As always, I welcome your feedback, so please let me know what you think!
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Q: Can you please tell me what kinds of computer equipment you use to blog with? And what do you use for your photos?
A: I'm glad I got this question recently, because until about 18 months ago, I did most of my blogging on a laughably ancient (and I mean ancient) Gateway PC that I've had since 2000. That machine was just enormous--it took up the entire surface of my desk and was louder than a jet engine. But that PC had great writing karma--I wrote some of my best posts on it.
Now, however, I use a basic Dell Inspiron laptop for all of my writing. It cost only $400 and it's nothing fancy.
As for the photos here at Casual Kitchen, I mostly use a simple Canon Powershot point-and-shoot digital camera. Laura also owns a more expensive Canon SLR that (if I ask really nicely) she'll occasionally use for my recipe posts. (Note: a general rule on the photography here at CK: The good food photos are Laura's, the amateurish ones are mine.)
The bottom line is this: it doesn't take expensive equipment to create a good quality food blog.
Q: What's your policy on links and self-promotion on blog comments?
A: If someone leaves an insightful comment or helps along the conversation here, I don't mind at all if that someone promotes their blog with a link or a tagline. When I comment on other peoples' blogs I generally sign my comments with Dan @ Casual Kitchen and include a link back to my blog. It would only be fair if I encouraged the same thing here.
I delete any obvious comment spam, however, and I super-duper-double-delete the comment spam linking to sites selling Viagra and/or Costa Rican real estate.
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7 comments:
Interesting, Dan. Here's my take. Grab a hot beverage, cause this could take some time:
• I use a Mac Book. I would rather spend $2000 on a Mac than be given a free slow PC. This is not a Mac versus PC issue, this is a matter of using the computer that suits my thought process best. To me, saving money on a computer that doesn't meet my needs is a false economy. Note: I am a full-time professional writer.
• I use a Canon Rebel Ti SLR. I bought the camera used and am about to buy a new lens because I find my current one too limiting. I can't get the quality of pictures I need with a point & shoot. Good photos are essential to my brand.
• Photo software includes Aperture and Photoshop ELEMENTS.
You wrote: The bottom line is this: it doesn't take expensive equipment to create a good quality food blog.
Maybe not, but you need good photos to create a good quality RECIPE blog (there is a difference). Hence my need for a decent SLR & lens.
Thanks to sites like Tastespotting and Foodgawker, readers have come to expect professional quality photos with a recipe. TS and FG are becoming increasingly picky, making an SLR almost a necessity.
What's your policy on links and self-promotion on blog comments?
• I added Comment Luv, which links to the commenter's previous post, to encourage more commenting.
• I occasionally actively solicit people to leave links in the comment section -- this is partially to avoid "looks delicious" and to promote community. Blogs are about sharing.
• I'm fine with people leaving RELATIVE links, like a recipe they posted or their experience growing tomatoes. If they're selling coffeemakers? Delete.
• I delete spam. I delete spammy trackbacks. I delete carefully crafted comments that are disguised spam -- yes, they are doing that now.
• I use "Charmian @ Christie's Corner" as my name when I post a comment so people will remember my blog's name.
• I do not use comment moderation or word verification since I think it's important for comments to show up immediately to encourage conversation. Also, I hate being policed myself and want my readers to feel trusted. Yes, I delete the odd comment, but it's rare.
Charmian @ Christie's Corner
These are great insights Charmian, thank you for sharing.
I think aspects of this debate will necessarily be philosophical or will depend on the individual.
I basically am a mediocre photographer, and although I've gotten a lot better, my value as a blogger will never be the photography. That's why, for me, I haven't dedicated the time to getting better camera and editing gear.
I guess also it would be the height of hypocrisy to write a blog about eating well on less money, and then implore my readers to spend thousands of dollars on blogging gear that they may not even use. :)
Certainly you don't need these things to start blogging.
By the way, I love the CommentLuv feature on your blog--it's a great way to invite your readers to get to know each other.
What do other readers have to say about comment moderation? I'm very curious on that front because I've been the target of quite a few spam comments over the past few months.
DK
I have been considering a mac for my next purchase, but am anxious about the learning curve.
I am using a gateway desktop and glad to have it, but it is so annoying at times. Particularly with regards to buffering of videos on the net. Does the mac work better for that , or is there something I could do to my current computer
Erin,
I'm not sure I'm expert enough to help you with your question. I am a PC user who likes Macs, but can't justify the extra cost when a simple, cheap laptop is all I need.
As for your issues with video buffering, I don't know for sure, other than to say that my Gateway orginally came with a ton of RAM-eating craplets pre-loaded. Getting rid of them and loading Firefox for my browser helped a lot. Good luck.
DK
a comment on Mac vs "anything else": under the hood, Macs run generic commodity hardware. I could assemble a machine at the same tech specs as a $2000 Mac for well under half that price: the rest is price, hype, and marketing.
And no, I am not inlcuding the cost of a Windows licence in that - I use Ubuntu Linux which does 100% of what I require from a computer but does not require anti-virus precautions. Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, OpenOffice.org, The Gimp - what more do you need?
Oh, you want some expensive Mac or PC only software? virtualbox.org allows you to run those as guest operating systems!
And the learning curve between Linux and, for example, XP versus Windows 7, is a lot shallower... because with Linux *you* can choose how your system looks and feels, instead of having that choice imposed on you from outside.
Bottom line, I will not buy Apple kit for the same reason I balk in the grocery store. I know the costs involved, and the 120% Apple Price Premium just makes me nauseous.
This is not a Mac versus PC issue, this is a matter of using the computer that suits my thought process best. To me, saving money on a computer that doesn't meet my needs is a false economy. Note: I am a full-time professional writer.
Whoa...gotta weigh in here. I'm in agreement with using the right tool for the job. Cutting costs can be costly. Enough said. I use my Mac day and night. And, only power up the old dusty pc when absolutely necessary. Oh..like tax time. Got my financials on Quickbooks on that one:-) Have enjoyed constructing and deconstructing this notion.
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