I forget that not everyone knows where to find me on the web, but here, so if I don’t post or visit blogs, I appear to be missing. I don’t like it when people disappear or seem to have fallen off the face of the earth and I’m left wondering what happened.

It’s the same feeling I get when I’m picked up late and I don’t get an explanation as to why. I’m like whoa, whoa, whoa, no explanation? No, I’m sorry I’m late, but the engine fell out of my car or the dog swallowed my keys and I had to wait. Tell. Me. Something.

My explanation? The mental day I needed turned into a mental month. I hate being in a funk, but it happens. The weather also sucked, so let’s give some of the blame to Mother Nature.

Good news is, lately I have been in a great mood and I’m ready to come out of my dark cave and into the sunshine. Just wanted to say hello, I’m not dead, yet, and I appreciate the bloggers who stopped by to check on me. Meleah, thanks for “screaming” at me. I love how you just come right out and say it, “I need an update” and you bounce. Thanks for the nudge, sister.

In the meantime, I have been writing, rambling and amusing myself over here.

I’m turning the comment feature off for this post and will see you soon.

I know it’s time to give up blogging when….the blogging mainstream is video blogging, I’m just not doing that.  I’ve seen quite a few video posts on people’s blog and to that I say, not me!

Several times I thought about ending my online life, but then I woke up the next day and thought: you fool!  Actually I did get rid of a few blogs I authored, but I’m not ready to give up on this one. ¹

Anywho, a big THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment and shared a thought or personal experience on my previous post.  Your comments were a big help to me and will always remain the best part of blogging.

The baby is fine, mommy is just going through the terrible twos.  So I’ll continue to be the diligent caretaker, other times I’ll allow her to take long naps and some times I’ll leave her in the capable hands of a CPR certified babysitter.²

When I was writing this post a weird crazy funny thought popped into my head about my mom and the newspaper. She reads the obituaries like it’s MySpace for the up in age, but instead of adding friends, you delete them.  I thought it would be cool if there were an online area where blogs could go to die.  We could search for blogs that suddenly disappear or when we’re ready to throw in the towel, we could submit a snapshot of our blog and onlookers could mourn in the comment section.  We could give our blogs a “proper burial” complete with obituary and all.

Photo: timstvshowcase.com

1. so you’re stuck with me
2. guest blogger

A blog can be compared to a newborn baby.  In the beginning, we’re really excited about our “baby”.  We tell everyone about the baby and where they can go¹ to see the baby.  We can’t wait to try on all the new clothes² we have just for the baby.

We love our baby so much that when we wake up in the morning, the first thing we do is check the baby for “movement”.³  Maybe we give the baby nourishment⁴ for the day to sustain it, keep it alive, as we continually check on the baby throughout the day.

Gradually the baby starts to grow⁵ and demands more and more of our time, but we don’t have the energy to take care of it.  Now the baby is crying for attention because we haven’t fed it in a while.  Instead of the once carefully prepared meals we used to provide, we find ourselves sitting in the drive-thru at the fast food chain of “I’m Not Dead” and “I’m Still Here” for a quick meal.

We still care for the baby, maybe we change a diaper here and there, but the excitement of the first born has worn off. In fact, we’re looking for a baby sitter.

Unlike real children who we are committed to for at least 18 years of our time, energy and expenses, that’s not the case with our blog.  We change as do our interests and what was once important, our baby, is no longer.

Maybe I took the scenic route to ask a simple question: Regarding your blog, do you have a gauge for calling it quits? Will you not be motivated or excited about blogging?  Maybe there’s nothing left for you to blog about or you’re not getting the response you hoped.  Maybe someone has trashed your efforts⁶ and you wake up one morning and wonder: Why am I doing this again?  Maybe none of this is the case, would you still contemplate throwing in the towel?

I won’t participate in the comment section for this post, but will be, and I am interested in, reading your thoughts.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

1. blog address
2. blog topics
3. comments
4. a post
5. we hope
6. your blog, your baby

I hate to “beat a dead horse”, but I see movement and would like to know your thoughts. All bloggers love receiving comments on their blog, but as a blog grows, for some, life gets in the way and responding to all comments can take a lot of time.

So what do you do, respond to some and ignore the others? Post less and spend more time interacting with your readers? It might take me a few days, but for now I like responding to each comment.

Comments are like multiple births. I have 6 of a kind, but each one is treated as an individual.

What about turning comments off for certain posts?  This is not a favorite of mine, so I won’t do it here,¹ because I don’t like the feeling of being shut out.  However, some blog posts, like this one, don’t require interaction in the comment section from the blogger. Should you let your readers know you won’t be responding?

I admit, if I leave repeated comments on a blog and the blogger never responds, I lose interest.  I like feeling that I’m talking to a person and not a wall.

How do you feel when a blogger doesn’t respond to your comment?  What if the comments are turned off, are you?  Should a blogger respond to every comment?  What’s the protocol on your blog?

I’ve shared my feelings, so I will leave the comment section open for your thoughts.

Additional Reading and Plug-ins

Is There A Such Thing As Commenters Burnout?
A.S.K. Darren Rowse: How Does a Problogger Deal With Comments
How to get more comments on your blog
Close Old Posts – Closes comments on old posts on the fly, by default it’s 14 days
Comment Time Out – Comment Timeout closes comments on old posts on your blog

1. although I did once, but that post is so buried no one will be able to find it

For those who don’t know:  “Entrecard enables you to advertise your own Entrecard on any blog in the network. You pay for this advertising with Entrecard Credits, that you earn for free by networking (a.k.a. visiting blogs and dropping (via clicking) your card for other bloggers).”

I find bloggers either love EntreCard or they hate it. When I first signed up, I didn’t understand it, but most bloggers use EntreCard to: increase traffic to their blog(s), find other blogs or increase their Alexa ranking.

A while back, I commented on this blog¹ that it was just a matter of time before we needed Blogtherapists to sort out issues some of us face as bloggers. I played out a conversation in my head as a possibility of what might be discussed regarding EntreCard and blogging. Listen in….

Blogtherapist: So you have EntreCard on the brain, but you’re not obsessed?  Can you give me an example?

Blogger: Well, my inbox at work has the word “Drop” taped to the front of it.  As people drop things in, I respond by saying: Thanks, Go! Go!, Alright, Yeah, Wicked, Awesome.  I don’t think it’s obsessive, but people look at me funny.

Blogtherapist: I see and what do those sayings have to do with EntreCard.

Blogger: They’re messages that are equivalent to Thanks! and are shown at various numbers of drops per day.  The more I drop, the more I move up in “Thanks.”  It’s cool and I could use the encouragement because sometimes I can’t even find the widget I’m supposed to be clicking. I scroll up and down a blog, scanning every freaking banner, button and badge hoping one of them will peek-a-boo me the word “Drop”.  It feels like an online version of Where’s Waldo. Very frustrating.

Blogtherapist: Okay now tell me about this new toolbar you mentioned.

Blogger: Oh the Entrebar!  I like it because I can open multiple browser tabs for faster dropping.

Blogtherapist: That’s a good thing, no?

Blogger: Yes, but what bugs me is when bloggers add music to their blog and now I have these 10 tabs opened, I don’t know which one it is, I have to try to find the offender, turn off my own sound or click all of the tabs closed that I just opened.

Blogtherapist: I see and how does this make you feel?

Blogger: I feel annoyed and insulted because I have a radio. Maybe EntreCard can come up with a category for fast loading blogs, with widgets above the fold and no music in their network.

Blogtherapist: Well let me ask you this, do you want to end your relationship with EntreCard?

Blogger: [insert your answer here]

Back to the post. I happen to like EntreCard, not because of the dropping and traffic, but because I’m able to find some great blogs that I probably would not have otherwise found on my own.

I’ve read several complaints about EntreCard’s “hit and run” traffic, that people are only visiting blogs for the drop, and they don’t stick around.  This is where I get confused.  Once EntreCard brings you the traffic, isn’t it the bloggers job to get the reader to stay?

There are a gazillion blogs out there all screaming for attention and if you’re catering to drive by traffic, there is very little time for foreplay in posting.  You kind of have to get in there, state your business and pull out.  Perhaps a quicker and more effective technique may be needed to make them come again.

I don’t know how much of my traffic comes from EntreCard, but I can’t depend on it to do everything. I’m thinking I have to go out there and get some of the traffic myself.  Personally, I think the best way to build traffic and readership is by commenting on other blogs.  What about you?

Do you have a love/hate relationship with EntreCard?

Have you seen an increase of traffic since using them?

How do you build traffic to your blog?

Comic by By arthur.wneir
Caption by Me.

1. I think

I admit, when I was younger I eagerly accepted my compliments with bells, whistles and bows,¹ but as I grew older, I ate my share of humble pie and then I did the reverse.  After watching me play commendation dodge ball, one day my sister-in-law’s sister pulled me aside and said, “Just say thank you.”

If someone thinks we did an outstanding job, let’s bask in the glory. We need to ditch the attitude: “I’m not perfect enough” and give credit to ourselves and to the people who acknowledge us and our efforts. We all deserve compliments. And we deserve to take them. ~ PioneerThinking.com

So to Urban Panther, THANK YOU, for my first ever blogging award. I’ll hang it on my wall like it’s my first dollar.  You can read her kind words here. Thank you to those who have sent me emails behind the scene as well.

This award has to be passed on to 5 bloggers.  I planned to highlight Urban Panther’s blog in my Meet the Bloggers post, but she beat me to the punch.  If you haven’t read her blog, pounce on over for a hello, you won’t be disappointed.

This next blogger is one of the hardest working bloggers I know. In my mind, her initials are not just letters, but exclamation marks. Her blog is immortal because she can do things for people even when she’s 80, and beyond. For example: “I Got Hip Replacement Surgery…so you don’t have to.” Well we don’t wish that on JD, so hobble on over to her blog for a laugh. Be sure to read my favorite post at I Do Things.

This next blogger has an unusual, but comical, love affair with her Apple MAC, they recently starred in her home movie “So Happy Together.”  MHR is great writer who writes with emotion, humor, honesty and she’s the only blogger I know who can write a post called “Testing Comments” and her supportive readers show up in droves. Her blog is a fun to visit, she makes me think, smile and she can even get a salty discharge to flow from my eyes. This award goes to Momma Mia, Mea Culpa who probably has hundreds of them on her mantel already.

I also like this new blog I found, Debateur Debates.  Her blog is about “serious topics for serious readers”, topics for the brain. Worth a visit.

I didn’t highlight 5 bloggers because I ran out of typing paper. If you have a blog you want to share, maybe a new one, please leave a link in the comment section, I’ll get it out of spam, eventually. I promise.

EDIT: I overlooked my very first award for “story telling” from Sandy, so I’m adding it to this post.  Thanks Sandy, you’re the best.  Charge the oversight to my head and not my heart. Much appreciated. ? ? ?

1. just cocky

During one of my EC dropping sessions, I stumbled across a post that linked a website that allows you to ‘compare your feedburner subscriber numbers with others’.  Interesting!

I assumed if that information was not made public, it was for a reason.

When I started blogging I displayed my subscriber count¹ because that’s what I saw on other blogs. I watched it go from 4 to 7 and then back down to 4.

What happened was my first reaction.

As a newbie, it made me feel anxious and unsure of myself, watching the numbers fluctuate, as if somehow it dictated my existence and worth. Maybe it did at one time, numbers are performance indicators. Once I knew what I wanted on my blog, I removed my RSS readership count [and most badges] from my blog. Once in a while, I do check my subscriber count, but like my financial investments, I don’t want to see my portfolio every day.

Maybe displaying our readership is a gauge on how we’re doing as bloggers, maybe it’s a competition, maybe it encourages future subscribers, maybe it’s an ego thing, maybe it means nothing and we’re just darn happy and proud. Maybe I feel creeped out by what people can find out, maybe I’m just too chicken to publicly teeter on the emotional seesaw of “you suck” and “you the woman”.

Different strokes for different folks, but I’m curious…Is your RSS feed count showing?  If so why or why not?

Are you more likely to subscribe to a blog if their readership count is made public?

Photo of LL borrowed from www.mcm.net

1. now 26

Basically this means that you should know enough about your audience to effectively impart information in a way that stimulates their thinking or motivates them to action.

How Can This Be Done

• Research your audience through interaction
• Consider what they already know about a subject and build on that information
• Make use of comparisons and contrasts for better understanding
• Explain how the information benefits them
• Pay attention to your “choice words”
• Add humor and stir

Tips for Bloggers

I was reading this interesting article online about how our eyes pay attention to information that we read online vs. what we read in a book.

It mentioned that when reading online our eyes are more likely to scan large blocks of text rather than read the entire paragraph. It suggested that we use short sentence fragments instead.

The use of bullets, lists and occasional use of bold is more likely to get a reader’s attention and the use of links gives our text more authority.

I have to admit, when I see a large block of text on an unfamiliar blog or website, I get ‘the lazy eye’ and I start scanning. With a book, I expect larger groups of words on a page and I read differently.

When you look at early research, it’s fascinating to see that even in the days of green phosphorus monitors, studies found that there wasn’t a huge difference in speed and comprehension between reading on-screen and reading on paper. Paper was the clear winner only when test subjects were asked to skim the text.

Maybe it’s the time factor. The web is for surfing and books are for nursing.

I never gave too much thought to eye tracking studies and what people really pay attention to when reading online so if you made it to the end of this post, bless you.

When you write a post for your blog, do you consider your readers? If so, how?

Do you think about how you can get them involved and not just skimming posts?

Do you worry about writing lengthy posts are do you prefer to keep it short and to the point?

I found myself sitting at the computer for hours and the things I once enjoyed doing didn’t get done or when I did do them, it was done in haste. I was neglecting responsibilities, paper work was piling up, mail went unopened. I was not myself. I felt rushed, impatient, envious, always playing catch up trying to make up for the time I spent on the computer. My life hadn’t changed much, but what I was doing with my time had, I wasn’t using it wisely.

Even though I came up with some lively excuses to cover what I was really doing, in the back of my mind I knew what the culprit was and realized I had to get a grip on how I spent my time. I had other responsibilities and obligations that required my time and attention they just weren’t getting. It was easy to say “I didn’t have time”, but my truth was my time was being mismanaged.

I used to wonder how some people seem to get so many things accomplished in a day or even a week. What I’ve found is that 9 times out of 10, they have a schedule and they stick to it. To some, I guess a schedule is like a budget, it’s too restrictive and it doesn’t allow room for spontaneity. That could be true, but hours of unscheduled time doesn’t lead to productivity either, often times it leads to nothing.

Personally, I like the feeling of accomplishment and if I leave things to chance, chances are they won’t get done. I’ve been working on a schedule, trying to find a mix that doesn’t leave me feeling overwhelmed and here’s my work in progress:

1. I make a list of all the things I need or want to do
2. I print a calendar for the month
3. I pencil in my top 10 “must-do’s” on a day that task could be done (I spread them out during the week (i.e. Sunday – Exercise, Monday – clean bathroom, Tuesday – sweep floor, Wednesday – blog) so my schedule isn’t too full. By the end of the week, my chores/errands are done.
4. After these tasks become more routine, I go back to my list and add 5 more items to my weekly schedule.

This works for me, especially when it comes to keeping the house clean. I don’t want to spend the entire weekend cleaning and running errands, I want to relax too. Yes, write that on your schedule: do nothing. Each week can stay the same or you can add more things to your schedule from your list.

Another area I’m trying to get a grip on is when it comes to blogging. Actually, it takes me 15 minutes to write a blog post and 2 days, 6 hours and 4 minutes to edit it. Well not precisely, but I do spend a lot of time doing something I’m really bad at: editing and proofreading. I also like to read other people’s blog, this takes time. Some blogs I know I can read in the morning and leave a comment, others I read while at work and the rest I read when I get home. Generally I post on my blog three times a week and I reply to comments twice a day. This schedule works for me and I can keep up with it.

Also switching from I.E. to Firefox turned out to be a big help. If you have not made the switch yet, download Firefox here. It’s a cool browser with some great features. Below is a list of my top 3 time management add-ons:

• Time Tracker – Track how much time you are spending on the web. Numbers don’t lie. If you can’t get anything done and you’ve logged 6 hours surfing the web, do you really have to ask why? Keep track of how much you browse with TimeTracker.
• Reminder – ReminderFox is an extension that displays and manages lists of date-based reminders and ToDo’s. I love this one because the reminder pops up on my computer screen, unlike my other reminders that are emailed to me. Yes, I’m pre-alzheimers, not making jokes. Thanks to K for pointing me toward this great add-on.
• Split Browser – This splits the content area of the browser window as you like, left, right, top, bottom. My laptop can split the screen if I wish, but this add-on is a no-brainer for me. Great for when you’re answering comments on your blog. There’s no need to scroll up and down trying to make sure your answer everyone. Split the screen, keep your comments on one side as you type on your replies on the other. Thanks Barbara for sharing this find with me.

Of course, not everyday is a by the schedule day, I try to keep it light but productive. I’m always looking for balance and not chaos. So, how do you do all that you do? Does your life have a schedule? How do you manage your time?

Photo of timer: Valerie Morrison. Yep I bought a timer, I’m that bad.

PS – I know this font is too small for some of you, I’m working on it….