I haven’t been the most entertaining blogger of late. Late meaning the last couple of years. My father likes to remind me that I once had some blogging mojo… unfortunately it has left the building, never to return. As you know I decided to monetize this Website a few months back and have been failing miserably. You may also remember Donnaville was hacked back a number of months ago and I have never recovered in terms of traffic. I don’t know if I was removed from search engines or if I was blacklisted and continue to be blacklisted but I am not getting anywhere near the same amount of traffic I used to get. When I told this to my dad yesterday he said, “That’s because you don’t produce any quality content!” And that is true but what is also true is, I never really did. Plus, most of the traffic I got was just one time visitors searching for something odd that I happened to have written a post on. And I’ve been writing blog entries since 1998! I have more than enough content! Even if I only sporadically come up with something only slightly amusing, I still have 11 years of old posts!
So I’ve been thinking. What is wrong and what can I do? Finally I decided that some of the problems are probably related to the lack of Search Engine Optimization on this site. Back when I was working for the weekend, I had no intention of making money from Donnaville AND I had no real interest in attracting readers. So I never bothered with Categories or Tags or Meta Descriptions or anything that might help people find me better. And my theme was certainly not helping. Every single page was being fed to the Googlebot and I think Mr. Googlebot didn’t like the sheer amount of duplicate entries he was being fed. That could be the reason ALL my pages (all 13,900!) are showing up in the Supplemental Index: site:www.donnaville.com *** -sljktf Something needed to be done. Last night I plunked down the money and purchased the Thesis WordPress theme. Its users says it’s all about SEO and customization and ice cream and Charles Bronson. (Last night I had a dream of Charles Bronson, he wasn’t looking too good, kinda skinny). I am not sure if Thesis really is all it’s cracked up to be or if they just have a dynamite affiliate program and people will sell their soul for 33% of $87 or $164. But I am desperate! I want to restore Donnaville to her former glory and make some money along the way.
I hope this new design is pleasing to your eyes. Hopefully you won’t notice if I take out some garbage. And bear with me as I try to crank out something…. anything. And let’s hope Mr Googlebot decides that Donnaville is a nice crunchy snack that should be displayed closer to the top of the results and not in the back Supplemental Index closet.
I started reading because of the dating stuff. That was fun. Your taste in music and movies is too odd for my tastes…and your politics suck (but that’s at least entertaining). Now I’m just waiting for you to get married!
And more Bobo!
Well, I like your taste in music, movie, and politics!
I first came across this blog after it was linked by Dawn Eden. The particular post was on chastity or something to that effect. It was clever.
As Adrienne writes, there is something oddly fascinating about blogs that dish the dirt on relationships and dating. I had my highest readership when I blogged on that, but when I was seeing someone I didn’t have the train wreck stories. Plus, my exes didn’t appreciate me blogging about old yet amusing dating stories. My readership plummeted and I killed my blog as a result.
Unlike Adrienne, I love your links to films and music. I discovered Los Straitjackets via the Pontani Sisters, on whom you’d written so much! And there have been several great movies I’ve seen just because you blogged about them. I say “more eclectic links please!”
Hi Adrienne!
Yeah, when I was spilling my guts about the horrors of dating, the site was interesting.
And in terms of my politics… that is where you and I part ways. I would never say your politics suck. I simply don’t agree. And that’s okay. I wish you were okay with it too. Tolerance goes both ways.
I am going to start posting more pics of Bobo. He told me just the other night that he wanted more exposure so he can share all his love with the world!
–D
Hi Mike!
You are my soul mate! 🙂
–D
Hi Koz!
Your wish is my command! More eclectic links are on their way!
It’s gotten hard for me because my Pookie Bear doesn’t want me writing about him or the things we do… it’s really hard to write when 75% of what you do is not available to post.
–D
…it’s really hard to write when 75% of what you do is not available to post.
Now you know why I don’t do anything. 🙂
It’s not easy attracting an audience these days. Circa 1995/1996 the circus was small, and there were only a few clowns. Now there’s a circus on every corner, and the world is now composed of 50% clowns. I wouldn’t mind some more
controversial comments about politics, sex, religion, and politics…what this country needs is a really entertaining person who skewers political correctness. Where are those people? Wow, talk about about unfilled market…
I’m with Mike
B.Davis–
You have found your calling! Go out and light the world on fire with deliberate political incorrectness!
I believe the reason we don’t see it is we are all very much aware that if we do utter one anti-establishment word- we will be skewered. And no one wants to be skewered!
–D
Jason,
You are a kindred spirit too!!!! 🙂
–Donna
Let ’em just try to skewer me.
I heard Dennis Miller complain recently that liberals
can’t take a joke. They freaking HATE being the object of derision….they can dish it out, but they can’t take it.
I miss the wild, crazy and INCREDIBLY non-PC humor
of Sam Kinison. Nobody like him is allowed within a mile of a microphone now.
Your interests in music and film and politics are indicative of a very independent streak. As that great philosopher Rick Nelson once said “You can’t please everyone so you got to please yourself”. So true.
LOL
My “Mrs. Pookie Bear” didn’t like me blogging about much of anything, and well before we got married. Since we married, there’s no time for blogging anyway. That’s the way of things, the way of the Force. Blog while you can! 🙂