Spam!!

I have been paying attention lately to how popular this blog seems to be getting, which makes me really proud!

One new measure of popularity that I seem to have achieved is my very first spam comment!  I haven't come up with a plan for how to deal with spam comments yet (I hadn't figured I'd get them yet...)

Image from Tom Sweeney, startribune.com

Question for you bloggers out there - how do you deal with non-offensive spam comments?  I do not mean for illegal things or porn sites (which will immediately be deleted), but in my instance, a comment was made with a link goes to a website that sells dog shampoo.  Up until now, I haven't moderated comments, and now I need to develop a plan to address spam.

I'd love to hear how you deal with it!

~Chrissy

Improving Your Blog

I seem to be spending a lot of time on weekend mornings learning stuff relating to blogging, soap making, crafting, and personal development lately.  I suppose that it's good that I'm always learning, and I know the laundry and dishes will be waiting for me so my hands can work while my head is processing all this new information :)

This morning, I've been learning about improving blogging:  editing / creating blogs in HTML / CSS, attracting new readers, available classes on better blogging, finding blogging voice, and more!  I have mentioned that I love Google Reader to help me keep on top of blogs, but I wanted to document some of the specific posts and places I've been using to learn about improving my blogging so I can re-read later (and hopefully absorb more!)

HTML / CSS:

Katrina at Pugly Pixel has put up some very informative videos on basics of HTML and CSS.  I have watched both, and I'm now inspired to work on updating this blog even more...  later, after I have some breakfast, wash the dogs, etc...  

I used to dabble in programming with my dad growing up - anyone remember 3-2-1 Contact Magazine or TV Show? - and also had some programming classes in college.  This is reminding me of why I'm not a programmer now :)

I loved this comic every month in the magazine.  That and the monthly BASIC program that my dad and I would work out on our computers.  This magazine and TV show were such great ways to get kids interested in science, math, and computing!

Finding Your Blogging Voice:

Kira at Her New Leaf guest blogged this post on Finding Your Voice for Noisette Academy.  I can certainly relate to her posts - I've found myself trying to imitate other blogs I found funny, thoughtful, charming, etc.  This has been a great reminder that people will read my blog for ME because it will be more genuine.

Primp My Blog:

Kira also wrote a series of blog postings (for both WordPress and Blogger users) on improving blogs at Primp My Blog.  This has really gotten me thinking, and in fact has taken me down a number of different rabbit trails on blog improvement.  This has really inspired me to re-look at this blog, my goals, and how I can be more purposeful about blogging going forward.  She really has some great tips and ideas, so make sure to check out her series!

Blogging Better:

Lindsay at Shrimp Salad Circus (love the name!) makes great use of blog post tags to highlight her articles on blogging better.  I had read the One Minute Makeover post on how to use pictures to look more professional.  And did you know you can schedule blog and facebook posts, and tweets, too?  Schedule Your Way To A Better Blog has some great tips on batch writing posts, but scheduling them to post over time so you're not releasing multiple posts within a short amount of time and diluting readership.  Since I tend to do my blogging on the weekends, this is going to be huge for me!

There are so many ideas I have now from the above - now to put them into action!

~Chrissy

New blog look

While there are many things that I am good at, visual design / marketing type of stuff is something I can definitely continue to improve myself on.  

I started this blog with a free template that I thought was cute, but it didn't really gel with the name I had chosen or even with the type of blog I wanted to do.  So, after many frustrating hours last night, I have changed the look of my blog to more of a literary, story-type feel, which at least matches the title of my blog.  I had seen myself using this blog to tell stories about my soaping journey, recipes I have created, lessons learned, etc. 

I may continue to adjust the blog design as I learn more about Blogger, and as I develop more fully the essence of this blog.  Just wanted to give you all a heads-up that this is indeed the same blog - just trying out some new things!

Let me know your thoughts on the new design and layout - what you like and what doesn't quite work for you.  

~Chrissy