2 Things That Make Me Follow or Unfollow You

I'm an avid blogger and that fact isn't something that's new to you all. I can spend anywhere between two hours to nine hours on both my own blog and other peoples blogs a day, and today, it's not my own blog I want to talk about, it's other peoples. I know that sounds like a very dangerous and possibly very controversial subject, but lets face it, as bloggers, we spend a dedicated amount of time visiting fellow bloggers and friends, but we don't follow every blogger in the community, not only is that impossible but it's extremely impractical, and so in a very different type of conversation today, I want to talk about what keeps me going back to somebody's blog and why sometimes I will say taddie ho to someone else's. This post hasn't been created to hurt or upset anyone in anyway shape nor form, neither has it been written to encourage bloggers to change, so please remember that while this may be the honest truth, it's not written to insult or directly hurt anybody's feelings. Do keep this mind. (This is also going to be an extremely long post, I advise tea and biscuits before you start.)

First Up: Design

If you haven't judged a blog on it's design your either lying or your lying. Seriously, everybody who is everybody has judged a blog on it's design, whether it's just 'oh, that's very [insert colour here]' or 'I don't like the font choice' and it is perfectly acceptable to think that, I bet there's plenty of people who don't like the font I've used in my blog title, or the fact that this entire post and every other text area on the blog is typed up in Georgia, but that's something that I think is quite a small detail. The biggest thing I pay attention to when it comes to someone else's blog is the colour scheme and on most occasions, it's the make or break on whether I stay on someone's blog or come back for a revisit, if I don't like it, I won't suffer it. Personally, I like it when blogs have one or two frequently used colours and have a few other very subtle colours, something I think is reflected in my own design.

I'm more than happy with a blog with a vibrant colour like green, yellow or pink, but nine times out of ten, I will prefer the colour to be shaded much more than vibrant; if you're blog is screaming bright red into my eyes, the chances are that I will leave your blog and never return, but if you're using a much paler or darker shade, it'll be much calmer on my eyes, much calmer on my brain and I'll be more likely to return, and that's before I've even read any of your content. You don't need to be a professional in design, you just need to have a good grasp of the what colours work well together and know when a colour is too bright, too dull or too dark.

Another big detail I look out for on another persons blog is the font used in your blog title or header, I need to be able to read your name and your content. If you're using some sort of ancient script writing in all of your titles with swirls bigger than the Eiffel Tower, it's not going to swing with me buddy, I need to be able to quickly look at your blog and see exactly what says, keep your titles big and your header bold and I'll be a very very happy viewer.

Secondly: You and Your Content

Now, it wouldn't surprise me if most of you either really dislike me or hate me right now, I understand I've basically just judged your blog on the colour scheme and size of your font, but the point is, if I can't stand the pain in my eyes and I can't read what on earth you're writing, I can't even move onto your content, but once I have moved onto your content, it's a whole different kettle of fish. One of the biggest things is identifying whether you're more of a 'OH MY GOHD!!!1!!' kind of content publisher or whether you're quite fond of being articulate and professional in your voice.

Myself, I like to find somewhere between educational, but playful, something that reflects the kind of person I am; I'm well read and enjoy language, but I'm also a little lazy with my common slang and phrases and I like my content to show that to my readers. Being either one or the other isn't a selling point in my book, I follow both professional and hobby orientated blogs, some which have been around the block for years, and others who are a few months old and I really don't mind either way, the biggest selling point for me is how relatable you are.

I suppose I treat a blog much like I treat a book, the cover I can get over, but it's what's inside that counts. In a book, I want to be able to connect and relate to a character, and that reflects in the same way I want to connect and relate to a blogger. I want their reviews to speak to me and tell me the things I want to know about, like how the plot developed, or how that one person made them want to ring their neck, and I want to know what you like and dislike in the blogging and publishing world, I want your honesty, your rantiness and your snark.

One of my most favourite things in the week is Cover Snark because I know I'm going to complete 100% honesty in Christina's words, and whether I agree or not doesn't matter, she sells it to me and makes me come back for more, the same way Debby does with her feeling induced reviews, or Nereyda with her Book Looks and wonderful contemporary reviews, and even Charnell, with her fantastic use of gifs, brutal honesty and happy-go-lucky feel. I like to be able to read a post, any post whether that be a discussion, review, book haul or rant, and know what kind of person you are, and I want to be able to come to your blog, your world essentially, and visit even when you don't have new content, I want to see your old reviews or your old talks and, almost stalk you I suppose. Yes, definitely stalk..

Sometimes Though, I'll Stop Unfollowing You Anyway

But sometimes, and I admit, only sometimes, I'll stop unfollowing a blog. Now this could be down to any number of reasons, taste in books changing, feeling a disconnection to the other blogger or their content not being what I want read anymore, and sometimes, there not being any content at all, and I can feel really guilty about unfollowing someone, because I can't imagine how that must feel, knowing that your content isn't cutting mustard for someone anymore, or the fact that you're life is busy is disappointing someone else. It sounds so cruel and disheartening, and I know that there are people who've probably followed me and then unfollowed for a reason important to them, and even though they can't see this, I'm sorry my content wasn't enough to keep you here, but I can totally understand why you left. We all grow up and we all mature, and in some ways, the blogging community is like school; we make friends along our journey and we drop them. It's not always nice, but it's true.

What Do You Like and Dislike About Other Blogs?