I have never been one to participate in Black Friday. I prefer to sleep in the day after Thanksgiving. However, I am not adverse to Black Friday shopping in my PJs, which is exactly what I did. Ashley at Nosegraze was holding a sale on her plugins, I just couldn’t resist and purchased the Book Tag and Reading Challenge UBB Add-Ons.
I can get a bit obsessed with tagging posts, especially when I was on Blogger. I enjoy grouping posts together, making it easier to find similar subjects and feels more organized. However, I think it looks a bit messy. Then The Ultimate Book Blogger Book Tag caught my eye. It allows you to add, you guessed it — tags to identify and organize your book reviews into categories. I. Must. Have.
I considered using Parajunkee’s Book Blogger Icons, until I saw this set on Do You Dog-ear?
I even created a few of my own.
Ashley, also has a free UBB Ratings Report Add-on, fill out a few boxes, add the shortcode (or choose to have it show automatically) and you have a quick overview of your thoughts on the book.
My big project for the weekend was not only merging the challenges I’ve signed up for into the Reading Challenge Add-on, but slowly updating my reviews to include the Book Tags and Rating Report.
As for the “new review style” part of the post. Recently, I’ve gotten bored of the same old review format and have started to mix it up a bit. I’ve tried:
- mini reviews
- breakdowns
- bullet points
- Goodreads Progress (which I used for my review of Where the Crawdads Sing)
- Speed Dating
- Pro/Con Lists
A few other styles I’ve been contemplating are:
- Journal Entry
- Obit/eulogy
- Suicide Note
- Top Ten (David Letterman Style)
- Review in a Tweet (140 words or less)
- The 5 Ws and H
There really are so many other ways to review and helped me get out from under my review back-log. Let’s face it, I’m not writing for the New York Times Book Review so why not have some fun with it.
Whitney these are fabulous plug-ins and tags. I’ve been recently considering switching from blogger, just to add all the little goodies I see on other bloggers sites. Lindsi has awesome icons, and she is always adding new ones.
I do enjoy all your review styles and I’m very much looking forward to see what you come up with. And you’re right, why not have fun! Happy Reading !
Hello, fellow blogger! I stumbled upon your article about the new review style and Black Friday for the blog, and I must say, I’m impressed with your approach. Your blog has come a long way, and it’s amazing to see you continuously improving and adapting to the ever-changing trends in the blogging world. Your new review style is fantastic! I like how you made your reviews more concise and straightforward, making them easier to read and understand. I believe this new style will appeal to more readers, especially those who are always on the go and don’t have the luxury of time to read lengthy reviews.
I also think your idea of taking advantage of Black Friday to promote your blog is brilliant! This is the perfect time to offer discounts or special deals to your readers, and I’m sure they’ll appreciate the gesture. It’s not only a great way to attract new readers but also a fantastic opportunity to reward your loyal followers. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for your readers this Black Friday. I’m sure it’s going to be exciting and worth the wait. Keep up the good work!