Tuesday, February 2, 2010

BIP Week 1: Blogging To-Do List

I followed along with the latter part of 2009's Blog Improvement Project and was excited to see that Farm Lane Books and Sophisticated Dorkiness decided to co-host the project for 2010. As a relatively new blogger (I began this blog in September 2009), I've learned so much from my blogging friends, but definitely have room for much improvement. I'm looking forward to a great year of learning.

Okay, on to the first assignment:

The most important thing you need to do before starting any project is to decide what you aim to achieve by taking part. Everyone will have a different idea about how this project will benefit them, but it is important to set realistic goals, so that you are motivated to reach them and feel proud when they are completed. 

I will be focusing on several areas of improvement in 2010, some of which I haven't even thought of yet, I'm sure. Here are some early goals of the BIP for me:
  • Ease of navigation (eg. categories, tags, search box, index)
  • Comment friendliness (eg. add spam filter, remove word verification, add comment inducing questions)
  • Branding (eg. gravatar, favitar)
The following blogs excel in the above goals I have set out for myself:

She is Too Fond of Books has a great sense of branding, and I'd like to improve that myself this year.

I find At Home With Books extremely easy to navigate. I especially like her book reviews sorted by year and subject.

What are your blog improvement goals for 2010?

11 comments:

Amanda said...

Since I did bloggiesta & a lot of these BIP projects went into that, I decided not to participate in the BIP this year. My blog is fairly new too - just started in May.

Jonathon Arntson said...

Interesting thoughts. I hate the idea of using labels, but like with most things, my chill will thaw and by June, I'll be using them like a long-time lover.

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

Amanda~ I actually plan to use some of the resources I remember seeing on the Bloggiesta weekend, especially the how-to posts on favatars and gravitars...

Jonathon~ I know what you mean about labels. I find it hard to categorize my own thoughts, you know? But it is a much more organized way to blog.

Jonathon Arntson said...

On my first post last month, I used labels...but I found myself using BOOKS, MUSIC, and MISCELLANEOUS, well, that doesn't really help. So, I gave up. I like that you defined labels and categorizing your thoughts, that helps.

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

I mostly look to other book bloggers for examples as far as labeling/tagging goes. As for books, I tend to label by book genre and using the subject headings for the book. That's the dorky librarian in me coming out :)

Jackie (Farm Lane Books) said...

I am amazed that you only started your blog in September - it looks very mature for its age!

I hope that you acheive all your BIP goals and more!

Good luck!

Kristi said...

This is a great idea. I started my blog way back in September of 2006, but took a long break. It's amazing how things change. I will definitely look through these sites - my blog is ready for some improvements!

Good luck with your goals!

Alyce said...

I'm very flattered that you listed my blog as one that is easy to navigate. I think that you've done a fantastic job organizing your blog, and I love the look of it! Every time I see your header I want to go sort my books by color (which makes my husband chuckle at me).

Booksnyc said...

Your blog looks great! Very impressive for 3 months. I am sure you will rock the BIP!

Looking forward to seeing what changes we all make in our blogs!

Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) said...

I totally agree about She Is Too Fond Of Books -- it's so easy to tell it's Dawn across lots of platforms and places. I definitely admire her sense of branding too.

Violet said...

I wanted to join BIP too this year but somehow I don't think I'm dedicated enough to do it religiously.

I'll just have to do the improvements as and when I feel like.

All the best with your goals.

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