Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post

realignedliving · 08-11-2007, 01:43 AM

I love editing and critiquing writing and websites, so this is right up my alley!

The Bad Things

1. Your font is too big. If you made your post font the same size as it is on the sidebar, you'd be good to go. Right now the font is kind of obnoxious, and it's hard to skim the page and get a feel on what your posts are about because your font is so large.

2. Your front page is too long. You tend to write longer posts - there's nothing wrong with this, as quite a few bloggers (including myself) practice this. However, since your font is so massive, it just makes the page longer and longer. I got bored with even skimming the page because when I thought I was done, another endlessly long paragraph of text came up.

3. Archive by months on the sidebar? Thumbs down. Let's be honest - putting up the archives by months in the sidebar is rather pointless. For one, if I wanted to go to the archives, I would just find the Archives page (which you don't have), and two, that Month stuff just takes up room on the sidebar that could be used for something else. Ditch putting the Archives there and do something like...

4. ... putting categories on the sidebar! I see you've done this already. Move it from above the "Recent Post" widget and put it below that instead, and take out the "Archives by Months" widget.

5. Archive page by itself? Thumbs up! You NEED an Archive page by itself, which lists all of the posts in your blog. Since you post a lot, it's almost a necessity. Take a lesson from Steve's archives page - it's a great example of what an archive page should look like. This is the link to the plug-in I use to achieve an archive page just like Steve's. Highly recommended!

6. If you're going to put up links on the sidebar, make them good. I'm not a fan of link swapping, but if you're going to put up links, link to other fabulous websites like Steve's (or mine!

). More than one link would be good, I'd shoot for about five. More if wanted.

7. You need better post titles. Yes, your post titles are... vaguely descriptive, which is a good thing. But they're also lacking in pizazz!and don't capture my attention. One reason is because the titles are very long and rambling. They're also not too descriptive to what comes in the post - "vague" is the perfect word to describe what I'm saying. There are quite a few articles on how to make eye-catching post titles out there - Google some articles up, and take note. Or, do what I did, and study how Steve writes up his titles.

8. Filter your posts into more categories - other than "Success". We all want success! But, uh, that's not the only thing us personal development people are looking for. It's okay if you want to keep your categories tightly knit - I do that with my posts - but at least separate them a bit and add more categories. One sure fire way to do this is make yourself add more variety of posts - not ALL posts on self-improvement can be in the "Success" category!

9. Take down the "Improve Site" page. Nobody's really going to use look at that page. If they want to give you information on how to improve your site, they'll contact you from your Contact page instead. If you don't think people will do that, put something like "I welcome any e-mail, including e-mail full of suggestions that help me improve this site!

" on the Contact page.

10. Find a contact form for your Contact page and use it! There are millions out there - Google up one, edit it for your site theme, and slap it there. People will be more appreciative. The one I use is great, I highly recommend you look into it. Looks much nicer than just an email saying "Contact me!"

11. Clean up the "About" page. It seems... lacking in something. Like I don't know. To me, it doesn't capture what your site is about, or your personality. It's just kind of... there, I suppose. Also, your pictures are too big, I highly recommend you make them smaller and more out of the way.

12. Edit your articles a bit more. You have a firm grasp of writing. However, sometimes you write very redundantly, as if you have to reiterate everything you say. Also, you don't use very many commas (where there should be commas), hyphens, semi-colons, etc.. I recommend you read up on how to use them - or if you don't like using them for some reason, throw them in anyway. It breaks up your writing and makes it easier to read. Sometimes your writing goes on like run-on sentences, which is a bad thing , especially for a blog.

The Good Things

First, like I just said, your writing style is pretty good. It's breezy and easy to comprehend, which is perfect for a blog. Also, the color scheme and layout you chose is fantastic - it's bright, cheery, and makes me feel energized when I look at it. The navigational bars on the site are also great, as it makes the site easy to navigate (obviously!).

Test out the suggestions, see if they help, and good luck!

08-11-2007, 01:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
realignedliving Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 73	I love editing and critiquing writing and websites, so this is right up my alley! The Bad Things 1. Your font is too big. If you made your post font the same size as it is on the sidebar, you'd be good to go. Right now the font is kind of obnoxious, and it's hard to skim the page and get a feel on what your posts are about because your font is so large. 2. Your front page is too long. You tend to write longer posts - there's nothing wrong with this, as quite a few bloggers (including myself) practice this. However, since your font is so massive, it just makes the page longer and longer. I got bored with even skimming the page because when I thought I was done, another endlessly long paragraph of text came up. 3. Archive by months on the sidebar? Thumbs down. Let's be honest - putting up the archives by months in the sidebar is rather pointless. For one, if I wanted to go to the archives, I would just find the Archives page (which you don't have), and two, that Month stuff just takes up room on the sidebar that could be used for something else. Ditch putting the Archives there and do something like... 4. ... putting categories on the sidebar! I see you've done this already. Move it from above the "Recent Post" widget and put it below that instead, and take out the "Archives by Months" widget. 5. Archive page by itself? Thumbs up! You NEED an Archive page by itself, which lists all of the posts in your blog. Since you post a lot, it's almost a necessity. Take a lesson from Steve's archives page - it's a great example of what an archive page should look like. This is the link to the plug-in I use to achieve an archive page just like Steve's. Highly recommended! 6. If you're going to put up links on the sidebar, make them good. I'm not a fan of link swapping, but if you're going to put up links, link to other fabulous websites like Steve's (or mine! ). More than one link would be good, I'd shoot for about five. More if wanted. 7. You need better post titles. Yes, your post titles are... vaguely descriptive, which is a good thing. But they're also lacking in pizazz!and don't capture my attention. One reason is because the titles are very long and rambling. They're also not too descriptive to what comes in the post - "vague" is the perfect word to describe what I'm saying. There are quite a few articles on how to make eye-catching post titles out there - Google some articles up, and take note. Or, do what I did, and study how Steve writes up his titles. 8. Filter your posts into more categories - other than "Success". We all want success! But, uh, that's not the only thing us personal development people are looking for. It's okay if you want to keep your categories tightly knit - I do that with my posts - but at least separate them a bit and add more categories. One sure fire way to do this is make yourself add more variety of posts - not ALL posts on self-improvement can be in the "Success" category! 9. Take down the "Improve Site" page. Nobody's really going to use look at that page. If they want to give you information on how to improve your site, they'll contact you from your Contact page instead. If you don't think people will do that, put something like "I welcome any e-mail, including e-mail full of suggestions that help me improve this site! " on the Contact page. 10. Find a contact form for your Contact page and use it! There are millions out there - Google up one, edit it for your site theme, and slap it there. People will be more appreciative. The one I use is great, I highly recommend you look into it. Looks much nicer than just an email saying "Contact me!" 11. Clean up the "About" page. It seems... lacking in something. Like I don't know. To me, it doesn't capture what your site is about, or your personality. It's just kind of... there, I suppose. Also, your pictures are too big, I highly recommend you make them smaller and more out of the way. 12. Edit your articles a bit more. You have a firm grasp of writing. However, sometimes you write very redundantly, as if you have to reiterate everything you say. Also, you don't use very many commas (where there should be commas), hyphens, semi-colons, etc.. I recommend you read up on how to use them - or if you don't like using them for some reason, throw them in anyway. It breaks up your writing and makes it easier to read. Sometimes your writing goes on like run-on sentences, which is a bad thing , especially for a blog. The Good Things First, like I just said, your writing style is pretty good. It's breezy and easy to comprehend, which is perfect for a blog. Also, the color scheme and layout you chose is fantastic - it's bright, cheery, and makes me feel energized when I look at it. The navigational bars on the site are also great, as it makes the site easy to navigate (obviously!). Test out the suggestions, see if they help, and good luck!