Friday, January 26, 2018

Book Blogger Hop No. 120: Updating Old Blog Posts



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to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.


This Week's Question

Do you ever go back to older
posts and change things?

(Submitted  by Elizabeth @ 



My Answer

Great question, Elizabeth! This is definitely something I've done from time to time, especially when I happen to notice that certain links in older posts are no longer working, or are an UGLY gray color, instead of the lively green I prefer to use now.

As with most bloggers, I have seen my blogging style develop over time. It was just a matter of deciding, on a particular day, that a certain font, as well as a certain font size, would be more satisfying to me, and probably much easier to read. Or that a bigger picture of a truly LUSCIOUS cover would somehow tickle my "visual bone" much more than a smaller one would. Or that setting up a post in a certain way would make me incredibly happy!!

All this points to one fact: the changes I've made throughout the years have been made to please one person: ME. That might sound self-centered, but heck, all of us bloggers, whatever we might blog about, are doing it for the purpose of self-expression. We're not only putting our views on books and bookish topics out there, but we're also making public our own personal aesthetic. 

I feel very passionately about having a blog design that makes me feel aesthetic bliss! So maybe not everyone likes my style. I have come to accept this, and will not change it in order to please anyone, or to attract more readers and followers. 

Here's the thing: I happen to LOVE the color blue! So that color MUST be a very prominent part of my blog design. I LOVE big pictures. So they, too, must be a prominent part of my design. And, I want my text to be readable. So it has to be a certain size. 

As for my writing style, this blog is supposed to feature YA Fiction, for the most part. I'm not a young adult myself (except in my head, lol), but I do LOVE the genre. So, I do try to sound like a Young Adult at times. However, my style will frequently reflect the fact that I am (ALAS!!) not in this age group anymore..... Well, so all I can do is write the way it flows. If I don't sound very "youngadultish" at times, well, what can I do? It flows the way it wants to flow! LOL.

Anyway.....all this is to reiterate the fact that, at times, I go back and look at older posts, only to exclaim, "Horrors! THAT doesn't look aesthetically pleasing AT ALL!", or "That just doesn't read well!" And then comes the inevitable: "I've GOT to change that!!" And I have indeed done so, on a few occasions. 

Then I stopped doing this. I actually made myself stop. Why? Well, the most obvious reason that first comes to mind is simply this: TIME. I just don't have the time to go through each and every one of my older posts and tweak them. Except in my very first year, which was 2010, I've averaged about 200 posts a year. (Check my blog archive.) It would be a VERY time-consuming thing for me to do, if I were to go back and make changes to ALL of these posts!

The second reason is that, going back to make changes will not allow me to see how my blogging style (which encompasses design as well as writing, as I have already explained) has developed over the years. It's so rewarding to go back and see how one has grown as a blogger! So, changing a post published, say, five or six years ago will not allow me to see how far I've come.

For comparison, below are links to some posts from one of my earlier years. There are quite a few differences! Please bear in mind that the sidebar constantly changes, so obviously, the sidebar you see when you click on these links is the one present on my blog now. The post titles are also newer. The last time I updated my blog design, I chose a new font for the titles. So I no longer have the old ones. The header is one that I created fairly early on, using Google's Picasa software. Unfortunately, Google has retired this software, so, if I want to change this header, I'll have to look around for another software program..... I do change the header three times a year, though -- for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

As Elizabeth herself has stated in her own answer to this question, I will occasionally go back and fix a glaring typo or grammatical error. But that will only be if I happen to come across one. Otherwise, I won't go back and change anything anymore.

this topic?
If you're participating in this hop,
I'll go comment on your 
own BBH post.
If not, I will then comment on one 
of your blog posts!
Thanks for visiting!!!  
 







12 comments:

  1. This is such an interesting topic Maria. I agree with you about making minimal changes to older posts. There is something to be said about seeing one's own evolution. For my part I have only gone back and fixed some old grammar and spelling errors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      Thanks for the good word!! :) :) :)

      Yeah, I do sometimes go back and correct things like typos or spelling/grammar mistakes, like you do. But, much as I would like to -- although I've done it on a few occasions -- I don't change the format I used in older posts. In other words, I leave the fonts and font sizes alone, as well as whatever font colors I used, size of pictures, etc. Aside from the time factor, which is enough in itself, there's also the factor of seeing one's own growth as a blogger through the years.

      Thanks for the great comment!! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!! <3 :)

      Delete
  2. There are "horrors' are on my blog too. :) I am not going to change anything unless I see a grammatical error or typo, but my reviews have improved tremendously. :)

    I don't go back on a regular basis, but it is fun to check back to the first year and see how things have gotten better posting wise and finding new blogger friends.

    Unfortunately I have not changed a thing format wise. :) I have the same background/sidebar and same header. The header has become my trademark, and I can't bring myself to change it. I am not a very good one to change decor on my blog or my home. LOL!!

    The only thing different is that I have grown even more organized than I always was and have improved with my review writing.

    Thanks for your marvelous answer as always, Maria. I see you have already stopped by my blog...thanks.

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Elizabeth!

      Oh, what a GREAT comment!!

      I agree with you on not going back just to tweak old blog posts. But yeah, typos and grammatical errors, DEFINITELY. Not that I go looking for those, though. Lol. Otherwise, I'd drive myself crazy!

      When looking at some of my posts from 2011, I did notice that, in some posts, pictures that were there at the time I published them are no longer present. Instead, there's a notification from Flicker that states the following: "Please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting. For additional information, please go to photobucket.com." Needless to say, this looks TERRIBLE. So I do need to go back and take these things out! Yes, it will be a time-consuming headache, but I don't want people to see them if they should happen to go back to that year to check out my posts.

      As for format and design changes, I really experimented a lot with those at the very beginning, especially in my first year. But, once I came up with a design I could LOVE, I decided to stick with it! The header took much longer. I made some myself, with Google's Picasa app, which, unfortunately, they removed some time ago. But I was never entirely satisfied with any of the headers I came up with. I could have gotten better results with PhotoShop, but did not know how to use it. Nor could I afford it, as it's very expensive. However, I met a VERY talented web designer named Jennifer Johnson, and she designed the GORGEOUS header I use for most of the year. The only times I change it are in October, November, and December, for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

      yes, your header is by now your trademark, and I wouldn't want you to change it, either! It makes me want to visit Scotland.... :) :)

      I think my reviews have improved, too. although I didn't mention this in my post above. I have consciously tried to not give out so many spoilers. Lol.

      It's GREAT that you've become more organized with your blog, and that your own reviews have improved!

      You're very welcome for my answer, and thanks for the compliment!! :) :)

      Thank you SO much for such a WONDERFUL, well thought out comment!! HUGS!!!! ,3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
    2. Your blog always looks good. Great job on it in all aspects.

      And...what a fab answer to my comment, Maria.

      Thanks for taking the time to reply.

      Elizabeth

      Delete
    3. Awwww.....THANKS for another compliment!!! You're one of the SWEETEST, NICEST bloggers I know!!

      (BTW....I typed "Flicker" in my comment above, and then, further down, I typed "Photobucket". It was definitely Photobucket that left those stupid "notifications", and not Flicker. Just wanted to let you know this was a "boo-boo". Lol.

      You're very welcome for my reply!! HUGS!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  3. My blogging style has also changed over the years since I started blogging so I do go back sometimes to change posts but it takes a lot of time so I haven't been able to do it in a while. Someday I want to make sure all my posts look the same. Someday... :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Steph!

      It's inevitable for a blogger to change and grow as time goes by. As with every other human endeavor, blogging experience makes us bloggers improve as we go along. That's one of the things I LOVE about doing this! And there's something EXTRA SPECIAL about book blogging, because it's just SO rewarding!!

      Yeah, going back to change posts is time-consuming. Sometimes it's necessary, as when you happen to come across typos and grammatical errors. And sometimes pictures just disappear. So I do fix things like that, too.

      Going back, I also sometimes CRINGE at things I used to do in posts, but I'm leaving those as is. They're part of the growing process, lol.

      Thanks for the nice comment!! HUGS!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  4. oh I was so sure I left a comment here! Sorry if this is a duplicate! I definitely want to go back and revisit my old posts and at least make sure there are not horrible typos or grammar mistakes but I just barely have time to keep up with my current posts! I see you are reading Rebel of the Sand I hope to get to it next week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Daniela!

      I don't know what happened....I need to check my spam folder! Maybe your comment ended up there. But anyway, you posted another one, so THANKS!!

      I totally agree with you on fixing typos and grammar errors! Sure don't want people to see those! I will also fix things like disappearing pictures (see my comment to Elizabeth above), and links that no longer take people where they're supposed to. Yes, it's very time-consuming work!

      I've just finished "Rebel of the Sands", and will be posting my review soon! It's AWESOME!!

      Thanks so much for commenting!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

      Delete
  5. I won't change content, but I will fix typos and errors. I am also going back to fix formatting issues, links, and missing pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Chrissy!

      Same here! And this thing with the missing pics is pretty weird.... I will simply go into my PC's Pictures folder and put them back up. In some of my old posts, I saw a notification from Photobucket, instead of the missing pictures. See my comment to Elizabeth above. They want you to PAY to add pics to your blog posts! NO WAY. Lol.

      I went back to fix some old posts the other day, after I had published this BBH post. That was when I came across this Photobucket notification on some of them. So I made sure to get rid of this stupid notification, and replaced the pics! :)

      Thanks for commenting!! <3 <3 :) :)

      Delete

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