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Saturday, August 20

Blogging Tips OR What I've Learned So Far

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I've learned a lot in the year & a half
I've spent blogging.
I'm sure there is much more that I need to be taught!
But I wanted to share with you what I know so far.
Here are my tips:
  • You can have your own favicon. Bobbi at It Works For Me has a great tutorial on how to do it.  It's the little picture icon that shows up next to your blog name. {Mine looks like the little pixie above.}
  •  If you turn off your "word verification", the sky won't fall! This is the thing {that is supposed to prevent spam} where you have to type strange words to prove you're a human. I took a chance & turned mine off. SO FAR {fingers crossed}, no problems! If you use "Blogger", click on "design" - then "settings" - then "comments" to turn your word verification off.
  • Make it easy for readers to comment. Again, this is taking a risk, but {SO FAR} none of those mean people have left an anonymous comment like the ones we hear about. WHEW! I was really nervous at first, but I did it because a lot of my friends mentioned that they don't have a profile, but would like to leave a comment. Now they can.  If you'd like to give it a try, follow the instructions above for turning off word verification. On that same page, in the "Who can comment?" section. I opted for "Anyone".
  • A picture is worth a whole bunch of words. Everyone loves eye candy! Make sure to use at least one photo for every post. Sometimes they don't even have to be THAT specific to the post . . . for instance, if all else fails - I just use a cute photo of my granddaughter like this . . . 

  • Make your pictures as great as possible. I am constantly trying to improve my pictures. I use Picnik a lot. You can adjust exposure & so much more! I also read articles about photography. It's an ongoing effort.
  • No guilt please. There is actually a marketing strategy called reciprocity. {Like when they send you those address labels that you didn't order & then they expect a donation in return.} We all want followers, but do we really want someone to "follow" only because we made them feel obligated to do so? I think blogging etiquette should ban those "I am following, please follow back" messages.  Hopefully those who follow our blogs do it because they want to come back & read what we're up to.
  • Leave a comment. I do believe a good way to help others discover your blog is by visiting theirs. Leave a {sincere} comment & they will often visit you back. I also love finding other blogs when visitors leave a comment for me!
  • Link it baby! I've discovered so many great blogs through linky parties. Link as many posts as you can to increase your traffic. 
  • Enjoy the ride. It's a labor of love that's for sure! Even when I'm lucky enough to have sponsors, I still put in SO much time that I couldn't do it if I didn't enjoy the process.
To be continued later!



I'm Linking to These Great Parties:
Blogging Tips at I Gotta Create
"The Weekend Wrap-up Party" at Tatertots & Jello
"Feature Friday" at Spunky Junky
"Frugal Friday" at The Shabby Nest
"Feature Friday" at Sassy Sites
"Flaunt-it Friday" at Chic on a Shoestring

13 comments:

  1. great post and i second everything you said!
    LAUREN

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  2. These are great words of advice that newbies like myself TREASURE. :) I so enjoy your blog and I am not just sayin' that to get you to come to mine.....;) LOL!

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  3. I have a favicon Michelle! 47 followers and only 10 readers I would say...I am happy with that! I hate that you follow me I follow you thing :( Thanks for the tips and great picture of your granbaby

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  4. Thank you for this post. You gave some really great tips. Anything helps when you are new.
    One thing I could add is this: Don't have music on your blog. I will immediately leave a blog without reading it when music comes on.

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  5. These are fabulous tips! I especially agree with the not being guilted into following! I want to earn my followers!

    I gave you and award! Please go here:
    http://maidendshade.blogspot.com/2011/08/versatile-blogger-award.html

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  6. Great tips, Michelle! Thanks for sharing what you've learned!

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  7. Fabulous tips Michelle. I try to always visit the people who comment on my blog first & then move onto all the others I love as well!!!
    I think the comments are what make it so enjoyable so I try to always leave a comment if Ive dropped by(sometimes time schedules dont always allow this)

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  8. Thanks for the all the great tips! It truly is a process of constant refinement, but that can be fun...

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  9. Michelle these are all such great tips! Those "I am following, please follow back" messages can be so annoying at times. Enjoy the rest of your day!

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  10. These are all SUPER, must-do tips! Every single one is important...I couldn't pick just one for highlighting. Thank you for sharing this wisdom at the Blogging Tips & Resolutions party over at my place! These will be incredibly helpful to anyone who loves blogging <3

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  11. As a new blogger myself, I can use all the help I can get, so thanks for offering some words of wisdom. I'd already turned off word verification right from the start because I'd much rather delete spam comments than make someone do that every time they paused to say something nice. In today's day and age, people want instant gratification and if I've spent a good 10 minutes writing a nice comment for someone, it's a little frustrating to then have to prove that I'm human.

    I also second the "follow me!" comments. I've only got 1 follower so far but I'm happy because she follows of her own will. She likes my work. That's all I care about. I don't blog to make money, I do it to have fun and connect with others. A comment like "Follow me!" will only ensure I'll do just the opposite.

    I also agree with the music idea that Tanya pointed out. No one likes hitting a page and getting blasted out of your seat with a Philharmonic rendition of "Love me Tender" no matter how awesome you might think it is. I immediately shut any page with music on it.

    As for comments, well, as you can tell, I like to leave well thought out ones. We, as artists, thrive on those comments that really prove someone was paying attention. It's nice to hear "oh isn't that pretty" but it means more to hear "Oh I love how you added that thing to this other thing and that really makes it look professional", ect. I know what it means to me to get those kinds of comments so I try to leave them for others. It's my daily random act of kindness and I love seeing the reaction when someone reads them. :)

    Thanks again for sharing. I might have to go check out that favicon thing. I don't have one yet.

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  12. noce tips! thanks for sharing!!!! xx alice.

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I love getting comments, but I am WORN OUT from a barrage of spam. I had to turn off my comments for now. If you would like to send me a message you can email me at mishlunt@yahoo.com.

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