Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Blog Tune Up, #Random Fun Stuff, & Pretty Pictures

This whirl of sponsored posts* and opportunities grown from this blog has gotten me thinking about how I run things over here.  I am lucky in that I never have a dearth of good ideas. I am and always will be the idea girl. Here are some changes I've made and will make.  And some random fun stuff, just for kicks.

completely unrelated yet nonetheless gorgeous glassware at
Mercado Sabado, San Angel, Mexico City

I want to clean up my blog.  Why? Mainly because this isn't 2007 anymore and I think I heard that most people view blogs on their mobile devices.  Now that I have a mobile device I can see what they mean.  I know what an app does! *insert thumbs up here*  To this end, I'm inserting breaks into my posts (like the one I hope you followed to get here.)

I want to make sharing easier.  Because when I am viewing on the aforementioned mobile device, I don't know how to bookmark yet, so I have to tweet it in order to keep track of it.  If that admission makes me look disorganized, then so be it! I was viewing blogs on my iPad today and there were a couple of things I wanted to share but couldn't because I couldn't find the right buttons.  To make sharing easier, I've installed bigger and more obvious share buttons on the blog and on the posts.

I want to better track my stats.  I read a bunch of blogs in my google reader. Some provide the entire post, while others give only a couple of lines and you have to click over for the good stuff.  I had been providing the entire post in my RSS, but I'd like to try providing just a couple of lines.  This way, I can get a better handle on impressions, and also the blog community members who normally just visit through their readers can see what else is happening on the site.  *I'd like your feedback about this one.  If this affects you, speak up!*

completely unrelated flowers I saw on the way to
the end of the school year party in Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico
I want to be more personal.  At first I thought nobody cared about my life, and maybe they don't but I realized that as a blog reader, I feel more connected to people who share parts of their daily lives on the blog.  So I'm giving it a try.

I want to provide more high value posts.  But the thing is, I get into this thing where I feel like everything has to be completely perfect and detailed before it goes up... It whips out of control until it's easier to do a tweet than a behemoth blog posting.  So I think I have a handle on that one with a new post method. We'll see how it works...

I want to post more often.  I am hoping this will attract, rather than detract from my readership.  Your feedback is appreciated.  I really do love the fact that you take the time to read over my posts.  I hope you will reach out to me and say hello in the comments.  


Here's the random fun stuff
(I found these random things from other cool bloggers.  Probably CraftyPod, How About Orange, and definitely Kootoyoo, respectively.  Thanks, ladies!)

*Stefania Pomponi Butler explains
Five Reasons Why Bloggers Should Get Paid