I miss blogging circa 2004

Blogging has completely changed in the ten years since I began. For the most part, I wish it never had. I look around at how much the simple design of any personal site has advanced. I enjoy a lot of the newest things that WordPress and Blogger has to offer as far as making site design an easy task for beginners. But I miss the chase for finding a code or script I've seen on a site, and picking apart the coding. It's new dynamics these days, filled with widgets, and the inability to fully comprehend how go farther than being a beginner with designs.

Look at this sweet layout from 2004, it's pretty sick.

Gone are the days of Britney Spears layouts, and .nu's. Now don't get me wrong, I don't miss either of those trends, nor that horrid "grunge" stage that the blog realm had for about a year back in 2004. But I miss the atmosphere it provided. There was no social networking, well minus myspace, but it was easier to blog without feeling the need to promote your site for "fans", and how many people who you can make appear to read your blog. There was once a time I would blog about my days and not feel pressured to include pictures so readers will actually pay attention in the rss readers.

I am a firm believer the problem started for bloggers when they created a "comment" exchange network. While I think the original idea behind comment "trains" is a wonderful way to expose others to your site, and you to new people who'd have never been able to discover previously. I hated receiving comments about how nice my layout was, and nothing related to the words I just spent an hour typing. I quickly withdrew my site from being found on sites fishing for comments.

I'm sadly disappointed every time I navigate to someone's "personal" blog and click their about me page, which in 2004 would have been packed with information about the person behind the blog - their likes, loves, and a shared story from their actual life. Now all I find is google ranks and PR information. Which is fabulous for sites aimed for reviewing products, but you should not be advertising your site as a "personal blog" when I can't find a morsel of information about you, or your life outside of being paid to blog about it. I don't care about how you can work in blogging about a home alarm system. If I was remotely interested in following anchored links to home security options, I would google to find more information.

Well, ten years have been generous to you blog design.

I feel like every blogger these days hide behind masks of social networking and paid blogging. No one remembers how to be personal anymore, because the internet is easily connected to every "personal" social networking site around. Anyone you know could stumble upon your blog at any given time, not that it wouldn't happen back in 2004 - but they'd have to be searching extremely hard to find you. Now it's as easy as 1, 2, 3. No one knows how to be themselves without looking for a way to work their blog to look appeasing to PR.

I'm going to throw this out there for everyone who begs for PR, and continues to get paid $1 to blog about light switches and police uniforms when it has NOTHING to do with you, or anything in your blog. PR is awesome, and if you're going to try for sponsored postings or giveaways. Reach out to things you're interested in. The last thing you want to do is have people following you or reading your blog for all the wrong reasons. And even if you're google rank is good enough to get tons of offers - don't forget why you blog. Are you simply doing this for money, or for the love of blogging?

I hope more people wake up to the fact that even though there are tons of new options available for bloggers to make a profit from blogging. But you shouldn't turn your website into a walking advertisement for tampons and toothbrushes just for a dollar or two.

I'm going back to 2004 style blogging. If I don't have pictures for my blog, I'm not going to give a rat's ass about it. If I get offered PR, or find a product related to something I am interested in, hell yeah to that. Am I going to sell out on my readers? Probably not. I'm an internet loser for the most part, so if you read my blog - God save your soul.

A Secret Garden Giveaway - CLOSED

Color me lucky! I have the opportunity to offer you guys a chance to win a remarkable prize from the snazzy shop, Life In Ink! Tiffany is such a sweet girl and incredibly crafty and talented. I can't find one item in her shop that I don't swoon over. Her prices are very reasonable, and the products are high quality. So to premiere my new blog and her new line "Secret Garden", we're giving away a set of earrings, matching necklace, and a $5 voucher to use in her shop*!

Holy crap! Look how gorgeous! This could be yours!

Prize package will include:
1 - set of Pink Rose Stud Earrings.
1 - 18" Antique Silver and Brass Secret Garden Rose Medallion Necklace.
1 - 30-Day $5 Voucher for Link In Ink @ Etsy (usable at lifeinink.etsy.com)

How can you win?:
For every entry, please leave a comment individually.
1.   Leave a blog comment.
2.   Follow me @ashsketchum.
3.   Follow Tiffany @lifeininketsy.
4.   "Like" me on Facebook, According to Ashley.
5.   "Like" Tiffany on Facebook, Life In Ink.
6.   Follow my blog, on Google Connect in the sidebar.
You can complete this daily;
7.   Tweet about the Giveaway - "RT @ashsketchum @lifeininketsy A fabulous giveaway from #lifeinink jewelry! http://tinyurl.com/696yzkj"


Terms and Conditions:
Contest ends November 3rd, 2011 at 12am. Contestants must be residents of the United States. Must be 16 years or older. *Please note by entering you may receive emails, updates, and status' from According to Ashley.

Wordless Wednesday

Instragram of pure boredom.

Ten

1. This photo was taken was I was pregnant, living in my first rental house. The blowfish was given to me when I was 8 years old by my Nana. This is an accurate portrayal of me. And yes, my fireplace was purple.

2.  My idea of a good night is catching up on one of my favorite TV shows, and drinking a smoothie - probably while studying, but that isn't exactly what I'd consider part of the perfect night. There may or may not be a Nerd Boy playing Poke'mon with me as well.

3. I feel lucky, even though I am extremely unlucky. I am grateful to have a beautiful daughter, supportive friends, and fantastic opportunities presented to me. Without these factors, I wouldn't have anything - either I am extremely lucky to value the simple things in life, or truly blessed. I'll hope for a bit of the both.

4. My favorite color is pink. I know I am 21 years old, but I've never outgrown the color. I don't believe in the whole "if there's too much pink you'll grow to hate it". Totally false.

5. I collected Britney Spears items when I was in elementary school. I had 500 pictures of her on my wall, and had every doll, cd, movie, and concert play set made.

6. You probably know this by now, but baking is my vice. I absolutely love spending all day in the kitchen baking things. It really is an art. But the cupcake trend needs to die. Macaroons are the new cupcakes.

7. Greek food? Yes please. I have an obsession with Greek food since I worked at a Greek restaurant when I was in high school. I still go in there and eat, and try to avoid seeing my boss since I quit without a two week notice. Sorry Yani.

8. When I am hungry, I turn into Betty White. I kid you not. The snickers commercials, totally true. I am a raging DIVA when I am hungry.

9. I survived having Meningitis. It sucked. I missed going to the beach that year because I was in the hospital, only one person came to visit me - my friend Jenny Rhodes.

10. If I had a chance to do everything over again, I'd do almost everything in my life differently.