Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Blogging Confessions


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. It's a fun weekly link-up with a provided prompt where entertaining list-making ensues.

I've been watching and reading Top Ten Tuesday on a few blogs for quite a few months. Since I've been slacking off on my posting, this seemed like a good time (and a good topic) for me to jump in on and start participating. This week the topic is blogging confessions. Heaven knows I have a few of those.


1. My blog is just like me...erratic. (Pieces of this will pretty much show up in confessions 2-10. Beware.)

I have good intentions. Really...I do. But sometimes the best laid plans just fall apart. Life gets to be a little overwhelming and I just melt and shut down. When that happens, it all goes to crap. No projects, no blog. And then I'll get back on the horse and knock that shit out of the park. So I'm here and then occasionally I'm gone (like the last couple of weeks where I've been semi-MIA). But just like me, the blog bounces back. And so do the projects. And I keep my fingers crossed that my readers won't bail on me during those time periods when I'm just such a horrible flake.


2. I go through phases of craftiness...in different genres...like a spaz.

This is why I liked my approach of dedicating different topics to different months. Sometimes I'm on a sewing kick, sometimes scrapbooking, sometimes reading. I think I'll keep the month to month themes, but maybe just not plan them ahead so much anymore. That kind of slapped me in the face when Pinterest project month hit and all I wanted to do was read.


3. I don't (and never will) review all of the books I read on my blog.

Sometimes I just don't have that much to say. I'll put a little blurb on everything I complete when I post my finish on Goodreads, but they won't always make it here in full review form...even if I love them. That's just the way I go.


4. I can be obsessive about my stats.

I like to click the little stats tab and find out where my readers are coming from. I also like to see how many reads come in on any given day, week, month. Occasionally this backfires and I get totally forlorn over the days when those stats drop. Usually this is due to me not writing anything for a day or two...so, duh that would happen...but it still makes me momentarily sad.


5. There are bloggers I love to read, but rarely comment on...because I freak out.

I read a lot of blogs. A lot. And I really do read their posts. But I rarely comment even though I feel utterly guilty about not leaving a little blip. Why? Because I don't want to post something dumb and look stupid later. Petty? Yes. Totally true? Oh you betcha. This is also why I struggle responding to comments on my own blog. (Confession within a confession...I'm asocial and completely socially awkward. This extends to my blogging persona sometimes. It's kind of a crippling issue on occasion. Just know that if you leave a comment, I read it and totally appreciate it. I just may not know how to respond without feeling like a fool.)


6. I frequently covet other bloggers' layouts.

I like a cute blog. That's just the way it goes. I read most blog posts via Feedly, so I don't really see blog homepages all that often, but there are just some people who have a knack. I need to work on craftier graphics and I seriously want to start figuring out how to find gifs to put in my posts. Sometimes those just make my day.


7. I scrap a lot of posts.

Somewhere around 1/3 of my posts never see the publish button. I'll get a post halfway written and then just decide that it's utter crap...or not what I had in mind for that day, or whatever. There's always an excuse. In most of these cases, I just select it all and hit delete. Sometimes I hit save and make it into a useful post on another day, but this is a rarity. I keep telling myself I need to be better creating drafts because there have been times where it's really been a bummer to realize a week and a half later that the post I had nearly finished would have worked great for next Tuesday with just a little editing.


8. I like doing crafty posts. I just need to do more crafts...or maybe just remember to take pictures of the ones I do.

Some of my favorite posts are project posts...the ones that turned into tutorials. But I am a horrid planner in the case of crafts. I don't know why, but I just get the whim to create, start a project, finish it, and then realize ten minutes later that I didn't take a single picture and now really can't use it for a full post on the blog. It's dumb and I do it all the time. Three...three...Christmases have gone this way. That's something like ninety projects that I could have posted on here if I wasn't such a ninny. It's not like I don't own like ten cameras. You'd think I would remember to take a freaking picture once in a while.


9. I have contemplated splitting the blog into two.

EPJ has been around for a while. And I like it. It works for me. But I worry that it doesn't always work for my readers. There has been more than once that I've considered creating a second blog just for the reading stuff. But then I panic and worry that I won't devote enough time to each one if I do that and I'll just be spreading myself too thin or alienating my readers. (If you have an opinion on this one, I'll totally take it. This is a more constant mental debate recently.)


10. I really want this blog to grow readers, but I'd probably keep doing it even if no one read it.

EPJ is a good creative outlet for me. I love that there are people who enjoy it and there are some regular readers who I consider to be pretty good friends even though I don't know them outside of the blogosphere. In all honestly, I'd love to have one of those blogs that has thousands of readers, but I'll still enjoy it if it stays small. I just need some way to put all this stuff out there and if only one or two people really like it enough to keep reading, I guess that's okay by me. I enjoy the validation, but I'm happy to say that I still blog mostly for myself. I hope it always stays that way.

20 comments:

  1. Here is a plea from me....Please, please, pretty please, leave a comment. I love to see that someone has been by my blog. Even if it is a simple, "Me, too."

    Here are My Bloggish Confessions!

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    1. You got it Deb! I'm making a pledge to myself to do better at commenting. I just need to suck it up. :)

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  2. Great list today :) For #9, I actually like that your blog doesn't just focus on books/reading. Most of the blogs I follow are only book blogs and it's refreshing to see posts on your blog that aren't book related all of the time. I've actually thought about adding some non-book posts to my blog, to give it some diversity :)

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    1. Thanks Finley Jayne! Glad to get some input. I like the diversity, but I worry about readers getting irritated when I get on a streak with a particular hobby. I need to work on mixing it up more.

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  3. I often feel dorky commenting on other blogs too! I just...eeh, what if I'm only saying something ridiculous? Although I know most blogger's LOVE comments, so I try not to overthink it anymore! I also write a lot of posts that I delete. Hehe. I loved reading your confessions. ;)
    My TTT!

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    1. True, true...most bloggers do love their comments. I suppose looking at it as the blogger receiving the comments makes it easier to feel okay with putting something down. It's definitely on my list of things to work on. :)

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  4. Love your list. I'm always jealous of everyone elses' layouts!
    Cora @ Tea Party Princess

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    1. Thanks Cora! There definitely are some good blog designers out there.

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  5. It's crazy how many people's TTT "confessions" revolve around not commenting on other blogs. I don't know any blogger who doesn't like comments. I say, comment away, no matter how silly you feel. The blogger will appreciate knowing that someone is reading what they write.

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    1. As I visit other bloggers' confessions, I'm seeing it pop up quite a bit too. I guess it's just time to look at it from the flip side. I know that every comment I get here totally makes my day...I guess I need to suck it up and help hopefully make someone else's day a little brighter.

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  6. I had a separate book blog when I started which got absolutely no visitors. I might as well have just done goodreads and not bothered with a blog at all. I combined my two blogs and review on Wednesdays only. My traffic comes when I play meme's. Isn't it great to just let it out? I enjoyed your list today kelley—the road goes ever ever on

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    1. Hmm...good to know. Sounds like I need to just keep my hodgepodge posting approach going. I do like the meme posts as well. It's good to add that bit of variety and I love the addition of the community. I always find good new bloggers.

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  7. I have blog envy sometimes too. People are really creative and I'm...not. LOL :) I want my book blog entirely as a book blog only so I decided to create another blog where I get to rave or rant about other non-bookish things. :) Thanks for sharing and for stopping by.

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    1. This is why I kind of got the idea in my head to split it off. I know a few bloggers who approach their book blogging this way. I'm going to have to mull it over.

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  8. #3, I'm the same! If I don't have much to say, I don't post about the book. Even if I liked it.

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    1. It sometimes makes me feel guilty because the book was just so darned good, but I hate to have a mumbling and bumbling post.

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  9. +JMJ+

    #9 -- This is an issue for me, too. My blog is very eclectic: books, movies, TV series, music, and whatever else I happen to be interested in. I think the fact that even regular readers aren't sure what to expect next makes it harder for me to attract a bigger readership.

    On the other hand, that may not be such a bad thing! One of the most common "confessions" this week is the guilt other bloggers feel at being unable to keep up with comments. That's a problem I've NEVER had. Maybe that's a sign that I have the ideal number of readers and should stop wishing for more than I can handle! My regular commenters have told me that they like my content, so maybe I should just be grateful for what I already have.

    So what I'd ask you is why you think you need to split your blog. Is it other people's advice? Comparisons to other blogs? Readers' comments? If they keep coming back, it's working for them! =)

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    1. Blogger guilt. It's all too common, isn't it?

      I think a lot of the thought process about splitting the blog is simply coming from what I see out there on other blogs. There really haven't been any comments either way (until this post). I suppose I'll have to keep thinking it over and seeing what commenters have to say.

      Thanks for popping in!

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  10. #9- I'm in the same boat. Sometimes I feel like my travel writing and my book reviewing are just in different worlds!

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    1. The debate is constant. Totally frustrating.

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