Some blogging tips for protecting and if you wish for more visitors on your blog

Most of you know that I lost my Reading Room blog to malware. Yes, I did create another one in its place, Everything Distils with Reading. Of course I lost my links, ranking, readership and lot more which I had built over three years. Yes, I am getting there but slowly. Three years of work can't be achieved in 50 days.

I explored and found very simple rules:

1) Have a back up. I find importing blogger blog to Wordpress easy. Create a wordpress blog of the same name and import your blog to it, comments and all. You can do it on bloggers too but I found it cumbersome. Do whatever is easy and works for you.

2) Submit your blog to Google webmaster tools or Yahoo Site Explorer. Either works. They search your blog for any kind of malware and inform you. Keep checking regularly.

3) Don't clutter your blog. Keep it simple. More widgets you add, more chances of malware. Avoid animations, music, graphics unless you have those specific blogs. It also affects loading and results in lesser number of visitors. I avoid those blogs which are filled with all kinds of gadgetry. It takes away the pleasure of reading, let alone commenting.

4) If you have to have a site counter, go for well known ones. Statcounter or sitemeter work well. I had put good counter which was the culprit for Malware.

Explore the net as how to protect your blog. Blogs are extension of our creativity. Losing it is painful. Ask me. I almost went insane.

Feel free to move around my blog---Rockin' Chair Writers

I got into blogging by chance. Before May 2005, I never wrote anything. Creatively, that is. A friend I met online, insisted that I write. He asked me contribute a ghost story to a network. Within an hour, I had written one and never looked back. I posted my story. Needless to say, I knew nothing of editing or finer nuances of writing. However, that did not stop me from writing short stories and 55 word fiction. Poetry came a bit later. I used to gobble up Browning and Burns' poetry in my school days. When I did PG in English Lit., I disovered other poets, medieval, modern and contemporary. Before that I had known nothing of modern poetry. Plath, Parker, Oliver, cummings and Neruda are just a few poets I am mentioning here. The list does not end here.

Initialy I had no vistors on my blog. I used to do it for my own pleasure. I taught myself writing various forms of poetry writing. Then visitors trickled in and I too started to interact. Then I discovered various prompts and writing exercises. These helped honing my skill. Creative writing communities help each other to write better. Many amongst us offer valuable tips. Critiquing is a part of it. However, encouragement is the keyword.

After a while, our blogs do become our homes. It feels good when we share this space with our visitors. Over a period of time some of us become fast friends too. It might be via the net but nonetheless very important. We open our blogs, our hearts to our friends. Any kind of writing is mostly derived from from personal experiences. In a way we reveal more in our creative writings than anywhere else. Happy or sad, it is for our blog friends to see. Many a times, they help us get away from despair. It may be on the net but it still feels good to know that complete strangers care about your well being.

My blog contains more than 700 posts. Most of it is poetry. Structured as well as free verse. A few pieces of prose poetry. I cannot slot my poetry. I write on wide and varied issues. As I have not seriously considered publishing, I think, this is the only way I can reach out to the world. Small one, may be. I also have a book blog where I write reviews for books I read. I also participate in various memes if I feel like it. That can and does help building up the blogging community.

Show you around? Hey, you are welcome to explore my blog. Get busy, get clicking, get going!

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Thanks Brian, for this prompt. It rocks!