Category: BBRAW 2012

So today Miss Remmers’ Review posted this task for the BBRAW:

Take this opportunity to survey your readers; maybe you haven’t done this in years or perhaps ever. Find out what it is about your blog that your faithful readers love, what they wish you wouldn’t do (constructive criticism is never a bad thing), what keeps readers coming back for more, what posts they’d love for you to do more of (vlogs etc). The possibilities are endless!

I have never done a survey on my blog before and seeing that I am going into my fourth year perhaps it was time to find out what you the readers think of Cindy’s Love of Books. Please be honest and don’t worry I won’t judge you hehe.

I would love to know what you think so please let me know.
Just a note you will have to scroll down to finish the survey.

Wow can you believe its already the middle of the week? BBRAW is almost over. Are you having fun and enjoying these posts? Well today’s task is:

Today I have two spectacular choices for you! You could do a reader interview with a reader of your choice OR (if you’re not the interview type) you could highlight a blog that you enjoy reading. What is it about this blog that you enjoy, what is it about the reviews, the blogger, the style, the look, etc? If you don’t feel comfortable highlighting one blog, be general in regards to a few blogs you enjoy and what you enjoy about them.

When I saw this last week I have every intention of doing an interview but things came up and that didn’t happen.

So instead I am going to talk about what kind of blogs I enjoy reading. I hate pin pointing specific bloggers because I know what it feels like when certain blogs are mentioned and yours aren’t. You always wonder what makes their blog more special then mine.

Personally for me what draws me to a blog is the over all look and organization. Its got to be easy to read and navigate. I personally don’t like dark backgrounds because I find it very hard on my eyes so those I tend to read on my google reader.

My second thing that I love about blogs is the review. I love knowing what the reader thinks and I tend to shy away from little mini blurbs of the book that don’t really tell me what the reader thought of the book. Knowing what the reader thinks and feels about the book means alot and that is usually the selling point for me.

I think as bloggers we need to stand out a little from the pack and I think if you can find something that makes you stand out that is what I am drawn to. Sometimes bigger is not always better. There are so many little hidden gems out there that no one really knows about and if you are one of them please leave a comment with your link cause I am always on the hunt for new bloggers.

What is it about a blog that draws you in and keeps you going back?

Today commemorate a specific reader or moment in your blogging career that has made a significant difference in your IRL or blogging life. It might be that first comment you ever received, the first follower, the first interaction with a reader of your blog on Twitter, the first time an author commented on a review, etc

When Reagan posted this topic last week on her blog so that we could kind of prepare our posts in advance I had to sit back and really think about this.

For me getting those first few comments from bloggers I didn’t know made the world of difference to me because I honestly never thought that any one would take the time of their lives to read what I had to say.

Then when authors started to comment on my posts I was estatic and blown away that they would take the time out to let me know they read my review. I am always nervous when I attend author events or even meeting an author because to me authors are like rock stars. I still get excited when I see an author comment or wanting to take the time to do a guest post or Q&A with me. I mean I am no one special but when they do I realize that hey I am special. It makes me appreciate the authors that much more because its really the authors that have made us. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here. So thank you authors for writing all those great books that we read.

I have so many moments that have made such differences in my life and those have all revolved around meeting bloggers IRL (in real life) and being with them either at author events or attending booking events. Book bloggers are the best people you can hang out with because they know exactly what you are going through and they share the same passion as you, a love of books and they totally understand you when you email and gush over something book related.

So please keep those comments coming I love hearing from you.

This is the first day of BBRAW (Book Blogger Reader Appreciation Week) and the lovely host for hopefully a yearly event is Reagan (Miss Remmers’ Reviews). If you haven’t checked out her blog you really should.

So todays task is:

Introduce yourself for new readers that will be stopping by. Take today to explain what BBRAW means to you. This is the ideal time to thank your readers for their comments, support, and post a giveaway if you plan on having one. Remember, as BBRAW is supposed to celebrate readers, requiring a “follow” for the giveaway would be in relatively poor taste.

Hi Everyone. My name is Cindy and this is my blog. I have been blogging since August 27, 2008 (wow I find that hard to believe because at times I feel as though I have just started blogging.)

I actually stumbled upon blogging by accident early that summer and thought about it alot and I have always been a huge reader but just never documented what I read or what I thought so I figured why not start a blog for myself.

I was pretty lucky because that first day I started posting reviews on my blog, I had posted a bunch of reviews of books I had currently read, I got my very first comment and it was from a blogger a few days later. I was thrilled. I was like a kid in a candy store given carte blanc to buy anything you wanted because someone I didn’t know had actually stopped by my blog to read my review. That person was Alea. I love hearing from my readers because knowing that someone has taken the time out of their day to read my blog means the world to me.

I still get very excited when I go into my emails and see the someone has left a comment on a post I made or retweet of soemthing I posted. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that my little blog would be what it is today and I have you my readers to thank for that. You are the reason I love to blog and share my thoughts with.

So I want to thank you for making Cindy’s Love of Books what it is today. I truly appreciate it.

So in honor of that my readers I am offering a little give away to you and that is I am hosting a giveaway. The prize is going to be a $10 book depository gift card for any book you want (in that price range) and a little goodie bag of stuff that I will personally send you. (The book will be shipped from the BD)

So all you have to do is leave me a comment and your mailing address to enter. Good Luck Everyone.