Blogging 201, Day Ten: Give ‘Em What They Want, II

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“Blogging isn’t about publishing as much as you can: It’s about publishing as smart as you can” Jon Morrow

Blogging 201, Day Ten: Give ‘Em What They Want, II

Today’s assignment: create a poll and/or a survey to collect feedback from your readers on your site and its content.

Why do this?

– Because data deepens your understanding of what readers love (or don’t love).– 
– Because data can illuminate traffic drops and boosts you might see in your blog’s stats.

First off, thank you a great many for this excellent and interesting Blogging201 event. The assignments have been of interest and even needful for myself and I really have learnt a lot and gained new blogging buddies during the process too!

That being said, regarding today’s assignment:

I have had the illusion, in which blogging can be everything and nothing. You can be either a professional blogger or a writer posting your own thoughts, images, what have yous.

As for myself, I am mainly writing for myself. As for what ever else I do, photography, videography, songs, poetry, etc, I am truly happy if anyone else enjoys what I have to offer, but, I absolutely will not change my direction, my style or the things I do if there are those who do not like them. I will always try on new things, but that usually comes from within, not by suggestion. Well, that is not entirely true, someone may suggest something and I will pick up on that, but still do it my own way. I love prompts, but I usually do not follow the guidelines exactly, rather add my own twist to them.

Of course I am interested in statistics and how many likes I get, who wouldn’t be! But then again, you cannot always please everyone every time.

To summarize my ranting, polls and surveys are not for me, not for my current blog at least.

Related posts: An Homage to Bloggers

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An Homage to Bloggers

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“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself” Pat Conroy

An Homage to Bloggers

The blogging day is done
And the time has come
To finally move along
Maybe, even with a song

So let’s all keep blogging
Even while jogging
Do not believe in flopping
And around the www keep popping

 

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Photography: Brazil – Manaus 2005

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Gun Roswell's avatarRantings Of A Third Kind

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Blogging 201, Day Nine: The Buddy System

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“All blogs have one faithful reader at least – Google bot”

Blogging 201, Day Nine: The Buddy System

Now, we want you to think about taking a friendship to the next level, so you’ll have that support once Blogging 201 ends. We know commitment can be scary, but it’s time.

Today’s assignment: find a blogging buddy. If appropriate, plan to publish guest posts on one another’s blogs.

If you don’t see guest posters as an option for your blog, that’s totally fine. You can find a buddy to lean on for feedback and support, minus the guest posting.

Why do this?

  • Because your blogging buddy is sure to tell their friends and followers about their guest post on your site, bringing you some potential new followers and maybe even a traffic bump.
  • Because collaborating spawns post ideas you can both use to fill out your editorial calendars.
  • Because it’s always more fun to do something with a friend — especially a naturally community-oriented activity like blogging. You can laugh, make mistakes, teach one another, learn, and have fun supporting each other along the way.

Personally, I am happy to work solo for the moment. I already feel the overwhelming support and feedback given by my fellow bloggers and followers, which helps and encourages me to do even more. Ideas I have plenty of, but time, or rather lack there of, is the enemy. Working full time and running a blog as “a second job” is filling all my spare time quite nicely and then some. Therefore, concentrating on my own blog and checking out the other sites on the side will have to do for now.

If and when I am ever blogging as a full time paid blogger, then I will seriously consider hosting some events and getting even more friendly with the neighbours. And maybe I also have time to do the “buddy thing”.

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It’s A Human… No, It’s A Drag Race!

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“We are all born naked and the rest is Drag” – RuPaul

It’s A Human… No, It’s A Drag Race!

This is Ixavier Lasloth coming live from the Galaxy near you!

Our news team is currently orbiting a small bluish rock in the farthest corner of the known universe. We are here to observe the supposedly dominant occupants of this planet they have named “Earth”. These people seem to be involved in something called the “human race”, although as to where and when the race will take place is still unclear.

We are here to observe the ritualistic behaviour of this particular species, whose skin colour is varying from a pinkish hue to darker brown shade or sometimes even red. Some of them are covered in a thick fur like layer, while others remain neutral and satisfied in their original skin.

We are in disguise to avoid any panic our…

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Ode to My Little Car

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Gun Roswell's avatarRantings Of A Third Kind

“Good things come in small sizes”

Ode to My Little Car

It was a tiny little thing
Not the prettiest of the lot
The name had a soft ring
Almost like a plot

Fiesta…
Siesta…

Round and round in paces
Could see the look on others faces
‘Surely that is not the car to buy’
‘To her money she would kiss goodbye’

Trying it on for size I did
Smiling like a little kid
Spite what others may have though
This car was surely bought

It wasn’t quite what expected
Less is not more, had to respect it

Tempted by a car with muscle
The salesman tried to hustle
Something made me turn to look
The little car had gotten me hooked

Back and forth I went
Trying not to get bent
It was calling me I could hear
Trying hard not to get near

But
Fear not
Reason won in…

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From favourite TV character idolizing to borderline obsession

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Gun Roswell's avatarRantings Of A Third Kind

“Everything is the same as always”

From favourite TV character idolizing to borderline obsession 

We all have our favourite TV shows and in them the characters we like, some more than others. And at some point the line between liking and obsession starts to disappear and then you realize it is time to wake up, put the kettle on, the cat out for a pee and admit ‘it’s just a TV show’!

It is generally believed the TV audiences do not want anything new and exciting. They want the same old plot twists and familiar characters to appear on their small screen every week. Major dynamics’ changes between the characters or the plotline may not go well with the viewers.

Let’s face it; for most people, it’s best everything to be as black and white as possible:

The good guy needs to wear ‘the white hat’ while the bad…

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Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, and some more Coffee…

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Gun Roswell's avatarRantings Of A Third Kind

“There really is no life before the first pot of coffee in the morning”

 

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee and some more Coffee…

Since the dawn of time when humans first dropped down from the trees and started walking, their first trip must have been to the closest Starbucks for some coffee.

Remember the classic film “2001: A Space Odyssey” and first scene where the prehistoric man is bewildered when a big black block lands before him? What if instead of the monolith a giant cup of coffee would have landed? I think we would have evolved much faster and would be more advanced today if that would have been the case 😉

But let’s move forward in time and to present day.

I have dropped in a quite a few suggestions (read request) in our office “suggestion box“: Add to the list of necessary office supplies an IV drop filled…

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