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Blogger was really easy to set up. That's the only one I have experience with but I know lots of bloggers here have used it.
I mostly visit blogs looking for challenges or tutorials, so I voted for inspiration - but in general it's just fun to see what others are up to with their stamping.
I love looking at other people's creations for ideas. Plus, I learn a lot about new products and a wide variety of techniques. I spend more time looking than stamping, LOL!!
I have more questions.....do you subscribe to blogs....or do you just blog hop? Do you faithfully go to certain blogs daily? Do you expect bloggers to update daily? Do you hate when bloggers include anything other than stamping even if it is craft related? Are these enough questions?
__________________ Melanie My Blog <----Check out my inspiration challenge!! My Gallery
Were evolution true, Mothers would have more than 2 hands!
I subscribe to a ton of blogs through Google Reader, but cannot read them every day. I don't care whether a blog is updated once a day or once a year! There are a handful (5 or 6) that I read every time they are updated. The rest I tend to read in bunches. I also blog hop every once in while, especially during insomniac periods and have discovered so much talent that way!
Content? Blogs are wicked good/bad for getting me to spend money!! I love seeing new products explained and featured, layout, techniques, getting to know the person. One of my favorite blogs doesn't have any stamping at all, just really interesting stuff! I rarely comment for blog candy. Love humor too.
For a while I just read blogs and didn't look in the SCS galleries, but I'm back looking in the galleries on occasion. Whew, so much great stuff here and on blogs. You guys are talented!!!
I use typepad but used to use blogger.
Blogger -- easy, free, cannot set a post to upload in the future, not as many features (that I could figure out!) in terms of picture size, etc.
Typepad -- easy, costs money, can set to upload at a specific time and date, can adjust size of picture by dragging handles on side of picture, can block an IP address from commenting (the latter is why I switched).
There are others out there, I'm just not familiar with them.
To me the bottom line on blogs is: Is the stamping and/or the words worth my time?
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I have more questions.....do you subscribe to blogs....or do you just blog hop? Do you faithfully go to certain blogs daily? Do you expect bloggers to update daily? Do you hate when bloggers include anything other than stamping even if it is craft related? Are these enough questions?
Normally I don't subscribe to blogs. I just check my favorites frequently. I hate my inbox getting filled up with stuff, even if it's good stuff.
There are a few blogs that I visit every single day, but most of them it's every few days, or every week.
I don't expect people to update daily. It's awesome when they do, and I think those people generally have more readers, but I don't update mine daily, so I definitely can't expect that of others;).
It doesn't bother me when people have stuff other than stamping. If it's more other stuff that stamping, I may not visit that blog as often (since I'm normally going for the stamping), but like I said it doesn't bother me.
I love the blogs first for inspiration, then to see what new goodies are on the horizon, and to hear highlights of what's going on with them. Like Joan said, it isn't always easy on the old credit card!
I have more questions.....do you subscribe to blogs....or do you just blog hop? Do you faithfully go to certain blogs daily? Do you expect bloggers to update daily? Do you hate when bloggers include anything other than stamping even if it is craft related? Are these enough questions?
Hmmmmm.
I subscribe to blogs I find intriguing via Google Reader.
If they supply a full feed, I am far more likely to actually take a moment to go visit the blog itself to leave a comment, rather than if they only offer a partial feed.
Blog candy is genuinely the last thing that would ever entice me to visit or subscribe to a blog.
I'm not big into stamping tutorials, so, I might visit on occasion, but, prefer not to subscribe.
The blogs I find I enjoy most:
Offer intriguing content and inspiration that is not necessarily stamping related at all!
Make me laugh
Don't update daily or frequently--:shock: Quite honestly, I've reached a point of utter sensory overload, and begun to unsubscribe to the ones that do update with such frequency--I can't keep up with all that visual noise and it just ends up giving me a headache when I try! So, I'm more drawn to blogs that update 2 or 3x per week max.
Share insights about themselves
I'm sure I am outside the norm, but, well, we all know Julie's anyway! :p
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I go to alot of different blogs for inspiration and sometimes just to see something that catches my eye. I do like to see some tutorials at times that I may have never seen before too. I have many and use internet explorer 7 feed to catch up when one may be updated. Even my own blog doesn't get updated all the time but I do try when I get the chance to stamp and play.
I want to increase traffic to my blog and I want to know the reasons you visit blogs....so if I can figure out how to start a poll....I'm gonna.
Mel...I have to tell you I have been sitting here reading your blog....I love it! There is a little bit of everything on that page! I am going to have to try Smackin' Acetate, that looks so cool.....
__________________ Tammy "I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. "
� Edgar Allan Poe My little gallery
I blog hop. I have a few that I have placed in my favorites on my computer. I will open a blog up and if I don't see a card or project right away I will close and go to the next one.
I have more questions.....do you subscribe to blogs....or do you just blog hop? Do you faithfully go to certain blogs daily? Do you expect bloggers to update daily? Do you hate when bloggers include anything other than stamping even if it is craft related? Are these enough questions?
If I like a blog I will add it to my Google Reader. I check this daily, but it doesn't bother me if a blogger doesn't update daily. If everyone posted daily I'd never be able to keep up. :-)
I enjoy blogs about stamping, baking, cooking, sewing, quilting... almost anything crafty/creative is what I look for in a blog.
I visit blogs for two reasons. First, inspiration, because I love their style and love looking at their work. Second, what's happening in people's lives--but only if they write well! My three faves for the second reason are Cathy Zielski, Ali Edwards, and Joan B. I don't know these women from Adam's cat, but their writing makes me care about them and their families.
I visit blogs for two reasons. First, inspiration, because I love their style and love looking at their work. Second, what's happening in people's lives--but only if they write well! My three faves for the second reason are Cathy Zielski, Ali Edwards, and Joan B. I don't know these women from Adam's cat, but their writing makes me care about them and their families.
that is so sweet!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I like the inspiration that other's provide but what I really like is reading about people's lives. I am so nosy and blogs are the perfect thing to give me my fix!
__________________ Julia Gluten free on 9/15/2008. I am a Celiac. 1 in 133 Americans is a Celiac and 97% of those who have Celiac Disease are still undiagnosed. Are you one?
I checked other... but I could also check "inspiration". Those blogs I subscribe too (via google reader) I love because they artist has a specific style I like... honestly, someone can post everyday, offer amazing bog candy and be very prolific... but If I don't personally dig their style... then I won't check back.
Tutorials I can live without... and candy I can live without... unless it's AMAZING blog candy... like vendors/manufactures/design team members who offer BIG prizes, contests and giveaways. I will admit, if someone is giving away a $200 prize I am totally in!
In fact I think most of the blogs I check in with now are Design Team Members, or blogs by the owners/staff of my favorite companies. I like to see sneak peeks, new releases and "business" oriented articles.
oh... I wanted to add... I totally agree with Julie about supplying a full feed. It honestly irks me when people don't open their feed... I sometimes question if that person is just trying to up their numbers/stats. Although sometimes I think people just don't know they have a partial feed going out.
i would like to add that i only visit blogs that have regular posts, and posts ONLY about cards/layouts with pictures... if there are posts about family vacations, and what they cooked for dinner last night etc, i will delete it from my google reader.
__________________
{Gallery}{Blog}
I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
oh... I wanted to add... I totally agree with Julie about supplying a full feed. It honestly irks me when people don't open their feed... I sometimes question if that person is just trying to up their numbers/stats. Although sometimes I think people just don't know they have a partial feed going out.
i agree... there are a few of my favourite stampers that cut their feed to TWO LINES and i was like, no way.... i don't have time to go to each and every blog on my reader, so i only read blogs with a full feed.
dragonbutterfly- a full feed refers to how a new post reads on a blog reader.. if you use a blog reader all of your favourite blogs get sent to this reader and it lets you know when they've been updated. you click on the blog (inside the reader program) and you read the new post. some people limit how much they put in the blog readers so you see only one or two lines, or a paragraph but you have to actually go to their blog to read the entire post. hope that helps.
__________________
{Gallery}{Blog}
I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
ok, I'm going to sound like a moron here....what do you mean full feed? See? Told ya... :mrgreen:
A full feed means that the entire blog entry shows up in the Reader, rather than just an "excerpt"/paragraph.
With a partial feed, the subscriber can read that excerpt, but then has to click onto the blog and visit it directly in order to read/view the entire entry.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I like the inspiration that other's provide but what I really like is reading about people's lives. I am so nosy and blogs are the perfect thing to give me my fix!
I almost put....Just cuz I'm nosey as one of the options.....that is one of the reasons I read blogs.....I wanna know what people are up to!! I feel kinda like I'm spying...muwahahahahahahaha!!:twisted:
__________________ Melanie My Blog <----Check out my inspiration challenge!! My Gallery
Were evolution true, Mothers would have more than 2 hands!
Ohhh great question!!! I browsed blogs for well over a year before starting mine up. I visit & subscribe to blogs mostly for the inspiration. I love when people give tutorials. I also love when they post something personal or share stuff other than stamping every now and then. You also have to be someone that post regularly. There are so many people that start a blog up and then never put anything on it. I've stopped visiting some just for that reason. I don't care for blog candy. Too me, a lot of people do it just to get hits on their blog. A blog should be something that you enjoy keeping up and posting too. Don't worry about rankings, etc!!
i would like to add that i only visit blogs that have regular posts, and posts ONLY about cards/layouts with pictures... if there are posts about family vacations, and what they cooked for dinner last night etc, i will delete it from my google reader.
funny... because I like that sort of thing in a blog!
It just "shows-to-go-ya"; don't worry about what other people LIKE... just be yourself, write about what you want to write about... Create what you want to create... give away what you want to give away... or NOT... and the readers MEANT for your blog will come! And if people aren't into your blog... then they just won't read... they will move to a style of blog they DO like... to each his own, there is something for everyone out there in cyber-space!
It just "shows-to-go-ya"; don't worry about what other people LIKE... just be yourself, write about what you want to write about... Create what you want to create... give away what you want to give away... or NOT... and the readers MEANT for your blog will come! And if people aren't into your blog... then they just won't read... they will move to a style of blog they DO like... to each his own, there is something for everyone out there in cyber-space!
You said it all right there. I regret I even wasted forum space with my own response, cuz when you get right down to it, Sarah, what you said really is the best advice in the world. It really, truly is!
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Ditto,ditto,ditto,ditto Julie HRH
I don't want to read about other's daily lives - lol - my life is a
SOAP OPERA all in its own.........I wanna see the fabulous cards and ideas.
I need lots of inspiration to get me outta my SOAP OPERA!!!
Good thread....omgosh....I'm reading other's lives!!!!! How did that happen????
Thanks Julie... I truly think... Or I should say KNOW... that when I started blogging for ME I started to feel so much happier about my blogging! Sure, my numbers went down... but truly... who cares! I am enjoying it more... connected with some REAL friends now that I am really being MYSELF on my blog and I am having FUN blogging! That's what it's all about anyways!
Melanie,
I probably have no right to offer advice. My blog has been going less than 2 weeks. But I did own a very successful website a few years back that would get up to 1 million hits a week (nothing to do with papercrafts). So for what it is worth....
I think if you want to increase traffic to your blog....
1. Keep your design simple and easy to read. A white or light background is best. If your site is hard on the eyes people and people have to exert energy to read it..they won't. We are a fast food nation (international lol), and want it our way, and fast.
2. Do what you love. You do not have to be the best at it. But people want passion, energy. Happiness. But in a genuine and real way, meaning you must be true to yourself, be yourself, and love what you do.
If you start chasing what is successful or what people want you are chasing someone else's dream.
As far as getting the word out, that is as easy as "Googling" how to drive traffic to your blog - they have excellent articles on this. Get in the search engines, ask people to link your blog, make a blog signature etc. Good luck
Suzy
Good luck.
... but in general it's just fun to see what others are up to with their stamping.
This is exactly how I feel. I also like to check out stamp companies or paper crafting products on blogs, kind of like supplemental shopping or product research I guess.
I do like to visit blogs for the inspiration, but my favorite ones are written creatively, with some humor, and have info about their personal lives as well...I just feel like I "know" them better...JanTink, JulieHRR, Bad Sherry, and Joan B a few of my favorites (Joan, I'm loving your Q & A segments!). I like to be entertained.;)
Why do you visit blogs?
Blog????
