How I’m Using August for Blog Housekeeping and a QR Code Boost

August – A Quieter Time for Bloggers

Have you ever heard of the term ‘Silly Season?’

Here in the UK, silly season takes up the whole of August. It’s when the UK parliament is on its summer break, and the newspapers usually have little to report on. The news can therefore be made up of more of those silly stories, such as the world’s biggest carrot contest or “Local Seagull Elected Honorary Mayor After Stealing 57 Chips in Under a Minute.”

If you are a blogger, August can be very much like ‘Silly Season’. Why? Well, you may see more posts that take on silly themes because of lack of what is going on. This could well be one such post.

Some bloggers take the opportunity to take a well-earned break from blogging in August. I’ve seen this happening already with folk announcing a summer break or informing their followers that they won’t be around the world of blogging as much as they usually are.

For me, August usually means more time to write or read, or fiddle around with the look of my blog. Blog Housekeeping is something I’m a firm believer in. After all, we’re putting ourselves out there, so ensuring your blog looks the best it can to make it a welcoming and friendly place to visit is a must.

But it was only a few months ago that you did a complete makeover of your blog, Hugh,’

I hear you. Yes, it’s true. My blog took on a whole new look when I jumped ship from a Classic to a Block theme. I wrote about the whole process and experience and three months down the line, I’m happy with how everything turned out.

But I’m still fiddling with my blog! And now it’s August, it feels like a great time to get my blog ship-shaped for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Adding a QR Code to My Blog

For starters, I’ve added one of those QR codes that seem to be appearing everywhere. Even on my TV set, I can log on to my streaming services via a QR code. In the car park, I pay via a QR code, and if I want more information on upcoming events at the local theatre, I scan a QR code.

It seems we’ve become a ‘QR’ world. ‘Scan the QR code for the recipe.’ ‘Scan the QR code to read the first few pages.’ ‘Scan the QR code to book your ticket.’ ‘Scan the QR code to create a QR code.’ They’re everywhere and my blog has now joined the QR world.

You’ll find the QR code towards the bottom of the side bar, just to the right of this post if you’re viewing it on a desktop or laptop comuter. It was easy to create, plus it has a picture of me in the middle. How cool is that?

Sadly, if you scan the QR code, you won’t get the lowdown on what I ate for breakfast last Friday, or what I watched on TV last night, or see a video of me having two teeth implants fitted (thank goodness for that I hear you shout).

If you rather not scroll down to see my QR code, here it is! It’s looks pretty much like any other QR code except for that picture of me. Where will it take you? Scan it and see.

A custom, bright blue and white QR code set against a blue background with rounded corners. In the center of the QR code is a circular profile photo of a light-skinned, bald man wearing a light blue polo shirt. Below the white container holding the QR code, the text "@hughsviewsandnews.com" is printed in white sans-serif lettering on the blue footer.

Time to Freshen Up

I’m also planning an audit on the lists of blogs I follow, the categories and tags I use for posts, and deleting images and photos I no longer use from my blog’s media library, thus freeing up more space.

Over to You

Although I update the ‘About’ page of my blog regually, I’m taking the chance to having a look at it and make some changes, as well as updating any information. When was the last time you updated the ‘About’ page of your blog? You’d be surprised how many bloggers never update their ‘About’ page. I’ve seen some more than 10 years out of date. What does that tell you about the person behind the blog? Lazy? Forgetful? Doesn’t care?

Before you go, I’d love to hear from you: When did you last update your ‘About’ page — or have you ever? What’s the one blog housekeeping task you keep putting off? Are you a take-a-break-in-August blogger, or do you use the quieter period to catch up?

Happy Silly Season!


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65 responses to “How I’m Using August for Blog Housekeeping and a QR Code Boost”

  1. Kymber avatar

    I enjoyed this, Hugh. August really is the perfect time to freshen things up and take stock.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I’ve always found August quiet in the blogging world, so it seems perfect for doing all those behind-the-scenes jobs, Kymber.

  2. Pat avatar

    Thanks, Hugh. I haven’t gotten as brave as you and switched over to block yet. Think I’ve tried it a couple of times but seems like every time I go to start a new post WordPress comes up with a screen, I’m not familiar with rather than the usual format to begin to write a post and switch over to classic. I know – I know and my site is a dinosaur.

    I’ve dabbled here and there into the new technology, but when I do, I find myself down in a rabbit hole that takes forever to get out and not wanting to go there. At least, not for now.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I’ve been using the Block editor since 2020, Pam. I recently switched my blog’s theme from Classic to Block. When I made the theme switch, many of the problems I was experiencing with my blog disappeared. If you are still using the Classic editor, I’d recommend using a Classic theme, but make sure it’s one that hasn’t been retired. Retired themes are no longer supported by WordPress.

      1. Pat avatar

        Thank you, Hugh, appreciate the info.

  3. noelleg44 avatar

    A QR code never occurred to me, although I do use them myself from time to time.

    My birthday is this month, and yes, it’s a silly season!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Well, I’m glad it’s silly season for you, too. Some authors use QR codes for their books. That’s my next job.

      Have a very happy birthday (when it arrives, Noelle).

      1. noelleg44 avatar

        Thanks, Hugh. It’s another two weeks. We have two birthdays and an anniverary in the family this month, so we’ve ordered some lobsters from Maine for a lobster feast to celebrate all at the same time.

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          I wish I could be there for that lobster feast, Noelle. I’m sure you’ll have a great time celebrating.

          Happy Anniversary.

          1. noelleg44 avatar

            The anniversary is our 59th. Hanging in there…

  4. Debbie D. avatar

    Happy silly season, Hugh! :D I am taking a break from blogging at the moment, but still reading, commenting on and sharing others’ posts. The QR code is a cool feature and I did scan it, but won’t reveal where it led, so people can find out for themselves (if they don’t see it in your sidebar). Blog housekeeping and updating is something everyone should do. When I was off in April, that was my primary focus, and I revised many pages and posts, deleting some as well (now archived on Blogger). Thanks for the reminder!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thanks for scanning the code and confirming it works, Debbie. You never know with these things.

      I’m spending the next few weeks doing blog housekeeping. I think it’s a great time to do it, especially while the weather is too hot to go outside.

      I hope you are enjoying your blogging break. I think this time of the year is perfect for taking one. Once September arrives, I’m sure things will soon return to normal in the blogging world again.

      Enjoy ‘Silly Season.’

  5. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar

    Happy Silly Season, Hugh! You seem to have gotten rid of the “like” button again underneath your posts? I think I noticed it a little while ago already too.

    For me, August is just like any other month. Nothing special going on in our lives, except for more heat waves. I’m in Belgium with Maya, trying to catch up on a few (online) tasks and having girl-time with Maya, while Mark is in the US for his annual two-week visit.

    I recently updated my “About Us” page, which I try to do whenever there is a lifestyle change for us. The issue is that this page gets longer and longer as we keep continuing our adventures on different continents and with different campers. :)

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Yes, I got rid of the ‘like’ button about a month ago, Liesbet. It keeps me happy and sane not having it there, so it’s gone for good now. I may write another post about it in six months’ time to say what has happened since I got rid of it. I lost a few followers after deleting it, but I think they were probably the ones who clicked ‘like’ on all my posts within seconds of the posts going live. They never left comments even though they had blogs of their own.

      I heard about the upcoming Heatwave. This is the 5th one we’re having since the first one struck at the end of May. It’s been an unpleasant summer for me, so I’ll be very pleased when the autumn finally arrives. Honestly, I can’t do a thing during the heat. Some days I’ve not even been able to go out apart from first thing and last thing in the evening to walk the dogs. They hate the heat as much as I do. However, a fan on the desk helps me keep going with the blog. Thankfully, I can sleep with the fan blowing cool air on me during the night.

      Well done on keeping the ‘About’ page updated. It doesn’t matter how long it is because keeping it updated shows visitors how much you care about your blog.

      1. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar

        I always “like” your reply to my comments here on your blog. Not sure if you get notified or see those?

        I hear you about the heat. Not being able to go outside during the summer is awful as that’s supposed to be the best season to do so!

        My mom keeps saying “At least you’ve had nice weather this summer in Belgium!” indicating that it hasn’t rained much like usually. But I’m not sure which I prefer to be honest. Sure, you can’t do anything outside in the rain either, but it feels less uncomfortable for the body!

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          When the winds come off the Atlantic, it can be perfect summer weather. But when they come off the continent at this time of the year, it can be brutal. Somebody once said to me, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather; it’s the choice of clothes that spoil a day.’

          I get ‘like’ notifications in the notification centre for my comments on my own blog, but I don’t take much notice of them. What is more important to me are the occasional genuine, thoughtful comments rather than the robotic praise comments some bloggers leave on all posts. I’m pleased to say that I seem to have been able to stop those types of comments being left, which makes me very happy.

  6. beth avatar

    good plan, the QR code option is new to me. also good to clean up our sites once every so often. when i began deleting pics/images i never use anymore from my media library, i discovered the pics also disappeared from the blogs i had used them for. let me know if that has changed or what you find when you do this.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      If pics and images are still on live posts, then they are still being used, so they should only be deleted if you no longer want them on the posts. When you delete any posts, remember to delete the images that were on them from your media library (unless you are using them on any other posts) to free up more space. I hope that helps.

      1. beth avatar

        I really haven’t deleted any posts. So I’m not sure why it happened. All of mine are still live –

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          If you haven’t deleted any, then it’s concerning why pictures and photos are disappearing from posts. It’s something definitely worth asking the folks at WordPress about.

          1. beth avatar

            Yes. I’m going to try experimenting with a test post –

            1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

              Good idea. Hope you get to the bottom of what is causing it.

  7. Ritu avatar

    Look at you, getting all Modern with a qr code!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I know, right? It seems to be something seeping into the blogging world, so I jumped on the QR code train.

      1. Ritu avatar

        I have one on my bookmarks!

        1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

          Good to hear you are already using them.

  8. Alison avatar

    Hi Hugh
    Hmm in have to say I haven’t done an update for a while. I’ll put it on my list.
    If you delete photos from your media library they will also be deleted from your post?
    Do you delete old posts too?

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I only delete pics and images from my media library that are no longer on any of my live posts, Alison. If you delete any from your media library that are on live posts, they’ll disappear from that post.

      Yes, I delete old posts that are no longer of any use and can not be updated. Keeping them only clogs up the blog; plus, outdated information can also lower the rankings of your blog in SEO searches, if that concerns you. I like my blog to be discovered through searches, so I always delete old posts or update them. I must have deleted over 500 posts in all, many of which were no longer doing anything other than clogging up my blog.

  9. Mr. Ohh's Sideways View avatar

    I was thinking about adding QR. Does WP track how many times folks scan it?

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      I’ve never seen any stats for QR code scanning on a blog, but that doesn’t mean WordPress doesn’t track it. I’m seeing evidence that more QR codes are appearing on blogs, especially from authors.

  10. Author Jan Sikes avatar

    I have never heard the term Silly Season but it makes perfect sense. I took a break from blogging in July for several reasons but mainly because of travel. The month was a whirlwind. Thanks for the nudge to take a look at some of my static pages. I am sure they could use a good sprucing up. Cheers to Silly Season.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      It’s been called ‘Silly Season’ for as long as I can remember, Jan. Some folk compare it to the last few weeks of December when things generally go quiet online because of what is coming up. I always take a break from blogging those final two weeks of the year.

      Sounds like you had a very busy July. Good for you for taking a break during it. Hope you enjoyed all the travelling.

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