Showing posts with label blogging mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging mistakes. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 03, 2023

PLEASE GIVE ME CHOCOLATES AND ROSES

Every time I go stumbling around the blogosphere I always come home scratching my head.  I guess that's better than coming home black and blue, toothless or pregnant!  Today, I discovered the 7 Deadly Sins To Ensure People Won't Follow Your Blog.  After leaving a brief comment for Carol Graham, blog author of Battered Hope,  I immediately came rushing home to see how guilty I am of these 7 deadly sins.  According to Carol, the following are 7 common blogging mistakes many of us make:
 
Sin #7  -- Make sure your blog is very busy.  Put as many 'cool' things on your side bar as you can fit.  Put all your awards and badges there as well.  Lots of ads work too.  The busier it is, the less people will see the 'meat' of your post.

[My meat is always easy to spot. Some days it may just be a hotdog with meat by-product and as for cool stuff like badges...everyone must hate me because no one has ever sent me a badge. Maybe I need a booby prize badge for my blog! lol Personally, I'd rather have chocolates and roses from all my admirers, well wishers and readers. Wait! I asked for roses from a secret admirer once and it got me in a world of shit so scratch that idea...just send me a truckload of chocolates instead!]

Sin #6 -- Don't put your name anywhere on the blog.  Make people search for it. Sometimes, I will go to Facebook or Twitter or an About Me page and still not find an actual NAME.

[I've been called many names in my life, but the one my mother bestowed upon me is Karen (no middle name really and truly and I actually wrote a blog post about it).  Mildred Ratched is the horrible nurse from One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.  Mildred and the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz are my all-time favorite female villians.] 

Sin #5 -- Use small fonts.  This will help eliminate anyone past the age of accountability to read it without having to squint.
 
[REALLY??? I'd only use small fonts if I was whispering behind someone's back or writing out a contract to sell someone shares in my blog.  Does anyone want to buy a few?  I can make you a deal you can't refuse!]

Sin #4 -- Center your entire blog post. This makes it almost impossible to read consistently. Your eyes are always trying to find where the next line begins and the last one ended.

[I never tried this one, but it sounds like a great way to annoy people or to keep them confused.] 

Sin #3 -- Use stark white lettering on black (or any very dark) background. This may look great but very difficult to read without getting a headache.

[I've done this in the past, but it did give me a headache so I switched to a white background. Call me a conformist!] 

Sin #2 -- Make your paragraphs as long as possible. Or write a multitude of paragraphs without any captions or photos to break up a long post.

[Okay, I know I get a little long-winded at times, but I do post cute pictures or memes amongst my ramblings, don't I?]

And the best for last .................

Sin #1 -- Don't respond to comments left. Ignore the people that actually took the time to read your post and comment on it.

[uh oh! I guess I need to be more attentive! No really, I think I do interact with my readers who leave comments, but I'm guilty of not visiting other people's blogs as much as I'd like. Time seems to be the culprit that gets in my way. I truly am sorry for that.]
 
So after close scrutiny, I think I should get maybe a D or possibly a C for an overall grade based on these 7 deadly sins and I promise to strive to do better in the future.  I'll aim for that elusive "A" and all of you can let me know when I get there, okay?  

And I promise to keep my Maine sarcasm from oozing out all over your computer screen in the future!  I know how messy it is and how hard it is to wipe clean.  All joking aside, our blogs are a reflection of who we are.  Yes, we have complete control over their content, but I think most serious bloggers/writers/authors are mindful of the first impression they give their readers and potential readers.  After all, isn't it the goal of any writer to have other people read what they write?  That is, unless your name is Mildred and then your goal is seeking out people to send you chocolates, but never roses!🤣

*Repost from July 24, 2014

UPDATE: I just visited the link to the 7 Deadly Sins only to find that the comment I had left years ago is gone and that you now have to be a member of her blog to leave a comment. Oh well...

Saturday, May 22, 2021

National Confession Weekend


I've been reading some of my old posts from back in the day when things just got started in the blogosphere and I realized just how different things are now. My original blog was named Abnormally Normal People and it was located on MSN Spaces. In the past, I've mentioned Psychedelic Pariah a few times, but like Beetlejuice don't say his name 3 times in a row or else he might appear and trust me, you really, don't want that to happen! On this particular day Psychedelic Pariah was acting human. I guess no one pissed in his Wheaties! ha! That didn't happen often. When I first started blogging I did so under the screen name, Red Kitten before I became Mildred Ratched.  Although I think part of me has always been Mildred Ratched, a crusty old bitch with a don’t fuck with me attitude.

To tell this story I have describe few characters that were created for the Psychedelic Pariah's benefit. The Red Dyke was a character I created due to the name-calling Psychedelic Pariah slung my way. He was a bully right out of the Trump playbook long before there was a Trump playbook. In fact, if I remember correctly, The Red Dyke wore high-top Birkenstocks with a tight red body suit and well, she was a superhero, of course! She let her long, wavy, chestnut hair flow free.  At one time I had a drawing of her, but it's long gone. The Blue Mute was another blogging buddy of mine that felt Pariah's wrath, also. We did nothing to Pariah other than be a thorn in his side from time to time by merely existing, I think we became the Troglodyte Twins in his mind. Charming, huh? Imagine that! Me being a thorn in anyone's side! ha! Actually, I took what he meant as a slam and turned it into something rather funny. I think it pissed him off that his insults didn't bother me and instead turned them into a joke. 

Imagine someone like Donald Trump...you know, someone who loves to stir things up, yet unlike Trumplethinskin, Psychedelic Pariah was highly intelligent and he was a very talented writer (I hate to admit that.) You had to stay on your toes with him or else he'd crucify you. I never quite figured out what his deal was and then he disappeared never to be heard from again as did many of these people on MSN Spaces. For many the blogging fever waned and for others it became a part of our lives and now we mostly, exist in peace and harmony except for the occasional annoying spam here and there.

As you read what I've copied and pasted below, please pay special attention to the comment "Kathy" leaves in response to my post titled National Confession Weekend I wrote in the spirit simply having some fun because my next post is my response to her.

The idea for National Confession Weekend originated from the following chat I had with my partner in crime, The Blue Mute the night before I wrote the post titled National Confession Weekend:

The Red Dyke says:
I’m listening to Unchain My Heart by Joe Cocker….makes me want to get up and dance

The Red Dyke says:
all I need is my pole

The Red Dyke says:
believe it or not I have one in my living room

The Red Dyke says:
lol

The Red Dyke says:
maybe I need to write that as a confession in abnorms…I have a pole in my livingroom

The Red Dyke says:
I wonder how many women can say that

The Blue Mute says:
you have a POLE pole??

The Red Dyke says:
yes

The Red Dyke says:
a pole…from ceiling to floor

The Blue Mute says:
for what….

The Red Dyke says:
dancing

The Blue Mute says:
so you like to dance with poles

The Red Dyke says:
I like Irishmen better

The Blue Mute says:
HAHAHAHA

The Red Dyke says:
the pole can be used for anything you want it to be used for

The Red Dyke says:
hey…remember I’m a saucy tart?????

The Blue Mute says:
oohhh yeah!

The Red Dyke says:
saucy tarts have toys



National Confession Weekend


I decree it to be National Confession Weekend (June 24 – 26, 2005) and everyone has to reveal at least one useless bit of information about themselves on their own Space.

My confession:
I HAVE A POLE IN MY LIVINGROOM!!
(I'm revealing this now, but the pole was a huge support beam in the shape of a pole)




32 Replies to “National Confession Weekend”

Dingo says:
June 23, 2005 at 10:10 pm

Okay, yeah I’m the Blue Mute, but the truth is….I am NOT MUTE! That was a big misunderstanding that I won’t go into right now. By the time you and me teamed up I was already using The Dingo as my faithful translator. So me and The Dingo was talking the other day and we was wondering if you did your confession day if Pariah would come play in our sandbox. The Dingo told me we should hand him a shovel and tell him to bury himself with a real confession. I think Dingo might try to bury Pariah like a bone.

RK says:
June 23, 2005 at 10:17 pm

I can’t predict what Psychedelic Pariah might do. I’ve yet to witness him letting his hair down and playing with the rest of the dysfunctional family, but there’s always a first time for everything. I guess we’ll just have to sit back in breathless anticipation and see what the verdict is, Dingo.  I believe I would prefer to bury Pariah rather than having him bury himself. I personally would love to have him write some truly worthless confession to amuse me.

Out_of_order891 says:
June 23, 2005 at 11:20 pm

im lost whats the point of this blog?

Out_of_order891 says:
June 23, 2005 at 11:20 pm

or this whole space

Cynical says:
June 24, 2005 at 12:08 am

Hi, RK, Haven’t been by in a few days. I was busy pissing people off with a diatribe on F1 racing fiascos and a Flag Burning article/landmine. I am almost afraid to ask, but would you tell me when ….. Grump. Brain fade. You list when National Confession Weekend is at the top of your Blog. I’ll be back when I think of what might be most inappropriate for a shrink approaching early coothood to confess. I think I know what it will be unless I find something more normal.Peace, Doc

Psychedelic Pariah says:
June 24, 2005 at 6:25 am

Confessions are easy. They’re fun. My problem is I could go all night. Yes, that’s right. I’ll play this game with you. God, where to start…

RK says:
June 24, 2005 at 6:42 am

Out_of_order891, the point of this blog or as you came back and questioned in fact the validity of this whole space is that it has no point…obviously, your superior intellect didn’t allow for you to see sometimes girls just want to have fun! I can see it’s gonna be one of those weekends! Doc, come on….tell us something inappropriate and normal…yes, that’s the ticket. I’m sure you’ve got something lurking in there! Pariah, welcome to the sandbox, darling. Remember to take your shoes off and no taking a dump while you’re in here. okay? Play well and I’ll keep an eye out for bullies.

RK says:
June 24, 2005 at 7:00 am

BTW Doc, I burned 10 flags in your honor today! Now, gentlemen and ladies I expect to see some totally useless/worthless tidbits revealed. Choose wisely and remember to be honest! And Dingo….stop kicking sand on Pariah. He’s NOT a bone! Pariah, just out of curiosity…do you have blue eyes?

RK says:
June 24, 2005 at 7:04 am Edit

One last thing before I leave for the day….I discovered what useless tidbit "Out_of_order891" left for us! He/she has a restricted space so we can\’t go see the depth of this person’s thinking and witness perfection and true meaning in the making! OMG, I AM SO DISAPPOINTED! Someone make me feel better…….PLEASE!

Varahn says:
June 24, 2005 at 10:44 am

Confessions hmmm? No pole. *if you catch my meaning*~Tet~

barbara says:
June 24, 2005 at 11:02 am

Confessions? Well, I use L’Oreal. Does that count? Ok ok… I’m not as blonde as I seem. More? Juicy you say? OK. I’m not a virgin. I can never ride a Harley again.

Psychedelic Pariah says:
June 24, 2005 at 12:04 pm

Yes, RK, I do have blue eyes. Why would you ask that?

Lisa says:
June 24, 2005 at 1:50 pm

I went through a phase, not sure how old I was, (maybe 11?) of stealing books from the local shop. They were either Enid Blyton (childrens stories) or porn magazines. Dunno what that means..

NASCAR DAN says:
June 24, 2005 at 2:58 pm

OK I want a pole in my living room and the WWE divas oh well I can dream about it anyway I once stole some money from my sister to buy some cowboy boots but after I got them they did not fit plus I got in trouble,so much for my days as cowboy any way take care RK, my confession on my site is coming soon.

Goodbyefranko says:
June 24, 2005 at 4:07 pm

I think I’ve done most of my really big confessing already…lets see…I used to steal paperbacks as well…mainly westerns…but one called Dove about the kid who began to sail around the world by himself @ 16 y/o and made it 5 yrs later, married and in one piece. What a great book for a squirt like me. Eventually, I got caught. And I learned my lesson too. Now, I just pirate music and DVDs. Aaarrrrrrrrrrr.

Debeann says:
June 24, 2005 at 6:01 pm

Well they do say confession is good for the soul….or so she says as bares her soul from the pole…my confession is coming!

NASCAR DAN says:
June 24, 2005 at 9:23 pm

hey RK I got my confession up stop by and take a look.

Unknown says:
June 24, 2005 at 10:15 pm

Amazing. I too have a nice pole .. but mine is in my bedroom … attached to the bed! Wanna come check out my pole kitten? O:)

Bob says:
June 24, 2005 at 11:47 pm

Ah, I don\’t believe that you actually dance on that pole. But a few pictures might convince me…In the meantime, I’ve made my own confession on my site, so come on over and visit.

Cynical says:
June 25, 2005 at 1:17 am

I have to set the stage a bit here. I went to a Catholic undergraduate school where the good brothers of the Society of The Precious Blood not only failed miserably in their attempts to turn me into a "young Catholic gentleman," but created, at best, an agnostic who had learned enough theology and philosophy (minors in both, though I refused to claim them) to know why I believed as I did. I married my first wife right out of college before it was off to grad school. It seemed to me that, to avoid hurting my relatives, I probably should go to confession so I could receive communion at my own wedding. I even went in to Chicago to St. Peter\’s Cathedral. (Here comes the good part.) The priest that heard my confession didn’t appear interested in anything I considered a sin, but launched into a lecture on why I must not marry a non-Catholic. Before he had finished, my parting comment was "F**k you, Father!" And I didn’t even wait for my penance. I shall discuss the incidents with the chihuahua at another time. Peace, Doc

George says:
June 25, 2005 at 2:12 am

Wow your own pole. Brass I hope. Does it have a name?

Reeking Havoc's Lair says:
June 25, 2005 at 6:24 am 

OK, my confession is ready. It’s about something I didn’t do.

Kathy says:
June 25, 2005 at 8:25 am 

My confession is that I really have great hate feelings for anyone so superficial and pointless as to take up a space on this planet who calls themselves "Red Kitten" and, from the photo, looks like a typical walking aides and syphilis cocktail. Excuse me for being so frank but I have never seen such a total waste of space on the internet in my life. People like you are the reasons why scientists are working on genetic engineering. We really must do somethhing about these degenerates and have some rules to this msn spaces. Where are the cyber-police? Arrest this hooker! And I think you know what you can do with your pole!


A Utah Woman Am I says:
June 25, 2005 at 9:16 am

That is great! Knowing me though I would think your house used to be a firehouse or something (seeing as I am a little slow on the uptake). But that is awesome that you have a pole! It would provide a ton of entertainment I am sure! I will have to think of something to "reveal" this weekend…hmmm…

Jnutsaz says:
June 25, 2005 at 7:34 pm 

Crap. Now I have to confess something? I’m going to have to think about that one. Don’t want to alienate any more people than necessary.

RK says:
June 25, 2005 at 8:33 pm

Varahn_Tet, no pole but you haven’t made a confession yet. I’m waiting with baited breath! Barbie, I know I can always count on you playing along! Believe it or not, I’m not a virgin either. Psychedelic_Pariah, the answer to your question is posted on your site. FinestPantyHose, we’ll leave the analysis of your choice of books to steal for The Doc. mochajavamanDK, "Dove" sounds like a great book…who wrote it? Debeann, I just checked…no confession yet! Shame on you!RebornTIGERDAN974. thanks for your contribution to National Confession Weekend. Thomas, hopefully we can compare poles someday! Dutchdummy, I enjoyed reading your pole confession and the great thing about confessions is that it’s up to the reader to believe or disbelieve what’s written. CynicalPsychologist, OMG…I think I’m in love! airhorny, the brass pole matches my brass balls. Reeking_Havoc, what a sweetheart you are for playing in the sandbox! Did you ever get a heat rash from going commando? A_Utah_Woman_Am_I, I’m looking forward to reading your confession. Jnuts, you don’t have to worry about alienating anyone…now write something shocking like you’ve danced on The Red Dyke’s pole…..LOL

Cordelia says:
June 26, 2005 at 3:10 am

Confession posted!

RK says:
June 26, 2005 at 2:40 pm

euphrosyne22, thanks for posting a confession and welcome to the sandbox!

Tawse says:
June 27, 2005 at 5:37 am

I’m a day late.. but it’s posted none the less =)

P says:
June 27, 2005 at 5:41 pm

see, now you have a pole in your living room. that is your confession. indigo was caught in a compromising position in public. I cannot possibly participate in confessions week. because my confessions would include things like: I stole stickers from my piano teacher in 5th grade. *GASP!* I’m going to go out and do something devilish tonight just so I can fulfill the assignment while maintaining my pride. maybe I’ll…litter. *SHRIEK!*:) patresa

Amy says:
July 2, 2005 at 11:22 am

LOL…That’s a great chat and confession! I have run out of tame confessions as I have a onrunning Sunday Confessions post.

Virus says:
July 13, 2005 at 4:47 pm
I'm at a loss for words. I think I have a pole in my mouth.


For those of you who actually read this entire post...My confession this time around is that the pole in my living room was a huge support beam in the shape of a pole and not a stripper pole! The fantasy is always much better than the reality! Alas, Red Kitten was a fraud! lol I hate when that happens, don't you? But trust me, Mildred is the real deal! And if Mildred starts confessing to stuff people might end up in jail. Uh! Oh! 

So what's your confession? 

Saturday, November 02, 2019

WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MILDRED?

When I first made this discovery I was like the Tasmanian Devil I was so mad.  It's hard to keep your cool when you want to lash out and do something to a person, but you know there's nothing you can do and it's so frustrating you want to pull your own hair out.  So, you sit there fuming for awhile saying some very colorful language and then you slowly calm down because there's no point in staying angry. [grumble, grumble, grumble....and finally a huge sigh]

When the troll first appeared on my blog I was mildly irritated. At first, I hoped the person would simply go away, but that didn't happen. Obviously, trolls want to be annoying and only go away when blocked or impeached! The subject matter the troll selected to discuss in the comment section of my blog was what I referred to as a "British cum dumpster."  I won't mention the cum dumpster's whole name and I will get into that reason for that shortly, but when I googled that person I found out she was some 1980's porn star. Her first name is Pauline.

Like many people out here I had my settings on my blog set so anyone could leave a comment, but when this troll wouldn't go away, I changed my comment settings so only people with a Google account would be able to comment on my blog. All this change did was eliminate people from leaving anonymous comments. So far, this first step up in security eliminated the troll. So far so good!

Every now and then I check the "Traffic Sources" to my blog. When I did this a few days ago, this is when the Tasmanian Devil came spinning like a top out of control. The first URL I didn't recognize (it had the name monica29 in it), and it had like 175 hits on it coming to my blog. The second and third URL's I did recognize and had fewer hits than the first. I clicked on the first URL to find out what it was and was absolutely stunned when the page opened to a porn site. Nothing about the URL indicated it would be a porn site or I wouldn't have clicked on it. There I sit looking at a site called Chatubate (spelled wrong for obvious reasons).

After having a huge WTF??? moment I figured out why my blog was tied to this porn site. You see, when the dear troll kept referencing this British cum dumpster by name in each comment he left on my blog, it left a "footprint" for the search engine robots to index. I don't know how often they make their rounds throughout the internet, but what I should have done which I didn't do initially was delete all the trolls comments. I did however go back yesterday and delete everything he wrote. Hopefully, this will correct the problem in the future. For now, Mildred Ratched Memoirs is linked to Chatubate (again spelled the wrong way) because the British cum dumpster was mentioned by that darling troll. I wonder if his name was Donald! hmmmm! Wouldn't that be a hoot?

If this idiot has gone to any of your blogs, you might want to check your traffic sources, too under your stats and see if your blog is linked to any sites you don't recognize. I told Martha that I was going to write a blog post pitching a holy old fit about this troll and what he did, but why bother? He's just a little internet maggot that isn't worth the time and effort and besides I don't think I know enough bad language to describe him adequately.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Great Expectations

I'm going to keep this short and sweet and fill this with as little drama as possible. I'm sure the people who read this blog and/or comment here have noticed there's a troll who has attempted to hijack the comment section on a few posts. I just changed my blog settings from allowing anyone to comment on my blog posts to allowing only people who have a Google account. Hopefully, this at least will prevent said troll from lurking in anonymity and quite frankly, bugging the hell out of me by rambling on about some British chick he'd like to bang.  If this troll chooses to stick around and to continue to dazzle everyone with his comedic genius then he'll have to do so with his actual Google account.  

Just so everyone is clear about my expectations... If you come here to read, then read. If you come here to read and comment, then read and comment, BUT please stay on topic.  If you need to contact me or ask me a question that doesn't pertain to the topic then do so at one of these email addresses : red_kitten1@yahoo.com or red.kitten1@gmail.com BUT Mr. Troll that isn't an invitation for you to flood my inboxes with email.

Now, carry on and do all those disgustingly fun Monday night things all Mildred Misfits do, but don't forget to take pictures!!!

HRH Mildred Ratched