Do you only use two programmes on your washing machine? Do you ever set the timer on your oven to cook a meal while you are out?
When my oven was new it switched itself off a couple of times when I was in the middle of cooking a roast dinner; I had added an extra ten minutes to cooking time when I put the potatoes in, but instead it thought it had to turn off after ten minutes. I now never dare to touch the timer once it’s set or even better use the clockwork timer inherited from my uncle’s house. Yes I know you can set a timer on your iPhone, but I don’t want to interfere with Wordle or Planet Quiz… The clock on the cooker will be remaining on British Summer Time as I can’t take the risk of the oven not going on because the clock has been interfered with.
I use Word Press in a similar fashion, not daring to explore the other ninety per cent of things it can do for fear of annihilating the few things I can do. My greatest achievement is to post blogs at all; no one I know in ‘real’ life blogs or uses Word Press, so it either happened by magic or I set up my blog all by myself.
I have been trying to straighten up my WP dealings. I did manage to change to a paid plan without the blog disappearing; my simple aims were to get rid of advertisements for ear wax and to be able to store more of my photographs. There may be other benefits, but I have no idea what.
I have learnt many things from other bloggers, usually after already making the mistakes. Beetleypete says he only follows one hundred bloggers, why didn’t I think of that? I also realised along the way that I could turn off email notifications, though I hesitated as I didn’t want to neglect or miss my favourite bloggers. Early on I had started following a blogger who loved reblogging and I would be inundated with hundreds of emails a day. I hastily unfollowed him.
When Beetleypete mentioned checking his spam folder I didn’t even know I had one. It turned out it was full of my greatest fans?
Lucky me I ran across your website by chance (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later
Your style is so unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
Amazing how many stumble upon and book mark my blog. As I deleted pages of spam comment I came across one of my regular genuine bloggers, how did she have the misfortune to be mixed with the riff raff?
I have tidied up my list of interesting blogs I follow, but it is sad to remember bloggers you didn’t want to lose. What has happened to Biff Sock Pow! I just had to follow a blog with a name like that and I loved his drawings and funny writing. Kim used to post on Sunday morning three quick questions you had to answer without thinking, that was fun. She had chronic health problems and they sold their house for a simpler life on the road. That was interesting to follow until she decided to stop blogging. I wonder how she is getting on?
How many blogs do you follow? How do you choose who to follow?
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
I follow too many blogs, but there’s just so much interesting stuff out there!
I feel your pain with WordPress. When I started my blog, it took me two months to work out how to even add the title. I was devastated when they introduced the block editor and nearly gave up, although I’ve got my head around it now.
Hugh’s Views & News has helped me immensely! https://hughsviewsandnews.com/
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I think we have all been greatly helped by Hughe’s blogs.
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When I first started my blog, I thought I had to follow everyone who followed me. Not anymore. I am very judicious now about adding blogs to follow. I have to either know them from interactions on blogs I follow or be very interested in their content.
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Yes Liz I think we all start out like that, one Like from someone and we think they are our best friend for life!
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Yep, I’ve learned a lot since then!
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I follow some 90 odd (and some of those are very odd) blogs. Mostly they are litmags and other bloggers I enjoy. The vast majority blog infrequently so it’s not a burden. If people start blogging about their breakfast or turn out to be Trump supporters they go the way of all putrid flesh. 😉
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Yes Doug it’s as well most bloggers don’t blog a lot. A USA blogger I thought was being ironic, turned out he really was a Trump follower!
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I gave up my last blog because my email was overwhelmed each morning with about 120 replies, plus more during the day, which I spent all day in trying to respond to. So I started again and am trying to be selective in a manageable way. Though, I have to admit, sometimes, I am more interested in the comments section then the blog.
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Yes Nobody, people or family and friends who know nothing about blogging wonder how on earth we get deluged with so much email. Indeed, the comments can be an interesting look into other people’s lives.
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I’ve gotten much pickier about adding new blogs because I have a hard enough time getting to all the ones I already follow now. What I am doing more now is taking breaks. If a hobby starts to feel like work, it’s no longer a hobby.
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Yes Pete, blogging isn’t homework ( though I’m sure you gave your pupils enjoyable homework ) and it’s fine to take breaks – WordPress is still there when you get back.
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I follow 125 blogs, but some of them are dead and others post infrequently. There are some, however, who are way too prolific, but I don’t want to unfollow them because some of their posts are worth reading. I’ve turned off most notifications, because my email inbox is swelling relentlessly as it is. I know what you mean about not changing things in case everything blows up. That’s why I don’t want to change my theme, even though it’s a “legacy” one and therefore somewhat limited.
I definitely don’t automatically follow everyone who follows me, although I do have a look at their blogs. Quite often, a blog has vanished by the time I get around to doing that, or it simply has the generic startup page. You have to wonder what those non-bloggers had in mind when they followed.
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125 sounds like a nice sensible number Audrey and as you say bloggers very a great deal with their posting. I too often come across the generic start up page and wonder why they haven’t even managed on post!
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Many thanks for the mentions, Janet.
I originally followed blogs based mainly on the blogger’s comments on my posts, and the feeling that we could have an enjoyable communication in that way. I still follow a few bloggers that have never followed me, and following should never be a tit-for-tat requirement, in my opinion.
Best wishes, Pete.
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You’re welcome Pete. Yes comments are a good lead in.
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I turned off all notifications some time ago, as I was getting hundreds of email notifications per day and it became a bit overwhelming. I have about 50 bloggers I follow now, otherwise it’s all too much to cope with.
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Hello Stevie, yes we must have all suffered from email overload and you obviously got well organised a good while ago.
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I’m like you in that I don’t half of what I could do just in case I muck up what I can do…I also don’t do follow for follow and for anyone who posts a lot I have a separate little list and check it a few times a week I’m finding many of the people who follow now only have the one page and nothing else so why want followers I know not..Enjoy your weekend 🙂 x
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Thanks Carol, yes let us continue at our own gentle pace.
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HI Janet, I follow more than 100 other bloggers and there are so many blogs I love. I tend to visit people who engage with my comments and visit me back the most often, but I also try to visit a mixture of other bloggers every week. I have limited time, as does everyone, so I can’t visit every post of every blogger I follow, but I do try to pop in a few times a month, at least.
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Hello Robbie, no we can’t read everyone and everything and of course it’s most interesting when we get comments or other bloggers pop up with intriguing remarks.
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True Robbie Time is limited and
Even I don’t read every bloggers post because I have a life to live outside this online platform
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I follow many more blogs than I read, a legacy from the days when I followed everyone back. Not any more!
If you’re looking for some guidance I’ve just signed up to a free course by WP, which you can do at your own speed and choose which bits interest you. It’s called ‘Create Your Site.’ That makes it sound basic but I think it will be a good refresher.
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Hello Clive, let us know how the course goes, I’ll see if I can dip my toe in.
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I’m not sure when I’ll be doing it but may well mention it on my blog, especially if it is either very good or very bad! I joined up after they emailed an invitation but I expect you can find it on their website if you want to try it. Good luck!
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Yes, they probably emailed me and I probably panicked in case it was too complicated!
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Still worth a look, if you’re interested. It is primarily aimed at beginners but there are bits that appeal to me, like how to use blocks better. I’ve never yet gone for curvy edges and coloured backgrounds like you do 🤣
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Thanks Clive; playing with curvy edges and coloured background is for those of us at wax crayon colouring in level of tech know how!
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It’s more than I’ve managed! I tried it once but couldn’t work out how to make the typeface visible through the colour, and ran out of patience in the attempt 😊
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I follow over 300 blogs, but many of them don’t post on a regular basis. I follow blogs that appear to have the kinds of things I like to read about or possibly have photos to which I am drawn. I’m also attracted to blogs from places I’m interested in. Sometimes I guess wrong and then eventually unfollow.
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Hello Becky, yes there are blogs to suit every interest and room in one’s brain to follow plenty if they don’t post often.
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Right, Janet!
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That’s cool
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Nice post and I follow plenty of blogs on this platform and when I head over to my emails I get lots of notifications of new blog posts but I really don’t ditch them or unsubscribe instead I just weed out the ones I enjoy and ignore the others. I manage the blogs and emails by reading the content from the best and the content I can relate to which can help me in real life🙏
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Thanks Mthobisi, yes there are blogs to be found that are of interest to us.
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I thought I would only follow 100 Bloggers but eventually that more than doubled and of course I cannot actually follow that many. So I take breaks and end up commenting on November 4th posts six weeks later.
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Yes Geoff it would be a full time job keeping up with all the bloggers we follow.
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