About blogging

I was tagged by the lovely Anne recently about blogging. And seeing as it's been a long week with no time for any making - I thought I'd have a go at answering these questions instead:

1. Why did you start your blog?
As a stay at home mum, I often felt that the days just flew by in a murky haze and I wanted to document some of the details that are too easily forgotten. Whether it be crafting or parenting - its wonderful to have this record of our lives and how we're spending our time. It was also to help motivate me in my sewing and it's worked, I've been far more productive since I've been blogging. Now I'm back to work part time my crafting will inevitably slow down, but I still really want to carry on posting about our day to day lives.

2. How did you come up with your blog name?
Linaloo was my parents' pet name for me growing up. Although everyone knows me as Lina, it's actually not my real name, it's short for something else...

3. Do your friends and family know about your blog? What do they think of it?
My parents and sister know about it and a few friends in the UK who probably lost interest a while back. I'm pretty sure that my mum thinks this takes up too much of my time but I know she reads it!

4. How do you write posts?
Um in my head and most inconveniently at odd hours in the morning when I should be sleeping.

5. Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?
A troll? What's one of these? I'm assuming it's something bad- I guess I haven't then! I've only ever received one spam message for a haemorrhoid cream and so far, no unkind comments. This is pretty miraculous as it's been 6 months since I started blogging.

6. Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog? If you do care, how to you increase traffic?
I didn't really know about stats at first and then when I found them I got a bit obsessed. Now I don't check very often. I am aware of how many subscribers I have through bloglines so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested at all. I've never actively tried to increase traffic but my stats went loopy when some of my Chrismassy things were featured on the sew mama sew blog - I had 2000 hits a day for a while...but I soon bored them all rigid. I'd hazard a guess that tutorials are a good way to increase traffic but that's far too much work for a slacker like me.

7. What kind of blogs/posts interest you?
I'm a visual kind of girl so great pictures, fabric, crafts and general eye candy all around. Although I do love a bit of good writing also.

8. What do you like and dislike about blogging?
I find it very cathartic. I also love all the crafy inspiration, the tutorials and the community feeling. I do really feel that. The obvious negative is that it can suck all your spare time and ironically eats into my craft time.

I'm far too nosey not to ask anyone else to do this so I tag: Claudia, Jo and Dawn.

I've also been given the "you make my day" award by Florence and Paige - thank you! I'm passing the buck by passing it on to everyone who wanders this way. Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

[Dawn]

It was fun reading about why you blog. Thanks for tagging me- it will be my pleasure to do this.

[Ali]

I'm fascinated about the answer to questions like these - thanks for sharing. And my Mum holds very similar opinions!

[driftwood]

what a great tag Lina!

[amandajean]

I enjoyed reading your answers. :)

[Florence]

I loved reading this, Lina! Although I know I am now going to spend hours, if not days, amusing myself in thinking what your real name might be...so far I have come up with Selina. However, it's odd, as I knew you were English, but I'd always thought Lina was your real name, which made me think that you were probably Eastern European somewhere along the line...I love these memes for throwing up small bits of information that you wouldn't normally find out! x

[Claudia]

oh nice...it's me! I love those little questions! It's always fun :) Thank you! I have one question: how do you know how many subscribers do you have? I think that I missed that part in my blog education ;)

[Paige]

That was fun to read - thanks for sharing! (And your answer to the first question totally speaks to why I started blogging, too.)

[Anne]

Thanks for playing along. I loved reading your answers.

[Lucy Locket-Pocket]

Love your answers Lina!

[dottycookie]

2000 hits per day? Good grief woman, you're a celebrity!

[joanna]

A week without making! get back to it!

[Crystal]

I really enjoyed reading your answers. A fun get to know ya!

[Lesley]

Great answers Lina and have to say I found your haemorrhoid spam message a little too funny!!

xx