Hugh’s Views And News – Hugh's Views & News

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November 2025 – This is a first! But I Have Good Reasons

Published on Nov 30, 2025Nov 30, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts16 Comments

The past three months have been busy outside the world of blogging, so much so that I didn’t get the chance to write and publish monthly round-up posts for September or October.

Did I feel bad? Did I apologise? No. Sometimes life gets in the way of schedules, and my blogging routine was thrown off course, but it happens to everyone, and nobody needs to apologise. From what I saw, my posts from September, October and November continued to receive engagement, and for me, it’s all about interacting with other bloggers, writers, and readers.

Better late than never. Without further ado, here is the monthly round-up for the past three months on Hugh’s Views and News.

WordPress has introduced a new blog recommendation feature that displays recommended blogs on your Gravatar profile, improving visibility. My post details how to add the blogs you love the most.

This New WordPress Feature Helps Promote The Blogs You Love

Here’s a fresh writing challenge that everyone is encouraged to try. Can you write a story using only 101 words (no more, no less) based on a featured image?

Bloggers/Authors: Are You Ready For A Writing Challenge?

Where do the images and photos in your blog posts originate? Are you certain you’re not infringing the law by using copyrighted images?

Where To Legally Source Amazing Images For Your Blog Posts

How easy do you make it for visitors to share your blog posts and boost the visibility of your blog? Take action: These nine options are easy to find and activate.

9 Important Options on Your WordPress Blog to Check Now!

This is why you should never forget to put the clocks back before going to bed.

When The Clocks Go Back

Springtime in Paris! Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Think again!

Experience the Magic of Spring in Paris! But not as you know it!

Are photography blog posts worth commenting on? Why I Decided to Stop Publishing My Photography.

4 Never Before Seen Photos And Why You Need To See Them

This post outlines various scams affecting bloggers, including voicemail scams and email phishing claims that appear to come from WordPress. Don’t become a victim of a scam or fined for downloading copyrighted material.

The Latest Blogging and Publishing Scams You Need to Be Aware Of Now

The featured image on this blog post is sourced from Pixabay. AI reviewed spelling and grammar errors.

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August 2025 – Something strange happened on my blog!

Published on Aug 31, 2025Aug 31, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts29 Comments

Something strange happened this month. For the first time since I’ve been blogging, one of my blog posts received more engagement on social media (Mastodon) than on the actual post. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but could it be that claims of real engagement in the world of blogging are on the decline?

However, August turned out to be a bumper month for me. Although I only published three blog posts, four if you include this one, my stats soared. August 2025 was the highest month for views of any August since I started blogging in 2014. And to top it all off, engagement remained high.

How was your August blogging-wise?

Here’s your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts from August 2025.

Did you know that keeping old, outdated blog posts can damage your blog? What do you do with your old blog posts? Join the discussion.

The Ultimate Guide to Updating, Deleting, or Republishing Old Blog Posts

Warning: If you spot a small pod similar to this, do not go near it.

Flash Fiction – A Small Invasion

How easy do you make it for visitors to your blog to contact you without attracting the spammers and spambots?

5 Reasons Why Every Blogger Should Have a Contact Page and How to Build One

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – July 2025

Published on Jul 31, 2025Jul 31, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts7 Comments

I’ve always believed that the summer months are quieter in the blogging world because many of us are off doing better things and making the most of the weather, provided it’s not too hot and humid. Yet, I have been proved wrong this summer, with my stats for June being significantly higher compared to June 2024, and they remained much the same for July. But how are your stats doing for the year so far?

Including this post, I’ve published 31 posts so far this year, which is significantly fewer than I’ve ever done, except for 2014, my first year of blogging. My blogging tips posts remain popular, although I’m pleased that both my flash fiction posts received much more engagement than previous flash fiction posts.

When was the last time you backed up your blog? Don’t need to back it up? Think again. I’d recommend reading the last post on the following list.

Here’s your opportunity to catch up on my four blog posts from July 2025.

Bill faces a crucial decision at a crossroads, ultimately choosing a hidden path that leads to complicated consequences for him and his wife.

Flash Fiction – Crossroads Of Desire

Why this new WordPress feature functions as a backdoor for verifying that everything is working as intended on your blog.

Now This Is Why Keeping Your WordPress Site Updated Matters

An empty house. Brightly coloured feathers on the stairs. But where do they lead, and what do they mean? Adrian is about to find out.

Flash Fiction – Follow The Feathers

Would you know what to do if your blog vanished without explanation? My post describes how you can prevent the nightmare of losing all your blog’s content.

How to Prevent This Horrible Blogging Nightmare From Happening

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – June 2025

Published on Jun 30, 2025Jun 29, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts11 Comments

We’ve reached the halfway point of the blogging year. How are your stats for 2025? Are you happy with them?

Including this post, I’ve published 26 posts so far this year. It appears likely that my viewing stats are running at the same level as those of 2024, although this time last year, I had published 62 posts! Although there has been no increase in viewings, I’m pleased with how my blogging year is going so far.

This month, I bucked the trend and published more posts than previuos months this year. I ventured back into ‘Wordless Wednesday’ and published five posts.

I also wrote and published a piece of flash fiction. Even though my flash fiction posts do not get as much viewing or engagement as my blogging tips posts, it was great to be back with my flash fiction hat on.

Here’s your opportunity to catch up on my five blog posts from June 2025.

Blogging can connect you with thousands of people worldwide. However, oversharing personal details poses significant privacy risks, negatively impacts professional reputation, harms relationships, and may lead to legal issues. Are you taking enough precautions to keep yourself and your identity safe online?

How To Make Yourself Safe Online: 7 Ways

What lies beyond the hedge?

Wordless Wednesday – What’s Beyond There?

Monitoring blog followers is crucial; spam-bots dilute engagement, pose security risks, harm SEO, and diminish your blog’s credibility. Do you know who is following your blog and how to remove unwanted subscribers? Read my post for further details.

Look! Blame Me For A Painful Drop In Blog Subscribers

Mike embraces change and love, symbolised by blue skies and blue wings. But where will they lead him?

Flash Fiction – Blue Sky

We all want to help other bloggers succeed. This is the one thing you can do to help every blog and blogger you visit.

This Is The One Thing You Can Do To Help Bloggers

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – May 2025

Published on May 31, 2025May 31, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts5 Comments

How is your blogging year going so far? It’s hard to believe that by this time next month, we will be upon entering the second half of 2025. It appears that my blog is on track to receive around the same number of views as it did last year, despite publishing significantly less content. I’m pleased that engagement remains high.

In May 2025, I published three posts, the same as I did in April. However, this post increases that figure by one.

My last post this month resulted in quite a shock, as the number of bloggers who either did not know what Alt-Text was or who don’t use it was pretty high. Read the post to find out more, as given all the engagement, I’m not convinced that the blogging community is as inclusive a place as it should be.

In the meantime, here’s your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts from May 2025.

Are you eager to reduce spam on your blog and connect with like-minded bloggers and writers? Are you excited about the possibility of updating your blog’s theme and curious about how to navigate any challenges that come with using an unsupported or retired WordPress theme? Read on for more details.

Simple Blogging Tips And Insights Every Blogger Needs To Know

Her special place held happy memories, but it wasn’t all that it was meant to be. Could she find an escape route?

Flash Fiction – Special Places

Do you add alt-text to the images and photographs you include in your blog posts? If not, my post outlines why you should.

The Best Ultimate Guide To Why Alt-Text Is Important

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – April 2025

Published on May 1, 2025May 1, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts3 Comments

In April 2025, I published three posts. I seem to be settling into a schedule of three posts per month, much less than what I was doing this time last year. However, engagement and views remain high, which I’m delighted about, given that I was concerned a drop-off in posts would mean fewer views and engagement. But that’s not true.

My last post, in April, was about commenting, which received the most comments. It’s a hot topic among bloggers, so I wasn’t surprised by the results. If you’ve not read the post and comments yet, check it out and join the discussion.

In the meantime, here’s your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts from April 2025.

We all make mistakes while blogging. But what are these mistakes, and how can we resolve them?

7 Common Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them for a Successful Blog

Are you having any issues with your current WordPress theme? Are you using a Classic or Full Site Editing theme? Would you let AI help you change your blog theme? Join the discussion.

WordPress Themes: Something Exciting Is Happening

Some bloggers are turning off comments due to time constraints. Are you one of them?

Astonishing! Some Bloggers Kill Off Comments On Their Blogs. Why?

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – March 2025

Published on Mar 31, 2025Mar 31, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts8 Comments

I only published four posts (including this one) this month, compared to eleven in March 2024. Yet, compared to March 2024, my blog only got around 100 fewer views.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) continues to play a big part in bringing new visitors to my blog, so don’t allow those who say that SEO doesn’t matter to tell you otherwise. SEO is important if you want more visitors and potentially new followers to your blog.

If you have any questions about SEO, leave them in the comments section.

Here is your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts published in March 2025.

Bluesky is an engaging social media platform for bloggers and creators. It fosters community despite challenges from bots and scammers. My ultimate guide to Bluesky includes details on engaging with other users and dealing with bots and scammers.

The Ultimate Guide to Engaging on Bluesky: Tips, Features, and Strategies for Success

Engaging blog post titles are crucial for attracting visitors; they significantly influence click-through rates and post engagement. My post details how to create the best titles for your blog posts.

11 Tips to Craft Irresistible Blog Post Titles That Attract New Visitors

AI enhances blogging by improving efficiency, creativity, and SEO, but it also presents risks, such as a reduced personal touch and potential dependency. This post explores the benefits and drawbacks of using AI in blogging. Do you support using AI for blogging, or do you oppose it? Share your thoughts by joining the discussion.

Harnessing AI in Blogging: Benefits, Challenges, and Personal Insights

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – February 2025

Published on Feb 28, 2025Feb 28, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts31 Comments

You may have noticed that I’m publishing fewer posts than usual and be wondering why. Let me reassure you that everything is well with me. I would like to thank those who contacted me out of concern.

The main reason I am publishing fewer posts is to ascertain whether it affects the stats. So far this year, I’ve published seven posts (eight, if you include this one) and have had just under 9,500 views.

This time last year, I had published 20 posts and had 7,500 views.

So, publishing fewer posts is affecting my stats, but probably not in the way some of you would have thought.

Here is your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts published in February 2025.

Discover the exciting possibilities of BlueSky for enhancing your WordPress blog! Connect easily, share your posts, and engage with a growing community of users.

Boost Your WordPress Blog’s Reach: A Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a BlueSky Sharing Button

An ‘About’ page is essential for bloggers, promoting connection, credibility, and engagement with readers through personal insights and mission statements. This post outlines the key elements of what information to include.

Why Every Blogger Needs an Engaging ‘About’ Page: Key Elements and Tips

Email notifications from WordPress may prevent comments on some posts. This easy solution will help.

How to Fix Commenting Issues on WordPress Email Notifications: A Simple Solution

Hugh’s Views and News is at the heart of fascinating conversations and engagement. Have you participated in the debates and discussions? If not, why not join in and share your thoughts with us?

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – January 2025

Published on Jan 31, 2025Jan 30, 2025 by Hugh W. Roberts

You may have noticed that I published fewer posts than I usually do this month and wondered why. I wanted to see if this affected the number of views my blog gets. And guess what? It did.

However, you would be mistaken if you think my blog received fewer views due to the reduction in the number of published posts. Perhaps a discussion for another day as to why?

I’ll just mention that you don’t need to burden yourself with the notion that you must publish blog posts every day to achieve good viewing figures. Overdoing it only results in blogging burnout and, ultimately, the abandonment of your blog.

In the meantime, here is your opportunity to catch up on my three blog posts published in January 2025.

Have you set any New Year’s resolutions? This is what you should do with them.

What To Do With New Year’s Resolutions

Social media can significantly enhance blog traffic, but managing an excessive number of platforms can reduce effectiveness. Discover how I transformed social media into a success for both myself and my blog.

Navigating the Social Media Landscape: My Journey with Five Platforms

Would you like to participate in a vibrant online programme that encourages interaction among authors, bloggers, writers, and readers? This post offers comprehensive details and an invitation to join.

Discover the Magic of Story Chat: Join the Conversation with Talented Authors and Unique Short Stories

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Did You Miss Any Of These? Monthly Round-Up – December 2024

Published on Dec 31, 2024Dec 28, 2024 by Hugh W. Roberts

Here’s your chance to catch up on my six blog posts published in December 2024.

This is my annual post about blogging in December and my eleventh December in the blogging world.

7 Essential, Easy Ways to Help You Blog Through December

Question: Can you give my snowman a name?

When Is A Snowman Not A Snowman? #WordlessWednesday #Photography

Question: You can only choose one. Which one?

Which Of These Goes Best With A Hot Chocolate? #WordlessWednesday #Photography

What would you wish for at the Christmas tree that grants wishes?

Flash Fiction – The Christmas Tree

Question: What would you do if you saw this happening in your neighbourhood?

Do Not Try This At Home! #WordlessWednesday #Photography

A Christmas and end-of-year message from Hugh.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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