed my blogroll, but subscribed to all of the ones that were listed. I chose instead to create another category that will change periodically called "unusual finds". This a great way to highlight something you think is unusual and you still have your subscription list to stalk your fav blogs. That was a lot of evaluating, but I'm happy with the changes.
I will check this out when I get home tonight! I love your ideas, in particular the blog roll one.....and the signature...thanks for the insight!
I don't like the music either...but I don't think there has ever been a time that I left a blog because of it. I just turn my speakers down. I can't stand the tip jar either.
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I don't care for music; it startles me as well. I try and mentally and physically prepare for music by hovering my mouse over the speaker button on my screen. However, I'm never prepared when I need to be. The music always has a way of blasting at inopportune times. =) I like the idea of having the music player available and the visitor clicking play. This way you can have the best of both worlds! It's always interesting to see what people are listening to; it is a part of the bloggers artistic expression and identity.
I have the traffic feed thingy on my blog. I too felt it was creepy at first, but now I love it. I love to see the different people who visit my blog and it's also interesting to see who has been visiting yours as well. I find it quite amazing how this hobby of ours can connect us with so many people of different cultures, different occupations, and different time zones!
I've really enjoyed reading this thread and will have to take some time to revamp my blog...it's kinda just a hot mess!
As for feedjit--
For those who think it's invasive, you can go to a person's blog and on their Feedjit, you can actually click on "Options" and there is an option for that feedjit to ignore your browser. That way, anytime you go to that blog, your info will be ignored and won't pop up. I don't think many blurfers out there realize that you can control that.
I had it on my blog for a quick minute and I did remove it...really, I was just curious to see where people were coming from and it was pretty cool to see people from all over the world coming to my little blog
Oh Nooooooo!!!! I've just been reading through this thread and, er, hmm, I think I'd better make some changes, I have a black background AND...........music
I'm off to go and see the other background options, I may be some time. I like my music though so I'll have to have a wee think about that.
This is a great thread!
) to worry about - so I couldn't possibly hurt anyone's feelings - wouldn't it be easier to have like 5 or 10 links to different styles? You know, like this one is CAS, this one layers, this one technique heavy, etc. Not even your faves, just a sampling of your favorite types. Anyway, just an idea.
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