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February 3, 2015

Puppy Tales and Newsletters

Bella Bone

The other morning we took Bella for her walk. We usually come across the “regular” walkers and say good morning.

This particular morning, Bella was off the lead and we met up with a local lady and her dog, which is a tiny thing. Bella is about three times bigger. This little dog is long-haired and you can scarcely see his face because he’s all hair. When he runs he looks like a flag fluttering in the wind. Whenever I see him, I put Bella back on the lead because she can be a bit of a bully with smaller dogs. Anyway, hubby said, “Leave her off the lead today.”

Bella behaved beautifully. The little dog just stood there with his nose lifted in the air while Bella sniffed him. She circled the little dog once, and then to my horror, Bella lifted her leg ready to pee on him.

I shouted, “Bella!” and she stopped at my horrified shriek, giving me an affronted look. I started laughing, and luckily, the lady thought it was funny too.

It’s obvious Bella subscribes to the dog rules: If you can’t eat it or play with it then you should pee on it!

Author newsletters:

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research about author discoverability and newsletters recently. Many of the “experts” suggest a pop-up for a newsletter signup, one that appears the second someone clicks onto a site. I find them annoying and usually click away from the site.

What do you think about pop-up ads on a website or blog?

8 Comments

  1. T.F. Walsh

    LOL that is hilarious… best you were horrified at he time. Bella is adorable.

    • Shelley Munro

      Thanks! We love her lots, and she keeps us active with walks etc. She also loves a good cuddle and makes us laugh!

  2. Mary Kirkland

    That is too funny. Bella is too cute.

    I don’t personally like pop up ads and I’ve heard others say that they find them annoying as well. I think a place on the side of the blog like you have for people to sign up for the newsletter is perfect. It’s there, anyone can see it but it’s unobtrusive.

    • Shelley Munro

      She is :)
      They’re especially annoying if they pop up during each visit to a site. There needs to be some way of telling the pop up that you’re not interested, I think!

  3. Maria Zannini

    Naughty Bella, but at least she didn’t bite. I imagine she probably thought the little dog beneath her.

    Re: pop ups
    I X out of them so fast I don’t even notice, but they are annoying if it’s a site I visit regularly. I much prefer having it on the side bar.

    You can also add a footer to all your posts inviting people to subscribe. Regulars can ignore it and new people check it out.

    • Shelley Munro

      That’s a good idea, Maria. My personal thought is not to be too much in a visitor’s face. I want them to join my newsletter if they’re interested, but not force it down their throat.

  4. Heather L

    I agree with popups being annoying. A local news site has these ads that are a double annoyance. First you get a popup one inch high and the entire width of your screen. Click to collapse that and another, smaller ad (about 2 inches square) for the same company appears in the left-hand corner. Ticks me off every time!

    • Shelley Munro

      I’ve read so many articles and posts about people saying they might be annoying but they work. It made me wonder what my visitors thought about them…