Dean's World

Just my 2 cents, but I hate guest bloggers (other than an occasional one-off type thing). But this stand in blog thing that you and others have going is just a waste of time. This isn't Jay Leno and most people turn off Leno when he's not there, too. When I come to Dean's World, I come to read DEAN. The traffic is what it is because others do the same.

I go to a site to read the blog owner's posts, not their stand ins. If I wanted to read the guest blogger's blog, I'd go to that blog. Group blogs are a different story, of course. I might read one author and not all.

I see it all as this desire to maintain traffic and fill dead air, but it is STILL dead air if the blog owner isn't posting. Who is anyone fooling here?

It's quite irritating in fact, when you use the blog rolling signals that a regular blogger has updated their blog, only to discover it was someone else standing in for them. It defeats the purpose of the notifications by blogrolling, weblog.com, and the RSS feeds.

In my view, it defeats the purpose of the format.

Remember that Rachel Lucas was something like the 20th post popular blogger, even when she didn't post for 6 months. She didn't need a guest blogger to keep her rankings high. Traffic ratings when the main blogger is out are just as misleading. Visitors may come to see if you've posted anything, but that doesn't mean a substitute will fill the void if you haven't.

That's just my opinion. Your mileage results... blah blah blah. Since you were talking about blogs today, and offering advice, I thought I'd throw my opinion into the mix.

Mrs.Du Toit,

I believe in what you said does have merit and you raisea very good point. I feel that way because you have been here in Dean's World quite often. You have brought some fine outstanding posts and have even raised my awareness when you let us into your life in a most troublesome time. I too have done that in my physical ailments and have eluded to things in my past that were in a closet so to speak.

I am working on that and I will come out with more in my time if it doesn't come out before.

In a sense it has but not *my Story, my truth*, there are rumors that abound and I am quite sure I added to the *illusion* of who this gal called Janelle is. Many folks that have come here over the past two years know my reasons for coming here because they assume them and or know why I take pride in being in Dean's World. That may or may not be true, perhaps it is to voice an opinion.

You along with so many regulars I guess we are called have kind of come here and hung out so to speak and have so much fun with our views, thoughts and opinions. I personally have laughed and cried and got quite upset over things and on occasion I just was going to come in here and just tell everyone my opinion. Then I brought out the self proclaimed idiot that I am on many occasions. I'd walk away and come back later and read what I wrote and like so many of us...OH MY GOSH...is that what I typed? OH MY GOSH...the way I wrote that no wonder I got that reaction.


This is where I agree with you so very much. The Title is, "Dean's World". And it does lead a new reader, or to those of us that are regular/commentors, even as I so often say to meself...WHAT!?! *smack me forehead*, a New Change!?!

I sincerely feel you are a terrific writer, you write/edit for even doctor's manuels and computer programs. I believe Dean's World was a daily read for you once and maybe it still is. I do not know that.

Rosemary has her blog now and we have all been thrilled to see her style and her wit and wisdom and tremendous intelligence along with the thrill of their greatest post ever...BAR NONE...She is carrying their son, DRAKE EUGENE ESMAY. I think many women read her daily and just haven't posted and have to chuckle, well those of us that are Mothers and Grandmother's, sisters, even the men! So now we have another couple here in the blogsphere.

It has been irriating I'm sure to people to come here and see so many changes. Maybe the guest blogger, Joe Gandleman said it in simple and in a clever way. He took a song and put it to the tune of, "It's a Small World Afterall, it's Dean's World Afterall."

Now, I'm going to run out of here before somebody comes in and hits me over the head.

Guest-bloggers: yea or nay? Good discussion, Madame du Toit!

From day one, I have run Dean's World on a "publication" model more than other webloggers do. Yet I write articles. But sometimes all I do is point to information I find interesting.

There is an old adage about bloggers that I utterly reject: that you should be either a "deep thinker" or a "heavy linker." Balderdash. I'm both.

I see Dean's World as a publication. An odd one, with a sort of performance art flair to it, but still a publication. I've accepted submissions from day one. I started having guest bloggers about six months after opening and doing it regularly since then.

Once I got fairly popular (so far as it goes) I started using it to highlight up and coming bloggers who I thought could use some exposure.

I guess what I'd say the best description is is that Dean's World is a radio call-in talk show. And if I go on vacation or call in sick, someone will take over the show. Someone I trust who I think my readers may get a kick out of. And if they don't? Well, if all they want is that special Deanish goodness, we do try to let 'em know when I'll be back. ;-)

Sound weird? Well I've always been weird. :-)