Are you making any of these blogging blunders? Originally posted in 2008, this post remains one of the highest points of entry here on Life with My 3 Boybarians. Hope this helps you. Would love to hear what you think are the biggest blogging blunders. Here are my top 10:
1. Being totally anonymous.
It isn’t necessary to reveal confidential information like your last name or city to establish that you are a real person. But revealing something about yourself lends your blog credibility. As your reader, I want to know what we have in common, what we don’t and what I can learn from you. Introduce yourself in a descriptive about me profile, or consider having a page or post that tells a little about you.
2. Never showing your face.
How do I know you’re not really a Canadian man? Or a spammer? Adding your photo to your profile or somewhere on your bio where it can be seen is another step in telling your readers that you’re real. In a world when 1:4 blogs is manned by a robot, we want to see your smiling face.
3. Always apologizing.
If you start each post with, “I am so sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve blogged, but I promise I will post more regularly…” then we don’t hear from you? You’ve lost us.
4. Nagging on your family.
Unless your niche is the “angry ex-wife niche”, posts that insult your spouse, your mother-in-law, your co-workers makes you appear untrustworthy. If you need a place to write and vent, consider making a separate, private blog for those journal entries that are better left unseen. Anything you write on your blog could potentially be seen by your spouse, your mother-in-law, your coworkers or any boss – present or future.
5. Not running spell-check or proof-reading.
You don’t have to be a white-hat grammarista to have a well-written blog. But do run spell check and read over your post before hitting publish.
6. Cutesy wootsy posty titles.
Consider your post title carefully. It is the salesman of your writing. If you write a brilliant post and name it something irrelevant, the readers won’t click through. Consider the main topic. Be engaging. Remember high school English? Make your post title a twitter-like, 140-character summary of what to expect in your post.
7. Busy, cluttered sidebars.
This isn’t the TGIF restaurant. You aren’t required to wear 10 pieces of flair. Putting stuff on your sidebars for the sake of stuff is messy, cluttered and makes your readers feel claustrophobic. We don’t know where to look if you give us too many choices. Remove anything that doesn’t aid navigation, help us find your content, earn you revenue, or promote your networking. Streamline your categories, remove dead links, minimize stuff.
8. Automatic Music.
Fergoodnesssakes, if your blog plays music when I arrive, I’m leaving. I haven’t even had a chance to know what you have to say because you’ve just scared me with unexpected noise. Once upon a time this was new and trendy and very few blogs did it, but what happens when everyone can? The blogosphere becomes a noisy, startling, annoying place. Lose the music. Yesterday.
9. Making comments closed or difficult. Being unreachable.
A blog isn’t a one-way street. Allow your readers to engage and respond even if they disagree. Do you have a captcha or word verification on your comments? Why? The purpose of word verification is to limit and filter the number of comments. As a reader, if I see the word verification, I honor her choice to limit feedback and I do not comment. If you prefer comments and open communication, make it easy.
10. Links that don’t tell where they are going.
Click here.
Really? How do I know I want to go “here”…? As a reader, I want to know where the link takes me. Used sparingly, and well-placed in context, a clickable ‘here’ isn’t going to break your blog. But the rule of thumb for links is make it obvious where you are taking your readers.
These are 10 very basic things you can do to improve your blog. Easy enough, right?
With these few simple tips, you can make sure your blog is welcoming and inviting to all your online guests.
Happy blogging!
{ 72 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice tips Darcy
They're pretty simple, but you're definitely right in that they make a HUGE difference! I for one am totally with you on the non-musical blogs bus.
I am so guilty of #3! But you have to keep reading me. Family rule.
Good stuff…and I'm SO with you on 4 and 8!!!
Can I just say "Amen, sister!" to #'s 5, 8, and 9? I know a lot of my blog friends have music, so I may step on some toes, but I often read late at night after everyone else has gone to bed. Music on a blog not only gives me a heart attack, but runs the risk of waking people up. Not good.
I may be guilty of #7. I know I'm borderline, but, oh, if you only knew how much stuff I've already moved off my sidebars.
Thanks for the great tips. As for the word verification, I turned it on when I started getting spam comments when I first started blogging. I might have to try going open again.
Great tips!! I hate finding comments closed. I do moderate my comments somewhat – I don't actually moderate, but I have to approve the 1st comment from someone so WordPress recognizes their email address the next time around. I've tried doing it wide open, but the spam was just out of control! Maybe I should go to that and do a once-a-day mass deletion of spam.
Install Akismet! It’s a pretty powerful WP plug in that will put a stop to those annoying spam comments on Wordpress blogs.
I think I'm ok except for #7. Maybe you should host a "decluttering your blog" party! Giving us steps of things to remove. I'd bring the crackers and cheese.
I finally took the word verification off mine. Initially it was because I was getting all sorts of spam comments. Go figure.
And I am ever-so-guilty on number 7 {ahem} and number 8 ~ don't even get me started!
Jolanthe
Great, concise list…many of these I have already learned from you.
Yep, you were the one to tell me that word verification is a nuisance and I didn't even know I had it on when I first started blogging. 
So grateful.
LaLaGirl –
Great point! Yes, that is the Wordpress default. Doing it once will not hinder your readers, particularly those who know that's just how WP works.
Akismet on WP is a must-have plug in for WP users to reduce spam!
Those of you who had blogs targeted by spam-bots…
temporarily using captcha will get you off that short list so you can soon open your comments back up. Just let your readers know with a brief note in your sidebar that this is a temporary move, you are being targeted and you will remove it ASAP.
-Darcy
Word verification– THANK YOU so much for bringing this up. Please, please, please everyone take off your word verification!!!
I'm with you on music, too. I've been scared one too many times. And the music some people chose scares me off before I can even read a post!
A decluttering party might be good, though!!
Seriously EASY stuff but GREAT. Wonderful post!
I also put on word verification because of comments unrelated to my posts. I personally don't have a problem with typing in a word verification, but now I see a lot of people do. I don't discriminate on agree or disagree when I approve a comment. The only ones I do not approve are those that are non-related comments. It seems I will have to try taking it off one more time.
Also, the reason you do not see my picture on my blog is because I almost instantly delete any pics of myself that show up on my camera! I hate pictures of myself.
Does this one really make a big difference?
Those ae great tips, thanks! I may have been guilty of a couple.
This was so good, Darcy! A couple of the tips I have thought I needed to implement, and your post just solidifies that. I do have a question…how can I convince my internet-paranoid husband that the word verification thing is not helping keep spam out that much? He would like me to keep it, but I want to chunk it, for the very reason you gave. Any advice?
I’ve actually been wondering about the whole anonymity thing for a while now.
What would you recommend for someone (*cough* like me) that didn’t think about sharing her name, children’s names, etc. . . with the world when she started her blog?
Come up with code names for the children and go back and change all the posts? Leave it as is?
Good stuff! I've got to get a post up about the conference, too.
Now you need to do a post on why it is so easy to make the blogging mistakes.
Well, you are a witness to the fact that I am not "totally" anonymous since we've actually met in the flesh. Which, btw, I have pictorial proof of same and will send you to edit if you agree to take about 15 lbs. of that flesh off me before using it. (Since I've done that in reality I don't feel too dishonest in asking.)
Thanks for the points. I agree whole-heartedly about the annoyance of word verification and blog music.
I really don't mind word verification, but the music. . . I can't focus on what I'm reading and have lyrics going through my head at the same time.
Great tips! All soooo true!
Good tips! I have to agree wholeheartedly about the music thing!
So with you on the music… ACK! Especially when I'm being bad and on the laptop in bed while the house is sleeping. One too many times I have startled hubby awake with blognoise. Not good… not at all.
Alright I'm guilty. I eliminated my word verification and I turned off the music…sigh…
these are great tips. i would also add that making your email link up to your blog profile makes it so much easier to reply to questions. having an email available as a blogger or a commenter is important.
Yeah – the music thing always gives me a heart attack even if I love their song choice! I'm guilty of leaving the word ver on just cuz I haven't gotten to it yet.
But the family nagging/griping thing is my most irritating. I'm actually amazed at the feel you can get for a person's personality in cyberspace and that one jsut rubs me the wrong way.
Appreciate your thoughts, once again!
Heh, I actually don't mind music on blogs – IF (and this is a BIG IF) there's on/off options. Preferably, it's off and I can choose to turn it on. I find it a fun way to discover new tunes – particularly if the person has contemporary Christian tunes in the player. I've fallen in love with some good songs that way!
…However, I know that many people can't stand music players, so I don't have one.
Word verification never bothers me, takes what, three seconds to type it? I don't even know if mine is set up, 'spose I could check..just never seemed a big deal… ?
Comments closed drives me nuts though.. heh, and it always seems that when they're closed, I have something I really really REALLY want to say LOL
Great post! Amen to all the above especially the automatice music.
Thanks for the great tips! I am totally with you on #8. If I hear music blaring as soon as I click on a blog, I'm outta there!
Ah a blogging kindred spirit. I agree with everything you listed.
Well done!
Great advice. ALL of it. And I've even passed the entire test!
As for music, I'm pretty quick with the mute button on my keyboard these days. Get a keyboard with a mute button. Awesome..
Donna
Love it Darcy! I quit reading a blog one day when the writer went off on her MIL. Not cool!
I'll be contacting you soon about a project I'm working on with a friend!
MJ
I agree about the no music. When someone hosts a meme, and I click on the link and have two different songs playing at the same time is CRAZY!
As for side bar pictures, I like them.
I do use word verification, isn't that supposed to keep spam and junk mail type comments away?
Great tips, Darcy! I will amen you on many of those, esp. music and letter verification on comments. Both of those are BIG pet peeves of mine too. I'm coming to the conference & look forward to your segment!
These tips are fantastic! I wish I could remember how I clicked over here, but I got so involved in read in your post I can't remember now!
I think nagging posts should be a rarity indeed but if someone has a blog and never mentions anything funky going on in their life I know they are a fraud and not being real. Just sayin….And I'm turnin off my music I just put on. I had no idea it was so offensive. Taking it off right now.
Thanks for the tips.
I will forever think of you when I click on a blog and hear music! Hilarious and great tips!
Oh how fantastic! I always want to comment… please turn off your word verification… it's so annoying.
Music…. hate it too!
Oh, Darcy, this is such good advice! And I'm rolling along trying to follow your very first piece of advice to me–CONSISTENCY! You write so well, and your tips are wonderful. Thank you for sharing yourself and encouraging others to do the same.
I laughed out loud on the music one!! HATE HATE HATE music.
I don't have a blog, but good tips…
Sarabeth
GREAT list of tips!!
add me to the list who can't STAND music on a blog! Like you, I'm outta there if there's music.
I have a few friends w/music on theirs, and I don't know how to tell them that it's a big turn off to many people – I'm afraid they'll take it as being "bossy" LOL
~TidyMom
Amen on #8!!!! I've learned to mute my music whenever I get ready to view the blogs I follow! It becomes a real issue when you're viewing a blog, open a blog link within their blog only to find they're playing music on theirs as well . . . now you have two totally different songs playing at the same time! Arrrggh! Thanks for all the great tips!
Patti
I guess I'm a bad blogger then.
I love music on blogs. And I have it on mine.
I get tons of compliments on it!
I removed it once for a few months, just to see if the reaction would be different and I had FLOODS of emails asking me to bring it back, so I did.
I do, however, keep the player at the very top of my blog so it's easy to click off if someone wants to. And the first song is one that starts very softly so it doesn't startle anyone. (I'm sick to death of that song, but it has a gret start so I keep it.)
I almost never post pictures of myself on my blog, just because I'm not comfortable in front of the camera.
I guess the nice thing about blogging is different strokes for different folks!
Very Nice list of tips!
I guess I don't care a whole lot about a picture on your blog as long as i can find one if I see you on a social site (Twitter, facebook..)
The music is a definate way to get me to leave fast. Or the little people that walk out on the screen & start talking (looks cool but, drives me nuts). I would say you can have a music player but, let me turn it on if I would like to listen. It is also a way to stop readers that may be on dial up or slow connections. The page with auto music loads so slow they may just leave.
I kinda think it is funny when someone has a post complaining about everday life, even if it is not a personal blog. It shows me they are real (just like me).
Great blog you have here! I found it as your link got passed through my Twitter stream.
Although I don't have word verification on mine, I don't really mind it. It only adds a few seconds, and I guess it just doesn't bother me. (Although it does bother me if they are hard to read.)
I totally agree about the music! Augh! Unless I really, really want to see what it is that I have clicked on, I will often leave as soon as it starts (unless I can very plainly see where to turn it off). Plus, it surprises me every time it happens.
I once had a blog that I read that I really enjoyed, but it had closed comments. I finally just got tired of the fact that I could never chime in, and unsubscribed from the feed, even though I really liked it.
I'm going to link to your post later this weekend.
Wow! I had no idea that the music was SO hated! I guess I will be taking mine off…but will do so sadly. Most of the time my song relates to my post–but I certainly don't want my blog to be annoying(I thought it was charming). We'll just see if I get any more followers after I remove…if not, its back to annoying music for the old blog.
Thanks for all the tips!
Thanks for sharing your advice with those of us who are novice bloggers. I don't mind music at all when I visit blogs since it's pretty easy to just click and turn it off. Of course, you know that since I said that…I love the music on my blogs!!!!
After all…it's what makes the owner of the blog happy if it's just for pleasure and not income!!!
Have a blessed Sunday!!!
I am a brand spanking new blogger, so I appreciated reading your tips. I am still learning a lot of things. Hopefully, I will be improving the look soon. BTW, I love your layout.
Rhon
Great list. I also can't stand music on blogs!
I probably am guilty of #7, but I love clicking on buttons and links in people's sidebars. I don't like sidebars filled with product advertisements.
Very well said! (#10 is something that has irked me for the longest time!)
Great tips! I'm really with you on the photo thing. I want to know who is talking to me! I think all of us can find some way to take a photo that looks OK, even if we are insecure about our looks.
I always had my word verification turned off and then I started getting spam. I'm usually pretty good with technology, but I couldn't figure out how to delete my comments.
So, I turned on the word verification. I really want to turn it back off, so please let me know if you have advice! I read your comments to WP users, but I'm on blogger.
Thanks for the tips! They are very timely and as I am relatively new to blogging very appreciated. I went right away and got rid of the music and added my photo again. A friend went on and on about privacy and had me a little freaked out. Thanks again!
These were good guidelines for people who want to increase traffic on their blog. I think some of these are personal preferences because it's never bothered me if someone doesn't have their picture in the blog, I've just always thought that they want to keep potential stalkers away. Sometimes word verification is annoying if it's difficult to see the letters but generally I understand the need for it and definitely keep on visiting the blog
this was useful. thanks!
As a new blogger, I found these tips helpful–thank you for taking the time to compile them!
OK, ok, I will take the music off my blog. Valid point stated well.
Your boys are precious by the way.
Thanks for making me laugh with your 10 tips.
Oh my goodness, those are great! I’m new at blogging, and still figuring my blog-self out, but those are all things that have perturbed me in my blogsurfing adventures! Especially the spell-check. Just this morning I came across a photography site that had beautiful pictures, but there were misspelled family members names (they’d be spelled one way in the title and a different way in the post)as well as misspelled words in every post. Guess how long I stayed on? Another one that bothers me is being linked to an “invitation only” blog. Seriously? Maybe there is a legitimate reason for this, but I haven’t thought of it.
Hi Darcy,
I love your suggestions here and I want to ask you if you would please review my blog and then email me what your honest thoughts are? But then again, I read how you’ll leave once you hear music and I actually do have music playing on my automatically. But would you mind doing a little suggestion/thought review anyhow? I, of course, did not create my design but donated to someone else to do so, but I did add all the sidebar ’stuff’ (mainly button links, or actual links) and of course everything else printed on there is from me as well.
I’m in the works of creating a website for my photography shots (though I’m still far from being a Pro like your hubby is), but the lady that did my blog said she doesn’t do flash headers, which I would love to having showing some various images I took with my camera.
Do you have a tab that shows your fees for designing sites or just custom flash headers? What about if I say I’m related to you or your hubby, would that decrease the cost??? I’m not though, but what if I were to say I was? Would it deduct anything? LOL….can’t keep that going to well! LOL!
Nice to meet you. Love you site and what you’ve done with your husbands professional header as well. Looks awesome!!
Read your tips with interest… I’m sticking with my music. It’s part of who I am and is part of the atmosphere of my blog. I’ve had many, many compliments on my music choices, people even telling me that they have the blog on for background music at work and they say it’s soothing, relaxing, and they’ve been exposed to musician’s they would not have been exposed to before. The ones that don’t like the music, they can turn off/down their speakers–or go to a different blog. It’s my blog and I love it.
I just found your blog and I love this post. Automatic music irritates the SNOT out of me. You want music on your blog? That’s great……but please leave it up to ME whether I want to listen or not. If my computer has been left at full volume (by my kids) and I click onto a blog with auto-music? I immediately rush to shut it down. End of story.
I’m very new to the blog world, but I’ve been around just long enough to know I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. As for the comments section….I have all of my comments e-mailed to me first so I can approve or moderate them. This technique came in handy last week when I got a spam message.
I agree with all but #9. I dont mind putting in code words IF I can read them! Some are so fuzzy I can not decipher what the letters are. I know I am old but hey! I am still learning and I have three blogs, and one web domain. Loving the world of blogging, and great photography!!
Great advice! I especially agree with the messiness of the sidebar. I like a clean blog! Yours is clean. I like that. Some people like chaos, and that’s fine, it’s just not for me!
SarahinSC´s last blog ..Photo Improvement Contest – May 3 2010
Thanks for your advice. I am enjoying the new blog I started in January and would like to make it as reader-friendly as possible. I got several tips from your site that I will implement.
Sherry @ A Happy Valentine
Sherry´s last blog ..Pink Saturday
Great tips.
The comment captcha…. never thought about that making it difficult. I honestly thought it was a security feature. Better look into removing that!
I love how much you use your footer on your blog. I think a lot of people forget it as being an option when preparing their design.
Crystal & Co´s last blog ..Womans Day Planner Winner!
Great post! I know I have broken 6, 7, &10 at various times in my blogging career.
BTW, more people have landed on my post “Legal Stimulants” than any other post. I am sure they are disappointed with what they find and it is a good reason to avoid cutsie titles.
I should have titled it French Vanilla Creamer Recipe.
Laughing! I have been reading a few of your blog entries. and. i . love. you. (well okay, not like , litterally, I’m stalking you kind of love) Straight forward good reads. I’ll be followin’ ya! btw- I HAVE to add, I sooo agree with you on the music thing. One of my favorite blogs has a “theme song”(?) ugh. So annoyed. I try to read the posts as QUICk as I can and get out of there before it kicks in.
Amy {aka MommaHen}´s last blog ..and the winner is
Seriously, you are turned off by word verification?! Do you want every blogger in the world to be so overrun by spam that we have to turn off all commenting, period? I totally agree with most of your list – and with the spirit of #9 – but I have to completely disagree with your interpretation of that one. The purpose of of word verification (or partially moderated comments, usually) is NOT to limit comments; it’s to limit SPAM comments. I, for one, get dozens of spam comments for each real comment, even with other spam-protective measures in place. I currently don’t have a captcha, but I totally understand that their purpose is to ensure that you, the commenter, are a real person and not a ‘bot (See #’s 1 & 2
), and sufficiently appreciate the time invested in those blogs I read to spend the half a second it takes to type a word that helps those bloggers save hours of spam filtering.
Rachel R.´s last blog ..First Day of School
I liken it to inviting dinner guests over, welcoming them into my home, but then putting a padlock on the refrigerator.
It’s up to the blogger to create an environment that welcomes conversation and encourages feedback – even if the feedback is aggressive or hostile or disagrees with them. That’s the true spirit of conversation! Word verification comes off as a bit unwelcoming.
With the use of Akismet, a list of common spam words in the comment filter, moderating comments with 2 or more links (a sure sign of spamming is including links), it’s not necessary to have humans try and fumble through a messy filter. There are automated ways to do it that don’t require anything by the readers. Those ways make for a much more user-friendly experience. You should do the comment filter work on your end so they don’t have to. It’s a courtesy to your reader.
Having readers stop by is a privilege. We should make it as easy for them as possible to participate. I want my blog to feel like a community – not a one way street where I speak at people and they can speak back after completing tasks.
This isn’t possible for Blogspot bloggers, and I totally understand the lack of technology is working against them. But Wordpress bloggers have the power to do the work on their end so their readers don’t have to. I love Wordpress!
In that case, if it’s necessary because of a lower-end tech blog, like Blogspot – having the word verification visible is better. Knowing I’ll have to earn my ability to leave a comment is much better than having it pop up as a sneak-attack after the fact.
Thanks for the feedback. Always appreciate conversation ’round here.
Actually, blogspot bloggers now have spam protection. It is automatic and you do not have to set it up. Since added, it has caught all of the spam in English and most in Japanese.
If a blogspot blogger does not feel comfortable relying on the spam protection, then I recommend allowing all comments, including anonymous, but putting comment moderation on posts older than 1 week. Spammers usually hit the older posts, hoping to escape your notice.
No kidding? That’s fantastic news. WTG Blogger! I knew it was a matter of time before they upped their protection for their bloggers.
Great news!
I do have Akismet, and I do have comments with more than 2 links on moderation. I still get spam. So I liken it more to inviting people over, but keeping the front door locked until they knock and I let them in – because I know there are thugs in the neighborhood.
I do definitely prefer it, though, when all comment “hurdles” are visible up-front; I hate going through multiple steps to get a comment posted. (And I really don’t like Blogger pop-up comment windows. They never work right for me, so I pretty much never comment on blogs that use them.)
Interesting point, though, about moderating comments on older posts. It is true that the spam is most often on less recent posts.
Thanks for all the food for thought.
Rachel R.´s last blog ..First Day of School