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NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Eight Steps to a Successful Blog: Step 6 - Involve Readers!
Posted in Netbook PC | June 22, 2009 8am

The nature of a blog is that through the Comments section, readers have the opportunity to be involved. That’s an important element of blogging---inviting people who read what you write to comment on what you’ve written, to share their similar (or differing) experiences, or to weigh in on an issue here and there.Early in my blogging experience, I took it one step further. It started out when I came across a funny photo I’d taken. Immediately, when I saw the photo, a title popped into my mind; a rare clever moment, undoubtedly fueled by an extra cup of coffee that day. But then I thought to myself, “I wonder...I wonder how many different people would come up with a different title for this exact same photo?”From there, my “Give That Photo a Name” contests were born. I would post a photo, then invite readers to enter their suggested photo title in the Comments section of that post. I was astounded at the creativity. Astounded. Each suggested title was funnier than the last; it was like reading a script by great writers. It was then that it became clear to me that the people who read my site were just that---people. With their own individual lives and circumstances and experiences. And that I would be the better for it if I invited them to share themselves with me---and, in turn, the rest of the people reading my site. Now, when I have giveaways on my site, rather than just blindly ask people to enter by leaving their name and email address (BO-ring), I always require them to answer a question as well. The questions range from “What are you doing this weekend?” to “How worried are you about the economy?” to “What’s the meal you would want to eat on the last day of your life?” Reading through the answers is my favorite part; it always drives the point home that the internet, while sometimes tricky to negotiate, is filled with real, live humans. I love getting peeks into everyone else’s lives.While a blog, by definition, is about the author himself---it’s the author’s experiences, opinions, and writing that drives the content---the importance of reader engagement and interaction should never be underestimated. If I didn’t have a sense of the humanness and individuality of the people who read my site, blogging would be a totally different---and much less fulfilling---experience for me. Amen.________________________ ______Speaking of “involving readers”, if you love computers and have a list of “if only my computer had this” items, please: run, don’t walk to this page here on WEPC. I’ve been so busy waxing philosophical about blogging---which is the number one reason I need a good, functional computer in the first place---I hadn’t tried the tool on this website that allows you to “dream” up your ideal computer. There’s a tool on the page that you can use to “sketch” the notebook of your dreams.
I gave it a shot:
When you stop howling at my mouse-handwriting, go sketch your own ideal Notebook. It was fun! It was easy. And it was even more fun browsing all the other dream computers. Man...people are BRIGHT.Here’s the link again:  Sketch Your Dream Computer

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Eight Steps to a Successful Blog: Step 5 - Steer Clear of the F-Bomb
Posted in Netbook PC | June 17, 2009 11am

This piece of advice is very much open to opinion and debate, and out of the gate it’s already somewhat flawed since I could rattle off five very successful blogs that use F-bombs (and S-bombs and C-bombs [figure THAT one out. heh heh]) very freely. But I’m speaking in generalities here, so bear with me. First, let me preface: I watch action movies. I’ve seen The Sopranos. I grew up with a “vociferous” older brother...and I went through somewhat of a four-letter word phase myself back when I was coming of age, smoking Virginia Slim Ultra Light 100’s, and wearing turquoise eyeliner. But that’s another story for another time.My point is: I’m not writing this based on any sense of prudishness or naiveté.  However, I have noticed that the F-bomb seems to be cropping up more and more in personal blogs. And my overall thinking is that unless it’s somehow integral to the stories the author is writing, if it’s used overly gratuitously or recklessly, it doesn’t do much to contribute to a reader’s overall experience on the site. And in many cases, it’s pretty effective in turning people off---if not instantly, then over time.***I REPEAT: This is my opinion. This is my opinion. This is a recording.***When I write, while I’m careful not to censor thoughts or experiences (or ramblings), I remain mindful of the following:

My grandmother reads my website. And it’s not a fear of her scolding me if I were to rattle off four-letter words (though she would, but that’s not my point) that stops me---it’s that she just flat wouldn’t read my site anymore. How sad would that be? If my grandmother couldn’t read my website? The world would come to an end. Believe it or not, there are people---many people, actually---who are bothered by hearing and reading excessive swearing. I can sure reach my limit after awhile; “Deadwood” on HBO is one example. My husband watched it and I invested in an earplug company. So just be aware the use of colorful language will keep certain readers from your site who might otherwise enjoy your content.
My children read my website---at least, some of it. I’m not as concerned now as I am with the effect it would have later, when they’re young teenagers and I’m trying to teach them self control, creative expression, and propriety. Mom rattled off the F-bomb all over her website? Not sure about that one.
While four-letter words are, in rare cases, an authentic part of the author’s style (say, if the blogger is a mobster or a truck driver. Just kidding. Sorta.) more often than not they can come across as gratuitous or an attempt at shock value. Unless the language is an authentic part of the author’s story or experience, I think it can detract from the writing. Ever read Sense and Sensibility? Ever seen the movie? The F-Bomb doesn’t appear once, and I’m riveted from start to finish. In many cases, it takes much more writing skill not to break out the f-bomb than it does to include it. Again, just my opinion.

(That’s not to say The Sopranos wasn’t equally compelling. But the good writing, acting, and storylines were there to back it up.)So, in closing:What do you think about this? Do you think f-bombs (and their pesky cousins) detract from the writing on a blog? Do you avoid sites that use colorful language? Or do you not even notice the f-bombs? Do you think it’s such a natural part of the modern-day language that it’s no big deal? Whatever you do, when you answer...please don’t cuss me out. Love,Pioneer Woman

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Eight Steps to a Successful Blog: Step 4 - Make it Easy for Readers to Comment!
Posted in Netbook PC | June 10, 2009 9am

Comments!In my understanding, a blog is defined in two ways:1.    It allows daily journal entries2.    It allows comments/interaction from readersThose two things---the frequent updates and the interactive feedback from those who read them---are what make blogs special, dynamic, exciting places.I have commented on blogs before. If something a blogger has written has moved me or triggered a memory or made me feel a certain way, it’s only natural for me to want to respond, reply, react. Me too! Oh, I don’t know about that.I know exactly how you feel.I had a similar experience once.You’re totally messed up, man.(Okay, I’ve never said that last one. But I hope to at least once in my life.)My point is, comments are important. However...I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to have to register and log in and give my thumbprints and mother’s maiden name in order to comment on something a blogger has written. By the time I register or type it a secret code or login or get a full body scan, my reaction to what the blogger has written has somewhat subsided and more often than not, I lose interest and move on. There’s a blog out there. It’s a great blog. It’s a successful blog. It’s a blog that has frequent daily updates. I love the site. But their posts, on average, garner very few comments---sometimes none. And it isn’t because their content is not compelling and wonderful; it’s because the site requires that readers go through a complicated registration process in order to comment on posts on the site. It’s a wall. It’s too much work, and people are too busy.

On my weird site, I have always enjoyed the natural flow of open comments. Pretty much anyone can comment, even all those curious people named “Anonymous.” I don’t generally close comments on posts, because if people reading the posts don’t feel free to react...what’s the point of blogging? Though blogging is, by its very nature, focused solely on one person, it’s important to me that my site be just as much about the people who stop by and read. I talk enough about myself---I want to invite others to share what they know, too. I’ve said this before: the people who read my site have a lot more to say about the world than I do. So open comments are great and all. But that’s not to say, of course, that you shouldn’t have safeguards in place to prevent spam or abuse. Most blogging software provides for the ability to create a list of hot words or key words that you don’t want to appear in your comments. My list is filled with a colorful melange of every obscene four-letter word you could come up with. Sometimes I read the list and blush. Then I laugh. Then I crawl under my coffee table and suck my thumb. My reason for preventing the use of four-letter words in my comments is simple: I want to maintain a nice, safe community on Pioneer Woman. I don’t want people to feel like they can’t peruse the comments section without getting an eyeful. I don’t mind negative comments---that’s just part of being a blogger. But if I can keep the expletives to a minimum in my comments, I just feel better about my site.But that’s just me. That might not be your standard. You might choose to use your comment word filter to weed out anyone named Bob. You might use it to block out common spam words like “Viagra” or “Insurance” or...ahem...”Escort.&rd quo; (Trust me---they’re not talking about the nice young men who accompany a debutante to a ball.)Whatever approach you take, try to keep your comments as open as possible. There’s risk involved. Sometimes people will say things that give you pause. But it’s all good. And it’s all part of being a blogger.
The irony that you are required to type in a CAPTCHA code in order to comment on this post is not lost on me. But, while mildly annoying, CAPTCHA codes do provide safeguards to prevent spam, which I can't really argue with.Feel free to chime in about the things you like---or don't like---about comment sections on blogs.

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Eight Steps to a Successful Blog: Step 3 - Longterm, Get Your Own Domain
Posted in Netbook PC | May 25, 2009 8pm

Okay, wait. Let me begin by saying something really, really important:
If you are blogging very casually, if you are only blogging for close family and friends, for fun, for fancy, or for your own personal enjoyment, it is not necessary to purchase your own domain. Of course, if your last name is Adams and you want to buy theadamsfamily.com just for kicks...then go for it!
(Not that you’ll even be able to GET theadamsfamily.com because...well, let’s just say finding a domain name that hasn’t been taken is like finding a needle in a haystack. But we’ll talk about that later.)
Dot com. Dot net. Dot tv. Dot info. Domains Domains Domains! It’s such a twisted labyrinth. But if you’re looking to take your blog or website global (Tee hee. I love that word.) or make it at least seem more mainstream, you might want to look into leaving behind the subdomain URL that comes with many blog hosts and getting your own domain.
For those of you who might be unclear of what I’m talking about, let me explain:
Most free/low cost blogging hosts (Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress) give you a subdomain URL for your blog. So in my case, it would be “thepioneerwoman.blogspot.c om” or “thepioneerwoman.typepad.co m”. In those cases, Blogger owns the domain blogspot.com and gives Blogger bloggers a subdomain under their domain.
My own domain, on the other hand, would be (and is!) thepioneerwoman.com.
When I started blogging, I used Blogger. My URL for the first six months of my blog was “pioneerwoman.blogspot.com� ��.
Then I moved to Typepad. My URL then became “pioneerwoman.typepad.com� �. At that point, I had about four readers (okay, five), so while it was a little inconvenient to tell everyone to switch their bookmarks, it wasn’t that bad.
Then I decided I didn’t like having such a long domain, and one involving more than one “dot”. It was more difficult telling friends and family about it, and resulted in confusion. So I wound up purchasing the domain “thepioneerwoman.com”, and it’s been the same ever since.
Now, don’t confuse owning your own domain with having to host and design your own blog! That’s not the case. While my blog was a Typepad blog, I simply pointed (redirected) my own domain, thepioneerwoman.com TO my Typepad blog. So the only URL I had to give people who were interested was thepioneerwoman.com. The same is true for Blogger blogs or any other free blog you might have. All you have to do is ask your domain registrar (GoDaddy, com, NetworkSolutions.com, etc.) to redirect it to your blog. Done!
This came in handy in Fall 2007, when I finally struck out on my own and moved to a custom design on my own server. If I had kept using my pioneerwoman.typepad.com URL a year earlier, I would have had to tell everyone to change their bookmarks again, just as I’d asked them to change them when I switched from Blogger to Typepad.
Are you dizzy yet?
_________________________
To purchase your own domain, you have to find a domain registrar. There are scads of them out there: Network Solutions, GoDaddy, etc. I happen to use GoDaddy, well, just because, but I don’t know enough about the other registrars to recommend for or against any one registrar. Just shop around a bit...and don’t overpay!
Next, and this is the hilarious part, you have to actually find a domain that hasn’t already been taken! If you’ve ever tried to buy a domain before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s tough, especially if the name of your blog is anything mainstream at all. Sometimes it takes days of searching for different incarnations and combinations before you finally find one that’s available.
Searching for domain names you want is not a cakewalk.
But if you keep searching, you’ll find one. And while you don’t need to rush into anything right when you begin blogging, having your own domain longterm can really bump your blog up to the next level, give it somewhat of a more legitimate/professional feel, and---most importantly---will follow you around wherever you and your website decide to go.
theend.com
(Think that one’s taken yet?...)