Good morning, fellow Bravenetters!    I've just come back from haunting the neighborhood, and I've found some really great treasures!  Take a look at these! 


What's Up?

Brandon Doyle's Blog- The Flux Capacitor

Thoughts From the Shop

Anomaly - a dream for the future

A True blue gal's diary

A Cluttered Mind


Making the List

There are a lot of "homes" here in the Bravenet community. But, not every home I see gets added to the update list.  That's because there is a criteria that not every journal meets.  For example, I sometimes see journals with awesome content, but the text is so small I can hardly read it.  I have fairly good eyesight, but if I can't read it, what about people with vision issues?  They won't be able to read it at all.

So, this is the criteria that journals have to meet before they're included in the update list:


Interesting content:  Variety is important. Thought-provoking posts, humor, intrigue (whatever that means for you)... Variety is the spice of life, and it's no different for journals.

Layout/Design:  This is very important.  The layout and design should compliment posts and links, not distract from them.  Create a balance that's pleasing to the eye and appealing to readers.

Colors/Text:  This is also very important.  Don't use really "loud" or "busy" colors and graphics.  Make sure your text is clear and easy to read.  If the design colors are really loud and text is hard to read (too small, too light, too dark, or obscured by a busy background), readers aren't going to stick around to try to read the posts.

Minimal ads:  It seems that more and more people are using their journals to make money. They do this by advertising specific products and services in their posts.  There's nothing wrong with that.

However, if a journal contains more ads than real-life content, they won't be added.  People are bombarded with ads on a daily basis; they don't want to see a lot of ads when visiting journals, too.  So, keep the ads to a minimum, and it may be added to the list - providing it meets all the rest of the criteria, as well.

Now, you may think this is too rigid.  But here's the thing, folks:  When searching for journals which meet that criteria, I'm thinking of people with vision and other health issues that may be negative affected by such things as small, hard-to-read text, flashing backgrounds, and the like.  Remember: your readers are not you; they may have different needs than you do.

If you know of someone who should be included in the journal updates, please email me their name and the link to their journal so that I can go and check it out.  If you're not sure if a journal has been added already, please check these archives:

Promoting the Community

Featured Journals

So many blogs, so little time

Picture This

Suggestion to Bravenet

Suggestion Box

Looking for Inspiration

Blog News

Bloggers Blogging

Journal Stars

This is why...

Blogs and Boo-boos

Q&A

Community Hunt Continues


Have a great day, everyone!