Can We Just KISS?!

3 Blog Turn Offs
By Pandora Poikilos

Right, so there's a title that is bound to have some raised eyebrows. But it's not what you think, KISS = Keep It Sweet & Simple. (Hmmm, pretty sure I heard Peas breathe a sigh of relief but back to this ...) A few weeks ago, a blogger wrote to me asking me to go visit his blog and give him feedback. He said he had been blogging for more than 3 months and only had 2 Google followers. His content featured celebrity gossip and fashion tips for men and women, in English.

That should have had people lining up to go visit his blog, something was definitely not right. So, I got myself fancied up and dropped by for a visit. The blog took SEVEN minutes to download. I kid you not, I had no other applications running, I made a cup of tea, wrapped a present and still all I saw was a funny cartoon of a girl holding on to a guy on a speeding bike. Cute but not something I'd want to stare at for seven minutes.

Needless, to say I wrote back to him and said if people could actually view his blog, he might just get a few more followers. As most of you know, I'm a big fan of blog hops. My own Blog-A-Licious Wednesdays is now past 800 blogs and I'm still having fun doing it. Yes I know, when you are recovering from a VP Shunt and have nothing better to do than to spend long hours tweaking your blog and writing a book, others might be a little short on time. Nevertheless, here is a quick list (non-biased and with no hard feelings whatsoever) about what turns me off when visiting a blog.

But It's So Pretty
Yes, we all like pretty things. We like to see them and we like to own them. We all want to show our creative abilities to the world and say "hey, that's mine". But you must remember, in the world we live in which becomes more mobile everyday, you have approximately three minutes or less to 'wow' a person. Something about your header or your title must have them want to stay a little longer and explore. If your fancy blog loads very, very fast with your connection ask a friend to help. Not everybody has a fast connection. These days more and more people are opting for USB modems or browsing from their phone which keeps them mobile but does not guarantee a fast connection. Once they've come once to your blog and they know you'll have something for when they come back a second or a third time, then you've got yourself a 'follower' which brings me to my next point ...

Be Consistent
I'm certain I have mentioned this before. Most bloggers get all enthusiastic in the beginning and dwindle when they realise that a successful blog does require some hard work. Again, if not repeatedly ask yourself, "Why do you blog?" Do you want attention? Do you have something to say? Do you want to meet people? Do you want a way to file your thoughts? Do you want an online diary? Ask yourself, when you have your answer, look at your blog. Does your blog match your answer? Most of us who blog want to meet people while sharpening our skills at craft, writing, cooking, art ... Keep a blogging timetable and stick to it. It can be an hour a day, 3 hours a week, 8 hours a day, it's your blog and it's your life. You know best how much effort you want to put into it. Be regular with updates. Don't disappear for months and come back wondering why people are not following your blog.

Pop Away
People visit your blog because they want to visit you. Not some pop up promising bigger boobs or a smaller tummy. Pop ups are very annoying. In some cases, when your blog has pop ups and the person has their pop up blocker turned on, your blog becomes nothing but a blank page and did I mention, pop ups can be very annoying? Which also brings me to your comment box. I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten all excited to leave a comment and then it's "can you link your Facebook account?" "No Facebook, do you want to link your Twitter account" ... question after question, pop up box after pop box and in the end it becomes such a long drawn out process, I leave minus leaving the comment. You want to keep spammers at bay and that's great but be careful you're not stopping genuine readers as well. Your blog appearance has to be something that makes it easy for a majority of people to read and react to. Just because you like yellow text on a pink background, your visitors may not think so. So, again - Why do you blog?

If you are blogging merely to satisfy your own interests and couldn't care a tuppence what other people say, then blog away my friend. But if you want readers and if you want your readers to keep coming back, then KISS you must.