Everyone has pretty much summed up the key components:
-Start with photos from the beginning of ure journey. It's always inspirational for ppl to see how far you've come (ie, short to long, thin to thick, etc.)
-Consistent updates. Choose how often u will take pics, and try to do so in a timely manner. People really do return to your album, looking forward to seeing your scheduled updates, and its nice to have them ready when you say you will. Personally, I prefer taking pics every 3 months rather than with every relaxer, because i know for sure that i'll see a difference. But thats a matter of personal preference.
-Consistent picture angles. Progress is best measured when the angles are consistent. My personal preference is pictures taken from the Back as well as from the Side, and pictures in your bra as well as your clothes. Every 3 months I take 4 progress pictures: 2 from the side (with and without shirt) and 2 from the front (with and without shirt).
-Organization. Make one folder for Progress Photos, one for Hair Products (if you choose), one for Protective Styles, one for Hair Inspirations, and so on. It just keeps things organized and easy to nagivate.
-Enable comments and be prepared to respond to them. I personally dont reply to every single comment that is just saying "Good job" or "Beautiful hair." But i dont think those folks are necessarily looking for a response.
However, i do try my best to respond to folks who ask specific questions or raise points that warrant clarification.
-Make password easily assessible. If you choose to have a password, just make sure it's not a wild goose chase trying to find it. I personally dont have a password anymore, but i certainly understand and respect the need for it (esp. in light of the fact that many of us are in our bra, and other issues of privacy). Nevertheless, if you do have a password, try to have only ONE password for the entire hair folder, that needs to be typed in only once. Make certain the password is either in your Siggy or your Profile. You will find that you get more traffic and comments in your Fokti (if thats important to you, that is) if the password is easily assessible, rather than indicating that folks should PM or email you for a password. For some ppl, that can be discouraging.
Utilize the various sections of Fokti. For example, include your favorite hair links in the My Links section....... use the My Journals to go into more detail about your regimen.... use the Welcome page to tell us a bit about yourself and what prompted you to begin this journey...... and so forth. Ppl who come to your album for inspiration and/or encouragement will be happy to have this information as a resource.
Make your journal attractive and eye-catching. This is just a matter of personal preference for me.
Make it pretty... make it fun... make it representative of YOU, you know?!
You can change the color scheme of your Fokti page with just a Basic Membership (free), so do take advantage of that and find a color scheme that is fun, pleasant, and welcoming to your visitors. It just makes the browsing experience that much more enjoyable, if you ask me. So boring and bland to see the same generic blue and white Fokti pages. Hehehe.
I will come back as more thoughts/suggestions come up!
HTH!!!!