What a strong metaphor of buying a house and starting a blog, choosing the neighborhood, knowing your needs and style, and content in both areas. I am the kind of person who doesn’t like too many choices as it all begins to run together. Usually, I can choose pretty quickly and then don’t want to see lots more choices. I much prefer a small grocery store as I make a list, in the order things come in the store, and I shop quickly without lots of looking at things not on my list. My architect will take hours in the grocery market reading labels and checking out new things. It drives me to distraction as I just want to get out and on to the next task!
When Erin was helping me set-up the blog, I knew immediately that the theme I chose fit my idea of the blog as reflected in the title. . . .TalesAlongTheWay with the path and the traveler! In the last eleven months I still like it. Everyday , I see the beautiful blogs with lots of detail and decoration and I admire them as being very beautiful. Sometimes they are very confusing, though, like all the choices in the grocery store. Is this my response because I don’t want to struggle with the technology? That is certainly part of it, but I hope not all of the reason. I know that how things look certainly does affect the first and often the lasting opinion. I do want people to read my blog . . . . writing is for reading.
So neighborhood, style and content. . . .the greatest of these to me is content. I do spend lots of time on choosing the topic and writing it. Now before you think it is because I am another generation from most of my blogger friends, I do like to learn new things and try them out. So, I have made arrangements for someone to help me in person around the middle of the month with the widgets and any other technology that is suggested that I am not doing.
For me the joy of blogging is connecting with other bloggers through my choice of topics and or my writing style. Nothing makes me happier than to have an Indian friend say, “I love to see my country though your eyes!” or someone says “Thank you for painting a word picture that I was able to see in my mind!” So I can’t wait to start writing for the challenge and trying with some direction to improve my blog’s content!
Many thanks for all your encouragement and friendship as we travel this blogging road together!
TalesAlongTheWay 
I think simple and clean is the way to go on blogs. Even though I love technology and think I’m pretty good at it, blogs should be easy to read. There should be many paragraph breaks, a nice, clean font and not so much clutter. Nice job!!! Your header was an eye-catcher for sure and that’s an important part.
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Thank you Laura! I appreciate your kind comments. A blogger told me once when I was in India that I had gotten boring so that is always a goal now, NOT to be boring. I also think the topic shouldn’t be too long to read, and lots of pictures. I am a very average person and seem to be able to pick topics others enjoy reading. The intellectuals leave in a hurry! 😎
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haha! Gee thanks for that comment on my intellect! 😛 just kidding 🙂
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Oh dear…that totally slipped by me…..You are the exception, of course, my dear!! 😎
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Although I am very much like your architect in a grocery store, but my blog I prefer simple and not distracting, like you.
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You must be a really well rounded woman! 😎 Thanks for taking time to comment! Anne
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You seem to be having a very busy week and learning so much – and teaching me so much at the same time! Thank you x
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LOL ! I am trying! Lovely to hear from us . Was so thrilled when Downton Abbey started for the season in the US!
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I’ve seen so many people from the US commenting on DA! It was even on our evening news here about the success of DA over there!! Isn’t it fab?? The writing is just sooo good
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Writing, acting, costumes wild about dame Maggie. Even architect loves it and he hates period film because of lack of car chases!
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Dame Maggie is THE BEST!! her lines are just brilliant! she has me laughing and cringing at the same time 😳 so many brilliant one liners!
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David loves her lines. Indeed brilliant!
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My husband and I love it. I’m glad I didn’t live in that era though, upstairs or downstairs
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You are right in deed! We laughed while in England at the polite TV people . First, thank you . Then, stronger. . Thank you very much. Superlative , thank you very much, indeed. Have you noticed that? 😎
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I hadn’t thought about it but now that you say it, yes!
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Hi Annet,
Good insight to your bogging.
It is the love you feel for something that is more important then technology. You have a deep bonding with India and its very touching and nice.
In time this bonding becomes more and more passionate which makes it more beautiful.
About what you need to do for your blog. I can give you few suggestions.
1. First write on paper what you want. Look at all your categories. Categories are very important. Divide these categories into 8 subjects or so.
2. When you sit with your friend, ask that person to add menu for those 8 subjects.
3. Next connect all your earlier posts to your Menus(would be done by your friend).
4. This way all your old posts(important ones) would be visible in your menus for all the world to see without the need for going into the archives of your posts.
5. Also think about the widgets you want for your website, for example FOLLOW widget.
5. As you have many posts, it may be good idea to first start with important posts for your menus and leave out other posts for later and see how your blog looks like and then sit with your friend again in few months or so.
Regards.
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Great! Can you save this incase I lcan’t find it again ? I also need to save my blog posts. Too much precious work to lose !
Thanks for your kind comments and your friendship. And help !
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Could you give me one example of a category with 8 subjects, please?
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I need to think about it…
I am looking at your blog now…Let me think. I will get back to you.
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Annet you are connected to the challenge.
http://en.wordpress.com/tag/zerotohero/
When I visit this link and keep scrolling down then I find your YouTube Indian video…
This is the direct link I think….showing your site in reader
http://en.wordpress.com/read/blog/id/466054
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Thanks!
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Today it is About page…Time to add lot more to About page
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Hi Annet
I have updated my About page? Are you also doing it?
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Hey buddy, there is no way I can do that but I have reviewed a great book that I read yesterday while traveling. Thanks for your help. We will see what tomorrow brings as far as prompts. I put the zerotohero tag because it is a daily submission!
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Ok will read…your review
I have created a new Button called Truly Indian.
I am going to right few Indian facts daily.
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Good idea. This is a good thinking exercise to improve the blogs.
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have you read my first fact under Truly Indian?
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No, was just posting my blog. Will go and read it!
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Love it and replied!
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Thanks
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you are welcome
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Your blogs posts will always remain in your blog as long as they are not deleted so ask your friend not to delete anything.
Yes I have saved it and you can also do by pressing CTRL + D
Press both button at the same time and a window will open for you to save.
http://greetingsfromindia.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/bookmark-google-chrome/
Regards.
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By 8 or 10 subjects, I mean the names of menus under which you will use your old posts to show. You already have two and they are Home and About. I have come up with five more. You need to think about them and use them for the name of Menus. What I write below is just an example.
Home
Indian Journey – Your travel posts here, the places you went to
Indian Colors – your other posts to do with India like festivals, barber, your other Indian musings.
Posts I love – your best posts about India and the World
Interests – Your other posts about what you find interesting, like Christmas, panda stories, other posts about your other interests.
Awards – Mention your awards here, also link your award posts here. All the images of the award to be shown.
About – your about page,
You have to look at your archive and your categories and think about names for your menus. May be you have been to many temples then you can use Temple as a menu name for temple posts.
May be you need a menu name for Indian politics there you can use all of your political posts.
Regards
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Subjects to be used as the names for the menus. For example..
Home – already exists.
Indian Journey –
Indian Colors –
Posts I love –
Interests –
Politics –
Temples –
Awards –
About – your about page, already exists
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I know what you mean about blogs looking distracting or confusing. Which was why I had to change mine several times – the blog titles, probably about 7 to 8 times. So I finally ended up with untitledpress and have stuck with it the longest. So I’m really happy for ya, that you’ve enjoyed using the same theme for the past 11 months. That’s true, contentment is the way to go. Although I do like to change themes once in awhile, just to sort of decorate, if you know what I mean. What I do find distracting the most, though, is backgrounds. Especially if they somehow prevent the words on the post from being read clearly. Makes me wonder if the blogger really wanted their post read, when it’s difficult to SEE their post. Haha! Anyhow, this is a great post to mention about!
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