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Housekeeping ‘IS’ a Chore
It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for some blog housekeeping again. This is what’s bugging me today!
Last weekend was busy for me, as I decided to change my theme and there is still some work to do. I’ve seen a lot of updated blogs this week, with new pages, new themes and many of you have also updated your about pages and written a post on it. It’s a great way for us to get to know you.
I still haven’t done mine. Oh, I did a little update to it saying I would add more but just can’t seem to sit down and write about myself and put myself out there. It’s easy to do here on the blog because I’m usually telling a story about what is or isn’t bugging me and it serves a purpose. But I know I need to do it and give you a little more about myself.
I’m making a commitment to update my about page over the next few days, as long as I can hit the publish button when I’m done.
How many of you are in the same position as me?
It’s nice to see everyone is displaying the PostADay2011 & PostAWeek2011 badges proudly on their blogs. Did it feel good putting it there? I know it did for me. 
Here are some of my housekeeping chores for the weekend.
- cleaning up my tags and settle on the main ones to use
- review my Categories
- review the blog and add links to other postings
The last one could take a bit of time, but it’s easier to do it now before the job gets so huge that I won’t want to do it. Why is this important? Linking to past articles and other pages on your blog increases your page views and keeps the reader on your blog.
This also helps to Improve Your Search Rankings and receive more visitors to your blog. Listing related articles at the bottom of your post is a great way to do it, but you can also link to other posts/pages within your posts by marking a word or phrase in bold and linking to it.
I have my work cut out for me this weekend.
This is what’s bugging me today!
Recommended Reading
Related Articles
- Housekeeping Can Be A Chore
- or not – A Time to Rest
- PostADay2011 Bloggers – Click the Like Button Please
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
or not – Hoping That Someone Will …
Image via Wikipedia
Everyone is probably checking their stats and looking to see if they are going up or down. I’m pretty sure that everyone who has really engaged in the challenge and teamed up with a blogging buddy or two has. But now we’re all probably hoping that it will continue.
I know I was asking myself all these questions when I started my blog.
- Will anyone press the Like button?
- Will anyone leave a comment?
- Will anyone rate the post or the page?
- Will anyone subscribe to my blog?
- Will anyone use the Contact Me form?
- Will my visitors increase?
- Will I have return visitors?
- Will anyone add me to their blogroll?
- Will my writing improve?
- Will I have enough to write about every day?
Since the challenge started I’ve grown more confident and I’m not afraid to push the publish button anymore. I also know my writing has improved because the grammar and spellcheck has stopped telling me its passive voice and to change it to active voice. That was a nasty little habit of mine. It is so nice to hit the ABC button and have it say ‘No writing errors were found’.
Oh, I still have a way to go, but I do know that the more I write, the more comfortable I am about writing. For anyone who missed the post on writing, check out the related articles below.
What were you hoping for? Did you get it?
I’ve set up the above questions as a poll on a new page I’ve added today.
Won’t you please take a minute and vote to let me know how you were feeling when you started the challenge.
You will also find an infographic of The Evolution of the Blogger has just been added.
I’m happy to say you answered all my hopes. Thank you.
There is nothing bugging me today!
Related Articles
- PostADay2011 Bloggers – Click the Like Button Please
- or not – maybe? How will PostADay2011 play out?
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Housekeeping Can Be A Chore
With the challenge well on its way and blogging buddies a great success, it’s time to get down to some housekeeping – on the blog that is. This is what’s bugging me today.
Well, it’s not so much bugging me but it is a chore!
I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I put this blog fairly quickly. I found a simple clean theme to work with knowing I could always change it. I’ve added things haphazardly and it’s now time to clean it up a bit.
You will see some changes over the next few days with new pages added and hopefully a new theme. Which brings me to today.
I’ve always read that there are four principal pages every new blog should have and a navigation bar listing the pages either at the top or in the side panel.
- Home
- About
- Archives
- Contact
Since most of us here have our blogs on WordPress, not a self-hosted domain name, the theme we select takes care of the first two pages. The other two are fairly easy to add. It’s important to have a Contact page because some visitors may not want to post a comment but would prefer to send you an email.
But not all themes support a navigation bar at the top. The theme I am using, The Journalist v1.9, does not come with the navigation bar at the top. I liked this feature at first but not sure about it now. One thing I’ve tried to do during my visits to blogs is to make a note of the blog themes I like and don’t like.
I know that if you’re a techie you can edit CSS, but I’m talking to some new bloggers who just want the basics and to able to work with the options available in their theme.
Another important item you should have on your page is a way for your readers to subscribe. Remember not all visitors to your blog are WordPress members. Add your email subscription form to the side panel, along with giving your readers the ability to subscribe to your RSS news feed.
Well that’s enough for today, time to get to my housekeeping.
This is what’s bugging me today! 
p.s I’ve decided to put the other blog, Your Place to Rant, on hold for now but more on that later.
Related Articles
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
or not – maybe? How will PostADay2011 play out?
When I started this blog it had a different purpose, but joining the WordPress PostADay2011 Challenge and meeting some great fellow bloggers, I’m not sure if I can keep it on the same track. I don’t want to write about annoying things everyday. This is what’s bugging me today!
That’s the reason I have the “or not” posts. I had to add something to the title of the post otherwise people would think I found it annoying. Now I think it confuses them and they come to see what it’s all about.
But I don’t want to talk about what’s bugging me today.
What I want to do is share, what I think is some good information with my fellow bloggers in the postaday2011/postaweek2011 challenge. It’s been sitting in my Google Reader since the day this challenge started and I finally had a chance to read some of it today.
It’s a Best of 2010 list and there are 21 postings on it. I checked some of them out and the posting themselves have links to other postings with good information so I thought I would post it for everyone.
I especially wanted to share it with one of my readers, My English Thoughts, who is blogging in English daily when French is her first language. Now here is someone who has really taken on the challenge!
Here is one posting from the list I do want to share with you today.
10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer
1. Write.
2. Write more.
3. Write even more.
4. Write even more than that.
5. Write when you don’t want to.
6. Write when you do.
7. Write when you have something to say.
8. Write when you don’t.
9. Write every day.
10. Keep writing.
About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger
Originally posted July 2007 423 Comments
as of Jan. 9, 2011 there are 201 sites linked to the post
This was one of the 21 posts on the list from The Best of CopyBlogger 2010.
There is so much information that I haven’t had time to go through it all, but I will point out some of the ones that did attract my attention and I did manage to read.
11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing
Four Steps to Finding Your Ideal Writing Voice
20 Warning Signs That Your Content Sucks
The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog
I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did.
There, now I feel better.
Now, there is nothing bugging me today!!
p.s. My English Thoughts likes the English bloggers. Read her comment, it will put a smile on your face
Related Articles
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
or not – PostADay2011 Challenge – The Optimist Creed
It’s Sunday, Day 9 of the Challenge and time for another “or not” posting. Some may feel discouraged or overwhelmed and I thought these words can give them the strength to keep going. I came across this years ago, have always kept it handy and wanted to share it with you today.
The Optimist Creed written by Christian Larson, adopted by Optimist International in 1922.
The Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Please visit Optimist International to see the wonderful work they do with children.
There is nothing bugging me today!
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
PostADay2011 Bloggers – Click the Like Button Please
Why are people scared to click the Like button? This is what’s bugging me today?
Some will take the time to respond with a comment, and I thank you very much I love reading them, but can you also do a simple thing like clicking a button.
- Is it because you don’t want to be the first?
- Don’t want to leave your Gravatar behind?
- Don’t you want extra exposure for your own blog?
Depending on the theme and how you view the blog posting, comments aren’t always visible, but there is usually some means for you to let us know whether you like it or not.
You can give feedback in several ways and believe me, we want the feedback.
- Click the Like button
- Leave a Comment
- Rate It – Up or Down – Up is preferable
- Send an email
We want to know if you liked it or didn’t like it. How else can we improve our blog and our writing if you don’t let us know.
We’ve all worked hard to write the posts and were probably nervous about pushing the publish button. Maybe we were thinking of changing it or even deleting it because there was no feedback. Meanwhile it could be a beautiful piece of writing, where the writer bares their soul.
So please, come on guys, click the Like button, Rate It, leave a Comment or send an email. Bloggers, especially new ones, like receiving the feedback. It’s like getting your school project graded. We all like a pat on the back and someone saying Good Job!
Bloggers look at their stats and see the different posts visited but at the end of the day, there has been very little feedback.
It’s nice to look at the Top Rated and Top Posts/Pages in the side panel and see it change from day-to-day with each new posting. This tells us what our readers like, and how we should maybe think of tailoring more of our writing the same way.
If you don’t feel like leaving a comment, that’s not a problem. Just a simple click will do.
This is what’s bugging me today!
p.s. please make sure you list your blog in your Gravatar profile.
p.p.s. I wonder how many likes this post will get
Recommended reading: Bloggers With No Links
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
What’s the point of Facebook – PostADay 2011 Challenge – Today is…
brought to you by Fool on the hill.
What’s the point of Facebook
‘Social networking’ everyone replies. So what’s that exactly, seeing that so many sites which started out as something else seem to be morphing into social networks? Swapping the odd few words with people who, one way or another, have become your ‘friends’, even though you don’t know them and will never meet?
The number of ‘friends’ people can accrue appears to be important, it marks their status on Facebook, and is reciprocal; you can be my friend if I can be yours’, but it’s not genuine or real friendship, merely a way of boasting how many ‘friends’ you have, while at most, making the odd comment on their page occasionally, ‘liking’ something they posted, or a picture they put up. All shallow and meaningless. Real friends of course do keep in touch that way, but they could do so with a simple email, so one wonders why they would want their conversations public.
But what exactly is social networking? For many it appears to be taking over from real networking in the real world which is designed to keep people with similar interests/jobs/careers/hobbies in touch; the more time you spend staring at a screen, the less you have for real interaction with real friends and family. There is obviously a need or people wouldn’t have flocked to the site in millions and made the creator a multi-millionaire at age 24 [more on him later], but is it a genuinely felt need or merely following all the other sheep, and is it being satisfied by Facebook?
Lonely people may feel it is a cure for their loneliness, but is having hundreds of pretend ‘friends’ the same as having a small circle of real friends who actually care about you? Studies have found that people who have hundreds of friends on Facebook only interact on a regular basis with seven. That suggests that we really want just a few friends with whom we feel intimate and can share things in our lives, and perhaps the human animal is only capable of this level of social interaction.
This is a taster of my post on my own blog Fool on the hill.
Peter
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
Stressed Out Over Being Called Skinny
This has been bugging me for a long time now and this blog is giving me the opportunity to say a few things that I probably would never say to anyone.
I am getting so tired of hearing about those who have made new year’s resolutions and are determined to lose weight. Every day there are news stories about diets and what people can do to lose weight. This is what’s bugging me today after hearing yet another news story about how to lose weight.
Many people look at me and see how thin I am and often comment on how they wish they could be like me. Well, I can tell you they really don’t want to be like me.
Yes, I am a skinny person – but I don’t want to be this skinny!
I have overheard strangers make comments about how I must be anorexic or bulimic.
I am not! I wish I could tell them.
Yes, I have a high metabolism and have been slim all my life but right now I am downright skinny! Too skinny! Unhealthy skinny! And the last thing I need to hear is about how people have trouble losing weight.
- Why not try eating less?
- Eat healthier food.
- Skip the drive-through, have a salad instead.
- Avoid foods with HFCS.
You see, it’s not just the high metabolism that keeps my weight down, but I also have Crohn’s Disease and COPD. The Crohn’s was bad enough, add the COPD, throw in new food intolerances over the last few years and it gets even worse.
Did you know that a person with COPD has to consume an extra 10% – 17% of the normal daily calorie intake just to breathe? Household chores are chores!
Anyone with COPD has to learn to pace themselves because if we get too tired, we don’t have enough energy to prepare a proper meal let alone eat it. It’s a vicious cycle.
So please, the next time you’re thinking about saying something to a skinny person stop and think about it first. Maybe they’re like me or someone who has Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis or one of many other diseases that may cause them to lose weight. They have difficulty just maintaining their weight, never mind trying to gain weight.
Would you tell an overweight person how fat they are?
There, I have finally said it.
This is what’s bugging me today!
p.s. please read more about this
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
or not – Thinking of Old Neighbourhoods Makes Me Smile
It’s time for one of my “or not” postings.
I belong to Qondio, which is an online magazine. Every week they suggest a theme and ask the members to write about it. This week’s was Neighbourhoods. Here is my contribution which received some great reviews.
Neighbourhoods – Aren’t They Great!
It was December 1990, I had just moved into my house the previous week when we were hit with a snowstorm and the city was blanketed with snow. On moving day it was so nice we were standing in the driveway enjoying a nice cold beer after moving all my belongings into the house
I had dinner with my parents on the Saturday evening and asked my dad if I could borrow his snowblower. He hemmed and hawed, and said leave it that he would come by and do it for me after church Sunday morning. The real reason, he didn’t think that I, being female, could handle the snowblower.
I wasn’t going to argue with him, so I said I would see him in the morning.
After spending most of the day and evening at my parents home, with the snow still falling, I had no idea what to expect when I got home. Arriving about 9:00pm I found the most beautiful thing, my driveway had been plowed!
I had only moved in the previous week and with it being winter you don’t see too many people outside. I had not met any of the neighbours but when I finally did I asked if they knew who was going around plowing the driveways. They either didn’t know or were not going to admit to it.
My next door neighbours, who I got to know really well, would always mow my front lawn when they did their’s. Most of the time it was the daughter who mowed the lawn. They would then tell me to just borrow their lawnmower to mow my backyard. Whenever I mentioned that I should really buy a lawnmower, they would say what for, you can just keep using ours. They wouldn’t even let me pay for the gas I used. They were such great neighbours!
I lived in that neighbourhood for 8 years and it was wonderful, living in a community where everyone looked out for each other and helped each other out.
Contributed by classyrose. Published on January 3, 2011, at 11:02 PM UTC.
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p.s. You will have to visit the Qondio site if you would like to read the reviews.
© 2010-2011 Things in life I find annoying
ClassyRose
I am not an angry person. Please click on the picture to read why I started this Blog.
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