Saturday 21 February 2015

It's Time to Talk Blog Again

 

A few days ago, my friend, La La in the Library, suggested I write a post about blog fonts, print size, and readability. So that's what I'm doing!

Funnily enough, this is a subject I have more than enough to say on. I have so many feelings about these things. Let's get into it.

Blog Fonts

A common mistake for beginning blog designers and even some more experienced ones, is to give blogs super fancy fonts.

Unfortunately though, most fancy fonts are unreadable. They're too curly or loopy or whatever. Sadly this puts readers off what you're actually writing.

Your posts might be amazing, but people like me won't even attempt to read you blog if you have a too fancy font!
I do understand why you would want to use these fonts though, but instead of using them on your blog, trying using them on your pictures, in titles or special details of your blog, but not on the main part of your blog, because that's where you want people to read!

Print Size
 
So this is another very important part of designing your blog. It's not quite so badly misunderstood, but there are still those blogs out there who get this completely wrong.
 
When you're trying to pick the print size of your blog, there are too extremes: super small and super LARGE!!!
 
The problem with having a too small print size is that it get's far too dense and you need really good eyesight to read it. Isn't this much harder to read than what your were just reading? See my point?
 
On the other hand, don't make it too big. That way it takes up too much room on the page and readers have to scroll on forever. Can you imagine what it'd be like if I wrote a whole post like this? Reading a long post like that would take forever.
 
So try to get something in between, don't go too large and don't go too small. Try to remember what it'll look like on other computers as well. Everyone's screen is a different size and shape, just keep that in your mind.
 
Readability
 
There are only a few other things to think about when talking about readability is: paragraphing, image placing and abbreviations and editing.
 
Paragraphing: This is something that often seems to be thrown out the door, but is really super important in your blog. If you write everything with no paragraphs it's really dense and hard to read, where as if you wrote this paragraphs it turns into a nice light easy read.
 
Another thing to think about is how long your paragraphs are? The longer the paragraph, the harder to read. Ask yourself, could this be shorter? Should bits of it be in another paragraph?
 
Taking just a little bit more time will do a massive bit to help your blog!
 
Image placing: This always bugs me. It's something really simple, but no one seems to pay any attention to it.
 
When placing your images, try to leave some space in between it and the words. Also, when images straight after each other, make sure there is a gap, otherwise the images seem to blend into each other.
 
Abbreviations (i.e LOL, JK, OMG): You might think yourself super cool for using them, but please don't! Think about if future generations, way in the future read it. Do you think they'll understand all the abbreviations?
 
Everyone wants they're words to live on, so try to write everything so that they'll be able to understand it.
 
Also, even I have a hard time getting my head around some of the abbreviations, so not only will you puzzle the future, but also your readers.
 
Just keep that in mind. And while talking about this, can I mention emoji's (?). For some reason, finding these in posts really annoys me. It ruins the look of everything.
 
I use them while commenting and everything, but if you've noticed, never in my posts. I've thought about using them, but if people need them to know what you mean, there is something wrong with your writing.
 
You don't need them in a post and they ruin the look. You can use them, but I personally don't like to. I know some people do though, so it's personal preference.
 
 Editing: this one is short and simple. Reread posts at least three times before publishing, if not more. Make sure you've gotten it as close to perfect as you can.
 
There is a big difference between an edited post and one that isn't. So take that time!
 
Well that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed this and I didn't offend you. I'm so sorry if I did. And once again, I didn't mean to preach so if it came across like that, I'm sorry!
 
If there is a post you'd like me to write, please tell me either in a comment or over on twitter. I'll try to write it as best I can for you! For now, write strong.
 -Kat

34 comments :

  1. Well these are pretty good tips for a writing blog :)
    I will try to remember these in future.

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  2. Ha ha ha, the size of the font in your "too big" example is about the size of mine! Lol. I agree with keeping the fancy-scrolly-loopy-frilly-viney fonts to post titles and image captions. Another thing I have come across is not enough contrast between post background and print color. There are two blogs I really like, but rarely read because the background and print are nearly the same color! I preview my posts twice and then read though once after posting and still, just like yesterday, I will get a comment on an older post where I reread the post to refresh my memory, and there will be a BLAZINGLY OBVIOUS typo screaming at me. Ugh. My feature/meme posts are casual and conversational so I will sometimes LOL or OMG, but never in reviews or interviews. Thanks for the post. Maybe I should go lessen my font size. ;)

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    1. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you! I didn't think about how many people I'd upset by writing this!
      Print colour and background colour being the same colour is the worst mistake ever. It annoys me so much! I hate it when you can't read people's blogs properly.

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  3. These are great tips—and unfortunately I see them broken all too often. Ah, well. We all have room to grow (even me; I'll see what I can do). Anyway, great ideas!

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you got something from it. I wasn't pointing fingers at anyone. Everyone has a different view on things, this is just mine.

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  4. This is a great post! :) I realise I may have to make some changes to my blog aha...

    x Cloudy Dreams

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    1. Thank you! I didn't mean to tell you needed to change, they're just a few thoughts.

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  5. Thanks for the tips, esp the abbreviations one! I've gotten to the habit of breaking up paragraphs, because I used to have real chunky ones that made me look like I never took a breath. :')

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    1. Using abbreviations is something everyone disagrees on. I personally think it's messy, but other people love it.

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  6. This post was really helpful Another thing I would recommend is to not use bright neon colors for the font color of the posts. Makes it a bit hard to read. When I started out blogging, I kinda broke the rule for squiggly fonts ;)

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    1. Oh good idea! I didn't think of that one, but then again I've only ever used black or grey font colour.

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  7. You've got some good points in here. It personally bugs me a great deal when someone's font is anything other than Veranda/Ariel or Garamond/Times New Roman.

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    1. Thank you!
      Those fonts are definitely the best ones if you want people to be able to read your writing.

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  8. YAASSS >.< Great post girlie <3

    - B
    xxxxxx

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  9. These are such wonderful tips. A couple of fairly new blogs I read have bright colored fonts and it is sooo hard to read! (Admit it, we all played around with the "Template" design in blogger when we first started)

    ~Noor

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    1. I've learnt so much since I first started blogging. When you're still starting out, there is nothing more tempting then playing about with the design.

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  10. These are all great tips... Ones that I had to learn when I started blogging. No one in my school or anyone that I knew in real life had a blog, so I had to learn things the hard way. My blog used to beba giant mess of everything you said, minus the abbreviations. I wonder how the future generation is going to act of we start using "LOL, TTYL" etc. My dad uses terms he learned in the 70s, and I'm all like, "Does not computer. Does not compute." But hey, I think we are going to be a weird generation of parents, naming our kids after YA heroes/heroines; most moms will have lived and breathed the fangirl stage.

    xoxo Morning

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    1. No one besides my family knows I blog and even they don't read what I write.
      We are a funny generation. My dad used that same phrase! I've kinda picked it up though, ahaha:)

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  11. Also P.S. Do you know how people (or can you imagine people) and how they would react when you tell them that you have a blog and they're reading it? Someone in my life who knows about me blogging accidentally slipped into telling someone from my school during parent/teacher conferences and I'm hyperventilating... Most like they will have forgotten by now, but I don't think I'm read to share with the whole wide world that I blog, and when they do stumble upon it, they're going to think I'm weird, mainly because my demeanor at school is all so quiet and cold, and them on my blog, I'm there taking foodie photos and saying, "Look! I ate a spicy hot quesidilla! The fire and burning and suffering of the burn isn't as bad as the agony I feel about the OTPs of Lunar Chronicles! *sings Agony here*" (Which relates back to your post; would people understand OTP? Hmm...)

    xoxo Morning

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    1. If anyone in real life my blog, I'd die of embarrassment. It's different having blogging friends reading it then people who know you. I think if the people in my real life saw my blog there view would of me would completely change!
      I must admit, some slang I don't mind on blogging, such as WIP. But I do try to explain it when I do use them so people know what I'm talking about. But it's much easier than writing 'Work In Progress' all the time.

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  12. Excellent tips, Kat! I can't stand the overly fancy fonts.. And when I have to highlight text to be able to read it clearly.. I tend not to get very far into posts like that. Even if the content is great. And yes—pictures are so often overlooked! Which is strange, as most everyone knows how much they add to a post. Font sizes can be irritating, but I have slightly more tolerance for that as I have personal experience with template font problems lol. My current template by default has extremely small text, so I have to enlarge it a bit more than I'd like. And typos. Don't even get me started on typos.

    Wonderful job on this post. Also, I'm in with love your blog design!

    ~Eve
    Edge of Night

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    1. Thank you! Overly fancy fonts make me so mad when I can't read them, especially when so many brilliant writers uses them.
      Front sizes is something that I'm a little more understanding about because of that very reason. Sometimes people can't help it. Sometimes my font size goes funny, like bits will be smaller than others and I have no idea what to do about it!

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  13. This is super true!! I had font problems when I started blogging! haha!
    This is all super good to keep in mind :)

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    1. I think just about everyone has:P
      Thanks for reading:)

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  14. Nice list, and I agree with everything you said. :) I use emoji's in 'simpler' posts sometimes, but I still agree with what you said about them. Oh, and I wanted to ask, what font size do you use?
    xox

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    1. My font size is 12px and I use 'Normal' in the post edit. I hope that helps you:)

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  15. Love this! I totally agree. ♥

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  16. This was very helpful! And so true as well, if I may add. I made lots of these mistakes when I was first starting out, and I only wish that I had this handy, dandy post back in the day (my goodness, this makes me sound old hahah). Anyways, thank you for sharing your thoughts and blogging tips! xx.

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    1. I'm glad you agree! I was crazy about the weird fonts when I started, take a look at my old posts and you'll see just how I loved them. I don't use them that often anymore though.

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  17. These are such good tips! It gets really annoying when you love someone's writing but their font is super fancy.
    I had a serious problem with this stuff when I first started. It was bad...
    -Lauren <3

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    1. Thank you! I know the feeling,like why?! WHY?!

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