Firstly, I made my own interpretation of this comic and I think this it's pretty funny if I may say so myself. I have been feeling like this a lot lately when it comes to all the blogging rules and regulations that have been popping up all over the damn place. I just want to say, "So what? Who cares?" like Fred Armisen when he plays Joy on The View SNL skit.
Ok, now onto my weekly blog feature that may or may not be breaking a blog rule (yes, I'm being a complete sarcastic smartass and I don't care).
I love this adorable crochet rose wreath. I gotta get better at crochet.
If you subscribe to Birchbox, this is a fun link up for you to check out.
Free vintage dog and cat treat label designs.
I gotta try and make these hefeweizen cupcakes!
These DIY felt pinwheels are so cute.
Not only does Literary Inklings have a gorgeous design, but she writes great book reviews too.
I love this hanging garden.
This t-shirt patchwork pillow is so cool. I wish I didn't ditch so many old clothes because I'd like to make one.
This is a great step-by-step guide to getting hired. Funny and true!
I totally get what you mean, I get incredibly frustrated when I see lists of blogging 'rules', especially when I think how long I've been blogging and I definitely didn't see lists like that when I started... anyway...
ReplyDeleteI love these bookdumps, I used to do them but they are hard work to keep up every week so they kind of just stopped. Do what you want I say, its one thing to know 'rules' and a different thing to know when you should follow them.
i agree!
Deleteand its easy for me to keep up with this series because i don't have a stupid job. so what better way to spend my time than scouring the interwebs? i wish that weren't the case but hey, it is what it is!
I enjoyed your interpretation of that comic... your facial expression is hilarious! :)
ReplyDeletePsh. Life is no fun if you don't bend the rules once in a while. So have at it!
I know I'm guilty of making "rules" posts myself, although I feel like that's mainly my attempt to make sense of this crazy thing we call blogging. The truth is, some things work and other things don't, and it's quite helpful to me to make (and read) lists of those things sometimes. Also, as a design student, I'm beginning to realize that even things as open to interpretation as art and design have a structure and a rules system behind them to make them more effective: (for example… Rule of Thirds. Don't use a gazillion fonts on a page. Don't put yellow text on a white background and expect people to be able to read it. Etc.). Obviously there are times to break the rules, but you have to know what the rules are before you can break them with a purpose.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess what I'm saying is... I don't think making "rules" for blogging is automatically a bad thing. I mean... aesthetics really do make a difference in a design... titles of blogs posts really do affect whether or not people are going to click through and read a post… and people really do get offended by word verification, no-reply bloggers, and dancing Flash animations jumping out at them… There really is a reason behind some of the madness. Although yes, you're right that it is (at least partially) somewhat subjective and that people can have a tendency to get way too strung out about following strict rules to the detriment of expressing their own personality.
Anyway… sorry for the rant. I love your comic and I can totally relate! I've been feeling lately like too many people are tossing the "rules" out the window lately, so I guess we're having the same frustration, just on different sides of the issue. Lol. Anyway, love your bookmark dumps - they are always very entertaining and/or useful and this week is no exception. I loved the link about job interviews - I am just off to turn in a resume this afternoon, so this got me in the right frame of mind! ;)
--i just deleted my comment because of typos. here it is again fixed!--
Deletei totally understand your points. i do realize that there are certain things (i hate the word 'rule') that are unspoken (and obviously now they are spoken lol!) in having a good, reader-friendly blog. i just feel like there's been so much talk about it lately that it's gone over the top to where it's like, tell me something i haven't already heard 50 times before. idk.
no matter what, some people are going to feel as if their blog sucks because they didn't do this or do that and that makes me feel sad because someone may not want to write about what they really want to because they remember reading somewhere that it's considered annoying or taboo.
perhaps i'm getting blogger burnout and need to step back because things on the internet shouldn't effect me the way they have been lately. or maybe it's because i'm turning into a she-wolf this time of the month ;)
Maybe you're pregnant. ;P
DeleteAnyway, yeah, that's a really good point! I hadn't considered that some people may be put off by "rules" posts b/c it makes them feel like they are doing everything wrong. I personal LOVE those types of posts and seek them out on other people's blogs b/c I'm curious to figure out how they're making their blog so successful! I feel like I'm learning secrets that only "real" bloggers know and it makes me want to strive to be more like them. ;P
Yes, a lot of these "rules" should be obvious too, but a lot of times it seems that they aren't. Generally I end up writing one of these posts after reading a bunch of new blogs that drive me crazy because of their terrible layouts or after getting an unusually high amount of no-reply blogger comments or something. I wonder if you're feeling like these things are talked about a lot recently b/c it keeps coming up on BBN? Or are you actually seeing a lot of blog posts about it recently too?
But absolutely, you're totally right that we never want to make people feel like certain topics are taboo, etc. I feel like certain types of posts are more annoying than others, but they may not be that way for everyone. I keep thinking about your "Why I hate Etsy but Not Really" post that you did recently - I think that's a great way to approach such things - by explaining why you personally find certain Etsy practices... or blog practices... annoying, but also making it clear that it's just your opinion and not THE way it should be done. It gives people some kind guidelines for things they might want to consider w/o making them feel like idiots.
haha definitely not preggo ;)
Deletebut i've seen those posts all over the place before the topic came up on BBN. so perhaps maybe the influx now is because of that post.
but i didn't think of it like you did, like how can be seen as blog secrets. i can see that now. i just saw it on the other end of the spectrum, like how the person 'guilty' of committing those 'blog crimes' may be affected rather than the other side. idk. i feel like i'm not making much sense or using the right words right now.
but i want to clarify, that my "5 reasons i wont buy from an online shop" post wasn't meant to come off as an "i hate etsy" post in any way. i LOVE etsy. obsessed even. i just get discouraged when i see certain things that i'd love to buy but because of an oversight, i wasn't able to go through with my purchase.
GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY!! Lol. ;P
DeleteI totally get what you're saying though. It makes me curious now how many people might see it that way too. Especially new bloggers. I can see how posts like those might come across as judgement to them.
LOVED your Etsy post btw. It was just funny to me the first time I read the post title, that's what popped into my head - "Wow, she must hate Etsy". Lol. It totally sucked me in to read it though and I did see that you didn't really hate Etsy once I read it. ;P
Dear Alycia, thank you for featuring the link to my handmade felt pinwheels!! :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely summer,
Lu :)
Okay, you're adorable and your interpretation of that comic is PRICELESS. I love it.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, thank you so much for the sweet mention! That just made my day!
I love that your pictorial representation of that saying! BAHAHAHA. I get SO tired of reading everyone's rants about giveaways, sponsor posts, guest posts, pinning, etc.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! This made me LOL! :) I'm a rule breaker too.
ReplyDeletehahaha love this blog post! what a cute idea :)
ReplyDeleteandrea brionne @thedailyeverythings.blogspot.com
I don't really care 'bout what this person wants or that person doesn't want. It's my blog... it's their blog... Let's all just be happy. :P I LOVE your take on the comic SO MUCH.
ReplyDeletethanks angie <3
DeleteOh let me know what you think of the cupcakes when you make them! I found other recipes for Blue Moon and Guiness cupcakes, haven't had time to try those though!
ReplyDelete