For the most part.

My blog plan has always been to stay as positive as possible. I share positive things I find, products I enjoy, inspirations I think you would like. When and if I talk about myself I like to keep it upbeat...for the most part.

I have to tell you, readers, I've been in a spell of blog-post-dry-out. Makes me feel a bit disappointed when I don't have the head of steam I used to. A bunch of the features I used to share have gone the way of the Dodo--Art History, artist interviews, "and I quote", Flickr Faves, small business topics--to name a few.



Yeah, I get it, things evolve and people change. I know this happens to others as I was just reading a post about the same thing over on Leah's blog, moxie photo design (haven't visited...please, do, you'd enjoy her musings).

So, here's the thing. Instead of adding up the times I haven't posted, I'm just posting when I really have something to share or to say. Keeping it real. I always respect the bloggers that are honest and sincere more so than fancy and frequent. Not that it's ever been unreal on this blog--and it never will be, I promise--but in blogging, as in 'real life', honesty really is the best policy, don't you agree?



Being honest, I've been struggling with this spring term at University. Not the work or the schedule but my health has been bringing me down a bit too often. Nothing graphic to share, just that I have back issues that have caused me sciatica distress for about 18 months, and symptoms of hypo-thryroid that wreak havoc with my hormones and cause major fatigue. I've structured myself on a one-day-at-a-time lifestyle, and, at times, even that can be more than enough.



But I'm still pluggin' along, still working at what I need to do, and always find something to be hopeful for and inspired by--even if I'm neglectful to share it with those around me. So that's my personal sharing for today, folks.

Thanks for hanging around here even when it's a bit slow, and thanks to those that take time to leave me comments and feedback; I appreciate it very, very much!

Images in this post are courtesy of Julie, Leah and Beki--three bloggers whose work I truly admire. :)

Food for Thought: U Comment - I Follow

If you take a look at the source code for your blog, you'll probably see several references of the rel='nofollow' tag. This tag was originally created to prevent search engines from indexing links in order to reduce spam. However, this simply doesn't seem to work, even as a deterrent to would be spammers. Spam still exists, and if anything the problem of spam is worse than ever.



The most annoying thing about the "nofollow" tag is this: it prevents legitimate, and helpful links from being indexed by three of the top search engines: Google, Yahoo and MSN. Rather than deter spammers, it's more of a deterrent to commenter's and those who would otherwise link back to your blog. [1]

There is something we can do about this: remove the "nofollow" tags!

During my recent blog renovations, I removed the rel="nofollow" tags from my blog template. This allows backlinks, and links in my comments to be indexed by the three major search engines when they spider this blog. Search engines often use the number of backlinks that a website has as one of the most important factors for determining that websites search engine ranking.

Simple translation: using backlinks = increased blog traffic.

Readers who share useful and information in their comments on my blog will automatically be displayed with a link back to their blog, and this works the same for those who link to my posts.

"Linking to someone with a NoFollow attribute is a sign of not trusting them. It’s like reaching to shake someone’s hand, but stopping to put on a pair of latex gloves." [2]
~ Loren Baker

If it ever happens that a comment appears to be spam, I can always use the "delete" button to remove it.

So you may be wondering..."how can I remove the 'no-follow' tags from my blog?" The same way I did--follow the easy tutorial written by the very friendly, super helpful, Amanda Fazani at Blogger Buster. Fanzani's blogsite is a treasure trove of Blogger-template-tweaking, designing, tweaking, improving and promoting tips and techniques ripe for improving and generating loyal readership for your blog! She offers a full list of all her easy to understand (even for the tech-challenged) tutorials right HERE.

For more information on the You Comment - I Follow movement visit Blogger Buster, Randa Clay Design, or try a Google search for this phrase and see what you find. If you decide to remove the 'no-follow' coding from your blog, please post about it and let your readers be aware of not only your choice, but of the benefit they can spread by sharing the same open networking through their blogs...and "share the link love"!



All items featured in this post are from the shops of Etsy. Click on the grids above to increase the view size. Find these handmade and vintage shops by visiting the links listed below.

grid 1, l 2 r:
may i share your perch? print - at whim, blood sisters photo - dan keys photography, knit faux bling red scarf - little purls, tea time wood silhouette - mountain brook

grid 2, l 2 r:
shared view photo - jennifer aitchison photography, dotted vintage upcycled scarf top - tangente, connect four silver necklace - shiny bits


[1] Fazani, Amanda. "Remove 'nofollow' tags from your template to spread some link love." [Weblog Blogger Buster] Jan 2009. Blogger Buster. 26 Jan 2009 .

[2] Baker, Loren. "13 Reasons Why 'NoFollow' Tags Suck." [Weblog Search Engine Journal] Jan 2009. Search Engine Journal. 26 Jan 2009 .