Thoughts on Blogging

I'm amazed and humbled every day again about this blogging adventure. Blogging has become an important part of my life. I never dreamed that blogging would enhance my world in so many ways. I enjoy writing blog posts and interacting with other fellow bloggers. It is amazing how many interesting people we "meet" through blogging. It's certainly one of the best things about being a blogger.

And now I have a confession to make. I always feel bad that I only have time to read and comment on a tiny proportion of the blogs that I follow.

Thank you so much for reading! I look forward to continuing this blogging journey together, dear readers.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend! xx

Comments Section: Blog Update

Just a couple of years ago, I switched comments off for this blog. I wanted to post a brief update on that decision. Because I feel I owe it to my readers and followers. My decision was made for the reasons stated here.

Back in March 2014, I made the decision to turn the comments off on my blog. I want to make it clear that this has been a very difficult decision to make. I enjoy reading comments on my posts. I'm a huge fan of feedback and reader interaction (and for five years, comments have been a great thing here on Cut and Dry).

Comments will of course be back here. In the meantime, I really wish my reasoning made sense.
Thank you to everyone who's shown support for what I do here.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! xx

Blogging - What's Going On in the Blogosphere

Lots of things have changed on the blogs, new people coming and going. Lately I've noticed that Nancy of ARJ has made her blog private. Her blog is now accessible to invited readers only. Pity...
I found blogs that were so funny (e.g. Pat of A View from the Edge) but weren't there for very long. Pity, I could see them going a long way.

Well, we all know the act of unfollowing someone on Google Friend Connect. These little actions can affect some people in a not-so-positive way. What? That person you consider a friend is no longer following you.
Why did that person unfollow you? Did you do something wrong? Is it because you disabled comments... temporarily?

In fact, I wouldn't be offended if someone unfollowed me. Everyone has the right to decide who and who not follow. (I, too, have unfollowed someone on social media.) Sometimes, you just aren't a match for someone. I mean, you can't be everything to everyone, right?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's okay to be unfollowed.

After all, if they are not following you and you don't see a big purpose in following them, what's the point?
Unfollow!

On another note, there are plenty of good bloggers out there (And Trac, Vodka Logic, This Stop Willoughby ), if you are reading, please come back to blogging soon, we all miss you!).

Today I'm sharing with you some of my favourite blogs I think they rock!
So here are a few great bloggers you should check out, read, and hopefully follow.
It's been a huge source of inspiration for me to know people like you who always share your talents, spirit and heart.
So here goes, in no particular order-

Hilary of The Smitten Image

Tracy of Pen and Paper

Cloudia of Comfort Spiral

Gail of Louisiana Belle 

Theresa of The Run *A* Round Ranch

Kelly of Kelly's Thoughts and Ramblings

Sylvia of Sylvia from over the hill

Cora of Sarcastic Granny

Trac of Welcome to Our World

Tamara of Tamara (Like) Camera

Liz of A Nut in a Nutshell

RK of Riot Kitty

Lynn of Good Things Happened

Eileen of Viewing Nature With Eileen

Teresa of Journaling Woman

Robyn of Life by Chocolate

Tammy of Our Neck of The Woods

Sandie of Chatty Crone

Ria of  It's Me

Cheryl of The Farmer's Daughter

Mandy of Emm in London

Craver of Craver-Vii

Monika of The Bitch is Back

Fernando of Foto ao Acaso!

Leovi of La Fotografia Efectista Abstracta

Patrick of Patrick Tillett

Pantherka of Pantherka

Bob of Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean

Cubano of Un Cubano en Londres

Check out these great blogs as well.

Thanks to you all for reading and  following. It may sound a little cheesy but you all have supported CAD through all these years.
And of course I'll still be around to keep you up-to-date with what is happening in my little corner of the world.
Alright, I love you all! xx

P.S. Are you looking for something good to read ?

P.P.S. People can still e-mail me if they need any help or just to chat...

(Illustration via  SKYPATH , cartoon by Drew via Tooth Paste For Dinner )

Comments Off

I Turned Off Comments On Today's Post and Future Ones...Temporarily

I feel guilty. And I'm not sure it's something I can totally control.
I feel guilty for:

Not reading enough blogs. (I do want to read so many blogs but it gets out of control.)

Not commenting on enough blogs. (I don't comment as much as I'd like to. And I feel guilty about that.)

Not responding to comments promptly enough. (While I'll do my best to reply quickly, sometimes my hectic schedule will prevent me from getting to you as promptly as I'd like-I feel guilty about that.)

I do feel really bad when I don't get around to visiting the sites of people that comment on my blog.

I've very reluctantly decided to disable comments on today's post and future ones...for now. TEMPORARILY. You know, I wouldn't have done so if I did not need to.
Yes, I will most definitely turn on the comments, but not for the next few weeks at least.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging. I really do. And I love reading my readers' comments. You inspire me and you support me and I'm so thankful for having you as my blogging friends.
Also, as a blogger, I love receiving comments from people and interacting with them - It's always nice to be acknowledged. And I've enjoyed great discussions with other bloggers and readers as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that blogging takes hard work and dedication but even though I enjoy it so much there are so much more things that need to get done, including my photography improvement.

Although I'd love to get back to all of my fellow bloggers, I've still got a schedule to follow and things need to get done. I've also taken a step back from several social media platforms e.g. pinterest, twitter, tumblr. I simply do not have the energy to do everything. In all honesty, I have to prioritize my life and I often get stressed out; I'm worried about upsetting my readers for not responding to their comments...

I think it's probably best to disable comments on a few posts TEMPORARILY (so not to offend my fellow bloggers if I didn't reply to their comments) until I can.

That is not to say I will not comment on your posts. I will. I'll still be a regular reader/commenter.
See you around the blogosphere! xx

P.S. I do hope that you all understand and will continue visiting and reading my blog.

P.P.S. People can still e-mail me if they need any help or just to chat...

(Top photo via Jeffbullas.com , bottom photo via Experience Farm)

Is Blogging Taking Over Your Life?

Is blogging taking over your life? Does blogging ever leave you feeling overwhelmed? Does it prevent you from living your life? You're not alone.

You've got to take back control.

Blogging does have a way of controlling us instead of us controlling blogging. Lately, I found myself rushing from task-to-task and pushing past my limits working at 110% for week on end. I would like to confess: I am a terrible manager of time. Effective time management is something that I struggle with.

Blogging is fun but it takes hard dedication and a lot of sacrifice. Just get up earlier to write a post and read blogs, which means that you're only getting five hours of sleep at night. Should we be sacrificing our health?

There has to be a balance between blogging and living your life. When we focus our life on blogging...we forget to live. However, it's very hard to balancing it all with our life and still stay sane.
It's taken a few months, but I now feel that I've just about got the life-blogging balance right.

If you have a big dream for your blog or you want to grow your blog but struggle to get the balance right, here are 3 tips that I, personally, found to be the most useful and effective tips for a better life-blogging balance- Having been at blogging for four years and counting, I've learned a few things that might help.

Set Priorities-Do Less-Take a Break

-Set Priorities: Yes, prioritizing is key to balancing life and blogging. (Acknowledging that you have responsibilities, but also carve out time for yourself.)

-Do Less: Slow down. ( Notice what needs to be done.) This is a really helpful and effective strategy recommended by blogger Leo Babauta .

-Take a Break: Sometimes, you just need a break - from everything! (Clear your mind and refresh yourself to refocus. To regroup.)

I love blogging. I wouldn't trade it for the world. And I love all the people I've met through blogging. I haven't just made useful acquaintances, I have made friends. And I'm immensely grateful for the continuing support and engagement of a growing readership.
But down deep I know that if I want to keep loving blogging, I need to take a step back and assess my priorities.

How do you balance life and blogging? xx

(Top cartoon by David Walker , bottom cartoon via bloggingpro.com , illustration by Cem Kiziltug )

Linking to: Nablopomo at Blogher.com

and Wednesday Around the World 

Love and Gratitude

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever.
By Alfred Tennyson

I'd like to dedicate this post to all my fellow bloggers, followers and readers. I did not realize how fantastic the blogging community is when I first started out. I'm immensely grateful for the continued support and engagement of a loyal and wonderful readership. I haven't made useful acquaintances, I have made friends.

Just wanted to say thank you so much, truly, for reading Cut and Dry. I have enjoyed getting to know you through this blog so much! Thanks for understanding that I could never write a long enough post to say how much you all mean to me.

With love and gratitude.

Hope you have a great weekend, stay warm! xx

Google Image Search + Have a Great Weekend!

Hello, everybody! I hope you're having a nice week. I am sorry for having been a bit MIA the last week. I have had a really bad cold, but I'm feeling noticeably better today, thank goodness. 

Lately, I've been focusing on my images and I've found that photo optimization is one of the most important things of blog rank on search engines.

Have you ever wondered why is it that when I do a Google image search my photographs never show up?

So today I thought I'd share some information that will hopefully increase your blog traffic. Optimizing the images used in your blog's can make a huge difference to a blog being found in the search engines.

We all know that search engines do not see images. So in order to help Google bots "see" your photo, you need to add an "alt" tag to each picture. Alt tag plays a wonderful role because search engine cannot read the picture but it can read the text you read as the "alt" tag.

TUTORIAL: How to add an "alt" tag to images:

First, upload your image. Let's use this picture above as an example...

Blogging Notes

As most of you already know, here on CAD I post, one blog post per week and I'm fine with that. One post per week is the perfect balance for me, at least for the time being. I just gave up trying to post every day because it is too hard and sometimes real life has to come first.
I applaud people who can post everyday. I just can't. I tried to, but I was physically exhausted.

Gosh, things have been crazy over here. I've been so busy with work lately. I feel overloaded and I often have to work late to hit the deadlines. So today, I got the bright idea to write a quick and easy post and share some recent photos that I feel...

How Did Your Blog Name Come About? + Have a Great Weekend

Life without blogging is kind of like a life without air, right? :)

So I get asked this quite a lot. How did your blog name come about? Here's how...

While the choice of blog name is definitely quite important, naming my blog was not one of the hardest things I had to do. It was a ten minute decision and luckily I'm still happy with it.

My blog name came to me while watching a video about healthy lifestyle, in which a doctor says to his patient. "...take care when guessing, since health problems do not always have cut-and-dried answers."

And that saying struck me. I liked that Cut-and-dried (cut-and-dry less common) which means straightforward, clear or certain because of its meaning.
It's clever, honest, easy to memorize and precisely reflects the voice of my blog.

After 3 years of blogging, I'm still quite happy with my blog name; oh well...it seems to be working with me.

What about you?

Hope you have a lovely weekend! xx

P.S. Photo   SOOC

Just a Quickie

In the Light. Plymouth Barbican, UK.

Just wanted to drop in and say sorry for the missed Tuesday's blog post last week. While I have plenty of blog post ideas rambling around in my head, I have decided to slow way down on blog posting and go from 2 to 1.
As most of you may know I've been posting 2-3 times per week for almost three years now, but I need to cut back on my blogging schedule...this is my plan and I wouldn't have done so if I didn't need to.

So I'll be posting one blog post per week (Friday's) for the next couple of months, (or so).

This will give me more time to:

*Catch up on blog reading and commenting. (It's all about the Law of Reciprocity, remember?)

*Experiment with some new techniques related to my photography.

*Be able to give Cut and Dry a makeover. (Finally!)

*Enjoy the benefits of a little more time. As wonderful as blogging is, it's a treat not a chore.

I don't know how some blog friends have been able to maintain their 7-posts-a-week for years. I know I couldn't do it.

I have turned off comments on this one as there's a whole bunch of still unanswered e-mail in my archive from my last post.

Hope you're having a great day from start to finish guys!

In the spirit of Halloween...I leave you with this photo. (Photo Above)

See you all on Friday!;) xx 

Comments Off

Blogging + Have an Inspiring Weekend!

I love sunsets.

When I first started up my blog I had no idea if anyone would read my posts, what it would be like, what type of people would be visiting, what I was doing or what I was getting into.
What I've quickly learned is that there are: The unspoken rules of blogging etiquette. One important rule is...

Web+Log=Blog=Nexus

For me, blogging means nexus=connection. I think it's the word

most fitted for use in describing blogging.

                                        

Why do I blog? I was thinking about this the other day and the big one motivation that came to my mind is "Sharing".I've always enjoyed sharing the things that are really special

to me.

My goal is to make people have a good time reading my blog. I don't set myself unrealistic targets.

I cannot imagine me being able to blog on a daily basis because I know I'll get frustrated, bored and trapped in spending numerous hours in front of my computer.

People say I write straight form my heart. My posts are always spontaneous and I don't want to be "forced" to or feel I "ought" to.

So sharing...

the awesomeness,

the cuteness,

the love,

the passion,

the daily life,

the old,

the new,

the wonders of Mother Nature,

some beautiful, fluffy clouds,

and lovely sunsets,

some magical moments,

and fairy tales,

                                 

some noisy feathers,

a bad mood,

and a silly, happy mood.

                                                         

I have to admit that sometimes I'm a bit chaotic. It's pretty easy for time to slip away without getting much done. Then I realise that my personal life has taken a hit and, alas, some of my interests have been affected. 

But it's been a rich reward to be a blogger. Thanks to blogging, I've met some amazing people over the years. It's funny how you read about someone's life and you feel as if you know them on a personal level!

Two whole years have now passed since I set up this Cut and Dry blog. And what an incredible ride it has been! The whole world of blogging has turned out to be far more rewarding, both professionally and personally, than I ever imagined.   

Why do you blog, friends? I'd love to hear. xx                                                              

Nexus

Let's chat about blogging today. Blog: contraction of the term "Web+log" = Blog".

I started blogging as a way to share the things that are really special to me.
When I first started up my blog I had no idea what it would be like or what type of people would be visiting. The only thing I knew was that I had so many things that I wanted to say. Within this year I've learned so much about myself and things I could do. I have "met" so many amazing people that I would have otherwise never met, and I call some of them friends now. You've all inspired me one way or another and I hope, I also inspired you in some way. The whole world of blogging has turn out to be far more rewarding than I ever imagined.

My goal is to make people have a good time reading my blog. I don't set myself unrealistic targets. I cannot  imagine being able to post daily, posting two or three posts a day, because I know I'll get kind of bored, or trapped into spending way too many hours in front of the computer.
                                   
My posts are always spontaneous with a variety of subjects, and I don't feel I "ought" to- by no means.
If I'm not happy about my post I don't post it.
                                  
Actually, I think blogging is an amateur process which may lead to important discussions by sharing creative and inspirational ideas. Blogging may also make people laugh or may build strong relationships between people worldwide. It's absolutely amazing how we're all connected, inspiring and supporting one another.

I have to admit that sometimes I'm a bit chaotic. It's pretty easy for time to slip away without getting much done. Then I realize that my personal and professorial life has taken a hit, and alas, my work and some of my interests have been affected. Ah, time goes by so fast before you even know it.                            
Anyway, I started blogging after analyzing my experiences, personal life, spare time, and style of life, so here I am!

Nexus means connection. And I think it's the word most fitted for use in describing blogging. xx