Friday, January 29, 2010

My personal list of blog "pet peeves"~ What Are Yours?

These are my personal blog "pet peeves".

Then at the end I am going to ask for yours.






1. Black Backgrounds~ Hard for "old" eyes to read.

2. Tiny pictures

3. Dark or Blurry pictures~ Except when it is an "art" effect.

4. Backgrounds that run into the posts making the posts difficult to read.








5. Music~ Now I just turn off my computer's sound,
so I have taken care of that one.

6. Small writing~ Again I am old.

7. Lots and lots of words. Especially single spaced, closely packed words. Or long unbroken blocks of writing.
I get word "overload". My mind wanders quickly.

8. Expanded width blogs where multiple lines of writing go all the way across the whole screen~
I find this very hard to read.





9. Really, really big photos~ I am quite happy clicking on smaller pictures to get a good look at things that interest me. Big, big photos make these blogs load very slowly.

10. That takes me to slow loading blogs. More than 5 seconds and I am out of there.

11. Busy, confusing, overloaded blog pages~ Especially ones
with distracting whirling, blinking sidebar "thingies".


12. Writing that is a very light color or has little contrast to the background color. Again, hard to read.







These last two are more just annoyances or frustrations for me.


13. No E-mail Button on Blog Main Page~ Sometimes I want to communicate with a blogger, but would prefer not to leave my message in their comment section.

14. No Translator on non English speaking blogs~ I am interested in what bloggers have to say. This is an easy
widget to add.
I am sure our non English speaking bloggers feel the same way about us.

Note: The translations can often be pretty funny, but at least I have some idea what is being said.



{All pictures are from my home.}




Remember this is my PERSONAL list of blog "pet peeves" about style NOT content.

What are your personal blog "pet peeves"? I would especially like to know if you have any about my blog.

If you don't tell me I will NEVER know, and I am blogging for YOUR enjoyment.


Also, if you don't want to leave your "pet peeves" about my blog in the comments, you can click the EMAIL button on my home page. I added about one 2 weeks ago, finally addressing one of my long time reader's "pet peeves".



Edited to add email link tutorial: Here is a link for adding an email link to your home page. I DO NOT mean to add your email address to your homepage.... just a button linked to your email.. See my sidebar for an example.

51 comments:

  1. The worst is blogs that are set
    to show all posts--the page will
    never load & your only hope for
    escape is to just shut the computer
    down.

    And too many accessories that
    cause blogs to load slow.

    I've found blogs that I'd like to
    read & they suffered from those
    problems & I'd add it to my Google
    Reader hoping to see it there, and
    they'd have it set so that you can
    only see the first paragraph if
    you were viewing it in a feed.

    If they are afraid of losing ad
    traffic all they'd have to do is
    put the ad in the feed settings.

    My PC is 3 years old & didn't have
    much memory to begin with, but so
    many blogs don't take that sort of
    thing into consideration...

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  2. j'espère que le mien n'est pas "bête noire!!!!!

    amitiés

    manon

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  3. I've come across some very pretty blogs that pull all their photos from some other source or from online magazines. I much prefer to see photos that the blogger personally took rather than pictures they've gotten from some place else. I enjoy music, so that doesn't bother me -- easy to mute the sound if it gets annoying. For me, this is all still a learning process. Have a great weekend. :) Tammy

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  4. Your list looks very comprehensive to me - I certainly feel the same!

    A current peeve is 'snowing' blogs - they give me a headache- but lots of people like them so I shouldn't complain.

    The blog backgrounds which can obscure part of the text as you scroll down really bug me.

    Strangely, I don't usually like grey backgrounds, but yours works fine for me. I think I get depressed when I visit French bloggers and every single one of them has this tasteful grey background and almost monochrome photos. I like some colour!

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  5. email button??? What is an email button? I also have to figure how to add a translator button, soon I will be blogging in Mandarin! (I know 4 words)

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  6. I agree about those black backgrounds--I know they make photos pop off the page but it's really really hard to read. I can't criticize bloggers who have lots of words on their page since I'm often guilty of the same thing, but it has to be interesting or you'll lose me, too. I've been told more than once that most people have the attention span of a flea, particularly younger people, but a good mix of personally taken photos and well-chosen words is always the best way to go.

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  7. Your list is close to my own. You pretty well covered it!

    I don't tend to read lengthy posts...

    and I agree with the person who said she doesn't care for pictures copied from magazines, or other sources as much as personal pictures.....

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  8. I love the pictures you have added to your post here, very nice!

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  9. My home computer is on dial up. I hate wallpaper, music, and long posts with lots of pictures, as my computer can lock up and then, I'm useless! If there are lots of words, I'm fine with that. I can scan or absorb. If I can get the page up fairly quickly, we're good. If it takes forever, I'm outta there. ~Mindy

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  10. I know a lot of blogger don't like the music on my blog...but I try to take it off now and then...I just miss it. I also try to put the music up near the top so that they can pause it if they like and they don't have to listen to it then.

    I have to tell you though...I love the big pictures...

    I guess a blog is like someone's home...they are all different...just like the bloggers who put them together. I think that is why it is fun to blog hop. You are never going to see the same thing twice.

    I do love your blog.

    Kristine

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  11. Most of mine have already been addressed, but will repeat the ones that bother me MOST... the short snippet in google reader. If a blogger only gives me a snippet, I do not click out of my reader.

    I subscribe to many, many blogs. I do not have the time to click out of reader.

    I do love music, but not on blogs.
    E-mail button! yes

    name! yes It's awful when you go to a blog, and you have no idea who you are talking to.

    large pics... too long to load

    Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
    gail

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  12. I can't believe no one has said putting in that password of crazy letters that comes up .... I HATE THAT .... sometimes you put your comment in ... it comes up and says it didn't process and you have to hit the enter button a couple times ... and THEN it comes up with the password .... I HATE THAT ... as you can tell ... a major pet peeve!!! Thanks for letting me vent.

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  13. Very timely post! I was complaining yesterday (to myself cause no one else cares around here) that the posts with too large of photos take forever to load and I opt out. I've got too little time and too many blogs to visit to wait for long. I hate hard to read blogs, back backgrounds, light type and snow. It really bugs me. I leave my computer on mute and only listen to things I want to. I enjoy your blog it is easy to read. I don't know about the email button but I will find out and put one on mine. I agree sometimes I want to say something personal. Ok so this is a long comment...do you hate those? I hope not...Smiles!

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  14. I hate it when bloggers don't look at their own posts, or check their own links. Sometimes I'll look at a blog, and the writing is overlapping and you can't read half of it and the links are broken and I think "there is no way they know what this looks like."

    And thanks for the heads up about the email peeve.I just added an email button to my blog :) I found it here:

    http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-add-email-me-link-to-your-blog.html

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  15. You covered most of mine. Great list! Here's a few of mine:

    -Blogs that just sell things. I don't like to waste my time reading them.

    -Tons of pictures of the same thing

    -Tiny pictures or no pictures at all. Just words are too overwhelming for me.

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  16. I agree with the things you listed. I think the format should be clean and simple, no fancy backgrounds, they just distract from the content. Since blogging is a visual medium, text should be minimal with lots of pictures. Not to sound callous but don't go into gruesome detail about your current illnesses. If it's a blog about decorating and you want to talk about cancer maybe start a new blog that focuses on that. Was that mean?

    Kelly
    Second Hand Chicks
    PS. I am adding an e-mail button to my sidebar right now!

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  17. I initially opened up my own blog for critiques, but soon realized the masses wanted to talk about more. This is the amazing result. One is the gabfest and the other is the summary.

    http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/search/label/critiques

    Lots of reading. Enjoy. :)
    Donna
    Funky Junk Interiors

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  18. TINY print!! I can't read it!! Drives me NUTS! I make mine BIG! And backgrounds that make it difficult to read.

    One blog I like has a dark red background and little tiny black print and I simply cannot read it!

    Everything else you have listed I agree with.

    Yours is PERFECTO!!

    Lou Cinda :)

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  19. As a person who does not have a camera & no hope of one anytime soon, I'm apparently a person who annoys some people. I find most in creative commons, ask permission, or other manner & then I always link, with information for others if they'd like to use them. I also have found free sources for attribution, that can be used for non-profits, indie bands, school projects, etc & always make sure people know that is available to them.

    I dislike wholesale lifting of artistic work, magazines, etc. (esp. very current) & no links back. That is not even close to fair use & having worked for newspapers/magazines I find it appalling.

    Asking people to use 'verifiation words' & then wait for approval is just something I have to do. If you've ever been on the end of a spam or vitriol attack, then you know what I mean. I've had to take my real name off of one & never put it on the other. Waking up to "comments" from shrieking maniacs is not something I am willing to endure. (One of the worst was when I took comments on the "cat's" human rights blog & it was Anne Frank's birthday. Yep.

    I had dial-up until October -- the shrieking modem dial-up thingy & I don't know how I stood it as long as I did (this is why I don't have a camera -- it was one or the other). I feel for those who still do. But I can't put it on others because they were moving on & I was 10 years behind. Still, even with faster speed, the sites that have a gazillion gadgets do slow things down. Perhaps I have more patience with it, though I don't have a lot of gadgets either. Personal preference.

    Have a good weekend, all.

    PS: It's always good, I think, to ascertain blog's raison d'etre, BTW.

    PPS: I don't use the Google Reader so I'm not sure what people are upset about but I'll look at it. I was unaware that you could set something to show more than a few sentences. Will check

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  20. wow! My first thought was is this PMS running rampant or what? I do agree with most of what you gals are bitching about but come on now.... some of us are pretty new at this (that would be me) and not sure how to do all of these things. However, through this gripe fest I did learn how to put my email on my blog. So, I guess that is how I will learn.

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  21. I, too, am relatively new to blogging and of an age where my computer knowledge is less than most. I'll be adding an email thingie as I have wished I could email other bloggers but never put the two together. Most music drives me nuts but one blog puts a description at the top of what her music is so you know to turn it back on if it appeals to you. I learned quite a bit from this post and I do like the look of your blog.
    Annette

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  22. Oh dear, just remembered my pet peeve----not having the comments pop up to the side like yours does. Having to scroll throught the whole blog to the bottom to leave a comment is too time consuming.
    Annette

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  23. My email is on my Profile, need to figure out how to add it to my sidebar. I do get emails on from my blog, so I know it has been found. :-)

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  24. Ladies... you must give google reader a try. It is fabulous. My daughter insisted I use it. When you follow/subscribe, all the blogs show up in a reader through google. NOT in your e-mail inbox.
    Pictures show up, and links, ads etc. It is black text on a white background. It's the best way to never miss a post.
    fyi I subscribe to my own blog through google reader, so I can keep an eye on the content, and make sure everything goes though okay.
    the password thing (capcha) sp? is sometimes a pain, but currently I have mine turned off, and I get a LOT of spam comments. I am able to delete them in a timely manner. However some of them are VERY offensive, and I wouldn't want my readers to see them.
    okay, sorry for another long comment.
    take care.
    gail

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  25. I learned a couple things from your post. I added my email to my sidebar to make it easier for people to email me. I also changed the number of posts that load on the page to make it load faster! I hate having to have the comments moderated but the spam I am getting is obnoxious. Thanks for the tips!

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  26. Just a suggestion, for those of you using Windows, you can increase the size of that tiny print by holding down the control key and scrolling with your mouse wheel.

    Also, consider that different browsers will make blogs display differently - something that looks great in Internet Explorer may not in Firefox or Chrome. And, colors display differently on individual monitors, so something that looks fine to the author, may be waaaay to dark on your monitor. Just something to think about.

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  27. I agree with everything you said about the pet peeves. My favorite blogs have words pictures words pictures etc. I just don't have that long of an attention span....

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  28. I'm going to have to read all the comments to see what I'm guilty of! I recently quit following 2 blogs. One had a background that had flowery stuff that covered the words. I found it too hard to read and couldn't figure out why the blog owner didn't see how it looked. The other blog, I was never able to leave a comment. I had things I wanted to say...and I couldn't.

    I agree with much of what you said.

    Sue

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  29. Thanks Joan, This has been really good for us newbies, I added an e-mail immediately as I know I've wanted to say thanks to people and not wanted to go to their last post to do it. I was going to say the leaving comments complaint but now I know why people do the crazy letter codes. So no complaining about that! The small or too light print would have to be mine, again old eyes. I love your pictures, especially the drying rack full of vintage linens. ~ Theresa

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  30. Hi Joan,
    I love this post! It's good to vent sometimes! I have all kinds of blogging pet peeves but I won't bore you w/all of them....though I did love reading everyone elses:)) haha
    My main one is too many words...I'm a visual gal....I need pictures...but I do have a couple of blogs that write so well that I'm willing to put up with them.
    On the other hand if we all looked alike that would be boring too.
    How's that for diplomacy???:))

    love ya Joan ...keep it real!!!

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  31. I share the same peeves too. For new bloggers, please don't be offended...I don't think this post is meant to be offend anyone, but it may give us all a chance to see how others see us, or at least see our blogs.

    Often I do not want to listen to the music a blogger has chosen, but if the music controls are readily available and I can mute the song, I am fine with that. :)

    One piece of advice I'd like to offer to everyone is that when you change your background, whether using a preset background from one of the many sources, or creating one of your own, please double check that the colors for sidebars, links and comments are visible after the change. If the color for any of those is the same or just a shade different, your readers won't be able to find the link or the clickable comment areas. Always test drive your blog after you've made changes.

    I don't agree that blogs should be about pictures with minimal text. Blogs are personal reflections of the author. They can be whatever we want them to be. I do appreciate it when text is broken into paragraphs rather than running a little long. An interesting read will grab me though, regardless of how it is presented.

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  32. Okay, here goes and please don't be mad at the Sea Witch. When you use italized lettering throughout, it is very difficult to read and I tune out real fast. Also white lettering on a grey background bleeds out making it difficult to read as well. I agree with the music and I have just recently turned mine off. I may return with music but only with the option for visitors to turn it on themselves should they want to hear it. Regarding fonts, Bloggers need to remember that it is best to use "sans serif" type fonts (Aerial, Trebuchet, Verndana) vs. "serif" fonts (Times New Roman, Georgian, Courier) as the "Serif" fonts can bleed out making it difficult to read on larger resolution displays that are popular on the newer systems.

    I don't mind lengthy copy as I enjoy reading what people have to say, but I do love the photos and video when it is posted.

    Not a fan of a column full of award buttons. I don't care how many "honest scrap" awards someone has gotten. Although I am interested in the button to any publication you may have been featured in. This was a great post Joan and I know you will get lots of feedback that all of us can use as bloggers. Sea Witch

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  33. I agree with all of your pet peeves. I do prefer blogs with text pictures text pictures. I don't read blogs with tons of words. Now I am off to add an email button!

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  34. About the email on the blog. Many people don't want their email prominently displayed on their blog but. . .Did you know that if you click their PROFILE that the email address is usually on the profile page?

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  35. Hi Joan! Interesting post! I think my pet peeves have pretty much all been mentioned...worst one is a black background....I keep my laptop on mute when browsing other blogs...
    I really appreciate the different looks and outlooks that we all have and think that our uniqueness is part of why I love blogging!
    Thank you for the email buttons...I put three different ones up...so you have to tell me which one you like best! :)
    Take care, Laura

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  36. I really dislike it when blogs have such huge headers that I can't see the date of the first post when I open them. Perhaps a little silly but....that's just me.

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  37. I like to see the date of the post and some people don't put it on..
    O.K.Joan-- don't judge me too harshly. I'm very new at this and am trying to learn as fast as I can!
    annie

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  38. Follow-up after reading the comments:

    I totally agree about blogs that are
    just ads, like kermiefrg mentions.
    They start off slowly & it just
    becomes a blog of "sponsored" posts.

    I also agree about bloggers who
    just pilfer photos from designer
    websites. I'm bad about scanning
    books & old magazines when I find
    things that are interesting, but I
    try to limit using what is already
    available online.

    Blogs that become one trick ponies--
    they post the same think every day.
    Fashion blogs are the worst at this.
    Girls will post nothing but 1000s
    of photos of themselves standing
    around pigeon-toed.

    I usually start deleting blogs from
    my Reader when they become lame--I
    like a mix of things. I think a lot
    of bloggers try to play it safe
    because they want to be neutral so everyone will like them (or buy
    stuff from them).

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  39. Whew!...you had me feeling guilty for even having a blog after reading all of these pet peeves! I didn't know so many people were getting bothered ( Lol) I think we should'nt be so critical because everyone has their own style and that's what makes us who we are. Some bloggers are more experienced and have found what works for them and what hasn't. We should be happy we just have a blog to put up to express our crazy selves! :)

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  40. This is a pretty comprehensive list. Our computer is slow on loading, although we are getting fiber next month and that should help, but anything that slows down a blog like music is hard for me to load. Small writing is the other one I can think of, but that's because I don't always have my glasses on :-)
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  41. Yikes, I don't think I'm doing much right after reading here. But this is such good info and I'm sure it will help me to improve. I tend to be too wordy, I think it's because I have a lot to say, but I only can post about twice a week.
    I think a peeve of mine would have to be the comment verification. I hate that, and it almost is enough for me not to leave comments. I turned mine off after reading on another post that it bugged a lot of other people too. All my comments come to my e-mail, so if something offensive gets through I am able to remove it quickly. I am going to set mine to not except anon. comments however.
    Great post Joan!
    Oh yeah, I hate black backgrounds too!

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  42. My last post was like that (all the words ran together). I got in typeover mode, and couldn't figure out how to get out of it! UGH. I also have a playlist, but it is for my benefit, so I can listen to it while visiting other blogs. In my opinion, if the reader doesn't want to hear it, they can mute it. However, I de-test word verification. What a useless waste of time. I agree with everything else.

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  43. Blogs that never share anything from the writer's home or life, just reruns of magazine photos and other glossy professional stuff. We've all used them to illustrate a point, but this is supposed to be more personal, isn't it?

    Judy

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  44. Oh you have made me laugh out loud - something I love in a Blog !

    I don't like " over fussy " or black backgrounds as I simply can't read what is there.

    I don't read lenghthy posts.

    Sorry Floss - I did the snow thing after I saw it on just one Blog - then every one was doin' it too !

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  45. This is very interesting to me. I'm glad you shared this. I'm going to remove my music off my blog. I usually go to my blog at work and minus it but listen to the music all day...turned down low...I have enough for 8 hours. But now that you have said that I realize I don't it to be annoying to others. thank you so much for all this info...I for one appreciate it.
    Blessings,
    Debbie

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  46. My only pet peeve I guess is the dark background with dark writing. Otherwise I'm pretty easy. People put their heart and soul into their blogs, and I think you can tell alot about a person by them. No wait, that's not true. My blog is kinda cluttered, but my house isn't!!
    I just thought of one other thing. There are two blogs that I really like, but to this day I still don't know these gals' first names!
    Fun post, Joan!
    xo,
    Carol

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  47. I so enjoy your blog. I just took my music off my blog and darn I am not good at writting. I hated english and I am a blank when I sit down to write..So hopefully my posts arent longwinded. I think I have the e-mail button..not sure but Im not really good at this computor stuff. I dont have time to fiddle with it..I even bought Tara Freys blog book so I can get better and havent studied it. You are right about it all.I have an off white background but not sure about if my lettering is big. Oh I dont have any sidebar thingys.Only my painting and my baby dog. Oh and me. Now Im going to go see what else youve got new on..Sally

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  48. For those that feel these comments are too critical or that they aren't doing things "right", I would like to say that your blogs are yours to do with as you please. You'll never please everyone and shouldn't try. You'll lose yourself if you do that.

    I don't think this discussion was meant to say there is only one way of doing things. It is interesting to see things through someone else's eyes though.

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  49. WOW! I have learned a lot from here. I guess I never really thought about all of this, and put 2 & 2 together with this. When I first started my blog it was more for the aspect of showing some of this things I so like, and do sell too.

    But, as time has gone along I found it could not just be for the one thing. So, along with all the pics I show of my items for sale at different venues, I will also share a thought, a feeling, etc. Add just a lil bit of the personal with it so it is not so blah:)

    I like to have fun, and keep it upbeat a lil, but always worried about saying too much as some might not like my humor with it:)

    Thank You for the email button to add in. I guess I always figured it came from my profile. But, if I look at it from the aspect of many, when it is right there to find & click it is a lot easier instead of looking for it, right?

    I don't always leave comments with all blogs, but do love to read a lot of them. I learn from them, get ideas from them, laugh with them, and it is like a social site, but not full of a lot of nonsense gibber too:)

    Well, off to read more, take some notes, research, etc. I have a new venture I would like to work on, and add into some of the things I sell. Should be more fun, and bring out the creative part of me..I hope so anyway! :)

    Take care everyone & Thank You for sharing all your thoughts & opinions here. Has been a good reading:)

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  50. Hmmmm...first my peeves...

    I don't mind music (I had instrumental on my own blog in the past and got lots of good feedback on it), but sometimes people's choices really hit you in the face. It's a fun gadget if you're the only one visiting the blog, otherwise, tame it down or take it off. Yes, I can turn off the sound (and have), but I'll leave a blog quicker than I came in if the music is loud and in my face.

    Tons and tons of 'stuff' - ads, buttons, web awards, things to click on to go here and there. That slows my computer down and I'm on high speed. I don't have the patience to wait for a page to load.

    Picture overload. I like visual, I really do, and if the blog is one that benefits from it, great. Otherwise, some verbal content is nice. I like to get to know people, not just look at pretty pictures.

    I know I've got a couple more things but can't bring them to mind right now.

    In response...

    Password Verification....I don't have a problem with it myself. I fully understand it.

    Lengthy posts...I don't have a problem with those if a person has something to say and the post makes a point. Again, if all a person wants is visual, find a nice visual blog.

    It annoys me that we're so 'fast paced' that all we want is visual stimulation. Isn't part of blogging to get to know people? It is for me (maybe I'm in the minority - I often am).

    In regards to font size, that will vary with everyone's computer. I run a Mac and what I see isn't necessarily what someone running Windows will see.

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  51. Btw, for those who don't necessarily want to use comment verification you can still moderate all comments before allowing them through (there's a setting for that). If it's spam you simply delete it.

    When I was a new blogger I didn't realize that. :-)

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I love to read your comments.