Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
Filed Under Blogging
Looking back, rummaging through my archives, I didn’t realise how time has flown by. I started this blog in October last year and in a few short months, my blog will be celebrating its 1st virtual birthday!
For most people, in that time-line, their blogs will see traffic and readership growth. In the case of this blog, it has stayed pretty much stagnated throughout. Well, I can pride myself into saying that I am consistent at least..LOL..
The reasons are many fold and I blame myself entirely. See..having more than one blog isn’t easy. I know some have dozens but well, I’m talking about myself here. The other thing was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with this blog. I’ve had so many options as a purely personal blog. I wanted many things. From a niche blog to a personal diary, back and forth, back and forth. I never did come to some kind of compromise or a decision. Much like trying to figure out what a Schlage is - a futile attempt.
Then, I joined the entrecard network (incidentally, its the ONLY network or directory I’ve submitted to) but again, was never active. I received numerous drops and I am thankful for that but soon trickled away as I don’t usually reciprocate. Bad..Bad…Bad…
For some reason, I have found my way. Call it intuition or impulse, but one day I just got up and saw the amount of un-used credits that this blog accumulated that I thought to myself “Huh, I should really be doing something about the credits than to see it go to waste”. So, I did, I used up some for advertising and some for keeps. We shall see how that will go in a couple of days.
While I was on this road to recovery, I re-discovered the reason why I began blogging in the first place. My need and love for writing. It has become somewhat therapeutic with a bonus in that as I read stories from other bloggers, I realised that I am not alone in this and in many life situations. I begin to realise that even though something may be perceived as trivial but in reality, it isn’t. Besides, if I am not sharing and writing my stories, no one will (do it).
With this mindset, I looked around for a theme that I felt works for me. I found this. Though it is a pretty old one but works just fine until I get one that is more permanent. I still haven’t found that absolutely perfect theme. As you can see, this theme is fairly simple and plain. Nothing fancy. The way I like it. I’ve tweaked the style sheet a little and incorporated my own photo at the top right hand corner.
As I’ve mentioned, writing has been extremely good for me, in more ways than one. I am just very privileged to have the opportunity to do so and to share my thoughts not only with my friends and family but to an even larger community outside my box. And hopefully, the journey will be an ever lasting one too…
Filed Under Blogging
And probably a little desperate. I need to get this done by tonight cos I won’t have much time for anything tomorrow. What’s the worst thing that could hit you when you are in your hour of need? Running out of ideas and what to say!!! Yup, that can happen to a chatty gal like me. The topic - tactical gear. Now, what can you talk about those stuff? The only thing that comes to mind for me, right now, is Heath Ledger, The Patriot. By the way, he did look “yummy” there and look out for his last movie *sob sob* - The Dark Night.
Filed Under Blogging
I don’t believe this hilarious real life incident. A friend tried her hands in blogging to meet people recently like a social network. Funny how she used to laugh when I told her about my blog. Laughed but did not criticize. Its ok, I can take a little skepticism.
In the recent months, she expressed her interest in having a blog of her own. Naturally, I was surprised but you know, a blogger will always support another fellow blogger. Its never mandatory but its a “good” thing to do. Of course, I helped her with choosing the host and interim design (she is free to change it if she wants to) and a little bit here and there.
She is having fun. Often staying up late to write up a blog post. Initially, she was writing up to 3 blog post in a day! LOL…I told her to slow down and not get too excited otherwise she would’ve exhausted all her stories. Like I mentioned, another aspect which I think why she loves the blogging idea is the opportunity to meet people. Not literally speaking but figuratively. Blogging allows you access (otherwise impossible) to people all over the world
There are many ways to do this i.e interact with people via blogging. For starters, you can blog-hop. That is quite the usual way. Another would be to engage in forums. Helping or sharing ideas with fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to leave your site URL so people can visit you back. Also, a popular place to meet people would be to join social networking community sites or blog directories. There are plenty of them around.
Filed Under Blogging
Woo Hoo!! I got an award from a very famous and truly deserving friend for this lil’ blog of mine. I am deeply honoured and I thank you for this, Elina. Thanks for thinking of me 
As the tradition goes, I shall pass this on to someone who is equally dear to me and she is none other than the infamous shopping queen 
Congratulations Barb on your new blog! Look forward to reading it.
Filed Under Blogging
I find it kind of odd honestly speaking. People seriously monetizing their sites and who have had their blog’s PR stripped or demoted are still crying wolf. I can thoroughly understand but for some, who have no intentions of doing so i.e monetize their site, are also crying wolf. I don’t get it!
I just came back from blog hopping secretly and silently. Please, don’t we all?? Let me be the bozo who admits to this fact. Coming back to the issue on the blog hop and what I’ve discovered. This particular blogger who obviously monetized her site for some extra fun money writing stuffs like stair lift. Not one to need to pay the bills with. This person got slapped. Never fully recovered until recently when the realisation set in that salvaging PR was more important, she removed everything and canceled anything that resembled a paid item. She got it back. Not as what it was before but better than most of us. However, that is not the end. She has introduced the “no follow” rule on her blog. Meaning to say, guests who comments on her blog will not be obtaining any link juice. Fair enough, its her prerogative.
Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach. Its just that, I’m just thinking that, this PR thing, is fairly important isn’t it? Even for those who are not monetizing their blogs? I mean, I thought that PR is only really important to those who intend to make some cash, never really thought about it being equally important to those who blog for the very reason of blogging and nothing more.
So maybe for the sake of argument, this PR thing is very relevant when you consider writing for SEO sake. A higher PR translate to more prominent position at the search engines and this in turn translates to traffic? Fair enough. As I’ve said earlier, people who blogs craves attention, we are stat addicts like it or not. Otherwise, blogs will all be much of a private forum. That make sense but just one thing though. If the subject matter of your blog is about something so mundane like a jar of peanuts, who would even google “a jar of peanuts”? There will probably be a couple of guys from the peanut club but will it be enough for you to be satisfied with the stat results? I doubt it. I seriously doubt it.
Blogging shouldn’t be inhibited by things like SEO, PR and whatever. It should be about you and what you want to say. I mean, blog preferences is so subjective really. Some blogs are a turn on and some just aren’t. It is a fact. No amount of PR is going to boost your blog traffic if what you write, bores people to death. Its a simplistic view of blogging. Then again, its my view and why shouldn’t it be what it already is or what it should be - simple? But the truth is, we crave for the challenge, the unreachable and seek the exclusive club. We want to be amongst the best, the popular, the most liked, the most envied. These are all human traits and doesn’t exclude the blogsphere now, does it? Apparently not.
Filed Under Blogging
I am so excited, I can literally cry..*sniff sniff*…
Well, some of you may not know but I am now (rather have been for a couple of weeks now) an official writer and contributor for BDMM. A blog set up by none other than a highly hard working mom, Elina.
Let me tell you about a little about BDMM. It was started because Elina, like many other veteran bloggers, discovered the world of making money from blogs. Along the way, while making some moolah, she learnt alot. About blogging, about her potential, about giving back which incidentally, was the premise of why and how BDMM was born. It was a place where she shares her knowledge and experience of her little venture.
Over time, she developed a community simply titled BDMM Community. The idea was to give members opportunity to make money from the various projects that she initiated.
The blog coupled with running the community proved to be a challenge as within a short time, the Community grew to such a large scale. I was already a member from the very beginning. I offered my assistance and soon was roped in to give Elina a helping hand.
It has been a pleasure working with Elina. We share ideas and learn some along the way. Things we never knew we were capable of as in the real world (there IS another world apart from cyberspace), we were and are exposed to totally different fields. More so for me I guess. Blogging is something I do because I love writing but to be given a chance to be part of something so special and promising as BDMM, I feel fortunate.
Today, BDMM celebrates another milestone. Again, I have been fortunate enough to be apart of this special occasion. We do not know what is in store for us in the future but one thing we are certain of is that we hope to make a difference in someone’s life (which BDMM was able to do a few weeks ago and that in itself, was our reward). We are just so thankful for everything in life and so blessed to be apart of this blogging network.
If you’d like to visit us, simply click on the link in my Blogroll or the link I have provided for in the 2nd paragraph above.
See you there!!
Filed Under Blogging
GirlyBlogDesignz, has a new free WP theme out recently and since I am not the type to let go of anything FREE, I used it. Muahahah…Besides, its cool and pretty and cute, just like me *flutters eyelashes*. Its nice don’t you think?
