We’ve all come to the place where our fingers itch to “improve” our blogs. After all, we blog wherever we are- at work, in transit, shopping, even sitting in the cinema, when advertisements begin their infernal roll. Our minds constantly return to the blog; more specifically, the concoction of the next post.
Those bloggers who say, “I don’t care if my blog is read or not”, are really kidding themselves. They obviously care enough to put it in so many words. Therefore, I shall unshamedly state that yes, I do care about my readers.
My readership is still a paltry number, though. Compared to giants like MereIslam or Deenport, I am a mere gadfly.
It was demoralizing at first, but at some point, something in my mind clicked. It was more a self-affirmation, and it went like this: I care more for what I write than for maintaining a large fan base.
I use the term ‘fan’ loosely, of course. Some will no doubt leave this blog with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Have I digressed enough? I was going to talk about itchy fingers, yes? Listen, I know that my blog is criminally simple, as most blogs go. There is a distinct lack of graphics and animated gifs. No fancy features like blogrolling, piped-in news snippets and the requisite tagboard that adorns most other blogs. Plus, the layout and fonts seem all wrong…so gasp old school.
I am old school, truth be told. So whenever the itch to improve hits me- that is, a voice nags at me to add an arabesque background, throw in a Flash game or two in the sidebar- I pause. Two words come to me- dial up.
Yes, believe it or not, there still exists a significant portion of Internet users whose only access into the World Wide Web is through a crackly and snail-paced phone line. I don’t want them to wait forever for my blog to load.
I also convince myself- though I am only halfway there- that a good looking blog might distract me from the real meat. I am neither an aesthetic person like Shaik Abdul Khafid, nor what I’d call a life-conscientious person like UmmZaid.
So without being too apologetic, I shall maintain this blog’s simplicity and pray that you like things just the way they are.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
I only started following your blog a couple months ago, but I have quickly become a “fan” of yours. You have some really informative posts here. So do keep it simple!
How true!
Totally agree with you. A lot of the blogs attract readers with many fancy, flashy items (including me, to certain extend). However, unlike writing a worthwhile content, the attractiveness eventually dies down if there’s no improvement (i.e. in a fashionable sense).
Blogging for content is unique and hard to come by. Despite its plainness, blogging for content is what keeps readers coming back for more and keeping a fan base. Your blog is one of a kind I’ve ever seen.
Keep up the good work!