please empty your brain below
I first visited your blog a couple of months ago. The topic I had done an internet search for had been covered by you several years ago; I read that old post, clicked around a little on your site, and then decided that I'd read your blog from the beginning (which I sometimes do with blogs that I discover and expect that I might really like).
I faithfully read through the daily entries for a year or two, in order (which took a lot of time!), until I realized that the deeply London-y sort of bits that most float my boat must have been a later addition to your blog (after the first couple of years).
I then engaged in various ways of searching your blog to find the kind of topics that I was interested in --and I found and read many entertaining entries -- but generally my impression was that it was kind of awkward to figure out what you had written about, unless I already knew what terms to search for, or unless it was in your top ten or most recommended, etc.
You provide many creative and comprehensive indexes and lists and search functions to help readers find content of interest to them. For people who want to skim your posts in chronological order, it's a bit of an effort (especially with all that clicking to further pages, as you noted). However, generally I think you guide readers as much as you can to past content.
Maybe something as simple as rearranging the order of your right-hand sidebar would guide more people to explore your past entries. You list other people's blogs first (20 blogs, 2000+ blogs), then the daunting-looking archive of 100 months, then the yearly indexes, then the google search box, THEN after that point you list the accessible and enticing goodies, the links that someone might glance at and think, "Oh, doesn't that sound cool - I'll just click on that." (special features, top ten, top ten photo sets)
I would suggest putting the special features and top tens at the top of your righthand sidebar, then I'd put the search box, then I'd put the yearly indexes (which are less daunting-looking to click on than the huge list of monthly indexes, even though obviously the content is the same), then the 100 monthly indexes, THEN at that point I'd direct people to leave your page and go to other good blogs (with the lists of 20 and 2000+) way down at the bottom instead of right at the top.
Your blog has provided me with a lot of enjoyment, and I have poked around in your past pages a fair bit (by what you wrote today, it sounds like I've done so more than most have). Thank you. :-)
These days I haven't got much time to spend on the internet, but I know there is good stuff waiting here, for when I have more time to explore. That's why I like having your rss feed on my yahoo mail home page (and am glad that it's updating again and allowing me to directly click on links within it without getting that erroneous "dangerous site" error message I had been seeing).
Best wishes for a 2011 full of love, security, and good health,
cm
"2004: Election for London Mayor
2005: DLR extension to City Airport
2006: Wembley Stadium reopens; M25 widened near Heathrow; Tour de France (maybe)
2007: Channel Tunnel Rail Link; East London Transit (Ilford to Dagenham)
2008: Heathrow Terminal 5; London Bridge Tower (217m); DLR extension to Woolwich; Greenwich Waterfront Transit (Greenwich to Abbey Wood)
2009: East London Line extension
2010: Thames Gateway Bridge (Beckton to Thamesmead)
2011: West London Tram scheme (Uxbridge to Shepherds Bush); Cross River Transit (Camden & Kings Cross to Brixton & Peckham)
2012: Crossrail (optimistic view); London Olympics (maybe)
2013: Crossrail (pessimistic view)
2014: nothing planned
2015: Third runway at Heathrow (earliest date)
2016: London's population reaches 8 million
(Most dates subject to delay, cancellation or repeated postponement)"
Your last comment was certainly right
London Bridge Tower - still being built (The Shard)
Greenwich Waterfront Transit - scrapped
Thames Gateway Bridge - scrapped
West London Tram - scrapped
Cross River Transit - scrapped
Crosrail - new opening date 2018/19
Heathrow third runway - scrapped
Oh, it's over there >>>>
I'd been ignoring it.
Simon
And then I went and looked at the BL website itself, and found your blog there, and was rather disappointed because there didn't seem to be much there really. But I did read the Ronan Point story which was interesting.
And then I found the post which was the first one you'd published whilst actually asleep.
And then I found the quiz when the Queen had her 78th birthday - a series of questions to be ticked if true, which included "She became queen while up a tree".
And then ... And then I realised that this so-called "what a waste" reading today's post had, in fact, taken up most of my morning, and that perhaps I ought to get a life. Oh but what's that about routemasters....?
the post when you reached 1000 posts,
the start of the London 2010 Olympics bid, the one about linkrot...
I've been leaving comments too :)
Er, yes, eight years and four months.
*cough*
I agree with the first poster though, about rearranging your side bar so you advertise yourself first. I'd probably spot something in the sidebar out of the corner of my eye from the current page, and go off to explore it!
Great. Tomorrow I will re-read the Z470XI story of 2007. Brilliant – a real gem.
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