Changes at Poor Penmanship!

So, I’m thinking of trying some new stuff over here — mixing up the schedule a bit, trying some additional features and whatnot.

I NEED INPUT.

Here’s what I’m considering.

1. Reviving the old newspaper articles on Sundays. They didn’t get a lot of traffic or comments, but those old stories just crack me up. Did you guys like them at all?

2. Not always making Friday picture day.

3. Choosing topics and tone more deliberately. Obviously, Poor Penmanship is a mixed bag. I have not tried to fill a niche here because my first goal was to write the best posts I can, regardless of topic.

The costs: Poor Penmanship joins a vast sea of pointless personal blogs. Newcomers have no idea what to expect. It’s hard to get the word out through established blogging communities. There is nothing to brand. I can’t even say it’s a funny blog, a serious blog, an intelligent blog, a light blog, a girly blog, a dudesome blog.

There will always be some travel and outdoors stuff because my travel columns point readers to Poor Penmanship.

Other than that, it’s hard to focus.

For some reason, the posts about relationships, clothes and food get more activity than grander observations about society and life and art. People say I write well about music, but those posts don’t get a lot of traffic or comments. A funnier blog will get more new readers, but my serious posts generate better discussion in the comments.

I like readers to like this blog. I like getting comments and pageviews. I used to think it was vanity, but an unvisited blog is like an uneaten meal.

What types of posts do you NOT particularly like? What types of posts do you come here for?

4. Weekly guest posts. My fellow bloggers: Would you be willing to do that ever? Repurposing an older post would be fine. What if I give you a topic? Is a 400-word limit reasonable? Is it fair to ask for contributions and then put those kinds of conditions on them? What is the etiquette of seeking free labor?

Tell me what you think. You can post comments or email me at erinalberty@gmail.com.

Related posts:

A plunge into Deep Space Nine
Happy birthday, dear messed-up blogfingers!
Target
Strike two
And the winners are …

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blogging | Erin Alberty | November 23, 2009 1:37 pm

28 Comments

By Ginny, November 23, 2009 @ 1:51 pm

Change can be good. What is it that you LOVE writing? Because we, the public, can’t always be trusted. Two words: New. Coke. They tested the hell out of that stuff, got millions of opinions. And they were left with New Coke. People don’t know what they want. Do what feels right to you.

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By Becky, November 23, 2009 @ 1:51 pm

Personally I just stumbled upon your blog from Twitter and I love it. Maybe because my blog is also a Hodgepodge of random funny-ness.

I like you just the way you are. :-)

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By Garrett, November 23, 2009 @ 1:53 pm

Yes to the newspaper articles. Old-timey writing is the best.

As for the rest of it, I’m sticking with the blog even if it turns into an in-depth exploration of 1920s trends in Austrian weaving, so I’m probably the wrong guy to ask.

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Garrett Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I will yield the remainder of my time to Andrew WK’s Twitter account: “PARTY TIP: You’re doing alright. You’re doing OK. Just follow your heart, and don’t run away. NEVER LET DOWN!”

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By The Mom, November 23, 2009 @ 1:59 pm

I want a photo of the dress!!!

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By The Mom, November 23, 2009 @ 2:06 pm

Seriously…I love your writing. I especially enjoy clues into your relationship, your point of view, the stories that make me chuckle or shed a tear. I especially enjoy your memories that put a nice spin on your upbringing. I cringe when I see vulgar stuff…stuff my generation would never speak out loud about, except maybe to your most trusted friend or your mother. I’ll read whatever you write about. I don’t think you need to have a formula…photo day, outdoor day, old paper day, etc. I’d advise you to write what you want to write about when you want to write it. Plus, make your mother sound sweet and loving.

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SKM Reply:
November 24th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Alberty – I love your mom, make her a guest writer. :)

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By Wenderina, November 23, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

Regular content is all it takes to keep me interested. I hate it when a blog goes quiet for weeks at a time. I love the idea of guest writing, I think it really helps to cross-polinate blogs. Do you follow the Women’s Colony blog? That started as a one-woman show and look how it’s grown!

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By Lydia, November 23, 2009 @ 2:49 pm

Hmmm. Your blog is eclectic and I love it for that. I’m in the same boat, in that my blog can’t really be pinned down to a genre. I think that’s why my standard “Old Postcard Wednesday” is popular and often generates the most views. People can count on it, and then they may/do return to see what else I have to offer. That said, I would definitely do the old newspaper clippings. I love ‘em and would find that a treat.

I was a guest blogger at another’s blog and I found it daunting. Your idea of a word limit is a good one, based on my experience of panic about creating something marvelous for someone else (I realized that I had angst over that post that far exceeded any I’d written at my own blog!). The blogs I visit who have hosted other bloggers seem to have great success with it. Most notably is La Belette Rouge, who had guest posts for nearly a whole month while her hand was healing. She gave them the topic of “Home” and lined up their dates and they were wonderful. Her return-to-my-blog post at the end of the month gives links to all the guest posts that ran at her blog.

I think you have a special gift for writing humor. But it would be a pity, inho, for you to niche yourself there only……

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By trent, November 23, 2009 @ 3:02 pm

just keep being yourself, whatever you decide.

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By Summer, November 23, 2009 @ 3:24 pm

Erin I hope you know I love your blog and read it daily. You are an amazing writer and an even more amazing person. The posts I like best are stories about you and your adventures. I love hearing about your life overseas. I think you could have flashback posts on a semi regular basis.

I also love when you put yourself out there, like your post about sitting in the bathroom to enjoy the steam while the boyfriend showered. I’m a sucker for vulnerable writing (probably because it makes me feel better for doing it all the time myself!), but man that post stood out to me.

The funny newspaper articles are nice fillers, but never were my favorite. Like I said, I like reading about you! You have a talent to make even the most mundane things interesting, like sitting at a traffic light. LOL!

As for guest bloggers, I would be more than happy to, so long as you return the favor. ;)

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By Love_Bites, November 23, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

Let’s see…I like most of what you blog, especially the stories you tell. I’m not really a fan of schedules, just write about whatever is on your mind. The old newspaper articles don’t do much for me.

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By Love_Bites, November 23, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

Also, you could potentially create more traffic through a blog review site (hint, hint).

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By Dale Kemp, November 23, 2009 @ 4:37 pm

I like the old newspaper articles even though I didn’t comment on them. If you bring that back I’ll read them for sure. I also love your pictures and outdoor columns. Keep doing what feels right to you.

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By Miss Becky, November 23, 2009 @ 5:28 pm

I can’t recall how I found your blog, but I kept coming back because I think you are one of the BEST writers I have read. Your self-expression is beautiful and whatever you do, I will keep coming back because it is simply quality writing and that is rare.

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By heidikins, November 23, 2009 @ 7:45 pm

I like the hodgepodge, it sounds like you’re a real person instead of censoring yourself because you have a theme-blog.

I’ll keep reading and commenting no matter what you do. ;o)

xox

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By Dena, November 23, 2009 @ 8:24 pm

Erin,

I read quite a few blogs that are “established” and sometimes they come off a bit snooty, looking down upon those of us who blog just to blog.

I think you have established yourself – and you are NOT snooty. Holy crap, you’ve commented on my blog (and I blog just to blog) and those other established bloggers would never do such a thing. Why, they’re too busy being snooty bloggers. But I love their stories, so I read them.

I love all of your stories. I doubt I helped. Crap. Anyway, I’ll read whatever you post.

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Dena Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I don’t know what point I was trying to make in that post – all I know is that my kid kept interrupting me because John Cena was losing a WWE match and she had to come tell me personally what a loser he is.

I love John Cena. He is not a loser.

Anyhoo, a themed blog can sometimes alienate readers because they might not feel any connection to it. I think your blog is a personal extension of you – funny, funny YOU. Some bloggers who have huge numbers of followers also fail to connect with their readers on a more personal level – what I mean is it becomes more like reading an online magazine and only the readers comment to the blogger and each other. Lack of connection with lead to lack on readership.

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By Sid, November 24, 2009 @ 12:10 am

I wouldn’t mind doing a guest post.

Generally I like blog posts about travel destinations/adventures. Not so big on Picture Frida.

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By SKM, November 24, 2009 @ 6:45 pm

Incidentally – I do love the Sunday stories. As a former newspaper writer, they always made me smile.

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By Friend Mouse, November 24, 2009 @ 10:19 pm

I especially like your UT outdoor adventure posts … because then I get to make notes and then have my own UT outdoor adventures. Guest bloggers – on an occasional basis – are a good idea, not least because of the cross-pollination everyone’s blogs get.

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By secret agent woman, November 25, 2009 @ 10:24 am

I think bloggers should write whatever they damn well please. That said, I like a bit of randomness and I find I am most drawn to personal posts.

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By Garrett, November 25, 2009 @ 11:53 am

I’m also going to join the chorus asking for more music posts. I think you’d get more page views if you did them more regularly.

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By kel, November 25, 2009 @ 7:01 pm

I like your dry sense of humor. I’m not that crazy about the travel or picture posts. I think having guest posts is a great idea, as long as people, and, I guess you, always realize that my attention can be held for about 47 seconds; therefore a long, rambling post will not be read by me.

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By kel, November 25, 2009 @ 7:01 pm

So says me, the Queen of Blogging. Or at least that’s the way I sound in my last comment…

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By Here In Franklin, November 29, 2009 @ 11:35 am

I like your blog best when you just write about what’s going on. I’m not a big fan of theme days–seems like they push you into a corner. You might want to consider categories (and if you have them already, forgive me, I didn’t look too hard for them) — travel, hiking relationship, etc. That way, people can always find what they’re most interested in.

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By rassles, November 30, 2009 @ 10:43 am

I prefer “pointless personal blogs” to news blogs and commentary. I have BBC for that.

I like things written by writers. Not just bloggers. The way I choose which blogs to read is entirely dependent on writing and style, and thus how interesting a person seems regarding their perception of the world around them.

So, I say you just keep writing wonderfully about whatever you want. I will always read.

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By soul-fusion, November 30, 2009 @ 3:50 pm

I love your blog for its eclectic/uncategorized nature. Mine is similar, which can be frustrating and freeing at the same time. I’ll read whatever you put up.

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