I have been thinking a great deal about my blog the last few days. I started this blog back in 2006. I mainly started it to better communicate with my family back in the States, and to share family photos with them. We were also building our house at the time, so I wanted to show my parents and sisters the progress on our house. After a while, I started posting my best photos on the blog, and it turned more into a "photo" blog instead of a "family" blog....so, I started a new "family" blog, and turned this blog into the "photo blog" it is today.
My problem now? It seems to be stagnant as far as traffic is concerned...It has grown a great deal in the past 6 years, but it seems to have stopped growing, and I am not sure what to do about it. So, after some research and thinking about my own behavior, and why I visit some blogs and not others, I have come to some conclusions about "human blog behavior"
People like pretty pictures, but pretty pictures are not enough...what people really want is free stuff and free advice...they want to become better photographers and they look for sites that can help them do that...they also want attention, and to be noticed. So, it seems obvious to me that the future of this blog must move in the direction of what people really want. I am very thankful to those of you that follow my blog on an almost daily basis, but I really fear that you will leave me if I continue on this same track of only posting pretty pictures, so I promise to make some changes...soon. This is what I would like to do...
(1) Blogger has been great, and easy to use, and I think my blog looks nice, but it is limiting in what I can offer my readers...and I think most pro-photographers don't use Blogger...I might be wrong with that, but it seems to me most professional photographers use Word Press or have a custom designed website/blog....I need to move in that direction too.
(2) Provide FREE tutorials
(3) Provide good advice on camera equipment
(4) Provide more information on how I created the photos I post
(5) Always maintain a personal touch. I can think of a couple of blogs that I used to really like, but have liked less and less as time goes by...the reason? They have lost their personal touch...they become too commercial...they start name-dropping, they become money hungry, and they forget about the approach they had in the beginning that made them popular to begin with. I hope this blog, or I, don't end up being like that.
I welcome any comments or suggestions you might have...
Ah, the photo below...
This is my wife, Tika and my daughter, Kayla. We were walking through a small village in China, when I saw this writing on the wall...I have no idea what is says (any of you read Chinese?), but thought it was a cool background, so asked them to pose for me. My daughter is such a natural poser, and struck this pose with Tika...I used Silver Efex Pro2 to convert to a black n white...
My problem now? It seems to be stagnant as far as traffic is concerned...It has grown a great deal in the past 6 years, but it seems to have stopped growing, and I am not sure what to do about it. So, after some research and thinking about my own behavior, and why I visit some blogs and not others, I have come to some conclusions about "human blog behavior"
People like pretty pictures, but pretty pictures are not enough...what people really want is free stuff and free advice...they want to become better photographers and they look for sites that can help them do that...they also want attention, and to be noticed. So, it seems obvious to me that the future of this blog must move in the direction of what people really want. I am very thankful to those of you that follow my blog on an almost daily basis, but I really fear that you will leave me if I continue on this same track of only posting pretty pictures, so I promise to make some changes...soon. This is what I would like to do...
(1) Blogger has been great, and easy to use, and I think my blog looks nice, but it is limiting in what I can offer my readers...and I think most pro-photographers don't use Blogger...I might be wrong with that, but it seems to me most professional photographers use Word Press or have a custom designed website/blog....I need to move in that direction too.
(2) Provide FREE tutorials
(3) Provide good advice on camera equipment
(4) Provide more information on how I created the photos I post
(5) Always maintain a personal touch. I can think of a couple of blogs that I used to really like, but have liked less and less as time goes by...the reason? They have lost their personal touch...they become too commercial...they start name-dropping, they become money hungry, and they forget about the approach they had in the beginning that made them popular to begin with. I hope this blog, or I, don't end up being like that.
I welcome any comments or suggestions you might have...
Ah, the photo below...
This is my wife, Tika and my daughter, Kayla. We were walking through a small village in China, when I saw this writing on the wall...I have no idea what is says (any of you read Chinese?), but thought it was a cool background, so asked them to pose for me. My daughter is such a natural poser, and struck this pose with Tika...I used Silver Efex Pro2 to convert to a black n white...
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9 comments:
Just asked my wife, she told me it said 'take care of your life'
Did she mean "take care of your life" or "take care of your WIFE"? hehe...both pretty damn important!
Sure are!!
Whatever you decide to do with the site will be fine with me Scotty. I learn from your photos as well as enjoy them just as they are. As a film professional turned digital enthusiast, I would welcome a quick technical rundown of what you have done to the photos digitally... i.e. masks, filters, layers, effects, etc. I know that's asking you to give away your trade secrets, but I promise I'll keep them secret!
Beautiful family.
hi there! stumbled upon your blog through BCN daily foto,
well, i wish i could give you any advice, unfortunately, i'm also an amateur myself. ^0^
i think you have lots of good ideas though, it's just a matter of deciding which is better, whatever you've decided though, i'd be your new follower.
love your candid fotos of Indonesia and what beautiful shots of Guilin.
we were there last 2 years ago, and like you, couldn't get decent shots bec, of the foggy weather. but lots of nice mountain scenery, btw, did you watch the nature LiuShanjie performance in Yangshuo?
I love the photo of the two beautiful ladies in your life, Scotty. And I'm glad the writing didn't translate to something dreadful.
I will continue to follow your blog no matter what you do with it because your photos blow me away. I might not have been commenting much lately, however, because I'm having eye problems and headaches. No fun for a blogger.
But you have the amateur support of one old lady in Canada as long as you keep your blog going.
K
Thanks very much for your kind comments...appreciate it. Kay, hope you're feeling better!
Arabesque..no, we didn't see that show, but we heard about it...it was really cold and rainy, so we were not too keen on seeing the outdoor show...next time!
Mr. Charleston...will be happy to share my trade secrets, and will do more of that on my posts from now on...
Good idea for helping people Scotty, don't you think if everybody helped everybody and taught things they know all of our lives would improve alot, and also do it for nothing, not just because they see $$$ flashing in front of their eyes. I also find some people don't want to teach others because they like to keep what they know for their selves because they are scared of others being better than them. How sad is that ??
your points 2..5 make sense to me... to not only focus on the image but also have some information around it probably helps to improve the blog.
Blogger or Worldpress or customized, this only is for the first impression.
Vincent (with cusomized blog)
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