I’m starting anew, peeps. I’m getting back to blog basics, back to a time when I didn’t loathe my little slice of Internet real estate. And frankly, I’ve been “in loathe” with the whole blog game for some time.
Blog game? What blog game? Think about it… you know exactly what I’m talking about…
To be honest, I was *theeees close* to deleting my blog and going on my merry way. But Bluehost up and automatically renewed my site for another year (how KIND of you to bill my card without asking me!) and I took it as a sign. A polite suggestion, if you will, from the Blog Powers that Be. Maybe I should give it another try.
I read SecondHand Tryptophan’s post, “Why I Cannot Stand Your Blog (2008 Edition)”. (Hi Karl!!) And after I laughed out loud for a few minutes, it really got me thinking… I totally agree with everything he’s saying! And… I’m violating some of my very own blog pet peeves!
And now, the fruits of my epiphany:
–> I removed my BlogHer ads. No disrespect to the fine gals over there, but I just didn’t like seeing ads on my site. The days when I had a post up on their network, I simply didn’t enjoy all the random hits. I’d rather have a handful of truly interested readers than a few hundred passers-by. I’m not a high-traffic spot. So awaiting a BlogHer check to arrive was like watching grass grow. I also had a fundamental problem with the set-up. The vast majority of my pageloads were going to default. What should have been tiny revenue going to pay for my hosting went to nothing. So why should I see a headline STOP CRUELTY TO ANIMALS next to a picture of my daughters on Valentine’s Day, when there was no benefit to anyone other than BlogHer and their advertisers?
–> Those who follow me via a reader are now getting the whole article. Yep, I stopped publishing partial feeds. I’ll admit, I switched it over to see if I got more hits. And I did. But I also felt as though I was alienating people (like ME) who enjoy reading blog entries on their reader. Click over to leave a comment… cool by me. But I won’t force you over for another pageload.
–> Soon you will see (yet another) template and (hopefully) a fresh new banner. I need to be patient on this one.
–> I’ll focus more on the new passion in my life… triathlons. I know this will be boring for most of you. I understand and I’m fine with it.
I guess what I’m getting at is… I want content that I’m happy with. I don’t want to feel like I have to keep up with Mrs. Jones, or post just to cull comments. I kinda hate mutual blog asskissery and the phoney-boloney-ness that comes with it. It really goes against my personality, and it has been bugging me that I was playing along.
SOOOO, I’m signing off for now. Maybe for a couple weeks. Sorry if it feels like I’m waving a middle finger at the blogosphere. I just need to get all this off my chest so I can start fresh.
