Bring IT! What Are Your Blogging Pet Peeves?

Blogging Pet Peeves Bring IT! What Are Your Blogging Pet Peeves?Hello My Lovelies,

Welcome to round 9 of Bring IT!

I had a hard time coming up with a topic for you this week – not because of my lack of ideas but because of my lack of inspiration on each of the ideas I had. I know how that sounds but hear me out.

I’m always inspired to write. And of course, I will choose topics that interest me, that I can learn more from through people’s comments and that I think my readers can benefit from in some way or other.

But here’s the thing…although I have an endless amount of topic ideas for this series, I have to be in the right mood to talk about a certain topic on any given day. Let’s face it, some days you’re in the mood for pizza and others for pasta. But you love both and you could eat both forever but your day’s appetite can crave one more than the other. Simple as that!

Does that ever happen to you? Where you have this brilliant idea for Wednesday but come Tuesday night, you’d rather write about something else?

Well, that’s what happened to me last night. While going through my list of kick-ass ideas for Bring IT! posts, all I could think of was “Mehhh”. I kinda went through something similar last week as well.

My Silly Train of Thought

If you knew the train of thought that lead me to this week’s question, you’d laugh.

You see, I had this dog as a kid (up until I was child of 26) called Cleo. I adored her. She was my baby and my best friend. I know how cliche that sounds but it’s true. I would tell her everything and she actually listened with that sweet confused look of hers. I’d also take her everywhere with me and let me tell you, she was treated like a queen, well…at least much better than I was by every airline stewardess in the world.

Cleo Bring IT! What Are Your Blogging Pet Peeves?

My Baby Cleo Lookin' Cool

There’s something about cute little fluffy dogs that turns people into children. I didn’t even need to smile when I asked for something, I’d just put her on my lap and I had all the bread, nuts and attention that a passenger could ever ask for.

The point of my story is that I was going to relate today’s Bring IT! to my favorite pet – Cleo. And I had this fun idea on how to go about it. And I’ll still do that in an upcoming post :D. But I woke up this morning and while repeating the word “pet” in my head a thousand times it hit me.

Pet Peeves! Tadaaaaa…

And that my fellow friends and bloggers is how Cleo or “Pooter/Tooter” as I use to call her (don’t ask), helped me out once again.

I know I’ve rambled, but you’re still here so it means my rambling was entertaining. And if you think about it, it wouldn’t really be rambling since it’s somewhat coherent so let’s just call it deep thoughts or musings. Ha!

And now that I’ve finally shut up, are you ready to Bring IT!?

Awesome!

I’ll be in the conversation room (otherwise known as comments) waiting for you. I actually wanted to call it my “conversation lair” but I was scared to tread on Mufasa’s ground. The last thing you want to do is mess with a mane’s den – no matter how good of friends you are lol ;).

What Are Your Blogging Pet Peeves?

When you visit a blog, what makes you scratch your head and say, “why on earth would they do that?!” Or even, “why the heck would they not have that?!”

This is your chance to rant on Griddy’s blog so let it all out and tell me what pisses you off or what sort of annoys you.

As for Me…

I’m generally a passive person (and blogger). Umm…kind of.

But I’ve had a few (cough) of those “Huh?” and “WTF!” moments when visiting blogs.

I’ll restrict myself to these because I want YOU to share YOUR pet peeves with me and my fabulous community.

My Huh’s and WTF’s:

  • Not having an About Page/Contact me – Are you kidding me?! Is that not like one of the first rules of blogging?

Okay folks, if I like a blog, I WILL make an effort to connect. And if I don’t know who to connect with and what that person’s about then my interest drops a few notches.

I’m not asking for an entire life story here, just the basics that tell me you’re human. That you’re like me and that you and your blog have a welcoming air of sharing and community.

Oh, and if I can’t see how to contact you, then I won’t! If you can’t be bothered to make it easy for me, then I can’t be bothered either.

  • Crappy or messy design – C’mon! There are like 10,000 different free themes you can use. One of them must be pleasant on the eyes for Pete’s sake.

Okay, I’m not saying that nittyGriddy is a masterpiece – far from it actually. But it’s not too shabby if you ask me. And you know what? I’m using a free theme that I tweaked a bit.

People tend to judge based on appearances. First impressions matter and it will take them but a few seconds to judge your site.

I’m not asking you to invest mad money into a design nor to learn CSS. I didn’t do either of those things. Well, I recently invested peanuts in Headway and a little more on a designer – but it didn’t cost me the skin on my ass. I’m just asking you not to bore me or confuse me.

Keep it simple, keep it clean, but keep it perrrty.

  • No dates on posts – Am I reading something from this century?

This might not be a biggie and I can totally understand why people don’t like to include dates – especially for personal development blogs and such – since the information doesn’t really go out of date. But when I read a blog post that’s recommending Google Buzz to me or some other tool or plugin – I’d love to know when it was written so I can see if it’s still relevant.

Seriously guys, have you seen some of the outdated SEO advice floating around on blogs? I don’t want to be reading the hot new tool from 5 years ago that no longer exists, only to find that out after going through the trouble of looking for it.

I often find myself scrolling through the comments section to see if there’s a time stamp on those. Please don’t make me do that. Thank you.

  • Long-ass paragraphs – I didn’t say posts – I said paragraphs! Jeez!

I realize this post is on the longish side but did you notice the size of my paragraphs? How about the headings that are in bold? I’ve made it easy for you to skim through if that’s all you want to do – although I hope not.

If you expect your readers to stick around and comment, you need to be organized and you need to break it up!

  • No Twitter handle on your Tweet button – If you care about being retweeted then you should care about this.

For the Love of God, please make it easy for me to retweet you. Trust me, it’s in your best interest.

You’ve already made the effort to install the plugin so why not take another 10 seconds to do it properly?

I admit to being pretty good about going out of my way to find your handle and doing it myself (if your post is THAT good), but how long do you think I’ll keep doing that for?

Listen up!

Your Twitter handle and your URL are NOT optional if you have a TweetMeme button of any kind. This rule also applies for all Social Media buttons.

  • Not knowing your name if you comment – The last thing I want to do is call you “Hey there“. I don’t like it and I don’t think it suits you.

If you don’t have a link to your name or your blog or your whatever when you comment on my blog, then please include it in the text somewhere. I don’t care if you invent one or call yourself “the anonymous lover” or “Scoobydoo” – just let me know what to address you as when I reply. Thank you.

  • No email notification for replies – One word for you…ReplyMe.

It’s fine to have a Subscribe to Comments option but some people don’t want to have to get 100 emails in their inbox because of your post while they wait for your reply to their specific comment.

#thatisallihavetosay

Alright, I’ve given you my pet peeves and yes, there are a few more like:

  • Irrelevant ads
  • Misleading titles
  • No search bar
  • No images or credits
  • Light colored text on dark background
  • blah blah blah

But now it’s your turn to rant!

What About You?

What makes you tick?

Let’s hear it! Bring IT!

[image credit: via Yankeegals Cafe]

 

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About the Author

Ingrid Abboud aka 'Griddy' is a whole lot of things with a ridiculous amount of interests. For one, I'm a Social Media enthusiast with a tremendous passion for writing and blogging. I'm also a pretty cool Copywriter but a more serious MarCom Consultant. But most of all, I'm the proud owner and driving force behind nittyGriddy.com - A Kinda Social Media Journal with Net News & more.

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  • http://www.best-gardening-info.com/ Hydroponic Gardening

    I was a little upset by the sales pitch I am really annoyed by the supplementary question.There you go, I knew I had some peeves, it just takes a while for the grey matter to get going these days :-)

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  • sunnyinternational

    I know I’ve rambled, but you are still here so what this means is my rambling was exciting. And if you think about it, it will not really be rambling since it’s somewhat described so we will just get in touch with it greatly thoughts or musings. 

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    Yeah that is annoying when people say that.
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    I know I’ve rambled, but you are still here so this implies my rambling was interesting. And if you think about it, it will not really be rambling since it’s somewhat defined so we will just contact it deeply ideas or musings…………

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     When you visit a blog, what makes you scratch your head and say, “why on earth would they do that?!” Or even, “why the heck would they not have that……….

  • Pingback: It’s Time To Un-Suck Your Blog | Ending The Grind

  • http://www.portlandseo.biz/ portland seo

    Feel free to ramble hear anytime. And much like my introduction to this
    piece – your comment was anything but rambling – but more like musings
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  • http://hajrak.blogspot.com Hajra

    I just go one about this. 
    Having videos that starts automatically, please if I want to see your video I will play it myself. Once I visited a blog and a video just starts playing with awful music, my mom was in the room and she was practically deafened by it, she is fine now and the blog is history!

    Also, not replying to my comments. I am a nice commentator, I spend like 5 minutes thinking and typing out my comment. My fingers and brain demand justice!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Hajra,
      YES! Those frickin’ automatic videos – I know what you mean and Grr…..

      Glad to hear that your mom’s ears are doing well hehe

      As for not replying to comments – that’s a pretty big pet peeve of mine as well. You know, I admit that I’ve been late to replying to people a few times – between the time difference, life getting in the way and keeping up with everything I’m sure we can all relate. But I do make it a point to reply to every comment on this blog! At least I try my best – and in all honestly – I think I’m doing okay when it comes to that. 

      I know what you mean about spending time writing a comment and then having no one acknowledge it! You’ve seen some of my comments by now so I’m sure you know they’re far from being drive-by’s or thoughtless.

      Anyhow, I’m sure I could go on for quite some time on this topic but I will spare you the novel hehehe.

      Hear, hear to justice lol!

      Thanks so much for sharing your peeves Hajra. I appreciate it.

      Have a great Friday.

      Cheers

  • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

    Great post! I learned a lot from reading the great comments here. I’m gonna go right now and run to add “replyme”. Thanks for the suggestion! 😉

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Steve,

      Please forgive the late reply – my bad :(. I’ve been trying to keep up as for some silly reason all my notification emails have been going to the junk folder for the last few weeks – Grrr…..! Trying to fix it but still no luck.

      Glad that some of these comments an suggestions came in handy for you. And yes, the ReplyMe plugin is actually very useful to have – at least I think so and I’m sure quite a few others do as well.

      Hope it works well for you.
      Cheers

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  • http://www.logallot.com Sonia

    Blog design is big for me. If your blog looks like shit, I am frick outta there! I think some people get their kids to tell them how great their website looks (like they would know). Some people are seriously color blind too with the background graphics and loud colors that are used in some blogs. If you use a template, find one that isn’t going to kill my eye sight. Another thing I can’t deal with is searching for their social media buttons or widgets. If I have to hunt for it, that to me spells bad blog design. I am not a fan of blogger and to me those are the worst (no offense), but if done professionally they could look nice. Most I see…look like shit! I can’t forget about “fake ass comments” too!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Sonia,

      SO sorry for the late reply. But I realized that I haven’t been getting any of my nittyGriddy emails and figured something up was up. It seems that for some dumbass reason – they’ve all been going to my junk folder for the last few days Grrr…..

      Annoyed – would be an understatement cause I hate leaving people waiting! So thanks for your patience.

      Blog design is huge for me too. What’s even worse is when you visit a designers blog or website and see that it’s minimal and bland with no creativity whatsoever. For crying out loud – if you’re a designer or have anything to do with website design, creativity and so forth – your site is your resume – it’s part of your social proof that your brain thinks both inside and outside the damn box. I’m not coming to you if I know how to do the same thing as you. I’m coming to you because I need your touch, your expertise, your creativity.

      Phewww…okay – rant over lol!And hear, hear on the color mismatching. Seriously – a second opinion is always good eh? ;)But then again – it’s not like my blog is anything special when it comes to design – but in all honestly – it’s not too shabby either. There’s always room for improvement and that’s what I’m actually doing as we speak.

      Social Media buttons should be the easiest things to find on any post. And they should include a person’s handle so we don’t have to call the frickin’ FBI for help to find them little suckers. IF you want your work shared – make it easy for people.

      As for fake ass comments – don’t get me started! hahaThanks for this fabulous comment and for adding on to the conversation. I appreciate your thoughts here.

      Hope you’re having a great day.

      Cheers

  • http://www.hollandz.com Brad Holland

    EASY – Those Damn Pop-Ups that everyone and their damn dog have..No offense to Cleo.

    http://www.hollandz.com/stop-with-your-pop-up-shit/

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      LOL no offense taken ;). And yes – those damn pop ups are a biggy as well!
      Thanks Brad

  • Pingback: Bring IT! What is Your Blog Posting Schedule? (A Chance to Promote Yourself) | nittyGriddy

  • http://ezratechnologies.com Laura

    Hi there!
    My biggest pet peeves would include the following:
    -people calling themselves gurus and experts…that is probably my number one annoyance
    -tacky designs
    -automated messages on twitter
    -insincere people on twitter
    -people who just try to push their brand only and do not interact like a human on their blogs or any social media source for that matter

    …I’m sure I could go on, but I won’t. 😀

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Laura,
      I apologize for the late reply.
      Thanks for sharing your peeves here – you brought up some excellent ones!

      People calling themselves gurus – I’ve somehow developed a kind of allergic reaction to that word since I started blogging. Gurus, ninja’s, and whatever else. You’re not a guru or an expert until others call you that and refer to you as such – and even then…

      Automated messages – automated DM’s especially – when you follow someone back and you get the whole 140 sales pitch – follow me on Facebook here, Join me on LinkdedIn there, blah blah blah!

      People who don’t interact in social media platforms such as blogs or Twitter – seriously folks it’s called SOCIAL for a reason!

      Awesome additions you made here Laura. Thanks a lot.
      Hope to see you around these parts again soon.
      Cheers

  • http://karate-kids.com.au Sensei Matt Klein

    Wow, this is a popular post, Ingrid! My pet peeve is when you support other blogs in your niche by commenting and participating, but they never once visit your blog and contribute. Don’t worry, you are not in my niche!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Matt,

      That’s a great point actually. At some point – I try my best to visit as many blogs as I can of the folks who take the time to comment here. If I’m interested in what I see and read – then I make the effort to share my 2 cents whether they’re in my niche or not. But of course – there’s only so many blogs I can visit each day but I love discovering new ones.

      BTW – I really enjoyed your article on bullying that served as a guide for parents. Such an important topic and parental awareness is key. Great of you to share that – I’m sure it will come in handy for many – at least I hope.

      Thanks for your comment.
      Cheers

      PS – my apologies for the late reply.

  • http://www.best-web-hosting-companies.com/ Kavya Hari

    Blogging is nothing but to give our own ideas, information on the blog post. And, it would be more helpful to all the folks without any doubts. Thanks a lot for providing great info on here :)

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Kavya,

      Hope these pet peeves in the comments come in handy for you. It’s always good to know our audience and to see what works for some and not for others.

      Thanks for commenting.
      Cheers

  • http://www.blistmarketing.com Brandon Yanofsky

    I agree with no emails for replies. Biggest thing I hate. BIGGEST. I don’t have time to go to every single blog I ever comment on and see if anyone replies to my comments.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      I know how you feel Brandon lol :).
      There’s only so many tabs I can keep open and continue to refresh to see if the author replied. After a while – I give up – so be it!

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. Appreciated.
      Cheers

  • Jodi Alcock

    Hi Griddy, My name is Jodi and this is my first experience with your blog. I applaud your efforts and thank you for writing compelling content that is worth the read. I write a dentistry blog http://blog.drnemeth.com and have a few pet peeves of my own.

    As a blogger, by biggest pet peeve, as you mentioned in your post, is people leaving comments that aren’t so much comments as links to their blogs. Do they think I’m stupid? Do they think I don’t read the comments on my blog? The worst part is, they don’t even bother to pick out blog posts that have anything to do with the link they’re throwing up on my page.

    As a reader of blogs, nothing aggravates me more than interruption advertising. If I have to stop what I’m reading to click “no thanks” to the “buy my book” advertisement that’s made its way across my screen, I’ll stop reading period. Again, it’s insulting to me. If you have to throw an ad in front of my face in order to sell your book, you must not be a very good blogger. If I like what I’m reading, I will explore your blog and find your book and probably buy/download it.

    Anyway, thanks for a great blog post. I found my way to your blog reading Murnahan’s blog and I will now be an avid reader of your blog. Thanks for the great information.

    Jodi Alcock for Joseph R. Nemeth, DDS & Associates

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Jodi and welcome :)

      It’s great to have you here and thanks a lot for stopping by and taking the time to introduce yourself and comment. I’m glad Mark pointed you in my direction :). Very cool.

      First – thank you for what you said. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the content here and I hope you find the feedback in the comments useful.

      I honestly don’t mind people leaving me links to their blogs – it’s a nice way to discover new folks – but if they’re gonna be spammy about it and not take the time to leave something meaningful besides the half-ass drive-by that says “hey, great post” – then it’s gonna’ bug me! I’m not stupid and neither are my readers.

      I can see why people have pop-ups – and I’m okay with it for first time visitors – but after a while it can get annoying. Much like you – if you keep pestering me to buy something or do something – I probably won’t. I’m like a kid who does the opposite of what they’re told to do – if they’re told to do it a hundred times lol. You an have a huge sign on your side bar for all I care – that’s fine – you should be proud of your work – just don’t do the “in your face” type of advertising. But apparently this kind seems to work for many so I may be wrong.

      As for ads in general – as long as they’re not plastered everywhere and especially in between blog posts or even worse – article texts/paragraphs – then whatever.

      I look forward to seeing you around these parts more often. Again – welcome to the community – it’s a great one with tons of amazing folks. The sharing and learning never stops :).

      Have a great week ahead.
      Cheers

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Jodi and welcome :)

      It’s great to have you here and thanks a lot for stopping by and taking the time to introduce yourself and comment. I’m glad Mark pointed you in my direction :). Very cool.

      First – thank you for what you said. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the content here and I hope you find the feedback in the comments useful.

      I honestly don’t mind people leaving me links to their blogs – it’s a nice way to discover new folks – but if they’re gonna be spammy about it and not take the time to leave something meaningful besides the half-ass drive-by that says “hey, great post” – then it’s gonna’ bug me! I’m not stupid and neither are my readers.

      I can see why people have pop-ups – and I’m okay with it for first time visitors – but after a while it can get annoying. Much like you – if you keep pestering me to buy something or do something – I probably won’t. I’m like a kid who does the opposite of what they’re told to do – if they’re told to do it a hundred times lol. You an have a huge sign on your side bar for all I care – that’s fine – you should be proud of your work – just don’t do the “in your face” type of advertising. But apparently this kind seems to work for many so I may be wrong.

      As for ads in general – as long as they’re not plastered everywhere and especially in between blog posts or even worse – article texts/paragraphs – then whatever.

      I look forward to seeing you around these parts more often. Again – welcome to the community – it’s a great one with tons of amazing folks. The sharing and learning never stops :).

      Have a great week ahead.
      Cheers

    • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

      Hey! I heard my name, so I had to come running. You see what kind of great stuff can pop up in blog comments? Now how can anybody fault that kind of awesomeness?

      As I have noted before, “community” is not only about disease prevention, and “collaboration” is not something the doctor prepares you for when they life your gown and tell you to relax. 😉

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        Indeed you did hear your name Scooby – and what impressive ears you have might I add :)! I wanted to thank you for sending Jodi my way – very cool of you.

        I always say that the comments are the best part of the blog. It’s where the real conversation and learning happens and with a community like this one here – well, I couldn’t ask for more! You guys just rock! Really – I mean that! I love all the interaction that takes place here and I’m grateful to all of you who come by and share your thoughts.

        As for your last two lines – all I can do is LMAO and agree ;).
        Thanks Mark!

  • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

    Marcus: No Email RSS option – it’s the only way subscribe to blogs I read regularly and it’s annoying to not have this option to subscribe to a blog I like. If I have time, I’ll ask the blogger to consider installing it, as many blogger prefer Email RSS over readers. I usually just leave and forget about it though.

    Dino: “your comment is awaiting moderation” WTF! This is annoying as well… I guess it’s no big deal, but for some reason, it just doesn’t feel like a conversation when you’re being moderated. If I knew before hand comments were being moderated, I wouldn’t take the time to comment.

    Griddy: No easy way to share! Why in the world wouldn’t folks make it SUPER easy to share their stuff??? Like you Ingrid, I usually just use my own URL shortner to share it, but I shake my head at this blunder. I mean, people want others to share their stuff, yes? They do want more traffic, yes?

    Well then you should make it easy for others to share your work then!

    I finally got my contact form on my site! It took a while, and it’s still a work in progress, but time isn’t something I have an abundance with these days. I’m just happy my contact info is now on my blog, especially after reading your pet peeves : )

    You’re rockin it Ingrid, keep the pedal to the medal and awesomeness flowing steady :p

    • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

      Great comment Mark. BTW, you may want to try ‘Gravity Forms’ for you contact forms. The regular contact plugins are OK, but Gravity is a huge step up, and very professional looking. (I switched to gravity about 3 months ago)

      • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

        Looking into it Marcus, thanks for this tip sir : )

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Isn’t Mufasa just the kindest mane you’ve ever seen? 😉

          • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

            Indeed… Marcus is one cool cat – meow haha!

            • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

              LOL!

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        I’m sorry – are you only giving this tip to Mark or what?!!! What if I want to try it? Huh? Huh? LOL 😉
        Thanks for stepping in here and being the super helper that you are.
        Cheers Mufasaaaa

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Mark,
      What an awesome comment – as usual :). Thank YOU!

      No RSS subscription – I find it hard to believe that a blog today wouldn’t have this option. I think I installed it before I actually knew its true purpose lol.

      You comment is awaiting moderation – for how long? why? what can I say that you can’t delete afterwards? I know of 1 or 2 blogs that I like that do this – but I will admit that they approve comments within the hour or so – so I’m fine with that. But still – for a newbie to do this is okay but I see no big reason why moderation is absolutely necessary. I may be wrong though – who knows?!

      No easy way to share – okay – so I know many of us write for ourselves first and then for our audience – but if you’re online it means you want or hope for someone or many one’s to read your work. After all – you do want to grow right? You do want people to eventually see what you so generously put out there? Why make me work for it? Sometimes I might – but most times – I can’t be bothered. Make it easy for others and they’ll make it easIER for you.

      Oddly enough Mark – I never noticed that you didn’t have a contact form hahaha. But then again – since I know you – I can harass you via twitter and comments and other ways lol ;). But I’m glad you included that. Definitely a must in my book!

      Thanks so much for your input Mark. And it’s you that rocks my friend! Awesome of you to be so kind and supportive. Always appreciated!

      Have a great week ahead.
      Cheers

  • Justin Brackett

    This is priceless for me since I’m rebuilding Social Village’s blog as we comment. So i’ll be building a list from all these comments and making sure that we don’t drive to many people crazy.

    I know that it has been said over and over, but I agree with everyone that slow loading blogs are the death of me reading them.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Justin,

      I’m so happy that the pet peeves and recommendations here can come in handy for you and your new site :). I love that my posts lead to useful comments such as these!

      Your site looks great so far and I doubt you’ll be driving people crazy hehe. But this list might definitely be a good thing to check off – even for me.

      Great of you to drop by.
      Hope you’re having a rockin’ weekend so far.

      Cheers

  • http://www.newbizblogger.com Michele Welch

    Hey Ingrid,

    This is a good one. Hmmm….let me think.

    Uhm… I think I have a couple.

    1. slowing loading sites
    2. advertisements that pop up on every link!!
    3. Having to search for social icons like it’s some buried treasure.
    4. Google adsense between every paragraph (yup, I’ve seen this)
    5. Music that plays automatically when you get on a site. And here’s the worst thing, the off button is always hard to find.
    5. 3 ‘wait before you leave’ popups when you just want to exit a site! For goodness sakes, one is enough!
    6. Poor navigation
    7. Getting 1000 comment replies emailed to me until I’m forced to ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’.

    Okay, probably more, but I’ll leave it at that. Hey, that was fun… very liberating. 😉

    Ciao ;*

    • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

      I have to strongly agree with you about the damn advertisements on every link! When I read through something and I can’t move my mouse without a box popping up to “define” an everyday word with an ad, I close the browser and vow to never do that again!

      Although I do use a plugin which makes it possible to load things like YouTube videos and blurbs from Wikipedia in a separate box to explain something, it is not invasive like the ads. Plus, it doesn’t pop open some crap when a cursor accidentally brushes by it.

      That one really has to be one of the worst. I cannot imagine the blankness which must wash through a blogger’s mind when they add that to their blog! Oh, that number two of yours is truly rant-worthy!

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        Mark I just love how you keep joining in the conversation and adding your input! Very cool of you to do so and a big phat thank YOU! :)

        • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

          Well, you know … the volume knob on my inner voice is broken. It is stuck on 11. :-)

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            Hahaha!
            Ummm…I was thinking more like 20 ;).

            • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

              Yeah, but that 11 is on a scale of one to 10. 😀

              Didn’t you ever see the movie “Spinal Tap”? Here you go … check out this amp. It goes up to 11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbVKWCpNFhY

              • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                Oh wow – blast from the past :). I didn’t recall that movie to well – thanks for the video!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Michele,

      Great of you to stop by and share :). Thank you.
      I think you just nailed these 7!

      Slow loading sites – as it is I have a slower connection than most – so kill me now!
      Ads that pop up – no comment!!!
      Music auto-play – are you kidding me? 1995?

      The rest go without saying.
      Awesome additions Michele. Really appreciate your thoughts here.

      Have a wonderful weekend.
      Cheers

  • Anonymous

    Wow – I stopped by yesterday and there was about 50 comments, and had to head off without leaving a comment. I come back – and there’s over a freaking 100. Wow.

    (the reason I had to head off in a mad rush was because I realized that by default all my comments were set to be ‘awaiting moderating’ – so head to jump off and work out how to change that. Duhhh).

    I’ve got one big pet peeve – it drives me mad.

    It’s bloggers who don’t know the difference between their and there. It’s not rocket science. It’s pretty simple – but blogging is about communicating with people, and you can’t communicate with someone if you don’t know basic vocabulary. FFS, if you write in word first and do a spell and grammar check the program will highlight ‘commonly misspelled words.’ And you can then check if you’re using the right word. (You’re and your – and it’s and its are similar examples).

    I also have to admit that I’m not a great fan of swearing on blogs either because (a) it’s a lazy way of writing and (b) it leaves you against the wall if you ever need a word to make people really sit up and take notice.

    I think I’m done for now…have a great week.

    Paul

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      LOL Paul – you’re too funny! :)
      I’m sure many will be thankful to you for making that little change!

      And yes – the amount of comments here is simply awesome! It looks like a few people had rants that they wanted to get out lol.

      Ahhh the grammar pet peeves. I hear ya Paul. Actually, Gini over at Spinsucks.com did a great post on just that a little while back – grammar pet peeves.

      Their and there
      you’re and your
      affect and effect
      except and accept
      then and than
      and so many more

      But in all honesty – I’ve gotten use to seeing them so they bug me much less than they use to. Before – I use to actually sit and correct the mistakes in my head – now I’m more like – mehhh.

      Not to say that I don’t occasionally make them – but in general they will be typos since I’m pretty good and knowing the difference between the popular ones.

      As for the swearing – I think it depends on the context and on the person who’s writing. Sometimes – they’re just uncalled for or they are there for the hell of it. Other times – they add life to the post. Take Erika from redheadwriting for example – she has a way of doing it just right!

      But at the end of the day – I don’t want to read a rap song from the 90’s lol.

      Good of you to share these Paul. Right on!
      Have a great Saturday
      Cheers

  • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

    Honestly Ingrid I think these nits have been picked clean.

    Pretty sure everyone has hit on my peeves about bad design, not replying to comments, no share buttons, waiting for moderation, typos and bad formatting, bad graphics, spam and other junk. So that leaves..

    – Not allowing comments at all, which IMO means it ain’t a ‘blog.’
    – Bloggers that rarely comment elsewhere. Like my blog.
    – Blogs that allow HowieSPM to comment.
    – Spammers with keyword names.
    – Blogs with nothing but link backs to their own posts. Less is more.
    – Commenters who type in gibberish, all random acronyms and #sillyfakehastags. FWIW.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Davina,

      You’re right – with all these fantastic comments, I think this is quite the thorough list of pet peeves – but I’m sure they’re always some that we haven’t thought of or that others consider pet peeves and we don’t – ot we simply didn’t until we realized that maybe we do lol. Does that make sense?

      I hear ya about bloggers that don’t allow comments – I know Seth Godin doesn’t but oh well…
      YES YES – about the many links back to their posts – I usually try to limit mine if and when I do that.

      Thanks so much for sharing these Davina. Awesome points!
      Have a great day.
      Cheers

  • http://www.theskooloflife.com Srinivas Rao

    I think you more or less covered most of mine and have given me some work to do as well. But I have a few

    1) Crappy Design: I”m totally with you on this. I’ve actually chosen not to interview people for BlocastFM because I got to their blog and was like WTF is this? It’s a trainwreck. Bad design can kill good content. That’s all there is to it. When it looks like something out of the stone age that kills it too.

    2) Blogspot: I used blogspot back in the day when I didn’t know about blogging. That was until I realized almost all popular blogs use wordpress. I find it hard to take someone using blogspot seriously.

    3) NO Self Hosted-Domain: I’ve always told people this. If you really want people to take you seriously you need your own domain.

    I’m sure I could make an even longer list. People online make fast decisions, so if you don’t have your house in order, nobody’s going to hang out there.

    • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

      Depends on the purpose of the blog. Even a professional’s personally done blog on his/her profession, I don’t mind the simplicity of using Blogger or Posterous so long as the quality of the content is there.

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        There are one or two blogs on Blogger that I read but in my opinion they really should switch. Content may be king but appearance is queen.

        As for Posterous – I didn’t really like that too much. I’m not very familiar with it but I know at first glance I wasn’t too taken by it.

        • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

          I didn’t pick some other platforms for the same reasons, but I get that if someone wants to blog on their industry but not as the voice of their company, something less ‘official’ then at times it may work to have a different set up.. but yes to watching the appearance, still setting it up well.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Srini,
      Boy it’s nice to see you here :). Thanks for dropping by and sharing.

      You’re spot on about train wreck designs – I’m one who likes to read posts on the blog itself – call me old fashioned but I like the feel of a blog and the atmosphere when I’m reading a post there. But if the design bores me to death or looks like it was created during the stone age (as you said ) then I’m less excited to read.

      I agree about the importance of having a self-hosted domain. I still wonder why some people don’t who in my opinion totally should!

      About blogspot – no comment! lol

      It’s kind of like you implied – if your house is not in order, people won’t want to hang out. I treat my blog like it was my home. It’s clean, at least I think so, it’s friendly and inviting and loves guests, and more!

      Thanks again for these excellent thoughts Srini. Always a pleasure to listen to what you have to share.

      Talk to you soon

      Cheers

  • http://twitter.com/skypulsemedia Howie at Sky Pulse Media

    I hate people who are wise asses in the comments section. Life is serious folks. People live and die everyday. Blogs are not the place for humorical commentary.

    Secondly if a blog has too much of the color blue it affects my vision.

    Blogs that are blank. If you want me to read your blog you need content.

    WordPress. Who would ever use WordPress for a blog. That is so 2010. Pishah!

    Lastly I expect 2 posts per day. If you miss just one posting I lose interest.

    I have more but I have taken up enough of your time Miss Ingrid.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Muwahahaha Howie!

      I hear ya Howie – I think we should be serious at all times and keep a bland and monotonous voice to express our opinions for folks to take us seriously. Humor is a sign of stupidity and not intelligence and being witty or sarcastic is silly. And again Muwahahaha at all that!

      As for the blue – I guess you’re safe here. But I have plans to hit a shiny fuchsia soon so watch out and get your sun glasses out.
      I usually write about 4 or 5 posts a day here and another 2 somewhere else. But I intend to bump that up to 6. I’m hoping that my fingers will fall off any day now ;).

      You have more?
      Really?
      Bring IT! Chief Alien :)

    • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

      Thank heaven *I* fit all of Howie’s rules!

      • http://twitter.com/skypulsemedia Howie at Sky Pulse Media

        BTW before you even DARE think about it. I just submitted the Trademark and IP rights for the word Humorical. I missed the boat with Gynormous then saw it in a Pizza commercial. Never again I vowed.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          I don’t even know how to reply to that except LOL! :)

  • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

    My name is Mark, but if you prefer, you may call me Scoob. 😉

    Peeve? About the same as you, plus one. When the comment box at the bottom of the comments instead of the top. I know the point, and it may encourage reading the comments before adding your own. However, it can also look confusingly similar to the commenting being turned off.

    I am not pouting. Just offering my little piece of love. :-)

    Oh yes, and what Fran said … “Your Comment is Awaiting Moderation” is about the dumbest line ever!

    • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

      Mark, it’s because of your comments including bacon, sex, car and guns that moderation is often needed. :)

      • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

        Oh, thanks a squillion, John. Just shove it in and break it off, will ya? Just because I like to drive fast while eating bacon and shooting guns out the window to celebrate my joy of sex does not mean I am “moderatable”. Turkey! 😛

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          LMAO here guys!
          I love this community. You guys keep me smiling with these comments. :)

          • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

            Hey, Ingrid, it is John being the trouble maker here. You are the moderator … aren’t you going to do something about him? 😉

            • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

              Me? I just blog about cartoon characters and sometimes about wine.. how more peaceful can that be :)

              • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                Yes my dear friend.
                You’re all about Dora and Diego aren’t ya?
                Hey, where’s Baby Einstein? I’m waitinggggg! lol 😉

                • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

                  OK, sorry, I just feel the need to jump in here and add my two cents to this 3 way convo – @Griddy @Johm and @Mark M:

                  You guys are crazy man!!!!

                  Nuff said.

                  P.S. @Mark M. I got your DM to share your post with Griddy a bit late : )

                  • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                    Never apologize for jumping in Mark – it’s what we LOVE :)!

                    I agree – they’re crazy – thank goodness I have nothing to do with this or them muwahaha ;).

                  • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                    Indeed, but crazy is just across a very thin line from high intelligence. Some of us straddle that line and dip a toe on the other side now and then. 😉

                    Yeah, well, if Griddy didn’t exile me on Twitter, I would have just DM’d her. But noooooo … she is too good for me now. 😛

                    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                      What?!!! You can’t DM me? But I follow you – that’s really strange.

              • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                Damn it! How can I argue with that?

                • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                  You can’t I suppose – but what if he blogged about cartoon characters that are on wine? lol I can totally picture Dora losing it haha.

                  • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                    Yeah, and where the heck are her parents? I can see her getting schnockered and hooking up with someone like Shaggy. The wine is just a gateway drug. What will happen when Shag corrupts her with some weed and ‘shrooms? I can see how John may be a contributor to that sort of downhill slide.

                    Now you have given me some ammo for argument! I say you moderate that juvenile corruptor before it is too late!

                    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                      LMAO again!
                      What a wickedly awesome mind you have! Love it!
                      A stoned Dora hooking up with Shaggy would be quite the site to see :D.

                      Come to think about it – some cartoons or kids stuff came about because of that stuff.
                      Think Lewis Carroll with Alice in Wonderland – can you say shrooms?!
                      What about the kids song – Puff the Magic Dragon – Ummm….no comment.

                      Any thoughts Falchetto? hehe

                    • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                      I suppose I can relate to this better than some people, because I was raised by wolves. I missed more school than I attended from 6th grade forward, and finally left school permanently just after my 15th birthday. Why do you suppose that happened? You got it … I got mixed up with a bunch of dudes like Shaggy and started popping Scooby snacks!

                      I am all too aware of what happens when you get mixed up with wine and cartoons. In fact, I could be a poster child for such rif-raf. Do you hear me over there, Frenchy John? This is your warning … stop now, before you end up living like my adolescence, only old enough to know better.

                      😛

                    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                      Well it seems that you turned out just fine Mark and more so – you also seem to be doing quite well for yourself today. What matters most is that you learned from it all and that you’re happy doing what you do today.

                      Scooby snacks? hehehe I think I may have to borrow that term from you sometime ;). After all, you did say it was okay that I call you Scooby right? hehe

                      As for missing school – although I never really did – I had about 60 or so morning absences my Senior year of high school – waking up on time and early always seemed to be a problem – come to think of it – it still is lol.

            • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

              There is no moderating on this site Muwahaha! Freedom of speech here at the nittyGriddy. But be nice hehe.

              Carry on John! 😉
              I’m sure Mark will have something to say right back!

              • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                No moderation? In that case, may I troll? LOL

                This article and another by Mark Harai inspired my latest:

                “A Few Words About Blog Trolls and Lurkers”

                • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                  Troll away lol.
                  I’m on my way to read your article! :)

                  • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                    Very cool … but you didn’t lurk, did you? 😉

                    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                      I most certainly didn’t lurk haha!

                      I saved it to come back to thank you for linking to this post and to leave a couple pennies as well. Also – I’ve already included it in my SuperPost Sunday Roundup tomorrow :). I’m actually working on that today so I’ve been a bit focused on getting that done so I can post it on time tomorrow.

                    • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

                      I was kidding about the “lurk”. Heck, if you think it is SuperPostSunday worthy, maybe I will write about the corn on the other side of my digestive system more often! LOL

                    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                      Me too lol ;). Just joshin’. I think that’s like the 4th time I ever use that word.
                      I do think it’s worthy and I hope it wakes up a few folks. Behind many rants are often some wise words of advice.

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        Did you read his Shotgun Marketing post? Tons of good ammunition there ;).

        • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

          Shoot … I was just doin’ my thing. 😉 Thanks, Ingrid!

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            3 Books!!!!
            I’m thoroughly impressed. This is me bowing down to you Mark Aaron Murnahan aka Scooby.
            Living in the Storm and Diary of A Betterment sound fascinating. Curiosity aroused indeed!

            • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

              Meh …

              I guess I just have a lot to say.

              I suppose I can be a bit long-winded. Heck, Mark Harai thinks my blog posts are novellas. LOL

              • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                Ohhhhh my friend – you are in the house of novella posts and comments :). You can ask John and Mark about that – and a few other people haha.

                Good for you! I don’t care how long a post is – as long as you can entertain me while teaching me something – then you can write a frickin’ trilogy for all I care and I’ll read it!

                I wrote an entire article on post length by the way over at Gini’s blog SpinSucks.com – so I’m putting my money where my mouth is on that particular topic :).

        • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

          Actually I’m waiting to get a signed copy of his books, the efficiency and productivity of Mark amazes me .

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            Tell me about it! I only became familiar with Mark’s blog a few weeks ago (and I’m glad I did) but I’m super impressed by the quality content and the 3 books! Wow. I’m going to have to get my hands on these very soon :).

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      LOL Mark and welcome
      Scoob it is then 😉

      Ha! I never thought of that one – I actually didn’t even know you could control that option. And now that I think of it – I think my comment box is at the bottom here :(. Ooops lol

      In my sorry defense – I had no clue as to what I was doing when I first set up the Disqus comment system. I was very new to blogging and heck, didn’t even think I’d get comments lol.

      It’s funny to think how you sometimes don’t know that you have a pet peeve until you read or hear someone else mentioning there’s and think “Oh, yeahhhhh”.

      As for “your comment is awaiting moderation” – hear, hear!
      Although, I knew one person that has that who’s blog I really like but he’s very good about clearing your comment asap. I guess that’s fine and it doesn’t keep me from going there – but generally – YES – I would have to agree with you and Fran and the other folks who brought it up here.

      Great to have you here Scoob. Hope to see you around these parts more often.
      Cheers

      • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

        I used to pre-moderate, and I still do for things that look spammy. Some time ago, I learned that if I don’t have a death threat or a mean insult now and then, I am just not reaching enough people. Besides, somehow between my brilliant mind and my devilish good looks, I scared away good comments and I am left with the trolls. I swear I have the lowest comment count of any blog for the number of readers. It is mostly my good looks … I am pretty sure of it. 😀

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Mark,
          I think I like you already and you’re gone fit perfectly in this community LOL ;).
          Brilliant Mind and Devilish good looks? I hear ya – and I would like to throw myself in that category with you hahaha. But I’m adding John Falchetto and Danny Brown in there as well. Those boys can relate :).

          I’m just lovin’ the bickering between you and John – please don’t stop on my account. The floor is yours gentlemen – or as I like to say – my blog is your blog!

          • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

            I was just building up to something for ol’ John. He does kind of have a point with his wine and cartoon thing.

            His Frenchy friendliness and disarming demeanor makes me want to smack him one! He is way to nice to not be a fake. A fake, passive aggressive, bully! I am sure of it! LOL

            • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

              LMAO!

              Develish good looks, brilliant mind AND funny?! Wow, kinda hard to believe – sure you’re not a fake too? hahahaha

              Awesome Mark!

      • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

        I’ve thought about the comment box positioning above/below, and also do not know how to move it. But if someone wants to comment, it’s not THAT hard to just skip to the bottom to do so. IDK.. it is an annoyance but IMO relatively minor. Plus I want engagement so hopefully people will see the chatter and actually read some of it before they comment. FWIW.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Yeah I didn’t know you could control that box either Davina. I just installed the system and it did the rest I guess. But you bring up a good point about it enticing you more to read the comments that are there already. Regardless of where it is though – I generally like to read some of the comments first and I know you do too :). There’s just so much learning in there.

  • http://franstips.com/2011/03/ Fran Aslam

    Hey Ingrid:
    After thinking about my pet peeves, I came up with one. Your comment is waiting to be moderated. I really don’t like that when I read it after writing an outstanding comment, as my mind is connected to the blog post and the writer in a positive way and I want to pass this feeling to the owner and writer. Instead I get the message what I did is not allowed all the way. Feels very unnatural.

    However, this morning when I came to write this, I noticed others have felt this one. So I do think alike.

    Fran A

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      HI Fran,

      Nice of you to come back and share.
      Yeah, I would agree and so would quite a few people about this one.
      You brought up a good point.
      Thank you
      Have a great weekend
      Cheers

  • http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/ NCSue

    For me, it’s sites so choked with ads and doodads and whatchamacallits that it takes FOREVER for it to draw in. GRRRR.

    BTW, I hope you’ll go to the top of my sidebar and check out links to these pages:
    Blog Hops For Every Day Of The Week!
    Help make the world a better place!,
    How to help earthquake/ tsunami victims in Japan

    I promise to donate $2 to Japan relief efforts for each new Google Friend Connect Follower of my blog throughout the remainder of March! Today’s the last day!

    Have a great week!

    NCSue
    http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-would-you-decide.html
    http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Sue,
      I hear ya about the ads – they get annoying at times.
      I will head over when I get the chance – thanks for sharing.

      Great weekend to you too.
      Cheers

    • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

      Thought I was gonna get to add something, you beat me to it. Hate popup ads for e-crap, subscriptions. Ick.

  • http://franstips.com/2011/03/ Fran Aslam

    Hey Ingrid:

    Very charming post by you as usual. My pet peeves, it is so funny most of bloggers have similar pet peeves. no dates, no signing in, no contact forms at all. I will not write a comment with all these. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, however comments and your response has made it a magnetic post. There is so much fun reading these. specially now at the end of the day at 1.52 am in the night. Take care.
    Fran A

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Fran,

      Glad to see you share some of the same pet peeves.
      And yes, it seems people have quite a bit of fun ranting to do and I’m loving it and listening to each.
      Thanks for dropping by.

      Cheers

  • http://twitter.com/ITSergioFelix Sergio Felix

    I’m afraid to drop my comment as always but I will do it anyway.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Sergio,

      Please consider this blog as your blog and your comments will always be welcomed and appreciated – no matter what they say. And thank you for the compliment :)!

      I’m glad I can make you laugh – heck, I’m happy that I’m doing something right then hehe.

      I think the contact form should be there anyways regardless. If you have a lot of the big blogger guys that usually have someone or an assistant answer on their behalf – and I guess it’s better than nothing cause I can totally understand how much they must get bombarded by emails. But some of those emails may not be spammy and have a real question or proposition or whatever.

      As for the looks of a blog – honestly it doesn’t have to be an award winning design – heck, look at mine here. But it should include the basics and it should be somewhat attractive to look at. Or at least no too cluttered. It should also be easy to navigate and of course functional. Just my thoughts. And you don’t need to worry about yours haha. Like I said – it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece – the most important thing is that you are satisfied with the way it looks – not to mention the content it puts out there of course.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing. Always a pleasure to have you here Sergio. See you again soon I hope.

      Have a good weekend.
      Cheers

  • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

    I have nothing new to add to all of these pet peeves because they’re mine, too. It makes me NUTS when I have to work to tweet your damn blog post!

    But what I would like to talk about in my comment is the mere fact that you put sunglasses on Pooter Tooter. That is just plain old awesome!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      And how is my favorite Aunt Gini doing today? 😉
      I’m glad we share the same pet peeves and YES YES YES to making me work extra to share YOUR post!

      As for Pooter and Tooter – she was one very cool and stylish dog. She had clothes too hahaha. But she hated them and hated me when I tried to dress her ;).

      • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

        Mr. D would not appreciate that. He thinks dogs should not be dressed in clothes.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Poor Cleo hehe.
          The only thing I ever made her wear was this red coat for when it rained – but she hated and use to squeeze out of it herself and I felt too guilty to put it back on her so I let her have her way and would just throw her in a bath afterwards :)).

          And of course – the last thing I want to do is upset Mr. D! 😉

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Poor Cleo hehe.
          The only thing I ever made her wear was this red coat for when it rained – but she hated and use to squeeze out of it herself and I felt too guilty to put it back on her so I let her have her way and would just throw her in a bath afterwards :)).

          And of course – the last thing I want to do is upset Mr. D! 😉

      • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

        I have one to add. When you have a tweetmeme button, but not your Twitter handle. It’s irritating to have to go find it.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Yeah – that’s a BIG one for me too. Like I said – if the post is THAT good – I might make the effort. But seriously – it takes like 10 seconds to set up.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Yeah – that’s a BIG one for me too. Like I said – if the post is THAT good – I might make the effort. But seriously – it takes like 10 seconds to set up.

      • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

        I have another one. It’s not blogging so much as it is just online practices. IF YOU MAKE ME WORK TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE KNOW ONE ANOTHER, I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR LINKEDIN INVITE.

        #thatisall

  • http://www.techwork.dk Thomas

    Hey Ingrid
    About/contact page is the page you create right before the “Site is under construction” page 😉 That is just a must. I also very much prefer dates on news and posts. Imagine reading the TV-guide and not being able to find the date where that great movie is broadcasted. Another thing I don’t like too much is long blog posts without images, spaces, sections or anything that can give you a little break reading a long page. Design and load time is also something that I think is important. If it takes forever to load or there is too many commercials all over the place I leave again. Navigation is also important. I need to be able to navigate around. One thing that really makes me crazy is laud sound or a movie trailer that start when you have been on the page for maybe 30 sec.
    Regarding the NittyGriddy blog your picture is missing in your right sitebar under the “About Griddy” text. It has actually been missing for about a week I think. I only see the red cross telling me that the image does not exists. Get it fixed gal, you are too good to make that kind of rookie mistake 😉
    Nice post idea Ingrid. Have a nice day.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Thomas
      Just leaving you this little place holder to let you know that I will be back to reply to your comment soon. Thanks for your patience :).
      Cheers

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Thomas,
      I’m back :).

      Looks like you and I share a lot of the same pet peeves lol. The About and Contact pages are simply a must – no two ways about it.

      As for the dates – you bring up a great point. And like I said – although I would much prefer that they be visible, I can understand why certain blogs don’t use them. If their posts or themes consist of long-term advice (self-development for example) then I guess the date doesn’t really matter since the information is relevant. But with other things – dates should be there so we know how up to date the information is.

      Long blog posts without images – NO NO!

      Design and load time is one a few people brought up and I couldn’t agree more. I’m actually in the process of deleting my plugin collection lol.

      And the whole music thing is a bit 1995. Unless you’re a blog for a movie theater or something of the sort then music and trailers can drive me a bit nuts.

      As for my image that is missing – I had a little problem when I updated to WP 3.1 and a few of my plugins aren’t working properly. The only reason I haven’t bothered fixing it yet is because my site is currently undergoing a redesign and therefore will have a revamped look within the next week or so. I figured I would just wait instead of messing things up even more lol. But you’re right – it’s actually been annoying the hell out of me. And although I tried – I gave up and said I’d just wait for the whole thing to change.

      Thanks so much for your contribution here Thomas. Some really great stuff! Much appreciated.
      Happy Sunday to you.

      Hope you’ll find today’s SuperPosts helpful :).
      Cheers

  • http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

    What makes me tick; I thought you wanted to know what my pet peeves were………..and, do you think Marcus will let me use his lion’s head instead of whatever that thing is by my name up there?

    Mr Funny Guy, huh?

    I do have a WordPress account but it’s the free one so it has ‘nothing’ and probably violates every peeve listed. However, I’m only using it to kind of get in the groove and see if it’s sustainable before I think about taking it to the next level. In reality, it is virtually invisible so I don’t have to worry about people doggin’ me out. When I reincarnate, I will come back as something spectacular and maybe with a different name in case I stunk it up too bad as that other guy.

    As you know I’m a regular bar-fly now; you are seeing me pop up everywhere (I hope people won’t start thinking less of me………..). Because of this, I do get to see a lot of sites. My pet peeves in addition to the long hairy ass paragraphs that seem to go nowhere, are I don’t want too much stuff on it. As I bounce around I’m typically looking for the meat and if it’s information overload you will probably lose me. Probably ADD or something but you better get my attention AND not make me work too hard.

    Of course, I’m saying this as just a drive-by guy. People who are monetizing probably need to have a certain structure or Wow factor to get attention so what I think might not exactly fit with their model. I just know as I grow in this arena and trying to keep up w/ who I want to keep up with, I’m not going to spend too long on your blog anyway.

    As far as not knowing your name or how to link you up or something, hell I’m so easy all you have to do is wave at me and I’m in baby…………….:). You might need a restraining order to get rid of me.

    Finally, I learned when not to use e-mail notification thanks to you. Holy moly, that was a yikes.

    Ok, I was going to be goofy and tell you how this was probably your worst post ever, but enough silliness because it was stellar as usual. Just keep on slingin’ it and bringing it.
    B

    PS – My best dog ever was a Maltese named Shortstop; I have no doubt that will be my dog in heaven!

    • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

      I just told Marcus to find the bears and tigers so maybe you could have an avatar that was one of those?

    • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

      “not make me work too hard” To read, to comment, to share. ITA.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Bill,
      This is just my little place holder to let you know that I’ll be replying very soon :). Sorry to keep you waiting.
      Thanks

      • http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

        I know, you’re afraid I’ll start e-mailing you again, heaven forbid I get your phone number…………:). We good, you read it, you know I’m still out here; just catch me on the next one or two. I got my eye on you…………….:).

        I will say, your post was the impetus for me to back out of a guest post offer; I’m not afraid, I’m just not ready. I’m ok being WAY under the radar and I’m still just bouncing around trying to find out what works for me.

        Scratch this off your ‘to do’ list; seriously.

        Hope your weekend is going well.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          LOL!
          Actually – you’re not the only that got a small place holder :). Look right above you ^^^ and you’ll see :). It’s just a little thing I like to do so that people don’t think I forgot them if I took a day or so to reply.

          Why did you back out of a GP? You shouldn’t! You’re ready!!! Seriously, I’m not kidding – look at your comments that are everywhere – and meaningful ones at that. There’s only one way to find out if you think you’re ready or not and that’s by going for it. WE already know you are – now prove to yourself that you are too! Just make sure to let us know where you post so we can come by and read, RT, comment and all that other good stuff :).

          • http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

            Ok, you can be the coach now….. First of all, my WordPress is the free one and SO basic I don’t even know if I can get all the necessary buttons. I have been writing some stuff, but more to get in the feel and to see if I think it’s ‘post’ worthy. If I get all the heavy weights dropping by, they’ll wonder why I have a window unit instead of central air……………:).

            This is a new arena for me; whereas I’m a confident guy, my personality is not to draw attention to myself per se. Yes, I like attention but I am very quick to give credit to the people who have helped me succeed. I’m more about helping others than promoting myself. Having said that, I feel secure enough in my network that if I let you know I actually had a guest post you would take the time to drop by and comment.

            That means a lot in and of itself and is very much appreciated. Thanks……….

            • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

              “I’m more about helping others than promoting myself.” – That’s a pretty darn good principle to live by! Although I know some may disagree but I like to think that I feel and act in this way too.

              Thanks for everything Bill! You really are an A+ guy.

              • Bill Dorman

                That was a nice thing to say; thanks.

                I know it’s time to move on before everything piles up, but I wanted to close w/ this. You are definitely a ‘giver’; you are very gracious in many ways.

                On your delayed replies, I compare it like if you are talking to a person in a room full of people; regardless of the distractions this person will still have your ‘full’ attention. You take the time to fully engage and because of this, you can’t just flit around the room. Yes, you have many people to see and you see all of us standing there, but probably have a certain queue (how’s that for an international term………..:) so when you do, you will be locked in.

                I know this is kind of your ‘signature’ and I certainly enjoy it, I just hope you have the model down and know what it looks like when the responses double and maybe even triple. Sleep has to get in there somewhere, right? Full speed ahead; I’m sure you’ll figure it out when you need to…….

                • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                  Bill – thank you so much for what you said here :). Really appreciate it – big time!!!

                  I just don’t like to reply with a half-ass response when someone has taken the time to write a thoughtful comment – so I sometimes take a longer time to get back to folks but I do try my best not to leave them hanging for a year lol.

                  Sleep has to get in somewhere as you said – although I’d love to do a lot more of it these days lol.
                  Awesome of you to come back here. And thanks again for the very kind words.

                  Cheers

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hola Bill,
      Okay I’m back!

      Mr. Funny Guy indeed lol :). You’ll have to ask Mufasa about using his mane – I’m not sure whether he’s marked his territory with it or not lol. But proceed with caution – those jungle cats can be scary hahaha. Kidding of course. Marcus is awesome – all there is to it!

      It’s actually pretty good that you started off that way – now you’ll know even better what to do and not do. It’s a great learning experience and once you decide to use a self-hosted domain you’ll be way ahead of most of us when we first started. I know I said it many times before – but I had no idea of what I was doing when I first began. Heck – I even had my host server – justhost.com – install WP for me since it came with the package.

      As for you coming back with something spectacular – we would expect nothing less my friend :)!

      Seeing you everywhere is a great thing and you are everything but a drive-by guy! My definition of the drive-by is “hey, great post”. And I think it’s safe to say that you’re far from ever doing that.

      Hear, hear on the long hairy paragraphs – break em up!
      As for getting a restraining order – no chance in hell!!! I will keep waiving at ya till you come back haha.

      So sorry you had to deal with all the notification emails LOL. That can get annoying at times – but like I said before – I have the ReplyME plugin installed so when I reply to you – you’ll be notified immediately. Unless of course you want to keep up with everything – then by all means – subscribe to all again – but take prozac before you do haha.

      Cheers to Shortstop – I know how you must have felt about him.

      Wishing you a great Sunday.
      Thanks again for being so patient with me – I wanted to finish today’s SuperPost so I had to keep a few folks waiting until I could publish that. Now that I did – I’m back here again :). And then of course – I’ll go back there lol.

      All the best to ya Bill

  • http://hustlersnotebook.com Jk Allen

    Hey Griddy! You brought it for sure!

    I like this one…here are mine, and the reason why:

    1. No Reply button in comments. I think it’s nice to build/extend conversation and not having the ease’ability to do that from a simple reply button is WHACK. Why some themes don’t have that as an option is just crazy to me.

    2. Like Marcus said for his Number 2… people talk’n bout stuff that they’ve never done. That’s actually my number one. (keep your eye peeled for my next article (hopefully tomorrow) where I address this very thing).

    3. No personality. I blog for fun…so when I’m having fun doing it (like this moment) it’s all good. But when I feel like reading an article is a chore – it’s all bad. Personality is the difference maker.

    4. I’m not a big fan of RSS snips (but I LOVE yours!!!)…being a family man, professional and just always on the fly, I like to open and read my post in a user friendly way from my Good Reader phone app.

    5. No replies to comments. I think it sends a message : “I don’t want community”. I’m not talking about the bloggers who just can’t comment to everyone…I’m talking about the bloggers who reply to nobody. I just don’t get it.

    Did I bring it Griddy?

    Okay, one more:

    6. Nice web design and WEAK content. Focus on the right thing. Content first, then everything afterwards!

    Now I’m done!

    PEACE

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey JK,

      Oh my friend – I believe you brought and then some! :)

      No reply button is just crazy! I haven’t come across many of those lately but it’s all bout the conversation you know?

      Marcus is a perfect example of putting his money where his mouth is. I loved how he didn’t want to write his post about getting more comments until he got a substantial amount himself. I think the exact same way he does on that one.

      As for personality – there’s no two ways about it. If I wanted to read a dissertation – I would go to the library and pick on up or go through some of my old college papers lol. Personality is what attracts readers and commenters – it’s what allows us to relate to the author. It’s what makes them human.

      Phewwww…thank you for the RSS kindness hahaha. After my last Bring IT! on that topic – I think I will be re-visiting my Feed :).

      Thanks so much for your thoughts on this JK. Great stuff!
      Have a nice weekend.

      Cheers

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey JK,

      Oh my friend – I believe you brought and then some! :)

      No reply button is just crazy! I haven’t come across many of those lately but it’s all bout the conversation you know?

      Marcus is a perfect example of putting his money where his mouth is. I loved how he didn’t want to write his post about getting more comments until he got a substantial amount himself. I think the exact same way he does on that one.

      As for personality – there’s no two ways about it. If I wanted to read a dissertation – I would go to the library and pick on up or go through some of my old college papers lol. Personality is what attracts readers and commenters – it’s what allows us to relate to the author. It’s what makes them human.

      Phewwww…thank you for the RSS kindness hahaha. After my last Bring IT! on that topic – I think I will be re-visiting my Feed :).

      Thanks so much for your thoughts on this JK. Great stuff!
      Have a nice weekend.

      Cheers

  • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

    Wow, great conversation happening here Griddy, I’ve enjoyed all the comments and ‘pet peeves’, it’s been fun.

    Here are a few of mine:

    1. No email subscription option
    2. Writing about something you’ve never come close to actually doing, like “How to become a millionaire blogging”
    3. Having silly avatars that look like animals…….Oops!

    Oh, and you’re always welcome to tread on Mufasa’s ground 😉

    R—-D

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Mufasa :)

      YES YES YES to all of your points – except if your avatar is a golden mane with a name like Mufasa – then you’re okay LOL.

      No email subscription – really? why would someone not have that?
      Writing about something you’ve never done or know how – you comments post is an example of that. I am on the exact same wavelength as you when it comes to putting your money where your mouth is. When I wrote my comments post – which I have yet to publish – I was thinking the same thing – that I didn’t want to write it until I could back my stance with a few comments myself on this blog. And by the way – I went back and edited my intro to include what you said as an example :).

      About 2 months or so ago – I came across a post that was about getting a HUGE number of followers – what to do and how and so forth. When I clicked on their own profile to see – I noticed they had 62! 62!!!!!!! Really?

      Of course I wrote a post on that ( a kind of rebuttle or example thingy) that’s still sitting in drafts – but I hesitated to publish it – I think it’s time I do so soon :). Especially since they forgot the most important element of it all!

      Thanks so much RR ;).
      You da bomb!

      Happy Saturday
      Cheers

      • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

        Yes, a golden mane w/ such a lovely given name would be quite appealing….hmm, yes, I do agree. 😉

        62?? Yeah, I would not have been able to contain myself on the hypocrisy of that one.

        And a happy, ‘restful’ Saturday to you as well Ms. Griddy :)

  • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

    Poor formatting.

    You might have the most awesome post ever with great content. But if its formatting lets it down – long posts with no breaks, headers, bullets or images – then I’m outta there.

    You don’t need to have the grammar bang on, but please, make it easy for me to read.

    Thank you! :)

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      I totally agree – great one Danny!
      It’s not about length or the grammar (for the most part – as long as it’s readable and coherent) – it’s about presentation! Break up the paragraphs, use subheadings, use bullets or numbers if you need to and for goodness sake use a picture. If I wanted to read a thesis from college – I would!

      Thanks DB.

  • http://www.ramblingsofawahm.com AllieRambles

    If I was just a regular Joe Schmoe (sorry Joe), non blogger, I would hate having to create a profile with Disqus or LiveFyre or any other comment system. I feel bad for the people who blogging is not their life and in order to say something they would have to register.
    Blogging has taken over my life so I absolutely love Disqus and LiveFyre because I can track my comments. I refuse to join anymore. I won’t comment if I have to join one more commenting system.
    Another useful and fun post, Ingrid.

    • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

      Good point Alley. When I first started blogging, and was a total dufus, things Disqus and Livefyre scared me to death. It’s important we don’t get too fancy that we forget about the newbies, ya know?

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        Hear, hear Mufasa!

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Great point Allie.
      Thank you for bringing it up :).

      Yes, I remember my first comment on a blog post – I thought I was applying to join the FBI ;). It is a bit annoying although I understand why they do it. There should just be 4 commenting systems that exist – tops! If not less!

      Thanks again for putting such passion into your words here :). I know how you feel!

      Have a great evening.
      Cheers

  • http://www.thetop10blog.com/ Tony Hastings

    My pet peeve Griddy is people who ask you a question and then provide all the answers themselves!!

    Only kidding, great question and I do agree with all that you say. I would only like to add….. Dammit! I can’t think of anything you haven’t already covered, I am off to find something irritating to report back to you…watch this space.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      LMAO Tony!

      And you’re so right! I should have actually cut my answers even shorter to give you guys more to think of but I left quite a few out – I’m sure. After all, different tastes, different opinions right? lol

      I’ll be waiting for you to come back…;)
      See ya

      • http://www.thetop10blog.com/ Tony Hastings

        I’m back!

        1. Loading time, if a blog takes too long to load then I am off – I know mine is not always super fast but I have done as much as I can with images and limiting plug ins to make sure it’s reasonable (I hope). Some blogs one visits seem to take an eternity and I must admit my patience sometimes wears out.
        2. Blogs where you think you are following a link to a post only to be taken to a page with ‘click here to read the article’.
        3. Blogs where you have been fooled by an interesting looking link and end up with a sales pitch which then, on trying to leave the page, presents you with a box asking if you are sure. Damn right I am sure, if I was a little upset by the sales pitch I am really annoyed by the supplementary question.

        There you go, I knew I had some peeves, it just takes a while for the grey matter to get going these days :-)

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          LOL Tony :)

          Glad you came back! And with a vengeance might I add ;).

          Loading time is a great one – I didn’t think of that and you’re so right. With the amount of plugins I have on this blog I wouldn’t be surprised if this page takes an hour to load haha. But that’s being taken care of as we speak :).

          And yes again about the sales pitch and the “are you sure” box. Ha! Hear, hear!
          Awesome contribution Tony – thank you so much for taking the time to come back and share these.

          Have a great weekend.
          Cheers

    • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

      Tony, that was classic man….any man who can take a nice poke at Griddy like that is a friend of mine! 😉

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        LOfrickinL Mufasa!
        and Grrrrrr….
        You know what they say: “payback is a …hehehe

  • http://twitter.com/lorigosselin Lori Gosselin

    Griddy Girl, I look forward to these every week!

    You covered it so well I can only agree with your light print on dark background – save my eyes – please! And I do like to know who I’m addressing when I leave a comment. “Hey You!” isn’t polite!
    Maybe I’m too new to the blogosphere to have a lot of pet peeves yet. Give me time!
    I have to say I enjoy listening to your train of thought! It’s nice to feel like the blogger is human (drat – that’s something I LIKE!) OK, I give up!
    Carry on my friend!
    Lori

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Heya Lori

      And I look forward to YOU stopping by each time as well :). Thank you.
      I tend to use “hey you” with friends – not because I don’t know their names lol but because it’s cute and to me a sign of being a closie in some way or other.

      In all honesty – that’s really how I did come up with this week’s topic and I’m sure a lot of folks get to a topic in some similar way. You’re right – I too like to feel that a blogger is human.

      LOL Lori!
      Loved the comment.

      Ciao L-blooded gal pal

  • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

    Your comment is awaiting moderation. I HATE seeing that…its wrong on so many levels.

    It shows lack of confidence on blogger’s part. The blogger is afraid of what someone might say. Sure, ppl use spam as an excuse for moderation, but really? How many tiny little blogs get any significant amount of spam? really?

    It shows lack of understanding of the internet culture. If our daily reality is based on instant gratification, our Interweb reality is based on super-instant gratification. A blogger that makes me wait for my comment to appear will never see me again. I just cant be bothered.

    Anyways…lemme not go on…there is one of mine :-)

    • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

      Right with you on that one Dino. Seriously what are people going to say? If anything come and drop a few F bombs on my comments, it builds the conversation and traffic.
      By all means be controversial.

      • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

        Eff off, Falchetto… 😉

        • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

          Oy! Oy! Mr. Brown just when I thought it was safe to invite you for a tour of Montreal’s best Pole dancing correction, blogging venues.

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            Ummmm….So sad to say I may know one of these John lol ;).

            • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

              Yep many blogging places in Montreal. On a more important topic I miss the Lebanese food they made in Montreal.

              • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                Yeah they have the market there – in the Lebanese sector – I forget what it’s called but there’s a whole area. Tons of Lebanese in Montreal – including my brothers :). Oh, and my younger cousins.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          LMAO!

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        LOL
        I will round up the gang and tell them we should come over to Expat Life Coach and have an eff bomb party haha. Kidding 😉

        But yes, you’re right!

        • http://www.expatlifecoach.com/blog John Falchetto

          You guys are welcome, but make sure you bring Erika with you, she is the only one I know who owns that skill :)

    • http://www.ramblingsofawahm.com AllieRambles

      I did that for a while and just eliminated it. With Akismet and Anti Spam Bot or Captcha there is no need to worry about spam. And you can always go back and delete vulgar comments.

      And yes, tiny blogs get a lot of spam for some unknown reason. I was cleaning out 100’s every week. And had almost no traffic. I can imagine what it is like now but I don’t need to. :-)

      • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

        oooh..thats another one….captcha…nothing will get me to run away screaming faster than captcha …hate it with passion…yuck

        • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

          Good call Dino. Captcha drives me bonkers, plus I have to squint my eyes and all that junk when I just want to hit ‘submit’!

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            So right! Plus half the time, you can’t even read the silly word. But I think when you’re a newbie and don’t know better – you might go with it.

        • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

          Moderation as a whole is just lost on me. What is the point of writing something and then policing what people say about it? Wait. . .I’ve seen this type of behavior in other places. . .

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            Oh so true Paul.

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          Yeah – I’m not a big fan of Captcha either – I almost always have to refresh the words so I can read the damn thing! Kind of annoying. Big time!

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        I was just telling Dino how I did that too int he beginning – but it’s because I had no clue about blogging or anything else like Akismet and all those. Although I use G.A.S.P – I like it so much better than Akismet and I think it does a better job of annihilating the spam and crap!

        Thanks Allie :)

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      YES! Thank you Dino!

      I don’t get it either – I mean you can always delete the comment if it’s inappropriate or rude.
      But I do one blogger that does that – who I really like by the way – but he will approve them within minutes or hour – and you don’t sit and wait forever. So that one is okay.

      I honestly don’t get like 100 spam emails a day – I mean I get quite a bit but GASP is really good at stopping crap.

      When I was a newbie – I had no idea that this was a no-no – so I think I moderated in the beginning – but then again – I got a comment once in a blue moon – but then gave it up and said who cares – I can always delete.

      Excellent comment Dino :). And so correct about super – instant gratification! You should write about that! 😉

      Hope all is well with you my friend.
      Cheers

  • http://blog.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

    The one mistake I hate the most has to be the lack of ReplyMe-like feedback when someone replies to a comment. I actually keep a list of all the comments I leave around on my Delicious (soon-to-be Diigo) just to avoid leaving stuff behind, ’cause I like to actually read a reply to my comment, call me needy…

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Gabriele,

      That’s actually a great way to keep track – I used to do that on a piece of paper but then got tired. Now I just sometimes keep that tab open and refresh every so often if I know the person doesn’t have a ReplyMe cause I don’t generally like to subscribe to all the comments. And sometimes I will forget about it if I haven’t done either – ooops lol.

      I won’t call you needy – I like to read the replies I get as well – if and when I get them :).

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated. And now an email to you is on it’s way to let you know that I’ve replied to you haha.

      Cheers

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  • http://newsforbloggers.com Bryan Hollis

    Ingrid,
    Ha! You pretty well covered it. The two things about a blog that instantly drive me nuts are mismatched categories or topics (hope this makes sense). The navigation bar makes no sense. The other – and I know it is necessary for bloggers (unless they’re just having fun) to advertise, but come on. Give a little organization. Sloppy lay-outs kill me. I am guilty of being a minimalist, so I like low-keyed, not so busy designs. Anyway, now I’m starting to ramble. Off the soap box we go…..
    Bryan

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Bryan,

      It’s great to see you here again :).
      I totally know what you mean. It’s like reading an article on Christmas trees but seeing it in the Social Media applications category. Uhhh, not quite!

      As for ads – I’m not a big fan of having them plastered everywhere – I realize that some people like them on their blog and maybe even need them or depend on them – so this is just my personal opinion. But when they’re irrelevant to the them of your blog then it makes it worse. I mean – how would you feel if you started coming here and I had ads for shampoo, nail polish and vacuum cleaners? Ouch!

      Feel free to ramble hear anytime. And much like my introduction to this piece – your comment was anything but rambling – but more like musings :).

      Thanks for stopping by and musing!
      Cheers

  • http://technicallyeasy.net Paul Salmon

    For me, I popup windows and a whole lot of ads all over the place are what I hate the most. When I visit a blog I am there to read content, not ads. After reading the content, if an ad does catch my attention I may click it, but not before.

    I really hate it when a blog doesn’t have any share buttons, or they are hidden. There have been many times when I would have like to have shared an article, but there was no way to do it. Oh well, it is the author’s loss I suppose.

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hi Paul,

      Great of you to share these – thank you and YES! Pop-ups and tons of ads. I gotta tell you – I get annoyed with those pop-ups quite often. Not simply because they’re just annoying – especially if they’re not adjusted for first time visitors only – but because they take more time to lead – and if you have a slooooooow connection like mine – I get to sit and wait a bit before I have the chance to click on the little X to close it.

      No share buttons – especially Twitter – is one of my biggest pet peeves. Sometimes you just read this amazing article that’s a MUST share but alas….you must do all the work yourself :(.

      Thanks for dropping by. I appreciate your thoughts here.
      Cheers

  • http://live-your-love.com/ Brankica U

    OK, let me write this one :)

    No about me and contact me page is a sign for me to leave. Yes, I leave and never come back.
    Design is not a complete turn off, but if there are blinking ads all over the place, then it is too much and I leave.

    The dates are an interesting point. I just removed dates from my posts the other day. You can still see them on home page, tag and category pages but not on the posts themselves.

    The reason is that I started writing posts that are long and detailed and applied years ago and will most likely apply years ago. So I don’t want people to leave when they are 6 mths old, thinking they are no good anymore.

    Long ass paragraphs and small font, definitely make me leave. I just can’t read like that, hurts my eyes and takes too much time.

    Twitter, same here, e-mail same here.

    But here is more – no share buttons of any sort. Yes, there are those people still out there. I mean you write an awesome post and there is no effing way to share it. Well, if I am in a great mood I might do it manually, but I do it less and less. Not that I am not in a great mood, just with all the possibilities out there, how about adding those buttons.

    And believe it or not – no RSS on the blog. Just yesterday I saw some internet marketer’s blog. The guy is great, he can really teach you make small piles of money fast, so I wanted to subscribe and guess what – no RSS feed anywhere on his blog. No twitter username, no FB likes, nothing!!!!

    Great one, Ingrid, I thought you won’t pull it off, lol, you know why :)

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Sharpy!

      You and I seem to agree on these :). And like I said – I can totally understand why some people remove the dates – and in your case I can see why – although as you mentioned, they’re still visible on the home page. Let’s say it’s a book review for example – your opinion of that book is not going to change a year later and though the book may eventually become outdated – especially if it’s one that pertains to Social Media – your views at that time won’t.

      And you nailed one of my biggest pet peeves. I had to leave a few out cause I didn’t want to give them all away. Seeing no Twitter button on a great post drives me mad. I mean – the post is awesome and it should be shared and read with as many people as possible. In all honesty – with bloggers that I like – I’ve sent them a small email asking them why or suggesting they try it out. I guess everyone has their reasons. Sometimes, if it’s a new blogger – they just don’t know.

      Ha! No RSS – another great one. I didn’t even think of that one. It’s funny how you don’t know you have a certain pet peeve until you read about it and you realize that you actually do.

      Great additions here – thank Bear :).

      Oh, and as for pulling this off LOL – there’s nothing like pressure and racing against time – it really does wonders for your brain :).

      Have a super day.
      Cheers

    • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

      Dang you Brankica, between Griddy’s list of like 50, and all these good ones, there’s nothing left! Leaves us guys some bread crumbs ladies 😉

      • http://live-your-love.com/ Brankica U

        Sorry, I am just emotionally attached to this blog and when I see it I get this crazy face with mean laugh and go “Mineeeeeee, all mineeeeeee, muahahahaha”!

        • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

          Hmm Brankica, I see you and Griddy have the exact same laugh 😉

          • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

            Muwahahahaha
            Close – I use a W hahaha

            • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

              Here, let me share mine. http://muwhahaha.com/

              • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

                LOL Davina
                I saw/heard that a while back actually. Very funny :)!

        • http://www.thesaleslion.com/ Marcus Sheridan,The Sales Lion

          Hmm Brankica, I see you and Griddy have the exact same laugh 😉

        • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

          hahahah!
          And this blog loves that you think that way :))

      • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

        Brankica probably has like another 10 under her sleeve lol 😉

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Griddy – I think you nailed the main peeves for most, but here’s one more:

    Comments that have no value to the post. I’m talking beyond the “Great post, Ingrid” stuff. I mean where someone drops a link to a site. The comment has nothing to do with you or your post or your blog. It’s there solely to get others to click on it.

    This happened to me a few days ago. What is truly infuriating about it is that a colleague of mine did it! Someone I know did this. I wanted to reach through the intertubes and smack him in the neck.

    (See? Once again you have gotten me all fired up! Now I’m going to have to go break something.)

    :)

    • http://nittygriddy.com/ Ingrid Abboud

      Hey Paul,

      Wow I got you all riled up here haha – I love it! :)
      And yes – little meaningless drive-by’s although thoughtful – don’t really mean much. The problem is you don’t know if they’re genuine or not – what if it’s a first time commenter who doesn’t know better – or someone who doesn’t blog and doesn’t know the importance and value of comments?

      But you’re right – it’s frickin’ annoying when people who know better leave them – in all honesty – I’m not sure it inspires me to click to find out more.

      And you made me LMAO with “I wanted to reach through the intertubes and smack him in the neck”. LOL!!!

      I shall now leave you to go break things but I gotta be honest and tell you that I love having some kind of an impact on folks – and this one counts ;).

      Thanks for sharing Paul. Appreciated.
      Cheers

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Great comment, Paul.

      :)

      • http://www.awebguy.com/ Mark Aaron Murnahan

        Agreed! Great post, Danny! LOL