Curb Appeal ~ Picturing Possibilities October 14, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Blogging, Nature, People.trackback
If you want to sell a house in a saturated market, improving its Curb Appeal makes sense . . . allowing you to draw more potential buyers into its interior.
Similarly, if you want to attract readers to your blog (with so many other blogs clamoring for attention), take steps to improve its Curb Appeal:
1. Use intriguing graphics. Pictures and photographs are eye candy for hungry readers. Instead of allowing uninviting and overgrown hedges to block access to the front door . . . plant flowers.
2. Give each post a catchy title. How soon would a “SOLD” sign go up if the Realtor’s ad read, “just another house” instead of something more enticing like, “pristine waterfront views”?
3. Give each post a “fresh coat of paint.” Proofread and edit your work to make your words shine. Misspelled words and bad grammar, like cracked and peeling paint, do not encourage readers to linger.
4. Share your best words with the world. Post only when you have something to say . . . not just because you want to say something. Blogging is not about getting something FROM readers ~ it’s about giving something TO them. If you want repeat visitors, give them a reason to return.
Quote: Do not overlook any good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel. ~ The Buddha
Related posts: Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Possibility * Possibilities (Pseu) * To Go or Stay (Just Snaps) * Goal (Time After Time) * Possibility (Maggie’s Photography)
You made me stop and think NR…I have made mine a journal…maybe not such a good idea….hmmmmmmmmmm…food for thought…there goes the weight again!
No worries, Granny!
You give something to your readers ~ beautiful photos and insightful wit. You take the everyday and make us laugh. That’s why we keep coming back for more.
Yes, Granny – don’t scale back!
Guess what? I’m actually here. . .at SLTW! It’s not that I haven’t whisked over them, but I’m still playing e-mail catch-up! You do so well in garnering comments that I figured you could do without the tomes from me for a while1
As to this post, #4 is most important IMHO. Your quote is wonderful, and reminds me of another of mine: “Nothing you do for a child is ever wasted.” (I first heard it from Garrison Keillor. I don’t know if he is the original source – but it sounds like him!)
I still LOVE your blog! I have just about decided that for now, I am going to do 3 posts a week – at least for a while, unless other good stuff happens. I still have so much catch-up work to do, and I’m still working on my book. Having fun, but it is a huge task to winnow one’s own memory!
IMHO, YHO is correct . . . what we GET from blogging is not nearly as important as what we GIVE.
I tire of blogs that really do nothing more than say, “Look at ME!”
I enjoy reading blogs that teach me something new about this amazing world, share beautiful photos of people, places, and things, or make me laugh out loud. Blogs that entertain and educate keep me wanting more.
Glad you’re still enjoying the work on your book.
Great post! I was just thinking that I need to snazz up Rosa’s Picks a bit. Great timing, as usual, Nancy! Maybe it’s even time for a new theme or background color… hmmmm
Ooh . . . enticing. I enjoy your pick of paintings each day. 😀
Hope to close on my townhouse condo in 2 weeks. My curb appeal was getting 30 cents on a dollar which I have been told is darn good in this market.
Good luck with the closing, Carl. 😀
Good tips! I really ought to add more pictures to my blog.
When I started blogging, I never added graphics. Now, when I go back to those old posts . . . they look NAKED! 😀
If cartoons or photos fit the post, they add dimension ~ giving visitors another layer to appreciate.
I found the same.
Some blogs overdo it, however; it’s important to find a balance.
True dat, TillyB . . .
We must strive for balance in all things!
Great Sharing love it:)
Thanks, Jake. Your photos this week are perfect for the theme.
Good tips with a nice curve appeal. 🙂
Thanks, Marie. I’m enjoying the recent photo themes . . . they offer lots of possibility!
Good post with good advice, Nancy. I can really get the feeling of the curb appeal analogy. It makes it easy to take an honest look and appraise what my site might need.
Thanks, Sandra. We each have unique interests and passions which we can share with others. When we create blog posts that we would want to read, ones offer a benefit to us (humor, calmness, serenity, enlightenment), we attract those who are in our “intended audience.”
We create a Win~Win for writer and reader. 😀
So generous, Nancy, as always!
Thanks, Patricia. I’ve been cognizant in the past few days about what appeals to me at each blog I visit. Some make me feel calm. Others energize me. A few make me pause and reflect more deeply on my place in the world. Some make me laugh. Others educate or amuse. It’s a brilliant cornucopia of offerings . . . and we get to select where to linger. 😀
So you’re saying I need facial reconstruction and lipo? Or just collagen for that ‘facebook face / duckface’ look? What??
Exactly! Lose the duckface look. Quack~Quack~Quack. 😆
I have been thinking about this for quite some time. Very good points.
Thanks, Linda. My favorite posts of yours include your gorgeous nature photos, your Etsy crafts, and tales of fun with your grandson. Your passion shines through in those posts.
Great advice Nancy – photos and/or cartoons add interesting layers to our posts for our readers to enjoy.
I agree. I love seeing your photos of Australia . . . and Scotland! And your brothers in wee kilts. 😉
I love the Buddha quote – it’s so true!
We change slowly. If we stop doing one thing that is holding us back and start doing one thing to propel us forward, we start moving in the right direction.
One “positive” thing today . . . two tomorrow?
So true… enough said. 😉
Thanks, E! Baby steps. 😀
Great advice!!!
Thanks, Jeanne. Your blog has marvelous “Curb Appeal.” 🙂
Great tips Nancy and I love the painted chair photo. But the last pic, is pristine! I can feel the fun that you’re having.
That’s a bar called Seacrets in Ocean City, MD. There’s wading waitresses that wait on customers as they float about in the shallows. Very FUN!
When we come down there, I want to go THERE!!
I just realized you said Ocean City, MARYLAND! Maybe we’ll skip going down there and go up there! 😆
Ocean City, MD is a great summer destination ~ in addition to Seacrets . . . there are rooftop bars wtih swimming pools AND a Swinging Lizard Lounge at Fishtails, another bayfront bar.
Down here . . . you have to bring your OWN innertube to the beach if you want to float about. 😉
Oh no…is this blog for sale? Don’t give realtors any ideas, Nancy! 😀
Nope. Not for sale. Not yet anyway. 🙂
Great points, Nancy. I love the look of new paint…now to decide a color…
I also like pictures in a blog, especially if it’s long on text. I run from blogs when the author is too full of her/himself. (In keeping with your analogy – this is a sign that the author has over-valued the blog for the market – and I’m not buying :))
Well put, Janna. My favorite blogs mix words and graphics ~ without too many of either. 😉
The right balance is key.
Too many pictures (or words) makes me feel like a “captive” . . . scrolling, scrolling, scrolling . . . desperately seeking “The End.”
I love the eclectic nature of your blog, Nancy
Thanks, BB! Life is a hodge podge and mish mash of fascinating stuff ~ with pockets of civilized order amid eclectic chaos.. 😉
Great tips, full of possibility! Thank you.
Thanks, thirdhandart. There is always some new possibility waiting for us around the next bend in the road. 😀