The steps below follow the order of the work for this workshop project.
I’ve been at Snap all weekend. I didn’t take a single picture to commemorate, so here is one with a few of my real life blogging friends to prove I was there! I LOVED the conference! I love learning great options for growing my blog. (I would be perpetually in school if I could, I just LOVE to learn new things) Mostly I love talking. I don’t think I stopped the whole time…. okay maybe during class, but not always! And if I didn’t get to talk to you it is probably only because I didn’t have enough time (but I hope for the most part I got to talk to everyone, I am an equal opportunity talker, I promise!)
One of my roomies Ruthie, I also got to room with Traci, but I need to find a picture of all three of us! Anyway. we had no cups and were dying of thirst at the market on Friday night, so I had just bought some straws… and well, we drank out of the pitcher cuz we were thirsty, but of course that meant we had to pose.
Then we had to pose again when I saw this hoopa like thing:
Oh and I cut my hair. There is nothing like a spray tan(the first one I have ever had, I got a Groupon deal) and a cute hair cut to help me forget about the size of my jeans and just be myself. (why do we worry about things like that anyway? But alas, I have been targeted by every media portal in the world to make me feel awful about myself if I am not a size 2, and my bare bones wouldn’t fit inside a size 2, just sayin’!)
I think it would be fun to round up 10 of the business blogging options that I personally learned, and am going to incorporate. That way if you couldn’t come to Snap, you still can learn something too! (see I love to learn stuff! GEEK, and proud!) But the point is, maybe they will be helpful to you TOO! by the way these are in no particular order, the photography class in an affiliate link.
10 Blogging Mom Tips
| 1.Google + | Maybe I should use it… Ha!, no I guess I am serious! But in particular, I need to update my header image to the new huge size. And try to remember to incorporate keywords into the descriptions on my posting (this is just my option mostly) but it is Google after all, we want it to search well! And Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts to your blog pages (not personal pages, just fyi) Which I must do if I every want to spend time with my kiddos! |
| 2.WP_Editorial_Calendar | I desperately need some organization in my life. I have always wanted to be a just a stay at home mom. Ya know, one of the cool ones that makes homemade playdough and dinner on the same day. (I know who am I kidding, homemade playdough can be a dinner too, but that is not what I mean) I am a blogger because I enjoy it, but the full time job thing just sort of fell in my lap at the same time the kiddos came. So I have felt out of control for the last, well, three years. I need more control over my time, so I can be a mom most of that time and a blogger only a VERY small percentage of that time. I think the calendar will help me plan and stick to it. In a way that I can see clearly. (if you are not on WP, try google calendars or the presenter liked Cozi) |
| 3. Pinterest | A. Always use Portrait pictures as pin it buttons! Think about the real estate on Pinterest! This is you best option! B. Use your secret boards people! I have been begging Pinterest for more secret boards to organize my life, but for now we only have three! Use them wisely they are great business planning tools. C. Verify your site, so that you can see analytics!!! D. Update the names and descriptions of your boards with keywords to make them Google searchable (use keywords) |
| 4. Hello Insights | A pin scheduler and analytic site! I would like to be offline as often as possible and scheduling services have now become my new best friend. I might just try this out! |
| 5. Broken Links! | I know I am not alone, in transferring to WordPress, but when I did a BUNCH of my content had slight URL changes, which means I now have thousands of broken links, literally! But now I can remove those broken links with a plugin. And save my own life am make sure that Google continues to love my site! Apparently I can just have them removed, which sounds memorable… I might need to clarify this one a bit as I figure it out, for now it is on my to do list. But I think plugin s that help me clean up old content might just get me working on old content. |
| 6. Better Photography | My DSLR camera is almost a dinosaur, we’ve had it for 5 years. It is a dear to me dinosaur, however I know I need to update soon. In the mean time, one thing that I think will help me immensely is refreshing myself on my Shoot Fly Classes. I took them about a year or so ago and it changed my life. Finally, I understood how to use the manual mode on my camera, and it was so straightforward to follow along with. But I am due for a refresher course, to make sure I am doing it all, I keep forgetting to tweak my F-stops (look at me throwing in those big photography terms…). And I think they finally have their 102 class, so once I refresh I think I will take that too! |
| 7. Get an Assistant | I started reading the 4 hour work week a few years ago but, he was so crude I stopped. But the initial option, of only doing what I am best at and hiring out the rest has stuck. I just didn’t know how to make it happen. I took the best class by Rags to Stitches and her assistant Sky McLain I will definitely be getting some help, just as soon as I can make a list of the needs that I have. I know this isn’t an option financially for everyone, but there are ways to get creative and still make it work! Trade can work, but will be tricky. So make sure it is worth your time. |
| 8. Use Keywords in my posts and titles | I just need to remember to use keywords but be catchy! Name your images by those keywords. Easier said than remembered to do! |
| 9. TALK | Keep in touch with other similar bloggers and be open about what you’ve learned. Share what you know and learn from other bloggers great advice. Ask for help! I can tell you that I may not be able to help every person, but I will definitely try to help if you come to me one on one to talk about your blog. You may wish I shut up after a minute or two, I am REALLY passionate about it. The best part of conferences is the networking and getting help from other like-minded, intelligent bloggers! |
| 10. Be yourself | So cliche, I know. But the truth is, I need to not be afraid of judgement and show you my unfinished mess of a house more often. Because that is the truth of living in a home remodel. It means a LOT of changes and work, and a Lot of, well, ugly! But it is part of the process, so be true to the process… ( I guess I am trying to psych myself up for what I am saying!) I so rarely show you the mess, although I have done it once or twice. |
Featured image source.
