Tech Thursday: Making It Pretty

So... maybe it's bad to start my week off having to do three blog posts. Apparently, I can't get my act together on Tuesday to do these posts. So, we're going to switch to Thursdays...

Today's topic: Making it Pretty.

I'll admit that I'm on the Internet a good portion of my day. I'm on my computer for work and every once in awhile, I surf around. I'll hit up my favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. And the other place I'll go is Google Reader. It's my go-to tool for RSS feeds.

I follow a lot of blogs. Friends' blogs, but also blogs of people I've never even met. Photography blogs or people's blogs where they tell their story. I find it fascinating that we can connect on a level just through blogs. 

But I'll be honest, the first thing that I look for when I go to a new blog is the layout. Is it inviting? Or is it cluttered with sponsors and music (I loathe automatic music on blogs) and slideshows that slow down the loading time? If it takes forever for the blog to load, I'm already turned off. 

After the design has drawn me in, I look at the writing. Do I like the writing? Does it speak to me? Sometimes I'll follow a blog, only to realize a few months later that I hardly ever read that blog anymore. And so I'll unfollow. Maybe I really just liked that one post. It's hard to say. But I want to at least give it a chance. 

Here are three blogs that I follow with Google Reader:

Elle Apparell

I love the clean look, the straight lines of Leanne Barlow's blog.

It's the color of the pictures that draws your eyes in.

Plus, I'm trying to home my sewing skills, so this is a perfect blog for that.

But she's added "tutorials" to the top menu, and then pictures on the side that link to the specific tutorials. She makes it so easy to find stuff.

Story of My Life

Again, the pictures make this blog, but I think Jenni does a great job with the sponsors.

The sponsor links don't clutter the rest of the page. They're organized and my eyes are still drawn to the blog post. Plus, her writing is beautiful (and so is she).

A Little Sussy

If there was one blogger I wish I could be like, it's Nicole Hill Gerulat. 

The photos are stunning (she is a professional photographer after all) and I love how she uses the photos to say everything.

The design is super clean. Yep. I aspire to do this.

Those are just some blogs that I follow because they first drew me in with the design and then the content really solidified my need to read. 

As we're building websites and such, we need to make sure that the design is inviting (I really need to take my own advice on this), that it's easy to load, and that our content is top-notch. Make it a pretty place to stay (or ruggedly handsome... I don't know what the non-pretty term will be. It's been too long since I lived with my brothers...).

What are your favorite blogs to read/visit and why? What makes you want to "follow" a blog?

Note: This post is not a plug for these other blogs. I really do read and love them and admire their design. I didn't ask them if I could link to their blog or tell them that I was going to do this. They have no affiliation with me or my blog.

Tech Tuesday: 8 Seconds

First impressions are a big deal.

Trust me. I've done speed dating three times. And speed dating is all about first impressions. You have maybe two minutes to charm someone enough to convince the guy that he does want to ask you out on a real date. So you try to find the most exotic or unique answers to the most over asked questions while still trying to sound genuine.

Sound about right? 

Well, for those who haven't experienced it—that's the honest to goodness truth of how those things go. It's not like Hitch made it seem.

Today, I read an interesting statement. It said that reports show that you have 8 seconds to wow a visitor to your website to get them to stay or they're going to be gone. 

Eight seconds?!

I thought a minute was useless. But eight seconds?!

It took you 3 seconds to read the last three sentences, right?

So what do you do?

Well, I can tell you what not to do. 

Don't go overboard!

Your webpage doesn't need to be brimming with logos, animations, videos, and whatever else you think would be cool to have on there. 

Remember the whole "speed dating" analogy. Still works here. Draw them in, show them your uniqueness while still being genuine to you, your company, and your brand.

I don't know what will get visitors to stay. I'm still trying to read and figure out this whole social media business. But you do know what will get your real visitors to stay. 

Because you know who they are. They look like you. You have a specific demographic you're trying to reach. Speak to them. Ask them what they like and what they don't like. And tailor the website to meet their needs. I promise you that it will be worth it.

Maybe speed dating hasn't yielded much success for me. But first impressions are still the best way to find new people.

PS: You should totally go check out my friend, Bethany's blog post at Jibe Media. She says that I inspired her, but... I have a hard time believing that!

Tech Tuesday: Content

Content is king.

I feel like I hear this every time I'm in meeting to discuss social media or the web. Everyone is worried about creating the BEST content, content that will bring more people to their website. 

So maybe I haven't been blogging for awhile, but something that I've come to realized based on the blogs I read (because I read a fair number of blogs): I'm drawn to stories.

I think it's inherent to anyone. We love stories. Who doesn't love a good story?

When I was back East, I visited one of my brothers. He has a two and a half year old son. And I entertained said child by making up a couple of ridiculously cheesy stories. One about a little boy who pretended to be all these different animals and one about a little boy big rig (the kid is obsessed with his big rigs). After he had hear the stories repeated maybe twice, he started to be able to tell the stories back to me.

Why do we love fairy tales? Or fables? We love that they teach us some sort of moral, maybe? Or maybe we really do love a good story.

Stories connect us. It's the details that make things real to use. My favorite times with my family are when we sit around and tell stories. Stories have shaped who I am. They don't define me, they're a part of me.

The blogs I read, they tell me a story. Sure, sometimes that story is about a product or an idea. A story invites you in, allows you to decide where you fit and what side you're going to take. It's persuasive in a subtle way.

So, maybe this week look into your story-telling skills and see what stories you can tell.

Tech Tuesday: So, you have a blog

So you have a blog. 

You've been writing for ages.

And you just can't get any visitors?

Yep. I know the feeling.

Somehow, we've got it in our heads that the number of page views on our blog or the number of "likes" on Facebook have a place in determining our social networking self-worth. Because if you don't have these connections then you'll never make it.

Really? We're in junior high again? I don't feel good about that at all.

Fact: You control how many people can find you.

Fact: You can start making comments on other people's blogs. They'll visit yours. 

Don't believe me?

A while ago, I posted one comment on a blog about someone's visit to my home town. It was first thing in the morning and I simply wrote something about being jealous and how much I miss it. Hours later, I received an email response back saying that the blog author had checked out my own blog. How cool is that?! So maybe as people comment on your blog, you send them a note or somehow return the favor. 

Why? Because we're all about building relationships. 

The second way to have people find you is to use your labels on your posts. My friend told me, when I started this blog, that I needed to utilize this tool more so that people could find the blog. Maybe it hasn't helped a ton, but I'm sure it will, 

So, what are some ways that you have found to get visitors onto your blog? Share with the class.

And... Go!