neilmac Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Having just started a blog to record our travels and adventures this year I wondered how many others on here run their own blogs? How about posting your blog addresses so we can all have a look? Cheers, Neil My Blog - http://motorhomingwithneilmac.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I find most blogs incredibly frustrating and usually give up trying to read them. Most have no proper navigation so that anyone coming across an existing blog for the first time has a very hard time trying to read it in chronological order. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 In general I agree with Andy, I've just looked at your Blog Neil and the first thing that struck me is I have to scroll to the bottom and read it from the bottom up to be in chronological order so I gave up, sorry :-( . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 Andy, you're right about lack of normal website navigation but then its a blog. A kind of online diary/record of events. Dave, point taken but, the choices with a blog are to start at the begining or start with the most recent posting - either way there will be some scrolling involved. Personally if I was interested in the subject matter and the content was written well, I would persevere - but that's just me :-D Anyone else blogging and care to link to it here so we can have a look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffersonCampervan Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I too don't read travel blogs, for the reasons specified above - for travel, I'm more interested in the info -which entails some kind of logical organization. A few years ago, I originally started a travel blog & quickly abandoned it in favour of a website. There are lots of free hosting sites & much more control, clarity & usefulness. I think blogs are useful only for friends & family, who will follow you on a daily basis. Just IMHO. But good luck neilmac! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berti Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 hi neilmac we do a blog on the forum..just for a bit of fun really ..nothing too serious (!) cheers berti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 berti - 2010-01-15 4:36 PM hi neilmac we do a blog on the forum..just for a bit of fun really ..nothing too serious (!) cheers berti Just been reading it berti, makes great reading :-D Keep going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I like reading about other peoples travels in what ever form they take. You can always pick up some useful information. I would rather encourage people to do it and if its not your thing I suppose you won't bother to investigate further. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I wonder who else thinks that these so called 'blogs' are just a sad ego extension of their creators wish to be famous! I too prefer to make my own choices in the places that I visit and I find that reading about other peoples travels is about as interesting as seeing other peoples photos of their kids and grandkids!. However I suppose blogs at worst do no harm and at best keep some folks amused so it can't all be bad now can it? I suspect that as with many things there is no right or wrong - just different personal choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I'm very happy to read about other peoples travels and adventures its just the "BLOG" format that I find difficult. I have a small website running regarding the kit car I'm rebuilding (sad ego extension? probably :D ) and its a kind of Blog I suppose but I write it so it reads from the top down. I've rewritten it and re-designed it three times each so far and may well redo it again as I get better at web design and see my own mistakes in layout. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Sorry I don't have the time to read them. Bit like watching grass grow or watching Big Brother. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyAndy Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 It really shocks me sometimes on here how thoughtless and hurtful people can be, the gentleman only asked if anyone else had written a blog on here and could he read it or maybe they would like to share it with others. Many people write about experiences that have nothing to do with motorhoming or camping and expect others will be interested in the life of a dog, car, motor bike etc at least this writer was keeping within the forums interests. No one knows about different peoples circumstances and it may help them to settle into retirement by having something to do, some could be ill and not able to go out and about or work and this is a bit of a release for them, do we really need to put people down so harshly just because we don't like something, best not just to reply to the thread than treat people like lepers. Doubt he will get much response now from anyone who has done a blog for fear of more ridicule. Such a shame. Still no doubt they can all have a go at me now then the thread can go even more off topic. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohgrandma Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 I too enjoy the blogs, I have read Klynes, Berties, and now Neils. also, Carol's. It really is interesting to read what others are experiencing. on their travels. My camping days (mostly by caravan ) are now sadly over. but, some of the places visited by others, bring back such happy memories for me. as I have been there too. So keep posting. I say. there is always someone out there who looks forward too, and enjoys reading them very much. Ria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Mandy, I don't know if your comments were aimed at me but I would say my comments were intended in a constructive manner and I believe Neil took them that way. As for being thoughtless, well isn't it better if people tell you why they find certain things difficult? That way you can look at ways to make it easier to use and that in turn will get more people to read it. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Mandy&Andy - 2010-01-16 7:06 AM It really shocks me sometimes on here how thoughtless and hurtful people can be, the gentleman only asked if anyone else had written a blog on here and could he read it or maybe they would like to share it with others. Many people write about experiences that have nothing to do with motorhoming or camping and expect others will be interested in the life of a dog, car, motor bike etc at least this writer was keeping within the forums interests. No one knows about different peoples circumstances and it may help them to settle into retirement by having something to do, some could be ill and not able to go out and about or work and this is a bit of a release for them, do we really need to put people down so harshly just because we don't like something, best not just to reply to the thread than treat people like lepers. Doubt he will get much response now from anyone who has done a blog for fear of more ridicule. Such a shame. Still no doubt they can all have a go at me now then the thread can go even more off topic. Mandy Thanks Mandy :-D . I hope those that paid attention to the original question do continue to list their own blogs for others, including myself, to read. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but the ones voiced here that weren't relevant to my request certainly won't dampen my enthusiasm - so I hope they won't put others off either..... Cheers, Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 davenewell@home - 2010-01-16 10:47 AM Mandy, I don't know if your comments were aimed at me but I would say my comments were intended in a constructive manner and I believe Neil took them that way. As for being thoughtless, well isn't it better if people tell you why they find certain things difficult? That way you can look at ways to make it easier to use and that in turn will get more people to read it. D. Absolutely, I would really enjoy reading people's blogs (on subjects that interested me), but the lack of good navigation makes them so difficult to read. The issue really is that the blog format was designed for 'of the moment' comments - previous entries being more or less irrelevant. This is fine in many cases, and for those who regularly follow them. However if you are trying to get useful information about, for example, a particular journey, you really need to be able to read it easily in chronological order. I was reading one a couple of months ago which covered a particular 3 month tour following a route that we intend to use. It was virtually impossible to follow, in the end I cut and pasted all the text into Word so that I could re-organise it. So, I'm not criticising blogs per se, they are a great idea and very easy to set up, I just wish that they had better navigation! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffersonCampervan Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Well there are 2 different sorts of comments here. I for one, enjoy reading trip reports & would enjoy neilmacs accounts. However, since he is just starting it & has little time & effort invested so far, I think it's a good time to point out the cumbersome nature of the blog format, as Andy C & Dave Newell have. He may very well reconsider, not the project, but the format. That's what I did when I first started. Actually, if blogs simply had a button that reversed the order, it would be a non-issue - but wait until you have an extensive trip blogged and try to read it from the bottom-up - you actually end up scrolling up to the top of each post, then scrolling down. Not too bad when you're at half a dozen posts, but a long trip with dozens or even hundreds of entries, is very cumberome. Blogs are designed to be daily broadsides, not a chronological account. That being said, I assumed I had, as neilmac requested, posted my "blog" (in website format) in this thread(it's in my sig). Since this forum allows sigs to be turned off, I'll repost it here: http://travel.jeffersoncampervan.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hymer C 9. Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Mandy & Andy, have to agree with your comments, I can see Dave's point but the other negative points I can not for the life of me point of posting, yes I know we are all entitled to out opinions but we have a relatively new poster on this forum asking a question, I think Neil is made of sturdy stuff but a less confident poster could have been put off. I am enjoying Berti's posts and when I go away I usually put a bit of a blog on get good feed back and usually help and suggestions on sites and routes. Lets take them for what they are shared information we can read or not as we choose. Carol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 I like reading other peoples travel reports/experiences, as I have the van and all the gear, but seem to have not enough time to go forth and enjoy it :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Hymer C 9. - 2010-01-16 5:11 PM Mandy & Andy, have to agree with your comments, I can see Dave's point but the other negative points I can not for the life of me point of posting, yes I know we are all entitled to out opinions but we have a relatively new poster on this forum asking a question, I think Neil is made of sturdy stuff but a less confident poster could have been put off. I am enjoying Berti's posts and when I go away I usually put a bit of a blog on get good feed back and usually help and suggestions on sites and routes. Lets take them for what they are shared information we can read or not as we choose. Carol. Thanks for your post Carol. Yep, sturdy stuff and definitely not "just a sad ego extension of their creators wish to be famous" as one reply suggested *-) I'm looking forward to continue building my blog and hope it will be of interest to others. To those who are not interested in such things - no problem :-D Cheers, Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I am still some way off from having the freedom to live my dream which is to retire and spend at least 7 months 'on the road' touring Europe (even venturing in to Morrocco). For a number of years now I have always preferred the relative safety and security of staying on official campsites. however, that does not stop me from 'living my dream' now through the experiences of others. I have heard and read about the Fench Aires, german Stellplatz etc and France Passion but have not been convinced that this would suit my requirements for security and safety. However, very recently I read an article in one of the motorhome magazines about someone who spent a summer vacation staying on nothing but France Passion sites. From that one article I am a convert and we are even contemplating trying it for ourselves for a week or so in the very near future. My point for this rambling is that there are some of us who enjoy reading about other peoples experiences, whether that be through published travel related books, magazine articles, forums or blogs. Those that have been there, done it and got the tee shirt and do not have an interest in anyone else's experiences have the choice of not logging on to them. In defence of some of the posts here, although initially they may have been viewed as negative, some were trying to just give an explanation of why they 'personally' do not like reading blogs. If those remarks can be used in a positive way for the 'blogger' to make there experiences more enjoyable to read, either in presentation or content, then I view that as a good thing. What i would like to perhaps see is some sort of central index to these type of blogs to save me hunting around for them, then i could put them in to my 'favourites' folder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berti Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 well what an introduction to the forum for neil..... my better half has taken umbrage to the inference that we are Z list, publicity seeking, ego-maniacs... we are not !! although any offers from chat magazine will be considered (lol) we started doing a blog on the forum on our last trip..a 3mth tour of italy.. because we were feeling very isolated as we didn't encounter any other english m/homers for a natter ... and when we had our problems of being pick-pocketed and then almost having our van stolen we were at a very low ebb and the support from forum users was very much appreciated.... in fact ..it probably averted a divorce !! :-D ... we have read yours neil and must say it's a very professional affair... (saved to our favourites so we can keep track of you !!! ) so we aren't sure if our ramblings do constitute a 'blog' ? it is in a chronological order...but incorporates questions,musings and banter as we post we try to put some helpful info and have interaction and a bit of fun (usually at our own expense ) with other forum users and what's wrong with that (!) as the saying goes the proof of the pudding is in the eating...and as long as we continue to get a good number of viewings we will continue so there (!) cheers berti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Good for you berti! I'm certainly enjoying keeping up with your travels and your format is certainly a 'blog'. Its also a great way to do one, I think you are likely to maintain far more interaction with others your way. Keep it up and hope to meet up with you on the road someday :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homenaway Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hi Neil, Just read your blog and the various comments good and bad :-D Certainly it's professionally laid out and I have read a few blogs about motorhomes and travels when they have held my interest. I would comment that white text on black is ok for a couple of pages but for anything longer I would give up reading - nice photos though B-) I started with a blog but soon decided to set up our website www.motorhomeandaway.com after I did a short course on web design shortly before I retired but I see from updating the copyright notice its been running for ten years now! When I look back at the oldest pages they do need a revamp but there are always new features to add. As its purely a personal site I'm not too worried about feedback but have had emails of thanks and queries from all over the world. We met a Belgian couple at a Scottish campsite who had a print out of the sites we had visited so someone found it useful. It certainly keeps me occupied in the winter months and I'm looking at migrating it from clunky MS FrontPage 2000 to more up to date web design so that's a new challenge Anyway keep on blogging -all of you enjoy your travels Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilmac Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks Steve, You may be right about white on black but, if that becomes tiresome after a while it easy enough to change the template. Thanks for your comment about the photos. Photography is a big hobby for me and whilst mentioning photos do I recognise your website address as being a contributor to the All the Aires book? - Some great photos there from you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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