great advice for bloggers + a few more txsc photos

Good morning everyone (or afternoon, or evening)!  This is my last Texas Style Council post before we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. :) I have a few more photos to share, as well as a few notes I took during the panels on Sunday.  There were some great speakers, and though most of the advice I’ve already heard and processed in the past, it was all great reminders and I wanted to share it with you here! 

Some of my favorite quotes from the weekend came from Kendi, a blogger most of you have probably heard of or read, even if you’re not too involved with fashion blogs.  She was the keynote speaker before the panels on Sunday, and here are a few great lines from her speech:

On how easy it is to compare your life/clothes/husband/friends/family/house to everyone else’s:

“The danger comes when you look around and see everyone else’s best and think it’s their always.” (Jenni’s note: This is so, so, so important to grasp.  Many, if not most, of us blog a highly edited version of our lives, and we should all keep that in mind as we read and enjoy other’s blogs!)

On blogging:

“Your purpose is much bigger than your blog.  Your blog will amplify your purpose, but it is not your purpose… let your blog be what drives your purpose, not what IS your purpose.”

On the difference between being “big” and being “great,” both in regards to blogging and your life in general:

“Live a great life—not big—and be inspired to share it with others.” –All quotes above by Kendi.

On creating compelling content on your blog:

“It’s not about telling the same story that’s been told before.” –Matt, fashionweekaustin.com

On curating vs. creating your own content:

“People respond to original content.” –Camille, Camille Styles (Jenni’s note: this is one of the #1 most important things to understand if you want to grow your blog!  Curating content is gathering pictures/inspiration from around the web and compiling it on your blog, but people truly do respond best to original content, created by YOU, photographed by you, and with your own personality inserted!)

On writing in your own unique “voice”:

“If your blog title and byline were removed, and someone just read the body of your post, would they know it was from your site? Recognize your voice?”  --Caroline, Lucky Magazine (Jenni’s note: the point here was that your goal should be to write in a voice that is uniquely you and that anyone who reads you could recogize, even if all they read were your words but didn’t know where they came from!  That’s a difficult thing to achieve, but definitely worth striving for!)

Hope you enjoyed those little nuggets as much as I did.  And without further ado, here are the rest of my pictures from the weekend…

thanks again to Another Broken Egg for hosting our delicious breakfast on Sunday!

Elise, me, Maria, and Elizabeth

Lauren, Roxy, and Amy

So happy to meet Veronika!

Wore my Hunters all weekend. Yay for rain!

And that’s all folks! Happy Wednesday!

“People eat with their eyes” (on the internet)

When it comes to food AND design, people eat with eyes first.  I really loved this post and the excellent analogy on why it’s so important for writers/bloggers to design an appealing space.  If you want to have a presence on the web, this is so, so key.  Every blogger (or anyone with a website!) should read this!

I think I latched onto this concept early on, and maybe that has something to do with working at a restaurant so long. Presentation is extremely important.  I don’t know how many times I sent a plate back to the kitchen and said, “this looks like crap, and I’m too embarrassed to bring it to my customer.”

Same goes for good blog or web design and good composition of a post.  Remember that someone’s first impression ISN’T the words you write (or the way your food tastes).  It’s the way your website looks to a new visitor when they enter—it’s the first signal of what type of content you’ll be dishing up.  Just like how the look of a plate signals the quality and taste of the food! 

I know not everyone is all that serious about blogging, but this is great advice for those who are.  It’s something I don’t claim to have down just right, but continue to strive for. 

Just some thoughts for your Wednesday. I love to share good info when I find it!

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Also, the winner of last week’s Marolsha giveaway is…

Congrats! I’ll be in touch. :)

Balance. (and the TRUTH about comments)

So, I’m thinking Matthew’s post yesterday was a hit… the blog had record visits, and now Matthew is feeling very cocky and keeps mumbling to himself about being famous.  I should never have told him about the spike in my stats…

But anyway, I actually wanted to talk about something serious today. Two things have happened in the past couple of days that were sort of eye-openers for me, and so naturally I wanted to discuss them with you. 

For one thing, while Matthew was writing out his answers for yesterday’s post, I noticed he wasn’t answering any of the multiple questions on how he feels about the “Blog World” or what it’s like being married to a blogger.  I said, “babe, you should answer some of the questions about blogging!  People seem really interested in that!”

And then he told me he doesn’t want to answer those questions, because he only has negative things to say about my blogging. 

WHAT?!

I was shocked for a few minutes.  I thought maybe he would write about how it’s given me a fun hobby and part time job, how it’s given me confidence and a way to make a little money of my own, but nope.  Turns out his view on it is influenced more by the time it takes away from us, by the attention it takes away from him when I’m glued to my phone reading and replying to comments, answering tweets, posting pictures to Instagram, etc.  When I’ve managed  my time poorly so I’m still on the computer at 7:00, 8:00 o’clock sometimes, and wasting valuable time he and I should be spending together.  Sometimes blogging is like a job you never shut off, never go home from.  Or at least that’s the unhealthy way it’s been for me lately. 

I realized how unacceptable that is.

And THEN I read Elizabeth’s post last night, and it really hit home.  Like her, blogging has become more than just a fun hobby and part-time job for me—its become an addiction.  “Strangers” sometimes feel more important than my own family.  Replying to comments so that people don’t stop leaving them has become that mountain I can never quite reach the top of, and it’s starting to make me feel a little crazy. 

Let me tell you a little about how it works with comments.  When your blog is still small, it works to reply to them.  You develop relationships with people, and it’s fun, and it works. 

But as your blog continues to grow, and if you continue to attempt to reply to as many comments as possible, things get out of control.  Because when you reply to comments, those people just keep coming back and leaving them.  Naturally!  I, myself, have been thrilled to receive replies from my favorite bloggers occasionally, and it makes me want to keep leaving them—I feel heard and appreciated, and that’s a great feeling!  You feel a bit like you’ve developed a relationship with that blogger, and it’s not so one sided anymore.  I’ve always wanted every one of my readers to feel that way.

But like I said, the more comments you reply to, the more you receive, and the more impossible it becomes to reply to them all.  I always mark especially nice comments as “unread” in my inbox so I’ll remember to go back and reply to them, but since I post almost daily, those unread messages pile up and start to seem insurmountable, and then they clog up my inbox such that I become slower at responding to actual emails from people, sponsor requests, etc.   And I’ve realized I need to come up with a better system, or just “let go” a little better.  I’ve been letting go a little more lately, and though the comments on my blog have dropped some, I think it’s ok.

The truth is that when a blog’s following get’s bigger, the blogger him/herself does, indeed, start to become a little more inaccessible.  People stop leaving comments because they know they won’t get replies—they don’t feel “heard” and sometimes feel like they’re just writing into the wind.  I get that.  Even here on my own blog, only a small fraction of my readers comment.  I’m not going to lie—that makes me sad, because I love hearing from you SO much. Receiving positive or engaging comments on something I write feels like the best kind of reward and validation—it’s absolutely wonderful, and I read and appreciate each and every comment.  They are little bright spots all throughout my day as they come in, and I feel like I get to know you through them.  But what people need to understand (and, as a blog reader I came to this conclusion a while back), is that a blogger’s post is their letter to YOU; the comments are your letters back to them, and generally shouldn’t be left only in hopes of building a relationship with the blogger.  If that happens, it’s a fabulous bonus, but I have learned to lower my expectations for commenting and now try to leave thoughtful comments only as a sign of appreciation and admiration for what someone has written—never expecting a response.  If I want to reach out to a blogger a little more directly, I’ll write them an email. 

Maybe some of you will think that sounds a little cold, but I am just explaining the reality of how things are when your blog gets a bit bigger.  I like to think of myself as a pretty kind person; I hate to think of ever making someone feel “left out” or unappreciated, which is why I try to reply back or visit readers’ blogs now and then.  But I think every blogger reaches a point when they realize that it simply isn’t possible anymore, and you can’t completely avoid letting really amazing comments go unanswered sometimes.

Now, having said aaalllllllll that, I don’t think I’m quite there yet.  Since I DO treat this blog like a (really awesome) job, and since I don’t work outside the home at this point, I DO still plan to reply to comments occasionally.  But for me, the key moving forward is going to be BALANCE.  I will have a list of priorities, and it will go something like this: keeping my house clean, food in the fridge, and spending QUALITY time with my husband---->writing blog posts, answering emails--->replying to comments (and all but spending time with my husband need to be done during set hours, so they aren’t taking time away from him, friends, or other family).  Maybe that will mean picking a post every now and then and replying only to those comments, or maybe it will mean continuing to do as I’ve done and marking especially thoughtful comments as “unread” and revisiting them later (perhaps I just need to move them to another folder so they are no longer in the inbox.)

So, WHY did I write all this?  I guess I just have this strong desire for every blogger and blog reader to understand how crucial it is to have balance and to have your priorities in order, and also to understand a little better about how commenting works once a blog reaches a certain point.  I hope that you understand how very much your words mean to those bloggers whom you leave comments for—myself or any other blogger—even if they go unanswered. 

Thanks for reading my thoughts, if you made it this far.  You are so very appreciated. :)

And now, here’s a completely unrelated photo of Gracie from last night (that’s MY pillow).  One might say that she believes in balance, as well.

Did you know…? + giveaway winner!

Hey sweet friends!  I have very important matters to discuss with you today, so please take a couple minutes to read this over! :)

Many of you often leave me sweet comments, but because you don’t have certain settings in place, I’m not able to respond to you.   I occasionally reply to comments and ALWAYS try to answer questions posed in a comment, but a good number of you don’t have your email address added to your Blogger profile (if you’re a newer blogger, this probably means YOU, but some of you more seasoned bloggers have overlooked this setting as well!). 

Personally, I don’t like to respond to comments in-line (i.e. right in the comment window for everyone to see) because A) I have no idea if you’re going to come back and check to see if I responded (I know I, personally, never go back to a post to see if the blogger responded to me) and B) it just gets way too confusing replying that way!

So please consider making the changes I’m about to explain! If you don’t have your email address added to your Blogger profile, I guarantee you you’re missing out on opportunities to communicate directly with some of your favorite bloggers!  For example, I have it set to where a notification of each new comment comes directly to my email account.  For those of you with your email address added to your profile, I just hit “reply” directly from the email and type a note back to you that is sent right to YOUR email.  But if you haven’t added that setting, your comment is lumped into a group of people whom I can’t reply to without going directly to their blog (if they have one) and leaving a comment there. And unfortunately, I just don’t have time to do that anymore. I could go into all the details of why not, but I’ll spare you for now.

So, do yourself and all your bloggy friends a favor: go RIGHT NOW to your Blogger profile and check and see if you have this little link to your email beneath your profile picture.

If you don’t see that link that says “Email,” you are NOT up and running yet!  Go to your Blogger dashboard and click “edit profile” beside your little picture (if you’re using the old Blogger interface, that is—if you’re using the new interface, go to your dashboard and then click the dropdown arrow in the top right corner or your screen.  Then click edit profile).  Now check the box next to “show my email address.”

You can use any email address you’d like for this one (it doesn’t have to be the address you sign into Blogger with).

Capiche?  Please, please, pleeeease do this!  It just makes sense, and it makes replying to comments, answering questions, and maintaining relationships much more streamlined. :) And if you’re a seasoned blogger and this frustrates you as well, please spread the word and send your readers to this post so we’ll all be on the same page!

Thanks everyone!

 

PS - I accidentally deleted the random.org photo of the winner number, but it pulled comment number 60, so the winner of the Scentsy giveaway is…

Chistine!! Email me ASAP so Erin can send you your prize! :)

Blogging Tips & Tricks {Part 3}

This is it, y’all.  The third and final part.  Make sure you read Part 1 and Part 2 as well, and then we’ll all be well on our way to awesomeness.  And the blogosphere will be a better, prettier, and funner (it’s a word) place to be.Win-win.

How to Have an Awesome Blog {Part 3}
Implementing these next tips is suuuper important (in my humble opinion).  They’re all kind of random, but each could make or break your blog and/or your blogging experience!

1. Use Windows Live Writer (if you have a PC).  It changed my life.

I heard something once about blog posting through Windows Live Writer, and then I realized that my laptop already had it installed (you may already have it too, or you can download it HERE if you use a PC)! And people, it will revolutionize your blogging experience.  I used to literally go stark raving mad (err, STAY stark raving mad) due to the time it took to upload pictures on Blogger and due to the way Blogger would randomly screw up all the spacing on my posts and due to the fact that Blogger just overall SUCKS!!! (yes, I am bitter.)

Then I started blogging with Windows Live Writer, and groups of pictures that might have taken 15 minutes to upload on Blogger take about 5 SECONDS on Windows Live Writer.  AND you have the option to size them to your exact specifications!!

And that’s not even going into all the other multitudes of reasons that posting blogs through Windows Live Writer is AWESOME. It is exactly like posting in Blogger, except way better.  You must try it, and you will understand.

For all you Mac-ers out there, I hear uploading pics through Photobucket or Flickr is much easier than using Blogger.  There’s a tutorial HERE. But sorry, I don’t think you can use WLW on a Mac… I guess this is the one and only thing Windows has on Apple! ;)

2. Speaking of pictures, put only the best ones on your blog (and make them as large as your template will allow).

This is so, so huge.  YES, blogging is a writing based media, but your blog will be judged as a whole package.  When you include large, clear, and good quality photos on your blog, you are drawing your readers in – in a way that not even words can do.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So make sure your photos aren’t shoddy and your readers don’t have to squint to see them.

Great photos add SO MUCH to a blog.  Think about your very favorite blogs, and I bet you will realize that most of those bloggers all incorporate great pictures! And NEWSFLASH: you do NOT have to have an awesome, expensive camera to take better pictures for your blog!  Any ol’ digital camera will do, and even some phone cameras take great pictures!  You just have to learn a couple excruciatingly EASY tricks regarding angles, lighting, etc, and your pictures will improve dramatically.

Just before I started getting into photography, I asked our wedding photographer for some tips, and she suggested I buy the book How to Photograph Your Life by Nick Kelsh (find it HERE – check out the used copies! I think I paid about 12 dollars for mine!).  It’s a really awesome book for beginners, even though it’s old.  The information is timeless!

3. Install Sitemeter and Google Analytics.

Both are fabulous (and FREE) tools for monitoring stats, pageviews, and even (in the case of Sitemeter) how many people are live on your blog at any given moment! Do it.  You will become obsessed.  In a good way?

4. Utilize ALL social media to help grow your blog and keep people coming back for more!

This is another big one, in my opinion.

If you aren’t using Facebook and Twitter to help bring people to your blog, you’re being silly. 

Let me explain. Specifically, let me explain the benefit of Twitter to those of you who haven’t entered the 21st century yet jumped on the Tweet Train yet.  I was against it at first, too.  And honestly, I don’t really see the purpose of Twitter unless you’re a blogger or have a business you’re trying to promote, or unless all your friends are on Twitter too.  But if you’re a blogger and not on Twitter, you’re missing out on a valuable way to drive traffic to your blog and to maintain relationships with other bloggers.

So go make a Twitter account.  Start following all your blogging friends, and some will follow you too.  Then write interesting tweets sometimes.  Then reply to other people’s tweets.  Then post a link when you publish a new blog post, and make your link sound interesting so people will want to click it.

Do the same thing on Facebook.  My blog has a Facebook page, and I post a link to the blog when I publish something new. 

It’s just marketing, people. Marketing and relationships. In the 21st century.  Get with it.

(and by the way, Twitter is not only a great marketing tool, but it’s a super fun way to get instant feedback and chat with blogging buddies.) Follow me on Twitter! (shameless plug) “Like” Story of My Life on Facebook! (another shameless plug!)

and finally…

5. Grow a thick skin. And assume there are crazies reading your blog.

Ah, yes, the crazy people.  My final piece of advice to you is to accept the fact that, as your blog’s following grows, you probably WILL encounter some crazies.  And I’m just warning you: if you give people the option to comment anonymously, they WILL.  And it’s usually not because they have something nice to say.

Just a couple short months into blogging, I received my first ugly anonymous comments, and I was horrified by it.  I removed the option to comment anonymously, but even now I still hear from some haters/people-who-fell-out-of-the-looney-bin-and-discovered-the-Internet. 

Do not respond to them.  They are people who don’t know how to create relationships through kindness, but instead just try to get a reaction and a rise out of you. Or they might just be legit insane.

But DO be very careful about the personal information you put out there.  Just because you don’t have any crazies YET doesn’t mean you never will.  Trust me on this one!

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I sincerely hope you found all these tips helpful!  If you did, spread the word!  Let’s make the bloggy world a better place.

Do you have any other tips I missed?! Leave them in the comments!

Blogging Tips & Tricks {Part 2}

You’ve read Part 1, RIGHT?  Excellent.  Now we’re gonna get all technical.  Kind of. 

How to Have an Awesome Blog {Part 2}

Ok, so you think you’ve nailed the writing, the content, the aesthetics, the voice, and you’re willing to put the time in.  What else are all the awesome blogs and bloggers doing that you might not be? Are you providing your readers with the best possible experience on your blog?  Here are a few more of my suggestions I feel will make YOU a better blogger and YOUR BLOG a cooler place to hang out.

1. I beg you, PLEASE add your email address to your blogger profile! 
If you’ve never received an email in reply to a comment you’ve left on another blogger’s blog, it’s probably because you don’t have your email address associated with your Blogger profile!  A quick way to check and see if you've done this is to visit your own profile.  If you see a link that says “email” beneath your photo, you’re up and running! It should look like this…

If you DON’T see that link to your email, I PROMISE you are missing out on an awesome way to build friendships with other bloggers!  Plus, you are making it more difficult for other bloggers to quickly answer your questions or reply directly to your comments on their posts.

For example, when I get an especially nice/funny/awesome comment or if someone asks me a question, I hit “reply” straight from the email notification I receive and, if your email address has been added to your profile, my reply will come straight to your inbox.

If your email address has NOT been added to your profile, my reply will be sent into outer space, never to be seen again.  (Thankfully, once you hit “reply,” you are able to see whether or not the blogger has added their email address – if they haven’t, your message is addressed to “noreply-comment@blogger.com.”)  And that makes me sad.  And then angry. And then I get over it. 

But seriously, do it.

Go to your Blogger dashboard and click “edit profile” beside your little picture.  Then check the box next to “show my email address.”

 

If you would like to use a different email address than the one shown, you can change it below under “Identity!” I suggest you use an address that doesn’t include your last name.  Create one specifically for your blog.  Ok?  Awesome.

2. Consider changing your comment window to the pop-up variety. 

Many bloggers (myself included) read and comment on A TON of blogs at a time.  If you’re using any other comment window besides the pop-up type, you’re causing your readers extra steps, extra load time, and extra headaches! 

When you use the pop up window, your readers don’t ever have to leave your main page in order to comment, whereas with certain other comment windows, once readers are done leaving their comment, they have to reload your home page to scroll to any posts they might have missed!  It is quite maddening when you’re trying to read through blogs as quickly as possible. 

Not cool.

Go to “Settings” on your dashboard, and click on the “comments” link BELOW the tabs:

Then choose the option for the pop-up window under “comment form placement.”  Capisce?

***You might also consider removing the word verification.  You really won't get that much spam, especially if you don't allow anonymous comments.  Having the word verification there is just causing your readers another extra step. Booo!***

3. PLEASE. Consider giving readers the OPTION to listen to your music playlist (versus setting it to start automatically when someone enters your site)

There are so many reasons this is a no-no, I don’t even know where to start.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been surfing blogs with my volume turned up when someone’s jam started blaring at me and almost made me pee myself in terror.  Not to mention how many times I’ve been listening to classical piano on Pandora when someone’s blog tunes started playing over my Pachabel.  How rude.

Bottom line: it’s jarring, and we don’t all have the same taste in music.  Your reader has to search for your music thingee to turn it off, then your song restarts whenever you click on the comment window (if it’s not a popup).  Then it restarts again when you submit your comment.  Then it restarts again if you click on a link in your archives, etc.  **INSERT ANGER AND MULTIPLE HEART ATTACKS.**

Again, not cool.

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If you didn’t read part 1, click HERE!

GO TO PART 3

Blogging Tips & Tricks {Part 1}

In less than one week it will be this little blog’s six month birthday, and in honor of that birthday I would like to share with you some blogging tips and tricks I’ve learned along my little journey so far.

I certainly don’t claim to have reached professional blogger status, and I haven’t earned a dime during this process yet (though I’ll be looking for sponsors in the near future! interested? email me!), but I’ve studied what seems to be working on other really successful blogs, and I’d love to share what I’ve found with you!     

So do you wanna have an awesome blog?!  Me too.  Here’s some things I’ve learned on my journey towards awesomeness.

How to Have an Awesome Blog {Part 1}

In my humble opinion, there are FIVE things you must have in order to be a successful blogger with a substantial following.   All are equally important, and if you are lacking in even one of these areas, your blog could suffer or not grow as quickly as you’d like. 

I’m going to talk about these basics today, and then we’ll get into some more nitty-gritty stuff in part 2!  And keep in mind, these tips are for those of you who wish to have a blog with a large following and wish to perhaps make money off your blog one day. If you keep a blog as more of a journal for friends and family, more power to ya!  There’s nothing wrong with that, but I aimed this post towards bloggers who want to grow their blog quickly and possibly earn side income through it one day!

So without further adieu…

To have an awesome blog, you need:

1. Great writing.  Duh? For the most part, blogging is a WRITING based media.  Sure, some folks have photo blogs or blogs that are just otherwise much more photo or video heavy, but MOST blogs are centered around writing and the way the blogger is able to weave a tale or communicate information.   Even the most mundane of lives or topics can be written about in an entertaining, humorous, or insightful way if the blogger writes truly well.  And I’m not saying this to exclude all those who weren’t born with that natural aptitude for writing, but I am saying this to insert a little dose of reality. 

Your writing is the foundation of your blog.  So brush up on your grammar skills, find a website with all the rules on punctuation, and proofread the crap out of your posts before you publish them.   If you are churning out poorly written posts, you’re turning people away.

2. Something of value. Think about your favorite blogs, especially those blogs that have reached hundreds or thousands of followers.  Why is it that you love those blogs?

I guarantee you it’s because those bloggers offer you something you find valuable.  Those bloggers don’t just ramble endlessly about the plights of their life or the awesomeness of their weekends, etc.  Or maybe they do, but if they’re doing it right, there’s something in it for the reader.  You see, I’ve noticed that all the bloggers with large followings simply offer their readers something of value.  Maybe it’s fashion tips. Maybe it’s inspiration in the form of beautiful photos or well-told stories.  Maybe it’s humor and laughter and wit.  Maybe it’s just that feeling of “hey, I can relate to her/him! I’m not alone, after all!”

Bottom line is, you have to have something your readers will find valuable and keep coming back for, or your following will not grow.  And I firmly believe that we all have something valuable to offer, if we pinpoint it and cultivate it.  It’s what I love about blogging!

3. Attractive aesthetics.  Aesthetics are the appearance of your blog—the “feel” a reader gets based on the color scheme, the fonts, the pictures, the formation of your paragraphs, and so on.  There are lots of fun ways you can customize your blog regardless of which platform you use (Blogger, Wordpress, etc), but I really can’t stress enough the importance of having your blog designed professionally.  It sounds really terrible, but I’ve actually clicked out of blogs before if they weren’t visually appealing.  To me, a blog with poor design reflects how serious the blogger is about blogging.  That may or may not be true, but I’m just saying.  You should treat your blog like a business.  If you open up a restaurant or retail store but the outside of your building is run down and shabby, people won’t want to come in, right?

A professional blog design says “I’m serious about what I’m doing and I’m willing to invest a little into making my space on the web attractive, unique, and a reflection of ME.” And a blog design does NOT have to be expensive!  I found this website to be a great starting place to look for blog designers – you will find that many are VERY inexpensive, especially if you only have your header redesigned!

It’s just a fact of life that first impressions are EVERYTHING.  So make sure that when your readers come to your blog, they don’t have to strain to read your font color or aren’t terrified off by block upon block of straight WORDS.  Utilize white space (see how I skip a couple lines every now and then? It breaks things up  and makes paragraphs less scary).  Utilize photos (preferably really GREAT ones, and from your own life if possible [but we’ll get into that next post]).   Bottom line, make stuff pretty.  Study the blogs you love, and learn from them. 

4. A unique voice. When I first started blogging, I struggled with what “voice” I wanted to write in.  Did I want to write in a funny, witty, lighthearted way, or did I want to focus more on personal reflections and spreading inspirational messages, etc? I still haven’t really chosen between the two, but I think my readers understand that I could go either way, and it’ll still be “me.” 

I’ve noticed that the really successful bloggers stick to one particular “voice,” and that voice is what their readers come to expect and anticipate.  There are thousands and thousands of blogs out there, so you have to ask yourself how YOURS can stand out from the crowd!  So DO study the voices other bloggers write in, experiment with your own, and find a style that is uniquely yours.

5. Time.  Now THIS is where we might lose some folks.  Seriously, even if you write like a pro on an aesthetically pleasing blog and offer readers something of value in your own unique voice, your blog’s following will STILL grow slowly if you aren’t willing or able to put TIME into networking with other bloggers and interacting with your readers.  When I first started this blog, I would spend a few hours at a time visiting, commenting on, and following dozens of blogs – leaving a trail of my link all over the blogosphere.  You simply CANNOT expect people to find you if you don’t put your link out there whenever possible! (and by link, I just mean your profile – when you comment, you’re giving others the opportunity to click on your profile and find your blog!)

  And if you really take the TIME to read and get to know the bloggers you’re visiting, and really take the TIME to leave thoughtful comments (i.e. NOT just one-liners!), other bloggers WILL take notice and want to come check out YOUR blog too.  And if, when they arrive at your blog, you have all of the other four items above, you will notice people beginning to read you regularly, link to you, and ask you to guest post, etc. 

You have to understand that, just like a business, you can’t expect it to thrive without putting the TIME in.  Without maintaining relationships with your new blogging friends.  Without returning comments (at least occasionally).  And as your blog’s following grows, remember that it will take MORE time to maintain relationships, answer emails, etc.  So if that isn’t what you want or  you won’t be able to handle it, you might ask yourself if a blog with a large following is really what you want! 

__________

I really hope you found these tips helpful so far; I know they’re very basic and kind of common sense, but I hope they will be useful for beginning bloggers!  Like I said, I’ll be getting into the nitty-gritty next post; I have a few more tips that even more seasoned bloggers might benefit from, and I’m looking forward to sharing. :) 

Happy Tuesday!!!