Some days, Your Host has the worst memory in the Cosmos. Case in point: I recently saw an EntreCard ad for a blogging carnival. I've never thought about entering one before, because the topics are usually very specific, and not things I usually write about. But this one simply called for "your best blog entry". Well, I could do that. Unfortunately, I didn't write down which site was sponsoring the soiree, so I was ultimately unable to enter. But, it did bring to mind the important question: which was my best blog entry, and why? It's a question every blogger should consider.
What criteria would YOU use to select your best post? Was it the one that inspired the most responses [If that were my basis, my best would be a posting on "American Idol" during Sanjaya's [remember him?] run on the show]? Would it be one that brought in few responses, but the ones that came were particularly interesting? For marketing-oriented sites, would it be one that inspired many sales? Was it one you felt was well-written, or particularly funny, or heart-felt? How you choose to answer that question says a lot about what you're trying to accomplish with your blog.
Of course, there is no right or wrong answer. But look over your posts when you have a little time to think about them. Pick YOUR best post, for whatever reason. Re-read it from time to time. Let it inspire your future words.
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Recently, I've noticed a trend in blogs that really irritates me no end. You click on a blog site that looks interesting. Then, just as you're about to read it, the page you were looking at disappears, replaced by an ad. To me, this is even more annoying than the universally- [and rightly, I think] hated pop-up.You can avoid a pop-up. This comes out of nowhere, and frequently is more difficult to get away from than a pop-up. Sites like this are nothing more than Trojan Horses, and even if returning to the original site is as simple as clicking a box, the overall effect makes the blogger look like nothing more than a crass con-artist. And nobody wants to be the victim of a con.
If you operate, or are planning to operate such a site, please, please, please reconsider. There is no shame in honest advertising on a blog. There is much shame in this.
-Mike Riley
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