About Page Pet Peeve | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

I'm not sure if I'm just being silly- but I've been roaming around the interwebs and I've developed a little pet peeve with About Pages.  So many "About" pages aren't really about anything.

 Typically someone clicks the About page to learn about the author or the blog specifically- but I've seen over and over again the page contains no identifying or purposeful information that allows readers to get to know the blogger any better…but I feel that even if a blogger is anonymous you can still help your readers get to know you with fun facts that make you seem human, personable and unique.  Sharing fun facts like hobbies, favorite books/tv shoes, marital status or other quirky traits helps you make connections with your readers and help them get to know you without blowing your cover, so why are so many About Pages so darn vague and robotish?

  I realize not everyone wants to be "outed" or put up pictures of themselves- but I always get disappointed when I click an About page to get to know even an anonymous blogger a bit better and there's really nothing on there to help me to make a connection or help them stand out from the crowd (with info like favorite books, funny stories, goals, passions, etc.)  at all.    I can't emphasize how many times I've sent an email to a blogger when I find out we have the same favorite tv show or both love Nintendo…even if their blog has nothing to do with either!

I just don't find "I've been blogging for 3 years about this because I like it and I hoped to help people," very compelling.  I appreciate fun trivia, personal stories, pictures of pets or your favorite artwork to be wonderfully personal but find many bloggers keep it too vague or "professional."   Am I just being nit picky?
   

Post edited 9:53 am – February 15, 2012 by Sustainable PF

meh – I know our About page could use work but considering we transferred from anonymity to exposing who we are I think it says about us and our site.

edit: We did add a picture of the 2 of us (aside from the sketch of the two of us that was up there for a year) after our 1 year anniversary and reveal.

My About page is the 2nd most visited content on Retire By 40. The home page is the most popular.

I have a bunch of information on the About page and I try to drive readers to my best contents from there.

Shannyn,

Can you take a look and give me some critique? Don't hold back because I want to improve it. 

Appreciate it!

So many things to do! I know you're right about the About page, though. Ours needs work, too. I often go to the 'about" page and find very little of interest.

Thanks for reminding me that I need to go back in and tweak my About page. It does get a lot of visits and some of the information is pretty outdated. 

I really have never read an about page.  I can gauge my interest in the site by reading a few of the articles.  If they don't hold my attention I stop checking the site out. 

Its always a good idea to revisit your "About" page content to make sure its current. I'm off to do that now. Thanks for the reminder :)

Modest Money said:

I find it interesting that blogging is supposed to be about expressing things in your own way, yet people insist on trying to make people fit their personal mold of how they think a blog should be setup.  People are free to write however they choose.  There isn't necessarily a right and wrong way.

I agree- there isn't a right or a wrong way, but I think having an about page that shows the "human" side is what can sometimes really hook readers and make it likeable.  I think it's especially important for personal finance blogs because sometimes the topics themselves (or a person's writing style) is more professional and there isn't room/desire for humor, opinion, etc.  Having a few fun tidbits or a way to make a connection adds depth and warms up the financial side of blogging! ;) 

retireby40 said:

My About page is the 2nd most visited content on Retire By 40. The home page is the most popular.

I have a bunch of information on the About page and I try to drive readers to my best contents from there.

Shannyn,

Can you take a look and give me some critique? Don't hold back because I want to improve it. 

Appreciate it!

 

I am by NO means an authority on this…lord knows my about page could be cleaner and improved. I think you did a great job of making yourself personable I like that you listed life goals!  Perhaps even a picture or two would be a good idea- if not of you/your family but even just a visual representation of your goals.

The other thing I would suggest is Headers in bigger, bolder text.  "About the Blog" or "Background on the Blog" then "About the Author or Blogger"  just so people know where to look and it makes sense as people scroll down the page..but I really like it, these are just teensy suggestions, overall it's great and it really adds character and uniqueness to your blog! :)