Thursday, August 14, 2008

Bloggy Preferences

I've read a few posts about things some people dislike about various blogs, and some of them were funny and some finicky and some mentioned a few things that were probably spot on for most readers.

I decided to take the other route to the same effect and give my blog preferences-- things I like about blogs I visit. I know the word is simply a matter of semantics, and my list is no more than my personal opinion, my favorite features or options on various blogs--and certainly of little weight to anyone other than myself.

So...

I Like Blogs With

  • with light backgrounds - easier to read and pictures seem to look better
  • that are neutral in background - some colors are less attractive to various readers
  • beautiful headers - can't help but be attracted by a lovely header (note to self - try to get the courage to work on header again after last disastrous episode)
  • that are not too cluttered (note to self - eliminate some of the labels! I have WAY too many and am actually working on that.)
  • that let you select music if you want it...we don't all like the same music and being forced to listen to something I'm not in the mood for (even if I like it) can cause me to click right out of there, so those blogs that have music but give you a choice of whether or not to listen are very courteous
  • blogs with pictures that load quickly..I visit too many blogs to wait for the pictures to load and appreciate those who make sure the pics load quickly
  • blogs with a lot of posts on a page...I like just scrolling down much better than having to go to "older posts" after only a few entries
I need to work on making my blog look better...

What are some of the things YOU like about blogs you visit?

20 comments:

  1. I totally agree about the music. I hate auto-music. Most of the time I don't like what they play, and it hogs up bandwidth. Not nice!

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  2. good idea, i want to think about this a bit.

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  3. I took the music off my blog when I realized how annoying it was. I don't like a lot of clutter, either; and i love beautiful headers. Note to self: research how to make beautiful header. I like pictures, too. And I love tutorials.

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  4. Oh, and I love looking at other bloggers' links - love to see what *they* find interesting and fun.

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  5. I think that I enjoy the pictures most, and like it when they aren't too tiny. I like it when if you click on the picture it gets really big so you can really see the quilting or the flower or whatever is particularly interesting. I have no idea how you set these things up. Mine will get quite large, but it seems it was the luck of the draw. Blogs are a personal thing, and we all have different preferences, so I don't expect to love everything about each blog, but I appreciate and enjoy them all. (I basically go to the quilting and craft blogs, I don't stray much, as I don't like the more modern risque ones, and I blog for enjoyment and sociability, so I don't want to hear about hateful things. I'll keep my head in the sand thank-you.)

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  6. zegi - Even when I like the music, I don't usually experience a pleasant musical interlude.

    jude - It is so personal, isn't it? One blog I read that was posting dislikes, listed things I'd never thought of and that certainly didn't bother me.

    Deborah - I like lots of pictures, too, and tutorials! And I LOVE links. Many people never visit the links on various blogs, but I'm definitely a clicker!

    Candace - I like it when the picture enlarges, too. Mine used to, but they don't anymore, and I don't know why. I like blogs that deal with quilting, crafts, books; I, too, prefer blogs that are positive, helpful, or cheerful to those that are critical and negative or offer political rants.

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  7. I like the same things. Interestingly enough, I don't know how to control some of these things. But I could change my header, if I can remember how...

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  8. On the weekends, I take time to visit lots of blog pages. But during the week, I am so busy with work that I read quickly in the morning and evening using Google Reader. That being said, I LOVE it when people have their blog "Reader-Friendly." That is, more than just one line of their blog text fits into Reader. Reader will show their photos. If these options aren't available, I get very angry. I don't know why people wouldn't want more people reading what they have posted! Is it because they want the "hit" to show up on their page?

    You don't get to heaven with higher "hit" numbers. At least, it doesn't say that in MY bible!
    Thanks for letting me share.

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  9. Kay - I've made a mess of my header a couple of times, but need to try again. There are so many things that I don't know how to control, and I need to learn!

    Caron - I don't even know how my blog shows in a Reader. Guess I need to find out. Will check on this because I prefer to read the entire thing, too.

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  10. Caron - I checked with Bloglines options and think the entire post shows. If it doesn't, would you let me know?

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  11. Thanks Jenclair,
    being new to blogging I found this very helpful, I'll have to go and check now and see if mine come up to speck :)
    I must admit I find slow loading blogs the most irritating.

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  12. Tracy - It is always interesting to see what different bloggers prefer, and I wish I were skilled enough to make certain changes on my own blog!

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  13. this is so interesting, jenclair, such a good discussion. i share your personal preferences and would add that i like blogs that are updated at least somewhat frequently and that tell us when they're taking a break (like jude does). off i go to figure out how to do clickable-to-larger photos . . .

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  14. jeanne - Yes, frequent updating! How could I forget that? I do like that jude and ACey announce their attentions to take a break.

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  15. Interesting discusssion! I've taken it for granted (for a very long time!) that my blog tends to be too wordy and/or esoteric for alot of quilter's tastes. But then I'm much more than just a quilter...and that's why I love coming here! (Also, because even though I was raised on an island in Alaska, I was born near Bayou Teche ;)

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  16. Quilting Journey - I love blogs that deal with mostly quilting, but even better are those with more!

    It is a long way from Bayou Teche, to the Alaskan wilds, cher!

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  17. oh my.... my main blog - mouse medicine doesn't conform to many of the things you like best.

    1) I have a black background.

    2)I often use colors that are far from neutral

    3) my header is simply a few words

    however I do hit some areas that you like: for instance, I've tried to declutter the blog - eliminated several items from the sidebar and I do have music set that people choose to listen. I hope my photos load quickly - they do for me, but I don't know if they do for everyone. there are 7 posts on 'a page'

    oh me oh my....

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  18. kimy - That just goes to show! I love your blog and as you know, visit frequently. You have the most marvelous photos, so much to think about, and I always enjoy your videos!

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  19. whew!!! that's a relief....I was worried that maybe it's hard for others to read after reading your list.... I played around with the background and decided for my photos black works best for me. at least the studio mouse has a white background - although I don't post very often on that....

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  20. kimy - What is really funny is that I didn't even realize you had a black background! Your pictures are so large and beautiful (you really do take the most interesting photos) that the black has never registered with me.

    And how DO you get such a wide format in your main blog portion?

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Good to hear from you!