Blogging makes you a more positive person

I firmly believe that writing a blog makes you a more positive person. Why do I think this? Here are five reasons:

1. You have to think about your reader.

When I'm writing a post, I often think, what would a reader think of this? If it's a long and negative piece of writing, I either scrap it, or change it to make it more positive. I don't imagine my readers want to read about me whining but without offering any solutions. Blogging forces me to change my thought process to make it more appealing.

2. You can have your say.

Sometimes in life, people don't listen to you. This is frustrating and a big reason why lots of employers have unhappy workers. It's important to feel heard. My blog lets me have my say without being interrupted. It lets me get what's bothering me out of my system.

3. It's time well spent.

Sitting around and watching television is a great way to relax. Yet, I hate feeling like I'm wasting time. If I spend 20 minutes writing a blog post in the evening, I feel like I've achieved something with my time rather than throwing it away. Not everyone will enjoy reading my blog, but some do, and this makes writing this blog completely worthwhile.

4. It's a way to focus your thoughts.

In renovating my house, I've used my blog to centre my thoughts and document changes I want to make to the house. Writing posts helps me to think about the enjoyable parts of renovation - the pretty decor and inventive use of colour!

5. You connect with other positive people.

If there's one thing I've noticed about other bloggers, it's that they all seem to be really upbeat and happy people! Mixing with people like that (even if it's just through social media) is surely going to keep your spirits up! You cheer me up you lovely people.


So there you have it; five reasons why blogging is good for your mental health. What do you love about blogs?

One big blog, or more than one blog?

When writing a blog, it's difficult to make the decision 'what will my blog be about?'. There are so many types of blogs about:

• food blogs
• home decor blogs
• beauty blogs
• fashion blogs
• educational blogs
• sports blogs
• lifestyle blogs
• wedding blogs
• mummy blogs

Image from zementa.com



That's just the tip of the iceberg! Obviously each of these blogs has a different type of reader, and a different style of writing. I personally think my blog is a lifestyle blog, with some home decor and fashion thrown in now and then. Yet, should I be more streamlined than that?

Blogging is about pleasure and I don't want to limit what I write about. However, sometimes I think it would be easier to get sponsors and market myself to others if I narrowed down my writing. If I did do this, the plan would be to create a number of blogs, but commit a smaller amount of time to each blog. I could write one for English students with resources and guidance, and keep one as a renovation blog. The worry I have is, would I divide my time too much and end up not blogging at all? Every other area of my life is timetabled, do I want to make blogging the same?

Other bloggers - what do you do? Do you commit to one type of writing, or divide your time effectively? What works best for you?

Liebster Blogger Award

This week I have received a Liebster Award from Fay at http://crafts-crazy.blogspot.co.uk Please check out her blog.
The Liebter Award nomination is given to up and coming bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. It's a great way to meet other bloggers, find great blogs and a way to recognise the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining a blog.

 

The Rules:

1)Link back to the person that nominated you 

2)List 11 Facts about yourself (optional)

3)Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you for the award

4)Nominate 11 blogs/bloggers who themselves have 200 or fewer followers

5)Think up 11 different questions for the people you are nominating to answer

6)Notify your nominees so they know you can answer and join in!

so..11 facts about me!

1)I'm so grammar obsessed I changed the word 'less' to 'fewer' in the rules because it was used incorrectly.

2)I have a German ShepherdxHusky called Charlie.

3)I didn't choose Charlie. My boyfriend's sister owned him but couldn't cope.

4)I am buying a house two streets away from where I currently rent.

5)I work as a teacher in an FE College teaching GCSE and Functional Skills English.

6)I'm 27 and still get asked for ID.

7)I used to dye my hair constantly when I was a teenager - so much I forgot what my natural hair colour looked like.

8)I love Family Guy, Friends, Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model and House, although I'm embarrassed that this choice of programmes makes me look like an airhead.

9)I like vintage style but have to try to decorate on a budget so have to be clever with buying items.

10)I am thinking about making my own teacup candles.

11)I am doing an MSc in Psychology in my free time, just for fun.

Now the 11 questions from Fay

1)What's your favourite brand of nail polish ?

I don't really wear nail polish!

2)If you win the lottery what 5 things would you buy?

A mortgage free home, another dog, cushions, blankets, a slightly newer car.

3)out of 10 how much do you enjoy blogging and why ?

It changes from day to day, but it's usually about a 9. I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. I like to record my thoughts and connect with others.

4)Who's your favourite blogger ?

The Styling Dutchman is the first blog I really discovered and inspired me to blog.

5)What makes you happy ?

My boyfriend, dog, friends, blog and home.

6)What 4 things in your handbag can you not live without ?

Lipsalve, purse, keys, mobile phone.

7)Best Film ?

Tricky one. Possible Bridget Jones' Diary?

8)Do you have a nick name ?

I used to be called Lubi a lot but thankfully people stopped calling me that when I got older!

9)What's your favourite thing to do when you have spare time ?

 Blog, study for my MSc, drink tea, go to vintage fairs.

10)Are you a soap person or not ?

No. I used to watch Neighbours but I don't have time now.

11)Best time of the year and why ?

Summer because it's hot and the days are long.

So now for the blogs I am nominating! 

1)Sally at http://darknesslight1.blogspot.co.uk/

2)Tori at http://toritellshertales.blogspot.co.uk/

3)Em at http://emgeorgias.blogspot.co.uk/

4)Donna at http://missrubyjuly.blogspot.co.uk/

5)Sinead at http://sineaddreamingagain.blogspot.ie/

6)Hristina at http://mistysstuff.blogspot.co.uk/

7)Hollie at http://prettybigbutterflies.com/

8)Louisa at http://www.duck-in-a-dress.blogspot.co.uk/

 

I couldn't think of 9-11, sorry!

My Liebster Questions to my Nominees:

1)What's your favourite book and why?

2)What's your favourite animal?

3)Describe your style.

4)Are there any blogs you check more than others? What do you particularly like about those blogs?

5)How many pairs of shoes do you own?

6)Which would you rather be, a badger or a cow?

7)Do you wear glasses?

8)What was the last thing you made?

9)What film do you wish you had never seen?

10)What do you spend the most money on?

11)What piece of advice would you give your 16 year old self?

Phew, that was exhausting!

Too much social media?

There comes a point when everyone who uses technology asks themselves 'am I using (insert social media site) too much?'. Since joining twitter I have discovered how easy it is to record almost every thought you have each day above (and including) which type of coffee you fancy from Starbucks. But are our lives becoming over consumed by social media?

The argument against: social media is only popular because people want and need it. As a blogger it's almost vital, and makes a huge difference to have a presence on twitter or Facebook. It's a great way to let people know about your blog posts and interact with other bloggers. I've even been invited to a blogger's meet up in my local town thanks to twitter. 

Social media also has practical uses. Facebook keeps you in touch with old school friends and makes it much easier to reconnect or arrange meet-ups. It's even possible to win prizes through social media sites and find out about websites or products you couldn't have otherwise discovered. 

The case against: do we really need to record every second of every day. Social media has become advertising, both personal and for products too. Thanks to social   media, I know how far some guy who went to me school ten years ago runs and what route he takes. I am kept regularly updated with people's shopping habits. In fact, when I meet up with friends and they tell me the latest gossip I end up repeating the phrase 'yeah, I saw it on Facebook'. It is starting to become monotonous.

On top of the key players there seems to be an app for every kind of social media. Photo sharing, text sharing, exercise sharing, sharing your to-do list, sharing your latest meal, the list goes on. Is it really necessary to record all this information? If you use all these apps it's almost like having a full time job filling them in. It's too much. 

On balance, use want you want. However, I do strongly felt that social media has become a way to advertise yourself, brag about the smallest achievements, and is making us all constantly 'on show'. Take the night off. Sit in your comfiest pyjamas and watch crap tv without feeling the need to broadcast it. In fact, if you're taking the time to tweet about it, it probably means what you're doing isn't that fun. Instead, get lost in the moment and forget about having an audience.

How do you feel about social media? 

Religion and an interesting analogy

I was watching this meeting between Richard Dawkins and Ricky Gervais on Youtube recently and it got me thinking about religion. From a young age, until the age of 18 I was religious. I joined the Salvation Army after dropping into a kid's club when I was young, and as it was at the end of the road I lived, on I carried on attending. My parents were never religious but by attending this group I began to believe what I was being told, and progressed into joining the youth group. It was a great friendship network outside of school and gave me opportunities to try interesting activities.

When I finished secondary school I wanted to do a gap year and I joined the Timothy programme, a Salvation Army gap year programme. It mainly involved being involved in youth work at a given church, and I was sent to Manchester to be involved in a branch there. I worked with schools and the church and ran the youth group while I was there. It was interesting, but I was lonely, and my lodgings were with an 81 year old woman so I spent most evenings alone. My next door neighbour was a similar age boy and I soon started spending time hanging out with him. We quickly became boyfriend and girlfriend.

He had grown up as a mormon and had moved away from the church despite having religious parents. We began talking about religion, and he put forward some very sensible arguments. Although he was a bit pushy about trying to get me to re-think my views, I took some time alone to really consider what I believe. I decided I didn't think there was a God. I couldn't see how I could believe in something with so little evidence, and that I could quite easily live without. I felt that the reasonable and mostly likely argument was that he wasn't there. I also had serious reservations about a lot of parts of the bible. It didn't seem fair or compassionate to burn someone in hell forever for simply not believing in God. This wasn't the kind of God I wanted to align myself with.

After that, I questioned everything and stopped attending church. I completed my gap year but no longer took part in the 'teaching' of young people as I didn't feel comfortable. I read books and found that many people I consider to be intelligent and knowledgeable also didn't believe in God. Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, David Attenborough were all people I looked up to and respected the opinion of. I also didn't feel my life was lacking anything without religion, and I knew that being a good person for the sake of being good was more important to me than being religious.

Ricky Gervais mentions an analogy in this clip that Douglas Adams first stated. I found the entire quote and I think it's rather wonderful.

“This is rather as if you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it.” 
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

We can think that the world must have been invented simply because things seem to work, but this quote reminds us that although a puddle fits the holes it is in exactly, science and molecules can explain this better than the idea of a creator can. Just because things seem to be perfect, doesn't mean they were designed. It is miraculous and awe-inspiring that the world has evolved to become the intricate and amazing world that it is. To us, it is by no means perfect - tsunamis, famine, disease and earthquakes are dangerous and upsetting. I can't imagine God would have chosen this reality. However, physically, the world is perfect. Diseases control population levels and dry weather is part of the seasonal cycle in parts in a landscape that has worked for thousands of years. 

So, my personal belief is that we should enjoy the world and its perfection without worrying about an invisible being. Love one another and love life.

What are your thoughts on religion?

Why I really like Josie Long

If you haven't heard of Josie, she's a female British stand-up comedian. She's been on the periphery of big things for a long time, but doesn't seem to have made it into the main-stream yet. She's does a lot of touring around England, so it's fairly easy to book to seek one of her gigs. You can find information about this here.

I was listening to an interview she did with some New Zealand fellas (or could have been Australian) on a podcast recently and it got me thinking about why I like Josie Long. So here is my: list of reasons why I like Josie Long.

She likes lists. I like lists.

She is well read. She gave out a comic at one of her gigs a few years ago in Canterbury and it had a list of her favourite books on it. I read The Abortion, and Slapstick or Lonesome No More from that list, and although I didn't enjoy them a huge amount while I was reading them, they've stuck with me.

She likes to swim outdoors. I like to swim outdoors! Recently I've swam in the sea in Suffolk, the canal near my house and Colwick park lake in Nottingham.

She tries to be better. She did a maths A level just to be better at maths. Recently she's become more politically aware because it's the right thing to do. I like things like this. I want to always be learning new things, that's why I chose to do a MSc in Psychology in my spare time, despite the fact I don't need to for my job.

She doesn't try to fit the 'mould'. She's not stick skinny and she doesn't try to be, but she is honest about her insecurities.

She likes to meet new people and connect with her fans. She doesn't rush off after a gig but will stay and chat.

She is funny.

This concludes my list of reasons why I like Josie Long. If you don't know who she is, check her out on Youtube.

Giveaway Post!

To thank my readers, I am offering a giveaway prize to you lovely people. The only condition is you MUST LIVE IN THE US TO ENTER. (Don't worry, I'll be offering some UK competitions soon!).

Some Kind of Pretty is an adorable jewellery shop on Etsy that offers unique handmade pieces. Catheryn, the owner of Some Kind of Pretty, has offered a pair of earrings free of charge to one lucky reader. Click on the link to access Catheryn's shop and see what she has to offer.

The winner of this competition will receive one gorgeous pair of handmade earrings from the selection below.

You will get to choose one pair of earrings from the following selection

 Green owl earrings

 Peacock blue czech glass earrings

Silver arrow earrings

 Sunset sparkle earrings

Pretty pink butterfly earrings

In order to be in for a chance to win, you must:

1. Live in the US (or have a US postal address your prize can be sent to).
2. Be a follower of my blog.
3. Leave a comment on this post with an email address and which earrings you would like to win. 

It's as easy as that. 

I know I have followers on Twitter, Tumblr and Bloglovin but you must leave a comment on this post on my blog. The competition will close on Monday 12th August at 12pm (GMT). Earrings chosen must be from the selection offered. The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator.

Winners will be contacted at the end of the competition. The prize will be sent directly from the Some Kind of Pretty Etsy shop.

Good luck!

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

When I was at Snape Maltings on Saturday, I met a lovely young man who was selling his chilli sauces: Capsicana Chilli Co Ltd. He offered me a tester and I thought they were delicious (my boyfriend on the other hand had to run to the car to drink a glass of milk - which we luckily had as we were on the way back from a weekend away!). The creator prides himself on using the hottest chilli in the world. I tried the milder version and even that was super hot, but had a lovely flavour. It would be gorgeous used to marinate chicken.

Here are his products: 

 

 The range of Capsicana Chilli Co Ltd's chilli sauces.

The hottest chilli sauce, using the Jolokia chilli. Mindblowing!

If you want to find out more about the Capsicana Chilli Co Ltd you can visit the website here. You can also enter the Capsicana cook off. Read more about this here.

Lucid Dreaming

Have you ever heard of lucid dreaming? This is an idea that I wasn't aware of until I studied Psychology. In fact, it's easy to do and kind of mindblowing.

 

Waking Life - A film about Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming is about becoming in control of your own dreams. Have you ever had a really cool dream that you didn't want to end? Imagine if you could control that dream. Lucid dreaming is the act of becoming aware that you are dreaming. Once you become aware this allows you to experience the dream in a new way, and make decisions, as if you are awake but not limited by the rules of gravity or physics.

I have only experienced lucid dreaming a couple of times. The first time scared me and I woke up nearly straight away. The second time I found myself able to fly around, in control, and it was amazing. Some people spend lots of time mastering lucid dream and regularly lucid dream. It could help you practice a new skill or act out fantasies. One woman who speaks about lucid dreams claims the ability to orgasm during her sleep!

In order to lucid dream, you need to ensure that during your dream you'll stop and ask yourself 'is this a dream?'. In order to do that during your sleep, you need to do that when you're awake. Here are some tips to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming:

• Stop and ask yourself each day 'Am I awake right now?'. If you do that enough, you will eventually do it in your sleep too.
• Keep a diary of your dreams and record them when you wake up.
• Draw an L on your hand. Every time you see it, think about lucid dreaming. Eventually you may see the L in your sleep.
• Watch the film Waking Life before you go to bed. This film is all about lucid dreaming. I often dream about films I watched, so there's a good chance you might remember it once you go to sleep.
• Look at How to Lucid Dream websites for help.

Do you lucid dream? Are you going to try?

How to get more blog followers on Blogger

Making a blog is easy. Gaining a following isn't. There are so many blogs out there competing for attention. In an age of generations of people that don't like reading, many people will visit a blog for a few seconds and not read the content.

So how do you make sure that your blog is seen by people who read blogs? Here are my top tips.


Write content as often as you can. I read blogs much more often if I know there will almost always be a new post to read. If they only blog once a month I'll forget to check. Having fresh content ready is part of the struggle but the only way to gain rewards in the blogging world.

Blog about current issues, and local issues. Say Michael Jackson has just died. How many people will be looking for websites with information or views about that? Thousands. Blog about things that people will be talking about anyway and post them onto Twitter. Either that, or blog about local current issues. At the moment there are local issues in my village (I'm sure you'll have read about them if you follow my blog) and many people have stumbled across my blog because they've been looking for information about this issue. Blog big, but also blog local!


Run competitions and giveaways. Prizes and giveaways to followers are a great incentive to followers as there is much more chance of winning than entering a magazine competition. You just need the time to organise the giveaway and the funds to buy prizes. If you're already a successful blog it is much easier to approach companies asking for giveaway prizes, but if not there's nothing to stop you from buying a prize and offering it yourself.


Get yourself out there. You've got to interact with others to get your blog seen. There are positive ways of doing this, and negative ways. For example - writing boring messages on a forum and posting your blog website after each post is a lame way to publicise your blog, and will annoy people like this. However, if you read and comment on other blogs, people can make their way back to you through your blog ID. Finding forums that are made for advertising blogs is also a plus because that's what they're there for. You could also publicise your blog on Twitter or Facebook. Be careful though; I have decided not to use my Facebook because I don't want work colleagues to see the blog (I'm not always complimentary about my workplace!).

Tell friends. I have shown my blog to friends that I don't mind reading my posts. I don't want everyone I know reading, but some friends I know will appreciate it.

Find similar blogs and let the writers know. People with similar interests to you are more likely to be interested in your blog, and could always send more readers to your blog. As a community we need to help each other out.

Include lots of images. As I said, people don't want to read. Images encourage someone to stay and read your content, but more importantly, many readers can find your blog through an image search. Some will steal the photo and run away, but some may just be tempted to follow the image to find out where it came from.

Post a blog post about getting more followers on blogger. I'll let you know if it works!

Let me know if you have any more blogging tips, and whether the tips here worked. Feel free to comment and leave your blog address!! There's plenty of room in the blog world for all of us!

Kids, Teens and Youtubers react

Another new show that I'm loving (I really do spoil you don't I) is a YouTube sensation called Kids React.

If you're old enough to remember, think of It'll Be Alright On The Night where kids were interviewed watching videos and saying what they thought was happening. This is basically the same idea, but with updated issues. The children watch videos about the Harlem Shake, The Beatles, Honey Boo Boo and even touch on racism. The children have some really grown up ideas and tend to make a lot of sense, but with a few child-like quirks.

If you want to see something similar but a bit more pithy and in-depth, Teens React is exactly the same premise but the subjects tend to be a little more adult. The teens tend to have some very intelligent responses. It is a little disheartening that some of them state that they don't ever read out of school-time though. They look at topics like the Newtown Shootings but also lots of a silly Viral Videos. They do tend to get to the heart of the matter and come out looking intelligent.

Some commenters have stated that these children inspire them with hope for the next generation. Although it is a great show and the children do make good points, remember that these children have been chosen for a reason. They only portray a very small demographic of American children, and all seem to be fairly well-spoken and liberal. It is reassuring to know that there are children in America that already make a lot of sense though - someone's gotta lead the country, right?

If you can't stand kids, there are some variations involving YouTubers, and Elders.

 What do you think of these shows?

Great Glen Co-Op Crematorium Exhibition

So, it's the Co-Op exhibition tonight at the town hall in Great Glen where we can hear about the plans for the crematorium. I'm going to visit after work and ask a few questions (assuming there's someone there to answer them). I imagine they'll put up some fancy images showing the building and some statistics.

I'm not sure how it has been received so far. I received a letter through my door convincing members of the village to argue against the plans, and there is a poster near the area convincing people of the same. Other than that it's difficult to know whether the majority are for or against the plans, particularly if they are convincing that there will be jobs available.

I was concerned that houses would be built on the land instead. In talking to some others it's become clear that due to flooding the area it's very very unlikely that houses would be built there.

Anyway, to get my head round it I'll outline the key arguments and state my personal views on each point.

1. It's near a school and children will be upset seeing hearses go past all the time. To be honest, it's not that near the schools and I don't think children would particulary care about seeing hearses. Children generally aren't as disturbed by death as adults are in my opinion and they would quickly get used to the sight of funeral cars.
2. Traffic will increase in the village.  The village is fairly small and doesn't have many through roads so I agree that this could be an issue. They have said funerals would finish at 4pm, so it might not affect rush hour. People are concerned that families would be visiting graves at any time increasing traffic. I don't think this would be a big issue. However, I think there is enough traffic in Great Glen at the moment and any more would be a negative for the village particularly as cars would have to drive through the centre.
3. It could increase business in the village. I imagine the two pubs that are close to the spot would improve in business due to being used to after the funeral get-togethers. That would be a plus for local business. However, it might also spoil the country feel of the pubs or make them less accessible. As far as I know neither pub has a function room ready for funeral groups.
4. It could increase jobs. I don't imagine it would have a massive impact on jobs for those living in the village as it is a fairly specialist industry. It could however impact on the funeral home already in Great Glen. I'm not sure if it would impact in a positive or negative way though.
5. It will look tasteful and modern. It may well look tasteful and modern, but the fields that are already there look pretty beautiful already.
6. The land already there is being wasted. It's not my land so I can't really comment on how much it costs to keep this land. I don't think any crops are currently being grown in the fields there. There are a few cows kept in the field there which uses that land. Part of the land seems to be linked to a house at the top of the hill and I can't imagine they would be over excited at the thought a cemetery (or perhaps car park) at the end of their garden. The land is much used by local dog walkers, and we love it!

I think it's clear to see that I would rather not have the crematorium in place. Obviously I'm biased, and would love to continue using the land to walk on and enjoy. I walk there every day and it was a big part of the reason I wanted to move to Great Glen as it's the only place I can really walk my dog without the fear of him chasing sheep. I'll try and take some photos of the exhibition so I can share with you what it showed.

If you're interested to see a similar situation, my Mum lives near to a village called Lambley in Nottingham where they have exactly the same issue. They want to build on the Lambley Dumbles, which is a lovely walk in the local area. If you're interested, here is some more information... Lambley opposition and Lambley details. Perhaps we could work together and write to each other's councils to increase the number of votes against the new plans?!

What are your personal reasons for wanting, or not wanting, a crematorium in Great Glen?
If you don't live in Leicester, how would you feel if they were building in your local area?

Why is the internet full of haters?

What is it about forums, blogs and annoymous posts that brings out the superiority in people?

When I first set up this blog, I tried my best to promote it on forums. I would make a thoughful answer to a conversation, but link my blog to my answer. Or, I would start a thread and encourage a conversation, but also provide a link to my blog.

This worked. People often clicked on my link to see what the site said. I thought, great, more people get to see my blog and can make a decision whether they like it, and perhaps want to follow me. If not, they close the blog, no harm done. However, very quickly I got very angry messages stating that I should not post my blog on the forum and that I was a terrible person with a rubbish blog.

Why is that people feel the need to be so angry and superior on forums? Do they go around being like this to people's faces? Or is it a place for those that are particularly angry and superior to interact and judge the rest of the world and feel like the best people in society?I would never tell someone to their face that what they had written was crap. Why is it ok to say that on the internet?

It's experiences like this that mean that I no longer try to publicise my blog. There just aren't any ways to do it that don't seem to annoy people. I don't see what's wrong with promoting a blog, but if so many people write such horrible things, it becomes an ordeal to tell others about it. Because of that, I don't think I have much of a following - at least, I don't seem to have a huge amount of followers, which means I lack motivation during the busy times to update my blog. It's difficult when doing a Master's, working full-time and walking the dog for two hours a day to find time to log on and write a new post.

These cases of unpleasant comments aren't even isolated to those that publicise their blogs. I have read many forum conversations where people have written terrible things to others. I can't believe that people have the capacity to say such rude things and to cause hurt to others. Many people who use forums are socially isolated (although, of course, many aren't) so sending abusive messages to vulnerable people is dangerous and may be quashing their only possibility of connecting with others.

Of course, there's nothing we can do about this. It's just a real shame that there seems to be a large amount of people who seem to enjoy dashing other people's confidence and writing negative things. 

Please don't leave a comment trashing this post, and confirming my point. If you can't say anthing nice, don't say anything at all. 

Blogger giveaways and free stuff.

As a blogger, I read other people's blogs both for inspiration, and because I find them interesting. I mostly read fashion blogs, as this seems to be the most popular choice of blog among other women my age. I like the idea of myself doing a fashion blog, but I'm not willing to show my face when blogging as I work with teenagers, and sometimes say some controversial things about teaching that the institution I work for could may dislike if I am putting a face to the informaiton I include.

                                            Blogs often give away free items in order to promote for companies

When reading other blogs, I like to see new products, get fashion ideas and to hear about places or recipes that they've discovered. I like the realness of it, compared to magazines where the writer of an article is given a brief of which items to report on and make look fantastic.

 

Increasingly, the blogs I read are becoming based on free-gifts they have been offered by companies. Although this is obviously brilliant for the blogger, I sometimes feel cheated by this. Obviously I'm slightly jealous, it would be nice to get free stuff, but there seems to be an element of selling-out. The bloggers clearly always praise the items and talk about how fantastic they are (particularly if they are being given away as prizes). It just seems like I am reading magazines all over again. In some ways, at least the magazines are shamelessly promoting items, wheras bloggers are trying to give the impression of being sincere.

 

It also starts to feel like I am reading one big advert. The photographs are all designed to make the product look good and the information is heavily biased. I would rather a blogger bought an item themselves and gave an honest, objective review, rather than knowing that the product designer will be reading their blog and expecting some promotion.

 

In reponse to this, there are blogs I am starting to read less often. It is repetitive constantly reading about how the blogger has got another free item, and again, it's totally amazing and wonderful. I would rather spend more time hunting out some more honest bloggers who are writing to give their audience honest advice based on their own experiences. This is what I consider blogging to be about!

Why I love Statcounter/ Statcounter review

Part of the blogging experience is monitoring how much interest your blog is getting. Blogger has a rudimentary counter of page views, but with Statcounter you can see detailed information about your blog's views.

Statcounter can show you where each view has come from, down to the city. It also lets you know if people are unique visitors, or reoccuring ones.

The page the viwer has come from is recorded, so you can see referring websites that are promoting your blog, or whether entries on forums are increasing blog traffic. This is useful as the way people find your blog tells you a little about who is reading it. Most referalls I recognise as being put there myself, or are found via an image search on google. However, sometimes referalls don't exist which means people have typed you blog site directly into their webpage or have you saved in their favourites, which is much more exciting!

It tells you the length of visits too. Some people clearly look at the photo on images and then leave. Some people spend 30 seconds scanning the text. Some people spend a few minutes and keep coming back. I like those people best.

The most fun is looking at what words people have type in a search engine to find my blog.

This tells me someone has typed in "A dirty shame nude couple" and been led to my blog. Perhaps it led them to this post, but if not, I don't know why it found me. Strange but intersting!

Anyway, I will continue to analyse my stats in a geek-chic style fashion, and to see if my blog is growing in love from others, or people are just getting bored. If they are I'll have to think of some controversial blog posts. Perhaps naked photos of people I know, or dishing the dirt on my colleagues. Hopefully people will be happy with my more politically correct current blog and I won't have to go down that road!