Nearly a year has passed since I started this blog, and I thought it about time to sit down and talk shop with you, readers, woman-to-internet. I’m hoping I can pick your brains in order to build a better site.
FOLLOW FRIDAY – Unfortunately for me the school district blocked twitter as well as my favorite proxies. I understand this move, as students shouldn’t have access to a site with inappropriate material, and our blocking software doesn’t differentiate between student and staff accounts. What’s blocked is blocked for everyone. But I’m still starring tweets and turning out hilarious Follow Friday posts, and that’s what counts. I just don’t get to update and follow along with your lives as much, which I really enjoyed.
LITTLE BIG LINKS – This segment was born of my constant bookmarking addiction. Remember when I insulted the mothers of Pinboard, and then we made up and they gave librarians a free account? At the time I imported over 5,000 bookmarks from delicious. I’ve been steadily adding to that number, daily, and so naturally I wanted to share some links with you. I’d love to hear what you think of this segment, and if you have any suggestions for themes you’d like me to research, just let me know.
DAILY POSTS – I’ve been posting Little Big Links and Flipbook on the weekend, meaning I usually have a post for you seven days a week. I like posting over the weekend but most blogs don’t do that. What do you guys think about posting on the weekends? Too much? I’m thinking about moving the Flipbook to Thursday and just not posting on Sunday. What do you guys think?
TOO LEGIT – I got my first blog pitch the other day. This means I am For Reals Legit Blogger. Woots.
BLOGROLL – my blogroll keeps changing an evolving and as such it is sorely out of date. I updated it only a few months ago, too. Do you guys read blogrolls? I rarely have time to read anything beyond my unwieldy Reader, but if you enjoy blogrolls let me know and I’ll get on it.
FAQ – Are their any burning questions you have that I don’t address in my FAQ? This area needs a general update as well. I’ve been asked a few times about the camera I use so I’ll add that for sure, but let me know if I’m missing something.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE – I have been talking with the awesome Sigafoos as well as getting advice from Aunt Becky’s The Daver, and they seem to think I am competent enough to download WordPress, find some hosting, and set up my own site all by me onesie. I am nervous to take this step, but it is necessary. Once I have my own site I can offer advertising space at a very competitive rate, which means I can start pimping your Etsy sites or blogs or home business. This makes me very excited.
I’d also like to devote more time to featuring vintage items, talking about ways to live well thriftily, and generally geek out with my housewifey self. Is there anything you’d like to see more of or to focus on in the future?
To sum up, I’m going to take the meat of the questions from above and pose them in tidy questions below, like so:
- Are there any themes you’d like me to research for Little Big Links?
- What do you guys think about daily posts? Should I post Flipbook on Thursday and take a day off on Sunday?
- Do you guys read blogrolls? Is it worth it to update mine?
- Are there any questions you’d like me to add to my FAQ?
- Is there any particular topic you’d like me to focus on more in the future?
- How you doin?
I would really appreciate your input, readers. I know just about all of you, and believe me, you rock. Thanks a million.
Little Big 
LOVE Follow Friday, would be sad if you stopped. I think part of the reason I love your blog is because I can count on you for something everyday. But even Jesus rested, so maybe you need to take a day off – that seems fair.
Believe me, you would have to wrestle Follow Friday out of my COLD DEAD HANDS. It’s my favorite idea ever.
I don’t mind posting everyday, really.
Then keep ‘er coming! I do enjoy hearing about what’s going on in your kitchen, so maybe you can come up with a semi regular food update! (Babies and food keep me coming back, Holla!)
Thank you SO MUCH for your input, Monica. 🙂
I like the photos of your house- which, unless you redecorate every month, isn’t going to give you a lot of content, but what I’m trying to say is- you’ve got a good eye! I would love reading your blog as a place to see what’s going on in design in CaLi. (some other such site likely exists, but I don’t follow it.)
Also, I do my blog posts on Sunday evenings mostly. Does that mean no one reads them? LoL
Actually, I have some ideas that tie in with this, so thank you!
And I always read your posts, no matter when you put them up. It’s in my reader!
Follow Friday is my absolute favorite thing ever. Do you mind that I occasionally blog it too with links back to you?
Flip book is fun to scroll through on my phone on the weekends as I don’t get on the computer (usually). So leaving it on the weekends would be a-ok with me.
Wait, did I just type a-ok?
bah.
I would like Follow Fridays to be unique to this site. I feel that as bloggers all we have is our ideas and words and images, and it’s important to protect that. I truly appreciate you asking. This segment means a great deal to me personally.
I love the eclectic content. And Follow Friday? Hil.ar.ious. I don’t bother with posting on the weekends much either. Mostly because I do the majority of my blogging at work. Shhh. Don’t tell.
There’s a lot of pressure to do your own hosting these days and I’m a little hesitant myself. I hope to be a for realz blogger someday, but I feel really comfortable on Blogger. However, I think you should go for it! It will open up a lot of possibilities.
Thank you!
I’m a relatively new follower, but I’ve already fallen in love with your blog. I’m a big fan of follow Friday, but I also like hearing about your vintage finds, seeing the peaks into your home, and I studied up on your meal planning posts. Although my BF and I don’t have a baby, we seem to be in a similar place as your family, and I love the insight into how “other people” live their lives.
Also – your pond makes me not feel as shitty about my gravel pit, [left by the old homeowners who removed their play structure and left the rocks and cement footings].
Thank you so much, Natalie! And don’t you feel bad about that gravel pit. Not one bit.
1. I like to be surprised.
2. Flipbook on Thurs (it’s my favorite) and rest on Sunday. God says so. And if you don’t believe in Him, I say so. I am not God, but I am close.
3. Yes.
4. No, I’m cool.
5. I’m down with your topics. I like your photos a whole bunch.
6. I’m fine, thank you. Henry is sick again. I just ate a very healthy salad and weight watchers pasta. It was satisfactory, but not exciting.
Ooh! Your comment is a LIST! I love lists.
I hope Henry is feeling better. 😦
i’m doin good, real goooooood.
hey, fix the button, make the image a png. before you upload and save to the host. have you tried that yet? I feel horrible guilt not having your button on my links page 😦
Oh, is that it? I need to fix the extension?
I need to train Zorro to write code. It would make my life so much easier.
I adore Follow Friday. I’ve found several witty people to follow because of it and it is always a pick-me-up when I read it. I have often had to hide my laughter as I read it sitting in my office.
I’m all for posts all week, as long as it works for you. Personally I post blogs every day of the week including weekends (that’s my goal, anyway), but I am in some ways a big fat cheater since I pre-schedule almost all posts. Only on the weekends and the occasional weeknight do I put up a post “live.”
I don’t use blogrolls anymore. If something’s good, I subscribe in Google Reader. If it’s *really* good I subscribe to the comments feed too. Happy to report that Little Big is one of those!
I believe you can do the WordPress hosting yourself! I do it and it’s not that hard.
Finally, I am doin’ swell! I just found out today that I won an award based on a nomination packet comprised of extremely flattering letters from my colleagues and it’s sort of blowing me away. I’m a middle manager – I don’t do glamorous stuff they give awards for! Anyway, thanks for asking! 🙂
Anne, I have no doubt in my mind that you totally earned that reward fully. Congratulations!
Hi littlebig,
Happy one year! I can’t think of much as far as answering questions go, but I’ll let ’em keep percolating in my brain. I love your blog/photos/tweets/etc, so keep ’em coming. I sound like sketch city saying this (but I’m not so don’t sick your cat on me) but reading your blog every day is such a nice little ritual for me. If you stopped posting on Sundays then I’d have to read more postsecret, which isn’t helping me feel like an adult at all. I mean, that would be like only being able to drink Diet Coke 6 days a week, and Sundays already suck because of the church expectation, I mean Goddamn.
Love your nonstalker,
Hannah
Thank you so much, Hannah! To be honest, I don’t see myself stopping the Sunday posts any time soon.
I love Follow Friday, it’s one of the ways I find new people to follow on Twitter.
You should take Sundays off, especially since you post so frequently. We don’t want you burning out!
I do look at blogrolls sometimes, but am much more likely to got to other sites that are linked in a post or are the home base of a guest blogger on your site.
Thanks, Helga!
as far as i’m concerned you can do no wrong. As for input I’d like to see – Pictures of you in your wonder woman apron. I want to see that.
Follow Friday is my favorite. It’s still my personal mission in life to be the tweet of the week. My tweeting has dropped off some since I’m so damn busy so I don’t make the list much anymore – which is heartbreaking because I swear every tweet I write with the intention of making your list. You’ve become my purpose in life. I know that sounds creepy-ish but if you can take that in a non-creepy way, I’d appreciate it.
YES, the apron photos are coming. I promise. Things are just a little insane right now.
You have been doing a kick ass job. I don’t really have any advice to speak of, other than taking a Sunday off surely isn’t going to hurt. Days off are good. Oh, and I think blogrolls are pretty important. Its like showing your readers who’s in your black book. We need to know these things.
LOL, I’ll keep the Little Black Book in mind. Thanks!
I LOVE Follow Friday. That’s why I come here! Don’t get rid of it!!
Katie, you’d have to chop off both arms to make me get rid of follow fridays. And then I’d only be a reprieve because as soon as I learned to type with my feet I’d be back at it.
Funny, I’ve been thinking about making some changes to my blog too.
I love the Follow Friday posts; they’re such a unique way to bridge Twitter and the blogosphere.
I find blogrolls incredibly useful, particularly when I am trying to find blogs on a particular, narrow topic or just a good new read. That reminds me that I need to clean my own blogroll up a bit.
And as for frequency of posts: take a day off! You deserve it! 😉
Thanks, lady!
My boring input – I like everything you share, so keep being you! I use Google Reader so I don’t see the blogroll, but if you change it up to match your needs, why not make it a post? 🙂
This is a *very* good idea!
I cannot thank every enough for all the imput and support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
1. Linky themes… I really really really (repetition for emphasis bordering on the creepy) do geek out over your Thrifted Home Tour. So I would be really curious to get your take on art and design things, since as AHGinCLE said, it’s kind of impractical to expect you to redecorate your house weekly for us. (I wouldn’t say no to it if you offered though. *evil Cheshire cat grin*)
2. Posting frequency… If daily posts work for you, then go for it. You already offer a lot of unique content but the extra weekend posts can be a traffic draw. Personally I tend to save my blogs for the week and read all at once, so that isn’t an incentive for me. And if you need time off for any reason (you deserve mental health breaks!), moving Flip Book to Thursdays is a great option to have.
3. Blog rolls… I read them! Especially if I’m new to something and want to find more people in the field (like with librarians and book blogging). And just in general, if someone’s writing makes me stoked to read their blog every week, then those are links I’m going to check out. Although you make it extra easy with your #FollowFriday posts! I’m quite bummed that your school isn’t letting you Tweet there anymore. I’ve always wanted to make the list (I did once AND IT WAS AWESOME) so now I’ve started to consciously try to be funny around you. Can you feel it working? Haha. I’m terrible at trying to do funny on command.
4. FAQs… I always want to ask people how they became a librarian, why, and what they would do differently. Advice kind of stuff. Oh and also: Why are you so awesome, lady?
5. For the future… I wouldn’t mind a Mayans versus Nostradamus smackdown where you humorously interpret prophecies of the future to fit you life. Perhaps with hilariously photoshopped images of your child.
6. As for me… I’m okay, I think. Having a bad few weeks mentally and physically (surprise surprise, cripple butt). Oddly I’ve actually started blogging more and I hope that trend continues. It’d given me a daily dose of happy, even today when my interwebs had a seizure and I briefly thought my “I hate YA books foreverrrrr stab stab stab” (okay I’m Cliffs Note-ing that) post was lost!
P.S. I’m glad to hear your people effected by the earthquake and tsunami are okay. I assumed you were too, Miss Californian, since you were Tweeting about it. But are you okay? Also my hugs and loves and the like to Isobel; I hope she kicks the ear infection problems in the pants and quick! No fun for parents or baby.
Mollie, thank you SO MUCH for this. It’s a lot for me to digest and think about. Thank you.
Well, I simply don’t know what to add. You have been doing so well, I need to get advice from you!
Aw, thanks Joes! I’d love to talk shop if you’re ever in the mood.
If for some reason an external force is making you shut down Follow Friday, inform them it will make Picard Baby Jesus cry, and that He will then kill a kitten. That will set them straight.
You should take off time on the weekends. Only if you want to, of course, but as I sometimes don’t get a chance to even come near a computer til I’m back at work I certainly won’t begrudge you family time.
I admit that I don’t read blogrolls, but I also suck and am lazy.
Thanks for the link! I haven’t even done much to help. Remember to bug me when you’re making the switch.
I admit that about 20% of me wanting to reply to this post is so I could see my avatar.
I’m still getting over the flu, and when I read this last sentance I admit that snorted so hard with laughter a snot bubble escaped. Well played, sir!