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9.29.2011

Book Blogging 101 - Blogging Changed My Life





Today marks a momentous occasion on the PJV. This post is the 1000th post. *stop pause and sit back and stare at that*

I know a few other blogs around my same age have reached 1000 posts a few months ago, and this number is not really intrinsical to achievement. It doesn't mean 1000 quality posts, technically someone could do 1000 posts in one day. And goodness knows I've put out some questionable material. It is just a crazy little number, one that says, "Damn I had a lot to get off my chest."

Do y'all want to know details? Because I would like to hear how book blogging changed your life. Here are few highlights from me.

  • Blogging changed my life by giving me an accomplishment that I can really be proud of. 
  • Blogging changed my life as a hobby that takes up a good portion of my day.  
  • Blogging changed my life by opening me up to a new industry that actually "gets" my design style and I'm flourishing.  
  • Blogging changed my life by actually getting me fired from my job (I needed it though).  
  • Blogging changed my life by introducing me to a great group of people that I can now call good friends. 
  • Blogging changed my life house by turning me into a book hoarder.  
  • Blogging changed my life and my vocabulary with terms that I now throw around like candy - ARCS, tweet, #FF, I sound like I'm either back in the military with all the acronyms or sneezing…
I think I could go on and on, but they would get lame and you guys would get bored.

Do you want to participate? I want to see how Blogging changed your life. If you decide to do a post, even if you do it next week, I've included a linky that you can post your Blogging Changed My life posts…

Add your link here:


Enough of that right? On to the reader questions:

How do you (nicely) correct an established blogger who is incorrect about a genre, or a fact or tidbit? Do you leave a comment or email them? - Rywn

A: Established blogger or not, if someone has an error it is really up to you as a blogger, to whether it is worth it to correct them. Some people don't like to be corrected, some would love for you to point it out because they don't want to look silly.

I can only tell you how I feel. I don't want you to point it out in comments. Please email me. I've learned this by doing and receiving. For one, problems are embarrassing and putting it in the comments points it out to EVERYONE. Not to mention tone and personality do not come out in the written word, so it can sometimes be taken as haughty - like "Look what you did - ha." Not saying that this is your intention, but a simple phrase can come off quite different to two different people. I've left a comment on a blogger's sites before - and I've either been completely ignored (but this isn't anything new with this particular blogger) or I got a pithy response. Later I realized I should have emailed.

Then I got my own comment and realized that maybe emails are the better way to go, especially when people commented on the comment (so embarrassing - and the comment came across as rude - even though it wasn't intended that way). What I do recommend, above all though, is to be specific and to reread what you write (check for tone!). Cite the exact problem then give your reference - "this book is actually a comedy, not chick lit as said by this description…" and list a URL.

As far as tone, best advice would be to try and sound like you are just passing on a casual FYI, not being a know-it-all. Much like you would in conversation with someone if you were correcting them. Constructive criticism is very hard to give, we know this in life, we know this in blogging - like all things, it's how you say it. So, just check your intentions, are you doing this to help the blogger or are you doing it because you know the right answer? If you are seriously doing it to help out then you might as well give it a try.

Donation buttons. Done or not done? - Amber

A: I've seen them around, I think I might have one up somewhere! Don't expect a lot of donations, unless you are running a service (like BB101 hint hint) but I don't see anything wrong with them. It's hard times, every little bit helps and running these blogs can get expensive.

What is your opinion of blogs with auto-sound? Personally, I find it very distracting, but more and more blogs play sounds. - Book Savvy Babe

A: I think we've gone over this before, but really it kills me sometimes - well if I don't like the song! If I like the song I'm OK with it. But, in all honesty, sound on a blog can be irritating to most viewers and from a technical stand-point they bog down your blog's load speed, which can mean a lot of readers "jump" off your blog before even seeing it download.

Sound is sometimes associated with non-professionalism and gives an almost cheesy personality to the blog, from what people told me, anyway. I don't recommend those sound playlists that auto-play — if you want to share your taste in music, maybe stick a playlist up there, but without an auto-play.


That's it peeps, Less Talk, Read More, Happy Thursday. Remember there is a TWITTER PARTY today at 11am CST:

TWITTER PARTY
Sept 29, 2011, 11am - Noon CST



I can't get to all the questions, but please ask your BB101 Questions here...


11 comments:

Tina said...

I can't believe that blogging got you fired from your job! Especially since you put so much effort inot your blog and clearly you're an intelligent and helpful person...their loss I guess. Thanks for BB101s Parajunkee, they're excellent posts and have helped me so much!

Johanna said...

I loved reading about all the ways blogging changed your life. I started blogging per direction of my publisher as a way to promo my book but I've found that I lOVE it. It's funny when you have those little revelations in life ;)

Jen at Red Hot Books said...

Yay!! Twitter party!!

Jenni Elyse said...

I DESPISE auto-play music. I've categorized those blogs in my blog reader as "annoying" so that I know which blogs do it. I only comment on those blogs if I have something substantial to say. Otherwise, I just pass them by, grumbling.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on 1K posts! That's VERY many! Well done for keeping going and for having become so popular.

Auto-music - Nah!

Rywn said...

Yey, thanks for answering my question! :) I definitely do it with the intentions to help bloggers out, not to be a stuffy know-it-all!

Kathy Ann Coleman said...

With regard to correcting an error, I definitely agree that it is best done via e-mail. I also think it's wisest to do this when it is something you are certain about. Some things can be blurry and open to more interpretation, which can lead to more issues then they are worth.

I've needed to correct my name for someone writing something and I have edited a GoodReads summary for a book that I knew they had miswritten (they had a human character and another character's races mixed up.)

I've never felt a need to contact a blogger about their content, and I know that if I did see something incorrect, I would really have to think about whether it would be worth contacting them over before I would do it. I think it would boil down to whether it's a blatantly obvious error that is going to embarrass them if I don't help them catch it. I wouldn't, for instance, contact someone to be "grammar police", but I would if they had two characters mixed up in a plot or something.

As for the music on blogs thing... I'm not too crazy about that. It's one thing if someone is doing a "music Monday" and puts up a youtube video. But sound that instantly starts is dicey. Not everyone likes the same music and some people might have a baby sleeping, or a spouse or parent working a late shift, etc.

As for a donation button... I don't have anything against people who have them, but I don't think that would be for me.

I'll need to sit down and work on a response for "How Book Blogging Changed My Life"... That will take a few minutes. Have a great day!

J.J. Bonds said...

Congrats on reaching 1000! It's a huge time commitment and I totally commend your dedication and willingness to help out other bloggers.

Mari - Escape In A Book said...

Congratulations on your post #1000! I imagine that those posts have also stolen quite a few hours of your days :)

I've become a hoarder as well and I blame all of you other excellent book bloggers for that LOL. I just keep reading all these brilliant reviews and quite a few times I just HAVE to buy THAT book ;)

Music is super annoying if you ask me, even songs I like. I tend to almost fall of my chair each time my laptop starts playing a song all by it self(well almost at least).

Fireflywishes said...

Congratz on your 1000th post - which you've probably already exceeded that as I write this comment! LOL You're an excellent and dedicated blogger, so I can see how perhaps blogging cost you your job - obviously blogging is more worth the time and effort anyway, right ;) Well, I hope it is! Plus, now you have time to focus on designing the webosphere :D

For me - music on a blog is like drugs - JUST SAY NO! haha I steer clear of blogs with music, OR that annoying wind WOOSHING sound that so many blogger blogs seem to like (why, people WHY?!?!) esp if I can't turn the player off, or figure out the source right away, I just close the page as fast as possible. I just don't think it's worth potentially losing visitors to express your musical preferences on your BOOK blog. But like I said.. that's my opinion :D

I think for me, a kind correction is alright in comments, but if it's something major, or might be embarassing, or you can't figure out how to word it right, email would be better.

Congratz again on 1000 posts, a great blog, a lovely new avatar! Keep rockin' and we'll keep readin'! :)

April @ My Shelf Confessions

Sarah said...

I couldn't agree more on the sound thing. I HATE it when a blog has sound because a lot of times when I'm blog hopping, I'm listening to music or an audiobook so it really interferes with that.

The worst though lately? That widget for Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick that's been floating around blogs lately. Hopefully it'll go away mostly now that it's out, but I HATE that it has this obnoxiously loud ocean sound to it that you can't turn off. It makes me jump every time I got to a blog that has it. And you know what I have to do when I go to those blogs? Leave them. I'm sorry, but no one should have made a widget like that. Or at the very least make it so you can mute it! lol

♥ Sarah @ I'm Loving Books

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