Re: Blogger and Garden Blogs

**D* G* <d*@kos.net>**

On 12/18/07 12:16 PM, "Graham Rice" <garden@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:

> 
> BTW In reference to your earlier comments about subscribing... Do you
> think my one "Subscribe to this blog's feed" at the top right is
> sufficient (+ the email subscription box lower down) or do you think
> that all the individual readers should have their icons/links in the
> sidebar? Sorry... that's more of a personal question.. but your
> answer might help everyone.

Graham - This might be more than you're asking...

You are using two distinct systems on your blog.  The typepad RSS feed and
the feedburner email system.  This would confuse me when it came time to do
the analysis of readers preferences etc.  But perhaps the typepad feed gives
you good stats (I've never messed about with Typepad)

I use feedburner for both email and rss feed.  That way all the stats are
equally confusing :-) but I only have to go to one place to find the
numbers.  I was using google analytics but I found that to be overkill for
what I want/need/use.

My preference - you can see it at work at http://blog.douggreensgarden.com/
is to put all my subscription data together and in a "hot spot" on the page.
It might work slightly better on the left (that being a hotter spot) but I
have that spot reserved for navbars to more critical links.   As a note re
page design,  the blog is on a brand new subdomain and I'm just drawing up
the contracts now for finding a designer to integrate Wordpress into the
domain graphics (translation - the site is ugly but should improve
relatively shortly)

I trust you have google search hooked into your adsense account but I'd be
examining the income statement to see if it was making  enough money to be
in that top/hot position.  If not, I'd get rid of it to lower down and get
those subscriptions and steady customers. (remember that adsense takes away
from your readership not adding to it)  Given the vast majority of readers
never get past the first page, I don't bother with search on my blogs. Those
that do know how to navigate and my page system will bring them to the main
posts (when it's implemented) :-)

I like using Feedburner's universal subscription system because it will
recognize the different feed systems and readers and tailor the feed to that
system.  (That's the large subscription symbol) I do put the google and
yahoo readers up there individually because those are two very large
readership numbers. But I wouldn't go past those two as my numbers don't
warrant it and extra subscription graphics just clog/clutters up the space.
Yours might so I'd take a look at who is subscribing and tailor it to that
(or play around and see if you can increase numbers by adding graphics)

My view of blog subscribers is that bloggers know what all the symbols mean.
Most other gardeners will simply use the email system.  I want to make it
simple for these people to subscribe; they're my target audience.

Bottom line - if it were mine, I'd only use one system to make the stats
package easier to read/use.  And I'd make the sub link/area easy to see at
the top and find in one spot with nothing between them.

But that's my .02 from testing on my pages.  Your target audience and
results may and probably would vary from that.  I hope I at least came close
to your question.

Doug

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