Blog Boggled: In a Buggy and Not Even Amish

It's beginning to be a bit too much!

       That's my first ambiguous statement of the day.  Won't even tell you what I'm talking about.  I'll let you figure it out if you want.   Or if you'd rather, tell me what that statement means to you.  You might want to use it as a writing prompt.  But enough of this and on with today's topic.

Bloggy things that bug me:

1.  When people don't date their posts  --  I have rarely seen this and I'm not sure how they do it, but every once in a while I'll find a blog with posts that are undated.  I guess I can usually find the date in the comments, but if it turns out the post is old its often pointless to comment because there is a possibility that no one will see my comment.  This is a minor nuisance, but it wastes my time.

2.    Maybe there is an easy solution to this one that somebody can help me with, but is there a way to filter out or flag blogs I am not interested in.  I don't have a super memory and sometimes I find myself going back to look at blogs that I've already decided are a waste of my time and I don't want to keep looking at them.  If I could just find a way to mark them or something like that I wouldn't have to waste my time.  Most of my blog gripes could be fixed for me if I could do this.

        I don't want to knock anybody's interests.  There are blogs that some people love that I don't care to visit repeatedly just because something has drawn me back to it and I forget that I've already decided I don't like this blog.   To show that I think I'm being fair, I will use the example of Craft Blogs.  Now there are some that I visit because of the writing.  Sig's Beadedbears Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time  (with a title like that how could I resist) is often a blog about bead craft, which is something I don't do.  But Sig doesn't always write about beading and sometimes writes what are to me some very interesting stories.  I like to check all her posts to see what she's talking about.  Even the bead topics she can make pretty entertaining and if she gets too beady then I just move on.  I do think Sig is an excellent writer.

           On the other hand I do not care to learn to crochet, or build dollhouses, or a myriad of other things that don't interest me.  I am not criticizing any of those who have things for which they are passionate and they do deserve to have the blogs they love.  However, I would like to save some of my time for the things that I am really interested in and not return to the blogs that don't interest me.

 3.   Super shmancy stuff that takes too long to download.  Some of these sites are beautiful, but sometimes they also lack substance.  I am sure that some in the blogosphere want to see all sorts of technology and gimmickry and I too am amazed.  But it's not what I'm looking for.  Maybe if I had faster DSL, or whatever, or a faster computer then it wouldn't bug me as much.  However, when I have to wait a few extra seconds and then there is nothing of real substance to read then I feel like I've wasted my time.

 4.   People with too many blogs.  I know I may be stepping on some toes here.  Some of the bloggers I regularly follow may have more than one blog.  In some of these cases, I understand the multiple blogs and it's reasonable.  I too have thought about having more than one--perhaps putting my Bible study material on a totally separate site and I may still do this eventually.

         What really bugs me is when I find a blogger who is new to me and I go to their profile and there's maybe 5 or 10 or more blogs that they have.  Usually I just turn around and leave, unless one of the titles looks especially interesting.  Here's what I've often been finding:  Many of the blogs have no posts yet and the blogger is just taking up a title for who knows what reason.  Sometimes the blogs are just duplicated under different titles--maybe this is an AdSense issue, or I don't know why they would do this.  Sometimes they are just multiple picture blogs, or the life of my dog blog, or some private issue or something that should have remained private.   Maybe some of you can help me with this--why multiple blogs (and I'm talking more than 2 or 3)? 

           So there you have it--a few of my rants.  If anyone can give me some advice it would be appreciated.  How do you hadle some of these issues?  Have any of these bugged you too?

       And not to be all sour grapes, I want to acknowledge some fine posts about blogging that I've found recently.  They have given me interesting ideas and advice and actually addressed some blogging buggy things that I've been thinking about addressing but they did it instead.  So check them out:


Elena Johnson How to Build Your Blog  --- She gives some outstanding advice about building up a following and making your blog better.  This is only one of her posts on the topic so for blogging info check out her other posts as well.  Of course, judging from all the comments she's gotten most of you have already been there and left a comment.  If you haven't then go-- you must!

How to make a blogger happy by Amanda is also worth a look.

Elena Johnson About Leaving  Comments   -- did I already mention Elena?   Well I'll say it again.


Pam reported Blogs of Substance at Pam's Perspectives   New blog by Pam called Words of Wisdom  This looks like something that might have substance to bloggers like me and you.  I need to check this out a bit more, but I guess they are try to catalogue blogs that have something worth reading.  This might be right up my alley.  Go over there and see if they are doing something that interests you.  Maybe you can promote your own blog of substance there as well.

            Hope I didn't upset anyone.    I'm just here tossing it out to you--feel free to toss it back my way if you like.  And by the way if you were wondering about the Amish connection in the title, that's just me capitalizing on the popularity of the genre of Amish stories out there.  I'll do anything to get a reader.  I just hope I don't waste anybody's time.