Nudity can be a plus.

Yes, and that’s the precise reason I proof-read all my posts before releasing them as well as after I press “publish”. I proof read to check for mistakes – (grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence syntax etc.) I do the same with email and with stuff I write off-line. I believe I owe it to my readers if I want them to read what I write to write in a way that makes it easy for them. I think blogs are like any other published/public work, because they are “out there” on the world-wide web for anyone other than me to read.

Whoever the grammar police are, I know I don’t need them, but more power to ‘em

When I proof read my stuff I don’t feel it is bad. Posts that I feel don’t reach my own standard either don’t get past the draft stage. No, by the time I am “Proof-reading” (as I understand it and as I do it for blogging and any stuff I write, even off-line) I am checking for and correcting errors before I let my post loose on an unsuspecting world. I don’t always succeed in catching every single one but I have a darn good try. I owe my readers that much! Well, at least I think so…

but it can lead to a few problems, i admit that, i do have a tendency to use ellipses a little too much… but thats as a break for my thought processes.

and i know how hard it is to proof read your own stuff, i write poems, stories, but i can never read them, i have destroyed dozens, why because they feel wrong when i re read them. so i dont, i am my own worst critic when i re read, thats why i love blogs, i can post, and its gone, and i dont have to think about is it right, is it wrong.. (you can go too far into the grammar police state)

Given the number of times I read and re-check my posts before posting them I am continually amazed at the gramatical boo-boos that manage to slip through which I usually see after I’ve posted the article. I can’t rest until I’ve corrected it. I’m of the mind that it’s almost impossible to really be able to proofread your own stuff… because once you’ve read it a couple of times, you see what you expect to see (and not what’s actually there.

mercurior – I didn’t know you typed in dialect.

i have added an email me on my blog, i have a single picture of me and my fiance and her dad, with a bit about me, not too much, as i am quite a private person.

Like you, I encounter lots of blogs that are just terrible, gramatically and structurally. Makes me feel like a middle-school english teacher, ready to whip out the red ink and go nuts. Of course, I’ve seen mistakes in my own posts that made me scramble to correct, thinking “Why the hell did I do that!?

Chris W – thanks for this… you’ve given me some ideas. I know I should use my RSS more effectively (duh!) and I could do more with Technorati. And one of these days I hope to get around to putting a guest book on my blog… btw – did I say how much i enjoyed your “50 Things About Me” post?

I like blogs from all over the world, mostly those that are about ideas and events rather than cathartic, overly personal ones. Lack of attention to grammar/spelling drives me crazy, especially if there is no attempt to use paragraphs. I can’t deal with that visually.

I think layout is imporant, but most of my blogger friends are on Blogger, which has pretty easy-on-the-eyes layouts.

-AM

I have a lot of blogs in my RSS bookmarks, and all of them share these traits, yours included.

Other things that make a blog special: Organization of content, easy navigation, ways to find past subjects/articles, links and utilizing linking services like Technorati… and some personal stuff about the author(s). Oh, and contact info or comment boxes… some way to get in touch with the author. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve not gone back to a blog because the author, while having great posts, was not accessable to contact.

I can see you spend some time preparing your posts, I on the other mainly, but do feel that my personality is based on improvisation. Most of the things I say, do and think are all spontaneous. Like I could wake up tomorrow and decide to go to the cinema with a friend. They all know what I am like and are always expecting my call, lol.

I’ve never seem blogging as the art form you seem to be describing, but now that I think of it, it is like all art forms. It requires imagination, creative and talent. Not a great deal of talent. I suppose when you think about it, blogging is like reading someone’s autobiography while they are living it.

As for this post, you have given me a thought to take away and ponder on. I will probably come up with some fancy ideas to improve my content and if I do, (and they work) I will have you to thank.

Mercurior… the thing about contact pages is that just when you think no-one wants them, someone turns up and wants to use one…I can’t count the numbr of times I’ve wanted to say something to a blogger about their site that wouldn’t work in a thread – and – no contact button

Christine.. let me guess you are an editor? A proofreader? I also love amusing blogs. Is D-Listed one of your fave blogs as well I get all the celeb gossip via my husband who has a number of sites he’s subscribed to – and who’s always telling me to go and get my own links…lol.

Janette – can’t argue with that one!

Thanks TT – agree and in particular for the point about page loading time – it is a major irritant for me too. I realize I don’t wait for the pages and I’m one of the clicker-outers.

These are the elements I notice in blogs that affect my choice to become a faithful reader, or not.

1. Clean and fast loading pages
A blog page should load in a reasonable amount of time. When they don’t readers feel irritated rather than “welcome”. Too many posts on the front page or too many images and embeds, or images are not scaled and saved in the most efficient format, means readers are liable to tire of waiting for the page to load and click out before reading what you had to say.

2. Advertising and pop-ups distract attention away from blog posts and can be a major annoyance.

3. Compelling content produced at regular intervals
No matter what the topic – it ought to be interesting, thoughtful and clearly expressed.

4. Navigation ought to be intuitive.

5. Formatting is important. Using paragraphs and white space between them in the text body to improve readability.

6. Broken links are frustrating.

7. Blogs that aren’t updated frequently don’t have what it takes to encourage return visits.

Spelling and Grammar: I find poor spelling and grammar very annoying so I avoid blogs I find myself mentally editing. The odd typo is not an issue — good thing too, considering I’m the queen of the odd typo.

Content: There are exceptions but generally I don’t enjoy tell-all or overly emotional blogs. Some people find this type of writing therapeutic — and that’s great for them — but it does not usually make good reading for me.

I like to read amusing blogs no matter the focus — if it’s funny I’ll read it. I also like serious blogs but only ones about topics I’m interested in. I enjoy reading about décor, architecture, PR issues, HR issues, advertising, marketing and technology…and of course, childfree issues. I also like celebrity gossip

Occasionally, I like to read about people whose lives are very different from mine. One thing I am is very loyal. If I find a blog or website I like, I tend to be a regular reader — until one spelling error too many drives me off the deep end and I toss my laptop into the sink .

i dont have much in the way of an about me, sometimes i feel the content is more important than who i am.

and i really must create a contact address. i did have some but no one used them, so.. i deleted the original ones..