It’s been awhile since I’ve done a blog post on Blog Tips. I figure it’s time for a few tips and I want to open up some items for discussion.
no-reply blogger
I’ll start off with the dreaded noreply-comment@blogger.com. Looky there, Windows Live Writer even thinks it is an email address. It is NOT an email address. Did you know that I subscribe to my own blog via google reader, and email? I do that so I can see how others see my posts when they read them in their reader or their inbox. I have noticed lately that when I see my post in google reader it introduces me as by noreply@blogger.com (gail). I have suggested okay, nagged bloggers forever to not be noreply. I also subscribe to my own comments which easily allows me to reply to comments from my inbox. If you are a noreply-comment blogger then I am unable to write you an email.
Here is my question. When I leave a comment on your blog do you get the dreaded noreply comment thing? If you have written me, and I have not responded it is because I have NOT received your email.
If YOU are a no-reply blogger, is it by choice? The way to not be a no-reply blogger is to have your email address linked to your profile. Do I have my email linked? Yes, I do. That is what is so confusing.
Link Parties
Okay, now we have that out of the way, can we talk about link parties? Do you know I have NEVER (well maybe once or twice) knocked on someone’s door and said “Hey, I’d love for you to link this project up to my party”. I try to limit linking my project up to no more than 6 link parties. I only do 6 parties when it is a very favorite project that I want to share with everyone! How do you feel when you see a blog post linked to upwards of 25 link parties?
How about linking back? I have so many people who link up to Catch as Catch Can and don’t link back on the post. Do you link back in your post, or do you have a link party page? If you DO have a link party page, when is the last time YOU clicked on someone else’s to do some surfing? 
Do you pin? I have pinned, but not much. Years ago I saved all my inspiration to a folder on my computer. Now, it seems everyone is on Pinterest (or stumble). I have to admit I’m not very good at doing either. A couple of bloggers have mentioned lately that Pins have been getting a little off track. I noticed the other day that some of my pins are not mine. Did you know that you can see the items that have been pinned for your blog like this: http://pinterest.com/source/myrepurposedlife.net/ . You can see that something from Catch as Catch Can was pinned from my blog instead of the “pinner” clicking through to the blog owner and pinning it from their blog. Does that make sense? That brings me to my next point . . .
Watermarking Photos
I have been watermarking my photos for a long time. I do not do this because my photographs are of high quality or ideally staged. I do this to protect MY hard work is not subject to someone else claiming it as their own. A couple of years ago I found a picture at ehow of something that I recognized as a friends project. She had not watermarked it, so the person writing a tutorial at ehow “borrowed” my friend’s picture. How many times have you read a blogger say something like “I couldn’t find the source of the picture”. IF you identify your pictures you won’t have to worry about any of this happening. I blog in Windows Live Writer and I never have to watermark a single picture. WLR does it automatically without me ever giving it a thought. Speaking of watermarking your pictures, let’s talk about one the of most important reasons you should do this . . .
Plagiarism
Described on Wikipedia as this: Plagiarism is not a crime per se but is disapproved more on the grounds of moral offence, and cases of plagiarism can involve liability for copyright infringement.
The reason I bring this point up is this: I was recently made aware of the fact that I “caught” (featured) a blog post that was NOT the original content of the blogger that linked to my Catch as Catch Can party. The link was the most viewed, and I didn’t catch that it was blatantly copied content from the original blogger. We all like to be featured, it sends traffic to our blogs. However when a blogger starts a new blog and consistently copies original content (word for word) from another blogger, I can only see that as plagiarism. There is no need for a reader to hop over to the original content because this new blogger has supplied their reader with all of the how to’s.
When I saw the “found on” at the very bottom of the post I either a) didn’t actually see it, or b) mistook it for someone saying they found inspiration from another blogger.
I think most bloggers would agree that one or two pictures can be copied with a few snippets of text as long as a link is attached to the original blog.
Now, I have just a few random questions to ask you:
Are you tired of giveaways on my blog?
Are you turned off by the ads on my blog?
If you could have me change one thing, what would it be?
So, if I haven’t lost you, let’s just do a little recap:
- don’t be a no-reply blogger--link your email address to your blogger profile
- link parties-thoughts?
- Watermarking Photos
- Plagiarism
- giveaways? yes or no
- ads?
- what can I do to improve my little corner of the world?
gail
ps I added my button to the top of this post so that there would be a thumbnail on your blogrolls.
.jpg)
.jpg)
55 click here to leave a comment:
Ohhh interesting post! First though, what the fudge! That is so cheeky, copy & paste does not make it your idea, cheeky bugger!
I'm pretty sure I'm not a 'no-reply' blogger, but might subscribe to see how it appears, and I can reply to your comments, so you don't appear as 'no reply' on my blog, does that make sense?
Link parties are always a funny one, I don't link up as much as I used to. Whenever you read 'Grow Your Blog' posts the one thing they tell you to do is 'link, link, link' but then I've read another big blogger who says its tacky to link to more than a few. I suppose it depends on what people want from their blog, the more views / followers people want, the more they might link up. I find it annoying when people link up the same thing for a few weeks! I don't link up anything several days a week, and just hop around the link parties, find it great to just view inspiring ideas and not stress about whether anyone is looking at my link.
I watermark my photos, just seems natural to put a 'stamp' on my stuff.
Giveaways are great fun, does make me laugh when a bunch of blogs all come out with the same giveaway, gets kinda confusing!
Some blogs seems so ad heavy, its getting to be a real turn off, when you have to scroll half way down a page to even get past the ads, its too much.
I honestly don't think you need to do anything, you always have a great mix of crafts/ family/ giveaways and tutes, your not to one way or another.
Now I'm off to lay down after typing possibly the longest comment ever!
Very interesting subjects here. First of all, I have to ask, if you do all the right things with your set up and still end up reverting to "no reply" then what is happening? Has blogger identified the problem yet? That's scary.
I often will go to a noreply bloggers blog after they left me a comment and leave them a comment asking if they know that they are enrolled as a "no reply" blogger. Lots of times they don't know and reply back with a question on how to fix it.
Ok, that copying content thing? Just plain rude! If someone out there thinks they are doing a service to bloggers by copying others hard work then they should be blackballed! Common courtesy is to ask the blogger whose project you would like to link to if they would mind...or at least send them an email letting them know you featured them on your site. All photos used should have a hyperlink to the original blog, and the text should have the original blog name with a hyperlink back to the blog post being referenced. It must be 110% clear that the photo and idea are someone elses!
On link parties, I think there is a whole generation of new bloggers who have been told it's ok to link to a million parties and to have a separate page that has every party in the blogosphere listed just in case they link to it someday. Personally I'm from the old school, linking only to one or two per post, with the exception of really big projects that I want to share with a wider audience. Those I have been known to link to several parties. ( 6 or 7, not 20!)
Being the winner of one of your giveaways, I have to say I love giveaways! I don't especially like jumping through hoops, but the sponsors want to know they are getting something from it. I have actually gone out and purchased the items I've seen featured for giveaways just because I wanted them. (kreg jr, Multi max,purdy, gorilla glus, scotch blue, silhouette) So keep them coming!
Ads, some blogs take a long time to load and I think it's because of the ads. Yours is still good, so it doesn't bother me that you have them. I actually see things I want to explore further in the ads, like coupons. That's when I click over.
Don't change a thing, there's a reason you have over 3000 loyal followers! ;) We all love you and your very generous explanations of how to do just about anything by yourself!
This is probably not going to post because it's too dang long!
Hi Gail,
Great post! First of all I'd like to say that No-reply bloggers drive me nuts! I just had one today that asked me a paragraph long question about how I made something... I'd love to tell them, that is why I do this but guess what... I can't write back! Annoying!
Secondly, I am guilty of having a link party page... who knew? It looked like a good idea because frankly I usually don't link up to the same 4 or 5 blogs each week, I'm kind of random that way... Kind of spreading the love. I do also have a ton of sites that I link up to on my side bar with their latest posts but I guess that is not enough either. Thank you for enlightening me, I will link back on the post from now on and I will only link to a few sites. Thank you for the advice.
And as far as copy cats.... Someone just the other day did the exact same post as I did last spring. I like to make my own version of other people's projects myself but I always give them credit about 4 times in my post... It is just rude to steal!
So thanks Gail for all the good advice to everyone!
Susan
I THINK I used to be one those "no-reply" people and if I am not mistaken it was you that suggested that I change that...and that is a good thing! You have taught me several things that I did not know how to do (i.e. add #'s to my comments, just to name one).
I never get tired of giveaways, that would be just plain silly, lol.
I always link back...I will confess that I used to use everyone's "buttons", but if you do multiple parties (my limit is usually 5) it gets quite messy looking on the post, so I now just make a list, with the link within.
Advertisements don't bug me, if I am not interested, I just ignore them!
I don't watermark although I have made them and then end up being too lazy to put them on my photo's...crazy, huh?
I am guilty of "pinning" and I have always thought that the link leads back to the place it should...perhaps, I should research more to make sure. I do like to leave a comment telling the person that I did so to make sure it is okay.
I can't think of a thing that I would change about your blog...I look forward to your posts everyday!
sigh. I just left the longest comment and Blogger said "sorry the memcache is full" or some such nonsense, and poof the whole thing is gone.
Summary:
Good post
I agree with you
Not tired of giveaways - still have to WIN one, darnit!
Not tired of ads at all. Click them whenever I get the chance
Don't change a thing, I love it!
Crossing my fingers that Blogger lets this one fly!
I guess I am okay with the non-reply thing, cause you email me back!
I haven't figured out how to watermark, just updated the look of my blog this week...that is somewhere on the list of things to do.
Giveaways...I only participate in ones I want. I rarely jump through all the hoops required to get extra chances though. I am just too busy to mess with all of it.
The one trend on the blogs that I don't like is that there are several larger blogs (not yours) that seem to be doing way too many guest posts. I follow a blog because I like THAT blogger. Oh course the occasional guest is nice, but when it starts being a source for guest bloggers, I get uninterested.
The only ad on your page that is visually awkward is the one on top between your masthead and your post. I think it takes away from your look.
Link Parties.... I use to link to maybe three parties. At one point, I wasn't growing AT ALL and I was in a funk and getting down on myself. Another blogger suggested that I link my posts to more parties, get a little more active with it. I just started doing that and in two weeks found 60 new followers. Now for a blog my size that is ALOT! It's never 20 parties. (Can't imagine having that kind of time.) It is usually about 10ish, maybe. idk, need to go count. I do it daily, so I would say it is one or two a day, except Fridays....there are a ton of parties on Friday, so I usually link up to about 4 on Friday. I do my linking one at a time and take the time ALWAYS to surf around the party. I mean, that is what it is...a party, right?? You can't bring the salad to a barbeque and bolt without trying out the ribs now can we??!!! LOL
Great post today! Thought provoking.
Very well said Gail!
I'm not tired of giveaways, they are fun and I'm happy for the winners.
Ads I don't mind, if I'm interested in the product, I click on it, if not I just leave it.
I love you blog just the way it is!
Hugs,
Sue
I hate no-reply, I think it is ridiculous to submit your own project to more than 6 parties - enough with patting yourself on the back. I don't do watermarks because I don't have a camera, but I will! I haven't been blogging long, but will always give NOTICEABLE credit when it is due. I went to the "other" blog and read her post. I found it interesting that she has removed your comments. Pretty telling. I left a comment point blank asking if she did the project or if someone else did. It's published now, but who knows for how long?
Good rant, Gail! And I think all of your points are valid. I am only a follower, so I don't know much about the linking and such. I DO enjoy your blogs,read EVERY one, and the ads don't bother me, either. I also go look at other's blogs from your list as well as catch as catch can. Most of the blogs I follow come from those lists! And please don't stop the giveaways! If its something I'm not interested in, I don't enter. But there are some folks that follow blogs JUST for the giveaways (contest hogs) that I liken to those that plagiarize other's work. They're just lazy people looking for a freebie. Unfortunately our society has a few too many of these folks, but don't let then get you down! There's more of us out here that are here for the right reasons!! Chin up, Gail, we're here to root for ya! (and I really hope to win that sprayer this time!) :)
I agree wholeheartedly about the no-reply comment bit.. ugh it leaves me so frustrated (as do anonymous commenters... I think I am changing that one AGAIN!)
Love the giveaways and linky parties... I don't link up a lot. Right now I do have one post where it has more than my normal 2 or 3 link-ups but it was something I'm really like.
Plagiarism... I won't even get started on that rank. Let's just say I think it is positively CRIMINAL!!! Very little makes me angrier....
Tried the Windows live writer thing but I never could get it to work right on a Mac. I might have to try again.
Hope you are having a good week! I'm working like crazy to have the spare room and family room finished before Thanksgiving so we can do a little entertaining. Off to work in the mines! :)
i pretty much agree with your rants! the no-rply, the pinterest, and the plagiarism!
now to answer your questions...
Are you tired of giveaways on my blog? hmmm.... not necessarily as some are useful.
Are you turned off by the ads on my blog?yes- i get very turned off by blog posts that are very commercial. i prefer projects and content that doesn't try to sway me to buy something. the ads on the side and top don't bother me because frankly i don't look at them on anyone's blogs.... just the way i am! i don't like shopping- it stresses me out. spending money stresses me out, so i tend to try to stay away from anything that causes that- meaning i don't go to malls unless forced... ;)
If you could have me change one thing, what would it be? i think just less commercialized posts. i love your repurposed projects and would love more of those again!
hope this helps at all! thanks for taking the time to ask us what we think and for valuing our opinions!
Great post Miss Gail. The no reply blogger can be frustrating. I now know my friends who are no reply and if I want to email them, I just do that. They told me the reason they do that is because people were not going to their blogs for a visit, instead just saying hey thanks for the visit today. So I get that too in a sense. Giveaways don't bother me at all. If I want to hop in I do, and if not, it gives others a chance to win. Ads, I have them too, they do not bother me whatsoever. Copying and pasting, bad thing,if not credited and disclosed. I always credit the source, and if I can't find it, I am sure to mention that fact, that is it NOT mine. One more thing, is word verification, I can't tell you how annoying that is to me. Especially when I visit all the blogs I do. Sometimes I know my comments just did not appear, because I left too soon or typed in the wrong stupid letters. Keep on keeping Gail you are doing an awesome job!
No-reply blogger drives me up a wall!! I detest it. I think if someone leaves a comment, they would like the respect of an answer...but I guess not. I use to track the blog down, comment on their comments and mention I can't reply but now I just delete...sad, because many of these comments deserve an answer.
I am not clear on link parties...is that like a meme. I do Thursday's things in a row but just link to the blog, not the posting.
Pinterest...unknown to me
Watermarking photos has eluded me. I am sure many over the years have been used. It is good to know live writer is the way to go. Thank you so much for that!!!
I never, ever, ever copy anyone's stuff. In the beginning, I borrowed pictures but tried to tell where they came from. Now, if it's not mine, I don't touch it because I expect the same respect.
I love giveaways but have little luck when there are too many requirements. I don't tweet or facebook...detest both of them! If I go to an outside site then I get junkmail...arggg!
Ads do not bother me at all. In fact I am looking for a product to water proof my basement...any recommendations? Something you KNOW works.
Your corner of the world is a delight to visit. I wouldn't change a thing except wish I could visit more often.
I hate ads and don't have them. They make pages load too slow. I got off facebook and don't tweet anymore either.
The link parties are getting irritating. Now people are just using them as a vehicle to try to make their blogs "huge". FOr what? so they can make money off their ads?
I know this means that my blog will remain small, but that's fine with me. I also don't like when people comment on my blog just to ask me to enter their giveaway. No, I am not entering your giveaway so you can make money off your sponsors.
The whole thing is getting less and less genuine in my opinion.
I love when you do posts about blogging tips and such. I have learned so much along the way. Thanks Gail!
I don't get the no-reply commenting and even worse, questions. I can't tell you how many times I've written a long respose to a question, only to realize it wasn't going anywhere.
I do particitate in a good many parties and I ALWAYS link back. Sometimes I worry about joining too many, but isn't that the whole point of having a party?
I always try to get back to the original source before pinning. It is a bettr way to organize things I want to remember.
Plagerism - totally unacceptable!
Giveaways can be fun, but I only comment on things I really like.
And ads, well to be honest, I'm starting to find them annoying. Some blogs are just so busy looking, it all becomes a blur. And I never click on those ads.
Basically I love the blogs where you really get to know the blogger.
You can sort out the real and genuine bloggers from the rest.
Looking forward to reading all the responses and thoughts on this post. Thanks so much for asking!
Good post Gail. You made some very valid points. I have a few new followers that have no reply. I hope they read this post. I have a few that also have no blog so I have no idea who they are.
In answer to your first question... am I tired of giveaways on your blog... hell no... I am only tired of not winning them...lol.
I think you are doing a great job. You work hard and it shows.
Hope you are having a great day my friend.
Hugs, Deb
ok I'm going to just go down the list...
1 - I'm pretty sure I'm not a 'no-reply' blogger, or commenter. I usually get a response from you when I do leave a comment so I *think* I'm good.
2 - I still am unclear what a link party is. I just look at your post with all the inspired work you've found, or been sent, or something and look at all the awesome work that is happening out there in garages everywhere!
3 - I love pinterest. I deleted all my boards in an emotional moment of craziness. But I like everything from quotes to shoes to repurpose projects so i don't know how i can get off track with that. I also only follow or subscribe to a few peoples pins b/c otherwise I'm overwhelmed by the number of things I see when I first open it up.
4 - While I fully agree with what you have to say about watermarking, I must admit I'm too lazy to mark them, and usually, feel like my work is substandard that no one would steal it anyway. :/
5 - Plagiarism is just garbage. Husband is an english teacher and I can't tell you how many times students think they can pull the wool over his eyes...I mean...come on. If THEY found the essay online, I'm *pretty sure* there TEACHER can do the same google search. (you can roll your eyes at them now.)
6 - I *HEART* Giveaways. And one of these days I'm going to win a paint sprayer...I just know it!
7 - I don't really notice the ads too much so they must not bother me! LOL
8 - I love your blog, the content, your tutorials have enough detail and pictures to figure out what you are talking about. It's great.
Great post! No reply bloggers are so frustrating. There have been several times when I'll have taken the time to type out a response and then realize that it won't be going anywhere. I like giveaways, but only enter the ones I really want to win, and don't jump through hoops for extra entries.
I probably link too much, but only for the projects I really love. I always make sure and post the party button inside of my post, or a text link if I can't get the party button to work.
Plagiarism irks me. I've never watermarked my photos, but I probably should. I always link back to a blog and ask for permission before posting an inspiration pic unless the pic has been sitting in my inspiration files for ages and I really have no idea where it came from. Even then I'll give credit to unknown. I have yet to have anyone say no.
I really like your blog and don't find the ads distracting at all.
Good post! You convinced me that I need to watermark my pictures. :)
I don't link up to many parties anymore. Maybe 1 or 2 a week. It's a time issue more than anything.
As far as ads go, I don't usually notice them, so they don't bug me. I'm not tired of giveaways, because I still want to win one!
I don't know about improvements. I like your blog!
Great post...Your comments always come in my e-mail as Gail@myrepurposedlife--It always makes me smile to see one from you!
Link Parties--i link to maybe 3-5 parties if it is a project i am proud of...i feel kinda funny when i see a project linked to 25 parties--and I am not sure why....I dont have a link party page...just like to do projects, see others and share mine...I do ALWAYS check your catch as catch can every week no matter how busy i am and click on the project...Your's and Miss Mustard Seeds are my favs......I have stated pinning....kinda slow at it...but like it.....I do watermark some photos....so people can see where the project came from...Cannot believe people would plagiarize off blogs!! Don't get it...maybe I am a little naive...i love my projects--and want to share what I HAVE done because I am proud of it...BTW wait till you see the buffet/sideboard....You will be so proud of me!! Gotta get that post done tonight...busy busy week last week with the shower...check out the pics....you will love them!! thanks for keeping me going lady!! You are the best!!
p.s....who does not like a give away???? and your sponsors--i like seeing them because I know it is something you are interested in so i might be also....
chris
I love your honesty. I, too, dislike non-reply bloggers and how horrible for those posting things that don't belong to them.
I love posts about blog tips and this is great.
I get frustrated with no-reply blogs. I wonder if they wonder why they don't get direct email responses.
I choose my link parties based on the content of my post and the timing of when the party opens.
Love Pinterest, but don't have much time for it right now. Trying to track back to an original source is getting difficult now with pictures being pinned over and over. I did a post on pumpkins recently and took the time to make sure I only linked back to the original blog the pictures came from. It was more time consuming, but seemed like the right thing to do.
I need to do watermarks...it's on my list, lol.
No excuse for plagiarism. Copying someones words verbatim!! Where are the blog police!
No, I am not tired of giveaways on your blog. You have awesome goodies!!
Having ads over on the sidebar doesn't bother me. I don't always click on ads just because I don't have time, but if they interfere with my reading, it gets annoying. Yours don't!
I wouldn't change anything Gail.
Oh, such a can of worms, Gail!! Fantastic topics! First up, noreply drives me INSANE! Especially since they are the ones most likely to leave a question. I keep a link to a tutorial in my sidebar for people to FIX that. :) And, yes, your email address DOES show up when leave me comments.
I'll have to admit I'm guilty of not showing off all the link parties I join in my blog posts. I am trying to remember to leave a link to my parties page that has them all listed though. But I have to tell you, I know people are clicking that link because I can see it in my stats! :) I'm also guilty of linking up to several parties each week. What can I say, its better for traffic! I have whittled down them amount I link to based on my blog traffic though.
I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I love bookmarking, but I will feel like a failure for not completing all of the projects I find there. lol!
Plagiarism stinks, plain and simple. And another thing that blogger due that is stepping on the line (in my opinion) is linking to another blogger's idea and tutorial, but still giving one of their own on their blog. If they have put a new twist on a project, that is one thing, but just to recopy the SAME tutorial is just not nice (whether they realize it or not).
I like your blog the way it is, Gail! I think you do a wonderful job. :) (And I didn't know Live Writer watermarked photos for you! Fantastic!)
wowzers, that was a lot of scrolling down to get to leave a comment! That was an awesome post, Gail. It looks like everyone wants to talk about it. Thanks for the tips!
I'm learning a lot today. I don't know how to link to parties...I don't know if I want to. I don't do ads...there are some blogs that are so filled with them it takes forever to load and they're distracting. I guess I just like to blog for myself, friends and family. I've met a lot of nice people. I don't need a few thousand followers. Sometimes I feel like the trendy Mom Blogs have no content other than what they found somewhere else. You've helped me several times with questions, Gail, I want you to know how much I appreciate you.
Gail,
Thank you for your post today.
I agree, I dislike no-reply... I try to look before I reply, but there are a lot of times I type out an email in response only to discover it can't go through. Arg!
I don't do linky parties often, but when I do I alway TRY to remember to mention it at the end of my post. I am sure there have been a time or two that I didn't accomplish it.
I do some Pinterest. I don't get on there too often as it takes time. I don't seem to have enough time the way it is! But... I have noticed that I do get some traffic from it. So I do try to pin a picture from my new post.
When I see a post I like, whether it is for the content or the craft idea, I copy and paste the whole thing into a Word doc, I make sure to copy and paste the url of that post at the top of my Word doc. I started this because I have been guilty of forgetting where I saw something that gave me inspiration. This process seems to work for me.
I use http://pixlr.com/ to watermark my photos. It is very easy for me to work with. It's free, others can use it too!
I have a couple of times used content in my blog that came from another blog. I (believe) I have been very open and honest about where it came from. I do work at never ever claiming anything as mine if it's not.
How do you put the numbers on your comments??
You have always been so very helpful to me! I've never met you in person, but I love your ideas, love your kindness, love your willingness to help others, I love YOU!
I do not believe you've had to many giveaways. Some day I will grow up to be an 'adult' blogger like you and have a giveaway or two of my own! :)
The only ad that distracts me on your blog is the one right below your header... and I've learned to ignore that one.
I use Blogger directly... perhaps I should check out Live Writer?...
Hi Gail, you've made some interesting points. I'll comment on a couple--I've considered becoming No-Reply because some bloggers reply a brief "thanks" when I've spent some time and thought on a comment, you really don't have time to stop by for a quick visit? If the posts has lots of comments I don't feel that way.
Secondly, this is for those ladies who don't watermark much. If you USE PICASA it AUTOMATICALLY (if you keep the option box checked) watermarks your photo when you export it to use. Invaluable.
No, your ads don't bother me--keep up the excellent work, Gail!
Great post Gail! Cheaters never prosper.
I love your giveaways because you are always honest in your post about the product. I never feel like I am being hard sold on the product.
The numerous linky parties bloggers post on their page...wow that annoys me. I like to visit link parties more than participate, and when I see the same link over and over again at the parties, it is a turn off to go to that person's blog. But on the other hand, I find other interesting link parties that I had never heard of by them listing all 100 that they are participating in.
Your ads don't bother me.
Pinterest, well it is a love hate relationship right now. Too many people pinning things that don't track back to the original post or creator. I think that for the most part is ignorance not intentional. The site is growing so fast and becoming so popular, they need to find a way to educate the pinners better.
No improvements necessary. Your blog and content are real, informative and interesting. Keep up the good work!
I love your blog. Love the giveaways (still hoping to win one).
Great post. I'm new to blogging. I just crawled out from under a rock :-) So, I love the tips you're giving us.
I was told that I was a no reply blogger. Which shocked me because I had my email address linked to my blog. So, I opened a question forum on google (I use blogspot) and a very nice guy told me to sign in under blogger.com and to not stay signed in and it worked! YAY! Its inconvenient, but at least it works. I dont know why there was a difference, but there was. I was so thankful to the blogger that told me to look into it.
The watermarking tip is wonderful. I'm going to have to work on that one. I too dont have wonderful pics, but I'd like the credit for what I've done (as little as that is.)
How pathetically sad that some one copied and pasted.
The only thing I'd change is: give us more. I love checking out your projects and I like the tips you give us.
THANKS!!!
I'm so glad you mentioned that Live Writer does watermarks!! I'm going to start doing that, definitely!
I love to read your building/repurposing tutorials. That's my favorite thing about your blog. But I don't think your giveaways have been outta control by any means. :)
i never thought you were a no reply blogger, any comment or email has said your blog name on it.
regards to linking and link parties-i can't tell you how much it burns me up when i see people feature bloggers who have a party page instead of an actual link. so many people say you must link back with a text link-i think if someone is going to say that, they should only feature those bloggers that actually DO IT!
OK, Gail, I think I fixed my 'no reply' issue. Sorry! I had no idea, as I am relatively new to all this.
Yup, I just previewed, and my name is in blue, it wasn't before.
^Shauna, the sprayer is MINE!! All MINE...Myyyy Precious........:)
too many giveaways?? no way, its fun to enter and see if you can be the lucky one.
Advertisements, dont really like them but I just look over them, its your blog you do what you have to do. I'll still be visiting.
Pinning,, kinda confused on that one,, when I pin things its just for inspiration not because im claiming it as my own,, I always thought the pic linked back to the original blog or website it came from.
Link parties -- I tried doing this for awhile and I still do occasionally.. but it was just too much to try to remember where I was linking and all that.. so I dont really link up too much anymore.
Im pretty sure Im not a no-reply blogger because I always get your responses.. I also subscribed to my blog and I noticed in my email that it shows as "noreply" , not sure about how that works. But I always get comments from others when I visit their blogs.
And I would be furious if I saw someone posting something of mine or even my blog friends on their blog/website and claiming it as their own. Thats just not right. I always try to remember to link back and give proper credit to the one I got the idea from.
Keep up the great work Gail,, we all love your blog and I for one and am very grateful for all you teach us.
Have a good one!
Debbie
I don't always enter, but I am never tired of giveaways! (especially if you enjoy doing them!)
Ads don't bother me. Hey, if you can make some $$ from blogging GO GAIL!!! :)
I used to participate in link parties a lot. I've slowed down on projects, but a lot that I participated in got really huge. I couldn't visit a tenth of the links and didn't want to just link and run. I also noticed that's a lot of what was happening. People were posting to as many parties as they could but not ever visiting anyone else at the party.
I LOOOOOVE Pinterest. I try to open the link before I pin it to make sure that it's where the original idea came from.
I need to look into getting live writer to watermark for me. I've never done that!
I enjoy your blog, your content, and your friendship! I wouldn't change anything!
Hi Gail. First of all you should know that I really enjoy your blog. Beyond that, a good deal of your questions are Greek to me. I do not have a blog, would not know how to get a blog, do not know why I would want a blog and would have no idea what to do with one if I had it. It is a mystery how you manage to actually accomplish any of your projects what with all the time you spend on this blog. It's all I can do to get away from all of this inspiration on the computer and in to my workshop. By the way, I introduced my friend Karen to your site and she won the sprayer so she would certainly tell you that you don't have too many give aways.
Thanks for all you do.
hey girl!!
#1 You just made. my. day. with that pinterest info...I had no idea that you could see who had sourced your stuff and pinned it...always so curious and now I know!! FUN! I found a bunch of people that had written interesting comments when they pinned projects and didn't necessaily comment on the blog, so I could answer questions etc, on pinterest...LOVELY info - thank you!
As far as the rest of the stuff...I just try not to get too hung up on all of it. I've cut back a lot on linking parties unless it is something specific (like the YHL pinterest party...I've always hated all the party buttons, but so it goes.
I agree with the rest of your readers that you are doing it just right! A good mix of ads and promo stuff to fund the blog, but heavily balanced with actual content. That is my goal with mine as well and I think you do it beautifully my mentor!
Your giveaways aren't too often and don't seem to be too tiresome to enter (jump through a bazillion hoops type thing). There are other blogs that I skip their giveaways, because you have to go through too many steps. I have no problems with the ads, it's ok to make money :)
-Stefanie
2ndChanceCreations.etsy.com
Great post Gail. You hit a lot of good points. I do watermark my photos so that they can be identified when they get out there on pinterest. Another problem, I find that a lot of people are pinning to the blog and not the blog page. I then can't find the project I'm looking for.
The party link ups are getting a bit out of control it seems. I don't always link up because people don't seem to stop by and visit anymore. These lists of blogs that some link up to are insane. If I link up to 5 or 6 that is a lot for me. I can't do it if I don't have the time to visit. And I've left comments on people's link ups where they didn't have one comment. That is just sad.
The ads are not bothersome to me. The giveaways are fun and if it's not something I would use then I just skip it. So someone else has a better chance.
I do watermark in PSE because sometimes my photos go up on Flickr. But when I forget, live writer makes it easy to do!
I don't know anything about 'no-reply'. Nothing. Not a computer whiz by any stretch. But I can write, so I blog. I check every day to see if comments have come in that didn't appear in my inbox, and I always make sure I reply.
Linky parties- haven't got a clue what they are, either.
Copying someone else's work- I couldn't live with myself if I did, which I would NOT, under any circumstances.
Your blog is just fine the way it is. Thank you for all the work you do, and the info you impart!
Yeah, no-reply bloggers drive me bonkers! So many times I get the sweetest, most thoughtful comments from someone and have no way to respond to them. I reply to everybody that comments if they have an e-mail address attached to their blog. If I have time I will try to go to the person's blog and leave a comment, but I don't always have time to do that, so unfortunately those comments go unanswered.
I'm like you - I have a folder on my computer that I save ideas to. I already spend enough time on my blog, so I don't need another addiction via pinterest. I have to cut myself off somewhere! ;)
As for linky parties, I guess I'm one of those that others consider 'tacky' because I link up to a lot of parties. Isn't that what blogging is about? Meeting other folks and sharing creative ideas? Each linky party is different - some are just for furniture or fabrics, others are for projects less than $10. I enjoy linking up to the parties and seeing everyone's projects. If an individual does not link up to many parties that's their perogative, but I don't see why they pass judgement upon others that do. I used to simply have a link to a page with all the places I party at - now I've learned how to make all the buttons uniform and neat so I can put them all on my post. Linking up to the parties generates some traffic for me, so it's common courtesy that I link back! ;)
My only thing with ads is that it really slows down loading time. Other than that they don't bother me. I personally choose not to have them on my own blog, but it is not a deterrant for me on other blogs.
I think giveaways rock! I probably don't enter any of yours just because I don't think I'll win, but who doesn't love a good giveaway!
It's always interesting seeing how different everyone's opinions are on different subjects!
I definately enjoy your projects and your linky party - not to mention you always respond to comments! :) That's what keeps me coming back!
Thanks Gail! I LOVE your blog and your awesome giveaways! Keep up the great work!
I love your blog. I don't pay any attention to your ads - sorry. But I do pay attention to the products you blog about. I need to start watermarking, but I doubt that anyone would copy my posts or my pictures. I think that plagiarism is so wrong - that's the teacher in me. As a winner of one of your giveaways, of course I'm in favor of them!
i just went to the plagiarizer's blog and kinda blasted her. funny now, her comments are "visible after approval."
Totally agree on watermarking your photo's! I used to think that digitally signing my photo's was enough, and in some cases I have found my photo's on another site, with my copyright and name at the bottom of the frame. Thankfully photo was credit to my name, however not back to my site... which was a bit of a bummer. I randomly do a google search on my name, my website name and see what I can find out. I have had to contact a site or two about using pictures and they were nice enough to credit them after.
I don't mind your ads on the site and I love your reviews and giveaways! I have never won but doesn't stop me from entering.
I subscribe to my posts and reader too lol I like to see how they turn out ;) i am pretty sure we aren't the only ones :D
Keep up what your doing I think it totally works!
Ok, I guess I'm a no-replay blogger, guilty)) It's all because of my English soooo bad that you wont to read my comments at all:)) I love your works and posts what why I'm here and reading you in my canonic norepayish Google Reader:)
Ok, so I just counted and I link up to 62 parties throughout the week! I didn't realize I was doing that many and it is definitely lot of work for me! I average posting 2-3 projects a week, but never the same project twice on a linky party.
My justification is that I have been blogging since the spring but I just got serious about it within the last month. Right now, I have under 50 followers (my previous 24 were erased when I switched to a self-hosted site) and I feel like I just want to get my projects out there, and ultimetly increase my readership/traffic and turn my crafting into a side business.
With that said, whatever I post is usually a tutorial because I want to share my knowledge and (I think) it is of high quality. I don't do junk posts, I don't link to an etsy site, or link just a giveaway (without a tutorial attached). I feel like I have gotten a bunch of really positive response from my projects. Hopefully people aren't annoyed at me and think that I overpost but I try to spread it out among different types of linky parties. I like posting to some of the smaller parties because I want to support them. I have been asked by at least 6 parties to link up, and I have because I don't mind.
Eventually I want to wean down to fewer parties because I don't want to have to spend so much of my time everyday doing it, but I don't see another way to increase my traffic.
Suggestions?
Oh, and I have started using a watermark. I haven't before mainly because I was being lazy!
I pin a lot because it helps me get organized and I put pin it tags on all my posts so it is easier for people to pin. I still get most of my traffic from linky parties though, not pins.
And I love giveaways and don't mind side bar ads.
jamie @ sewrockin.com
I posted how to fix being a no-reply blogger on my blog, because for me it wasnt that I didnt have my email linked (I did) it just blocked my google account. So, I would have to comment using name/URL, which wont link to an email. Thus making you a no-reply blogger.
Its posted at: http://reignalayn.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-fix-being-no-reply-blogger.html
Its kind of long and boring, but it worked for me. Hopefully, it will work for you as well. If it does let me know or if you have additional tips let me know that as well.
Thanks!
Now a days to add comment in dofollow blogs is difficult most of the blogs comment section has nofollow tag. But still if you add comment in those blogs who has nofollow tag and your comment is worth for the reader and blog owner then it will definately helpful to us to develop the brand and awareness about us or our business and also it helps us to generate the referral traffic to our website.
I want to read everyone's...I will come back in the am when I can digest it all!
1. don’t be a no-reply blogger--link your email address to your blogger profile..
I am not!!! I don't think anyway!
2. link parties-thoughts?
If I do not see a l;ink back in the post, often (not always) I will not feature them. I always link back to the party. Sometimes I link to a handful, sometimes more...I barely have time to blog right now...linking up is almost too much to deal with.
3. Pinterest
I love Pinterest - I honestly use it as my personal board - never thought I would get referrals from it. I try to pin from the original, but I admit, it does not always work out that way. If all the bloggers want to make it really complicated, they can. I am continuing on the way I have been.
4. Watermarking Photos
I am writing a post about this and my own position...but in a nutshell and I will get hate mail I am sure.
I don't care if some one does or doesn't. I do care however if they do and it is all over the photo - why bother posting?
Personally, I do and I don't. I did for a Facebook contest on BHG Live Better, and sometimes put one on my kiddos shirts if they are in the photo...but I come from the unpopular opinion (in blog world) that watermarks are not that big of a deal.
Once I put it out there, it is out there - fashion knocks off fashion, bloggers knock off pottery barn and anthropolgie. I do not put anything on the web that I would be devastated to see "taken." It is your bad karma if you steal my stuff (or course I don;t mean you). It is just as bad as people copying and not giving credit. Don't get me started on that (especially when there is a trail leading there...)
I feel differently about professional photos (weddings, etc.) Those photogs can put that big ole copyright thing across the whole photo.
5. Plagiarism
It sucks!
6. giveaways?
Good when relevant or no
7. As long as there are not too many - one blogger (in particular) has about 6 of the same ad
8.what can I do to improve my little corner of the world?
As long as you love your corner - you are good. I love your corner.
Wow, Gail ... I have to say I'm impressed that you kept my attention without any photos. I admit my ADD, lol.Ok, to try and answer your questions ...
1. I don't think I'm a no-replyer. Infact I know I'm not cuz you and I have emailed quit a bit : )
2. I'm kinda over link parties. Although I like getting traffic on my page, it is time consuming to try and find all the parties to link to.
3. I myself love Pintrest. It makes it SO easy for me to find sites where projects interest me.
4. I don't watermark my photos although I should. I do watermark my YouTube videos because of HEAVY plagiarism on YT. I haven't had anyone want to steal my projects from my blog yet, lol.
5. I HATE plagiarism. Wish there was more to protect all original work.
6. SOOOOOO sick of giveaways. It makes people who don't win EVER(that would be me) or not having companies sending them free products to try and host their own giveaway disappointed.
7. Ads are ok. I have ads on my blog AND on my YouTube channel. You should make money on the work you put in, that's my opinion.
8. Gail, I think your world is perfect. That's why I hang around
: )
~ Deanna
Definitely NOT sick of the giveaways -- especially when they're for tools. :) That kind of giveaway seems to be rare with the blogs I read.
The ads are not as obnoxious as some blogs I've seen, although the generic Google ads (one of which is in constant motion as I write) is a little distracting.
As far as link parties go I have the link party page for the buttons, and I also have a text link list at the bottom of my posts.
I would change nothing about your blog, I love it just the way it is! :)
ok thanks by paola
I am really taken back by that blogger who blatantly copied a whole blog post. That is most definitely stealing. It is one thing to be inspired by a project and then replicate your own version and give credit for the idea but just stealing the post?! ouch. I just started watermarking when I found my photos/project on someone else's blog with no mention back to me or my original idea.
I love your blog as it is..the ads do not bother me in the least..I enjoy checking out the products. The giveaways allow me to dream...so I love those too.
I have 'pinned' your items on my Pinterest so they would link back to your blog. I feel like the whole world needs to find your blog and follow you. I guess you could say I'm a stalker...I love the items you make!
Just keep being you and go with what you love, because you touch many lives in a great way through your blog.
Regarding the Pinterest comment, I'd say if it's a link party, you should click on the original post before pinning. But if person A features a photo from person B's blog, I think it's okay to pin the photo from A's blog rather than clicking through and pinning from B's blog, b/c if it weren't for A, you wouldn't know about B. And this way, both get the credit, because if the person who sees the pin wants to know more, they click through to person A's blog, and then to person B's. Not sure if that makes any sense, but there ya go.
Regarding ads, I've noticed in the last month that ads have increased heavily. I don't know if it was the "31 Days Blog to Biz" series at Funky Junk Interiors that did it or what, but ads are getting a bit annoying when there are soo many of them. But, at the same time, I understand that they allow the blogger to earn a little bit of money so she can continue to do what I love to read about, so I can't complain!
The other thing I wanted to comment on is the copying of posts/projects. I sometimes feature projects from other bloggers, but I always have a link to either the place I originally found the photo, or preferably, back to the original blogger. It takes some time to do that. If I just wanted to copy and paste photos that I found other places, without bothering to link back, putting a post together would take half the time. There was a blogger I followed and admired and she features lovely photos on a regular basis, but she never links back to the source. One time she used one of my photos and I asked her to include a link back. I never heard a word in reply, and subsequently dropped her from my reading list. Luckily I've never found someone passing my stuff off as theirs, but just the idea of grabbing photos from here and there and not giving those hard-working bloggers is not nice.
Post a Comment