Gardening in High Heels

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Five Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging

When I started blogging, I pretty much did it sporadically and very not-seriously.  Aside from a handful of accounts, I didn’t realize that you could really be a “blogger” and not “someone who has a blog.”  There’s a difference, people!  I was so not aware that there was the community out there.  If I had known these things from the get-go, I might be in a different place.

5 things I wish I knew when I started blogging. Don't make these mistakes!

It is an investment

Time, money, energy…blogging is an investment.  The more serious you want to be, the more of an investment it is.  Blogging can truly be a full time job, but you also have to dedicate full time energy to it.

Pick where you want to invest and do so wisely.  If you don’t want to commit to blogging every day (like us over in the Be A Better Blogger Challenge!) pick a schedule so your readers know when to expect to see your new posts.  They’re excited to hear from you!

Also choose where you want to spend your money.  Sure you don’t need a premium theme right out of the gates, but you probably will want that in the future.  Pick something that can grow with you.  Same with your domain name and your hosting.  Make sure that you have invested in a solid foundation.

It’s okay to stumble and then come back

I’ve “rebranded” myself so many times.  I stopped writing for large chunks of time.  I didn’t have a Facebook page for my blog for a long time.  It’s okay.  You’re learning and growing.  It’s perfectly fine to stumble and come back stronger.

Be authentic

There are days when I feel like I’m still trying to find my true voice here and other days that I say, “Boom, this is me, this is what I sound like, deal with it.”  In my head, I’d like to think I’m a lot more unapologetic than I actually am.  This is why I love Laura and Katy so much.  They are 100% them and it totally come through in their blogs.

But no matter what, be true to you and who you are.  There are posts of mine that I read and I’m just like….that feels awkward to me.  Your readers probably feel a little of that, too.

Find your support group

Get a group of friends together, find communities online, and get interacting!  It’s so helpful to have people to bounce ideas off of and turn to when you’re struggling.  They’ll help you sort through where you want to be, where you are right now, and connect the two.

The SITS Girls is a great community, so is BlogHer, and of course, you can check out what Marissa has to say about finding your tribe so you can make your own group.

Decide what kind of blogger do you want to be

Part of this is why it’s handy to have a tribe.  Maybe you don’t know what kind of blogger you want to be.  Maybe you’re a Seinfeld blog like Katy, maybe you have a clear focus like Kristin.

I wish I would have known what I wanted to do when I started blogging.  I kind of just opened up a blog because I thought it would be fun and filled in the blanks from there.  I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to have more of a direction.

What do you wish you knew when you started blogging?

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. Want to be a better blogger but don’t know where to start? Head over to the Be a Better Blogger page for daily prompts and a weekly linkup to help get the creative juices flowing! Oh, and use #beabetterblogger on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

Support

What I love about blogging is that there is a whole community out there ready to support and uplift each other.  There are all kinds of people out there who write blogs, update Instagram feeds, have rockin’ Twitter accounts.  The best thing about blogging is that is allows you to meet friends from around the country.  And what is a blog if you can’t support each other?

Best kept blogging secret: supporting others

I know sometimes it feels like the market is saturated and you’re struggling to figure out what sets you apart.  Guess what – it’s okay.  The world needs your story and your perspective.  Just like Sam Bennett said in her No BS Lab podcast, we need your stories to uplift us, ground us, make us feel not so alone.

So all I want to know today is how can I support you this month while we’re all working how to #BeABetterBlogger?Is there a post you want to promote more?  Is there a question you have about social media, blogging, marketing in general that you’re dying to ask?  Do you need someone to hold you accountable for you to achieve your goal?

I’m all about helping people make connections, find their place, and be generally better, happier, more creative people.  Let me know how I can help you.  If you don’t want to leave it in the comments, you can always email me!Here are some goals that I have for the month.  Hold me to them, okay?

  • Write and post every day
  • Use Twitter more to promote myself and spread great posts from other bloggers
  • Create a blog-specific Instagram account
  • Plan out posts in advance more effectively
  • Comment more on other bloggers’ posts. Gotta get that community going!

Wanna find your tribe?  Marissa at Ampersand Creative has some great tips.  If you’re debating starting a blog, she has some words of wisdom there, too.

Need a hand?  Have an idea for a collaboration?  Let’s talk!  How can we support each other?

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. Want to be a better blogger but don’t know where to start? Head over to the Be a Better Blogger page for daily prompts and a weekly linkup to help get the creative juices flowing! Oh, and use #beabetterblogger on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

Be Better on Twitter

There are so many things that annoy me about social media.  It’s really bad actually because my career is as a social media and email marketing consultant.  Maybe I’m just hyper-aware of little things online because I spend all day looking at it.  And researching what to do and what not to do.  And having people tell me what their friend’s cousin’s ex-fiance told them they should do on social media.

Ugh!

I’m starting to spend the most time on Instagram, but Twitter is still getting a lot of air time for me, too.  There are a ton of things that I wish someone would just say, “Hey, don’t do this on Twitter,” so today, I’m being that brutally honest best friend and telling you to just. stop. already.

Do these 5 things on Twitter right now to be your best

Unlink your Facebook from your Twitter!

If I wanted to see what you had to say on Facebook, I would be on Facebook.  But I’m on Twitter, which means I probably don’t care what you’re posting there for Mark Zuckerberg to own from now until forever.  When I start to read a tweet and then see “fb.me/da02fa” halfway through the sentence, guess how many times I click on the link to see what’s gonna come next.

Go on.  Ballpark it.  Exactly, folks, no times.

So please, for the love of all things 140 characters, unlink your Facebook and Twitter account.  If you don’t know how to do that, go to facebook.com/twitter and click “Unlink” next to the accounts that are linked up.

If you’re active on both, you probably don’t need them connected anyway.

Take a breath

Don’t be that person that tweets non-stop.  Live-tweeting and participating in Twitter chats aside, of course.  You have 14o characters – be concise.  I totally get that sometimes a tweet needs to carry over into another one.  That’s cool.  Just don’t abuse it.

Speak your peace

I like Twitter for the exchange of information and quick conversations that you can have with just about anyone on the planet.  It’s also nice to have quick, adult conversations.  I firmly believe that if you have something direct to say on Twitter, say it.  Sub-tweeting is just as annoying (if not moreso) than vaguebooking.

If not, take that shit back to Facebook where the middle schoolers drama queens are and leave me to my adult, mature things like Buzzfeed articles that will tell me which Disney princess I am (Cinderella, BTW).

Talk to people

To me, Twitter is a place for a conversation.  So ask questions and reply to people and share their good content, too.  It’s a two-way street and you need to stop riding the center line so other people can finally get around you.  Also, if you follow me and you haven’t really tweeted but you are following 10,000 other people, that doesn’t really make me want to follow you back, yknow?

Fill out your profile

Kinda like if you have a bunch of people that you’re following but no tweets, having an empty/incomplete bio doesn’t do much on Twitter.  Give people something to relate to and connect with.  Give us a little personality and your interests.  You might even find some cool people to follow just by what they have written in their bio.  I know even if a location is filled in and I see someone is from Pittsburgh, I’m more likely to check them out rather than a random person without any real names/info/etc.

And if you’re a business/blogger, you better have this filled out.  No exceptions, no excuses.

What are your Twitter pet peeves (or tips!)?

 

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. Want to be a better blogger but don’t know where to start? Head over to the Be a Better Blogger page for daily prompts and a weekly linkup to help get the creative juices flowing! Oh, and use #beabetterblogger on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

What I Learned from Blogging Every Day

Guys, I’m so excited today.  I wanted to keep writing every day and Katy and Meghan are so fantastic, that they were like, “Hell yeah, we’ll keep going too!”  So we’re launching a weekly link up dedicated to helping you Be a Better Blogger.

If you know anything about me, you know that I want to bring people together and make connections.  I love that this is encouraging and elevating other bloggers.  Part of that support is sharing what we’re learning.

Blogging every day is a huge undertaking but it is possible to do well. After a month of every day blogging, I'm sharing what I learned in the process.

Planning is your friend

I know that I should have an editorial calendar and a list of posts that I’m committed to at the beginning of the month.  The closest I’ve gotten to that is having certain themes for the days that I posted.  It helps so much when you have a plan.  Using Katy’s prompts in May was so helpful because it allowed me to focus my thoughts when I was writing.

Ride the creative wave

For me, much of blogging means spending time figuring out what to write about and then actually writing it.  There are times when I didn’t have a post written for the next day and I’d be sitting here at my computer saying, “Okay, brain, what’s it gonna be…wanna give me something good now?”

When you get the creative spark to write, do it.  And write as much as you can to get yourself ahead of the game.  Even if you end up using a different post (I’ve had 3 different posts written for today), at least you have some writing that you can pull from later.

Batch posts

This is another thing that I know is necessary but never really did.  Write everything, then work on figuring out what photos you want to take, then go in and edit them all, and finally add the correct tags and information to them.

This helps so much when you can just open up Photoshop, load in a few post’s worth of photos, and plug them into the post.  Then schedule away.

Schedule your social media

When I get busy, the first thing that goes is updating social media.  That’s why scheduling is indispensable for me as a blogger.  I can write my posts and then as I’m scheduling them, I’ll queue ’em up for Tweetdeck.  That way I know that I’m taking the necessary steps to have a successful blog without stressing too much during the day when I should be focusing on work.

Comment, share, and support other bloggers

I’ve always tried to comment as much as I can, but blogging every day takes away some of the time to read other blogs.  This is something I want to work on more for the following month.

It’s also so valuable to have a network you can turn to for support and inspiration.  If you’re out there supporting other bloggers, you’re racking up good karma points.  It doesn’t go unnoticed!

Most importantly, keep learning, it’s okay to make mistakes, your job is never “done”

There are so many things that I learned from blogging every day for a month.  It taught me a lot about time management, having a clear plan, and that batching posts is your friend.

What tips do you have for being a better blogger?

 

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. The linkups will happen on a weekly level over on the BBB page. Link as many of your posts as you’d like! Join us as we support each other to be better bloggers!

Blogs I Love

A big part of being a blogger is reading other blogs.  You’re able to support your friends and see new perspectives in the world, which is fantastic in my book.  I have a Feedly list all set up, but I barely remember to use it.  I think because (last time I tried) it was difficult to comment on a blog through Feedly.  Please correct me if I’m wrong!  So I’ll cycle through a few blogs every day that are my must-reads (enjoy that direct traffic, baby!).  I want to share my must-read favorite blogs with you today because it’s the topic for Blogger, May I!

Being a good blogger means supporting other blogs. There are tons of blogs deserving of attention. Here's a list of great bloggers to follow. | Gardening In High Heels

I have to say, I’m having anxiety thinking that I may have left someone out.  If I do…well, I’ll make it a series!  There are tons of people who are so deserving of attention and good vibes.  In fact, I had so many Pittsburgh bloggers that I’m breaking them into a separate post that’ll come down the road.

I would be totally remiss if I didn’t start this list out with my Blogger, May I partners in insanity, but in no particular order…

Katy (Wild and Wanderful, Handmade Escapade)

I am so happy I found Katy – I think through Meghan!  She’s truly pouring her heart out for the internet to see and it’s beautiful.  As a fellow “Seinfeld blogger,” I love that she’s always sharing things that interest her.  If you’re into sewing/creating, hearing about awesome community events, and pictures of adorable kiddos, you need to know about Katy.

Meghan (Hayes Days)

I love Meghan’s writing style and her way with words.  I wish I lived closer to her so we could go shopping.  Is that weird to say?  The girl always has amazing outfits and shares the best shopping deals.

Nicole (Designs by Nicolina, Happily Ever Tees)

Nicole rounds out the Sunday Lately trio with Meghan and Katy and another gal with a great writing style.  I love that her posts are to the point but never short on personality.  You can totally hear the friendliness in her tone, even though her posts are concise.  The girl is busy running DBN, so I don’t blame her for short and sweet posts!

Laura (Life with Lolo)

This girl makes me laugh so hard every time I read her blog.  She has the writing style I only imagine I have – full of personality, totally conveys who she is and the tone she’s saying something.  I mean, you can just hear the eye rolls in her Hashtag Humpday posts.

Jaelan (Making Mrs M)

I think Jaelan is one of those people that can do everything so well and doesn’t have to try.  If I didn’t love her so much, I’d be totally jealous!  At least, she makes everything seem effortless from putting together a cute outfit to making cookies.  Plus, you can just about hear her Texas accent coming through the computer!

Kam (Campfire Chic)

I really like Kam for her emails and her e-courses (and 30 Days Of Lists with Amy @ Lemon & Raspberry).  No that her blog is bad (it’s a rockstar!) I just always get her right in my inbox, so I don’t go to the blog as much.  That’s probably bad to admit.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, she has great resources for making your own adventure and her photos are fantastic.

Kayla (Kayla Hollatz)

Kayla is a fantastic blog to follow for blogging resources and social media advice.  She also hosts her own Twitter chat at 8p ET / 7p Central called #CreateLounge and if you don’t walk away feeling ready to run through a wall and write blog posts all night, you doin’ it wrong.

And my Pittsburgh Blogging Tribe:

Marissa (Ampersand Creative, formerly The Modern Austen)

If you need help getting your career on a creative path, go to Marissa!  She’s so relateable, I’ll forgive her for stealing my favorite punctuation mark as her business name.  She also loves the Oxford comma, so she’s a good egg.

Kristin (My Life As A Teacup)

Kristin is a stellar writer and she’s dedicated to helping your words be the best they can be.  I love her grammar series, Intensive Purposes (a play on “all intents and purposes”).  She also shares great writing resources.

Jess (In Pursuit of Simple)

Jess shares simple, actionable ways to improve your health and well being.  She’s great at connecting everything back to a live driven by simplicity so you don’t get overwhelmed.

So that’s my (not complete and first installment) of blogs I love. What are some of your favorite blogs?


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