Quietly and without fanfare, Maxabella loves... turned one yesterday. A whole ONE. Of course, I wanted a street parade (with bunting) (and a brass band) (and probably some marching servicemen – no, wait, that was Anzac Day), but foolishly I elected to have a mini-blogging break instead. The whimper approach to celebrating.
Devastatingly underwhelming to an over-celebrator like myself. So I've come back a day earlier than anticipated, just to say 'yay'.
'Yay,' she said.
I’m that amazed that a whole year has gone by in Maxabellaland that I feel the need to mark the occasion somehow. A quick whip around some favourite ‘older’ blogs tells me that the traditional first anniversary thing to do is a ‘what I’ve learned about blogging’ post. What fun! I’m always up for a chance to show off – however ungrounded in reality the showing off may be. But since I’m not particularly wise as to what makes my own blog tick - and honestly I'm hopeless at all that SEO and meta tags and traffic stats and hyperhystericalwhyamIblogging testing (I made that up, did you notice?) - instead I thought I’d post a bit about what I like in other blogs.
I like a short post
Long posts are hard to make time for. Long posts tend to waffle on a bit. I confess that I will probably skim read any post longer than about half a page. Sorry, but I do. We need to remember that as bloggers we are both the writer and the editor. I think the editor bit gets forgotten a lot.
I like a focus
Be it your children, your art, your love of pretty pictures, your business, your dog (okay, probably not your dog, but that’s just me)... whatever it is, make something the main focus of your blog. Just so it all hangs together well. I guess your blog's focus could be product reviews and social service announcements and the like, but I'm sorry (snore) I'm unlikely to read them.
I like the unassuming blog
By that I mean that you assume I know nothing. So you’ve probably got a little ‘about me’ page or blurb somewhere. All the main characters in your blog are introduced and well-explained so if I’m new to your blog I can quickly see who’s who in the zoo. And if you refer to something you've blogged about before, please add a link to your old post so I can play catch up. This way, I feel like I can become part of your little community quickly and easily.
I like a story-teller
You can tell by my reference to ‘characters’ in the point above. Your blog is your story. Your posts are your (short!) chapters. Tell your story in an engaging, authentic way and I’ll always be back for more.
I like a topical blog
You’re posting about things that matter in your life right now. A rebuttal to a newspaper article you read on the weekend (Jacinta Tynan articles are always a good bet here); a reflection on the way a new trend fits in with your own life (wearing hot pants at school pick up – yes or no?); something important that’s happened in your life that you want to mull over a little with your blogging buddies. I want to believe that we’re talking to each other about meaningful things that are going on right now. And let’s face it, if your posts are topical, then your readers will really, really want to comment. And you’ll like that a lot.
I like engagement
I love to read other people's blogs probably even more than I like writing my own. I try to make the time to comment on most posts I read, most of the time. I go through lengthy patches where a quick read on the train is all I can commit to, but I do try. I adamantly believe that reading, commenting and engaging with other people’s blogs is the key to being successful on your own. So, make it as easy as possible for people to talk to you.
I like it on the blogs best
I like it when you email me a reply to my comment, but I don't expect it. I've never done this, it looks like a bit of a chore to be honest. I take on board all the comments I receive on every post and my response hopefully pops up somewhere on my blog in the not to distant future. I try not to be too neglectful by emailing you direct if you ask me a question - um, most of the time. I feel slack now... let me know if you need some email love and we'll sort it out!
I like secrets
Always be snugly comfortable with what you’re putting out there, but don’t be afraid to be a little bit raw. I like the pretty blogs with the pretty people and the pretty lives, but I think I would be just as happy reading about them in a magazine. I like the blogs that keep it real a whole lot more. Real is a beautiful thing in blog world.
At the risk of making this an even longer post (see how waffly a long post can be!) I’ll be off now. But thank you all very, very much for supporting Maxabella loves... through my first year. Only once (maybe twice) so far have I ever thought it might become Maxabella loved...
What sort of blogs do you most like to read? Why do you think they work so well?
What do you think works on your own blog? Do you care much?
_____________________________________________
edited later the same day...
I just want to say that, of course, some long posts are amazing.