Sites

Roman Britain

~ beetleypete ~ 52 Comments

Following my recent post about Roman London, here are some more sites to explore, in other parts of Britain.

Roman Baths. Bath, Avon.
The famous hot baths and use of the natural spring gave this attractive city its name. Extensively restored, they are now part of a visitor centre in this city in the west of England.
There is a charge for tickets and tours. https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

Hadrians Wall, northern England.
Built as a defence against the warlike Scottish tribes, this famous wall extended over 73 miles, from east to west.
Most of it is free to explore, with charges for some exhibitions, and special events. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/
It is significantly lower than when it was built of course, as most of the stones were reused when the Romans left.

Toilets provided for the soldiers.

A substantial fort just south of the wall, at Vindolanda.

St Albans, Hertfordshire.
This was formerly known as Verulanium, and was one of the largest Roman cities in Britain. Just 25 miles north of London, it is easy to get to, and full of interesting history.

Exploring Verulamium, the Roman city of St Albans (UK)


The open air theatre, which was said to have had perfect acoustics.

Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire.
A lovely example of the house of a rich Roman, now run by the National Trust. There is a charge for entry.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth-roman-villa

Carleon Fort and baths, south Wales.
An example of how far west Roman occupation extended. There is a charge for entry.
https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerleon-roman-fortress-and-baths

Wroxeter Roman City, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
Another western site, known by the Romans as Viroconium Cornoviorum. This was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, and has been extensively excavated. There is a charge for entry.
https://www.culture24.org.uk/wm000116

As you can see, the Romans left their mark all over Britain, and I recommend you try to see some of these amazing historical sites if you visit this country.

Bloggers and Gravatars: More advice

~ beetleypete ~ 74 Comments

I often mention how lucky I am (and how much I appreciate) to have steady stream of new followers. Many of those are also new bloggers, and the majority of them make the same error, time and again. This is not the first time I have highlighted this, but for the benefit of new people, I will try again.

They fail to link their Gravatar profile to their WordPress site, or their own self-hosted site. So when I decide to click on their Gravatar, prior to heading over to their blog to thank them, or to see if I might want to follow them, I almost always find that the most important link is missing. That means I can’t easily click onto their site, and it also means I am unsure if they even have one. So that blogger doesn’t receive my customary thanks, and I am unable to read any posts on their site, or leave comments. Crucially for them, I am also unable to follow, should I wish to do so. I could try Googling the names of the websites shown, but in many cases, I am only seeing the ‘username’, so that won’t work.

If you are not sure what a Gravatar is, here is an explanation.
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/what-is-gravatar-and-why-you-should-start-using-it-right-away/

You will have one, though you may not know why, or what it is. If you didn’t choose to use a photo or graphic, then WordPress will generate a random pattern or image to accompany your name on comments. For example, I have a photo of a Sharpei pup, (shown below) as my own choice of Gravatar. I can change this by using any photo, anytime I want, with the size altered on my profile page. Many people use a portrait photo of themselves, or a logo they have designed. It can really say something about you or your blog, if you chose wisely. Once you have decided what to use, or are content to remain with the random image assigned, then the next step is to add a link to your blog or blogs. That will appear under your Gravatar profile, every time someone clicks on it.

This is how to add your site or sites.
https://en.gravatar.com/support/profile-links/

It can’t be that hard, as even I managed it! But nobody really tells you about it at the start, so we can all be forgiven for not knowing.

Those are my top tips for getting your site recognised from your Gravatar, every time you leave a comment on another blog, or decide to follow another blogger. If you choose not to bother, then you are reducing your own impact in the community of blogging, and will notice a significant lack of engagement.

Best wishes to you all, Pete.

Blogging: More opinions

~ beetleypete ~ 95 Comments

After spending much of last month ‘lost’ in my A-Z Film Challenge, I am back to normal blogging with yet more thoughts and opinions about the state of blogging in 2017. This is hardly a scientific process of course. I am only basing it on my own small blog, and those that I follow, but I hope that this will be of interest to new bloggers in particular, and those thinking of starting out on the blogging road.

1) Unless you have posted something yourself, don’t follow other blogs just using your blogging name, or WordPress title. This is now reaching epidemic proportions, with apparently non-existent blogs following mine on a daily basis. Most of you seem to be real people, so why do you do this? If you want to follow a blog without writing anything yourself, then just follow by email. It couldn’t be easier. Nobody is going to follow your blog back based on a Gravatar symbol, believe me.

2) Please don’t seek to promote your latest book by serialising it disguised as a number of blog posts. Use other social media instead; perhaps send it to publishers, or set up a newsletter promotion. This is not really blogging, is it?

3) If you write a poetry blog, try to remember that poetry is very personal. Something that is hugely important to you may not have been experienced by others. Please try to make your poetry universal in appeal, and to touch the hearts and minds of readers all over the world.

4) As I have said before, if someone takes the time to comment on one of your posts, give them the respect of acknowledging that with a reply. Even if their comment was not to your taste, the least you can do is to engage in debate. If a comment is offensive to you, then don’t approve it, or move it to your trash folder. It’s very simple.

5) Please do not be a ‘serial follower’ of communities. It is very transparent to a blogger when you just click on their blogroll or hovercards, then follow everyone who follows them, and so on…
Just following hundreds of people for the sake of it is not blogging, and is unlikely to get you followed back.

6) Something else that warrants further mention. If you are VERY religious, and feel the need to spread the word of your religion, blogging is not really the place for that. You are unlikely to convert someone on the other side of the world, especially if that person is irritated by the fact that you call your blog something like ‘Sweet Rosie’, instead of ‘I love God’.

7) If you have a company that sells things, don’t assume that because someone has written about a ladder incident or their love of cats, then that means that it is OK for you to follow their blog with a link to your ladder company, or cat food shop. It is just plain annoying.

8) Stop asking for money and contributions for ‘continuing’ your blog. It is free to blog, and we all know that. So, ‘begging by blogging’ is not acceptable. (I exclude bona-fide charities here)

9) Another repeat request. Stop copying other bloggers. By all means take on board the best aspects of certain blogs, and get inspiration from them. But using the same theme, the same set-up, and pretty much copying the style of that blog is just plain lazy.

10) Ask for help. if you are struggling with something, or cannot get your head around WordPress, ask other bloggers for help and advice. Email them directly, or put up a general post about your problems, and link it to savvy bloggers. Or just cast it out into the world of WordPress. I have done it, and so have many others. Remember, above all it is a community, and we all know how they work, don’t we?

Ten more thoughts on blogging. My intention is not to upset anyone, I assure you. Just to help.

The forgotten archives

~ beetleypete ~ 12 Comments

During the recent examination of my blogging progress, and attempt to analyse the statistics of my own blog, one thing soon became apparent. The archives are rarely looked at, not even in passing. Most visitors to the site, attracted by a tag, or subject matter, rarely read more than the post that attracted them in the first place; although they also often read the ‘About’ page, perhaps interested to see the kind of person I am.

There are some exceptions of course. Those visiting from a link on another site, or by clicking through from a comment elsewhere, will often be attracted to a certain subject, and may well read 3-6 posts in that category. This is fairly easy to work out, when you see the stats for posts read that day, and divide by how many visitors, and from what countries. It is also interesting to note that they may return to that same category later, or on another day, and select random posts from it to read. What is more obvious though, is that most readers only read your latest post, and perhaps the one before it, and then move on. This is perfectly understandable, and something that I have frequently done myself, when looking at other blogs.

How often do we look back through the archives on these sites, say back to 2010, or even further, to see what they were writing about then? Almost never, I suspect. It is probable that much of the best work of these writers and bloggers, rests dusty and unseen, in the blog archive. On the right hand side of most blogs and websites, that long list of previously published articles or photo spreads, lies forgotten, and unloved. It is true, that many bloggers improve with time. They gain confidence, improve their skills, and take more time with their posts. Perhaps it is only fair to assume that the latest work is always the best, given this proposition.

Part of me disagrees. When someone is inspired to start a blog, they often write with passion, explore new ideas and thoughts, push their personal boundaries, or reveal more of themselves in their work. Photographers may get better as they develop technique, but there is something to be said for the impact of their raw, early attempts. This can also apply to Writing, Poetry, and Comment blogs equally.  We are all missing hidden treasures, as we carry on reading through the recent posts that appear by e mail, or via the Reader, without delving deeper into the archives that are waiting patiently for our attention.  When we start to follow a fellow blogger, or become attracted to something that they have just published, don’t we owe it to ourselves, and to those forlorn archives, to explore further, so that these gems do not remain unseen, or unread, for eternity?

Let us all try to become better bloggers, and to be more thorough in our reading, and appreciation of other blogs.