After almost missing Bloggiesta and not having much time to prepare I had an unbelievable week! I completed all 14 items on my to do list and even a few extras. I think the biggest thing for me was participating in the Twitter Chats and not only learning a few new things and what everyone likes to see on blogs but also connecting with other bloggers in the community. I don't think I have ever felt more connected to the book blogging community as I did this week. I had some great conversations, found some new blogs and maybe made a couple of new friends. I will definitely try to be more active on twitter and continue these new relationships.
A couple of new things you will find as a result of this Bloggiesta:
First and foremost the look of the blog. I have updated the format and design of the blog. I definitely am happy to be back to a side menu but am up in the air still about the colors and links. Please feel free to give me your input at any time.
The Archive list will no longer be updated, it takes so much effort to keep it up with 350+ books a year. All the reviews you will find here and then some are also on my Goodreads. I have included a link to my reviews on Goodreads on the archives page. The nice part is that the reviews will be searchable so if you want to find a specific book or genre it will be a little easier to find.
I have added a pinterest account specifically for the blog (the link is on the top right corner of the blog). On this page you will find a board for Author Interviews, Bedtime Stories, Graphic Novel Reviews, and then some ideas and inspirations for upcoming posts and events here on Eastern Sunset Reads.
On that theme I have also come up with some non-book review content. It came to my attention during one of the twitter chats that followers often like to see more other content than actual reviews. So I will be cutting back on reviews (somehow) and be adding additional content over the next couple of months (I already have posts scheduled into May and don't want to throw out all that work). Some of the new things you will see coming up will be Pen to Paper (a weekly post about letter writing), more Crafty Times and Fun with Munchkin Posts, some book lists, and hopefully a series of posts on Bookmarks and Hand-Me-Down Books.
I will also be making a couple of changes to the reviews that I am going to be posting. I will be adding reasons I originally picked up a book and requests for recommendations. I will also start to cut back on the number of reviews posted. There will be extra mini reviews posted at the end of the month (possibly having 2 mini review posts a month) and I will be trying out a single post for a whole series this month and next, so be sure to stop by for those and let me know your thoughts and feelings.
So all in all I feel so accomplished with this Bloggiesta. It was a huge success for me but as always when these events end I am left with a bunch more ideas! A few more things that I will continue working on will be my Twitter and online presence, working on more content and discussion posts as opposed to just reviews. I am also going to be looking into and probably adding Disquis for commenting. The work is on going.
I was happy to meet you this Bloggiesta! I'm glad you had fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet up with you too!
DeleteWow! You accomplished a lot and sounds like you had a great time too.
ReplyDeleteI really surprised myself, once I got going there was no stopping me!
DeleteI'm glad Bloggiesta was so productive for you. I like the new layout. And, I think the colors work well with the background image. I look forward to seeing the changes you plan to implement in the next few months. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, since the blog name is Eastern Sunset Reads I try to stick with sunset type colors. I have a thing against straight white too, it almost hurts my eyes while at the computer all day. I hope everyone likes the changes that are coming and the new post ideas!
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