sunrise from homeJune 6, 2011
Nature ID is my online nature journal. It serves as a learning tool and helps me keep track of what, when, and where. As such, I post and organize this blog in a peculiar way so that I can quickly reference a past post. However, this doesn't make it easy for people to "follow" my blog.
ps 06/11/11 - Thanks to Janet's comments, I've started adding titles to my ID posts (what, when, and where) to help those who use blog dashboards, readers, and aggregators to easily click directly to specific entries.
pss 07/17/11 - A skeletal index page is up and running. I finally removed the lengthy lists to the right and am in the process of creating grouped index posts which show labels in general categories.
To cover the when, I frequently backdate. This means the date header on an entry is the date I took the pictures, not necessarily the date of when I posted to the blog. My blog archives serve as actual hiking/observation dates. I'm currently posting from a hike on May 14, 2011 at restricted Fort Ord - Army Lands.
For the what and the where, I liberally use labels. At the bottom of every post and grouped to the right in the sidebar are highlighted labels that link back to specific Nature ID posts (this is different from WordPress blogs, where a "label" will take you to a listing of multiple blogs with that particular tag - I don't personally like that, so I don't do it).
When I first began this blog on May 6, 2009, I only had 3 labels: flowers, animals, and Fort Ord. I now have 472 labels in multiple groups as shown in the sidebar to the right. Scrolling down from here to eternity is inconvenient. I'd like to remove the lengthy label lists. So, I'm creating an index page (shown as a tab along the top) to help followers navigate within Nature ID.
ps 06/11/11 - Thanks to Janet's comments, I've started adding titles to my ID posts (what, when, and where) to help those who use blog dashboards, readers, and aggregators to easily click directly to specific entries.
pss 07/17/11 - A skeletal index page is up and running. I finally removed the lengthy lists to the right and am in the process of creating grouped index posts which show labels in general categories.
6 comments:
Since this is mainly serving as a reference for you, I respect your decision, but I know there are times I will see there is a new post but get frustrated looking for it and give up...my loss...
What a beautiful sunrise. I imagine you live in a little bungalow along the waterfront. Can you just walk out onto the water? xo
Yep, Janet, I'm hoping the index page will help to some degree. However, lately, besides this post, I have been posting in chronological order, just several weeks behind. How do you read my blog? Through an aggregator or reader?
Allison, thanks. No bungalow, but it is easy to walk down to the water. Most of it is fenced off right now due to pupping harbor seals.
I follow via my own blog (the blogger dashboard page) where each day I check for listing of new posts of those I'm following. Where your blog is different is that on the others I have the option to either click link directly to latest post or to the blog itself (which generally has this latest posting right on top but my general practice is to just click on link for newest post). However there is no link to your latest post, only to your blog, so then I have to tell myself what date I'm looking for and go scrolling.
Thanks for this info, Janet. I usually don't use titles in my posts. Depending on how you use your dashboard or google reader, Nature ID posts either show an "untitled" link or no link at all. I'll start adding titles. Hope that helps.
Like a charm!!! Thanks!
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