Ten Signs Your Blog Might Be Annoying
Okay, I usually try to keep my snarky thoughts to myself, but every now and then, I have to let them out. Otherwise, the pressure would just build up until I had a huge snark explosion, and that would not be pretty, right? So in the interest of mental health, and snarky humor, here is my list of Ten Signs Your Blog Might Be Annoying.
If your blog contains one of these elements, that doesn't mean it's terrible. But if you have lots of these, you might want to consider cleaning things up a bit. This concludes my snark for the day. :-)
- Your background and text colors are similar.
- Your sidebars are way longer than your content column.
- Your graphics feature seizure-inducing blinkies and glitter text.
- Your main page plays music automatically.
- Your sidebar is full of buttons, ads, badges, and awards, of all different shapes and sizes.
- Your page features automatic audio ads.
- Your banners or graphics are wider than your columns, and they overflow into the margins, or overlap other elements.
- First-time visitors have a hard time finding your actual post on the page.
- You routinely change languages mid-post.
- More than 10% of your blog is written in leetspeek or lolcatz style.
If your blog contains one of these elements, that doesn't mean it's terrible. But if you have lots of these, you might want to consider cleaning things up a bit. This concludes my snark for the day. :-)
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
OH NOES!!!
Heh. Nice write up you got there.
Now if only all those bloggers would wise up, the Blogsphere would give us much less headaches. -_-
Deimos Tel`Arin’s last blog post..Up to USD 250.00 Up for Grabs - by Juliana
*scream* - blinkies……!
My horror since they first popped up on flickr (when I was still using it)
My ads have various sizes, but nothing major, so I think, I’m good to go….lucky me..I think…
Very good list! Just thought I would add a few of my own…
- Very big or very small font size
- You have to register to comment
- Your header image is bigger than your content area
Later!
Jared’s last blog post..Is Your Refrigerator or Nose Running?
GAWD I hate glitter texties…and blinking stuff scares me (for me seizures are an actual possibility).
My cousin used to write in all italics until I volunteered my services to help her improve the look of her blog
Erica’s last blog post..I Find You Interesting
I have a couple blogs that are like some of these you mentioned, I wish I could remove that snapshot application on one of my blogs, takes forever to load…;) check post !!!
Wow, I completely agree with your list! Blinkies are evil!! They hurt my eyes but evidently some people feel the need to use them religiously!
Kate’s last blog post..Well fine, I don’t like you either!
I really hate audio ads and music playing in the background as well as the blinkies! I hope I haven’t got too many of the list items going on on my blog…
I totally agree with several items on the list, especially #10. Whenever I see this on a blog, it makes me feel like I’m reading my daughter’s MySpace bulletins. Thanks.
Jeremy Neal’s last blog post..Can Winter Be Over, Please!
Totally agree with you, im going for a very clean blog at the mo, no point in filling with advertisements as most people leave as soo as they see it all. Nice post GeekMom
Michael’s last blog post..Top 3 Strangest TV Programs For Pre Schoolers
OR you have the mPire widgets on your site that hold your browser hostage until they are done loading.
BigPappa’s last blog post..Hotlink Protection Engaged
Preach it, sistah!
RollerKaty’s last blog post..Stuck in my Head
I feel your pain. What a great idea for a post and hopefully some people will get the hint. (Of course, I/we are exempt. My blog and yours use the same theme.)
motherwise’s last blog post..Ch-ch-ch-changes
I hear you! #5 is my pet hate because it slows a site down so much.
Ben Barden’s last blog post..Give and get
Well said! There’s nothing I love more than a nice, clean-cut blog!
Greg’s last blog post..Just A Little Reminder?
Very well said geek mom. Sometimes I jump right off my seat when I’m dropping entrecards and I suddenly hear a loud music playing in the background. I have to take time and find the site or lower the volume on my speakers which annoys me very much. You might also wan to add pop up ads and overuse of neon colors.
Louie’s last blog post..Turn Your iPhone / iPod Touch into a Multi Touch Mouse
great points. sometimes, it’s okay to be snarky.
oh man… there is NOTHING i hate more than music that plays automatically! i will almost ALWAYS leave the page immediately, if i cannot easily KILL the music! lol
renee - 21st Century Parenting’s last blog post..Sexy Stuff Sunday - Fun Lighting for Kids
I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about this stuff!
I think I’ll take these great suggestions and make a follow-up post.
Amen. I feel the need to do a little spring blog cleaning myself.
Two Write Hands’s last blog post..Probably not what the church had in mind.
Ak, I don’t know if my comment went through. Here I go again.
I agree wholeheartedly…now I must go revise my blog…jk. Great list!
Melinda’s last blog post..What, are you having a baby or something?!?!
So true!
#4 is my biggest pet peeve! I don’t care what your favorite song is, I don’t want to hit mute every time I visit your site.
I agree with Jared, registering to make comments is also completely annoying.
#5 is so true. I hate those tiny badges.
Amanda - The Mom Crowd’s last blog post..The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom
I think #4 is a lot of people’s biggest pet peeve… but for some reason. A lot of people still do it.
Great list!!
fragileheart’s last blog post..The cold weather isn’t the only thing that’s bitter
I just need a place to vent and I thought of this post.
Could I add to the list: Your blog is on blogspot and you use the captcha in the comment section. Not to mention that you have to have a blogspot profile even if you don’t use blogspot to have people find your site. Because even if you put your name and URL in the Name/URL section, it doesn’t link to you. Grrrr…
Thanks. I needed to get that out of my system. I know blogspot is fine for personal blogs and startups.
Amanda - The Mom Crowd’s last blog post..Please Don’t Stop the Music! The Ultimate Blog Party
I hate auto audio. Especially that damn Apple ad. Anyone with that ad should be shot twice.
Jim - Just a Guy’s last blog post..Probably the funniest thing I have ever read.
haha, you gave me an ideea for a post dedicated to romanian annoying blogs
de ce?s last blog post..Cum sa ai un blog enervant
I’m just glad I’m not the only one who uses snarky! (as in my profile) I need to look at my text color…I’m so glad I found your site!!!
Lindas last blog post..1
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