If you are new to this blog and want to learn more about it, then firstly, welcome, and secondly why not start here at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/welcome-to-my-new-astronomyastrophotogr.html
An almost
one-year review of the blog
I’ve
conducted a brief review of my blog based on feedback from people who have visited
it, an analysis by Chat GPT (I just wanted to try it out, having never used it
before) and the patient ‘critical friend’ thinking that always comes from my
wife.
I’ll just
focus on the areas I want to improve over the forthcoming year for now, but if you want to read about my original aims for this blog then you can find them here at https://undersouthwestskies.blogspot.com/2025/01/what-is-aim-and-purpose-of-my-new.html
Some possible blog improvement areas for 2026 could be:
1.
Posts
about acquisition of data and use of equipment are sound but I need to improve
the clarity, depth, and readability of ‘post-editing’ tutorials. I also need to
include more ‘before/after’ comparison images, explaining step-by-step what I
did to get the improvements
2.
Whilst
some of my posts are more narrative and less structured, which is fine, I need
to include more consistent elements to improve usability for myself and readers
e.g. ‘summary of key points’, ‘what I’d do differently next time reviews’, ‘bonus
tips’
3.
I
need to better categorise posts through their titles to help me and others find
their way around the blog e.g. ‘Beginner guides to ….’ ‘Gear reviews’ ‘Image
capture’ etc
4.
Increasing
interactive features like comment prompts, Q+A posts, regular reader submission
pages, ‘How did your results go?’ etc to build up more of a community feel and
participation rate
5.
Improve the SEO, discoverability and broader reach of the blog. Use more
long-tail keywords (uur??) and more tags/categories. An old IT friend of mine
said “make your older posts easier to find and navigate”. And a very
social media savvy younger friend of mine, well she said “more visual
thumbnails, more summaries for sharing on social media, get an Instagram page”.
Gulp!
6.
Two young, world travelling, former students of mine suggested some more
varied content could broaden blog interest e.g. “‘Astrophoto travel stories’,
‘Visiting dark-sky sites’” (they were in La Palma when they suggested this
one!); “‘interview some fellow local astronomers and astrophotographers you
know’” (another of their suggestions). ‘Challenges and setbacks’, ‘Quick
tips’. Lots to think about going forward.
7.
The whole ethos of the blog is based on ‘going on a learning journey of
self-improvement’ in astrophotography and astronomy, so is there a way I can provide
a visual ‘roadmap’ of the site which gets regularly updated e.g. “If you’re
just starting, do X, then Y after you’ve mastered A, then move to B”.
Would this move the blog from
being more of a journal to more of a community resource?
So, almost a
year in, lots to ponder. I think the blog is beginning to get a strong and authentic
feel; one that shares a learning journey in a relatable way backed up by
practical details, an honest approach and even, perhaps, a niche focus on ‘beginners’.
We will see how it goes forward in 2026. I, for one, will still be out there
trying to capture images of our amazing cosmos. I will still be grappling with
developing some reasonable post-editing skills for both milky way landscapes
and deep space objects. I’ll still be trying to learn and remember all the
constellations. I’ll still be trying to learn the basics about the cosmos.
As
always, drop me a ‘hello’, introduce yourself, tell us about your own learning
journey in astronomy and/or astrophotography. Share an image you are pleased
with. Pose some questions.
And, stay
safe out there, clear skies and have enormous fun
Steve
