Friday, August 5, 2011

Some Things I've Learned about Blogging.

Kelly is having a "Blogging Tips" Show Us Your Life blog hop today. I'm a blogging expert by NO means, but I have blogged long enough to take some notes of my own. Here are some of the things that I think are my biggest lessons.
  • Be real. This is probably my #1. I HATE reading blogs that just wreak of fakeness. Not that there are a ton of these, but when you see it, you can SMELL it. What you read here is what I am in real life. I am open, honest (sometimes to a fault), I am a LOVER of my family and I love having fun with them.
  • Post pictures. I like reading blogs. I do. But I am a mom of two boys ages 2 and  (almost) 9 months. I don't have a lot of time to write really lengthy posts, and I honestly don't have a lot of time to sit and read a bunch of lengthy posts. Plus, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so if you put a few pics on there, sometimes a few more words will do far more good than posting a TON of words.
  • Don't make things complicated. One of my biggest pet peeves is clicking on a blog and it being SO cluttered that I can't figure out where to read, what they blog about, they require you to jump through hoops to comment (I HATE word verification!), and are FULL of reviews. While I have been known to do reviews and giveaways myself, they are often just of things that I LOVE and are not compensated. But I don't want my blog to be bogged down with them, because that's no fun for anyone.
  • Don't try to sell yourself. I see so many people who get on forums and say "follow me, I'll follow you." I tried that, and you know what? those people never read my blog. So it LOOKED like I had tons of readers, but I really didn't. When I started forgetting about trying to find readers and was true to myself, people started following me. Your blog will have a lot more longevity and readership if you allow friends to come to you. If they love you, then they'll talk about you on twitter, post your blog on their blogroll, and comment. It's a marathon, not a sprint! 
  • Comment, comment, comment. Comment on other blogs, write in forums, etc. I've met some AMAZING people through doing blog hops and participating in message boards. 
  • Be respectful. I read this on someone else's list and I SO agree. While I am a very honest person, I don't want anyone to ever read my blog and get a sour taste in their mouth about a friend, a family member, one of my kids or my husband. This is, afterall, a blog for my kids first and foremost, and I want them to remember that respect for others is something that should be taken very seriously.
  • Have fun. If you're not doing something for the fun of it, you might as well give it up. Because it will eventually become a chore that you will begrudge, people will see right through it, and no one will be happy :) 
  • Blog carefully. I know this seems kind of silly, but we live in a fallen world where people can be evil. Even when I thought I was blogging carefully, I have recently had some instances lately of weird stuff that has made me really rethink wording. Which is sad, because all I am really trying to do is chronicle funny things my 2 year old says.
Happy Blogging!
 

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