YesBut do it because you want to.

OK you’ve followed advice given to you, done everything you can think of doing, but yet you cannot increase the number of visitors to your blog. There appears to be an invisible barrier or door that slams shut as soon as you have twenty visitors a day. What can you do?

You’ve tried everything. Tweaked the appearance of the blog: changed the template, even adjusted the size of the fonts to the extent the words appear to be shouting out of the screen. Changed the font style, but all in vain.

What can you do next? A lot of bloggers just give up. In May 2006 Technorati reported 13,720,748 blogs it tracked were updated in the proceeding 90 days. That was 36% of all blogs tracked by Technorati. By March 2007 the number of active blogs had increased to 15, 534,430 but this only represented 21% of all tracked blogs. So in the year the number of tracked blogs had nearly doubled from 38 million to 74 million, but the number of active blogs had only increased by just under 2 million.

Bloggers need primarily DEDICATION. At the beginning it’s exciting; you’ve got all those ideas in your head. Then you get a few visitors, great “I’m on the way”. The initial enthusiasm projects you forward. But people who initially visited your blog no longer leave comments, the visitor counter keeps ticking over but a large percentage is you visiting your blog to see if anybody has left a comment. On top of that, thinking of things to write about is getting more difficult. It gets tougher to sit in front of the computer, especially when its sunny outside and the kids want to go out to play, or there’s that task you’ve been putting off which really needs to be done now.

You need to ask yourself one question: “Why did I start blogging?”. If it was to satisfy the need to express yourself and be creative then, remove the “vistor counter”. It doesn’t matter if you have 0, 10 or a 100 visitors a day. It’s nice when people leave comments and you can start conversations; but it doesn’t matter if no one leaves a comment. If the kids want you to play with them, then play with them; don’t feel pressured to write something for your blog.

Blog for PLEASURE without pressure. Don’t let the blog take over your life. When you feel creative then blog, when you don’t then don’t. You only live once, enjoy life, and when you feel the need to share, blog.

Click here to leave your caption for YesBut's Images

YesBut you are never too old.

One of the noticeable things when reading blogs, or to be correct the profile of bloggers, is the wide age range of bloggers from Teens to Old Crinklies like me.

I meet people who are fearful of the approach of retirement. In their minds they only exist as the job they do. The first question they ask is not “how are you?” or “what’s your name?” but “what do you do?”. Remove them from their occupation and they become like deflated balloons. Others say “I really love my work, I don‘t want to retire”. Haven’t they heard this isn’t a rehearsal - it’s the only life we have, live it to the full.

That is one problem I have to protect against. I have great pleasure preparing this blog and YesBut’s Images, but it takes time. I have to guard against living my life out only through the medium of blogging. Having said that I have to shout from the roof tops the benefits of blogging for Old Crinklies- as they say “use it or lose it”.

The brain is a muscle and needs to be exercised. What better exercise than sitting before a blank computer screen and thinking about words and images to convey your thoughts and ideas.

Irrespective of age the brain needs its daily workout. YesBut’s Research and Development boffins have just concluded extensive tests and have conclusive evidence the optimum brain exercise is participating in YesBut’s Images Caption Competition.

Today is the last day to post a caption for the photos posted on YesBut’s Images on7th to 13th July.

So put on your thinking caps and think up captions.

But your participation doesn’t end there. It’s up to you to select the Caption of the Week. Your vote of the best and runner-up caption should be posted on YesBut’s Images blog by midnight Sunday 15th July.

To remind you of the rules:

• Visit the blog and review the captions for the postings 7th to 13th July inclusive.
• Select your wining caption and runner up
• Post your choices on the blog (some times contributors submit more than one caption each day; so please clearly identify which caption you are nominating).
• Voting will close at midnight GMT Sunday 15th July.

First nominations will be given 2 point, 2nd nominations 1 point. The caption having the highest total of points will be awarded the “Caption of the Week Award“.

Results will be posted on this blog and YesBut’s Images.

Join in the fun cast your vote even better post a caption - click here.

YesBut is it appropriate language

Ozlady on seeing this photograph, on YesBut's Images blog suggested the caption

“Hag drags bag while havin’ a fag!”

Previously I had thought of the caption, “Dying for a fag”, or “Dragging on a fag”. But I rejected both- because the confusion the use of the word “fag” would have on American visitors to this site.

In the UK and Australia “fag” is slang for cigarettes. With the new law coming into force on 1st July in the UK banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces and work areas; more people will have to “Nip out for a quick drag on a fag”. The mind boggles at what an American will interpret that sentence to mean. Unfortunately Babel Fish doesn’t do an English (UK) to English (USA) translation.

The last couple of days I have been posting blogs on the topic building blog traffic. I highlighted if you blog in English, you are going get the majority of hits from the USA and UK. In an effort to increase bog traffic, its pointless broadening and tailoring the topics you blog about, unless you also use appropriate language.

The use of slang and obscenities is likely to be offensive to a large number of readers. However on occasions their use might be unavoidable - when blogging about politicians!!

Similarly you should be mindful of the difference in meaning of words, such as fag; and the difference in the names of things, UK pavements, US sidewalks. Describing “walking down the sidewalk in your new grey pants“, would be OK in the USA. But pants in the UK are men’s undergarment - Y fronts, jockey shorts, briefs, boxers.

The largest age group logging onto the internet are youths. Now that’s one group which has its own language beyond my comprehension. The trouble is when I get to understand what “bling” means its no longer “cool” to say “bling”, but I suppose by now its no longer “cool” to say “cool”. YesBut all very confusing.

Why not click here and make your suggestion of a caption for today’s image

Growing and nourishing blog traffic.

Yesterday I identified three key factors to be borne in mind when considered the content of your blog:

• Know your likely and your target readership
• Know what image of yourself you want to project
• Know your subject and tailor it to suite your targeted readership.

Once you have decided on the subject you want to blog about, even if it is a specialist subject, try to broaden the coverage to make it interesting to Europeans and Americans alike. Present yourself in an appropriate persona for the subject covered.

Now as promised the most important factor to consider - the hook.

Your blog must have a hook, to encourage readers to make repeat visits. It doesn’t matter how good the blog might be, it will not grow a readership without a hook.

It’s like trying to fill a bucket, with a hole in, with water using a cup. Even if it’s a gold cup it will not fill the bucket.

Once someone has visited your blog, you have to, not only get them to bookmark your blog, but give them something that will make them want to pay return visits. How can this be done?

When you are reading a novel, and you are about to get to the end of a chapter, you might decide to finish the chapter then put down the book and do something else. A good author writes into the last paragraph a hook which makes you want to keep on reading the next chapter.

If your blog is about your family, you must make the reader interested in each member and care about them. Don’t build a wall at the end of the blog. Leave a half open door, tantalisingly showing what might happen next, encourage the reader to return. All the better if you can start a dialogue using the comment facilities. If a reader makes an interesting point, then try to use that, (giving due credit to the reader), in your next entry.

If you are blogging on a specialist subject, provide relevant, accurate and up-to-date information. Make your blog a reference resource for your readers.

David McMahon has devised a novel hook for his blog, with his Aussiejourno’s Weekly Blog Awards, it encourages bloggers to visit the blog to see if their blog is ranked in the top 50.

The above and yesterday’s blog entry was provided in the hope it will assist dedicated bloggers increase traffic to their blog. But remember most bloggers blog to satisfy their creative urge. Enjoy the blogging process and let the number of hits be of secondary importance.

At this point I could gently slip in a hook, and say there is one guaranteed way of ensuring having a high hit rate to your blog. But I’m sure as a serious blogger you wouldn’t be interested in adopting the tactic.

Good luck with your blog - enjoy.

Click here to see YesBut’s Image of the day.

Methods to increase traffic to your blog

As promised yesterday I present to you YesBut’s public relations department’s think-tank team's inspired analyses and “methods to increase traffic to your blog”.

There are three interrelated key factors that must be considered.

Look at the photograph on the left and you will see a map of the recent hits on this web site. It highlights the first of the key factors. If you blog in English then your readers are going to come mainly from the UK and USA. O.K. there are three computers in Australia - one owned by David McMahon, the other by ozlady and the third by someone with an interest in surfing. Forget about New Zealand, it hasn’t got electricity no need any computers. Seriously you are going to get the majority of hits from the UK and USA - remember this when considering the relevance of the blog content.

The next factor is persona. Persona? Some bloggers post under the guise of being a cat or dog. Fact the world is divided into:

• People who love dogs but hate cats.
• People who love cats but hate dogs.
• People who hate both cats and dogs.

So if you blog as a cat you are going to alienate two-thirds of the potential readers. Therefore the character you assume is important. If you post as a young mother and housewife interested in sport, you are going to attract readers with the same interests.

What character should you assume? Be yourself - even if it results in narrowing your potential readership, it is better to communicate with like minded people, who you feel comfortable with.

The third key factor is the relevance of the subject. In my own case I didn’t take into account the first key factor. A large number of my blog entries refer to British politics - consequently they are of no interest to readers in the US, and lets face it, UK politics is of little interest to the Brits! That accounts for the low number of hits!!!!

Do as I say not as I do!

You might be interested in only blogging on one specialist subject - that’s O.K. But remember the broader the coverage of the subject, more likely you are to attract an additional readership. If you blog about the design of chairs, you are likely to appeal to more readers if you write about British and American chairs.

The final and most critical thing you must do to build a large readership base, is so important it deserves a dedicated blog entry and that will be posted right here tomorrow.

So bookmark this page and return tomorrow.
In the mean time remember the three key factors:

• Know your likely and your target readership
• Know what image of yourself you want to project
• Know your subject and tailor it to suite your targeted readership.

Click here to see YesBut's Image of the day

YesBut why a new blog site?

This blog was started to provide a forum for my: thoughts, sometimes rants, observations on daily events and, occasionally, and to I let my imagination wonder off in uncharted regions.

Over the months, I have realised I would also like to spend time to explore individual topics in more detail, and let my thoughts evolve over a longer period of time. To accomplish this I have stated a new blog, YesBut - Thinking Aloud.

The first topic I am exploring is morality and who has sufficient authority to define ethical standards.

Please click here to read the blog and to make your own contribution to the exploration.

While my offerings to the new blog will be made on an occasional bases, as and when I think I have a contribution to make on the topic under examination, but I will continue to use this blog to get my daily blogging fix.

For the blog’s sake.

I’m later than usual writing the blog; I normally do it in the morning - wake up with an idea and send it into cyberspace while it’s nice and fresh.

But today I’ve been doing other things. To be honest I haven’t a clue what I've been doing - it was like walking blindfolded through a dark tunnel with the hope that there was a light at the end - and thank goodness there was, a light that is.

You see books on Computing for Dummies or Blogging for Dummies, well compared to me Dummies are geniuses. I switch on the computer and it makes a noise it shouldn’t or doesn’t make a noise it should and I panic - sweaty hands, racing pulse the lot. So to attempt the task of altering the appearance of the blog was, for me, equivalent to participating in an extreme sport activity. I also decided to try doing something to get my blog noticed by search engines.

Now while I’m three levels below “Dummy”, I’m not stupid, so I decided to seek help. Yesterday I left a message on the Blogger Help Group message-board “I’m so dumb I need a real idiot’s step by step guide”. Fortunately I had replies from Sherrykins and Panther.

Sherrykins she pointed me in the direction of her blog http://betabloggersresources.blogspot.com/ which directed me to a number of informative sites including one produced by Chuck http://bloggerstatusforreal.blogspot.com .

Panther listed a number of sites including:
http://betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-to-submit-site-...
http://betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/2007/02/yahoo-site-authenti...

With the help of the information provided, I think, I’ve added a Google sitemap to my blog and the blog URL to Google’s index. Reading that you might think I knew what I was doing - nope - but I followed the instructions. Whether I’ve been successful only Mr Google knows.

I also, and I know I was successful because I can see the result, edited the Template HTML code to allow me to post a photo in the title.

Am I a computer genius or what? Nope

STOP - TAKE YOUR FINGURES OFF THAT MOUSE.

Look you’ve taken the trouble to visit this web page, so why the anxiety to rush off to another sit?

Stop relax.

Why did you visit this page? What were you expecting to see?
I am interested to know. Please just take a few minutes to leave a comment. Or if you prefer you can type a short note in the box on the left (under Message of the day). Thanks.

If you are a blogger and you have a tracker installed you will know a large proportion of visitors remain for less than 5 seconds. You have gone to all the trouble to write the blog, and they can’t be bothered to devote a minute to read it.

Why do you blog?
Please leave a comment tell me why you blog, a few sentences, I’m really interested to know.

I’ll leave you something to look at while you are thinking about what to write.

Things look different when they are turned through 90°
Things look different when you turn your thinking through 90°


I promise to respond to every comment.

Dysfunctional Britain

When I heard on the news yesterday that the weather forecast for today was 10cm (4“) of snow in Wales, the Midlands and South East England, I knew what I would be bogging about today. I was right, the first item on today’s news was the chaos caused by the snow: airports closed, schools closed, roads closed, interminable disruption on the railways, on the list goes.

Four inches of snow in most European countries would be regarded as a light shower, but in the UK it brings the country to a grinding holt. In previous years the excuse is “it was totally unexpected”. But no such excuse can be used today, there was adequate warning given yesterday. Lorries should have been out overnight gritting the roads and snow ploughs keeping the roads and railways open but evidently that is too much to expect.

I read with amusement the reaction of people on internet message boards. They report of going to supermarket to find shelves cleared of goods. Yes it’s the normal British reaction, panic buying. The first thing to disappear off the shelves is bread, followed by flour. “We can bake our own bread” - they ignore the fact that they haven’t baking tins, or have forgotten to buy yeast. The flour will be put in the cupboard to join the packets bought the last time we had snow - five years ago. And of course ‘The’ must buy item toilet paper - whatever the crises, you must have an adequate supply of toilet paper. Nuclear wars, hurricanes, floods, epidemics Britain will survive as long as there is a supply of toilet paper.

Why is it that this country can not cope with anything but mild weather? In the summer, if the temperature goes above 80ºF / 26Cº railway tracks buckle and the rail service comes to a grinding holt. A ban is imposed on watering gardens as there is a “drought” and we are likely to run out of water.

On first sight Britain looks a reasonably well governed and managed country, but it only takes 4” of snow to reveal the true level of incompetence which exists in all branches and at all levels of government.

The British army is sent to war with an inadequate supply of body armour and the wrong type of troop carries. There aren’t dedicated hospitals to treat injured soldiers. While the soldiers are away fighting, their families are housed in substandard housing.

The National Health Service would be a joke, except the inefficiency and incompetence results in patients suffering and premature death. Last week my wife was due to undergo Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), fortunately the doctor due to perform the procedure reviewed her records. “Why is this patient having ERCP?” There in the records was clear evidence that the procedure was unnecessary. But the doctor who ordered the procedure wasn’t to blame; at the time, the relevant information was missing from the file. So because of a missing piece of paper, my wife could have suffered the pain and discomfort of undergoing ERCP tests and exposed herself to the associated risks.

Every week for nearly a year, reports appear in the news of yet another mind boggling example of incompetence in the Home Office which is responsible for the police, prison, customs, immigration, etc services. Last week judges couldn’t give jail sentences to people found guilty of crimes because all the prisons were full.

We look critically at “Third World Countries” and deride their shortcomings at not being able to provide clean drinking water or a reliable electricity supply, but in reality Britain is just as much an Underdeveloped Country.

Is blogging just a big waste of time?

Spent yesterday afternoon trying to attach a counter to my Web site. Puzzled why it needs to have so many noughts as hardly anybody visit’s the site.

By now, World wide there must be at least one hundred people producing blogs. I guess all the blogs are recorded somewhere on papyrus or vellum. But what will happen when more people start producing their own blogs? The only solution will be to store them on a Sinclair ZX 81 computer. But the day will come when another ZX81 will be required. Until one day there will be a room full of them just dedicated to storing blogs?

But what will happen when the room is full? The choice will be either to delete all the blogs and start again, or buy a bigger computer. Before that day comes, action should be taken to save all blogs. We should have a Save the Blog Day. When people will pay to wear red noses, and the money collected can be used to purchase floppy discs to store the blogs on.

I see the day, when there will be so many floppy discs the parts of Wales not flooded to provide water for England, will be used to store all the floppy discs.

Some lucky person will be able to say, my blog discs are stored in Llanfairpwllgwyn-gyllgogerychwyrn-drobwllllantysilio-gogogoch.

Blogging is the modern day equivalent of sacrificial fires. As in days of old, worshippers felt good lighting their fires, but only achieved in contribute to global warming. So too bloggers feel good producing all their unread blogs, while hastening global warming.