BoredBee’s Blog Evolution in Two Months
Original Image: DesignebyJess via Pixabay; Final Edits: BoredBee
As I stated in my blog before, I have my reasons why I came back on bitLanders. Aside from the monetary benefits, I also wanted to practice and train my blogging skills.
bitLanders did not disappoint me. Since I started writing here, I’ve been learning a lot of things; from Ms. Hillary’s advice through her reviews of my blogs to the tips that I read on other people’s works. I know that there are still a lot of things to learn, but I am going to get there.
Seeing my present blogs, I know that they are not perfect, but at least they are not as horrible as my firsts.
My Blog From My Previous Account
I know that I should not include the blog that I wrote on my previous account. However, I feel that I must include it because I am highlighting the evolution of my blogging skills. Also, it is one of my works.
The first blog that I wrote was, “How to Forget the Pain of the Past.” The truth is I do not know how that article had even received a 2-star rating. Looking at it, it is brief and unformatted. Also, the presentation of the only image is a broken link from the main source.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
Anyhow, it has been two years. I already forgot the previous standards for rating an article back then. Probably Ms. Hillary has become stricter now which I think is advantageous.
My First Blog as BoredBee
I know that I had already mentioned on my previous blog that I had higher expectations on my writing skills when I returned. Why not? It has been two years, so I should feel more confident in my grammar and writing skills.
But, I had set a soaring expectation on my first blog, “Mobile Legends Bang Bang: One of the Best MOBA Games.” I received just a single-star rating.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
I cannot remember what Ms. Hillary said word-for-word, but the gist stated that she was not happy about it. It has poor readability, and it is short. Also, the images are terrible.
I spent the time to proofread it. It also took me awhile to take some snapshots to make for the images of this blog. I felt bad about it because it received a lower rating than the one on my previous account which I think was crappier.
But, that is the reason why I decided to write on BitLanders again, to learn. For this reason, I decided to take these criticisms as a challenge.
My First 3-Star Rating
For this reason, I decided to read other people’s blogs, and I saw that my first blog does not hold a candle compared to theirs. The formatting, graphics, and the other elements are well-coordinated. I am also thankful that the other members here gave me a few tips and advice.
That is why I realized that Ms. Hillary is right on those criticisms.
When I submitted my second blog, “Learn Which Eyebrow Shape Will Look Good on You,” I added high-quality images and made it longer.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
This time, I’ve finally received my first 3-star rating and was already happy about it.
After that, my other five consecutive blogs received another 3-star rating, which helped my buzz score to soar up fast.
My First 4-Star Rating
But I should not just settle for just 3-star rating. I should improve. I should find out how other people can manage to receive those coveted five stars. I want it too.
So, I read Micky “The Slanted” Salerno’s “bitLanders ‘Content Review’: How Blogs Are Rated?” blog post. This article had been my inspiration for my next blog. I learned a lot of things that I did not see from the FAQ. The proper usage of bold, italic, and underline are just some of them.
Also, I analyzed the blogs of the seasoned bitLanders members. I noticed that their blogs’ headings blue and bigger compared to the paragraphs. I also saw that some of their blogs have animated gifs in them.
I told myself that I should find out how they did it. bitLanders must have this feature that can format the paragraphs and headings correctly.
So, I tried to figure that out on the “blog creation” page. (I do not know if I used the correct term for that, but you know what I mean). I did not notice it at first that there was this drop-down menu where you can appropriately format your headings and paragraphs. Also, I discovered that there are options where you can format your bulleted and ordered lists correctly.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
On my blog, “5 Things That the New Member on BitLanders Should Know,” I incorporated most of the things that I had learned so far. I formatted the headings. I also used bold, underline, italic, and lists.
I also uploaded some gif images, but I was unsure if it would work. When I uploaded these gifs while I was still in the process of writing that blog, I saw that they were not moving. I was thinking and hoping that it might probably move once the article gets published. (I think weird eh?)
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
However, when the article got published the animated gifs were still not moving. My avatar’s face has been spammed on the blog. In good light, I received my first 4-star rating. My next three plain blogs have also received four stars.
How to Add an Animated Gif on a Blog
Because my the uploaded animated gifs on my blog were not working, I thought that probably bitLanders does not support them at all; that it was an old bitLanders feature.
But one night, while I was buzzing the works of some people, I saw that this one bitLanders user had some blogs with some animated gifs in them. Also, I saw that some of these blogs were new.
Therefore, I realized that gifs still do work on blogs it was just that I did it the wrong way. I looked at the citation to get a clue on how he did it, and an idea came into my mind. I remembered that we could incorporate images on a blog not just through upload but through a link too.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
So, I hurriedly go to the “blog creation” page and tried my newly found theory. I went to Giphy, picked a random photo, copied its link, and pasted it on the “image upload” page. It finally worked. Thus, I decided to use it to my next blog.
The Daredevil Experiment
In addition to the discovery on how to use an animated gif on a blog, I simultaneously learned that it is possible to use codes to spice up our blogs more.
In my microblog about the rant on my failed usage of the animated gifs, someone commented and introduced me to the articles of some members who used gifs and colors. (Do not look for those comments, I deleted them already.)
I got fascinated by the colors stuff, and I told myself that I should learn that too. I succeeded, but I am not going to tell you how because I have just learned that it is not allowed on bitLanders. All I can say is that the process is easy and accessible. That is why is easy to think that it was just a hidden bitLanders feature considering that somebody before me had done it too.
For this reason, I wrote two blogs with colors in them. The first one was “Little Known Facts About Sunblock and Sunscreen” and the second one was “Different Types of Players on Mobile Legends.”
The first one was horrible. I became too fond of experimenting that I forgot the color theory. It was an eyesore. The colors looked like they were ripe avocado-inspired, so I deeply understand why Ms. Hillary rejected it even at first glance.
The second blog was just right. I was still experimenting with the fonts and colors, but I already paid attention to the combination. I was not expecting that it would get approved because it was uncommon and something that I had never done before. I was prepared for rejection.
But to my surprise, the second colored blog had been approved. I was not expecting it.
However, since it is something out of the ordinary, someone reported it. I received an email from the customer support after a few days. They told me that they would remove the style and asked me not to submit this kind of blog again. They also asked me to tell them how I did it.
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
It was fine with me. I was prepared for it. I complied and even deleted the video that teaches this trick.
But, I did not bother to reply when the customer support asked me to tell them the process of how I did it. The way that they asked me, I thought that a response was not a requirement. I also thought that they could figure that out on their own.
A few days have passed, and I thought that the controversy has ended. But on the 23rd of May, while I was in the process of writing this blog, I found out that I could not access my bitLanders account. At the home page, it said that my account had been scheduled to be suspended until the 26th of May.
For this reason, I sent a message to ask them about it. I know that I did not violate any rules. I just deviated from the norm.
The next day, I received an answer from them. I read that the reason was that I failed to respond to their question. (OK, I did not know that they were expecting a reply).
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
Therefore, I sent a message to them, telling the process. After that, bitLanders reactivated my account on the 25th of May, and I received a free submission. (Aww, they are so sweet).
Image Credits: BoredBee via bitLanders
Conclusion
In my two-month stay on bitLanders, I have learned a lot of lessons about blogging.
- I realized that a proper format is important for writing a blog. Bold the important words. Assign the proper style for headings and paragraphs. Proper formatting is important because it affects the readability of the material. I also have read somewhere that it can affect the SEO-friendliness of an article. I just do not know how.
- Images, fonts, and colors can make or break a blog. I am thinking that what if the animated gifs in my 4-star rated article, “5 Things That the New Member on BitLanders Should Know” were working? Was it possible that I could have received a 5-star if I had made those gifs work or if I incorporated higher quality images?
- If I create my own blog someday, I have to make sure that it is secured; who knows that some curious individual might try to experiment on my site.
My buzz score dropped fast after the suspension. But after everything that I have experienced during my two-month stay on bitLanders, I have learned a lot of lessons, and I do not think that I should regret learning them. I am looking forward to acquiring more experiences on how to blog better in the future.
Thank you for the lessons and experience, bitLanders.
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Thank you for reading.
Check out my other related blogs:
My bitLanders Experience: Journey to the Leaderboard
5 Things That the New Members on bitLanders Should Know
Written for bitLanders by @Boredbee
If you have a passion for blogging and social media, join us on bitLanders.
