It used to be that the first thing I did every morning was to visit Google Reader. It has not been the case for a long time. With Twitter and Facebook, it seems that I, as many people, relied less and less on my RSS subscriptions. I think it is a mistake because we are missing out on great stories. We need a balance between the random finds on Twitter from the people we follow and the insights of blogs we trust. This is why I decided to go back, after I made some changes to my subscriptions.

Why did I stop in the first place?

The problem with my RSS subscriptions was that it was out of control. It grew by 1000 posts a day. I did some Spring cleaning. I dusted off the blogs that I do not feel are relevant to me. I plan to continue to purge blogs as I go to maintain the number of daily posts at a manageable level.

Too many posts is the reason that people quit their RSS. Look at the statement that Apartment Therapy published last week. They acknowledged that they were writing too many posts. They cut it down to 40 posts a day, which is still a lot to read.

Use Twitter, Facebook and Your Blog as a team

Look at when a tweet and/or a note on your fan page can be enough information for your readers. Then, use your blog as a way to expand on or to introduce fresh ideas. Explore how they can work together to enhance the level of relevant information you provide to your readers.

What about you? Are you still using a RSS reader?

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Internet Explorer 6 is a very old (it was released in 2001) and buggy browser that caused and is still causing many headaches to Web developers. I took the decision to not support Explorer 6 when I started my At Home blog in 2007. I did it before You Tube, Google and many other mass market sites decided to phase out the support of IE6. In fact, I never checked to see what my blogs look like in IE6.

I still refuse it today even though a WP tool would ease the pain in supporting IE6 for my blogs. I take this stand because I believe that we should promote technological advancements. Supporting  IE6 would be against my principles.

Before you make a decision, check out your statistics on Google Analytics. I checked this morning and, to my surprise, 15% of readers viewed my site with IE6. Still their average time on site and page views are slightly lower (only 2 and 6% lower) than the average for the site. I guess my IE6 readers are used to see it the way it is. These statistics reinforce the fact that the extra work to supporting IE would be a waste.

March 24th, 2010 update: After I wrote this and my husband showed me my blog on IE6. The glitches are so little that I know why it does not impact the visitors.

+ photo: IE6′s slowly death on PC World

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Before you choose a blog template, consider form and function. Keep in mind that the Web is evolving all the time and we are always experimenting with new ways to display our content. And remember that content is king. The blog design is there to enhance your content, to provide a good experience to your readers and to convey what your brand/blog stands for.

Based on my experience and what I see in the blogosphere as of autumn 2009, I feel that:

1. Pictures sell. The trend is to go with bigger images. Aim for 500 pixels in width.
2. The the blog is becoming the hub of your social media activities. The blog layout is morphing and designers are experimenting with different options. There are no clear winner at this point. The multimedia blog template is an option. But clearly, we look for what will replace the magazine layout and the classic blog layout for your home page.
3. Make sure to display where to find you on other social media sites. Put a link to your Flickr and You tube account, a Follow me on Twitter link or a Twitter widget. The Fan box from Facebook works well to grow your fan base. You must leverage your participation in social networking sites.
4. Make sure your posts display well in Facebook when people add the link to their profile. You want to show the title, show the contextual picture and display the first sentences of your post. Click here for explanations. Any blogger should leverage the power of popular social networking sites to grow their traffic.
5. Assume that your readers use a screen resolution of at least 1024×768. On at my At Home blog, I get less than 2% of my readers with a 800×600 screen resolution or lower.
6. If you still prefer the classic blog layout (no harm in that), opt for a 2-column design since it allows your content to breathe. Allow a content column of 500 pixels or more to publish big pictures and properly embed You Tube videos. To give you an idea, the white section of my blog measures 1002 pixels in width.
7. If you publish many posts per week, display blog excerpts on your home page. This way, if a reader is not interested by the first post, you may grab his or her attention with the second or third post.

Make your Image Google-friendly

Do not forget to fill a short description of what the picture represents, think of describing the scene on the ALT attribute of the image. I am telling you, it makes a huge difference. As a bonus, putting ALT attribute helps on accessibility.

+ photo: Aperture multimedia blog template from WooThemes

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It is not really a surprising news if you ask me. First of all, I told you about the female Internet in autumn 2008. At the time, I reported that Women’s community was the most visited and fastest growing Internet category, tied with politics according to ComScore Media Metrix’s year-end report.

I attributed these statistics to the fact that women are the ones who typically lead conversations, share information amongst themselves and create relationships with their peers. This is basically what social media is all about. What surprised me is what age groups haves the most users. As you can see, it is either 35 to 44 years old or 45 to 55 years old.

I added the more popular age group on the graph produced by Information is Beautiful. The data were compiled by Brian Solis.

+ via a tweet by Miss Rogue

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The New Times published an article today about the fact that party hosts and some bars are starting to request no twittering, no blogging, and no photos. I agree with their concerns.

With the capability of uploading our pictures, updating our status and to publish all the time on social network sites, we need to use judgment about what is appropriate to put online or not. As adults, we must consider others’ view on privacy; not just our own.

I love and live in social media. But I also believe that we must keep a line between our private life and our public life. It is not just for you that you must censor what you put online; it is mostly for my friends and family. Not everyone wishes to participate in social networks.

Different Events, Different Venues, Different Rules

This is a lot to take into consideration. The proper code of etiquette is still in the making. Obeying a few basic rules keeps it simple.

Social media conferences encourage video recordings of the entire session, blogging and twittering. It is a given that you can publish your content without asking. But what about when you are in a restaurant, in a bar or when you are invited at a party at a friend’s house?

It is rare to get great shots in a dark bar with a phone camera. Asking your friends if they are OK with you posting the pictures with your phone in the middle of the party is not enough. Your friends may regret it the next morning. It may just be because they may not like the idea that we see them in a bar drinking and dancing. How many of you, have friends requesting that you untag them?

When you go to a party, upload the pictures the next day. You can better judge sitting at home than in the middle of a party. My rule of thumb is to take pictures at the start of the party. Then, forget about your camera.

Family affairs and parties at a friend’s house is generally off-limits. Even a quiet brunch party can be a problem. First, the host may not want to show off their house publicly. I always keep these pictures off the grid. The same is true for a wedding or a birthday celebration, even if they are happening on a public space.

As we continue to use social network sites, the etiquette will mature, will become more universal and will evolve with what we, as a society, feel comfortable with.

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Here are my Top 5 trends. They are the ones I prefer.

1. Magazine Layout

I talked about it before: The magazine layout has invaded the blogosphere. We see the Web borrowing for the print media practices at a time where the newspapers are in crisis. I am thinking of moving to this format for At Home with Kim Vallee. I feel it will fit better my content.

2. Featured Post Carousels

This is on my must-have list for my blog revamp. I like them for my featured stories, especially when used with transparency effects. The carousel is cool because they highlight well the content. Moreover, a simple click brings your users to the story. I will tell more on how to create one once I implemented mine.

3. Letterpress

The letterpress writing is hot for logo and menu. With the revival of letterpress printing for stationery, it makes that at some times it will invade the Web. I am simply amazed that it took so long for this trend to catch up online.

4. Embellishments

I gather all embellishments together. I saw pretty grungy Web design over 2008. Ideal for the crafting world and the artists are the collage effect. I still like  the vintage/retro look, although it has been around for a while now. I guess people likes the comforting vibe they infuse. The wood background was also present on many blogs in 2008. Before you opt for any embellishments, make sure they support your branding.

5. Playing Out with the Typography

The large font trend continues. This is something that you can easily integrate in any blog.

Typography makes a huge impact on a document. Some designers experiment with new technology for font replacement but it is not full proof yet. So I will stay away until then. If you are interested by the subject, read this informative post by Mike Davidson on sIFR.

Read more trends for 2009 in the excellent Smashing magazine.

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Another interesting fact is that online acquaintances are perceived by most as real acquaintances. I do that when I talk to people about my best online friends.

Germans are more likely to organize something to meet in person their online friends. This is also a behavior change that occurred with me. When I travel or if I know a blogger that I follow is coming to Montreal, I try to see if we can meet for a coffee or a drink.

+ Via BBC News

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