The Story Siren

09/04/09

Blogging Tips/Advice/Etiquette (and a tiny rant…. sort of)

Posted In: Blog Tips & Tricks

I wanted to resurface some blog posts I did previously about blog advice. I’ve been getting a lot of emails lately asking for advice when starting a blog, which I almost always refer these posts! So I thought I’d do a re-post and re-introduce these to the readers that perhaps didn’t read my blog when I posted them the first time around.

Blog Tips (1) first posted on Feb. 17, 2009

This post discusses “getting started”

where to host your blog
design

Blog Tips (2) first posted on Feb. 20, 2009

This post discusses the “guts” of a blog

content
visitors
networking

Blog Tips (3) first posted Feb. 24, 2009

This post discussing the books

where to get books
ARC programs (which may need updated?)
links to other great “blog advice posts”

I also have two posts on answering the question “How Do You Get All Those Books?”

Of course all these posts are a little dated but most of the content still rings true.

I also have a post that answers some random blogger questions:

where to get a counter
making a rating
handling negative reviews

I also have a wrap up post from Bloggiesta, but there is a lot of good information on there too. Things like:

Gravitars and Favicons
blog grades
meta tags
anchor texts
contact forms
bookmark buttons

And most importantly Book Blog Etiquette! Adele of Persnikity Snark recently did a post: “A Guide to YA Blogging” which was a collation of recommendations from bloggers, authors, and publicists.

Etiquette is something that you can’t hear enough about, obviously, from the sudden flux of mean comments and hateful emails that have been blasted around the blogoshpere. Not to mention the inane use of Twitter in these instances. Like the recent episode with Amy from My Friend Amy.

You can read my post: Book Blog Etiquette.

And while we are on the topic of etiquette. Let me just say something. I received a little slack a while back when I posted “the email” in my Dark Side of Blogging Post, saying it was improper, immature and so on and so forth. But here is the situation. “Lena” was not a real person. It/she/he was a cover for someone. Who knows if that person was even a blogger, they could have just been a random person that felt like giving me a piece of their mind that day. Had Lena, been a blogger whose repuation would have possibly been tarnished, I NEVER would have posted the email. I’ve gotten similiar emails from actual real live breathing bloggers, but would I ever post those? NO, I would not. There is a big difference.

On that note. Bloggers are people, we are human, we are going to make mistakes, we are going to make people mad, people are going to disagree with us. It’s perfectly acceptable to send a civilized email to another person when you have a disagreement with them or their actions. You might say “but my blog is my own, I can do whatever…” Yes, that’s true. But when you start commenting on other blogs, linking other blogs, interacting with your fellow bloggers you become part of a community. So, your blog is your own, but now you are also representing a group of people. And I think those people have a rights too.

If or when you are contacted. And let me tell you, I’ve been emailed many times! And it doesn’t ever get easier. DO NOT go on Twitter and start bashing that person, and spreading lies about them. It just makes you look bad. If you think it was easy on the person to send that email, you’re very wrong. Because yes I’ve been on the sending end too. It’s fine to be mad! Heck, I was mad! But take a step back, assess the situation, email the person back. If they took the time to email you their concerns, they obviously want to resolve the situation. It’s like a game of telephone out there in cyberspace. You email someone asking for a blog exchange and the next thing you know, you apparently hate the person.

Okay, I’m off my soapbox know. Can you tell I’ve had a bad week!

But hopefully this has helped answer some questions. If you’d like a questions answered or a topic discussed, let me know. I’m planning on working on a Blogger Questions post with some updated questions and answers.

16
comments

16 Comments

Mandy
9/4/2009

Thanks for the resources and questions answered. Very helpful.
KatieDoll
9/4/2009

I took, and I'm still taking a lot of information from those pages. I doubt I'd get very far if I didn't have your guidance. I appreciate it very much. Thank you!
Alyssa Kirk @ Teens Read and Write
9/4/2009

Great info here. Thanks for sharing the old stuff because it really helps!
Barbara
9/4/2009

I had an encounter with someone and amazingly I ended up handling it really well. It shocked me actually. I did blog about the person but didn't use the names. The whole mess could have been avoided but the person was just nasty about things and then someone else came in trying to cause drama but I nipped that in the bud. I guess the person was too much of a coward to even say anything.

I never did look to see if this person bad mouthed me or not. The whole thing was just ridiculous but luckily it ended without someone else coming over trying to start something over a sitch that should have been handled better. If the person approached it differently or sent me a message through the contact form there wouldn't have been a problem.

So I just moved on and haven't given this person a thought or the person's blog. Sadly some people are just idiots and you have to watch what you say. For all I know the person said something on their blog but since no one else came my way I assume it was just forgotten. It did sour me on a challenge I was going to do but I felt the need to remove myself from that sitch.
Thao
9/4/2009

Thanks for the links Kristy, I think I missed some in the past
Park Avenue Princess
9/4/2009

Kristi,

I really wish that I could say my week was better, but as we briefly discussed on twitter, it hasn't. I have NO idea what's going on…but I don't like it one bit! There's no need for it at all! I have had several myself. (All anonymous with no way to reach them back). I wasn't happy then and I'm not now!

I was just thinking about this on my way over to read your blog! Thanks for posting … you're always so informative and very welcoming. I hope you have a much better weekend. I'll be following you here and on twitter. I'm only a *Click* away if you need to vent!

x0xx Amy (Park-Avenue Princess
~Mary
9/4/2009

Love the blogging tips! Looking forward to something more updated also!

I've received some annonymous comments what were VERY rude…bt i just deleted it and made it not possible to comment as anonymous. I might have been more upset if it hadn't just happened to you.

Mary
The Sweet Bookshelf
L. Diane Wolfe
9/4/2009

Thank you for all those links & tips! I'll mention this post next week in my Friday roundup.

L. Diane Wolfe “Spunk On A Stick”
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
Katiebabs a.k.a KB
9/4/2009

Excellent advice! I think people tend to get a bit too emotional with the on-line world. There was a few things I saw happening this week on line that really angered me. I took a deep breath and relaxed because I was ready to go on twitter or post about it. We have such stress in our real lives, why bring it here where blogging and visiting other blogs should be fun and relaxing?
Jill of The O.W.L Blog
9/4/2009

I have been so thankful to you and your posts about beginning blogging. I found a lot of great advice. Your blog is one I have book marked so I can see how a blogger does it well!

I'm sorry that someone had to go off on you like that. But you handled very well – impressively well considering the circustances.
Alexia561
9/5/2009

Thank you so much for posting the links for the blogging tips! Have found all of your advice incredibly helpful.

Sorry you had to go thru that nastiness. You're right that bloggers are only human and that people can make mistakes. Hope your week has gotten better!
Jenn M.
9/5/2009

I'm so sorry to hear you've had a bad week. My week has been crummy too! My girls are sick and the Dr says swine flu…fun! Now my husband and I started sneezing and coughing…GREAT!

I really appreciate all of the information. I've been blogging on a small scale since January and I need all the help I can get! All of the advice from other bloggers is fabulous. People who have been there and done that!
Jessica Kennedy
9/5/2009

Great post!

I'm positive you meant "assess" when you say "asses", but I'm sure we all understood what you were saying!
HODGEPODGESPV
9/8/2009

ya done good! so take your right hand, put it on you left shoulder. now flap your hand up and down while repeating the first sentence!

(*_-)
Lauren
5/20/2010

Thank you! These are great tips!
Lauren
5/21/2010

Thank you! These are great tips!