Blogging Archives - Where to Kim?

Language use in blog posts for the best reading experience

Kim — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

A writer of blog posts has many signaling devices at his or her disposal. The layout is one, language use another. Some practices are statistically proven to resonate better with an audience, increasing the daily visitors your blog gets. But should you use all these proven tools just because they work, or instead, stay true to yourself?

The short answer: they help you on your road to success so if that’s your goal, use them.

My answer: some of them annoy me when I visit other blogs and websites. So I might be destroying my road to success, but I will create something that feels successful to me. Something that makes me proud when I look back at it ten years from now. And who knows, my strategy might work in the long run. I write for you, my readers, but I write for myself just as much. I target the person that I am because I also am a reader of WheretoKim. I am the researcher, the author, the reader, and the one getting inspired to experience more.

So, dear Kim, this is what I do(n’t do) to improve your reading experience.

1) Avoid words that trigger me in a bad way

My number one: I try to avoid words that annoy me when I read them myself. For example: quirky. This word actually tempted me to write this particular blog post.

I don’t want to shout too much by saying this is the ultimate, best, only [fill in the blanks] you will ever need. I know it is a good marketing practice, but when I see such headlines I often skip the search result. If your content is good you won’t need these words. You will however attract many people, perhaps more than I do with my blog posts. (Do look at the title of this blog post haha)

2) Use synonyms

I try not to repeat myself too much even though I like to talk about charming and picturesque views. That’s also how I would describe many of the places I visit, because, let’s face it, why would I be there otherwise. But I can’t describe every place I blog about like that. Who would take me seriously after following me for a while?

This is a hard one because it means I can’t express how visiting that place felt. Synonyms could help, but they would not be as on point as the two words I mentioned before. These words simply resonate with my feelings more than their synonyms that carry slightly different nuances.

3) Call for action

Should I end a post with a call for action or a summary of the post? If you are like me you’ll scroll up again to reread the paragraph that interested you the most, and not end your visit after reading the last paragraph at all. That’s why I am lazy with my call to actions… who are they for? Feel free to use what you read in a way that works best for you. You will know better than me what to do with it. I strongly believe in that.

4) Optimize for SEO

SEO aka the struggle between keeping a text readable and making it effective. At times my posts are SEO-optimized and at other times they optimize my mood and satisfaction instead (aka bad SEO). I should strive for SEO optimization so I can reach more people – and I will eventually – but right now I am happy with what I have written so far.

5) Encourage reading over scanning

Optimizing a post both for people only scanning a post and those reading it completely can be such a challenge. What helps here is to use signaling keywords to draw attention to important information. I like headings and short paragraphs, but I am less convinced about making words within a paragraph bold. Yes, it helps to call attention to something and it makes scanning the text easier. But do I want to stimulate scanning?

Not really, so while I occasionally make words bold (in some posts it just feels right), I often do not. Travel itineraries are an exception: here I make the highlights of a day bold to help you get a better grasp of what the itinerary is about, so you can easily decide whether it is for you or not.

6) Keep the end goal in mind

With my choice of words, I seek interaction with my readers. If you are responding to what you read – with that I don’t necessarily mean commenting to my posts, though that is also possible, but rather that you feel inspired, curious to know more, or are about to take action based on what you read – then I have succeeded. And sometimes I reread my own blog posts and respond to them in the same way as I hope you do.

Who do you write for? Or more importantly, why do you read?

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Blogging about multiple topics

Kim — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Should you blog about multiple topics or focus on a niche subject? How do you promote multiple topics on social media? What do your readers want? Only you can answer these questions for your blog. Read on for some inspiration.

Before starting WheretoKim? I thought long and hard about what I was going to write about. For years I’d been wanting to do something with travel and books tailored to travel destinations. No matter how many times I reconsidered – because, isn’t it better to focus on a niche audience and topic? – combining books and travel felt right to me. I wrote my first two posts about my search for breakfast restaurants in South Korea and Korean books to accompany a trip to South Korea.

Consider and evaluate

In the first few months after launching my blog, I only focused on the combination of books and travel. When I evaluated the direction I had taken so far I felt restricted. Yes, it might be better to have a blog with a clear focus and theme, but I had so many other things I wanted to write about as well. Splitting the topics up in multiple blogs seemed not doable: how would I keep all of these blogs active enough?

Adding new topics to your blog

The new topics I added to my blog are art and short stories. I figured that if I have many diverse interests, then you, my reader, probably have too. You might only be looking for information about a certain travel destination or ideas for your next book, but one of my other posts may provide you with useful inspiration as well. Perhaps not for what was on your mind but for something else entirely… the very essence of inspiration.

I hope we have many interests in common, but I’m already happy if it is only one.

The next topics I’ll add to my blog are technology and linguistics. I incorporated the first low key in my Traveling Robot short stories. I’m still thinking about other technology-related posts I want to write. As my day job is in the semantic technologies field, I can’t freely write about this subject as not to share my knowledge outside of my company. That doesn’t mean there are not plenty of subjects left I can write about like lifestyle (should I?). One day I will. Or who knows, I might specialize more. It’s only been a year so I’m still exploring.

Social media and multiple blog topics

How do you promote multiple topics on social media? How to blend book posts and travel posts in one Instagram feed? Some people on social media really aced this challenge. They alternate books and landscapes or post pictures of bookstores from different countries. Their feeds are beautiful. As long as your pictures and descriptions are interesting, then it is perfectly alright to combine multiple topics. This is your brand after all.

What I personally enjoy seeing on Instagram is a mix of buildings, art, and landscapes, with not too many selfies. So this is what I do on my Instagram feed: I post pictures of an object or view that piqued my interest. This could be because of the composition, the color scheme, or simply the memory I have of seeing it.

This also means that not everything I write about on my blog will be reflected in my Instagram feed. I mainly post pictures of buildings, artworks, and landscapes. My book-related posts are featured in my temporary Instagram stories (sometimes). This division might change someday when I manage to make aesthetically pleasing pictures of ebooks.

It is also a very conscious decision to do this: I see my Instagram feed and blog as two separate ways to express what I find inspiring. In the first, it is inspiring pictures and in the second it is inspiring stories.

Your turn

Time to start thinking. These questions will help you to determine which course is right for you.

What do you like writing about? It could be your hobby or a subject you are specialized in.
What do you like reading yourself? Do you enjoy reading blogs about multiple topics or do you prefer bloggers that write about a single subject?
Will your answers to these questions be the same one year from now? Do your interests change often?
Do you have enough writing material? What if a pandemic like a coronavirus happens and your one subject falls out of grace? Can you still create content?

As for me, I like flexibility, so my blog will be an ever-evolving specimen.

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Blogging material: capturing your travels in picture-perfect memories

Kim — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Traveling is about the experience and the memories you make. Pictures can aid your memories, but will never replace them. But for your blog…

Even though I blog about traveling, I travel foremost because I enjoy it. My personal experience will always come first. Sometimes I even forget to take the pictures I was planning to take because I was so immersed. This is not per se bad for my blog: I might have less photo material to illustrate my stories, but instead, I have more amazing stories.

I’m not a full-time blogger and blogging is not what I rely on for my income. Still, I want to be somewhat professional and share enough practical information about my trips illustrated by inspiring pictures. The struggle is real...

This post is about the struggle to capture perfect pictures, not only for your blog but also for other things you experience. Although it is written from my personal experience, I think many of you will recognize the feeling.

Inspiring pictures

What inspires me about pictures? Pictures show you a whole new world. The right picture can make you feel like you’re gazing through a window, only one step away from experiencing it yourself. For example, the picture of the Garden of Morning Calm (South Korea) above feels enlightening; just by looking at the picture I feel happy.

Even when it rains on my trip, when I am cold and the day isn’t all that bright… sometimes the pictures can fill in the missing pieces of your memory and make it nearly perfect. As if I brighten up my memory of the event with the charms of the pictures I take. Who says that my memory isn’t real, that that isn’t what really happened? Do you have proof? Something to counter my picture-perfect memory?

The pictures I take back from my trip are part of my experience: they help me relive the joy (and sometimes miserability) I felt while traveling.

Preparation and documentation

A little bit of preparation can go a long way in creating a memorable experience. And by documenting my trips I can inspire you to create an amazing trip of your own.

Finding out about interesting places after your trip

Do you recognize this feeling? Not only the ‘I was right around the corner and missed it’ feeling, but also the ‘this fits my blog so well, why did I miss it’ feeling. Yes, plenty of those thoughts are going around inside my head. Every single trip. At least I get second chances at things in my own country unless it concerns temporary exhibitions. Then again, if everything would be eternal, then where’s the surprise? Or the repeated fun you can have at one venue.

These skipped places do inspire me to return to the countries I visited and I often end my trip with half an itinerary for my next visit to the same country.

Documenting what happens

I often struggle with this part: how do I balance enjoying and observing all the practical things I want to convey on my blog.

I always make a travel itinerary beforehand, a rather detailed one with lots of options. I often move activities to the day before or after depending on the weather or simply skip them in favor of something I feel like doing that day. I do have a good memory, but sometimes I have to look at the pictures to remember what I did on that day (especially when writing about trips from long ago).

I wish I had written the specifics down during my trip. Hobby blogger… clearly.

Interestingly enough, I can easily find most of the restaurants I ate at, even from five years back. I simply use Google Maps and Street View and retrace my steps. My food memory is the best (I just don’t have the sharp pictures to prove I was there).

Do you feel the need to take pictures of every single meal you eat or tourist spot you visit for your own use? A bit like if there is no picture it didn’t happen? Or you might forget?

Coverage

Photo quality

Looking back, I have many things I want to write about but lack the pictures to spice up my blog posts. I often wish I had taken better pictures…. or had a better camera. Some pictures are simply depressing. I have a terrible case of Samsung Galaxy S6 trauma… my 2015 Japan photos are 90% blurry. This wasn’t noticeable on the small phone screen at the time… so naturally I have to go back someday.

I could of course buy stock photos, but so far I have relied on my own pictures. Do you like them?

Pictures of venues

My trips to Madrid and South Korea (third time’s the charm) are the only trips I made after starting my blog, so I tried to capture all the material I wanted to write about. Think of food, restaurant menus, entrances/shop fronts, pictures of every place I visited, and some pictures of me. And I still forgot to take pictures of the hotels.

Because I visited so many lesser-known places on my second round trip to South Korea, the pictures of these places ended up selling best on Shutterstock (with best meaning a few times haha). I can hope…

Pictures of books

I like writing about books, so every library, bookstore and book cafe, or any other place with a wall of books I took plenty of pictures of. Somehow I never forget to take pictures of books.

Also read: Blogging about multiple topics

Pictures of people

I try to avoid pictures in which people I don’t know could be recognized. I do want to use some pictures I am in, but not the ones that aren’t charming enough. Which means I have to ask someone to take 10-20 pictures of me at the same spot, hoping I can finally get my expression right, or at least passingly neutral.

What do pictures mean to you?

When looking at other blogs I often admire the well-timed and well-composed pictures I see. I still have a long way to go, but I can say one thing for sure: the pictures in my head are perfect.

Hopefully this post will help you to let go when the pictures don’t turn out the way you want them to: at the end of the day it’s all about your story. If you enjoy the experience, then your blog post is also beautiful with just one photo (even a stock photo).

What role do pictures play in your memories of a trip? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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WheretoKim turns 1 year!

Kim — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:58 +0000

WheretoKim is one big photo book, a diary of my life so to say (a fun selection at least). And it has been online for one whole year. Wow!

September 2020 has not been a good blogging month for me: busy at work, preparations for my upcoming holiday to Austria, catching the last rays of sun pared with a 20+ degrees Celsius temperature, and last but not least: Crusader Kings 3 got released. Where do I find the time? I didn’t write anything in two whole weeks. Instead, I did a lot of other fun things.

Upcoming trip to Austria

Let’s focus on the most important one: soon I will travel to Austria for a three week holiday. I am looking forward to this trip very much. Afterward, I’ll write about all the interesting things I saw and did. Fresh travel-related content!

(Unless there are new lockdowns. I’m less hopeful than I was last week because the province I live in turned red for Germany a few days ago. And I can’t teleport…)

I’ve been looking at recently published books by Austrian authors to read for inspiration. Confession time: I am not dedicated enough to read books in German this month. And while I can find many famous works that have been translated to English – think of Zweig, Kafka, and the like – this is different for recent works. For most of you, German book recommendations might not be very interesting.

(I’m reading a book set in Australia now… what’s in the name?)

Crusader Kings 3

Instead of books, I am turning to the semi-historical game Crusader Kings 3 to relive history. The second installment is my all-time favorite game and I quite like the third one as well.

Playing as a count, duke, or king in 867 or 1066, I own or build all the castles I am planning to visit during my trip to Austria and southern Germany. Learning geography, experiencing historical struggles with warmongering neighbors, developing my land – both the valleys and the mountain areas. All the places I plan to visit are present. Soon, my dynasty will rule all of Austria!

If you’re interested, check out the discounted prices at Kinguin.

WheretoKim turns 1

Returning to blogging: I didn’t want to let this important milestone go unnoticed: as of the 29th of August, my blog has been online for one whole year. Wow!

Last year, I started posting a blog once every two weeks because I went on holiday soon after. After my October 2019 holiday to South Korea, I soon increased my posting frequency to twice a week and later to thrice a week.

Now I’ll soon be going back to twice a week because of my upcoming holiday to Austria. But still, looking back I am proud of all the things I experienced and wrote about.

For me, WheretoKim is one big photo book, a diary of my life so to say (a fun selection at least). Sharing the inspiration. More coming soon! Let me know if you want to read more about a specific Dutch place of interest. While most of the world is out of reach right now, everything within my country is patiently awaiting exploration.

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On blogging: how the feeling of being useful can turn negative

Kim — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 14:00:00 +0000

When you feel you have to spend 100% of your free time in a useful way to have something to look back upon positively ten years from now, you forget to live in the moment. Turning every action into progress can take the joy out of those activities. Especially when you have the feeling that you should use the corona restricted period of your life in a useful way because there aren’t as many fun things to look forward to.

Gamification?

As a kid, I used computer games to learn for exams by changing the names of Crusader Kings II characters into Indo-European linguistic changes. Every time these characters popped up in the game it helped me to remember the phonetic changes I needed to learn by heart. I did the same for cities in Civilization V – numbers of tax court cases this time – and found a way to include questions about civil law into a Football Manager game to help my brother learn for his exams. Was I really playing a game or learning something new?

Neither probably. As the game became less of a thing I did for entertainment, it did less for my feeling of joy. I still had fun playing the games, but I wasn’t looking forward to continue playing as much. The ‘one more turn (/year)’ feeling had disappeared. At the same time, I wasn’t memorizing the course syllabus as fast as I usually did. The game was helping me learn but not in an effective way. Doing one after the other in timeslots would have been better.

Blogging

Fast-forwarding to my post-university life also known as my blogging as a hobby next to a full-time job life. The setting is different, but I feel like I am doing the same thing. I am reading more books than ever because I want to review some of them on my blog or add them to my booklists. For that, I choose books with a recent publication date or a low number of ratings and in particular books from authors that fit the topic of my blog: international authors from countries that I write travel posts about. I feel really good when I can add another book to my booklists with recommendations about Korea, Japan, Finland or Malaysia (does Space also count?), because that also means I liked the book.

While I enjoy reading these books, I long for the lighter books I used to read more often in the past. My less sophisticated pleasure reads so to say. But reading these would not be a useful way to spend my time, except that I get to reload my energy. Not only would it help to do one thing using my full attention – even if it is for a shorter time – but also to not spend every single hour in a useful way which would only increase my effectiveness in the hours I do spend on my blog.

Solution

My solution: to write down the things I want to have achieved in ten years. If I succeed in those somewhere along the line then that is enough to look back upon and I can accept that the other hours in my life are for living in the moment. Doing fewer chores no matter how much I love the outcome of them.

In ten years, will I have published the book that I dreamed of writing for so many years? Yes! I only have to write about 70.000 words which is less than 10.000 a year or 1000 a month. I can easily write 1000 words on a good day so even if I write only one day per month I can finish my book in ten years. Easy! I wrote more than that for my blog which now has 160 posts and counting. I started out with nothing and created all this within eight months. One post at a time.

At first, I was like a writing machine on steroids: the posts almost wrote themselves. Especially in the weeks after returning from my month-long trip to South Korea. Then it became harder, as the energy I got from traveling diminished with every passing day. By approaching it one post at a time and by not forcing myself to have all posts ready three weeks in advance I notice that I am writing posts that are more relevant in a specific week. Posts about what’s on my mind right now, like the lockdown and books-yet-to-be-published that I am eager to read. Those posts will make way again for travel and museum-related posts in their own time. It is never too late for these.

As for my book: I already wrote my 1000 words this month. So I am done for April! Good job. Time to read a fun feelgood book (last week I read Karen Swan – The Christmas Lights!).

If I can do it, then you can do it too:

Live fully and allow for fun
Divide your plance into manageable chunks
Focus and don’t do things halfway
Follow your feelings: if lockdown is what’s on your mind, then write about that

Have you ever dreamed of writing a book?

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