Friday, January 14, 2011

Websites: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!



First let me say hi to you all. I am going to be blogging here on a regular basis and I'm delighted! This is a great topic because websites and blogs should be good but very often they are bad or downright ugly. When they don't attract viewers they're bad because they aren’t fulfilling their potential. So why is that?

Speaking for myself, what often turns me off is what motivated me to create my own blog! Self-indulgent posts in a blog turn me off immediately as in:

'I SOLD THIS—AND I SOLD THAT--! or 'MY BOOK, THE RISE AND FALL OF EVERYTHING (for example) HAS WON THE HOOBEY DOOBEY PRIZE FOR LITERARY GENIUS!'

You get the idea. No reason why the same information can’t be told in a more interesting way! I believe in using images, in slide shows. I’d put up a marching band if I could! Just wanted you to know where I am coming from. Both websites and blogs basically do the same thing. But blogs are not static that’s why I love them. I have seen authors’ websites that I find boring. I think the same thing can be done but with interesting text, presented possibly with some imagination.

I am working on my website now so I can’t really refer you to it YET! There again, I want it to be interesting. I can discuss my own blog, though. Blogs can make you want to scream or fall asleep—or they can hold your interest. I’ve had pretty good feedback about mine.

Before my book was released I had been blogging about the horror genre: books and films with the intention to garner general interest but to do it in a positive way. In the two months leading up to my book’s release (and I am still doing it) I have been blogging solely about my novel, The House on Blackstone Moor.

If you look at my blog:

http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.com/

Purely for educational purposes (!) you will see these posts that discuss the characters, themes and storyline in the novel. I have, I am happy to say, been getting very positive feedback. I am getting a lot of traffic and I am delighted. I put up information that I would wish to read if I were looking at a blog. My blog is my love child! I really am pleased with it. The next test for me will be if I can devise a website that I feel as positive about. Time will tell!

Until next time!

12 comments:

  1. Welcome, my friend. It is so good to have you here. Now we've got a real horror writer amongst us! Great post, too. I'll see you at the next staff meeting.

    -Jimmy

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  2. aw, thank you so much!
    What a nice welcome!

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  3. Yay Carole!! So nice to see you here!

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  4. Welcome, Carole. So happy to see you here at last! I have no doubt, with your talent and desire, your site will be

    *****OUTSTANDING*****

    Now, if it was allowed, I'd have those flashing red signs CJ and I talked about on Monday, like they do on those adds for Male Enhancement.

    You go girl!

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  5. Nicole and Sharon!

    Thanks for the welcome!
    Sure guys! Flashing lights, fireworkds whatever! And as far as those kinds of adverts go, our blogs and websites could say: 'YES! YOU TOO CAN HAVE A BIGGER, MORE POWERFUL TOOL WITH WHICH TO PENETRATE ALL THOSE (AHEM)! MARKETS YOU WANT TO CONQUER! or something to that effect!

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  6. Too funny. I can tell it's going to be a wild year!

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  7. Hi Carole, great to have you join us here. I can see from your post that you will fit right in. And despite what a few of us have written about dark backgrounds on web pages, they can work! I like your red and white on black! :)

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  8. thank you, David! Well for my horror writing I felt it had to be dark and as grim as possible with red representing BLOOD!
    The dark backgrounds that bother me (and some do actually) tend to have dull or grey text that is a problem to read.
    The colors should reflect the genre I think. Anyway, I do thank you!

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  9. Great blog you've got here!

    Think I may have to stick around :)

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  10. Nice to meet you, Carole. I am the resident "old school" science fiction and horror member. You'll also need to get used to the humor of this blog site (namely all the jokes C.J. makes at my expense).

    I like your intro blog and love the movie poster. Great movie.

    I look forward to more great writing from you.

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  11. Hi Wendy! By all means stick around!

    Thanks Gregory! I could hear the music in my head when I put it up. Cool film.
    I can tell i'm going to love it here because I love it already!

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  12. I'm really late - but better late than never - welcome from the other hump day author... hope you have fun and I look forward to reading more from you...

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