Public Service Announcement

Could you do me a favor, please?  If you subscribe to my blog, please update your RSS feed information.

My blog address has moved (thank you Kim) to its own domain, ThinkingOutLoudBlog.com, (not just a redirect) instead of renting space under ValerieMorrison.net/blog.

I really got tired of typing /blog when leaving comments, it wore me out.   Now the name of my blog matches the URL and that makes me happy. Of course, this link (http://www.valeriemorrison.net/blog) will still work, no need to worry about broken links, if you link to my blog,

If you don’t subscribe to my blog, it’s okay, now’s your chance to do so over at the new place.  Latecomers are welcome. When you do make it over there have a look around in the archives.  If you’re tired from your journey, have a sit down. You’ll find that there’s ample seating and plenty of leg room for everyone. Refreshments will be served.

So, I won’t be posting or answering comments over here any more, but over there.  Tomorrow I’ll publish a roll call post under the new domain with a very important question.  Now it’s a little difficult for me to see the hands way in the back, so please comment “present” and let me know you’re in attendance.

And if you popped over there just for the refreshments but decided not to subscribe, please leave your uneaten food in the basket by the door.  I’m sorry to see you go.

The $64,000 Question

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 [↩]

You Know It’s Time To Give Up Blogging When….

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.

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6. your blog, your baby [↩]

Answering Comments: Obligation, Optional or Off?

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 [↩]

EntreCard Therapy

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.

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