For the record, I'm not unsubscribing from anyone's blog myself, so you don't have to get your knickers in a knot over that. Also, I am not an expert pro-blogger, either, so really, who am I to give you these friendly, light-hearted blog tips?!
#01. Your posts are too long. Fashion blogs are like kids books: the more pictures, the better. I can read and I enjoy doing so, but if I wanted to read a novel, I'd go to Barnes & Noble. So please, don't make me read paragraph after paragraph (after paragraph) of text. I'm a wordy person, so I know it's hard, but trust me--you do not need to write a 5 page, single-spaced essay every time you blog. Also: don't post 10+ pictures of your outfit in every post. I've seen it from the right side, so chances are, it's going to look the same from the left side, too. Please don't overdo it--it's a waste of bandwidth.
#02. Your posts are too frequent. Post once a day? Sweet! I wish I had the time to do that. Post five times a day? I mean this in the nicest way possible: find yourself a life ASAP. If you have all this time on your hands and really want to put it toward your blog, then use it to expand it qualitatively. Network. Or, maybe consider guest posting (yes, folks, that was a shameless plug. Oh snap!).
#03. You're MIA. I understand that life gets in the way some times. But, nine times out of ten, there's no reason you couldn't give us a head's up as to what's going on. An announced hiatus is totally acceptable: I'll bid you adieu for now and welcome you back when you return. But if you disappear out of the blue for three months, I'm going to assume you lost interest and won't be coming back. Ever.
#04. You lost yourself along the way. I get it: you're a fancy, popular fashion blogger, and now you've got all these companies who want to sponsor you. But when the the majority of your content is paid content, you tend to lose your own style, and with it goes the reason I liked your blog in the first place. Be original and be yourself!
#05. I literally cannot view your blog anymore. This happened to me recently: I kept trying to visit a blog, but the author had added that falling snowflake script to her site. The script basically froze my computer, so, needless to say, I wasn't able to even read the blog. Keep your layout simple and let your content do the talking.
#06. There's no option to comment. I like to talk. If you post an entry on your blog, chances are, I'm going to want to talk about it. When you take the comment option away from me, you've taken my fun along with it.
#07. You don't acknowledge me. If I comment and ask you a question, it would be nice if you answered it. Interacting with your visitors is key for building a strong readership...if you don't, it looks like you just don't care. So why should I care about your blog?
#08. You complain about people unsubscribing from your blog. If you ain't got nothin' more important to blog about than, "I lost a follower on my blog today, woe is me!" Imma take a wild guess here and say that your blog must be pretty uninteresting already.
#09. You asked me to follow you, I did, and since then, you've asked me to follow you three more times. I even left a comment saying I followed you. What gives? Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, asking someone to follow you usually makes them want to do the opposite. So don't do it. And certainly don't do it like this girl.
#10. You tell me! What causes you to unsubscribe from someone's blog?
This is almost identical to the post that I did and ended up deleting. You're completely right on all these points though and I know myself there's a lot of things I need to work on from this list.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'd like to add is good, clear photos. Nothing drives me crazy more than blurry or speckled pictures!!
Charlotte
xxx
Nice! Reasons why I unsubscribe?
ReplyDelete1. 10-20 pictures per outfit because it shows just how fucking in love with yourself you are. Fashion blogging is about showing the outfit, not just "look at me look at me look at me". I think it speaks volumes on how a person is only there for the accolades, to be told how pretty/fashionable/awesome they are.
2. People who moan and frequently spam "read my blog, read my post" on twitter past the obligatory tweet to publicize the new post. People who ask you to leave comments, to follow, to *gasp* please click on their adsense when you visit their site. This is completely selfish blogging and just makes it seem like the blogger is out there just to get followers. And when you do comment, they leave something obsequious on your blog in return that shows they didn't really read but "love your stylez! love your blog!"
3. Lack of content. Great, so you have a fantastic outfit, but you wrote a paragraph that lets me know nothing about your personality or thoughts. I don't care if a bajillion people subscribe and you're considered a "style icon." I won't read it if all you do it post nice pictures and write fluff to fill the space.
4. "I love your style. Come follow/leave a mark. [url here]" Not even a request. Like a command.
I've complained long enough here. But great, great post that resonates very much with me. And I love that you speak your mind on these issues.
These are very true! And your number 9, I've had that exact same comment from her! She must do it to everyone, I can't believe that!!
ReplyDeleteLove
Sian xx
I HATE when people are like "follow me!" I got one today that said something like "I'll follow you but only if you follow me" That is just dumb...if you like a blog follow it, if not..don't.
ReplyDeleteI also HATE when blogs have music, I don't follow a blog if it has music no matter how good it is, it just bugs me!
And lots more reasons but yea ;)
Yea....I almost didn't wear the leopard coat with the red pants, but I felt brave ;)
I should show me in my coats more often, but I don't usually since its either that one or my purple one and no one wants to see those every day covering up the rest of my outfits :)
http://aclosetfashionista.blogspot.com/
Hi Sweets..I agree on many of these points....especially where you mention being able to VIEW the blog...or WAYYYY toooo much advertising, so much that the page wont even load:(
ReplyDeleteHave SOMETHING to say, please:)
Stop by and say Hello♥
Enter my Lulus Giftcard Giveaway♥
OMG you have the best blog ever, please follow me!
ReplyDeletehaha JK - good tips, I actually enjoy reading your writing on your posts. :)
www.indcfashion.com
A-freaking-men! I couldn't have said it better myself. I totally agree with your no.5 because when I go to someone's blog and everything is everywhere and it's clusterfucked with with side-panel pictures and quotes and is just messy, I can't bear to look at it! One thing that you didn't mention that I see a LOT, EVERYWHERE, is when people not only comment saying "follow me!" but they comment saying "enter my giveaway omgggzzz!" It's infuriating, and chances are, if you must go about presenting your giveaway like that, it's probably a shit-away and no one wants it; especially now that you've been a complete annoyance! Oy, this has turned into me venting via comment... Sorry, love! Great post though, I'll definitely be doing a shot out to this post on my next one!
ReplyDeletex
Haha, I adore this post! I completely agree, it just turns me right off when people request you to follow them. A link is fine but "Follow me, I'm following you" drives me insane!
ReplyDeleteHaha love it. Well said. Nice to see some people have guts in this community. :) May have to write one of these myself soon, with full credit of course... if you don't mind? :)
ReplyDeleteFood for thought, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI've only unsubscribed from someone's blog after a prolonged absence which caused me to wonder if they had dropped off the face of the earth.
And, no worries about your comment on my latest post. I didn't think it was bitchy at all.
I unsubscribe when the blog gets too repetitive, boring or I just loose the interest in it.
ReplyDeleteBut I really hate when people don't respond to their comments and completely ignore them. I'm not talking about one post, but many ignored comments, post after post. That definitely makes me want to unsubscribe.
I think plaid is great! I especially love plaid blouses!
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your post, but you also scare me a bit, cause I start thinking, am I doing that am I doing this :P?
I hope I won't hihi.
♥
Great post Ashley. I really enjoyed reading this and snickered a few times ; ) Reasons I unfollow:
ReplyDeleteLack of posts. I lose interest in bloggers that have abandoned their blog for months (obviously)
Too many of the same pictures of themselves. I'm talking like ten pics of close-ups. Of their face. Can you say egomaniac?
Too much advertising. My eyes don't know where to look! It's so distracting.
Oh and can I say I can't stand bloggers that take our email addresses off of other bloggers' contest entries and email US to plug THEIR contest, it makes me so mad!
i get really mad at the spammer comments.
ReplyDeleteex.1 i have a new post check it out here! <3
i send these commenters an email saying that i consider their comment spam and it has deleted. then i tell them if they want people to leave meaningful comments on their posts they should do the same.
these emails are usually ignored.
ex2 i love your blog! ill be back for sure! keep up the good work! (copy & pasted on 100 blogs)
this makes me even more mad. and we talked about it yesterday. ive stop reading a certain blog because of this and deleted the blogger from my blog roll.
music and 500 photos per post are also major annoyances for me.
I was reading though the blogs I follow and thought of one more that that I find to be obnoxious. Have you ever noticed that the really petite, size 0 bloggers feel the need to tell you how small they are constantly.
ReplyDeleteThe only bloggers who list the size of their clothing are the XS, size 0 gals. What is up with that?!
You never see a girl list Size M or Size 8 or 6 or 12.
Yeah, we get it you are really, really freakishly small, good for you, you can wear basically anything and not worry about looking too slutty or being taller than your date/boyfriend/love interest with 4 inch heals on.
I just don't understand it and I think it's annoying. If you are a millionaire and own 35 Louis Vuitton bags, no one wants to see it or hear about it. If you are a size 0, stop talking about it and eat a cheese burger. (Kidding, of course there ppl. who are naturally petite.
Any how, just my little rant since you are kind of hosting a blog therapy session.
OMG, omg omg! That Melanie Likes girl did that exact comment to me too, so I went and commented a sweet comment to her and then I followed her UNTIL I noticed that she wrote the same EXACT thing to all my blogging buds and then I unfollowed her ass! Are you kidding me? I feel like a jackass. Lots of ass talk, sorry.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to answering questions, I'm never sure how to do it. I usually go to the persons site and answer it. OR I answer it on my comment thread but I never know if they'll get it.
Speaking of which. We will be in AZ from 3/16-21. Vegas is kind of far from here. Boo. I'm still hoping you'll stop by the Bay Area at some point during your 1.5 break.
xoxo,
Tracy
Ha! What a great summary of all blog annoyances. I agree with you on every point, plus on Isabel's... 'Robots' ('cool! visit me!') get ignored. People who give away things but only if I follow them, too. And music... is it so difficult to imagine that I might be listening to music myself?
ReplyDeleteI like your points. I almost laughed at the "You're MIA" one since I've kinda been MIA recently...but I did give warning I guess. Yay for health issues getting in my way! But I'm trying to comment every once in awhile on blogs I love :)
ReplyDeleteI had to stop following someone (at least for now) because of the snowflake thing too. It didn't really freeze my computer but my minor ADD would kick in and not be able to focus cause of those damn flakes!
what a great post, you really made me laugh because i always thought the same things like for example with the questions.. if i ask one i want to get an answer too :S
ReplyDeleteby the way, saw you older posts..gorgeous pictures!
well, i will START following you now :DD
My list is literally the same!! Especially number 9! It's possibly the most annoying. 'Great blog, follow mine?' erm I already am.. but now I really don't want too :S
ReplyDeleteL x
This post is pretty great :) Its very, very true xoxo
ReplyDeleteOH YES- I agree with every single one of these! When people ask me to check out their blog, I do, but I always read the entire post and try to leave a relevant comment, rather than just writing something to prove that I visited.
ReplyDeleteReasons why I unsubscribe:
1. When I'm following someone and then they complain in the comments about how I'm not following them, even though I was!
2. Music- I cannot enjoy your blog if Justin Bieber (or any annoying pop star) is blasting from your page, so I will just click off!
3. You comment the same thing every single time- "Lovely!!" Then I know that you are just responding because you feel like you have to, not because you actually care about my post.
Reasons why I'm subscribed to your blog:
1. Your content is interesting and well-written (this post for example!)
2. Your pictures are clear and there are not too many to overwhelm me
3. You always take the time to respond meaningfully which I really appreciate! :)
just to name a few ;) Anyways, great post!
excellent post. I tend to unsubscribe when a blogger has dropped off the planet..I mean a week or two with no posts, okay thats fine but a month?
ReplyDeleteOMG Ashley....I'm kind of getting my knickers in a knot here. LOL going through point after point and checking to see if I do it or not.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I always want you to know I will reply....maybe a little late :( but I will never ignore a comment from any of my readers, especially not from you. :) To answer your question, I have never been to India, I was born in Bangladesh and although we are surrounded on three sides by India I have never been. In fact Canada and Malaysia are the only two countries I have ever been to. :)
I really loved doing that post Ashley....the collages were such fun to do and it gave me a chance to be thankful for some simple things I really love.
Love
Tashrin - A Toronto based personal style blog
Haha funny post. I can't say I've ever unsubscribed out of spite or anger over their content or comments on my blog. Every few months though I just go through my blog list and remove people who have been inactive for a few months or who's content doesn't interest me anymore.
ReplyDeleteI cringe everytime I see an identical comment on someone else's blog that the same person left on mine - total copy and paste. They don't seem to realize how small the blogging world really is and how insulting it comes off.
Also - the giveaways are getting out of control. I've done a couple, but some people have a new one every week, seriously, and it annoys me to know end. It removes the whole point of writing/blogging in my opinion.
I am guilty of 7. Some people ask me questions, and I just downright forget to answer them sometimes. I feel so bad about that.
ReplyDeleteIn my own case, I have yet to unsubscribe from someone's blog. But I am following very few blogs, though. I usually try to follow bloggers that I genuinely like, and this can include their personality, their writing style, the way they dress, etc. I usually bide my time before I follow someone
xo Sherrie
I agree with all of your points. It makes me think though "do i do any of those things?"
ReplyDeleteI cannon for the life of me continue following a blog when I see a bazillion photos of your outfit, all in the same pose. I mean - its the same photo pretty much!? I love outfit posts but it would be nice to see details and different angles perhaps?
I feel a bit stupid now because I actually follow that "melanie likes" blog.... Hmmmm.
Recently I had someone stop following me on the basis that I had a giveaway. I found that a bit odd.... I mean I dont like people doing rubbish giveaway every week, but I didnt think mine fell into that catergory. They told me they didnt want to be bribed into following my blog. I though I was giving something away for free?
Anywho, have a great day.
xx Christie
www.christie86.blogspot.com
excellent points u made! i hate it when people kept ambushing me to follow their blog...
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Music on blogs drives me crazy. Seriously. Other than that, although there are a lot of obnoxious things that go on in the blog world, there are very few things that would make me unfollow a blog... that said, I pay vastly more attention to blog I follow that update with meaningful content and beautiful photos, and with whose writers I feel like I can have an ongoing dialogue :)
ReplyDeletexox,
Cee
You said it girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything
Especially the wordy word blogs
I don't even have ADD and I can't hang long
LOL @the countless pictures
Hey that chick from #10 visited my blog recently
oops I mean #9
ReplyDeleteAll of your reasons are mine ahahaha
ReplyDeletecouldnt agree more! 100%!!! especially 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with all of these. One in particular that I hate is when someone changes their style because they only seem to wear sponsor's clothes. I follow one blogger who used to wear great vintage and thrifted finds but doesn't anymore. An unsubscribe may be coming soon.
ReplyDeletePS That photo to illustrate number 10 is shocking. What a muppet!
There's nothing in this post that I don't agree with. Honestly, I've found myself unsubscribing from blogs simply because it's so different from me, who I am and what my style is...or even my personality. It's tough and a very fine balance, but everything you listed is 100% true. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThis made me giggle, blogging is such a funny world. If someone writes 'follow me' on my blog i will check it out but i never follow a blog unless im actually into it. I've never actually unsubscribed from a blog before but I have been recently feeling like a needed to 'clean out' my list as i follow quite a few and I have no idea who some of them are =/ as they just dont blog. I've also never noticed if i've lost followers, I don't think it'd worry me too much though, everyone has different tastes and styles :) good post
ReplyDeleteScrapbook de la Emma
oh and major haha to that melanie likes girl? i see this on chictopia all the time, how sad.
ReplyDeleteTopnotch post Ashley. I haven't unsubscribed from any blogs as yet but I think a major factor in not visiting blogs I have followed is erratic posting -like every couple of months or something. And yeah, that whole 'Follow me? Hmm? Hmm?' teamed with random 'Nice dress' comment is sooo annoying.
ReplyDeletexxx
Oh this so much like a post I wanted to do but decided against since I'm not the most pro-active blogger around. I do wonder why people become followers of a blog then don't visit it again ever. What's the point of following a blog if they aren't interested in actually following? Is it just to add another follower to their blog?
ReplyDeleteI have never actually unsubscribed from someone's blog before but I can understand the reasons why people do. The constant follow me links are annoying and even worse if the blog has multiple photos of the same outfit! It's a bit frustrating.
ReplyDeleteThough having people unsubscribe isn't the end- so people shouldn't complain really so I definitely agree with the 8th point! At the end of the day the blogger should blog for themselves rather than blog to keep an audience entertained if you know what I mean. It keeps their blog fresh, natural and interesting that way.
Anyway, great post!
I am so with you!
ReplyDeleteYou've definitely hit all the key problem areas.
I really dislike it when people post 80 photos and they are all nearly identical; you need to choose if you like the one with your hand on your hip, head, arm, or at your side best. I don't want to see them all.
Other pet peeves include people who leave comments that say "follow me" and nothing else piss me off. Also people who never leave a comment longer than three words.
Chic on the Cheap
Oh, and I'm with closet fashionista on the music. keep auto play off or I'm not coming back.
ReplyDeleteOhh and headers that take up the whole page, so you've got to scroll to even see a single post title. I won't stop reading a blog because of that, but seriously, I've seen it once I've seen it a thousand times, I'd rather get right to the content.
I like it that you are so honest. I have unsubscribed before and it's usually for reasons that i feel uncomfortable reading their blog any further. For example, there are some who blog to whine. Of course everyone has the right to write whatever they want so it's not their fault but since the blog entries didn't do it for me anymore, i'll just unsubscribe. I just miss the old days of blogging when everything was not for gain.
ReplyDeleteoh i totally agree on all of these!! it annoys me endlessly when people ask me to follow them because they followed my blog or if we could follow each other.I follow blogs i like and find interesting so it really turns me off when that happens!! i have to admit i am guilty of number 7 sometimes i just forget to answer a question (yikes gotta work on that one). But really good post!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I admit that I'm definitely guilty of random hiatuses, though...in all honesty, I have more important things to do besides blogging in much of my spare time. My favorite part of blogging though is meeting other people and actually being interested in them...if you measure your success by your number of followers and don't care who they are in the least, then you're doing something wrong. That picture you linked to in #9 is ridiculous! At least try and say something meaningful when you comment.
ReplyDelete-Halie
I actually sometimes like the "Follow me!" stuff. I follow tons of blogs, and only read about five on a daily basis. But sometimes I'll see something in my feed that I didn't even know I followed, and it can turn out to be pretty great.
ReplyDeleteTwo things that really irritate me, though, are
1. neon layouts where texts is being overlapped by pictures and it's impossible to read and
2. mirror shots, and only mirror shots. I know some people don't have fancy cameras or tripods and only use their cell phones. But seriously, sit the thing on a shelf and use the timer.
This is an awesome list! Number 4 really resonates with me. Tons of bloggers monetize their blogs, and some make blogging their profession, which is great. Yet, as you say, I think there needs to be a balance between business and staying true to who you are. It really bothers me when the majority of the posts are sponsored... Or when all the clothes come from one specific sponsor.
ReplyDeleteWow great tips! I tend to stop following people who never interact with me or let me leave a comment. OMG I had a girl do the same thing to me recently with the "I'm following you, follow me back?" thing she did it like 5 times! I was so annoyed that I stopped following her lol. I hope I dont do any of the things above... :S
ReplyDeletexx
I LOVE this post, I agreed with every single one, especially about too much text. I always try to keep my writing short and between the photo's to try and keep people interested and I hate people that don't awknowledge me, they're always asking for questions but don't actually respond to any of them! Ok rant over :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the sweet comment on my blog xxx
Depending on the blog, sometimes I won't read on a regular basis if it's almost ALL pics and barely any text. It's true that my eyes will usually go to the pics first and then roam back through the text, but I kinda get tired of blogs that are nothing but pretty pics they've compiled from around the web of things they like, with no real content to read! And there is one blog I actually like but that is so pic-heavy that sometimes I'll avoid it because it just takes forever to load.
ReplyDeleteI haven't run into the "follow me" thing too much - but I sometimes get (and prefer) the gentler "check out my blog." I usually will and sometimes end up discovering something interesting! It's so hard to find a balance when you're so excited about your blog that you really wanna promote it - you don't want to be annoying, but you want people to visit. But I think that word "balance" is the key. I struggle with trying not to sound like I'm over-selling our blog/products because I really am just that excited about them!! :) But I at least don't leave a comment unless there's a genuine feeling behind it.
It takes me a few months to assume someone has lost interest in keeping up with their blog...otherwise, I just assume they're busy and will come back when they can. I don't think people always need an explanation of why they were gone unless it's been a really long time, just because, hey, we all get busy and stretched for time off and on. I'll have spurts when I have extra time for blogging and commenting and other times when I can't find time to breathe! I think I've done this after-the-fact explanation myself, though. lol
AGREE! 4 AND 7 ESPECIALLY;)
ReplyDeleteand if you're serious about the guest blogging thing, i would! i don't know how it works though? but haha i would love to do something like that:)
amy,x
thankyou for the comment on my blog!
Thank you for commenting, Nicki minaj is a female rapper kida crazy but very individual xoxo
ReplyDeleteUmmm yeah so this pretty much rocked my freakin socks and I dont even really wear socks bc its like 95 degrees here. I live on the brinks of Hell, yeah Houston! BUT dang lady!! I LOVED IT. I have to say I agree with you 250% on everything! Esp about the ppl who flood your inbox and comment with follow me and I never hear from them again, never ever. The same person has done that to me about 6 times and it is SO ANNOYING!!
ReplyDeleteLove ya!
XX
This is probably the best post...ever! One thing I think is important is finding balance between a billion pictures per post and no pictures. I love number two as well! I wish I had time to blog even once a day! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha you are absolutely hilarious.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I don't 'hate' people who trick me BUT I do resent them and immediately remove myself and never go there again. I, personally, don’t trust people or businesses that use trickery to get my attention. Just saying…
ReplyDeleteThese 10 reasons are great. I need to get better at ‘inviting’ comments.
What I do do well is keep my posts brief (usually) and use a lot of visuals. I LOVE learning to be a better writer/blogger. It is so wonderful that we can share ourselves, our heart and our knowledge in this medium.
Thanks for the great advice. I just started a blog and I really do not know where I am headed with it but we will see. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! Those are the reasons i unsubscribed from soooooooo many blogs!
ReplyDeleteAnd i hate music and videos on on homepages!!! they literally KILL mi computer DX
Thank you for this post! I recently started my own style blog- Styleandgraphite.com- and found this in a Google search. Definitely taking your advice to heart!
ReplyDeleteM.
This post has been very successful and beneficial to me. I am getting ready to start a style blog of my own, and these are very good points that are being made. Now I have a clearer picture of what to do and what NOT to do. Thanks a lot for this insight!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally guilty of the 2309483209 pictures of the same outfit thing. And the falling snowflakes. As for the pictures, it's because I can't decide which ones to weed out. Since I didn't post many pictures of myself while I was fashion blogging, I figured I could proooobably get away with it!
ReplyDeleteAgree on most points :) I do feel that the better blogs updates more then once a day though .. Two-three times, that's what I prefer. When I visit a blog, especially a fashion blog, I like there to be a lot of new material very time I visit. But maybe that's just me.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Ashley for this information... it was very helpful but also frightening for people like me who have just started their blog! I read the whole post and the comments and I am like "Be careful T. don't do this and don't do that!" I have to write down everything and check! I also laughed a lot and crossed my fingers that these mistakes I will not do! :)
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