A whole slew of questions

[JustJen]

Yeah, I've been saving up.

#1. When using an avatar, do you think it's better if I were to use a pic of myself? I'm just not sure if I could get comfortable with that (I don't photograph well). So I wanted opinions.

#2. Is it possible to install stat tracking on a free Wordpress blog? I've tried twice now and it doesn't seem to like it.

#3. Which is better: a) making one long post a day about everything you want to say. b) making 2 or 3 shorter ones on each subject/item/thought.

#4. Should you really try to post a picture in your posts? A lot of what I want to say is just personal, not sure how I could come up with a pic to match.

#5. Where can I get more traffic? My little blog isn't doing too bad, I've actually been surprised. I've had 90 visitors and 3 comments in 5 days, I'm happy with that. But now I've had a taste and want more :icon_twisted:

#6. How much have I irritated you all with my mile long list? Yeah, I'm weird like that.

Thanks in advance.

Jen

[kathiemt]

Hi Jen, lovely to see you here!

My answers.

1. Your photo - if you're building a profile as a writer or business operator, then yes, your photo would be good. However, not entirely necessary.

2. I don't use free Wordpress but have it self-hosted so haven't tried - hopefully someone else can help you. Perhaps you need to read the support files to find out if you can insert code.

3. Depends on the topic or post. If it's one long post on one topic - yes, that's fine. If it's about separate topics, not it's not. Have you considered whether you should have a blog for each topic or do you have subtopics relating to one main theme? Perhaps do separate posts and categorise them so people can click on the categories to read each one.

4. Pictures help add interest - particularly if there is a long post. It's up to you whether you want to do that or not.

5. List it with blog search engines, technorati, stumbleupon, add it in your signature block everywhere you go and comment on other people's blogs.

6. Nah.

[Strongbow]

Well i would say.

#1 Any old image will suffice it does not even have to be of you.
#2 I have tried installing statcounter on there before but its only allowed to come back with brief stats i think wordpress prefer you to use their stuff as opposed to 3rd party.
#3 Either is fine although some people would say 2 or 3 a day.
#4 Definitely use an image with alt tags.
#5 No idea but when you find out let me know.
#6 Not at all.

[Shopping4Coupons]

Here are my opinions...

#1. When using an avatar, do you think it's better if I were to use a pic of myself? I'm just not sure if I could get comfortable with that (I don't photograph well). So I wanted opinions.

Are you cute? if so then yes, otherwise maybe just make it something that might remind people of your blog.

#2. Is it possible to install stat tracking on a free Wordpress blog? I've tried twice now and it doesn't seem to like it.

I like statcounter and it works anywhere you can paste code such as a header or footer, I have not tried it on a free Wordpress blog but it works everywhere else even in newsletters.

#3. Which is better: a) making one long post a day about everything you want to say. b) making 2 or 3 shorter ones on each subject/item/thought.

I think you would be better with 2 or 3 topics rather than clump them all together. Think of what searches you want to be found for per post and try to concentrate on those keywords. Each post is like a webpage in itself so the more posts you have then the more pages your site has too.

#4. Should you really try to post a picture in your posts? A lot of what I want to say is just personal, not sure how I could come up with a pic to match.

I like pictures and I think most other people do too, some of my blog reviews say I do not use them enough. You should be able to find some related picture if you poke around a little more.

#5. Where can I get more traffic? My little blog isn't doing too bad, I've actually been surprised. I've had 90 visitors and 3 comments in 5 days, I'm happy with that. But now I've had a taste and want more :icon_twisted:

Entrecard, BlogCatalog, Blog Directories, Commenting on other blogs, Here on Bloggereies, Press releases, Using good keywords to bring in people organically.

#6. How much have I irritated you all with my mile long list? Yeah, I'm weird like that.

Not at all, I always like helping out fellow bloggers, especially when they are organized and can line out their questions well.

[jshaffstall]

Originally Posted by JustJen

#1. When using an avatar, do you think it's better if I were to use a pic of myself? I'm just not sure if I could get comfortable with that (I don't photograph well). So I wanted opinions.

Personally, I like seeing the face of the person I'm interacting with, even just online. It completes the personal connection in a way that a logo doesn't.

Originally Posted by JustJen

#3. Which is better: a) making one long post a day about everything you want to say. b) making 2 or 3 shorter ones on each subject/item/thought.

If you want to talk about different topics, multiple posts. Otherwise you're just giving Google a headache trying to figure out what your post is about, and eliminating the possibility of it ranking well for the topics you're talking about.

Originally Posted by JustJen

#4. Should you really try to post a picture in your posts? A lot of what I want to say is just personal, not sure how I could come up with a pic to match.

Pictures do help. I'm not great at identifying pictures to use either, but some people are and their posts always look a bit more attractive.

Originally Posted by JustJen

#5. Where can I get more traffic? My little blog isn't doing too bad, I've actually been surprised. I've had 90 visitors and 3 comments in 5 days, I'm happy with that. But now I've had a taste and want more :icon_twisted:

Comment on other blogs, post at forums (and link to your blog in your signature), include a signature link in your emails, etc. Lots of possibilities...if it's a personal blog, you're looking to find those people your writing style appeals to, which means casting your net wide.

Eventually you'll want to learn some SEO and keyword research to help your posts rank well in Google, so that people will find them for years to come.

Jay