For those fortunate enough not to know what I’m talking about, I’ll explain. Recently, clicking ‘Like’ on a blogger’s post has often had no effect. It took some experimentation to work out why. Continue reading
Category: Blogging
Spam Comment Likes
If you are one of the people who received a spam like on a comment you left on my site yesterday, I’m sorry. I’ve noticed this happening elsewhere on WordPress but this is the first time I’ve seen it on one of my posts (Hay Time In The Dales).
After seeing a small flurry of spam likes, you may have noticed that I responded swiftly by inactivating the ability to leave likes against comments on my blog for the time being. Continue reading
Weekend Whimsy: Smiling Flower
I’ve been trying to write a post for the weekly photo challenge but it’s all been going ‘orribly wrong. Various drafts and ideas later, I have a plea for help awaiting the attention of the WordPress Happiness Engineers as I’ve somehow succeeded in losing the attachment pages for some of my most recent rose pictures. That means if you click ’em, you get a non-too-entertaining-after-a-while ‘Oops’ error message page.
Safari has piqued my sense of irony by suggesting I short cut the process and skip direct to the error page in future, by helpfully(?) listing it among my favourite internet pages. Safari has a point. I need to change tack. I need something cheerful.
So I’m sharing this picture of a smiling flower. It may not be my best picture, but you have to admit it’s cheery. Continue reading
Embracing Change: The New WordPress Reader
I’m a big fan of WordPress. It never stays still. Any half-experienced WordPress blogger knows that every so often they’re going to be briefly blindsided by one of those changes that suddenly happens. Of course it can be disconcerting – a bit like waking to find out that Santa Claus rearranged the furniture overnight as a kind of thank you for leaving him such tasty mince pies with his glass of milk, and now the picture of Aunt Mamie seems to have disappeared. Continue reading
Making Less Say More: Microcopy for Bloggers
Microcopy
nounUsed by professional writers to refer to short but crucial snippets of writing, set aside from the copy (the main body of text). Used on menus, buttons, forms and widgets etc.
plural: microcopy
etymology:
micro- + copy (from the Latin root copia meaning plenty)
If you’re short of time, you’ll get my drift by scrolling down to see screen shot examples of microcopy. Click on the graphics to visit the original sites. For those able to linger, this longread post celebrates thoughtfully composed microcopy, mostly found here on WordPress.
Why use microcopy?
Microcopy is a modern day telegram: we use it to pass on useful messages to our readers in the least words. Partly we’re forced to be concise by space constraints, but we also know the more words we write, the less likely people are to read them. And we usually want microcopy to stand out enough to be read, for example:
- Follow this blog
- Leave a comment
- Read my previous post
- Buy this book
- Follow me on social media
- Contact me
- Read more
Two of my passions come together in my admiration for great microcopy – language and marketing. It’s an overlooked art form: a fun way to finesse your blog – but there’s a serious side too. Continue reading
The Art of Commenting: what holds us back and how we can fix it
When people leave comments on your site, is replying a pleasure or a chore? And away from your blog, do you reach out to other bloggers through their comment sections and become an active part of their communities, or do you remain a page view shadow: a small, silent jolt up their stats, identifiable only by your place on earth?
In this post, I’m coming from the angle that while we certainly don’t need to leave a comment on a blog post we’ve enjoyed, it’s not good to feel inhibited or uneasy about commenting.
I’d love it if we all felt free to comment, if we wished, and understood the etiquette when we do. Continue reading
WordPress tips: how to block a site in the Reader
Browsing my Reader reminded me of a nifty WordPress feature you’ll love if the subjects you enjoy are often ‘hijacked’ by less scrupulous bloggers – or if you want to block anyone who is going too far. It’s hidden in plain sight so you may not have noticed it.
I’m not talking about bloggers you are following, but some of the ones who appear when you explore topics. Tag-hoggers who clutter up your Reader with multiple posts you don’t want to see again. Ever. Continue reading
Your opinion, please!
(Poll now closed)
I’m sure many of you have a piggybank of ideas for future blog posts, either in your head or jotted down somewhere. Me too!
The trouble is my piggybank is a bit too full after my travels, so I thought I would appeal for your help to decide which posts I should share first. Continue reading
Blogging tips: tags and categories
Think of tags and categories (and their associated widgets) as free adverts for your post – on your blog and in the wider WordPress community – and make them work for you and your visitors.
Use tags and categories to:
- Help bloggers discover your post in The Reader
- Place sign posts on your blog so visitors can find other content that interests them while they’re there
- Organise your blog and link posts by subject matter
- Review what you’ve achieved so far and plan where you’re going
Polls and surveys – are they irritating or enlightening?
On WordPress.com we all have the option to add polls and surveys. Done well, they can give us valuable feedback. Done badly, they can be irritating, provide meaningless or misleading information, and can even change our visitors’ opinions for the worse. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example many of us will have seen on WordPress. Ever clicked on ‘Visit the old stats page’? The first thing you’ll see is a poll. A poorly worded one:
Why do you prefer this Stats page?
- It’s faster
- It shows more information
- It’s less confusing
- I’m used to it
Vote
I don’t prefer the old stats page. I click the old stats button once in a while because it’s temptingly placed at the bottom of my stats. I remember vaguely that there’s something extra on the old stats, but don’t recall what it might be. Continue reading
