How do you read blogs? Are you reading this from your email inbox? Or are you here on my blog–seeing my header and my sidebar and stuff? I ask for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because for the first time since I started blogging about five years ago I am working on a complete redesign on my blog. (yippee!) I am wondering how many of my readers appreciate the full experience of being on a the blog–being in this environment–versus simply receiving the content. To me, it’s like the difference between eating at a restaurant or taking the food to-go. You get to eat yummy food either way–but when you’re in the restaurant (or on the blog) you get a fuller, richer experience, yes?
Which brings me to my second point. For a long time I have gone directly to the blogs I love–usually through my bookmarks bar, and I get a few of my favorites through rss feed in my inbox–but it’s not the most efficient way to read blogs. Recently, though, I found myself on bloglovin and realized what a good solution bloglovin is for me. It gives me snippets of my favorite blogs, introduces me to cool new blogs that I wasn’t previously aware of (like this one and this one), and then, when I click on the post, it takes me to the actual blog–so that I can, well, eat in the restaurant–so with Bloglovin I guess it’s kinda like a super tasty blog buffet. Okay, enough with the food metaphors, I’m making myself hungry.
If you’re not already, follow me on bloglovin here-and if you’re on bloglovin–leave me your URL below so I can follow you too, yes? There’s a whole lotta lovin’ goin on!
Jessy L says
I for one generally read from my GoogleReader, which centralises my reading…and click thru if I want to read a full article or comment on something. (if you were to hide parts of your post in the blog feed, I would probably have a higher click thru rate … or not… never can tell!)
Cheers!
Jo says
I agree with the metaphors! I think people take time to make their blog look the way they want it to be received, so when you go to the full blog site you get to see the post in all it’s glory (ha!) as it was intended by the author, and often if it’s heavily image based then it’s a shame not to see them actually on the blog. I LOVE Bloglovin’! I think it’s such a great way to see blogs and for people to follow along. I like that there’s a daily update email and then I click on the links from that for an easy way to go through to the original post, instead of looking up bookmarks or whatever. Ok, sorry this is such a long comment. I recently added it to my blog and the link is http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/2568122/hey-jo-design (Ps hope that’s what you meant about leaving the URL and I’ve not made some stupid faux pas! Anyway…!)
Justina Blakeney says
yes! That’s what I meant!
Emily says
I don’t usually comment on blogs but have been using bloglovin for quite a while now and it is amazing. I follow you through that and I am definitely one of the people who like to eat in the restaurant! There are so many great blog designs out there and it is nice to see everything in context.
I am a Scottish fashion designer based in Edinburgh and am a major print and textiles fan too. Until I get to grips with blogger/wordpress I am using my business Facebook page as a mini blog so am not on bloglovin just yet. Feel free to check it out if you get the chance.
Good luck with the new blog design, it is always nice to look at your colourful posts when shivering away in this spooky old city.
Em
Emily says
URL didn’t seem to show up so here is the link to tropical goodness:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emily-Millichip/340116519383544?ref=hl
Em
Joy says
I use Bloglovin’ as well! But I click on someone’s link when they have an update – so I get the convenience of the updates, with the full experience of visiting their blog still. I’m a web designer – so I totally appreciate seeing content within someone’s full aesthetic. It makes the whole experience fun! Oh, and I’m here: http://blog.joylaforme.com :)
melodycharlotte says
I’m obsessed with Bloglovin’. I’ve never been good at surfing the web, and with all my Googling I hardly found any blogs I really connected with. Since I discovered Bloglovin’ I’ve found so many wonderful and inspiring blogs, and it has become a staple of my morning ritual. So inspiring, I decided to get much more serious about my own blog, and I am so very proud of how far it’s come!
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2693777/from-scratch
http://melodycharlotte-fromscratch.blogspot.com/
With love,
Melody of From Scratch
Anonymous says
bloglovin all the way
Susan says
I have used bloglovin for a while now, love it! I follow you there…;)
Kaylyn says
Justina. I got on Blog Lovin’ and thought it was a genius idea until I started using it and I missed seeing bloggers pages and getting the overall the aesthetic of their site. So I stopped using blog lovin’, and now i’m back to clickin’ bookmark pages! Haha! Do what makes you happy, and we’ll all follow.
XOXO
kaylyn
http://www.theweirhouse.com
mari says
I go straight to the source. If I entered the world of readers, I know it would send me into a spiral, so I feel like I’m entering a small, cozy, peaceful library when I just go straight to the blogs I get the most out of: inspiration, not just consumerist envy or freetime cool people envy, which was starting to happen to me. It helps me limit my internet time and sometimes blog addiction if I don’t have access to everything. Ya feel me?
ida says
I have been following you via bloglovin in forever! :)
my URL is: http://www.creativitymadebyida.wordpress.com
Lydia says
I’m following you with bloglovin, so a new design will be exciting =)
http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3721719/for-my-own-satisfaction
Anonymous says
google reader
Fenn says
You are on the right sidebar of my blog (shortgirlphoto.blogspot.com), because you are a daily read of mine.
I like to wake up, plop down in my comfy chair, and read through the blogs on my sidebar, often chasing links and sharing things. I chase a lot of your links. I don’t want anything to come to my inbox, because it clutters it and it’s not as pretty. Blogs that I don’t read daily come to me through blog lovin’ or blogger’s dashboard. I chase those links every so often, when I have the time.
I think your blog is one of the most aesthetically pleasing. I love all the big, beautiful photos. However, since you’re considering a redesign, I’ll just let you know that my number one pet peeve is blogs that are all white or all light. It’s very hard on the eyes to read tiny, black lettering on such a wide expanse of white. I’m not sure when it became the thing to do, but it’s like staring into a light bulb. I much prefer to read on a pale background, preferably grey, with dark grey lettering…it makes the contrast more bearable. Also, a darker background, behind all of the entries and everything, helps make it easier on the eyes.
I’m looking forward to your redesign, because I’m sure I’m going to love it!
Justina Blakeney says
really good advice, thank you for your insight, Fenn!
Amy says
I used to exclusively dine-in, but after I discovered Google Reader (and that I could totally scrub the interface with Helvetireader), I fell into a pretty solid routine of all take-away, all the time. Sorry to say, I predominantly read you to-go.
Delali says
I use a combination of Google Reader and Bloglovin. I like that they both allow you to dip in and out and take your reading further if you want to “eat in” (diggin’ that analogy). I read quite a few blogs so I like that they’re kept neatly in one place.
I’m over on Bloglovin:
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3861680/decorbydesign
See you there!
PS: Loving your blog all the way from a very cold and dull London. Your posts and pics always help keep me warm. Thank you x
Brandie says
I guess this response is mostly to the first part of your post. I follow blogs almost strictly through google reader. There are only a few occasions when I actually visit the blog site. 1) If there is a post in which there is an image that I want for pinterest, I’ll go to the blog site if the image i want isn’t already uploaded on pinterest by the blogger. 2) If the site is specifically by a photographer, I’ll go to the blog site because the visual impact of the pics is better (i.e. From me to you, The Lens, The Lightbox). 3) If it’s a longer written piece like an interview (i.e. VSCO journal or The Great Discontent). I do this for the simple reason that I find all the bells and whistles on most blog sites too distracting from the actual content. With headers and footers, ads flickering, twitter feeds, etc. happening I can barely get through the post without my attention being drawn to stuff that really isn’t adding to my experience on the site. I find blog viewing most pleasant when the layout is clean and uncluttered and the focus is just on the content. It makes me pay significantly more attention to what is provided in each post and really appreciate what the blogger has taken the time to share with me as a viewer.
Titti @ Shoestring Pavilion says
I follow on Google reader because I follow so many blogs. It gives me a good overview of all the blogs. If I’m pressed for time or find the content boring I scroll through fast (mostly only looking at pictures) and if I have more time or something really catches my interest I read it all. I only click through to the actual blog if I want to comment or read the comments on a post. Or if they say something like “I just redesigned my blog, what do you think?” then I’ll come over to gawk :)
laluuu says
I’m a google reader user too. I find it enables me to keep my blogs organised and if I am not in the mood to read my architecture or food blogs for a few days, I can skip them and come back to them, knowing what I haven’t read. I also like the google reader interface on my ipad.
That said, I did try bloglovin and found it annoying that I had to click to get to the full entry.
I agree with Titti (the poster above) that if someone tells me they’ve redesigned or have new sponsors to check out, then I’ll click through to the full site.
I can’t wait to see what you have in store!!!! Luna. x
(Oh and I have just started blogging – http://www.laluuu.wordpress.com not sure if I need to get a bloglovin’ button or something – the tech stuff makes little sense to me!)
myfriendstaci.com says
Oh man. I would be totally lost without bloglovin. I followed blogs on Google Reader for a while but really, really felt like I missed out since I didn’t see the headers, graphics, etc the way the blogger intended! Once I discovered Bloglovin it was like the sun shining through the clouds! Now I probably follow 70 blogs…? Is that too many? Haha!
You can find mine here: http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3441520
Mattos says
Thanks for the info, I was not yet signed up. My blog is very much a work in progress, with high hopes of really making it work. So I just signed up http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4303045/bella-cosa-art , there may still be some glitches as they had to manually sign me up but we are working on it.
Ashley says
Just followed you! I just started really trying to use bloglovin’ I do still enjoy the full site experience though. Good luck with your redesign! My blog is http://www.glitterandpixels.com would love the follow back :)
dervla @ The Curator says
I generally follow in my google reader (and then click through to the blog itself) cause not everyone is on Bloglovin, but i’m on there if you want to follow me that way! I’d love if you did :)
http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3714892/the-curator
Linda says
I recently started reading all of my blogs through Bloglovin– I love the convenience and efficiency factors of having them all in one place. I no longer read blogs any other way- even some that I really like that are not on Bloglovin. I don’t even think about it.
In the past I have tried Google Reader but I miss seeing the layout and design. A sense of what the blog feels like is lost without those aspects.
When I stumble across blogs on the net the post is the hook, the quality of the content in other posts is the line and the layout/design (including photos and quality of photos) is the sinker.
Camille says
I can’t believe I don’t already follow you on Bloglovin’ but I will now. I access you from a link on my own blog (http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3181487/cocooners?claim=8a874tt3u5h). I actually like the experience of reading a full blog and I don’t do RSS feeds…
Seema Narula says
in the past few months i noticed that people were getting to my blog from bloglovin’ but i just recently joined. i was the same as you -as a morning breakfast eating ritual i’d click on my favourite blogs on my bookmark bar and read them that way. i also have some kind of complex blog folder organization for the blogs that i don’t look at daily. bloglovin’ is pretty cool for keeping everything in one place. here’s the link to my blog This Must Be The Place: http://www.thismustbetheplace.ca/
Lovejoy says
I was in love with Bloglovin when I first found it and used it on my computer as well as the app (handy way to kill some time if you are waiting for a bus or something) but I haven’t been using it for the past year because I had SO many blogs I was following (I might have done a little too much blog lovin) that it was just overwhelming. I should really do some editing and give it another try.
These days I read my favorite blogs via email (I can’t believe how many blogs still don’t offer that option!) and then some via google reader (which I read infrequently). I also like using Pinterest to keep up with blogs.
My blogs on Bloglovin:
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3602871/lovejoy
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3838860/bell-and-star
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