Category Archives: Resources

How To Start Your Own Blog

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This post comes from a question I was asked by a reader. If you haven’t noticed I have a contact form now on my contact page so if you want to ask me questions I can easily answer them! My reader asked if I could tell them how to start their own blog. Now I will not say that I am an excellent source of information but I will give you all the basic knowledge that I have .

I have been making my own websites (they were freely hosted though) for years. It started in middle school and quite a few of the sites I made got me in trouble because of my teen angst and not caring what people thought. Now when you start your own blog or website you need to think first of where you want it hosted.

1. Hosting Sites
If you want to just start writing and do not have a large background in HTML or CSS then you will want free hosting sites like Blogger or WordPress.com. These sites host your page and you can just start typing and adding pictures as you want. However with this free hosting comes restrictions like advertising and the extent to which you can really customize the look of your blog and control it.

There is also hosting sites such as GoDaddy, and Bluehost. With these you will also need your own domain name which is yourblogname.com , these can usually be bought at the same place you buy your hosting. This allows you must more control of your advertising, blog content, and expanding your readership. If you want a big readership and want to reach out to brands more then I suggest just starting your own .com and finding hosting. I will be switching to WordPress soon!

2. What’s your niche?
A niche is pretty much your topic, what are you going to blog about? Do you want to be a review blogger ( I will   write more about how to do this later) , how about just sharing your life as a parent? Do you like beauty and fashion? Pretty much anything you are passionate about or have knowledge in can be turned into your blog niche. The more narrow your topic the more you will attract your specific readers. 

3. Write, Write, Write and Communicate
Yes I will admit that when you start you will get very little traffic and comments. If you go back to my first few posts there are no comments. When I had my previous websites they were really made just for me to let stuff out and show my friends. This time I needed to go out and really find my audience that would interact with me. Once your niche is established go and check out other blogs that write about the same thing you want, find posts that interest you and comment! Making friends on the blogosphere is so helpful and fun to interact with each other!

These are just my basic tips on how to start your own blog. I will be adding another few posts about how you can make money off your blog and get products to review. Thank you reader for the question and I hope I helped you!
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The Influence Of Social Media On Small Business and PR

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Chances are today that this is just one of the many hundred pages that you will come across through the internet today. As a blogger that posts reviews I like to look for companies that many people may not have heard of, especially home based businesses. When selecting these people to contact I always research to see if anything negative has been posted before I continue.

I have heard of so many businesses lately going under because of bad ethical decisions made. One recently was the shop owner out right kicking a disabled child out of their store. As far as I know now, that shop is out of business. It’s decisions like that and having the victim post them via social media that really affect your consumers. 

If you were to purchase your favorite makeup online from a shop owner would you continue knowing that they made public homophobic or racist remarks? When you open your own business you open yourself up as well. Now with social media it is easier for your consumers to find you behind the shop and follow your Twitter or blog and what you say can hurt or improve your business.

The same can be said with some PR. Did you promise an item to a blogger and then fall off the face of the earth?  Not only did you just hurt your reputation now the company is questionable. You will do no good trying to find reviewers if you are known for no follow through. Often the group of bloggers you are looking to get have a tight knit connection and let others know who to steer away from.

However social media can have a great positive affect if you allow it. Do you throw samples in with your orders? Leave nice thank you notes? How well put together is the products you are sending to be reviewed? Do you thank the blogger and leave an insightful comment about their blog?

If you can leave a positive impact on that one customer or that one blogger, word will travel. Everyone loves to be happy and satisfied and share that with everyone they know. A simple 140 character positive review is just moments away, if you put forth the effort.



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Do You Stumble Upon? Thumbs up or down?

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Well this has been a hot topic in a way with some bloggers I will just say. I am not in any type of way trying to make a post that builds into any of the drama. That type of stuff is high school to me and I am a parent, I will always try to set a better example. It may be because I really haven’t made any blogging friends or because I feel like most people try to make their blog a nice comfy digital version of their own  space and I don’t see the need to nag or criticize anyone.

When I first ventured across Stumble Upon I was quite hooked. I was fairly new with baby and nursing quite often so it was fun to go through and see pages by my favorite interest. I don’t really use it for my site, yes it’s there but I don’t encourage the use of it as much as I should I guess. My top Stumbled Upon post is my Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Pizza and it is really the only one I tried to promote. 

I don’t “write posts for Stumble Upon” and the traffic I just write what I feel and hopefully someone will find it interesting enough to bookmark it, comment, pin it, stumble it, flip it, or whatever. If not I’m fine then in my own little comfy digital corner.

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BlogHer 2012, This Mommy Is Thinking About It

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Alright I seen some people posting awhile ago about BlogHer upcoming and I went to check out where it will be held. In NYC, so it’s the same state and for some reason I just started to really really think about it. Talked it over with the boyfriend and he said if I really want to then I can. However I can’t pay for it, and I know NOTHING about sponsorships. This is where I am hoping you come into play to answer a few questions that are floating around, or at least point me in the direction.

What comes along with sponsorship?
Can I get more than one sponsorship?
What should I try to cover myself for in the sponsorship?
Is it even possible for a one year blogger to even get someone to want to sponsor?

I really love doing this, and I want to learn more from people who know better. This conference seems like it could really help me. I’m just clueless. Have you attended before while being sponsored? Have you attended at all? Pretty much anything you have to say about BlogHer conferences I am ALL ears!

pixel BlogHer 2012, This Mommy Is Thinking About It