We're past the half-way mark! It's day 8 and it's time to CELEBRATE!
If you've been looking to impress me, today's your lucky day! I'm dishing out 15 (or as many as I can) things about what I look for in a blog. Now I must admit, when it comes to blogs, appearance is number one. I can't help it, I'm aesthetically driven. And if that sounds shallow, yes it is! Without further ado, here is my list of the 15 things I take into consideration when it comes to my blog and other blogs.
Disclaimer: Sorry if I sound like a condescending butt, I don't mean to!
1. No neon colored text
Hey, I love all the colors but when it comes down to reading on a screen, neon colors just aren't the most comfortable. No highlighter yellows or greens or pinks or anything that looks like it can be the color for a highlighter.
2. No more than three fonts; otherwise, it's too busy
This was something I read on a blog a while back and it's a great suggestion. You really don't need more than three fonts. It's up to you what those three are but the best combination would be a fun and crazy font (Amatic, in my case), a serif (Georgia) and a sans-serif (Verdana).
3. Sans-serif text for posts
In my opinion, sans-serif is just much easier to read than serif on screen.
4. A clean sidebar, preferably on the right side of the page
Sidebars are super important but a super cluttered one is a nay. Try keeping things minimum, only having things you really need and if you can afford to do so, some fun widgets! And a sidebar on the right-side is just a personal preference!
5. An archive widget of all your posts
When I find a new blog, the first thing I do is surf their archive. It's how I determine if I want to subscribe to them. If their archive is a good balance of all the things I like to see as far as content in a blog, then I'm clicking ENTER!
6. An equal balance of reviews, memes, discussions, blog tours and all that jazz
I don't need to explain, do I?
7. A detailed About
I'd like to know who the mastermind behind the blog is!
8. Relatively fast loading
I'm not going to avoid your blog if it's a bit slower to load but it would be nice for it to be quick, wouldn't it?
9. At least five posts on display at a time but preferably, 10 to 15
I like taking the time to flip through old posts on blogs but I don't want to be constantly flipping. I don't want to have to flip every three posts. My index finger will get sore!
10. A rating system
They're the handiest things on earth. Or if you don't have a rating system but you have something like Jamie's post-it note, that's fine too! As long as I can take one glance at it and have a rough idea of what you thought, that's great!
11. A fun and catchy title
The title is what I remember you by. The more times I repeat it, the catchier it is, the better I'll remember you!
12. Big text
Reading off a screen is hard enough as is so don't make me go through tiny 10 pixel font! Make it big and clear!
13. Cute graphics in your posts
Graphics are super important in your posts because (a) they are super cute and (b) they help break up large chunks of text which is NEVER easy to look at. And I know I'm guilty of not doing this a lot. Yikes!
14. A cute favicon and/or button
This isn't necessary at all but I was running out of ideas.
15. An authentic and unique voice!
By far, the most important! If you have a clear voice, you don't need to have the most aesthetically perfect blog! I'm coming back for you and you only!
I always find it so interesting, when going through posts on blogger tips & tricks/what to look for/use in your blog, to note how we break these rules. For instance, I agree with you on rating systems, because it makes it a lot simpler when I'm commenting on a post to have that summary of how the blogger felt. But then, some of my favorite bloggers don't use rating systems, and I love their reviews all the more for that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd never heard of Amatic font before, but I do like the way it fits with your blog. And if appearance is number one, then girl, you're set. Your blog is beautiful! :)
In the end what really matters is the way the blogger comes off as and the content of their blog. I also really love the rating system (now that I have one that suits me!) but yeah, there are a lot of blogs I read without one and like you said, I still love them. I guess all these lists are unnecessary in the end because when you find someone you can relate to who has great, fresh content, you're going to love them whether or not they have a rating system. But of course, just as if you were trying to find a partner, there are always going to be things that you look for first and I guess these are just the fifteen things that I take note of when I'm visiting a site for the first time.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you so much! That means a lot! :)
I think I pass most of those, except for the rating system :P I mean, I do rate books, but just stick to Goodread's standard rating system. I guess because I got used to it? But yeah I totally agree with no neon thing. It hurts my poor eyes.
ReplyDeleteWhen in doubt, stick with Goodreads! I actually really like the Goodreads rating system though. It's perfect for a five-star (or word, in my case) scale so I follow it as well though it may not be as clear because I use words? But even though my system follows the Goodreads one, I never find that I compatibly rate a book on GR and here. Weird...
ReplyDelete