Blog housekeeping and some quicklinks

Every now and again I like to note a little blog housekeeping that has been underway.  You know how if you didn't tell everyone that you had vacuumed no one would notice!  Well I think blog housekeeping is the same.  Yet it helps to make these notes to keep track of the development on the blog.  Plus I will share a few quicklinks that have made me think and laugh.

Housekeeping - recent blog changes:

- In December I started a monthly reminder of key dates on my sidebar.  I have been thinking about it for a while and even have a draft post on the calendar.  I am still swithering over whether to post it.  I probably will do so one day.  The sidebar reminders is another way to help people navigate my blog.

- Another change on my sidebar is that I have reinstated a blog list (or blogroll).  As a newbie blogger I had a sidebar list of blogs.  It got too long and I moved it to my Blogroll page.  Sadly that page doesn't get updated as much as it should and Blogger has now introduced a sidebar blogroll that feeds through the latest post from each blog.  I am quite enjoying browsing it for updates.

- I spent a bit of time adding photos to my Recipe Index after getting all inspired by Poires au Chocolat's index.  It was quite fun sourcing the pictures - reminded me of how many good recipes are on my blog but also how many bad photos I have uploaded.  When I have more energy I might even fix the photos in the index so they are bigger and prouder.  For now I think it helps to illustrate the index.

- Occasionally I add a new category to the Recipe Index.  This week it was (South East) Asian Stirfries, Curries etc.

- Less of a blog change and more of a blogging change is the news that Google Reader is soon to disappear.  I really need to think about this one and how it will change my ways of reading blogs.  I will write more about this soon.

Housekeeping - blog wishlist:

- As always, I have many plans for my blog that would be done in an instant if only I had a bit more time.  Top of the list is to create drop down menus, using Kari's tutorial.

- I would also love to add Notes on Variations for each recipe.  I love how Cates Cates and stonesoup do this.  Unfortunately I just don't have time but may do it from time to time where particularly useful.

- The problem with being so many years into a blog is that there is so much history to change if I want to make major changes.  Every now and again I think maybe I would like to clean up my Keywords in the sidebar.  They really need work to craft them into a list that isn't too long but is representative.  Every time I consider it I get overwhelmed at all the posts I would need to change the keywords for.. 

- I have been using picmonkey quite a bit to make collages.  However I am most displeased with the site for drawing me in with their free service and started to charge for some of the things (like cloning) that previously I was able to use for free.  I miss Picnik, my previously online photo editing software that has gone to Google.  I am still in search of a photo software editor to love.  Perhaps I will need to bite the bullet and buy Photoshop!

- I have recently bought a smartphone with a far better camera than my last phone.  I had a ride on my bike today and was pleased to have the smartphone camera with me as I don't like to take my heavy DSLR with me while cycling.  Now I just need to work out downloading pictures to my computer.

Though I have included it in my Kudos page, I have been remiss in mentioning in a post that I was listed in the Top 50 Vegetarian Blogs 2012 on the Institute for the Psychology of Eating website.  It is most appreciated!

Quicklinks to make you think and make you laugh:

Some are related to blogging, cooking and the internet.  Great food for thought:

• 10 Food Blog Posts that'll get you Traffic - Amateur Gourmet
• 20 Ways to Cook Better - Nigella Lawson
• Advice for Future Food Writers - Food 52
• Blogging Blues - Plagiarism and Copyright - London Unattached
• Cooking by the numbers: looking into the best selling cookbooks of 2012 - Publishers Weekly
• How big is the Internet - Get Elastic
• When can you claim a recipe as your own - Eat Your Books
• Why I am having a Blog Sabbatical - Fuss Free Flavours

And in case this post has been too dull, here are a few links (mostly Youtube videos) to make you laugh:

• One More Grain - hilarious video parodying food allergies set to a Les Miserables song.
• The Funniest Autocorrects of 2012 - curse you spellchecker!
• The Parent Rap - a spoof video for anyone whose life has changed since becoming a parent
• Extreme Sheep Herding - with lights - more marvellous than funny but great entertainment
• Ultimate Dog Tease - I don't want to tell you how many times a colleague and I wanted this silly talking dog video to cheer ourselves up during a bad spell last year but it still makes me laugh!