Friday, February 5, 2010

A Lot of Words for a Minor Announcement, with Random Unrelated Photos for Interest

Amanda’s party yesterday was a lot of fun; thanks for all your lovely comments!  It was great to meet a lot of new-to-me bloggers, and that got me thinking (bear with me as I take you through my thought process)…

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I never have caught on to following blogs in a reader, or a feed, or even my Blogger dashboard.  It took me a while to even realize that blogs I follow show up there!  I know, right?  What did I think following was

When I find a blog I like, I bookmark it, and I occasionally peruse my bookmarks.  But mostly, I use my blog roll to let me know when someone has a new post up, and I pop over and visit.  Which is not to say those are the only blogs I visit, for sure!  Because I always end up on rabbit trails following links from those blogs to other blogs, or Dixie sends me an email with a link to something she found, or whatever.

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I spend more time on the computer looking at blogs than I care to admit, really!

So, back to the new-to-me-bloggers.  I got thinking that the uber-popular blogs don’t need any help from me by having their link displayed on my sidebar.  But if, instead, my blogroll was made up more of regular bloggers, blogs that might be new to me, etc., it would do two things.

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1.) It would make sure that I visited them more often! and 2.) it might give them a little extra exposure and help them out a little.  Not that I’m claiming to be such a huge and influential blog that just a mention from me will launch your successful blogging career!  (I’m still waiting for that to happen for me!)

But every little bit helps, and I want to support other bloggers.  So over the weekend I’m going to work on switching over my blogroll, starting with the ladies that linked up to Amanda’s party.  (Of course, I’ll still visit the uber-populars, and I think I’ll just move that list to a less prominent spot.)

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I’m still thinking through some things, like will my blogroll be a rotating list, or will it just continue to grow and grow?  And I’m thinking about some kind of ongoing highlight post, where I’ll feature a blog, not because of some amazing project the blogger did, but just because.  Hmmm, maybe I should call it something corny like Homebody’s Highlights!

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Discuss….

22 comments:

Amber said...

I think that's a great idea and I would love if my blog showed up in the blogroll! I loved reading all the blogs from Amanda's party yesterday. And a tip- I use www.netvibes.com to keep up with all the blogs I read. It's easy to use and you subscribe to a blogs RSS feed and then all the blogs are on the one website. Then it tells you which blog has a new post and you can read it in Netvibes or click over to the actual blog. It save me A LOT of time!

Ruth said...

That is such a sweet idea!! I don't really know how to work with the feeds and all those other things. I just keep a list of all the blogs I love on my sidebar and have some fun checking in on them.

Ruth

Julie G. said...

Holly, I have a confession to make...your blog is my "blog Reader". I come to Homebody to read your blog and see who has updated on your blog roll on the left side. We have a lot of common interests, so it works for me!

Unknown said...

Holly, that's a very sweet idea! I didn't participate in Amanda's party because I am embarrassed and don't think my blog rocks. But that's ok, cuz I do it for my enjoyment. I understand others are blogging for business as well as enjoyment, and that's cool. We all have different reasons for being here in bloggy land. I follow my blogs from my dashboard. It seems to be the easiest for me; yet I still manage to find more cool blogs thru others.

Nancy

FrouFrouBritches said...

What a sweet idea. I have to list my blogs on my dashboard so it shows up when my faves post something new - like you, just now. That's the only way I know to do it. I love it that people "follow" me (not many, but a few), but I don't really know what it means. Does that make sense? I'm new at this.

Miss Obara said...

I'm new to the blog world as well. And let me tell you, I don't get much of it most of the time! I do the reader thing (i think) but then when we're gone on weekends, I want to check from husbands cell phone, well then, i get lost...so then when we make it home after a long weekend....i have lots to catch up on!!

Melissa said...

I had fun visiting all the new blogs from Amanda's party yesterday, too!

I keep up with blogs using the reader in Google Dashboard, and some of those blogs also appear in the blog roll on my blog. (I leave out the ones that might not interest anyone else.) My public "Blogs I Follow" list includes something like 60 blogs, but it only displays the 10 that have been updated most recently. The full list is always available by clicking Show All.

I get quite a few out-clicks from the blog roll, so I think it does help readers find more blogs of common interest.

Gottjoy! said...

I love your spirit of working together and just helping each other out. There seems to be a sweet spirit (not saying there hasn't been before) of bloggers lately. It is contagious. You have such a precious heart and I love coming over here and "visiting."

::cottage instincts:: said...

I was thinking of doing something like that too. Right now I don't have a blogroll listed at all because I don't want to hurt feelings. And I have so many favorites, I'd be scrolling forever!

But a rotating list would be cool. Then maybe you could link to a post where you list everyone you visit, so others could see your entire list. I've seen other blogs do that. Kinda like the 'top 10 this week' type thing.

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

I am corny, so I love the idea of calling it "Homebody's Highlights." Cute!! I think it's an awesome idea to feature newer blogs, as well as staying loyal to your favorites, even if they're "the big ones." ;)

When I want to Follow a blog (even if it's not a Blogger blog), I copy the blog address and go to my Dashboard. Under the list of blogs I follow is a button that says "Add." I click on that and paste the URL in. That way, when the blog has a new post, it shows up on my dashboard. That's how I stay up-to-date on my favorite blogs. :)

southerninspiration said...

I do just as Amanda does; otherwise, I forget....and often!
So how cool is your idea???? Love that....and Homebody's highlights...??? LOve that, too!
But I do already follow yours because your ideas rock!!! ;D

Suzanne

Rebecca D said...

I like that idea. I list my five favorite things every Friday and always (the three times I've done this) start with a blog that I read. Not that anyone needs my help, I've been blogging for a month and have like 8 followers...but if they have never read that blog, they might want to follow it... or not...Anyhow, I think it's super nice for you to do this.

Melinda said...

Sounds like fun!

Melinda

Jocelyn said...

Holly, this really sounds like such a great idea. You are so generous to think of other blogs and lending a friendly helping hand. Yep, your blog rocks!

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

Pam said...

Yeah, I have to totally agree with everyone else - that is a fabulous (and generous) idea! People helping people... You totally rock! And, oh, I check up on my favorite blogs from my dashboard, too. I am technologically challenged and that's really the only way I know to do it.

Marlana said...

What a great idea! I can't imagine anyone not wanting a little extra bloggy love. :) I will look forward to seeing your updates and new features!

Unknown said...

I think that's a fabulous idea! While visiting an "uber popular" blog a few minutes ago, I thought about throwing my hat in the ring for her giveaway. Then I went to the comment section and there were already over 1100! I didn't bother. It's a bit discouraging sometimes. Especially when I do a giveaway and get six comments if I'm lucky. Excuse me while I grab some cheese to go with my whine. Anyway, great idea. Think I'll play along.

Xazmin said...

Love the idea...LOVE the name! I think it's such a thoughtful idea!

Blog following is definitely a tricky trick to master! I'm still working on the best way to stay caught up!

Silver Thistle said...

Wow! This is news to me! I thought everyone used a reader! I use Googlereader and it's all there for me in my dashboard, the reader only shows new posts from who I follow and if it's interesting then I'll click and go to the actual post (like now, so I can comment :D ).

I remember when I used to just use the sidebar and link to blogs I liked ...click each individual blog and read ..... back click ..... pick another blog ... read .... back click ...

No wonder I never got anything done around the house!

Now it's a refresh every hour or so in the reader and it's all there, pictures and all. I do miss seeing everyone's lovely blog headers and graphics etc but it's a small price to pay. With the amount of blogs I follow and read religiously every day, I'd miss so many of the posts due to time constraints if I didn't use a reader.

Paula@SweetPea said...

Great idea! I also keep up with blogs by following them and reading posts from my dashboard.

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

Very neat idea! I used to go down my blogroll but one day I decided to try the following thing. I think I like that a little better. But I liked the idea of the blogroll still. I know its exciting for me to see my name on someone's list. So I made a seperate blog with all my favorites on it.

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

So, guess what? I posted my PB knock-off post this morning, and even had your button up and then I realized that the party is not until next week. Umkay....I can only blame it on the fact that I have extreme cabin fever. It's bad. Don't worry, I'll re-edit it next week and link up. I am such a doofus!!!!