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!

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!

Five places to get inspiration

There are so many places to get inspiration and it seems like it varies for everyone but damnit, I’m going to write about it anyway.  Today’s Blogger, May I prompt is who/what inspires you.  Here are my five favorite places to get inspiration.

Inspiration comes in different places for different people. If you need a kick of inspiration and want to try something new, here are five places to try. #BloggerMayI

Coffee shops

Okay, is this a surprise to anyone?  Seriously, answer truthfully.  I love being in coffee shops and hearing the people passing by, the espresso machine whirring, change being made, and just the general hum of the environment.  It’s so soothing to me.  It’s the perfect background noise to use when writing.  If I can’t get to a coffee shop, I like the Coffitivity app which mimics the sound of a coffee shop.

Museums

Anywhere artsy really should get lumped in here.  I always get inspired by being around other people who were inspired.  I’m a huge fan of the fun cultural things that are in Pittsburgh like the museums, the National Aviary, Phipps Conservatory, even some of the older neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are just works of architectural dreams and so beautiful.

Malls

Malls seem weird to appear here, what I’m really going for here is “place to people watch.”  I always end up seeing or experiencing something that needs to be recorded (aka: written and published on the internet until the end of time).   I’ve also gotten inspiration at gatherings (albeit a little buzzed), sporting events, restaurants, etc.

Side note: buzzed is also a good way to induce inspiration – write drunk, edit sober..y’know?

Outside

I always get the best ideas and (more importantly) the right wording when I’m running.  It also happens when I’m in the garden – what else is there to do but think?  The only challenge here is that here isn’t always something readily available to write down what you’re thinking.  Sooo many times, I’d have something beautifully phrased outside and then when I get home and can write it down it’s lost.  Ah creativity, you’re sometimes an elusive beast.

When I’m not thinking about something

Does this happen to anyone else: you focus on one thing so intently and you just can’t resolve it in your head.  And then you get started on another task, usually something mindless, and the solution to the initial problem just appears.  I always get a nice little hit of inspiration when I change gears and focus on something else.

Its also great to know when you’re most creative/productive or inspired.  The girls from Clarity on Fire recently wrote an interesting blog post about finding your “work flow” aka: when you’re the most inspired and ready to work.  It’s kind of cool!  I’m totally a morning person – my best ideas come in the morning – but sometimes I can ride on a second wave in the evening.

Where do you find your inspiration?  I want to see if I can expand my horizons!


Need the prompts for the Blogger, May I challenge?  Gotcha covered.  Want to use your own prompts?  No problem!  Just grab a button to show that you’re linking up with myself, Katy, and Meghan.  Oh, and use #BloggerMayI on Twitter/Instagram to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

Blogging Commandments

Today’s prompt for the Blogger, May I challange is Five Favorites.  I haven’t written about blogging in a while, and this post by Marissa at Ampersand Creative got me thinking about what my blogging commandments are.

I really don’t have many hard and fast rules when I’m blogging, but I do have some guidelines.  Think of them as the Pirate’s Code.  Here are my top five favorite blogging commandments.

I really don't have many hard and fast rules when I'm blogging, but I do have some guidelines. Here are my top five favorite blogging commandments. #BloggerMayI #blogging #guidelines

It doesn’t have to be “perfect”

Life isn’t perfect, it isn’t always pinnable and neither is my blog.  I want my blog to be an extension of me, and of course I want it to look good, but getting caught up in making everything perfect is a sure-fire way never to start.

Don’t wait for the “perfect” [fill in the blank] to start a blog, publish a post, change your niche.  That moment will never come, I assure you.

Engage with your readers

So I know a blog is usually mostly sometimes can be very narcissistic.  I know there businesses who blog and serious business bloggers (I guess see also: find your niche).  But most blogs are more like Every vapid, insipid thought that passed through Annabelle’s brain (name that movie, folks).

So, if you want people to get anything out of what you’re saying, offer something they can connect with.  Sure, share your story, but also ask about theirs.  Why bother even publishing something if you don’t want to inspire or engage with other people?

Honor your tribe

Along with engaging your readers comes responding to their comments.  If someone is nice enough to comment on something you’ve written, you best believe you can type out a reply to them.  A very dear bloggy friend’s comments don’t let her respond to me (hey Laura), so she’ll periodically email me.

Do what you can to show your community that you appreciate them.

Be the blogging friend you want to have

Ooh, look, another blogging commandment that goes off of the previous one.  Make your readers and your community feel special – honor that connection.  That means sharing what others are writing in addition to promoting yourself.  Again, no one wants to read something that is entirely self-centered and egotistical.

Give kudos where you can, comment on other blogs, link to another blogger’s post when you find it inspiring, pin their stuff (Jaelan does this every Friday for her tribe!) – whatever you can to spread the love.

Keep learning

Never stop learning and growing.  There are always new things to learn, from new social media practices to writing techniques to design elements.  I really want to evolve my blog as I do, so I have to keep moving.  I fully believe that you’re never really quite “finished.”  There is always something new to see, do, be, hear, smell, try.

So those are my guidelines when blogging.  I want to make them all pretty and printable and hang them by my desk.  And keep adding to them.

What are your blogging commandments?

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