Do you post photos on Blogspot or Google Plus? Have you noticed that your pictures don't look quite the way you expected? That's because Google now "enhances" your pictures unless you tell it not to! You can turn it off in Google+ settings. (Sorry, if you don't use Google+, I don't know how to fix this.)
I've been trying out blog hops (or memes or linkups … whatever you choose to call them). They present an extra challenge, and help bring new visitors. I prefer the ones that provide thumbnails so I can see a preview. Gemma has a blog listing different memes called Memeaholics. Of course, they present new places to visit and comment and already I just can't visit all the blogs I like to follow, much less comment on all of them. Let me know if you have a way to streamline commenting!
A blogging friend emailed me to say that really short comments are rated low by potential sponsors. This doesn't really matter on my blog because I rarely get free stuff or advertisements, but now when I visit a blogging friend who carries ads or does reviews, I try to make my comments a little longer, say six words or more.
Among the hindrances to leaving comments is lack of an easy-to-find link. Occasionally I find a link that's out of date so I can't find your blog. And sometimes Google+ makes it hard to find you. Also, verification puzzles like Captcha can slow down commenting. Yes, requiring users to solve a word puzzle in order to leave a comment is one way to cut down on spam, but it also cuts down on bona fide comments. Personally I will usually persist until I solve the puzzle, but if I see a second post that merits a comment, I'll just pass it by because I've already spent enough time squinting at wavy letters. Some researchers say that many users just leave a site rather than solve one of these puzzles. Other scientists estimate that people "spend a cumulative 150,000 hours at the gates of these irritating obstructions every single day."
Some of you bloggers are really amazing, keeping up with comments so reliably! Love you guys!
I didn't know that they mess with photos other than cutting the size down which doesn't help but I understand why. Google search does too much tracking and I expect that this is happening all through google. I use duckduckgo search and have non tracking alternatives for blogging and email set up as well.
I've noticed my darker photos get automatically lightened now in blogger (I haven't had the guts to sign up for google+ yet, new tech is still intimidating for me!:). Sigh, so it takes me more time to redo and repost the pic and sometimes even that isn't good enough. Blogging is fun but can also present challenges for sure!
I can manage captchas, but I certainly don't like them, and I can see how they'd drive people away from sites. I've found that spammers tend to target older posts, so putting approval moderation on something older than a month old takes care of anything that gets past the spam filters.
I just read about the messing with photos bit. I leave really short comments when I'm having trouble commenting - on those days I'm worried it'll fizz out (which does happen) so I try to keep the comments brief then.
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Among the hindrances to leaving comments is lack of an easy-to-find link. Occasionally I find a link that's out of date so I can't find your blog. And sometimes Google+ makes it hard to find you. Also, verification puzzles like Captcha can slow down commenting. Yes, requiring users to solve a word puzzle in order to leave a comment is one way to cut down on spam, but it also cuts down on bona fide comments. Personally I will usually persist until I solve the puzzle, but if I see a second post that merits a comment, I'll just pass it by because I've already spent enough time squinting at wavy letters. Some researchers say that many users just leave a site rather than solve one of these puzzles. Other scientists estimate that people "spend a cumulative 150,000 hours at the gates of these irritating obstructions every single day."
I didn't know that they mess with photos other than cutting the size down which doesn't help but I understand why. Google search does too much tracking and I expect that this is happening all through google. I use duckduckgo search and have non tracking alternatives for blogging and email set up as well.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed my darker photos get automatically lightened now in blogger (I haven't had the guts to sign up for google+ yet, new tech is still intimidating for me!:). Sigh, so it takes me more time to redo and repost the pic and sometimes even that isn't good enough. Blogging is fun but can also present challenges for sure!
ReplyDeleteI thought there was going to be 13 points listed for my longtime favorite meme Thirteen Thursday.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Colleen. I don't have that many points.
ReplyDeleteInteresting information. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI can manage captchas, but I certainly don't like them, and I can see how they'd drive people away from sites. I've found that spammers tend to target older posts, so putting approval moderation on something older than a month old takes care of anything that gets past the spam filters.
ReplyDeleteI just read about the messing with photos bit. I leave really short comments when I'm having trouble commenting - on those days I'm worried it'll fizz out (which does happen) so I try to keep the comments brief then.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I am fearful to jump on the Google+ train...Thanks for the information, Linda.
ReplyDelete