From the category archives:

Blog Tips

You may not know it, but your blog could be detrimental to the health of your readers. Are they complaining of vision problems, dizziness or headaches? Depression or rapid heartbeat? Homicidal feelings? I’m afraid that your blog could be the cause. It’s vital that you read this scientific list of blog related illnesses and take some action, today.

Auto-music linked to headaches/shock/rage: Is having music on your blog really worth the risk of giving your readers a heart attack? For the weak of heart, it could be deadly to have music suddenly pump out of a silent computer. Unlikely? Maybe, but possible nonetheless. Auto-music has also been linked to headaches and feelings of uncontrollable rage.

Horrible grammar/spelling linked to anger and frustration: Reading a blog filled with spelling and grammatical errors is just plain infuriating. Proofread and proofread again and you will have happier, less frustrated readers.

Animated gifs/jam packed sidebars linked to dizziness: You know that feeling of stepping into an insanely loud and crazy club when all you want is to be laying on the beach? Let your blog be that beach. A nice and simple layout will make your readers feel relaxed and tranquil rather than dizzy and borderline homicidal.

Never ending paragraphs linked to exhaustion/boredom: Separate your thoughts into paragraphs to avoid putting your readers to sleep or boring them to tears. The return button is there for a reason… use it!

Small type/dark background linked to vision problems: Do you want your readers to need glasses because they read your blog? Do you want them suffering from crows feet and eye twitches? Use a font large enough to be read without squinting on a light, legible background and their eyes will thank you.

Word verification linked to depression: Let’s say your reader is having a bad day. She tries to comment on a post and can’t make out the nearly-impossible to read words. Or, she attempts the math problem and gets it wrong. It’s just too much for someone teetering on the edge. Get rid of word verification, boost your reader’s self esteem and maybe even save a life!

See? With a few easy steps, you can alleviate your reader’s symptoms and improve your blog. Better blog = Better health, it’s a win-win for everyone!

You’re welcome.

{For more totally obnoxious blog tips, see How Not to Comment and A guide to getting unfollowed on Twitter.}

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A Newbies Guide to BlogHer

06.15.2010

BlogHer is less than two months away. How the hell did that happen? The notion of losing 20 pounds by the event is becoming increasingly more impossible by the day. Again, how the hell did that happen? I was going to hold off on writing my BlogHer pre-post, but seeing as the blogosphere is already [...]

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Social Media Icons

05.10.2010

So, you want some social media icons on your blog? You know those cute little icons that lead you to someone’s Twitter or Facebook account or allow you to subscribe via RSS? I’m kind of obsessed with them and swap them out way too frequently. They’re fun, and oh, so cute! I get asked how [...]

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Starting a Blog: What I wish I’d known

03.08.2010
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My two year blogging anniversary is today. Blog years are like dog years— two must be at least six or seven, right? Because it seems like forever. When I started out, I had no idea where I wanted blogging to lead, other than that I wanted a modern sort of baby book for my kids. [...]

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Building a Facebook Fan Page

02.16.2010
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Do you have a Facebook fan page? I do, I do! It took me way too long to build, but now that it’s up and running, I’m so glad that I took the time to put it together. What’s so great about it, you ask? First of all, when people fan your page, it shows [...]

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Blogging Etiquette: How Not to Comment

06.02.2009

I love comments. I crave comments. The little ding my e-mail makes when I have a new one has me dashing to the computer to see who said what. It’s flattering to have people react to the words you’ve written or parts of you that you share. Any blogger who claims not to care about [...]

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Twitter Etiquette: A guide to getting unfollowed

04.16.2009

Twitter is hot.  If the internet were high school, Twitter would totally be the knock-out cheerleading prom queen. You can’t turn on the news without hearing requests to Twitter the station your thoughts. Stores offer Twitter only discount codes. There’s the CNN/Kutcher race to gain a million followers. There’s Hugh Jackman’s promise to donate 100k [...]

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Making Your Blog into a Book

01.23.2009

My purpose in starting Scary Mommy was to create a baby book of sorts for my kids. I am not the type of mother who jots down first words, steps or foods, and my memory cannot be counted on to remember anything. I have to force myself to print pictures, and despite loving crafts I’ve [...]

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