Yes indeed, the following are petty annoyances that bother me on other peoples' blogs. I guarantee you that at some point, you, yes you reading this right now, have done one of the following, either knowingly or unknowingly. I must get this off my chest. Please bear with me.
1. Those who type all in caps. It's ugly to read, first of all. Second of all, in internet ettiquette (or netiquette as some call it) all caps are considered shouting. I don't want to read about your DAY AT THE PARK AND HOW WONDERFUL IT WAS when I feel like I'm in the middle of bootcamp being shouted at by a drill sergeant. 'Nuff said.
2. Word Verification. Hate it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've had a blog for almost 3 years, had over 60,000 visitors and in all that time, I've only had to delete wayward comments perhaps a total of 5 times. It took no effort. I simply selected delete from the appropriate place on my dashboard. If you're really worried, you can set your blog comments to 'moderate', meaning you have to approve them first. If a spammer finds you, you simply delete them instead of allow them to be published. I also can never type in those durn things correctly. This is more a personal problem, I realize.
3. When bloggers type in all different sizes and colors. I can understand on rare occasion, or as if to caption a photo or something. But otherwise, I simply don't get it and find it very distracting. If you need to emphasize a phrase or word, there's this option called bold or italics or underline. Making every word a different color makes me think you are writing from your 1st grade classroom. Mature up.
4. When you leave a comment but then leave me no way to comment back-ie, you either have a private blog that I don't have access to, or you have no blog, or you have not attached any kind of email address to which I can respond. I get some great comments and have some great readers, but sometimes I can't contact them or respond back. This goes doubly for those with private blogs-I have a few that 'watch' my blog, yet I can not access them. Fishy, no?
5. For the love of criminy, auto-play music. This one about puts me over the edge. First, what makes you think I'm gonna like whatever random song you have chosen for your blog? Second, what makes you think that I don't have my own music playing and that your music might mess that up? Most people don't even realize that they can shut off the auto-on, so that a viewer has to hit play to hear it. Much more desirable. The first thing I do when I happen on those blogs is turn off my speakers. Please. Think of the children.
6. Bloggers who obviously don't proofread or at least try reading their blog out loud before they publish. Now I'm sure I'm guilty of this, and often. But I can't tell you how many times I've read a blog post from someone, in which they start telling a story, get side tracked for about one minute, and then say 'but I digress' and get back to their story. Think about it; for you, typing it, probably 18 minutes has gone by between sentences. But for me as the reader, it's more likely 8 seconds. It just sounds goofy. Read your posts out loud before you publish.
7. Your and you're. Your is possessive-this is your book. These are your keys. Your abuse of the English language is obscene. You-apostrophe-re is a contraction for you are. You're buying a monkey today. You're a great friend. You're getting on my nerves. Look it up. 8th grade English at it's best.
8. When bloggers write in one long paragraph instead of breaking it up into little ones. I admit-I see a long honkin' paragraph like that, I skip it. Your eyes need rest as you read. And one long paragraph is visually ugly and hard on the eyes. Breaking it up is easier to read, more fun, and gives the eyes a break as well as gives your reader a chance to pause and process a new thought. Consider it.
9. There, their, and they're. Oh don't even get me started on this one. The Simpsons put their house up for sale. They're moving to China. I hope they don't come back from there. See how easy it is? You can do this, I know you can.
10. People who post pictures that are teeny tiny. Seriously, this one gets me. Why post a picture the size of a postage stamp? Who is this helping? Are the Littles reading your blog? I know I'm not an old fogey exactly (yet) but I can't see any details in those pics. Make them large! Make them as big as you can make them! Mine would be bigger than they are but due to my 3 column format I am a bit limited. Please, enough of the micro mini photos.
Now my dear friends. You know I do this all in fun. As I mentioned, many people I know and love commit these fatal errors. I am positive I at one time have commited most of them myself. I apologize if I have hurt any feelings or if any of these hit too close to home. Let me again refer to netiquette and place a big ol' one of these
on my blog and that will make everything better, yes?
Now's your chance. What do you hate about my blog? What irks you, bothers you, burns your biscuits about the way I write or the format I write in? Feel free to demonstrate how I have broken any of the above rules. Do I use the words 'suck' and 'blow' way too often? Do I whine too much about school? Do I put too many videos in? Not enough? I want to hear it. And I won't be offended, I promise.
Well, maybe a little bit, but I promise to shake it off.
31 comments:
Pretty much everything you said bugs me too! Only 3 & 4 I'm indifferent to. I like the different colors & sizes and I have a personal blog as well as a public one so I can understand people only having personal ones that still want to follow you.
Weeeeeeel, I am SO offended! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HATE THOSE THINGS! IF I COULD TYPE IN DIFFERENT FONTS AND COLORS AND ADD MUSIC IN YOUR COMMENTS, I WOULD!
haha
These are all the same things that bug me! And all the same things that cause you to lose readers.
I must say the thing that bugs me the most is the auto-music. I have a few bloggy buddies who always have the music on and somehow, I always forget!
I did have to turn word verification on this week because I got hit with over 30 spam comments in the span of five minutes, but it will get turned off in a couple of days. Deleting all those took considerably more time than I care to spend doing something ridiculous!
Know what else I hate?? Moderated comments. Because I am pretty sure I double, triple, or quadruple post comments to them before I see that it's moderated! Grrrr...
As for your blog, I have no complaints.
Well, wait. I HATE that you aren't giving away a meeeeeellion dollars.
SO TAKE THAT!!
# 5 Exactly!!!! I hate, hate, hate those auto music things. I have been known to avoid blogs because of the music thing.
ok, I just read it on google reader and then don't comment.
As for things I hate, the only thing that I might could be critical of is the evil chocolate covered peanuts. First it was mean of you to post it. Second, it would have been nice for the recipe to be in a printable format - otoh I probably wouldn't have watched the video. I usually don't watch videos.
Hangs head in shame........ Ok I'll go change the music to not be on auto play. But as I do so let me tell you why I have my music the way I do. I HATE when the music players are on the side bars and you can't see the whole thing. I can't access all the info and it drives my OCD into a frenzy. So I put my player at the bottom of the blog to avoid the cut off issue but realized no one is scrolling to the bottom of the blog to look at the music player so I just made it auto play. Now I must say that I always keep my speakers off so I never hear anyone's music therefore I'm oblivious to the evils of this situation.
Personally the things that get me all fired up on blogs are people related and not format related. Although the your/you're there/their/they're issue is irksome to my brain.
I hate how I get an email saying there's a good blog coming on Monday, and then I have to sit and wait for it.
:)
Very funny, and I have to say I agree on most of these, though I am sure that I have also been guilty of many too. :)
So Amie--I'm glad you were able to tactfully tell us your peeves. I know listening to someone elses playlist while I am surfing blogs can be annoying, so I've taken it off of my blog and then put it back again later. It is annoying to me when someone elses music automatically plays. How do I switch the off button? I will have to check it out. I love listening to my playlist while I look all my friends blogs so I don't want to remove my list, but know it can be annoying to others. Thanks for the tips. I think that is the only one you listed that applies to me.
Amen Sister. I could have written this myself. I spellcheck every single post and I have no music or funky colored text either. Curses on those who do!
You left out freaky baby widgets. I don't want to see your fetus floating around on your sidebar. It's creepy and weird.
And I don't watch videos, too time consuming. And usually lame. (Wow, your dog. It barks. Awesome.)
I could go on. And on...
Okay, so I took off my music all together. I enjoyed it, but how often do I look at my own blog.
As for your blog really no complaints, I just read them for the shear love of reading about people I know. I don't really care how and what they write, just that they do!
You don't know me at all--I'm stalking from Tif-do, but I had to comment, because I thought I was the only one who hated the music on everyone's blogs. I always have my laptop muted because of this one blogger feature. It bugs me because while I'm trying to read the words you've written, I can't listen to someone else singing other words, and too many times, the instrumental tracks start with some huge crescendo that just about scares me out of my office chair!
I don't hate it, but I am always bummed when people don't have an email account on their blogger profile. I get that people don't want to give out their email address, but it is so easy to get a second email account and even have your original email account pick up your emails for you so you don't have to check two!
But I do have to say that I am super Super SUPER guilty of the their there thing. I always type there. I know when to use it, I just type faster than my braind works. Which is why I have a post today titled There's a WHOLE in my bucket...instead of HOLE!
Word to the third! I think it's funny when people share all kinds of goopy personal stuff, and preface it with "This blog is my journal, so..." Well, why don't you go write it in a private journal? I don't get it. Oh well. To each his own.
PS: Torrie forwarded me an email from you when we scrapbooked at her house, that's how I found ya!
I'm giving up blogging all together as to not offend.
Whew! I got a little scared there. I think the only one I am sometimes guilty of would be #6. But I try and be good at that.
I agree with the music. Sometimes I go to watch a video and turn on my speakers then I get a little confused because someone's blog music is playing in the background and I didn't know it until I turned them on. Ugh, Annoying with a capital A.
Would I sound too much like a suck up/brown noser if I said I think your blog is perfect?! I like everything about it! Honestly!
I think I'm guilty of using too many exclamation points when I type. I'm not yelling, I just get so excited :) I agree with all of your peeves -- especially the wrong use of your/you're and their/there/they're!
AMEN!!! Ooops, I mean amen.
I do have to add one more. I hate it when people write like they are texting. OMGosh tht sux. U R 2 QT. You have a key board, use it! Unless you are blogging from your cell phone, write like a normal person!
As always why I come to your blog it always great. I am in violation of some of them myself. There is a few I think I started the play music cause it use to irritate me that people did that and I was looking and then go a blog and get blasted with music I felt I was the only one in the world that didn't have it and I know I hated the blair and some of the music.
Like if your at work and then music starts playing yes you should not be doing that but you are entitled to a break at work!
Instead of writing a list of reasons you hate someone's blog, maybe you should JUST NOT READ THE BLOG. I have not read anything so petty and condescending in a long, long time. Maybe people write for the love of writing, or to vent. Maybe, just maybe it's not all about you.
Number one reason for me leaving a blogsite? A blog like this one.
Bye
~C
There it is! I was waiting! I told my friends when I wrote this one that I was totally gonna get hate mail and there it is. I'm totally gonna wear it like a badge of honor!
In all seriousness, 'C', this post was meant to be fun, funny, and entertaining. I am sincerely sorry if it has hurt your feelings or just simply come across as mean. Sometimes what is funny to one person is not to another. And to that, all I can say is, I'm sorry to lose you as a reader.
OF COURSE none of these things really bother me all that much. They are simply petty annoyances that I notice and thought would make a funny post. It's your blog, people, you do what you want on yours as I am welcome to do on mine. Obviously I'm not going to stop visiting because you use all caps. Who cares, right?
It's all for the sake of entertainment, and I hope you'll take my words with a grain of salt. Or pepper. Or mustard seed. Or whatever floats your boat.
Hugs. =)
I am totally an excited typer! I have an addiction to exclamation points.....they make me happy!!!!!
I like explanation point addict too! I also can't stand the abuse of there/their/They're and so on, the word verification (but abide by it). Other than that it is all good with me. I know I don't always proof read my posts before I post them, because I usually have kids interrupting me or fighting and I have to go break it up, and forget it. I like most things about your blog. Can't think of anything I don't like.... :)
I think this post was VERY bad netiquette. Not nice Amy.
I did enjoy reading this. Yes, I am new to blogging and probably have committed a number of these virtual crimes. It is nice to know the opinion of many in this cyber world.
I guess my question after reading this and the many comments is shall I write the prescription for Premarin or call it in? :) (kidding!!!! extra exclammation points intentional!!!)
Doc--I'll take it any way I can get it! =)
I know just what you mean! I am annoyed by most of those this as well! I do at time make one word bold and bigger than the rest, but only occassionally on very special occassions... lol ;)
Heelarious! I particularly loved the comment on autoplay music. Oh, that one gets me! Found you thru AlphaInventions, btw. Supercool blog!
I read this and some I agree with, some I thought was a little egocentric. You choose to go blog surfing, so you know what to expect from certain blogs by now I'd assume. Just like a store. You go to a store and would not ask a store to turn off it's music because you did not like it. The music is setting a mood for that atmosphere, the same way a blog does for a person's thoughts and feelings. I love the autoplay and enjoy hearing the different music out there. I have heard very interesting music that I have come to love, just from hearing it on someone's blog. Humans love to have their senses excited. On the computer the only two that can actually be stimulated is sight and hearing (sound). This is why blogs have evolved with options for making "the cutest blog on the block" and adding photos, videos and yes music, autoplay or not. This pleases us and stimulates the senses we contol while on the computer.
I am not mad, or saying I am right and you are wrong. I am just giving you the reason why people have it on there, and why it is appealing to many. Many people that probably are reading you blog and don't want to comment.
Maybe next time you blog surf, just turn your speakers down before hand????? Have a nice Thursday!!
#10 - i had to laugh - yes, the Little's read blogs too. I am one..... hahaha get it, Stephanie LITTLE! (oops, didn't mean to shout)
for me personally, i have the word verification because each time i turned it on again i got spam to porn sites (what is up with that?!!!) i didn't want my mom or any children (mine read my blog too) clicking on anything before I could delete it. that's my reason. although i hate them too - necesarry evil i guess.
my only complaint for your blog (i hate to admit it cause i love you) sometimes they are too long. :( i like to keep up to date on friends' lives, but i can't spend 5 hours doing it. which i'm at right now - got to go.
sorry, just my opinion. :) i still love you and your words!
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