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Posts Tagged ‘Nolie’s Place’

Google Docs

June 11th, 2010

admin
Admin

Google seems to own everything these days and one of the reasons that they are so successful is because they have some great things to offer – like Google Docs, for instance.

I use Google Docs a lot for everything from business to personal stuff, but I was reminded that I should mention it on the website when I took a survey at Nolie’s Place the other day. I too have used Google to create surveys on my other website, The Gift Detective. It is a free, simple and effective tool to use for your business and it creates some professional looking results. You can also use Google Docs to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs and more and you can share them with other collaborators to help keep everyone on the same page.

“Survey says…”


Creative Commons License photo credit: dno1967

I highly recommend that you check out Google Docs and start using these tools to help Better Your Blog

I’ve also listed this on the forum under “Resources“.  If you are a member and would like to link to or describe some examples of how you have used Google Docs for your business, you should do so here.

Happy blogging!

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Posted in Resources, Tools for Bloggers | 1 Comment »

New Look!

June 10th, 2010

admin
Admin

Hello, fellow bloggers!

I’ve gotten lots of fantastic feedback about the new look and I couldn’t be happier to hear how much people love it!  HUGE thanks to, Belal Design, who performed the magic and created everything I’ve asked for.

But, are we done?  Hell no!  The forum is next and, let me tell you, it is going to look super-fantastic!!!

And will we be done after that?  Nope.  This is just the beginning.  I have some terrific ideas to make this community even better and, as we are able to, I’ll be working with people like my designer to bring you even more great features.  Features that will help you connect with one another, define and reach your goals and Better Your Blog!  ’Cause that is what it is all about here.

I got a couple of very wonderful mentions by Members Kate and Nolie!  Please, check out their posts, Aren’t I so Glam?! and Warm Fuzzies.  Don’t forget to network with your fellow bloggers and leave them comments!

Speaking of networking…

  1. Log in to comment!  You’ll be able to advertise your most recent blog posts with ComLuv.
  2. Be sure to keep checking the forum – we have new members and I’ve encouraged them to introduce themselves so check the Introductions or answer a question for someone.
  3. Leave a link to one of your recent posts if you’ve been doing the homework for 31 Days to Build a Better Blog under whichever topic you’ve done homework for.  Free advertising your blog!
  4. Be sure to support your fellow Members and check out their homework!  Where can you find it?  Here!

Who is our newest member? GeekyGirl!  Check out her site, leave her a comment, show her some love from the Better Your Blog community.

There are still those of you who are members but haven’t introduced yourselves…what are you waiting for?  It is a supportive community, so take a leap of faith and say hello and let everyone know who you are and where to visit you.

Happy blogging!

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Posted in 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Design | No Comments »

Part II: Design – Beyond The First Impression

June 8th, 2010

admin
Admin

In, Part I: Design – One Second, I looked at how the design of your blog conveys a lot about you and is a chance to make a good first impression so that you can get the reader to the content of your site. Whether you are selling a service or just want readers, getting people to want to stay on your site for more than a second is key. So, you have their attention – now what?

Making your design stand out, reflect you and your goals are pretty key to becoming memorable. When someone remembers that great post you wrote, how are they going to connect the content to your blog? If they forget where they read it, how are you going to get them back?  Often design and branding go hand-in-hand to help readers get back to your site if they like the content.

Let me give you examples of some Members’ sites that have strong designs (listed alphabetically):

  • Mommy Monologues – Kate has completely overhauled her site this past week and people seem to be reacting positively!  Comments galore even though she isn’t done yet.  Her new logo is prominent and memorable and she has worked the alliteration of her tagline and her name together very nicely.  I can’t wait to see all of the finishing touches on her design!  Check out her new look here! Her new design is more divalicious while still incorporating the pink that she so clearly loves (my favorite color too!) in a much more elegant way.
  • Nolie’s Place – Nolie redesigned her blog a couple months ago and, speaking from a readers standpoint her blog went from “blah” to “ah ha!”.  Her old design was so forgettable, I can’t even remember what it looks like.  Now, I think of Nolie’s Place and I can easily visualize her blog because it is memorable.  She has used a butterfly theme and her tagline is “Fluttering My Way Through Life”.  The theme and the purpose of her blog are so cohesive and memorable and the site is easy on the eyes.  Go visit her site to see what I mean!
  • Skin Care in the City – On Pamela’s blog, right away, you will notice that the design focuses on things French and or skincare related; her header refreshes so you may see the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of France; lavendar, both very French and used in skin care and photos of Votre Vu products… smart, considering that her blog revolves around Votre Vu (French!) skincare products.  She also incorporates the fleur-de-lis into her blog and her logo, which is also a very French symbol and really does work well with her blog design.  When you visit, you will have to scroll down before you see any of her actual blog, which doesn’t work for many blogs and might deter someone who isn’t computer literate but it really does put those beautiful photos front and center!

These are just three of many blogs that have pleasing and intelligent design elements.  These wonderful bloggers are also active members of Better Your Blog so go network, show them some love and leave them a comment, they will probably return the favor!!!  Nobody’s blog is perfect (see Pro Mistake for proof!) but it goes to show that whether you are a new blogger or a seasoned blogger that you too can Better Your Blog!

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Posted in Design | 6 Comments »

Dear Bloggers:

May 14th, 2010

Nolie
Author

Guest post by, Nolie.

I love reading your blogs and I love when you come visit mine. However we need to have a discussion. I am sure parts of this won’t be too pretty but if we can work together I am sure we will all be happier in the end. Please take note to the following grievances of mine.

  1. Turn your music off!
    Pretty please with a cherry on top. I open the blogs I am going to read in multiple tabs. It is quite alarming to all of a sudden have music blaring at me and then I have to scramble to find out who it belongs to so I can turn it off. 9 times out of 10 I will just shut the tab and you have lost me. If you insist on having music then please leave it up to your reader to press play or to read in silence.
  2. Turn off the captcha.
    I know it’s your blog and spam sucks but captcha sucks even more. Either moderate your comments or open them up and take the time to delete spam. Captcha keeps me from commenting unless I got a really great comment. Even worse, if you insist on having it then please have it on the same window as where I leave my comment. Having captcha appear after I already submit my comment is even more annoying. Also I wonder how many comments one loses because people hit post then close the comment box. They didn’t see that captcha appeared and so now the comment is lost in cyberspace.
  3. Nobody likes a mess.
    Try to keep your blogs clean. The content should be easy to find and easy to read. There shouldn’t be too many distractions to the readers eyes. Also too many buttons/awards on a page can make it load very slow for people on dial up. Yes dial up does still exist I hear.
  4. Comments make the world go round.
    The blogging world that is. Comments give the poster the desire to keep posting. It lets them know people are actually reading their content and enjoying it. Bloggers, that also means take the time to reply to your comments. Let them know you appreciate their visit. However comments such as “Hi, Come visit me” and “Nice post, read mine” do not qualify as a good comment and IMO are a waste of cyberspace. Leave a comment that actually has to do with the post you are commenting on.

Two more things on commenting that Alyna from The Gift Detective mentioned when I posted a letter similar to this on my site.

  1. Don’t make your readers have to login to comment. Time is precious and quite frankly we all have enough passwords to remember we don’t need another.
  2. Get a gravatar. It takes 30 seconds and you don’t have to remember a password. It is assigned to your e-mail address that you have to enter when commenting in blog world. It helps to make your comment more personal and make us feel a little bit more connected to you.

I hope we can all still get along. I don’t mean to come across harsh. I just wanted to bring to your attention what annoys me as it may annoy others as well.

Yours Truly,

Nolie's Signature

Sincere thanks to Nolie who, following her own advice, wrote TWO guest posts for the blog today. If you want to see the version of this post that she wrote on her own blog, click here.  Click her button below to visit her most recent posts. Be sure to leave her a comment on the posts you love to show your appreciation! ~ Alyna

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Posted in Blogging Tips, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Five Blogging Tips

May 14th, 2010

Nolie
Author

Guest post by, Nolie. Please, visit her blog, aptly titled, Nolie’s Place, and be sure to show her some appreciation with a comment here, a comment there or both! ~ Alyna

I am a firm believer in taking everything you hear with a grain of salt. This is true even when it comes to tips on blogging. Everyone does it their own way. It is up to you to take what you believe will work for you and use it or tweak it then leave everything else behind. So I have for you MY tips to blogging.

  1. Be YOU. Don’t try to be anyone else.
  2. There is no shame in not having a niche. Life is a perfectly ok niche.
  3. Post because you want to not because you feel you have to. If you are forcing yourself to post your readers will notice. Great content comes from the desire to share something.
  4. Check your shyness at the door and join a community site (like this one). Blogging is part of a community and if you put nothing in you will get nothing out of it.
  5. If you want to do more than 1 post a day then nothing the next day then do so. Don’t waste a great post because you already wrote something. Some people will tell you to save it to post later. I find that when I do this I never post that great post because I am no longer feeling it or it is no longer relevant.

I hope this has helped those of you who like me, feel they have to do something a certain way. Never lose sight of why you started blogging and it will continue to be an enjoyable experience.

Nolie's Signature

Now that you’ve read her work here, flutter on over to Nolie’s Place and read her work there. Enjoy!

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Posted in Blogging Tips, Guest Post | 10 Comments »