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March 1, 2013

Feature & Follow Friday #2

featurefollow
I'm so excited to finally be joining Feature and Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a fellow blogger and ask a question which can be answered by participating bloggers. If you aren't already following the two hosting bloggers, please visit their blogs to follow them, the bloggers they're featuring, and enter your own blog in the linky. Hop around to other blogs - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. :D

Q: Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you've done, that as you gained more experience you were like -- oops?

When I first began posting reviews of books on here, I didn't include links to buy the books, add to Goodreads, info about the author, and ways to contact the author. I don't know why I didn't think to incorporate all of that into my reviews in the very beginning because now I realize it's easier for readers to click on the links to find out more about the book and the author or even buy the book. I know I've read a review of a book, then clicked on the link provided in the blog and bought the book in a hot second!

I need to work on reviewing books as soon as I've read them. That way, the experience I had while reading the book is fresh in my mind! I thought that reading several books then writing the reviews would be a good idea to get my reviews out faster, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I've learned that isn't the best way for me to go, and now writing reviews has become easier than it was before. :D

I'm dying to hear your blogger sins, lol! What are yours? :D

21 comments:

  1. Hi Jennifer, my first review was titled, "Why I absolutely love Poison Princess by Kresley Cole." It wasn't even a review! And I didn't leave a Goodreads link either. New GFC follower here. This is my FF.
    p.s. you asked how to leave a link in the comment section, here's the HTML code I use.
    Your Text Here.

    So put your link between the " " and put the text like FF or Jennifer@donniedarkogirl between the >Your Text Here<

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    1. I've been blogging for a little over a year, and I still think reviews are difficult to write sometimes. Don't be hard on yourself. :)

      I am forever grateful to you for answering my question! I've been wanting to ask it for soooo long, lol, and I just decided to go ahead and do it tonight. So thank you!! :D

      I'm a new follower to your blog and left you a comment. :)

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    2. I know very little about blogging, so it was cool being able to share a tip. I sitll don't know how to use gifs. I'm afraid if I learn, it will be like my Pinterest mistake...I had to quit four days in because all I wanted to do was look at my pretty wall! As for the author question about posting their picture and bio on your blog, I think that's a nice touch. But Samantha offered a great idea to have all that info in one handy place. I'll have to think about doing that.

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  2. Thanks for stopping by, I think we all need to work on reviewing as soon as we read them I usually rate them and come back unless I love love them then I do the review in the next day or 2 but I also only post 3 and up stars on my blog I do rate under that in goodreads but after feeling so bad about not giving a great review I stopped. Thanks for rounding my numbers!!!! Have fun hopping returned the follow GFC
    Krista@KristaReads
    My FF

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    1. Hi Krista! Thanks for following! I've seen a lot of bloggers only post reviews that they've rated 3 and up, and I agree with it. I think I've only posted one review where I rated it two stars, but I won't do it again. I did write that while I may not have liked it, someone else might, but it still doesn't feel right to do that.

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  3. Sorry, I put the code and it made a link! Try this how-to page, http://www.ehow.com/how_8372091_post-links-blogger-comments.html

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    1. Yep, ehow and I are going to become good friends. :D

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  4. Haha, don't feel bad, Jennifer! I made the SAME mistake as an author when I started requesting reviews from bloggers - I was very diligent about following their review request requirements to the letter, but then once they accepted, it took me a while to realize that every blogger was taking the time to gather all that book/author info for their post off random places on the internet - and meanwhile I had it all handy right here!!! Once that clicked, I put everything a blogger might need on one page on my website (www.samanthadurante.com/info-for-bloggers/) and now I send them that link whenever I know they're doing a post on me or Stitch to save everyone a little time! Haha, it's funny these obvious little things that we don't realize under after the fact! I felt like such a noob, lol.[-=

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    1. Hey Samantha! You helped me think of something else I wanted to add. Do authors mind if a blogger posts the author's photo and biography from a website like Goodreads underneath the review? Or should the blogger always ask the author first? Most of the time, I ask first, and I always link the information back to the site I got it from, which is usually Goodreads.

      That's really cool of you to send the blogger the links! I would like to give a shout out to Angela Wallace, who gave me links to all of her stuff. :) I never mind gathering the info myself, though. I feel like it's the least I can do! :)

      Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm honored! :D

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  5. Thanks for sharing! I definitely had the same problem with starting out my blog by reviewing books I hadn't read in a good while. Now, as soon as I finish a book if I'm close to my computer (and not out and about!) I will immediately sit down to post my review.

    New GFC Follower

    My FF

    Jessica@Lovin' Los Libros

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    1. Jessica, thanks for following!! :D I've definitely gotta start reviewing books as soon as I finish them. When I'm done reading for the night, I update my progress on Goodreads and add a note or two about how I felt while reading. That's been helping me out a lot lately. :) I'm going to your blog now and will be following you, too. :D

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  6. Hi Jessica! I am now finally following your blog too! I sometimes forget to put Goodreads links even now, but I know it looks better and is easier for my followers . .I still have so much to learn :-( . .
    I don't know how to do 'my FF' thing!!!
    Kirsty @ All in One Place xxx

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    1. Don't worry, I may remember now to put Goodreads links, but I still have a lot to learn, too. Do you mean you aren't sure how to put your FF link in the comments? I didn't, either, if that's what you mean. Read the top comments on this post--Robyn so graciously left a link to eHow that explains how to do it. :) I'm heading to your blog now. :)

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  7. I agree with your FF :D hahah Read more books,love haha

    New GFC follower and Network

    http://lite-rate-ture.blogspot.com/2013/03/feature-and-follow-friday.html#links

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    1. Heck yeah read more books! lol Thanks for following! I love meeting new people. :D I'm a new follower of yours and I also left a comment. :)

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  8. Hi Jennifer! New GFC follower here via the FF. :)

    I'm learning to find images from goodreads and how to link directly back to that. I prefer that than my earliest reviews which had the amazon.com link and the "click to look inside!" swoosh on the top, which is unnecessary IMO. I think my biggest mistake and one I just KEEP ON MAKING is requesting way too much from Netgalley. lol my list is a little long atm. I better get back to reading!

    Looking forward to reading your reviews and chatting with you!

    Tiffany @ A_TiffyFit's Reading Corner

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    1. Hi Tiffany, I want to apologize for taking too long to respond to you! I had a crazy week, but that isn't any excuse.

      I'm a new follower of yours, too. :) I think the "click to look inside" is unnecessary, too; I definitely agree with you. :) I haven't requested from Netgalley yet - what's it like? I've requested many read to review books from a few Goodreads groups, so I've been busy reading and reviewing those. One day if I slow down with my requesting there, I'd like to explore Netgalley. I hear a lot of bloggers go there.

      I'm looking forward to talking with you, too! :D Thanks so much for following!

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  9. Hi Jennifer :) thanks so much for stopping by my blog earlier and chatting with me a bit. I am following you back via GFC and RSS.

    It's a little tricky in the beginning, but really, most of the bloggers (actually, I think ALL) I have met are so helpful in every way.

    Have a nice week!
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews.

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    1. I'm sorry to be getting back with you so late, Lexxie. The week just flew by and got away from me. I didn't even post things when I should have because things were so hectic. I hope next week calms down, lol.

      I agree - every blogger I've met and begun talking to have all been so helpful and friendly. This meme has been a great way to help me break the ice since I'm a bit of a lurker. I've become a lot more active in commenting on posts and talking to fellow bloggers on Twitter. There's so many book lovers out there - I love it!!

      Thanks for stopping by and following me. :D

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  10. Hi, Jennifer. Thanks for stopping my my blog. I'm following you already via GFC. I recently started writing reviews for every book I read. I prefer writing immediately after reading when the everything is still fresh in my head.

    Thanks again! Happy Reading! :)

    Kaykay @ The Creative Forum

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    1. Hey again! I'm so sorry it's taken me a week to get back with you. I really try my best to respond right away; this week just got away from me.

      I'm starting to write some thoughts about my books when I update my status on Goodreads, and it's been helping me a lot when I'm ready to write the review. I've definitely begun writing right after I finish reading, or else I struggle to write the best review I can, which is the goal. :) Thanks for stopping by! :D

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