So instead, you can find 7 here, and below is my answers for Day 8! And of course, make sure to check out April's Challenge for all the deets and links and stuffs.
Day 8: 15 Bullet Points of Things That Appeal to You on Blogs!
Sure.
- I like a CLEAN blog. Not boring, and not necessarily minimalist, but just clean - not cluttered with tons of crap and flashing things and the world's busiest psychedelic background pattern.
- PERSONALITY. I don't want to read the same thing on every blog; I want to know who you are, and I want to feel like who you're showing isn't an act to lure people in - the point of blogging and vlogging - to me - is to connect, reader to reader.
- A decided DESIGN choice. This goes back to personality, a bit. Does your design reflect you and what you write about, because it's the first impression I get of the type of person you are. Everything from color scheme to banner to font choice says something - this isn't a make it or break it moment, of course, but when I come across one that really does say something about the blog owner, even subtly, it draws me in.
- PASSION. I don't care what it is you care about, when you're able to convey it, you may me care.
- CREATIVITY. It can be hard to come by, so when someone does something out of the box or just does what they like, whether it "wins" them followers or not, I take note and am much more likely to regularly visit.
- NO DRAMZ. I know it crops up now and again, and I'm not talking about rants here (see: next); I'm talking about those who seem to delight in stirring up drama, or try REALLY hard to garner attention, whether it be through negative reviews, puffed up angst, etc. I left middle school in middle school, and I'm content to let it stay there forever and ever, amen.
- RANTS. Sometimes you gotta vent. Plus, this goes back to #4, passion - if you're ranting, you're passionate, and I want to see what you're passionate about.
- HONESTY. In line with the rantingness, I just like people who are honest. Doesn't mean you have to be mean, if that's not your bag - but I don't want to be parroted the company line because you're afraid to step on toes, and I don't want to feel like I can't trust your reviews because I don't know whether you mean it or not. If you're honest about the good and bad, whatever they may be, then I can get a better picture of your tastes, and whether I'll like something based on that.
- NO CAPTCHA. Because captcha makes me go apeshit. True fact, I am 900% less likely to ever comment on your blog if it has captcha. I've even gone so far as to write out the entire comment, realize there was captcha, and then just say, Not worth it, and close the tab.
- NO NOISE. For the love of JEEBUS, bloggers, no autoplay! And you know what, I'm looking at you, too, Huffington Post. Fecking autoplay.
- VARIETY. I love niche blogs, too, and I love knowing I can go to a certain person for a certain thing. But I also like people who are just like, I'ma read what I want, whatever the hell that may be. It ups my chances of discovering something new.
- OPEN-MINDEDNESS. This goes a bit hand-in-hand with the above - I like people who are willing to give different stuff a try, and not sneer at YA/genre fiction/nonfiction/whatever's out of their niche. How do you know you won't like a genre if you refuse to try it*?
- HARD WORK. Now, blogging should be something you do for fun, so I'm not talking about slaving away and making this drudgery. But you can tell when someone puts their good stuff in - the work pays off, and I'm always impressed by it.
- DISCUSSION STARTERS. This is all about community for me, so I LOVE when someone takes the time to really think something out and try to create a dialogue and get people thinking and talking. Again: passion.
- OTHER THINGS. I dunno. What do I like about blogs? The ones I love may have some things in common, but they may not have a single thing in common - you never know. But they do have that intangible something that makes me glad they blog, and that makes me glad to have discovered them. =)
Those are numbers, not bullet points. But at least I didn't have to count!
*Yes, I know I've done this. We all have our biases. But I'm always impressed by people who will just dive in with a, why the hell not? attitude.
Captcha drives me nuts too. I mean how much spam do some of these blogs really get?
ReplyDeleteI really like what your wrote on your list, hard work is very important :)
ReplyDeleteDay 8 Book Blogger Challenge
Ah, yes! Personality. I like a bloggers with a personality that can show through their writing, otherwise it can be a little boring.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI just have it on moderation. I never use to, but I had people commenting with stuff like "Visit my blog!" Or "New Follower please follow me!" And I just didn't like that. Moderation also ensures me that I am able to read each one and respond if I need to.
ReplyDeleteI don't post as often as I want to due to working 7 days a week, and I don't get very many comments, but that doesn't bother me. I don't blog for attention or free stuff I just do it because it's a creative outlet.
I agree, with you on the creativity part, I love going to a blog and finding something different about it. There is one I like and the blogger doesn't review anything other then horror. It's the only all horror blog I've ever come across. She has a few others as well but her horror one is my favorite.
One reason I always come to your blog is the fun. Watching your videos and reading your posts are fun! I feel like I'm having a girls night with my friends, your very personable and a blogger where I'm like Misty would be awesome to hang out with and chat. Your personality really shines and I love that!
I love your FoF meme and the Fairytale Fortnight and Helluva Halloween that you do and I appreciate the work you put into them. Readers can tell how much you really care about what you are posting. I found your blog during one of those and the creativity and fun kept me coming back.
I also hate the drama! Last year there was a huge drama filled month and not going to lie I couldn't look away for 2 days I was reading opinions about what went down but with that incident, I think it needed to be talked about though some took it too far.
Okay, this is like the longest comment ever sorry!
Captcha is the bane of my existence. Comment moderation is certainly an option if you're having issues, but captcha makes me see red - and I KNOW I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteHard work and personality are key if you want to draw people in! Creativity is a bonus, and I certainly prize it where I find it.
And THANK YOU for your long comment, Moirae, and your kind words! I love when people are engaged and join the discussion, so long comments are never something requiring an apology, in my book! =D