Some of you may remember I mentioned I was attending the Savvy Blogging Summit this last weekend. Brian traveled with me (and I'm so glad because that made the travel part a lot less lonely!) and we enjoyed the sights of Breckenridge so much we made a video of An Oregon Cottage On The Road.
However, the real highlight for me was not only meeting a lot of wonderful people, but learning so much about how to make my blog better: easier to read, easier to find, and easier to work on. There was so much information, in fact, that yesterday (my first full day back home), I was sort of paralyzed and couldn't figure out where to start.
In fact, other than write and publish the Tuesday Garden Party post, I didn't do anything on the blog! I did some email and then I just went outside and spent time working in the garden, thinking and praying about some of the things that were swimming in my head.
Isn't gardening great like that? I remember Shannan (Traveling Memories) saying once that it was better than therapy, and yesterday I would definitely agree.
So now I'm ready to look at my notes and my "to do now" list. Some things I'm looking forward to doing:
- Sharing with you some of the simple photography tips I learned from David Mejias a very personable and knowledgeable photographer (which I was only able to hear when the red receded from my face after I realized one of the "don't" pictures was mine!).
- Looking for ways to run reader stories and questions on Sundays (gardening? Frugal tips?)
- Check out Skitch.com to re-size and play with all the photos I post here.
- Install ligit search engine instead of google- it displays thumbnails and a whole host of other great things.
- Starting the process of becoming an LLC (Limited Liability Company). It was recommended by Jim Summers (not only a lawyer, but $5 Dinner Mom's dad which makes him perfect for blogging and the law!) as soon as you make your first dollar. Sheesh.
- Seriously check out a switch to Wordpress. Ugh.
- Develop a media kit. Double ugh.
- Think about SEO (search engine optimization) a bit more: make sure the page title includes keywords that describe the blog; make sure the body copy supports the title; and make sure the keywords are in the click-able part of a link.
One of the things I want to do right away, though, is ask you, my wonderful readers, what you'd like to see here at An Oregon Cottage. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts on any (or all) of these topics:
- Design: Do you find it easy to read? Find things? Do the posts load slowly for you or just right?
- Topics: What are you most interested in? What would you like to see covered in the future?
- What do you like best? Least?
- Anything else?
-Jami
Thanks for sharing some of those tips:) Sounds like the summit was a little overwhelming and a lot great! Looking forward to see where you go. Your blog works fine for me re: easy to find, read, load. Hmm, I would have to think on the others... no complaints here:)
ReplyDeleteI applaud your wishes to improve! What I like: your blog is not busy, and the background color is soothing and pleasant. I particularly like the recipes for basics: salad dressings, tomato soup, etc. It loads quickly and is easy to navigate. Thought the photos were fine!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! I find it easy to read, down to earth and loads just fine. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your frugal living lifestyle. It's rare that you have a topic that doesn't interest me. Your sandwich bread 101 allowed me to use my kitchen aid to the fullest. I especially loved the step by step photos - it was like learning alongside a friend - seeing and reading and learning. I felt confident in my ability to recreate your bread. I was right, everyone LOVES it!
The only hiccup I've encountered is my email subscription. I subscribed by email so that I could read the post completely in my email rather than opening a browser to read. Recently the email changed to only give a teaser and you have to click through to read the whole post. I find that frustrating. I miss the old subscription style with the whole post in the email. Now if I want to save a post, I have to go to the website and email the whole thing to myself, rather than just move the email I've already received to a saved folder.
Again, thanks for having the basics in such a down to earth, friendly format. It makes simple living and a frugal lifestyle a bit less scary to those of us just figuring it out! :)
hi jami,
ReplyDeletei look forward to reading more. i wanted to say i'm on wordpress and enjoy the features.
susan above mentioned about e-mail subscriptions. i have that feature on my blog as well, and had to switch from a full feed to a summary. it's not to be annoying or to get more hits on the blog page. i did it because it's recommended that you don't allow your full RSS feed (which the emails are based on) because of the risk of content theft. it used to bother me when other blogs did that, but now i get it. it's still a personal choice, but for those who put a lot of effort and time into the words they write and share, it's one little safeguard that is understandable. and worth that one extra click. just my opinion :-)
~ ana
Ana - thanks for letting me know. Honestly, I did figure it was to drive traffic to the site, and I understand that. I really didn't entertain the thought of content theft - sad. :( You're right, because of that - it's worth the extra clicks.
ReplyDeleteJami - if content theft is a problem you are having to deal with - (HUGS) I'm sorry there are mean people out there! :P
Good tips. I use Wordpress and like it much better than Blogger, but I know a lot of bloggers think differently on that. Because I am new here, I have found very helpful the "You might also like" feature at the bottom of each post. That has led me to other blog posts that I enjoyed reading. Also, I do SEO content writing, and I haven't really attempted to add that feature to my own blog yet, but probably should. The challenge is to get keywords into your content that people would use to search for information that you are presenting, and to also get those keywords into the title of your piece and other key areas where search engine robots will go to index the piece. You want keywords to appear near the beginning and end of each paragraph, and in any headings and subheadings in your content. You can of course use one or several keywords in each piece of content. It can be very challenging to get the content to read smoothly while trying to add keywords to specific areas, but it just takes a little practice!
ReplyDelete"You might also like' is from LinkWithin and works with Blogger, but on Wordpress you get random links from ANY blog.
ReplyDeleteMy comment on your bread post got lost. I linked back to yours
ReplyDeletehttp://elephantseyegarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/food-miles-and-our-daily-bread.html
Jami,
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog recently and I absolutely LOVE it. I do not have a blog myself but I enjoy reading. Yours is definitely my new favorite. I have enjoyed every topic here and I am so glad you post daily (it seems) because I am finding something wonderful and new (or old) everyday! I love the calming simplicity of your blog, to me the blog itself is very "cottage-y." The only thing I could think to 'change' is to add more of the hilarious videos of you and your husband. I think they are so fun to watch and I learn something too. THANK YOU for a fantastic blog and all you put in to it!
Sincerely, a new fan~Jenny
Well, I'm no help at all because I like things just the way you have them now. Your blog is easy to navigate and more importantly, your content is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMy best blog help came from Funky Junk Interiors with a series on better photos that I highly recommend! Now if someone could just fit one more hour into each day so I could polish my writing a bit more...
It sounds like you learned quite a bit :) :) I'm going to check out some of those links...especially your photographer friend. I'm interested in learning how to take better photos. I"m a real amateur :) :)
ReplyDeleteI like your blog as it is. However, I do love quick and easy anything...craft tips, budgeting, how to shop for next to nothing etc...How to squeeze juice out of a dried up lemon sort of tips :) :) I really liked the back to basics series that you had last week. It might be cool to designation a day for "back to Basics"...cover basic homemaking skills etc. Just a thought!!!
I love your blog regardless. could you talk about why you'll switch to WordPress? I'm curious!!!
Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)
Jami, no avatar when you leave a comment?
ReplyDeleteI love the videos you and your hubby put together. They are a fun way for us to get to know you better. Your back to basics posts are very helpful. Thanks for everything you do.
ReplyDeleteI only found your blog a few weeks ago and already it is one of my favorites. I like the tabs on the top of your page to find past posts. I'm still not done reading all your good stuff in the archives.
ReplyDeleteThe only suggestion I would have for improvement is your RSS feed. My computer time is limited and I use my feed reader to maximize my reading time. I greatly prefer when the entire post is listed in the reader. When I have to click over to the blog to read the whole post, I'm tempted to just skip it and read something else. I'm always rewarded when I do take the time to visit your site and I do realize that there is benefits to driving up your blog stats - but you asked what we'd like to see different!
Otherwise, I love what you are doing. Hope you are not too overwhelmed because I love for you to keep it up!
Blessings, Gina
What a cute blog! The summit was packed with information and to-do's. It was delightful getting to meet you and your hubby! I really enjoyed chatting on our drive in!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through a link from another great Oregon Mom blogger- My Homebased Mom. I love the "hominess" of your blog- nothing flashing at me and the simplicity of the layout. I love your blog just the way it is and haven't had any problems navigating it. I also like that the daily content is in digestable amounts- enough great info. without being overwhelming. I always think after I read it, "I can do that!"
ReplyDeleteMy only recommendation is don't change a thing!
Oh, man, thanks guys for all the great encouragement and suggestions! I'm reading each one and taking notes and am also feeling really happy to have such great readers. :-) Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
ReplyDeleteI am learning a lot just from the back and forth between you and your readers!
ReplyDeleteI am still new at this, so I only have 2 pieces of advice.
The first and most important - stick with topics you are passionate about. It will show in your writing.
Recently I have had home and health issues going on so I've only been posting to keep the blog alive. My blog has no spark or personality. I plan on getting it back.
The other thing (my blog peeve) is when one writes in a link to anything else, make it open in a new window so I can stay on your original page and finish reading your site. After reading your content I can follow up on your suggested page. Having it open helps me not forget.
Other than that I agree with the others. You are doing great!