I need some feedback

[woodwoman]

I've just started this and would like some help. First, I'm very low-tech (also middle-aged) and not computer savvy at all. I've got a blog through blogger and bought the domain name. I'd like to know what you think of the content, whether there's a niche for it and how well I'm doing filling it. I also need site development help.

I need to put in an "about" page and I'd like to set up a system for signing in to make comments that doesn't require the user to go through a google account, for instance. I don't know where to go to find this info so if someone has a link to a good tutorial that will help, or if these are easy enough issues to deal with here, that would be great, too.

Because the blog is new and I haven't developed it very much, don't critique that aspect too harshly but any suggestions that you have would be very helpful. TIA!

[ChickenFreak]

Woohoo! You can write! I don't have to go through the "do I comment on the writing, or do I assume that they don't care about grammar, punctuation, or spelling?" question. Because you can write!

Ahem. OK. So, first comment: Your writing is well, well above blog average. If this were a different kind of blog, I might suggest shorter, snappier paragraphs, but you're discussing non-soundbyte subjects, so I'm not going to suggest that.

You have some occasional formatting issues - some of your posts are a smaller font than others. This can be a pain to fix by tweaking the HTML formatting, so what I do when that happens to me is just copy the whole post in Compose mode (I think from your template that you're using Blogger?), go to HTML mode, and paste in that plain text. That gives it all the standard formatting again. (You do have to redo any special formatting, links, and so on.)

The format is a standard Blogger format, and I don't see anything wrong with that myself. (Because, yes, I'm also using a standard Blogger format.)

I'd also kill the test post.

And are you sure that you need to change the comment system? If this is Blogger, people can comment using Google, LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM, and OpenID IDs. That covers a lot of people. And if I had to create an account just for one blog, I probably wouldn't do it. I have done it in one case, but that one is one of the very top blogs in my niche, so they can to some extent set their own terms.

I guess that I'd ask what your goal for the blog is? Self-expression and an intelligent if modestly-sized audience that will comment and give you a community to communicate to? I think that you're doing just fine for that goal. If you have bigger goals, there might be different things to do.

[woodwoman]

Thanks! I've read your stuff and you do really well, too. I am fortunate that I learned the Associated Press stylebook when I was in college and that's a great help. I can focus on the writing and not "is the S in Senator Jones capitalized?" Or do you spell out the number three or use the numeral. My dad was a ad copywriter with a big agency in Chicago and the cleanest writer I've ever read. I studied journalism in college, my husband's a freelance writer, so I really have no excuse not to be able to do this. DH read the post on health care reform and whistled. He said I was a better writer than he was and he's been doing it professionally for 25 years. I told him that I was proudest of the fact that I spent one hour writing that post. My college professor sister said that she wished she could write that clearly that fast. I was very pleased because she's in the middle of writing her fourth book.

I noticed the font size problem last night. I think it's because I wrote one of the posts under the compose tab, not the HTML tag. I'll go change that. I'll kill the test post, too.

My sis wants to circulate this blog link to all her friends, colleagues and associates (worldwide) and I'd like to make the comment system as easy and quick to use as possible because I want glean every comment I can. She's pretty smart and knows a ton of clever, smart and brilliant folks. If there's an easy way to change the log in system, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I know there's a way to do an about page and I think that's important, too.

It was my sister who told me I should blog because she thinks I'm a good writer. My end goal is to try to have a reasonably intelligent discussion about domestic policy issues and current domestic news stories. I'm not looking for or expecting huge traffic. If I think someone's stupid, I'll say so but have the facts to back that assertion up, not just say that because I disagree with what they think. I'd love to have intelligent people who don't necessarily agree with me to post comments. I think that's the only way to have a discussion. I also need to write the terms of use policy and figure out how to post that. I intend to patrol the comments rigorously and delete troll posts. I've stopped commenting on blogs that are full of ranting trolls because if I consider an issue and write about it I don't want someone screaming "Obamacare" and "socialist agenda" at me.

I'd love to do tabs, I like that better than a list down the side. I've also got to get links to other sites but I'm unsure about how to find like blogs. I promised my husband I wouldn't spend the whole day blogging. I like this particular format, but I want to dress it up so it doesn't look so much like a template. I want to figure out how to post pictures and video, too. I'd like to monetize it, but don't want flashing mortgage loan ads across the top. Making money from this is the last thing on my mind.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Is there someplace I can go or a book I can read to figure out the mechanics of adding to the site or making it look better? I already picked up The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Website and Blog but haven't gotten into to it yet.

If you think someone you know would be interested, please forward the link. Thanks again.

[Mac100x]

Nice Blog! You are very good at writing a blog! Very informative and thorough information. Keep blogging with quality content and your blog will do well! and one very important thing which you do is that you update your blog daily which is what many blogger don't do. It will make more people want to come to your blog and read. Overall a great Blog!

[Paperboy Music]

You are a very good writer. Keep up the good work

[Melody]

I think your writing skills are extraordinarily good. I envy you. I read through about two and a half blog posts (Newsweek and asking the right questions, and Creepy-Stupid Schools Part 2) and I think I saw just one misplaced apostrophe the entire time.

"It's affiliate, WellPoint, is increasing premiums by a mere 25 per cent."

^ I think because you're using "Its" as a possessive, there is no need for an apostrophe there.

You have some real content. Yours is the kind of blog that I would come back to now and then, and in fact, we'd mostly be in political agreement. I think we could have a wonderful conversation over coffee.

Since you have long blocks of text, my only suggestion is that you need a few pictures somewhere. Even those of us who have a tiny amount of education and can read, like the mental break of a few pics here and there.

I don't know how serious you are about marketing your blog, but I recommend that if you've got real content to share, that you should have social media bookmarks at the end of your content to make it easy for your readers to share over twitter or facebook.

I have a very heavey twitter bias, and I've promoted my own blog exclusively with twitter. But there is more to it than that: If I am reading your blog and think, "Huh, I want my readers to look at this blog post about creepy schools" (which is totally a reasonable thought for me) than the easiest thing in the world is that you have a "tweet this" button, and then you'll find your stories being spread through twitter, and suddenly exposed to many more people.

My own blog is only twitter friendly (not facebook) yet I look at the info stats at bit.ly and use the search engine on twitter and find that other people are spreading my content once in a while. This is a huge help.

I also recommend some sort of simple widget where your readers can enter their email address and get a feed of your content. An email subscription through feedburner.

I confess, I have no idea how to do any of the technical things I described above. I only write content. That's it. I actually have an on-going business relationship with another person who created my blog for me. But perhaps I've given you at least some ideas to toy with.

Your blog is a solid "A"!

[turtleman9012]

keep writing, i like your work kep it up

[mln20]

hi woodwoman, i just visited ur blog. you are a good writer, very good english with no grammer at all. it is a very serious looking blog i have to say, now a days we find many personal blogs out there, which are less formal. So it may be a good or a bad thing for you. For me, id like the blog abit semi-formal, so that i can relate to it. But if it is very formal, i find it a little bit boring and lack expression. BUt then again, if you are talking about serious matters, then you gotta keep it your way. One thing i like about the lay out is its main body is very wide, full page. Which is great and hard to find, as a free theme. keep it up .

[cartwheel soup]

i'm not a big fan of the layout. but i like how simple and uncluttered it is.