SheSpeaks is coming up in a little less than a week, and I am going to spend a chunk of tomorrow working out the finer points of my part of the presentation that I’m doing with Melanie and Shannon.
Because I’m thinking that next week I won’t have much time to work on the presentation what with getting a haircut and looking for brown sandals and wondering why it’s become increasingly impossible to get my eyelashes to curl.
I’m not even kidding about that last thing. It’s driving me crazy. No matter what I do, my eyelashes look like they’ve been ironed.
Anyhoo.
At SheSpeaks one of the things I’m going to be talking about is finding your bloggy voice (tip #1: CRAZY HELPS) and making that voice consistent with the look and feel of your blog.
So. Three things.
1) Would y’all be so kind as to point me to some blogs where you feel like the look of the blog perfectly matches the voice of the person who writes there? And it doesn’t have to be a mama blog – it can be a political blog, a fashion blog, an entertainment news blog, whatever.
Next.
2) Does the look of a blog – the graphics, the fonts, the colors – have any bearing on whether or not you continue to visit? In other words, if someone has incredibly thought-provoking content but the look of the blog isn’t visually appealing, do you care?
Finally.
3) What’s your favorite blog out there in terms of design? What blog makes you sigh with contentment as soon as you click over? And what specifically do you like about it?
If you’re more comfortable emailing me all of this information instead of leaving it in the comments, that’s fine by me. Just please try not to say anything negative about a specific blog because OH, CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE THE AWKWARD?
And if you also feel led to offer some advice in regard to my impossibly straight eyelash fiasco, I’d be most appreciative.
Really, internets, you’re going to be helping me with a whole host of quandaries.
So if you’re feeling invaluable right about now, well, guess what, YOU TOTALLY SHOULD.
Ok, there are too many comments for me to read through to check for an eyelash answer. So I’m just going to pretend that no one solved your little (or not) eyelash dilemma.
First you should know I am not an avid eyelash curler. However I do like to gather all the beauty tips that I can, incase some day ya know, I decide to be all spiffy.
So… what you want to do is: Using a METAL eyelash curler… heat the curler with your hairdryer for a few seconds to make it hot. Please be careful. You’re not going for the singed look. But do get it warm. Then curl! Wa-la! Purty lashes once again. Hopefully. :)
Ditto on the music. I will most likely not stay to read if music starts up playing. It’s not that I don’t like music. I just may not want to hear Usher at 6:30 in the morning when the rest of my family is trying to sleep. Also, I don’t like the light colored print. It’s difficult to read. The design doesn’t matter as much to me as the content and mostly correct spelling and grammar.
On the eyelash thing, careful heating it. Straight lashes are better than no lashes. I mean, not that I would be speaking from experience or anything!!
I prefer a crisp, uncluttered look. Advertising messes it all up – but I realize blogging is a source of income for some.
A crisp, easy to look at blog design is what I find I prefer – and shoot for myself.
(Oh, and I have to laugh – or I pretty much won’t go back to a blog. Humility is attractive as well.)
http://blog.suchthespot.com/
http://www.beachymimi.blogspot.com/ (new – but awesome from the get go)
http://junecleavernirvana.com
http://onething.typepad.com
http://thequeenb.typepad.com
BTW – the imaginary fried chicken sounds lovely – but I’d love it if you just visited my humble little blog someday…
Have a blast at SheSpeaks!
Wait. Whaaaaat?! I just left this whole comment prior to my BTW comment and it’s…. gone?!
And NOW I have to remember what I said? That’s so three minutes ago!
A clean, crisp look that doesn’t get too cluttered, combined with humor and humility is what keeps me coming back.
Some good examples of design matching “voice” are:
http://www.blog.suchthespot.com
http://www.beachymimi.blogspot.com
http://www.queenb.typepad.com
http://www.onething.typepad.com
http://www.junecleavernirvana.com
Adore Pioneer Woman for her photos and witty commentary.
Love Shlog(Shaun Groves)- he makes me think!
Read you everyday because you make me laugh!
My BFF just started a beautiful blog for Single Moms!! She shares her testimony and encouraged single moms daily! Great idea, very audience specific
http://www.pluderfullife.com
not sure why the link won’t take you to plunderful life… you could go to my blog and click on it the top right button to it. It’s worth a look see.
1. pioneerwoman.com, http://www.dooce.com, and homesicktexan.blogspot.com are great for this. the homesick texan is less known than dooce or ree and would be a great example of look=voice for the conference.
2. i love when a blog looks great and has great content. BUT i don’t mind if a blog is plain-looking so long as it has great content. i would prefer that to a blog with tons of graphics and “stuff” with poor content. i definitely respect that some of the best writers are NOT graphic designers or are not concerned with outward appearances. but i hate when blogs have sound. i do a lot of blog reading at work when i’m just answering phones and i don’t like to have to frantically lunge for the speaker volume :)
3. thepioneerwoman.com has great design. it’s visually appealing and very organized. some blogs have lots of little sub-categories and tabs but not a lot of content (i.e. too cluttered) but ree puts out tons of content every day so i think she’s really mastered the whole organization thing. it’s very thoughtfully put together – you can tell that she puts a ton of work into her site and loves it.
i also love that she’s CONSISTENT. she says that she’s going to start a new sub-category (i.e. “home and garden”) and she regularly adds new content. a lot of folks will start something like this and never add anything to it.
http://www.dooce.com is similarly well organized and unique but she doesn’t produce nearly as much content as thepioneerwoman.com on a daily basis. i don’t know how she does it!
I’d say that the look of the blog has really very little to do with whether I like it/return/subscribe. However, one thing does drive me absolutely bonkers and sends me careening my mouse toward my back button to get me away as fast as possible…the music. I hate it when blogs are set up to play music automatically. Don’t force your music preferences on me, pretty please? And even if I like the song, it doesn’t mean I want to be forced to listen to it (probably at too high of a volume) right then. So, there it is. And reading the other comments, I see I’m not alone. It makes me feel better. It really does.
And as long as I’m venting. I’m not a fan of the smilie. There. I said it.
But truly, I’ll keep visiting a plain, bland-looking site, as long as the content is witty, interesting, valuable (even if it’s value is just making me laugh), and regularly-updated.
One of my favorite blogs is thepioneerwoman.com. Her design and voice just really seem to match what she writes.
As for design, I personally don’t enjoy reading someone’s blog who has seem to put no thought into it. If it looks like they are just using it as a diary (no design, pictures, etc) then, no matter how thought provoking, I tend to get bored. I also have a hard time reading any that are black backgrounds with small white writing. Maybe it’s because I’m almost forty.
By the way, I really enjoy your blog and think your style and speaking voice are wonderful.
Thanks to Cara for the nice recommendation to my site. I just have to make a comment about the music. I personally don’t mind a playlist on someone’s site, I just turn it down if it distracts me. I have found some great new artists through listening to what others have on their blog.
This year I’ve gone with a theme for my blog: Sanctuary in the Small Things, and I pick a theme song for each day or topic. It might be something silly or even spiritual. It is something I’ve had fun with and gotten a positive response to, but reading the strong negative comments here makes me re-think. Great food for thought!! Hmmmm.
Wish I was going to She Speaks! Have a great time!
I don’t think that design should matter any if the voice is there in the writing. I like to read blogs that have some pictures in them, but I also like to read those that don’t have pictures. If it can make me laugh, then I like it. I’m not much into the too serious ones. That’s why I try to keep mine a little humorous.
But I think it’s important to be yourself, not try to be that other person whose blog you really enjoy.
Not a clue about the eyelashes except for you to turn into a males because don’t the ALWAYS have the most gorgeous eyelashes. My husband’s curl back to where they touch his upper eyelid just below his eyebrow–no lie. He’s got some serious lashes–which our boy inherited and our girl did NOT. Par I say.
Blogs. . .the only thing cute blogs make me feel is jealous because mine is not. . .it’s as cute as I can get it without paying money, so that is how it’s gonna be for now. I prefer not so many bells and whistles, but I don’t care what it looks like–just what it says–although yours is both cute AND well written even though your eyelashes are woefully straight.
I think the words on a page say much more than the design, but I do feel that both are important.
By far, my favorite blog to read is http://www.thestretchmarksblog.com. It’s so much fun and the design is great with a lot of pictures. Pictures are important, because get to know the peope referred to in the blog. It makes me feel like I’ve just sat down with my best friend over a great cup of coffee and all the latest gossip.
The writer is extremely consistent, which I really appreciate. She is also hilarious with a bit of serious thrown in for good measure. I think it says a lot when you can read a person’s blog and hope to one day be their best friend. She keeps me laughing and that keeps me coming back for more!
I have the same eyelash curse and got an eyelash perm! It was awesome. I’m about to go back for perm #2! You should try it.
Kelli
Hi there. First time to visit and I have to say you are really entertaining! You write so much like another blogger that I follow regularly. She makes me laugh out loud in a ridiculous sort of way! In fact, the two of you could be “sisters” in the “blog world”. Your styles seem similar from what little I have had the chance to take a look at your stuff. I don’t know much about this whole blogging thing but I know I like what I have seen of yours (and I plan to come back) and I have grown to love hers! So, check her out at http://www.thestretchmarksblog.com. You are guaranteed to not be disappointed and lastly, …I’m pretty much just looking for good content but adding a few polka dots for decor would certainly please the eye….I just love big, colorful polka dots!
I pay very little attention to the “decorations” on all y’all’s blawgs. I like what you ladies write, and especially ones that can make me have a gut laugh and spew coffee all over my keyboard. I do love your “read by tens of people every single day” and I have to admit there are LOTS of blogs out there I could get addicted to but there are only 24 hours in a day and my bosses expect me to turn out some actual work occasionally. I’m also gonna hawk-eye this for the eyelash problem. I’ve decided I’m gonna be cursed with “old lady” eyes – ever notice how they lose theirs altogether? Anyhoo…my fav blogs are yours (after all, you write about my bulldogs) , bigmama, pioneerwoman, lots of scotts, it coulda been worse, my tiny kingdom, rocks in my dryer, second cup of coffee. And I love the writing and the photo shots. And pioneerwomans recipes, lets slap granny! Have a good time.
Oh, I also love all the blogs who are profoundly christian, and I can’t believe I left out “Especially Heather”. You know, most of these I got off your blogroll. My Tiny Kingdom was the first one I ever read and I felt like I knew her cause my son went to Samford so I was familiar with the places she wrote about (same as you!) And if you ask Kelli how you go about getting an eyelash perm, please post it!
Eyelash Curling Drama: Oh I have it….with one eye. One curls, one doesn’t. So I look like I’m in a perpetual half-wink. NOT attractive.
Here’s my miracle cure:
First use Estee Lauder’s Eyelash Primer. Pile it on like butter on cornbread.
Let it dry. I usually move to the blush & eyeshadow stage of things.
Then apply your mascara (my FAVE is Lancome’s Definicils original)
Once THAT dries… Use the Eyelash Curler of your choice and hold it (carefully) for about 15 seconds.
It’s truly amazing.
I can’t think well enough for #1 and #2, but I can answer #3. When I need a dose of… beauty, I head over to Heather Bailey’s blog http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/.
The design of her site is super simple, which leaves lots of space for her incredible photographs. Seriously, every picture on her blog is pure bliss. I especially love the pictures of her studio. I am totally NOT crafty, but I love to look at her things that she creates.
I also love One Woman’s Cottage Life http://owcl.blogspot.com/. I love her template and her pictures.
1) look of the blog perfectly matches the voice of the person who writes there:
antiquemommy.com
2) If someone has incredibly thought-provoking content but the look of the blog isn’t visually appealing, do you care?
No. There are some designs I don’t particularly care for, but I love their writing, so I stay and read.
3) What’s your favorite blog out there in terms of design? What blog makes you sigh with contentment as soon as you click over? And what specifically do you like about it?
audreycaroline.blogspot.com This is her second design and I loved both. The new design uses the same graphics, plus a few more, as the original, but the new color scheme just sets the photos off in the most beautiful way. It is gorgeous! She also has some great music set for you to listen to while you read. I’m not usually a fan of that feature, but it fits her blog and I can’t ever leave her pages with dry eyes.
Can you post a list of the suggested blogs so we can see them easily and browse through them when we get a chance? I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but if you can do that sometime in the near future that would be so helpful! Thanks!