Blog Spring (Summer) Clean...

Some of you may have noticed the different layout of my blog, the header has changed and the text has been altered slightly. This has all been part of my ongoing plan to update my blog. You know when you have been stuck in a rut for a long time, doing the same thing and not altering things or stepping outside your comfort zone? I have felt I have been neglecting my blogging for a long time now, so this vacation has come as a welcome break from hectic everyday life and has given me time to focus on what I want from my blog.


This time to focus has made me realise that I had been too bombarded by posts on my news feed to even concentrate on the ones I wanted to read. I began to solve this problem by unfollowing all the blogs who have not posted in more than a month. This left me with still a huge number which I edited down by language. No longer will I follow blogs based on their images alone. I will actually read the content posted in the post which meant all blogs written in foreign languages I could not read were out. I soon began to see light at the end of the tunnel and now feel so inspired by what I am reading on other people's blogs that I want to be blogging all the time now.


Another thing I knew was lacking was my interaction with other bloggers. I really missed commenting on other people's blogs, giving them my feed back on their work and getting feedback back on my work. That for me is one of the key things of blogging. It is what drives your blog forward. I have recently joined Twitter to promote my blog and have been hooked to that and as a result have abandoned actually commenting on blog posts themselves. This has all changed now and I am regularly commenting on well written posts that inspire me.


One thing I feel still needs improving is the layout of the blog. Since I have started blogging last November, I have never been truly satisfied with the layout. Something has always been wrong. Even now, after the changes I have made this week, I am not in love with the layout. Call me a perfectionist but it is true. I would love to hear your views on the layout and what you think should be done. After all, I am blogging to please you guys as well as myself.


So...Here are my rules to be a successful blogger (In my eyes anyway)

1. Post regularly, I have not mentioned it above but it is so important to keep your readers updated. Even if it is just a photo or quote, post it. Readers love the interaction.
2. Follow more blogs that inspire me. So many bloggers are selfish when it comes to following blogs and in reality we should be supporting our fellow bloggers. You know the saying....what goes around comes around. This applies to blogging too.
3. Comment more!! Let people know if you like a post. Your comment doesn't have to be an essay but just a few words of appreciation and please please please leave your URL so that your blog can be visited.
4. A good clear layout is essential to providing a good backdrop for your posts.
5. Post what inspires you. You can always tell when someone just isn't interested in what they post. When someone is interested in what they are writing about, it is a joy to read but when they are not, it is painful for all involved.

I hope you enjoy reading these rules and I would love to hear you feedback on all things mentioned in the post.