According to my reader I am following 70 blogs right now. I have three sections (scroll down my sidebar) I ENJOY READING, FOREVER FAMILIES AND TEACHER FRIENDS. I love reading teacher blogs and blogs about others who have adopted. The third category (I ENJOY READING) is a jumble of mommy blogs, inspirational blogs, family blogs, people that make me laugh, and anything else I find interesting. I really do follow all of them. You should check some of them out.
How do I choose new blogs to follow:
1. I usually either click on links in others posts or from comments. Sometimes I scan down the sidebars to see who you all follow. I look for interesting or funny titles. I usually click on at least 5 a day.
2. I bookmark these to a file I call NEW BLOGS, to look at later.
3. Then I go back to each one and look at how often they post. The more often they post the better. If they don't post that often (once a week or less) I usually delete them.
4. For about a week or so I just check in to see what they are posting about. I look for humor, wit or interesting topics.
6. If there are too many advertisements or the blog is full of tons of stuff on the sidebar, it gives me a headache, so these get deleted.
7. Sorry, but if you're going to write a LONG post, you better catch my attention right away, with an interesting title or first few lines, or I'll probably just scan it.
8. If all these things draw my attention then I will add you to my sidebar and then add you to my reader and follow.
I have to admit I am a bit of a lurker too. I don't comment as much as I should, but I have gotten a lot better. I'm curious how you choose who to follow. When you comment please leave a link to a new blog that I can check out. I love finding new ones.
5 comments:
Wow, based on your criteria, I am guessing you don't follow mine! LOL!
I do it basically the same as you do, however I will cut a blog a lot more slack if it involves a topic that I am REALLY interested in (say AA hair) than others. I recently went through all of mine and weened quite a few out as it was becoming overwhelming!
Interesting criteria. Sounds like I just barely make the cut too! :)
I think I'm going to have to follow Jill's lead and do some weeding out of my own. I've begun to get really overwhelmed with everything I'm trying to read and I'd really just like to stay caught up on the blogs I really want to read instead.
Great post!
Melba
I have about 40 blogs that I follow. I know some of them are not very active anymore, but I don't want to push the stop following button. I just figure if they post then I will be happy to check in with them. I would say that out of the 40 blogs that I chose to follow there is about 10 that are my favorites. There are some people that when they post, I might not rush to go see what they wrote and others that I have to run to see.
I pretty much just stick to adoption related blogs. I usually choose to follow based on what I see at first sight. Very rarely do I go back and read everything that they ever posted. I like to read about open adoption, but I have more of a connection to people who have shared my experience. There are some blogs that I choose to follow that sometimes irk me, but it's nothing personal and I don't say anything. I never choose to stop following a blog, because I am too afraid that someone will wonder if they did or said something wrong and ticked someone off.
I used to be a lot more click-happy when it came to pushing that follow button, now I'm much more reserved. I like to read several times before I commit :).
I think in the beginning of my introduction to blog world I wanted to read EVERY adoption blog available. I've since done a lot of weeding. I do keep up with my original gang, but am slow to add new blogs unless they really jump out at me.
I do find that I go through phases of interest too. Right now I'm really into craft and photography sites and have also started creeping into foster mom blogs...
I do notice when my following number goes down (it does result in a slight pout lip!), but by no means do I know or keep track of who cut me out of their life! :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed the GIMH list of blogs! Marcie and I (and the rest of the GIMH crew) worked hard on it. There are so many wonderful blogs out there, it was very difficult to narrow it down.
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