I do not consider myself a blogging expert, although I play one on The Blog Farm…
That said, I believe I have visited and reviewed more blogs in the past few years than most people do in a lifetime. Yes, I throw myself under the bus regularly to make sure the sites submitted do not contain inappropriate material, viruses or other nasty stuff. If you do find anything offensive on any blog within our directory, annoying pop-ups, hate language or if your virus detection goes crazy, please let me know through our contact form.
I will build this FAQ as questions arise.
At the bottom of this page I will begin placing links to articles I have found useful. Please let me know if you have a link that would help and I will add it.
The answers below are in response to questions asked by previous users. If you do not see the answer you are looking for leave your question below or use our contact form. I apologize if it is not in a concise layout of some sort. As I have the time I will try to get in and create some sort of order to the questions. Until then I place un-ordered answers to users question at the bottom of this page.
Why should I participate?
Participation is the key to successful blogging. It builds your social network and grows your circle of friends. Enjoy the blogs that interest you, comment and participate. Leave words of wisdom on forums, ask questions and build relationships, and always leave your link.
Many visitors and register members search the library for blogs they are interested in. Last month we exceeded 50,000 thumbnail clicks. That means that visitors viewed over 50,000 different blogs last month from our site. These are separate from the clicks syndicated members get from their articles. Participation grows your social network. If you sit back and do nothing, odds are your blog probably wont grow as quickly.
How do I add The Blog Farm tag?
To add The Blog Farm tag: (WordPress Widgets)
Go to Dashboard>Appearance>Widgets: On that page you will see Left Sidebar / Right Sidebar. Click on Right Sidebar it will expand and show you all widgets on that sidebar. On the left you should see the different widgets available. Drag and drop a ‘Text’ widget and place it at the bottom of the Right Sidebar. Click the bar on the text widget and it should open showing a space for the title and an empty box below.
Copy the code for the tag (found on the bottom right sidebar of our site) and paste it into the bottom section of the widget. You can enter a title if you like, such as: The Blog Farm or I’m a Member Of, or you can leave it blank. Click save and then look at your site, it should be there. Make sure when you paste the code it is identical to the code on our site.
To add the tag: (Blogger)
It has been a while since I have been in a Blogger blog but I am guessing it is still the same. Go to layout from your Dashboard and click on your sidebar. Click on the ‘Add Page Element’ with the ‘Add Gadget’ link. Clicking on the Add A Gadget link should pull up the ‘Add A Gadget’ pop-up Window. Look for a gadget under the ‘Basic’ subtab called HTML/Java Script, HTML/SCRIPT or something similar. Paste the code from the bottom right sidebar of our site into the window of the gadget.
Save or publish, cannot remember exactly which is correct.
I have joined The Blog Farm recently but do not see my thumbnail image next to my directory listing?
Images are provided by an outside service. It sometimes takes a few days to be generated. The good thing about this they also constantly review and refresh the images so if you change your current theme the thumbnail image will be automatically be updated.
Every time I try to upload an avatar image it does not show up…
We have had a problem with that. Due to recent security problems uploading images has been currently suspended until we can fins a work-around. In the meantime I can suggest going to: http://www.gravatar.com and register your avatar. This is a great free service that allows any avatar you upload to appear wherever you go, automatically. I use it myself.
How will I know that my blog has been added? Will I get an email?
Yes, we do send an email confirming approval. Most blogs are added within 24 hours. You will also hear from us if we turn down your blog submission for inappropriate content or failing to place The Blog Farm tag. If you have already installed the tag and your content is appropriate your blog should be listed quickly.
I can’t find the location to add my facebook page and other profile info…
Your profile link is located in the top right corner of our site. Please take the time to fill out your blog site’s address, email, Facebook or Twitter info and your site/author biography. Your bio is where you want to write something about yourself and a description of your blog. If you are a syndicated blog, the bio/website/Facebook/Twitter other information is available to readers at the bottom of your articles.
How do I delete a blog listed in the directory?
If you are closing your blog or it is being dropped, we will pick up the broken link. Broken links are deleted after a week of unsuccessful connections. Email me the name of the blog using the same email address that it was submitted under. Why else would you want it removed?
Why does The Blog Farm’s initial page-load time take so long? (this has been addressed and fixed)
This is mostly due to the syndication of the articles. The server database must first compile the links to images, site ip’s and other technical stuff. If a syndicated blog’s image is slow loading due to being too large or if their domain is slow that day, so is our front page. Once the initial page loads the following pages should load quickly…
Why are people not commenting?
I have researched the commenting thing to death and it is the same everywhere…
People do not comment like they use to. Since the advent of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and others that ‘keep’ you logged-in in exchange for giving them the ability to follow your every move, the sheer act of participation by commenting has diminished on all ‘regular’ websites or blogs. It appears that people think of it as ‘too much trouble’ to have to log-in or type in their email address. In this technologically advanced world of instant gratification people have become lazy. They would rather trade off their privacy than take the time to do the hard work involved with logging-in to comment.
I considered enabling a way for users to have access using their log-in credentials using their information from social networks. Such as log-in using Facebook, but this give Facebook (and God knows who else) access to everyone’s information that uses this site… when they use it and how they use it. So being the old-school guy that I am I threw that idea out with the other ‘trash’ my brain comes up with.
I have looked into placing a cookie on users computers that keep users logged-in for up to a year, (as social networks do) if they check the ‘keep me logged-in” check box when logging-in. Right now it keeps them logged-in for 48 hours or until they close their browser. Still considering it…
Are articles with videos allowed?
We only publish YouTube videos without ads, for security reasons since there are many videos out there that implant trojans and viruses and we don’t like to use the ones with advertising.
Are syndicated articles reviewed or changed prior to syndication?
Yes, believe it or not, I read every article submitted. Mostly to get the flavor of the story so I can pick the right article category to place it under (sidebar drop-down). I check every link to make sure it does not violate our guidelines for syndication. I also change all links to ‘open in a new window’ so they do not take our visitors away from the farm. After spending all the time getting readers to visit our site I do not want links set to automatically take them away…
How long does it take after donation for syndication to begin?
Normally within 24 hours we will begin syndication. There are a few technical issues we need to take care of and might be some minor changes you will need to make on your end. We will contact you with a receipt for you donation with information and any further instructions necessary.
What should I know as a Featured Blog?
As a featured blog your articles are displayed on our flash banner at the top of our home page. Therefore images become important. A tiny hint, when placing your article preview in the banner on the frontpage, it helps if your images are somewhat dark background and horizontal. This of course is entirely up to you, but the dark background helps them to stand out because the text is white and yellow.
Post quality not quantity...
It is far better to post one well-written, well thought out article that is referenced properly, than it is to post many not-so-good articles. You can actually dual topic related subjects. Start with any political subject and lead it into another related subject.
Choose your text carefully…
Size matters. Readers who have a problem reading normally have their browser settings adjusted accordingly, so it is not necessary to use a large font. Normal font setting should be 10point or 11point, sometimes 12. Do not use italics, in some browsers they become so pix-elated they are hard to read.
Content variety is the spice of life...
Current events, political ranker, musings, crafts, or photos are always popular content, but only to some. Mix it up a little or you will exclude a large number of people. Humor is always great, people love to laugh. Mixing humor with politics works well. Memories and personal stories also work. Re-publishing other peoples work is not good and won't get published on our page.
Set your front page to excerpts only…
This gives readers more articles to see at first glance. They can choose what they want to read without having to through ‘older posts’. You have plenty of interesting articles, why not let your visitors see them.
How can I craft my articles to gain higher traffic?
Crafting your articles has matured to a near science with today's search engine algorithms. How these search bots view your article is very important! Probably the most effective way to easily gain more hits is to make use of current events. In my experience, many of the articles I wrote were inspired by current events in some way. The trick is to include that relationship in your actual article. For instance:
Today's news about Kim Kardashion got me to thinking about my school days.
or
Obama's announcement in the news got me to thinking about.
Using Google Trends to assist in finding popular search topics helps tremendously, http://www.google.com/trends/.
Take a look at the most current words being used in search's. Determine which word you would consider relating to your story, or even a couple of the top search words. Now here is where the near science comes in. Try to 'craft' a search 'term'. In other words, think of the way you would phrase that word in your search, such as.
TAG: News about Obama's Health Care
Use this or several other search 'terms' in your article and also include the entire 'term' in your tags. If you can, use part of the popular search term in your title as well.
Including popular search terms while crafting your article will increase your search traffic.
How can I speed up my blog, it is slow to load?
Here is a great site to test your blog. Just enter your site address, select test location, and let it run. It will show you a waterfall of your page load... http://www.webpagetest.org/
Playing with widgets or gadgets on your sidebar?
To play around with a text widget and learn what you can do with it, go to 'add new post' and use the visual editor and build yourself an ad like ' I am such a noob ' then copy and paste an image below that. Center the image on the page or for that matter center the text as well, even change the color of the text if you wish. The cool thing is this: once you get what you want, click the tab that allows you to see the HTML. Copy and paste that HTML code into the paragraph section of the widget then save. Go look at your site and see what you have done. If you did it correctly you will have learned how to build your own custom widgets using html...
How do I add a YouTube video to my article?
Go to YouTube and pick the video you would like to place in your article.
Below the video click on the share button. It will open more links. Click the embed link... Check the box next to: Use old embed code (this works best in all browsers) then select the size video you want. If you do not see the size you want or want a smaller custom size video, enter the size on the right.
Go up to the code in the box and copy it. Paste this code into the html editor of your blogging platform. (html is different than the visual editor) If you want to center the video on the page place it in html brackets: <center>code</center>
Should I create an About Me page?
Yes... Get personal with an honest description of yourself, ideas and beliefs, education or professional background and why you are passionate about your blog. Most visitors want to know about the author and it really helps to create a personal connection.
Open links in new window…
When setting your links, set them to open in ‘A New Window’ rather then taking a person away from your site, never to come back.
Lose the Google Translator...
Most browsers are translate ready and those that need it, already have it. It causes your page to load slowly. (Waiting for Google to load can really slow down your site.) If you must have it and you know what you are doing you can minify the js script and move it to the footer so it does not affect page load speed.
Clean up your sidebars…
Keep only what you need with the most important or relative stuff near the top with less important stuff lower. Having too much ‘stuff’ including advertising, takes away from the professional look of your site. If you can, make another page for things like recommended reading or links (except mine of course…). Do not advertise for other people by placing their gadgets or links above the fold (top half of page), place your page links, archives or anything related to your blog at the top and place their stuff at the bottom. Bottom line, if their link does not bring you traffic, make you money or is a contractual obligation, lose it…
A recent response to the question of comments: 2/28/12
I have written about this before and have offered inducements to get readers to take the time to comment, but they do not. It goes in spurts. It is not just the farm, commenting in general has gone way down since social sites like Facebook and Twitter have become so popular. No one wants to take the time to log in…
You will notice this on your own site, the comment to visit ratio is low. It is just the way it is, most people are lazy. Just look at how many people do not even take the time to reply to comments they receive on their own articles. In a way, the farm is just a conduit to your blog. Most people that enjoy an article will continue to your blog, but getting them to comment is tough unless you have taken the time to make a personal connection, and still it is tough… I have sent emails out regarding this, but to no avail. My suggestion is just gain satisfaction from knowing your articles are getting read. A comment is special, like the cherry on top of the ice cream. So when you do get one cherish it, nurture it, regard it as a very high compliment that someone actually took the time to comment.
I wish I could come up with a way to get people to comment more often, maybe offer money?
My thoughts:
Hey, Do not concern yourself with others not commenting. Keep it up, when someone replies, go to their blog and comment. Expand the relationship, share links, exchange guest posts, build your social network… I would say 30% of blogs are gone within the first year, others are dormant for longer before they quit, success is hard work and many do not understand that building your social network is harder and requires more time than just writing a post now and then. Requires commitment (not literally, well.. maybe), determination and perseverance… good job. If you really want to push it, if you comment and no one responds, go back to their blog and ask them why they did not respond. Put the ball in there court.
Below are a few snippets of emails containing advise.
Based on what I see your site does not need the disclaimer and age verification page prior to entering. That is for xxx language and porn sites. I see none of that on your site. You lose many visitors with that page and it also creates a bad thumbnail on your featured preview in our left sidebar… up to you. You can turn it off.
I made a change to the way you laid out the photo attributes at the bottom of your page, removing the copyright marks (not necessary). Copyright laws clearly state that you do not need to add a mark or attribute. Your work is copyrighted the second it is published with or without the mark. I can put it back on if you wish but it takes away from the professional look of the article.
Google friends loading at the top of your page is the culprit. Placing the Google gadget in your lower right sidebar will allow your page to load before loading itself. Order of page load is: Left sidebar (if you have one)>header>main page> right sidebar. So by placing the gadget at the bottom of your right sidebar you will notice that your page fully loads first before Google even begins to load allowing your impatient readers quicker access to your site. This will lower your bounce rate (people leaving before the page loads) giving you more visitors…
I did notice your articles had advertising in them. We do not allow advertising for obvious reasons but have syndicated your posts, minus the ad links. We do our best to edit in such a way as to inform readers of your articles content without the advertising links. Interested readers will continue on to your site allowing your ads to be effective.
Blog Submissions are only held for 48 hours for tag verification. If your blog tag was not placed before that time is was deleted. Please re-submit your blog. Thanks
Our verification has detected that your blogs do not use original material. The articles we found on your site are copied from other sites on the Internet or you use a e-zine service. The content of your blogs does not meet with our requirements. Thank you for your interest in listing your blog with us but at this time we only accept ‘original’ work.
It is especially important that syndicated blog subscribers update their user profiles. When visitors reads your article that information is displayed below. Please update your user profile so the proper information gets to them.
When I clicked on your site it started another window (pop-up) showing bouncing balls asking “how many balls do you see”. This is not allowed. If you are not aware of it you should find out why it is happening. If you find and fix the issue you are welcome to re-submit at a later time.Our primary concern is the protection of our readers and visitors.
We do not use excerpts and only accept full ‘original’ articles. No e-zine articles are allowed unless you are the original author. Advertising is stripped from any article syndicated. The idea of syndication is that your articles will raise readers interest enough on their own, that interested visitors will continue on to your site for further reading… We may edit, resize or remove any images or videos that are too large. Content will never be changed but may be rearranged so that it works well and looks good on our pages.
I am all for getting your blog maximum exposure. Can I give you one tip and please forgive me if you already practice this. Whenever possible try to engage your readers by ending your articles with a question or even placing the question in the title. Always enjoy a good debate! Even if it means by pissing them off. 
Have fun and let me know how it works for you.
Articles with images grab the readers attention on our excerpt page. We encourage placing an image in your article. One is all that is needed. This is entirely up to you of course, we just think that a picture ‘is’ worth a thousand words especially when placing articles into syndication. People approach the ‘image’ issue from different angles. Personally I try to use Wiki images whenever possible since those images are public domain. It is good to attribute Wiki’s images anyway as a common courtesy. Another common practice to locate public domain images is to paste the title of your article into Google Image’s and search related images. Using another persons image is mostly legal if properly attributed. Check the page where the image is displayed to make sure it is not listed as private or an image for sale. Check ‘other sizes’ to see if there are multiple uses of the image. This is normally a good sign that it is a public domain image. Steer clear of images from foreign sites and those that are slow to load.
I really believe you have something to offer that is original, you just need to dig a little deeper. I am trying to work with you here and I have a suggestion. For ideas, try using the drop-down on our left sidebar. It lists articles by categories. Try writing something personal for each category. Take your time, write a little and walk away, save as pending. Start another article under a different category, take your time, write something personal, walk away and save as pending. As you feel like it, go back to an article and work on it… Over time you will develop a whole bunch of articles pending. When you finally think one is good enough to publish, re-read it to select the proper title. Take time to pick the right image then save it one more time to pending. Think about it overnight, if it feels good the next morning you get to perform the most enjoyable part of writing a blog. Click publish, then sit back and smile… Do not be embarrassed by this, I have seen many bloggers go through all sorts of writer block or “drawing a blank’, it is common for many reasons. The fact that you have a blog means you have something to say. So take your time, think about it, work on each article a little at a time. Takes some of the pressure off…
To be continued…
Great Blogging Links:
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