Blog Design isn’t as Scary as We Think
As I said when I posted The Makeover: New Header, New Button, New Posts, you can always have control of how your blog looks, regardless of your knowledge of HTML and CSS. I started out with a free wordpress theme that I liked, and when the fact that I couldn’t go beyond the customizations the settings panel offered me started to irk me, I started checking out blogs that had tutorials on small DIY adjustments. Like how to change the default gravatar icon, how to make my comments look different, use Google Fonts… And a ton other things.
There are also plenty of people out there to help you build the design of your dreams if what you need is a complete makeover! But don’t be afraid to take matters into your own hands when you feel you want to change something!
I don’t Have to post every day
I actually did use to worry a lot about this. I feared that if I didn’t post every day, the few people that had checked out my blog, would leave. Eventually, I came across a blog post that sadly I don’t remember where I saw, that cleared my doubts about this. My life got a hell less stressing from then on.
Blogging is about Perseverance
Before A Writer’s Tales, there was The Writer’s Tales, a WordPress.com blog, and before that one, there was Just Take a Book, a Blogger one. None of the ones who came first worked out. Just Take a Book was a blog in spanish, and yeah, I posted a lot of reviews, but after a day when I saw nobody was reading them, I grew bored quickly. And with The Writer’s Tales, something similar happened, until went crazy and decided that maybe having a self-hosted blog would make me more responsible. Oh, but this isn’t about that.
This is about that before, I’d never have imagined I’d ever have a space where people actually commented on -that weren’t rl friends I’d forced to- and I’m proud I followed through this. This blog has really become my baby, my safe haven, and I can’t wait to see how we’ll grow together.
Comments are about Caring
Sure, there is a good chance that when someone sees your comment on someone else’s blog, or even the bloggers themselves, will check out your blog. But the thing is, if you go with that goal in mind, it is very probable that your strategy won’t work at all. I mean, yes, sure I’d check out the blog, but chances are, I may not return. But if your comment is honest, you geuninely want to reach out to this person, follow, and try to engage in conversation, the other person will be curious and be more likely to be intered in what you do. The exposure comes on its own, and you will have gained a new friend.
Stats are About Whatever you want them to be
I created a blog. I saw people who obsessed about their stats, and had pretty good ones. I obsessed about stats and did a lot of research about how to get more traffic. I saw other people who were more laid back and did their thing, and had very good numbers.
WHAT. THE . HECK.
And, I realized my mistake. The numbers are there, and if I was a business owner, I should be worried about stats. But I’m not. I’m an aspiring author who is trying to break out of her shell to make herself known while enjoying books! I do care about my numbers, about page views, bounce rates and followers. I get happy when it’s been a good day, and I’m grumpy when it’s not, but I don’t drive myself insane with worry. It’s up to each person to decide what to pay the most attention to. I consider my stats a record of how far I’ve come from where I started. It’s a daily competition between the blog today, and the blog yesterday, and how tomorrow should best those two.
Twitter is About Making Friends
It’s absurd how much potential is wasted in twitter by all the promotion. I mean, by all means, it’s your account, but… but… HAVE YOU GOT ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING?
I had the luck of having read Twitter for Writers, by Raine Hall before diving into the sea of drama (Yes, really). I get why businesses do it, duh, that’s what social media is for. But for bloggers… I learned that like with comments, repeated promotion gets you nowhere. People whose accounts content is just made of endless promotion catches the attention of few. It’s difficult putting yourself out there -I’m still struggling- but gushing about a book with someone is always a good way to start!
ARCs Are About Whatever You want them to be
Ah, ARCs, one of bloggers’ favorite topics of discussion. I really like Mishma’s post on ARCs, and if it’s become a symbol of status in the blogosphere (You should go read it. Yes, go read it and then come back. Don’t worry, I’ll wait!). I guess it’s a tad different for people, like me, who have little to no access to physical ARCs. I’m guessing most of the issues about blogger envy stem from those ones, and since we only get digital, it’s easier for us to detach from all those things. That’s why, as someone who has never received a physical ARC ever, (I have my doubts of how that makes me qualified to say this, lol), I consider that everyone should just chill.
Yep, that’s right. I’ve never resented any blogger for getting them, but I did use to have a lot of mildly hard feelings towards publishers. You know, I still think there should be more options available for people who are not from the US, Canada, UK or Australia, but I’m glad they still think about us and make available digital copies too. I guess I only did, because I noticed how important getting ARCs seemed to be for everyone else. After I realized this, it was very easy to get over it and blog away with what I could buy and what Netgalley awesomely offers!
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