# Why Bother to Blog?



## DavyS

I am new to this blog business but thought I would give it a try.
So I set up a Google Blogger site and added our Exmoor trip. In about 5 months it has been seen by about 1450 people but no one has bothered to add a comment.
I then Googled other blogs, found really excellent ones - but again most had no comments.
So why post a blog?
Maybe blogs are only worth while if you have an existing community of motorhoming friends and you can all share experiences and add comments like "knowing you John, I bet you enjoyed that wine!" Otherwise dont bother?


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## Penquin

I started about three years ago and found it time consuming and not particularly rewarding - the total number of views was not great and I came to the conclusion that my efforts were not worthwhile, so I did not bother to continue.....

I tried to get back onto WordPress where it was based and it appears to no longer exist as I cannot log in - "no such account" or similar - so I thought that illustrates to me that trying to go back and revisit is not worth the effort.....

So, I will not be bothering to spend the not inconsiderable amount of time writing and adding pictures - there are better ways of spending my time I believe....

Dave


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## 747

I suppose that a good blog is a boon to lazy people.

Some appear to be excellent pieces of work and others appear to be as boring as ****. >

Me? ....... I just scribble notes on the back of *** packets. >


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## listerdiesel

I think that 'expecting' responses is probably the wrong way to go at it.

We have a very large website of over 10500 pages, but the feedback is very low, despite high visitor traffic.

Most internet users are looking for information, not to get into an email conversation about a blog, so don't worry about it, just update it (as I am doing with mine tonight) and enjoy the occasional appreciative email or technical query.

Peter


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## homenaway

Hi,

I've put together our website for about fifteen years now and still add to it every few months:

motorhome and away

It started as a project when I did a web design course many years ago using MS FrontPage -a very old version.

On average I get about two emails a month some wanting to add paid for content or other services but also genuine enquiries from motorhomers in Australia etc as well as from Europe and the UK.

I decided at the start to not have advertising but added a Paypal donate button and have received about £20 in all these years - it costs about £40 a year to have it hosted!

Nowadays I use the free Kompozer software to add pages and do updates and taught myself CSS so it's not cutting edge.

There are some well known blogs/websites such as Addie's from Motorhome wifi and the Williamson's Magbaz travels, and of course Barry's entertaining writings, but I admit I don't often check them out.

If anyone wants to add a link to their musings on my website let me know and I'll add it if I think it's topical.

Steve


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## Geriatricbackpacker

I wrote a blog when we traveled India and when we are traveling in the motorhome, it is read by family and friends and probably nobody else.For 10 years it was primarily our way of communicating when we are away and saves having to show the hundreds of photos when we return home. However the advent of Skype has seen even our grandchildren (5 and 7) leaving messages or calling us for an update. As a result I'm going to be knocking the blog on the head, it takes an age to compile and that is time I can devote to doing the writing I enjoy best, my books.


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## ChrisandJohn

We've done a blog for a few years now. It's about anything we want to put up, so includes lots about motorhome trips and the garden but it could just be a photo of a pile of logs that have just been delivered. It's for family and friends and also a sort of record for us of what we've been doing. Sometimes we get lax about it and then we get the comments, but they're verbal ones. 'Why haven't you blogged anything lately?' 


Chris


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## Pudsey_Bear

I prefer to read post on here, someone constantly started a thread and it continued in a blog, I just stopped reading their posts as they appeared to be counting visits rather than imparting anything worth reading, some blogs are good some not, but I've never commented on any.


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## Geriatricbackpacker

We went away with some friends to Italy and they wanted me to include them in the blog. I could only write it when we were on the trains between cities, "Takes a long time doesn't it?" was their reaction. 

It helped me with the research for a novel as it involved lots of different places and temples in India (write what you know about) and recorded our initial reactions to train travel, hotels and the poverty. 

Also helps settles arguments regarding where we have stopped in the motorhome (I can never the remember the names of the towns, cities or beaches). Mrs GB keeps a travel diary when we are in the van and that has become more comprehensive each year and will take the place of the blog as an aid memoire.


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## barryd

There are several reasons as far as I see it. When I started "proper" motorhoming in 2008 I started www.hankthetank.co.uk but have kind of lost my way with it in the last two years. This thread has prompted me to get back on the horse and continue my ramblings for two reasons really. Firstly I cannot remember where I went last year half the time as my memory is terrible so it's a good way of recording what you did. "Oh where was that really nice Aire?" or "What was the name of that town you got arrested in in 2013 etc?" . Also though (and this is not the reason I do it) people do read them once they get known and I have had comments and emails from readers all over the world. In one of them (2011 or 12 I think) I took the p1ss out of the Swiss and I got an email from a Swiss person. I was a bit worried but he emailed me to say how funny he thought it was.

Mine are not really that helpful in a factual way but just my take on things really although last year I did produce a factual guide to the Pyrenees which at least one member has used this year as well as a guide to motorhoming for boaters. Both available in the downloads section of my site and somewhere on here or at least they were. If you want comments and feedback you need to publicise it on the forums. Put the address in your signature and dont be afraid to mention it on all the forums. I have found though that its only us motorhomers that are interested. My family and friends are just not bothered and never read it. Then again I never speak to most of them in the real world anyway. 

There are some good ones out there and one I Really enjoyed were Catherine and Chris's three year European tour www.theworldisourlobster.com which was faithfully submitted by Catherine every Friday for three years without fail. It became well known in the motorhome blogging world and she has even written articles for many of the motorhome publications. I pride myself that I feature in one of her blogs where after a drunken evening in the Dordogne I managed to cut a hole in one of their plates cutting a steak (Wedding gift  ) and trashed their barbecue. 

Do it for yourself and if you enjoy it keep doing it.

Right! Note to self. Write 2014 and 2015 over the winter when I get back home!!!!


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## Spacerunner

I've always likened blogs to photo albums.
They are obviously important to the owners but of limited interest to the victi.....err audience.


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## peedee

I started mine in 2000, mainly because I used to get quite a lot of requests for information about disabled facilities and also as a learning tool. Like Barryd it is mainly my own diary these days and helps out the memory. I have been flagging a bit lately but do try and add anything relevent when I have time.
peedee


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## EJB

I have links to a few blogs....Frank...Peedee....MagBaz.....Russia....Langdale (VW Camper) and a few more.
I do lots of research before every main trip (2 a year) but to read a real life experience is priceless.
Thanks to those who bother:wink2::grin2:


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## Geriatricbackpacker

Mine are not really that helpful in a factual way but just my take on things really although last year *I did produce a factual guide to the Pyrenees which at least one member has used this year as well as a guide to motorhoming for boaters.* Both available in the downloads section of my site and somewhere on here or at least they were.

That member has never been seen or heard of again...


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## GEMMY

Geriatricbackpacker said:


> Mine are not really that helpful in a factual way but just my take on things really although last year
> 
> *did produce a guide to motorhoming for boaters.*.
> 
> That member has never been seen or heard of again...


Like it:laugh:

tony


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## nicholsong

I keep a diary of travels - handwritten. Maybe I will start a blog as I often cannot read my writing/abbreviations>

I wonder if HMRC read them and add up what you have spent on the MH, spares, diesel, tolls, sites etc. and compare it against declared income:wink2:

Geoff


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## Landyman

The memsahib has written a 'Ships Log' in a notebook for years but when I first started using an iPad I enjoyed experimenting with the Pages templates and started writing my own log but with photos included.
Some old tugger friends saw what I had done and said they would like to read more about the places and sites we had been to so I thought about going on-line so that friends and family could see where we were.
The blog is really for us to be able to look back on our holidays and remember where we where because, like Barry, my memory is terrible.
It's quite nice on a cold winters day to read through those summer adventures and remember all the lovely places we have been.

With luck it will also help others with details of places to go, aires to stay at and a few photos of those places.
What amazes me is that my blog has had nearly 16k views from well over 5k people from about 50 countries. Who would have thought it?
It is a bit of a bind sometimes to sit and write and fiddle with the photos but if the blog gets lots of views and nice comments it makes it worthwhile. When the number of views dry up so will I.

Richard.


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## bognormike

I started mine as a way of showing friends & family what I was up to on my own after Viv died, after we had kept a manual "captain's log" of nights away since we started. I use it for trips other than in the motorhome as well. It's a bit of a bind to produce sometimes, as adding pictures is not so easy to do in Blogger, I would like to get the thing set up off-line so I can do things as we go along, and then update it when a connection is availabe, How do others cope with that?


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## bognormike

oh, and I do a post on my facebook page with a link to my blog so my FB friends can see when it's been updated. And of course I have the link in my signature on here........


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## mcpezza

I started our blog because I wanted to find out how, when and why you could create traffic to a website with a commercial venture in mind. As we were new to Motorhoming at that time, this became the natural choice for content.

Like BarryD, it has also served as a "diary" to refer back to, aiding a failing and confused memory. Interestingly, the occasional tech review is the most read parts of the blog so I am splitting this part off into a separate venture which will be going live in the next couple of weeks. Blogging does take up a certain amount of time to write, agreed, but I often find out more about a topic or place researching, checking spelling of names etc.

The blog stats also help us to know what the weather is like back home when we are travelling. Wet weather means bigger page hits and why does everyone want to read a blog at 6.00pm on a Sunday evening? The traffic peaks at this time most weeks.

Like anything, some like to do it, some don't, most don't care.

Mike

PS. Must write up the summer trips.


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## Landyman

bognormike said:


> I started mine as a way of showing friends & family what I was up to on my own after Viv died, after we had kept a manual "captain's log" of nights away since we started. I use it for trips other than in the motorhome as well. It's a bit of a bind to produce sometimes, as adding pictures is not so easy to do in Blogger, I would like to get the thing set up off-line so I can do things as we go along, and then update it when a connection is availabe, How do others cope with that?


I take the laptop with us in the van so I can tap away on that and do the writing bit as we travel. Photos are uploaded from the cameras SD card and edited then reduced in size to a max of 600 pixels wide so that they upload quickly.

The problem is that I get so laid back when we are in the van I just can't be bothered to get down to writing so it tends to wait until we are home and have a wet day.

Once the writing and pictures are done it is quick to copy and paste then upload to Wordpress even though it is ancient history by that time. :surprise:

Richard.


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## peedee

bognormike said:


> It's a bit of a bind to produce sometimes, as adding pictures is not so easy to do in Blogger, I would like to get the thing set up off-line so I can do things as we go along, and then update it when a connection is availabe, How do others cope with that?


I use word then convert that to html and tart it up. I maintain a copy of my web site on my hard drive so I can do everything off line then transfer it to my host, when satisfied, using a FTP App. You can also edit the html off line using the text editor.
peedee


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## listerdiesel

I use 40Tude, a programme by a guy called Marcus Moennig who did a few of these HTML editors.

I have over 10000 pages on the website and it is mirrored in the USA on Oldengine.org, so I have two sites to look after, plus the company stuff and our forum.

WS_FTP-Pro is what I use for file transfer, a really old version but it works in Win8.1.

Peter


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## Spacerunner

:laughing1:See what I mean? My eyes are already glazing over.
Surely there is a www.blogfacts.com where there is a much greater audience to bore the pants off.


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## HermanHymer

Anyone know the St Thomas Group DISC profiling system?

For the benefit of those who are not familiar, it is used commercially for job specs and matching suitable personal profiles. 

It measures:
Dominance - how bossy are you?
Influence - how much do you want to influence the world around you?
Steadfastness - do you have staying power to stick with a job even if its boring? 
Compliance - how comfortable are you with sticking to the rules?

Jobs require certain characteristics. An admin person must be lower in D & I and higher in S & C. A call centre agent must be highest in I otherwise they'll be tired of talking to people by 11am.

The relevant one here is Influence. Bloggers are the type of people who score highly in the Influence category. They want to share their stories and their opinions and have them seen by the world.


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## nicholsong

My eyes were glazing over with the Nerdy Techy stuff - now its with the psychological stuff.>

Viv 

I was actually quite amused as I compared DISC profiling with my job as a pilot.

Dominance? Yes as a Captain I was the boss and had the final say.

Influence? Yes I had to influence the rest of the crew to do their job correctly and to look after the passengers.

Steadfasness? Sometimes had to keep going on a long night flight to/from Greece.

Compliance? Yes - the laws of gravity and aerodynamics are quite unforgiving if you do not obey them.


Tuggers could probably write the same.

So, was I fit to be a pilot since I seem to answer yes to all of them? But more on topic, should I Blag, I mean Blog?

Geoff


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## HermanHymer

it's for finding square pegs for square holes...


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## nicholsong

HermanHymer said:


> it's for finding square pegs for square holes...


Then DISC does not fit the bill>


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## HermanHymer

correction .. round pegs, round holes


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## Landyman

One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier posts was that several friends who read my blog are dedicated tuggers.
When I bang on about some of the lovely aires we have been to and the cost (or lack of) they get mighty jealous.
That in itself makes the blog worthwhile and their comments give me endless amusement. >>

Richard.


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## nicholsong

Landyman said:


> One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier posts was that several friends who read my blog are dedicated tuggers.
> When I bang on about some of the lovely aires we have been to and the cost (or lack of) they get mighty jealous.
> That in itself makes the blog worthwhile and their comments give me endless amusement. >>
> 
> Richard.


Richard

It must make them sick when they drive through French villages and see the Aire signs on entry. 8.500 0f them according to CC-infos.

Geoff


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## barryd

nicholsong said:


> Richard
> 
> It must make them sick when they drive through French villages and see the Aire signs on entry. 8.500 0f them according to CC-infos.
> 
> Geoff


Ive seen the odd tugger on an Aire though. Especially this time of year as most of the sites are shut. I always think they must be pretty cool (well apart from the fact they have a caravan). 

Ive even seen tents on Aires if they are grassy. Mrs D thinks I should get a tent and give it a go.


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## HermanHymer

nicholsong said:


> My eyes were glazing over with the Nerdy Techy stuff - now its with the psychological stuff.>
> 
> Viv
> 
> I was actually quite amused as I compared DISC profiling with my job as a pilot.
> 
> Dominance? Yes as a Captain I was the boss and had the final say.
> 
> Influence? Yes I had to influence the rest of the crew to do their job correctly and to look after the passengers.
> 
> Steadfasness? Sometimes had to keep going on a long night flight to/from Greece.
> 
> Compliance? Yes - the laws of gravity and aerodynamics are quite unforgiving if you do not obey them.
> 
> Tuggers could probably write the same.
> 
> So, was I fit to be a pilot since I seem to answer yes to all of them? But more on topic, should I Blag, I mean Blog?
> 
> Geoff


Yes, pilots are control freaks (I'm told) and a high score in all fields is rare - hence the strict entry criteria. From observation, I'm sure you have a high I. Low I's would rather have their eyeballs tattooed than blog.:nerd:


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## HermanHymer

Isn't it miraculous, me in South Africa, Geoff in Poland chatting away as if we were in the same room!

GOTTA book my return flight NOW. Already missed Emirates specials for March, will have to plan for April now.


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## Landyman

nicholsong said:


> Richard
> 
> It must make them sick when they drive through French villages and see the Aire signs on entry. 8.500 0f them according to CC-infos.
> 
> Geoff


I don't miss too many opportunities to rub it in. Really winds them up. >

Richard.


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## barryd

HermanHymer said:


> Isn't it miraculous, me in South Africa, Geoff in Poland chatting away as if we were in the same room!
> 
> GOTTA book my return flight NOW. Already missed Emirates specials for March, will have to plan for April now.


And dont forget me with my feet in the Mediterranean.


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## nicholsong

barryd said:


> And dont forget me with my feet in the Mediterranean.


Just wait till those feet are in the snow in the Auvergne putting on the chains

- living in Teesdale, I assume you have them - at least for the neighbour:wink2:


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## aldra

s***

We don't have them

Now I'm worrying

Which way should we come home through France 

Sandra


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## Spacerunner

aldra said:


> s***
> 
> We don't have them
> 
> Now I'm worrying
> 
> Which way should we come home through France
> 
> Sandra


Catch the ferry from le Have to sunny Portsmouth! :smile2:


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## barryd

Chains!' Don't be daft Geoff. That's what tractors are for. If we get stuck at least we are in a Motorhome. Ill just stock up on beer and cheese before we head up the hills and wait until Spring.

Sandra. Just head up the west side of France, you will be fine. Cut up through Biarritz.


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## aldra

We will be fine

Whatever 

Maybe Santander 

We need to phone on the 27 for the chance of an emergency dogcabin

We need to dump the hound from hell

We need to drive through France 

Who knows 
At least we are free to decide

Change the tunnel ticket

Get home when we please

As long as we cook the Christmas dinner for 16

Sandra


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## koyli

DavyS said:


> I am new to this blog business but thought I would give it a try.
> So I set up a Google Blogger site and added our Exmoor trip. In about 5 months it has been seen by about 1450 people but no one has bothered to add a comment.
> I then Googled other blogs, found really excellent ones - but again most had no comments.
> So why post a blog?
> Maybe blogs are only worth while if you have an existing community of motorhoming friends and you can all share experiences and add comments like "knowing you John, I bet you enjoyed that wine!" Otherwise dont bother?


If its a reply your after poke a bit of fun at someone or say something controversial. Works every time I used to do a club website and did this just to see if people really did read the content it worked I was hit with a tidal wave of feedback. Bottom line don't get hung up


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