Surfing the Blogosphere
After deleting myself from Blog Expulsion, I am now pleased to call Blog Advance my new home.
BlogAdvance has made quite an impact in a very short time. It's a wonderful community to be a part of and I've been reading comments from other people in BlogAdvance and The Advancenites (what I call the members there. heh...) are really taking the time to read blogs and comment in this traffic site.
Probably the best feature they have is the Community Forum. In the forum you can ask for assistance on your blog for anything from reviews by other members (nothing gives you a broader range of views than over 70 opinions (and still growing) of what would or could improve your reader base) to technical help with templates, layouts, general questions and coding.
Everyone helps everyone, the staff are so friendly and accommodating and you really do get the impression that Blog Advance is there for the blogger. Something that's sadly lacking in a number of other traffic exchange sites out there.
There are also exclusive groups within the forum that pinpoint specific interests. I'm currently in the writing group and I love the challenges presented in this group. There are prompts every week and you write a story around that prompt and then we get to vote for the best story (for credits!!!) and it's a great way to keep your writing skills honed and you get to see what others have on offer. We're only up to week 2 but it's amazing how diverse the stories can be when we're all working with the same sentence.
I'm also in the user groups for books, music, movies & television and arts & crafts, but there are even more groups for photographers, graphic artists, political people and what have you.
Rumour has it you can start your own groups in there too. Blog Advance foot the bill for you having your own community within the community. You're the moderator and the only people who can see what's going on in there are the members of each specific group.
Brilliant.
Now mommy blogs and the haters of mommy blogs can start their own little chat rooms. Who said you can't cater to everyone?
There is also a chat room, it's not used much yet but it has the potential there and at the moment I think everyone is having too much fun in the Forum, but I can see it taking off soon. Maybe Blog Advance should hold some sort of promotion and get some people in there. Whatever they have planned, I know I’ll be an easy volunteer.
If you're not a member of Blog Advance, I suggest you take the plunge because with the Review site and these other applications, all I can see so far are nothing but benefits for the average Joe Blogger.
I even noticed, while I was surfing today, that BlogAdvance now offer hosting packages, so there are new options and opportunities to better present your blog being added and implemented all the time.
You don't have to take just my word for it, there are other satisfied bloggers at Bleeding Right and Instameeyotch.
Also, 50 free credits on sign up is nothing to sneeze at and I've already scooped a fair few bonus credits too.
I'm a happy camper!
Posted By: Lint | 02:36 AM | Current Events
Comments
I don't blog, my life really isn't much to tell people about in any great length. From what I've read though not many peoples are. But I was wondering if there was a way to sign up without having a blog just to have a sort of input.
See my mother did interior design work and some sights should focus on content, others need flair. While content is the soul, graphics are the flesh. Think of it like this, the ugliest woman in the world may have something important to say but who will listen. And an absolutly gorgeous man sits down in a bar next to you and from his mouth comes "I Make Poopy!" and he loses all respect because while he looks good he has no content.
Can a blog be both entertaining and beautiful? Is it rare, can it be done? Can Blog Advance pave the way for the superblog (Stephen Hawkings mind in Rachael Hunters Body)? What about the new wave of Vlogging? Will BA support those too?
Posted by: Squid | August 22, 2005 04:49 AM
Oh Squiddy how deep you are!
First of all, lmfao@"I Make Poopy!" I shot coca cola out of my nose and judging by the questions "Can a blog be both entertaining and beautiful? Is it rare, can it be done?" means that you either think this blog is ugly or vacuous to which I reply with a hearty "Fuck you honey" to either response.
lol
Yeah you can join the forum and not have a blog I'm guessing. It's not like it's a pre-requisite or anything.
Join up and come bother me.
I dare you....
Posted by: Deb | August 22, 2005 05:03 AM
Thanks for the plug on the writing forum. :)
Posted by: Courtney | August 22, 2005 06:45 AM
"can a blog be both entertaining and beautiful" - yes, but only if the blogger isn't.
see mine for details.
blogadvance isn't all that bad, so far. i'm a little amused at the panning it's getting from people comparing it to blogexplosion, even though its only been out a week or so.
Posted by: marie b. | August 22, 2005 06:46 AM
You're welcome Courtney it was my pleasure. I love that group.
Marie, I'm not comparing Blog Advance to Blog Expulsion. I merely mentioned that I had deleted my account and at no time compared Blog Advance to Blog Expulsion specifically and nor was that assumption intended :)
Posted by: Deb | August 22, 2005 06:49 AM
i wasn't talking about you - just other blogs in general.
seems some people can't mention one without ripping the other (by name, at least). was nice to see a change.
Posted by: marie b. | August 22, 2005 07:52 AM
In that case, I apologise for my misunderstanding.
Did I mention that Blog Advance put the banners of everyone who frequents the Forum and the traffic site up for free? How fucken cool was that huh?
Posted by: Deb | August 22, 2005 07:56 AM
onkeypress="keystrokes(this.form)">Hey, thanks for the plug! And yes, I believe that a blog can be both content-rich and beautiful. It's like the major leagues. If you are a great hitter, but a lousy pitcher, you can still get famous because of your hitting. If you are an awesome pitcher, and a lousy hitter, you'll get famous because of your pitching. Are you great at both?
Then welcome to the Hall of Fame.
BA~~30
Posted by: meeyotch | August 22, 2005 01:41 PM
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Yep BlogAdvance has helped me a lot on promoting my weblog. I've even got good reviews thanks to the forums. I love BA now. But why did you BE? It could help along side BA.
Dr. Fil
BA~~49
Posted by: Dr. Fil | August 22, 2005 05:10 PM
You convinced me. I signed. Thanks for the info.
Posted by: Thao | August 22, 2005 10:01 PM
onkeypress="keystrokes(this.form)">My favorite blogs use one of the default templates. Many blogs seem to compensate banal content with a flashy overdesign, overwhelming header visuals. I prefer low-key designs. I like Pocketlint's template.
Posted by: indeterminacy | August 23, 2005 11:33 AM
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Thanks Deb for stopping by and adding to the list!
I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of that one, God knows I suffer from it! lol
I'm loving Blog Advance as well. Glad to see you about. Out of curiosity, why'd you leave BE? Yeah you can call me a nosey shit if you like. I was thinking of leaving it myself. Too much like a popularity contest for my tastes. That's why I like BA, they actually care.
Hoping to bump into you again!
Shannon
BA~~114
Posted by: Shannon | August 24, 2005 12:32 AM