"Next Blog": Reason #243 for not keeping up with a blog

I know, right? I always thought the "next blog" link was neat. Anytime I visited my own blog, I'd click that button and see what the rest of the world was up to. Sometimes I'd find some amazing blogs - where people obviously know what they're doing; or had spent a lot of time getting help from blogging guides, so it looks like they know what they're doing...whether it was amazing grapics, or content so interesting that an hour or so had gone by and you were still reading - it was fun.

Sometimes, though, I'd get really irritated at that button. I'd end up at a blog where there was no "next" button... and I'd have to hit the back button, and try again. Other times, the blogs were written in a foreign language, and unless it was Spanish - or pig latin - I couldn't even begin to understand what was there - even after looking at the pictures. Often I'd find an amazing photo...so amazing that I just had to leave a comment. "Awesome photo" is what I wanted to say. Typically however, I'd use one of those online translating sites that don't really work well, and instead of paying someone a compliment, I'd end up leaving a remark that said something like, "I've painted your horse with fried eggs while you weep". When I returned the particular blog to see if they had acknowledged my comment, the response left by the blog author was usually the same.... written in the universal computer lingo that we all understand.... an "LOL!" Hmmph. Convinced that I had paid them a compliment, I decided that they really didn't take their photography seriously, OR the feedback they received, I promptly removed their blog from my "favorites" list - never to return.

But now, NOW that the folks at Blogger have made it so that when you click the "next" button, you're taken to a blog with subjects similar to what's on your own blog. And no matter how slight the connection, I've been finding all kinds of interesting blogs. So far, all of them have been written in English. So far, all of them have had lots of things I've been interested in. And so far, I've managed to leave comments that don't involve fried eggs, horses and tears.

Of course the same excuses for not working on my own blog are still valid. I've found all kinds of ideas... from subtle to sublime... a certain background color, some spectacular graphics, clever categories, photo layouts. I've tried several, and although I've always gone back to my bland and boring layout... I have hope that soon I'll find the perfect layout and color combination that I'll be content with - forever. And then I'll be able to add substance to my blog, in the form of interesting, humorous, thought-provoking posts. I wouldn't make any wagers on that happening anytime soon, but - it could happen!