Book Blogger Confessions #1: Un-Following a blog

The lovely bloggers at http://www.fwiwreviews.net/ are hosting a meme: Book Blogger Confessions.

This week's question - 

How do you follow blogs?  Do you use Google Reader?  Are you on an e-mail list?  Are you more apt to follow people who have less followers?  Would you follow a blog to enter a contest?  What makes you unfollow a blog?

I decided to reply to this meme only because it coincided with what I was doing this very morning - pruning my Google Reader list. I don't do this often, but every 6 months or so, I go through blogs that haven't updated in the last 6 months to a year, and delete them.

You'd be surprised by how many blogs enter this dry, arid update-less zone.
I follow blogs only on GFC (Google Friend Connect), which pulls all the feeds into my Google Reader. These, along with some authors’ blogs and webcomics, make up my early morning reading.
I am not on any email list for blog updates. That seems like an unnecessarily cumbersome way to read. I do get Goodreads updates via email, and some reviews there link to blog posts.
I don’t have a preference around following people who have less followers, but I have a reciprocity policy:
“Follow me, and I follow back”. This does mean that a lot of blogs I follow are in the 200 to 500 follower range.
I used to follow blogs to enter contests, but now I just enter contests hosted by blogs I follow! *grins*
The only reason I would ever unfollow a blog if they haven’t updated in 6+ months.


A great question, thanks to the hosts FWIW and Midnyte Reader for inspiring this post!

Armchair BEA - The Last Day and one more post

The last day of BEA has an intriguing question for us armchair BEA followers: "Ask the Experts"

Ask The Experts. In your post, ask the visitors to your blog for blogging advice.

My questions:
1. How do you avoid any blogging "slumps", where you stay away from your blog for a week or two on end?
2. Do you find, like I do, that weekends are slow for views/people reading your posts?

My tip:
Get Cross-blog audiences! Guest post, or interview on other blogs to help promote yours.
I feature a blogger interview every month here. 
Would you like to be featured here?
 
Read my first Armchair BEA post here 
Read sample author interviews or blogger spotlights here.

Blogger Spotlight #9: Vix the "pads-brat"

Give us an idea of who you are: 

Hmm, i never really know what to say with these things but i’ll try giving it in a nutshell... My name is Viktoria. In the real world i go by ‘Vix’, online it’s either TToria or Vix. 

I’m a twenty-four year old ‘pads-brat’ (army kid) I come from a long line of soldiers and so i’ve moved around a lot! The country closest to my heart is Scotland. I left home at sixteen, travelled around a bit etc then i bumped into my high-school sweetheart. He went to the same armed forces school as me in Germany. We got married and seven years later we’re travelling around (he’s in the army now too) and raising our five year old son :) I’m extremely close to my two sisters, though we all live in separate countries: England, Scotland an Germany. Moving around is a bit of a nightmare when it comes to working and studying. Thank goodness for the internet and the opportunities it brings! Right now my husband, son and I are in England but the two-year posting is finished in June and so we’ll be moving back up to Scotland. 

As most of us book bloggers would say “I’m an avid reader”, and i’ll say the same. It’s an addiction! I tend to steer clear of horrors though, eek. I hope to write my own novel one day, but i think i still have a lot to learn. It’s something that shouldn’t be rushed. 

Describe a typical day:

 My days are pretty unpredictable at the moment. With us moving soon i’m trying to get the house organised and packed while my son is at school. And obviously reading and blogging fits in with that boring stuff too. 

Bloggiesta Time - It's time to FIESTA!

PEDRO: Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize.

It's bloggiesta time around here - and I JUST realized it! So I'm late to this weekend, but I can do the event on Sunday, Monday instead. What's Bloggiesta you ask?


The idea behind Bloggiesta is
to spend these next two days working on
(1) perfecting our blogs, and
(2) connecting with other bloggers doing the same thing

My *continously updated* goals:

1. Back up blog and all the posts (Done! Thanks to S. Leighanne for the know how)
2. Include twitter/goodreads/pinterest etc buttons (still trying)
3. Clean up side bar by removing at least 3 widgets (Deleted Blogroll. Removed Communities, Book challenges and moved them to Pages here)
4. Check blog for dead links
5.  Add blog and goodreads to my Google+ profile
6. Can I autopost to Facebook and Google+ ? (Help!)
7. Prep 5 posts or 10 post ideas for future emergency updates (4 done)
8. Add to my Amazon reviews (currently 5 are here)
9. Visit 25 other bloggiesta participants 
10. Change comment form to in-line with posts (Have also removed the Captcha, feel the difference?)
11. Participate in 3 mini-challenges (Pinterest challenge & others)
12. Understand and link Pinterest to blog  - http://pinterest.com/deerao/)
13. Get 10 new followers - If you follow me, let me know - I follow back! (2 done)

    ¡Ole!

Help from another blogger?

I realized recently that my blog header image doesn't always open the same on other browsers. The Problem:

I've tested my blog's header on Firefox and Safari, and things seem fine - I can see the header image of the Kindle and pencil juxtaposed, and all my posts are on one screen, visible as the page loads (no right-scrolling needed).

On Windows Explorer, the Header image seems oddly extending beyond the image area and into the right-side bar where I have contact info, follower bar, and recent posts.

If you are reading this, do you mind telling me what browser you are using, and if you are able to see this blog without scrolling to the right?

Can someone help me figure how to fix this?

Lendle - Why not?

The latest development on the Kindle i.e. Amazon Kindle now to Lend books (I wrote that back in Oct '10), has of course, resulted in a host of new business models and opportunities.
This site seems an all-round best in class:

Lendle. The easiest, fastest, fairest, and best way to lend and borrow Kindle™ books.

http://lendle.me/
You can log in, and you get two initial borrows. The more books you lend, the more you can borrow. I ran through their book list, and it is pretty great.
My only thought is - why didn't I think of this first?

Blog Traffic - Twitter and new links

I've noticed that my two biggest sources of blog traffic, aside from other bloggers, are Twitter and more recently, Stumbleupon.
You might notice that I've added (at the end of each blog post), a new stumbleupon button.
Some very generous soul submitted my blog to Stumbleupon, and I wanted to actively encourage that.
Do you think the button as it currently is will be visible and easy to click?
Where do you think it could be placed, instead?


If you want to also have this Stumbleupon feature on your blog, I can post a "how to" tomorrow.

Bloggiesta Ole! This Weekend - Begins Now!

The Fantastic Bloggiesta event is a 3 day event across 21st to 23rd (this weekend), to celebrate blogging! It is a blogging marathon, and I'm going to use this time to refresh my blog as well.

1. Send Mail to authors confirming or requesting for Q&A and Guest Post events (at least 2) (completed one)
2. Writeup on my first post lauding paper books over ebooks
3. Schedule blogger spotlight interviews for next two weeks (Wednesdays)
4. Figure out my Blogging Goals
5. Put out three invitations for Guest Posts, and get one invitation for a guest post
6. Back up my blog
7. Get help or figure out a new background (I'd like more white in the background)
8. Start a Google document for Reviews Requested and when they are due. (Thanks to Jenn for the idea!)
9. Make a button? Lookit at my beyootiful button on the right!
10. Re-arrange/re-do sidebar

I'll be visiting other bloggers, and editing this page as the weekend progresses. 
oh, and HAVE FUN!

Two important Words: "You" and "Because"

This is my first article about blogging - I don't know if this would be a regular feature here (That depends on you!)

Most of us want to be better bloggers and keep readers interested, and here are two ways how:

• Use "You" in the title: Keeping more "you"s than "I" in your blog post makes it more interesting, because then the reader is the focus of the post
• "Because" is another word that research indicates is a 'trigger' for readers/listeners. The reason why is not as important as making sure that there is a reason given.

For more info: Two Most important Words in Blogging

Oh hey, one last thing - a study of 150,000 blogs discovered (to no surprise) that the most commented on blogs had two words in common:

'Giveaway' and 'Jobs'

What are the blogposts you comment on?

Book Blogger Hop #9: Oct 22-24th

This is a weekly PARTY hosted by Jen at Crazy For Books. It's a chance to discover new blogs and to garner new readers for your blog as well. 

This Week's Question:

"Where is your favorite place to read?"

What a great Question! I have a leather couch in my drawing room where I read a lot - it is in front of the TV and hence, next to my husband! :)

I'm launching a new feature on this site next week -  A blogger spotlight! Sign up to be heard.
This week's site news:
Review of Mairelon the Magician
Ebook Readers and Paper Book Fans
If you would like to try out ebooks - here are some FREE ones to start with:
Download Three Free Ebooks 

Blog Awards!

Today is a happy day.
I just got awarded the "The One Lovely Blog" award by the new blogger Tina from Book Couture

Here’s how it works:

1. Accept the award, post in on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know that they have been chosen for this award.

I'm passing this award to some really pretty blogs out there:

The Book Crisis: So Many Books, So little Time.

Puss Reboots

Hello, My Name is Alice

Onge's Book Nook

The Crowded Leaf

The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Ink & Paper

Crazy For Books

The Books of My Life

Coffee Table Press

I also got the "Summer Blogger Award" from one of my fav bloggers : Missy @ Missy Reads & Reviews
I wish I could send it back to you, Missy! You did such a great job this summer.
 
The rules are simple: thank the person who gave it to you with a link back in your post, and send this on to fellow bloggers who rock this summer. List 4 rocking bloggers to share this with, and post a note to them through their comments.
I'm passing this award to some ladies who have written awesome posts this summer:

 Book Couture

My Love Affair with Books

The Movieholic and Bibliophile's Blog

Coffee Table Press

Posted via email from readseverything's posterous

Versatile Blogger Award!

So I just got my first Blogger Award - How exciting!

My thanks to the other desi blogger around, Misha Mary @ My Love Affair with Books
I am in awe at how you manage to rake in so many followers in such a short timespan!

Here is how the award works:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)

Finally, Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

7 things about me
1. I am great at research, and can endlessly keep hunting down facts to back up my analyses. But not so great with the decision making, and overthink everything
2.I read more ebooks than real paper books now
3. I spent a total of 6 years in school and college hostels, best time ever!

(actual 4-to-a-room hostels, not the 4 years I had my own apartment + roomie)
4. I can't sleep without reading, even if it is a few pages
5. Not having a TV during hostel, college or post grad means that I can't bear watching ads on TV anymore!
6. I have an MBA from Purdue, still doesn't help so much with No. 1
7. Sadly, for being an Indian, I don't read many Indian authors - something to change!
Bloggers that deserve this award:

Shilpa - This and That

Missy's Reads and Reviews

The Book Crisis: So Many books, So little time

Coffee Table Press

Kindle Vixen

Hello, My Name is Alice

Posted via email from readseverything's posterous