Conversations: What the Blogs I Follow MUST Have

Hello! Another fortnight has passed, which means it's time for Conversations, a bookish feature hosted by Joan @Fiddler Blue and Geraldine @Corralling Books. This feature is supposed to inspire interaction between bloggers and readers, as well as discussion. You can find out more about Conversations here 

This discussion's topic is "what are the essential things the blogs you follow have to have?" I'm so excited to talk about this one, because I'm super picky when it comes to blogs.

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Number one! The theme must be inviting and nice on my eyes. If you've got a super dark theme with messed up graphics and major coding problems, I'm sorry, but I'm inclined to turn away. It's said that darker colors are less inviting than lighter colors when it comes to profiles/blogs/websites, so if you're going for a less intimidating blog that doesn't scare away new readers- keep that in mind! (However, I do love that classy, white with black accent look, just not the ###DEaTh #DeSTRucTIoN *##EVIL###SCArY look.) But even just when your graphics are blurry, pixelated, sized incorrectly, it ruins my viewing experience. The same goes for coding errors. (Of course, everyone has some coding errors, but I'm talking major ones that the blogger doesn't want to take the time and effort to fix.)

Number two! Content! If your blog is all book reviews or all memes/features, I probably won't read it. While the particular feature I'm a part of at the moment is different, as it's discussion post-centered, most bookish features are not, and tend to be redundant and empty. I just don't like reading blogs that are only memes, because I feel like I'm not getting any original content from the author. Same goes for book reviews- I don't want to follow a blog that's just book reviews, because it gets boring after a while.

Number three! I love when the author of the blog actually comments back and interacts with you, the reader. I spend quite some time writing out most of my comments, and it makes me so happy when I get a reply. Discussion posts are meant to start a discussion, so let's discuss! Active bloggers are the best bloggers, because they put a real person and face behind the blog.

Number four! Ads, ads, ads. I'm okay with ads on the sidebar or footer or something, but I hate when they're smack in the middle of the body or floating around the screen. Most book blogs really don't have this problem, but when a page is overwhelmed with ads, it turns me away.

Number five! Multiple bloggers. There are some exceptions, but I typically steer away from blogs that have multiple authors. I think the main reason for this is that I just get confused, and I struggle to differentiate between the authors, and then I can't keep the personalities straight and.... it's just kind of a mess. So yeah, unfortunately I prefer not to read blogs with multiple authors.

Number six! Going with number five, if your blog just confuses me in general, I won't read it. I need things to be user friendly for me to want to read it. I spend enough time figuring out how to layout and construct my own blog- I don't need to take more time figuring yours out.

Number seven! I love when the blogs I follow have easy ways to find the author on social media, as well as recommended content. I love recommended content buttons, because they keep me engaged and introduce me to old blog posts that I wouldn't have seen anyway.

Number Eight! (Last chance to negotiate.) Oh, and the author must love Hamilton. Just kidding. Or am I. *evil laugh*


So this kind of became a list I guess. Oops! Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know if you participated this fortnight!