Hi everyone!
Yay, I've just reached 2000 hits on this blog! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who reads it, you're awesome and I appreciate every last one of you!
Lauren xxx
Professional Studies 2015 Evaluation
For the professional studies module this year I decided to
focus on the career of Blogging. Learning outcome one was “Demonstrate
knowledge and critical understanding of professional practice in the relevant
creative industry and the career opportunities within it”. I feel that I have
fulfilled this. I have researched blogging as a career very well and documented
my findings on my blog, which involved writing about the various factors in
blogging professionally and interviewing existing bloggers to see what their
thoughts were and how they blog. I also researched the necessary qualifications
and skills needed to be a professional blogger and wrote about this as a
section in my report. The second learning outcome was “Analyse, interpret and
apply research and data from a variety of sources appropriate to the
identification of your own career aspirations”. I feel that I did this very
well because I made sure that I collected data from a variety of sources and I
also made sure that I got different types of data, applying research method
skills I had to make sure I had collected an ample amount of data to reach a
valid and reliable conclusion. I made sure that I collected data from primary
sources which were surveys and interviews, and also secondary sources which
were websites and online articles. I also collected a variety of quantitative
and qualitative data so that I could analyse the data collected in different
ways to explore my research further. From doing this research I identified the
career aspiration of becoming a better blogger with the aim of eventually
turning blogging into a career, and decided to base my report on finding out
how to do this. The final learning outcome was “Select and apply appropriate
presentation methods for reports and professional documents” and I feel that I
also did this well because I learned how to use Adobe InDesign so that I could
present my work appropriately and I put these skills into practice when I was
writing my report. I also applied these skills, as well as other skills in Photoshop
and Illustrator to create my personal creative CV and I am very pleased with
the result. I also managed to create a multi-page PDF document to showcase my
work which acts as a digital portfolio which I can continue to build on
throughout my professional career. My blogging skills have also improved during
this module because I have written a number of long posts on my blog linking to
my chosen career and I have set them out appropriately so that they will be
appealing to my blog’s audience. Overall I have enjoyed this module and I think
that I have learned a lot from it. The conclusion I came to in my report will
help me in the future to become a better blogger which can hopefully lead to a
blogging career in the future. If I was to do this module again I think the one
thing that I would change would be to manage my time better because I would
have liked more time to further experiment with and develop my digital
portfolio.
Lauren xxx
The Blogging Survey: Results
Hi everyone!
This post will be about the blogging survey which I posted about a while ago, as I now have some results!
People have stopped responding now and the response total is 32, which means that I reached my goal of 30 responses and should be able to make some valid generalisations when I analyse the results in detail in my report!
Here's a brief summary of what I found out:
- People unanimously favour Blogger as their chosen platform, both for blogging, and reading blogs.
- This is closely followed by Wordpress, and then Tumblr.
- A lot of the participants had blogs of their own.
- People are more likely to read blogs if they feel that the writer is genuine and personable.
- Some of the most mentioned responses to what people thought were important features were interesting subject matter, posts being well written, and the layout being aesthetically pleasing.
- Beauty blogs are the most favoured by readers, and help/instructional blogs are the least favoured.
- Things that put readers off blogs most are unpleasant topics or opinions and badly written posts.
- Social media is the most popular way of readers finding blogs to read.
- People enjoy the use of images.
- Vibrant colours and interesting fonts are generally favoured, but simple layouts are liked more than complex ones.
- Occasional variation in topic is favoured.
- People believe that links to social media improve a blog.
- People dislike the use of background music.
- Shorter posts are favoured over longer ones.
- Collaborations and guest posts are liked.
- People prefer image-heavy blogging over text-heavy blogging.
- An informal, chatty tone of writing is preferred.
- Adverts are largely disliked.
Lauren xxx
This post will be about the blogging survey which I posted about a while ago, as I now have some results!
People have stopped responding now and the response total is 32, which means that I reached my goal of 30 responses and should be able to make some valid generalisations when I analyse the results in detail in my report!
Here's a brief summary of what I found out:
- People unanimously favour Blogger as their chosen platform, both for blogging, and reading blogs.
- This is closely followed by Wordpress, and then Tumblr.
- A lot of the participants had blogs of their own.
- People are more likely to read blogs if they feel that the writer is genuine and personable.
- Some of the most mentioned responses to what people thought were important features were interesting subject matter, posts being well written, and the layout being aesthetically pleasing.
- Beauty blogs are the most favoured by readers, and help/instructional blogs are the least favoured.
- Things that put readers off blogs most are unpleasant topics or opinions and badly written posts.
- Social media is the most popular way of readers finding blogs to read.
- People enjoy the use of images.
- Vibrant colours and interesting fonts are generally favoured, but simple layouts are liked more than complex ones.
- Occasional variation in topic is favoured.
- People believe that links to social media improve a blog.
- People dislike the use of background music.
- Shorter posts are favoured over longer ones.
- Collaborations and guest posts are liked.
- People prefer image-heavy blogging over text-heavy blogging.
- An informal, chatty tone of writing is preferred.
- Adverts are largely disliked.
Lauren xxx
Blogging 101
Hello everyone!
Today's post is just about blogging in general. I thought that I would share what I've learned over the time I've spent blogging and create a handy list of key tips, and also things to avoid. I'm not saying I'm an expert because I'm far from it, I'm still learning every day, but these are just some of the key things I've learned so far and I wanted to make a post about it so that any readers can use these tips to help on their own blogs.
- Post regularly. I'm one of the worst people for timekeeping so things often get on top of me and I forget to do things in the process - blogging being one of them. Blogger has a handy stats tool though which allows me to see how many hits my blog has got at any given moment in time, and I have noticed that without fail, every single one of the times that my blog has had high traffic has been when I've been posting lots, and similarly, I get next to no views when I don't post anything for a while.
- Keep it simple. When I first started out, my blog was a horrendous mix of clashing neon colours and crazy fonts when I formatted it for the first time. Even I struggled to read what I'd written with all of the distracting visuals and strange background colours. Looking back, it looked awful, and I'm so glad that I realised it very quickly. I much prefer my blog black and white with just a splash of colour, it looks much more professional. I've noticed that many popular blogs look very simple and clean, probably because they don't want anything to overshadow the content, which makes a lot of sense. I also have a lot more readers now that my blog is actually, well, readable.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. No, really. The posts that I've made which include pictures have all attracted far more views than any of the larger posts I have made which don't include pictures, which makes me think that it's a good idea to use them when possible.
- Stay connected. One of the biggest tools that a blogger has is other bloggers. Blogging is a community after all, and when you help each other, it benefits you both. You can each guest post on each other's blogs and help to promote each other, and you will both benefit from it. And don't forget to communicate, great friends can be made when you comment on each others' posts regularly!
- Be yourself. I know that it seems obvious, but there is a lot of pressure to be competitive in the blogging world and that sometimes leads people to shy away from their originality. However, I know that when I read blogs by other people, I prefer it when the writer seems friendly and human and I don't mind if that means weird and slightly messy, in fact I find it endearing. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because nobody will judge you for it, and people may even like you more for it.
... and here's what to avoid...
- Background music. It drives me crazy! We came here to read, and we can not concentrate with music blaring uncontrollably while we're trying to do so!
- GIFs as decoration. They're fine when they're used in posts, but when your blog is filled with them just for the sake of it and they're constantly dancing around and flashing when you're trying to read, it's very distracting.
- Bad grammar. I know it's petty, but spelling and grammar checkers are there for a reason. Use them, because if you don't, it makes your blog look incredibly sloppy.
- Horrendous colour schemes. I learned this the hard way.
- Negativity. Be nice to each other! There are already too many wars in the world, we don't need them online, too!
Lauren xxx
Today's post is just about blogging in general. I thought that I would share what I've learned over the time I've spent blogging and create a handy list of key tips, and also things to avoid. I'm not saying I'm an expert because I'm far from it, I'm still learning every day, but these are just some of the key things I've learned so far and I wanted to make a post about it so that any readers can use these tips to help on their own blogs.
- Post regularly. I'm one of the worst people for timekeeping so things often get on top of me and I forget to do things in the process - blogging being one of them. Blogger has a handy stats tool though which allows me to see how many hits my blog has got at any given moment in time, and I have noticed that without fail, every single one of the times that my blog has had high traffic has been when I've been posting lots, and similarly, I get next to no views when I don't post anything for a while.
- Keep it simple. When I first started out, my blog was a horrendous mix of clashing neon colours and crazy fonts when I formatted it for the first time. Even I struggled to read what I'd written with all of the distracting visuals and strange background colours. Looking back, it looked awful, and I'm so glad that I realised it very quickly. I much prefer my blog black and white with just a splash of colour, it looks much more professional. I've noticed that many popular blogs look very simple and clean, probably because they don't want anything to overshadow the content, which makes a lot of sense. I also have a lot more readers now that my blog is actually, well, readable.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. No, really. The posts that I've made which include pictures have all attracted far more views than any of the larger posts I have made which don't include pictures, which makes me think that it's a good idea to use them when possible.
- Stay connected. One of the biggest tools that a blogger has is other bloggers. Blogging is a community after all, and when you help each other, it benefits you both. You can each guest post on each other's blogs and help to promote each other, and you will both benefit from it. And don't forget to communicate, great friends can be made when you comment on each others' posts regularly!
- Be yourself. I know that it seems obvious, but there is a lot of pressure to be competitive in the blogging world and that sometimes leads people to shy away from their originality. However, I know that when I read blogs by other people, I prefer it when the writer seems friendly and human and I don't mind if that means weird and slightly messy, in fact I find it endearing. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because nobody will judge you for it, and people may even like you more for it.
... and here's what to avoid...
- Background music. It drives me crazy! We came here to read, and we can not concentrate with music blaring uncontrollably while we're trying to do so!
- GIFs as decoration. They're fine when they're used in posts, but when your blog is filled with them just for the sake of it and they're constantly dancing around and flashing when you're trying to read, it's very distracting.
- Bad grammar. I know it's petty, but spelling and grammar checkers are there for a reason. Use them, because if you don't, it makes your blog look incredibly sloppy.
- Horrendous colour schemes. I learned this the hard way.
- Negativity. Be nice to each other! There are already too many wars in the world, we don't need them online, too!
Lauren xxx
The Benefits of Blogging
Hi again!
Today I'm going to be blogging about the many many benefits of blogging.
Blogging as a trend has been steadily rising as the years go on for quite some time now, and it's no wonder when there are so many positive things that can come from it. In the US alone, the number of blog readers from 2008-2014 has risen from 91.4 million to a huge 150.4 million, which is staggering.
Blogging, for many people, is therapeutic. The same way that a diary allows you to express your thoughts and feelings and unload them from your mind, having a blog can do the same thing. It gives writers a sense of achievement when they hit follower targets and gain views, and just knowing that someone is reading your posts gives blogging the feel-good factor. It's a great and modern way to pass the time, and it's a good way to relax or create yourself a hobby.
Today I'm going to be blogging about the many many benefits of blogging.
Blogging as a trend has been steadily rising as the years go on for quite some time now, and it's no wonder when there are so many positive things that can come from it. In the US alone, the number of blog readers from 2008-2014 has risen from 91.4 million to a huge 150.4 million, which is staggering.
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| Source: kevin.lexblog.com |
Blogging, for many people, is therapeutic. The same way that a diary allows you to express your thoughts and feelings and unload them from your mind, having a blog can do the same thing. It gives writers a sense of achievement when they hit follower targets and gain views, and just knowing that someone is reading your posts gives blogging the feel-good factor. It's a great and modern way to pass the time, and it's a good way to relax or create yourself a hobby.
In addition to this, blogging helps people. In many cases, readers of blogs go looking for such things because they want to be comforted, and know that someone has the same thoughts and experiences as them, and relate to them as they would relate to their friends. People often find peace and satisfaction in their lives after reading blogs and realising that situations they are going through are just human and people know how they are feeling. Also in a literal sense, instructional blogs help people just by teaching them new things. This also helps the owner of the blog as they will feel satisfaction and happiness knowing that they have helped someone else and their writing has made a difference.
IT skills are also something that are often overlooked when it comes to blogging. Many people do not have the skills on computers that tech-savvy people take for granted, and want to learn more; particularly young children and the older generation. Blogging is a great gateway into technical knowledge because it's so easy. It lets people learn to type without too much pressure, and learn common internet jargon that they can then use, and also learn useful skills such as HTML coding.
Blogging also connects people. I myself have made many valuable friends through blogging, and I am very grateful to know them. Making friends through blogging platforms is great because if you've found each other, it probably means that you have similar interests, and have a lot in common. This is also great for people with confidence issues who find it hard to make new friends face-to-face. Blogging brings people together and forms communities who can then help each other and share ideas. For this reason, it can be good for gaining contacts for business, too.
One of the main benefits of blogging is that you can earn money from it. You can get jobs through blogging where companies will pay you to blog for them. If you have your own blog, though, you can still earn money through advertising, as companies will pay to advertise on blogs which have a high number of hits so that more people see them. Similarly, product review blogs also get lots of free products because companies will send them their products to be reviewed, which is a win-win situation.
With all these benefits, it's no wonder that blogging is so popular nowadays. I personally feel that blogging has helped me develop my writing and professional skills, and I find it very satisfying as a hobby.
Lauren xxx
Blogging Spotlight - The Unmumsy Mum
Hi everyone!
Today's post is going to be about one of my favourite blogs - that of The Unmumsy Mum. I first came across her blog when I was told about it by my mother, who also reads it and tells me from time to time how hilarious it is. Although I am not a mother myself yet (thank goodness), I have to say it struck a cord with me, because when she talks about her experiences, I sympathise. Partly because I have two younger brothers and my mum also used to be a childminder so I have too had many stressful experiences concerning small children and their unwillingness to do as they are told, but mostly because of the way she writes - I feel as if I know her. That then got me thinking, if reading her blog is evoking such emotion in me, clearly she must be doing something right. So, I decided to analyse her blog and figure out exactly why I liked it so much, and pinpoint the 5 key things that I think she is doing right, because these things may be able to help bloggers of all kinds to become just as successful.
"In March 2015, the month I am writing... the blog page went mad. It took off. I started receiving hundreds of comments for every post and new messages every single day. I got recognised by strangers (yes really) and offers of writing jobs started coming in." - The Unmumsy Mum
Firstly, as mentioned, I think that the way she writes is a major strong point. There are near to no technical terms for anything used. She swears and uses slang. She writes how one would speak, not formally, and very down-to-earth and chatty. It makes the reader feel that they know her and can relate, which is something very appealing. Yes, there are some uses of swear words and slang which may put some readers off, but I like it, because it makes her seem more human, and that to me is important, and I think that it works in her favour.
Secondly, she doesn't write about idyllic situations which are already existent on countless other blogs. There are plenty of examples of perfect lives written about by almost every other blogger, and to read about something satisfyingly imperfect is wonderfully refreshing. I realise this point may seem specific to this particular blog, but it isn't. Take beauty blogs, for example. The majority are by people who are expertly good at makeup already, and I feel that it separates ordinary people, who are probably the majority of the readers, from the person writing the blog. I would much rather read a blog by a complete amateur in a subject, so I feel like I am learning alongside them, not being taught. The Unmumsy Mum has identified a clear gap in her market and has been very successful through it.
"... I wanted to read about somebody who felt the same. Somebody who would reassure me I wasn’t going completely mad... That was the blog I needed. So I searched for it, but found nothing that was quite right. I’ll write one, I decided. And the blog was born. I made a vow to myself very early on that I would document parenthood as I found it. Not how I wanted to find it. Or how I wanted other people to think that I found it. But how it was." - The Unmumsy Mum
Today's post is going to be about one of my favourite blogs - that of The Unmumsy Mum. I first came across her blog when I was told about it by my mother, who also reads it and tells me from time to time how hilarious it is. Although I am not a mother myself yet (thank goodness), I have to say it struck a cord with me, because when she talks about her experiences, I sympathise. Partly because I have two younger brothers and my mum also used to be a childminder so I have too had many stressful experiences concerning small children and their unwillingness to do as they are told, but mostly because of the way she writes - I feel as if I know her. That then got me thinking, if reading her blog is evoking such emotion in me, clearly she must be doing something right. So, I decided to analyse her blog and figure out exactly why I liked it so much, and pinpoint the 5 key things that I think she is doing right, because these things may be able to help bloggers of all kinds to become just as successful.
"In March 2015, the month I am writing... the blog page went mad. It took off. I started receiving hundreds of comments for every post and new messages every single day. I got recognised by strangers (yes really) and offers of writing jobs started coming in." - The Unmumsy Mum
Firstly, as mentioned, I think that the way she writes is a major strong point. There are near to no technical terms for anything used. She swears and uses slang. She writes how one would speak, not formally, and very down-to-earth and chatty. It makes the reader feel that they know her and can relate, which is something very appealing. Yes, there are some uses of swear words and slang which may put some readers off, but I like it, because it makes her seem more human, and that to me is important, and I think that it works in her favour.
Secondly, she doesn't write about idyllic situations which are already existent on countless other blogs. There are plenty of examples of perfect lives written about by almost every other blogger, and to read about something satisfyingly imperfect is wonderfully refreshing. I realise this point may seem specific to this particular blog, but it isn't. Take beauty blogs, for example. The majority are by people who are expertly good at makeup already, and I feel that it separates ordinary people, who are probably the majority of the readers, from the person writing the blog. I would much rather read a blog by a complete amateur in a subject, so I feel like I am learning alongside them, not being taught. The Unmumsy Mum has identified a clear gap in her market and has been very successful through it.
"... I wanted to read about somebody who felt the same. Somebody who would reassure me I wasn’t going completely mad... That was the blog I needed. So I searched for it, but found nothing that was quite right. I’ll write one, I decided. And the blog was born. I made a vow to myself very early on that I would document parenthood as I found it. Not how I wanted to find it. Or how I wanted other people to think that I found it. But how it was." - The Unmumsy Mum
Another thing I like about this blog is that it stays on topic. Every post is on the same lines, talking about parenthood, yet still manages to be new and interesting, which is a very hard balance to strike. When people come back to blogs, they often do so because they want to read about a certain thing, so to stay on topic is a very good idea. Some blogs jump about far too much and they feel very hit-and-miss because they can't then build a proper audience who solidly enjoy all their posts. Some interest them, and some don't, which isn't helpful at all to a blog's growth. Having a clear audience and appealing to them is infinitely more powerful than trying to please everyone in my opinion.
Although it may seem obvious and simplistic, the next thing I like about the blog is the layout. There are no harsh clashing colours, no dancing GIFs flashing at you, hundreds of advertisements aren't popping up everywhere, and the text is clearly visible. I know it's fun to mess around with formatting, but at the end of the day, people come to blogs to read, and the last thing they want is to feel unfocused and for it to be a task. This blog uses simple, clear text, a very traditional layout, is easy to navigate, and is quite literally, very black and white, which I feel works very well.
The final thing I love about The Unmumsy Mum is something that I think most of its' readers will love, too, and it's probably the reason it's so popular: humour. The blog is hilariously funny in a very honest and plain way, no clever jokes that only some people will get, it's just simply hilarious. Not everyone actually has the ability to write humour and to create something so funny which has the power to brighten someone's day hugely is a very skilled talent to possess.
I feel that all of these qualities could apply to any blog, and in most cases, would change it for the better; I know I'd certainly read it. I think that this blog is brilliant, and I think that the blogging community can learn a lot from studying how successful bloggers write and taking a leaf out of their book.
Lauren xxx
A new age of professional success - LinkedIn
Hello again, I'm back!
I hope you enjoyed the last post, it's the first ever time I've done a guest post and I'm so grateful to Caroline for doing it for me! She's awesome!
Today's post is about something which is becoming more and more popular in the professional world as a business tool, for bloggers and everyone else: LinkedIn.
I've been a member of LinkedIn for quite a while now. My dad is a successful business entrepreneur and he recommended it to me because he said that he's gained a lot of business connections from it. I'd never heard of it until then, and at first I was a little confused by it. I thought it was a social network, which in part it is, but I was confused about all of the details it was asking me. I was used to the usual name, age, relationship status and hobbies kind of social network profile, and being asked about my skills and work experience was something that I was not expecting. That's because LinkedIn is totally different to other social networks, and by different, I mean better.
The mistake I made at first was thinking of it as a social network, because really, it's a disguised online CV. You're putting your professional profile, contact details, past work, skills and education on your profile the same way that you would on a traditional curriculum vitae, for the exact same purpose: to showcase yourself to possible future employers. There is one huge difference though that plays massively to the user's advantage. Gone are the days when potential employers would call past workplaces for a reference; now they can see every one of your positive qualities and skills in one handy section, backed up not by one person but by many people who know you and have seen your skills in action first-hand, and endorse you for them accordingly.
So as you can see, it has huge advantages over the traditional CV for users and employers alike, and for that reason it is becoming the growing preferred route of enquiry for many businesses, who are now simply asking for links to LinkedIn profiles from potential staff instead of a CV due to the site's widespread use. Most people in the professional world now use LinkedIn, which is why it's important to make sure you are, too.
LinkedIn also allows you to make great connections. Not only can it aid you in getting a job once you've found one you're interested in, it can also help you find a job to apply for in the first place, or find people who will collaborate and work with you if you already have one. I know many people, my professional studies tutor included, who have gained valuable jobs through business connections and been very successful in them, so it's important to make as many as possible in your industry.
It also allows you to upload your work to showcase what you've done in the past: a portfolio and CV all in one, which is particularly valuable in the creative industry. If you're not on LinkedIn already, I would highly recommend that you sign up right away!
If you would like to view my profile or follow me on LinkedIn, click here.
Lauren xxx
I hope you enjoyed the last post, it's the first ever time I've done a guest post and I'm so grateful to Caroline for doing it for me! She's awesome!
Today's post is about something which is becoming more and more popular in the professional world as a business tool, for bloggers and everyone else: LinkedIn.
I've been a member of LinkedIn for quite a while now. My dad is a successful business entrepreneur and he recommended it to me because he said that he's gained a lot of business connections from it. I'd never heard of it until then, and at first I was a little confused by it. I thought it was a social network, which in part it is, but I was confused about all of the details it was asking me. I was used to the usual name, age, relationship status and hobbies kind of social network profile, and being asked about my skills and work experience was something that I was not expecting. That's because LinkedIn is totally different to other social networks, and by different, I mean better.
The mistake I made at first was thinking of it as a social network, because really, it's a disguised online CV. You're putting your professional profile, contact details, past work, skills and education on your profile the same way that you would on a traditional curriculum vitae, for the exact same purpose: to showcase yourself to possible future employers. There is one huge difference though that plays massively to the user's advantage. Gone are the days when potential employers would call past workplaces for a reference; now they can see every one of your positive qualities and skills in one handy section, backed up not by one person but by many people who know you and have seen your skills in action first-hand, and endorse you for them accordingly.
So as you can see, it has huge advantages over the traditional CV for users and employers alike, and for that reason it is becoming the growing preferred route of enquiry for many businesses, who are now simply asking for links to LinkedIn profiles from potential staff instead of a CV due to the site's widespread use. Most people in the professional world now use LinkedIn, which is why it's important to make sure you are, too.
LinkedIn also allows you to make great connections. Not only can it aid you in getting a job once you've found one you're interested in, it can also help you find a job to apply for in the first place, or find people who will collaborate and work with you if you already have one. I know many people, my professional studies tutor included, who have gained valuable jobs through business connections and been very successful in them, so it's important to make as many as possible in your industry.
It also allows you to upload your work to showcase what you've done in the past: a portfolio and CV all in one, which is particularly valuable in the creative industry. If you're not on LinkedIn already, I would highly recommend that you sign up right away!
If you would like to view my profile or follow me on LinkedIn, click here.
Lauren xxx
Introducing…
Hello! My name is Caroline, a red haired 20 year old blogger
who will be taking over Lauren’s blog for today – how exciting!
Basically I am here to tell you a little bit about me and blogging so let us begin.
However, the main reason is because I wanted to get a lot of
feelings and emotions out about certain things. My blog is basically a way for
me to express my own opinions without necessarily being judge for them. It is
an escapism whilst hopefully helping people through certain experiences
in their life that I have had to face.
Blogging for many is a way to express feelings but also a
way to just be themselves. From beauty and fashion to reviews and health pieces, you can control what you put out there. You can be as crazy as you want to be, nothing is stopping you for doing it. It is so easy to
start a blog. There is Blogger or WordPress and many more to choose from so you
have no excuse. By setting one up, it is also promoting you. If you are applying
for a job, college, university etc, then by saying you have a blog you update
regularly then you are showing them creative, organisational, writing,
photography skills.
Basically I am here to tell you a little bit about me and blogging so let us begin.
It is just coming up to a year in June since I created my
blog, theadventuresofcarolineosbel. One of my reasons for making one is because
I am currently studying Journalism at university so it was important for me to
get myself out there to make it in the industry.
However, the main reason is because I wanted to get a lot of
feelings and emotions out about certain things. My blog is basically a way for
me to express my own opinions without necessarily being judge for them. It is
an escapism whilst hopefully helping people through certain experiences
in their life that I have had to face.
Personally, I don’t have one specific thing that I write about on the blog. The
posts vary every time. They can be anything from film/TV show reviews, the latest fashion/makeup I have bought,
help and advice to my personal experiences or 20 random facts about me and
vintage things. I post everything and anything.
In today's technologically advanced society, there are loads of blogs/vlog channels that focus on a certain thing such as a
fashion style or a genre of music/film etc and I find them rather boring and the same. I try to
break this by posting stuff that are random and that I like.
Blogging for many is a way to express feelings but also a
way to just be themselves. From beauty and fashion to reviews and health pieces, you can control what you put out there. You can be as crazy as you want to be, nothing is stopping you for doing it. It is so easy to
start a blog. There is Blogger or WordPress and many more to choose from so you
have no excuse. By setting one up, it is also promoting you. If you are applying
for a job, college, university etc, then by saying you have a blog you update
regularly then you are showing them creative, organisational, writing,
photography skills.
Blogging is so easy and simple to do. It is free and it
makes you stand out from the crowd. It gets you talking to people you might not
necessarily to talk whilst you express your thoughts and feelings. Many people blog for fun but to become a
successful blogger then it is simple: just do it.
My top 5 tips about blogging:
1.
Blog about things that interest you!
There is no point in blogging something about sport when you hate it. Blog about something you love and that you are passionate about. Don’t waste your energy on writing something that you dislike.
There is no point in blogging something about sport when you hate it. Blog about something you love and that you are passionate about. Don’t waste your energy on writing something that you dislike.
2.
Encourage interaction!
Get your readers involved. If you have
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, share your blog on there. Encourage your friends
to have a read on your latest article. Then make them share the link on their
profiles- more shares, more views, more readers! Able them to follow you on those different sites as well
and allow the option for them to comment on your posts. It engages your readers
and involves them in the article.
3.
Use images!
Break the text up with pictures that are relevant to the topic. You don’t want to read a text heavy article, people will most likely get bored. By involving photographs you create a more pleasing visual for your audience. If you have a good quality camera/phone then take videos and pictures on that. If you don’t, have a look on a search engine (be aware of copyright though). It makes the blog more appealing.
Break the text up with pictures that are relevant to the topic. You don’t want to read a text heavy article, people will most likely get bored. By involving photographs you create a more pleasing visual for your audience. If you have a good quality camera/phone then take videos and pictures on that. If you don’t, have a look on a search engine (be aware of copyright though). It makes the blog more appealing.
4.
Update regularly!
I try to post at least twice a week and by
doing this it keeps my readers updated with what I am doing in my life. By
posting various topics, it keeps them intrigued too. Fashion one post and a
review another, the audience doesn’t know what is coming up next on your blog. Obviously
if you want to focus on a certain aspect then do it!
Furthermore, prepare your posts! Research
the topic and write them a week or two in advances. Try to keep your posts
simple. Many people skip read so keep it short and to the point. This saves you
from panicking the day/night before the day you publish a post.
Update, update, update whenever you can.
Update, update, update whenever you can.
5.
Be yourself!
Remember it is YOUR blog so post whatever you
want. It doesn’t matter if people don’t like what you have written, ignore the
negativity. You can delete those comments or simply scroll past them. Don’t let
that put you off blogging.
So there you have it! I hope this has helped and that is all
from me! Bye x
Follow me on
Instagram: thevintagedaydream
Twitter: carolineosbel
Pinterest: carolineosbel
Tumblr: theadventuresofcarolineosbel
Instagram: thevintagedaydream
Twitter: carolineosbel
Pinterest: carolineosbel
Tumblr: theadventuresofcarolineosbel
Blogger Interview: Caroline Osbeldiston from The Adventures Of Caroline
Hello everyone! Today's post is a bit different because I've been fortunate enough to get an interview with the lovely Caroline from The Adventures Of Caroline! She is a blogger from the UK who blogs about lifestyle and fashion and also writes help and advice articles and does film and TV reviews! She's here to answer a few questions about blogging.
Hey Caroline! Thanks so much for doing this interview! First, could you explain to us about your blog, and what inspired you to start it?
I have two blogs now. Originally I started blogging because I am studying Journalism at University so set up a blog to get myself out there because it’s hard in the industry. On my The Adventures of Caroline blog, I would post abut fashion, films I have seen, what I love at the moment and just random things etc.
Recently I set up another blog for my photography. I have always had a keen interest in photography and would love to become a photographer/journalist so I decided I would set up a blog for that. Basically, it is to get my photos out there whilst including posts about how to do this etc.
However, what inspires me to continue to blog is that I hopefully am helping people. It has been almost a year since I first posted on the Adventures blog and looking back, it has really helped me get a lot of things of my chest. By sharing my experiences, I have let go of feelings I have had for a very long time but also hopefully helping people that might be going through the same things. That is what inspires me now to continue to blog.
What do you love about blogging?
I love the fact that I can post whatever I want because it is my blog. If like something or want to share something with my readers then I can. I also feel like I won’t be judged. Its weird I know, but because I am posting my opinions then some people may agree and may not agree with them but they are my own views and I am entitled to having them.
Who inspires you most in the blogging world? Do you have a favourite blogger? What do you love about them?
I don’t really have a favourite blog, I just like reading through different blogs. From lifestyle, cooking/baking, music, film/tv shows etc, I like reading something new. From a review to beauty/fashion tips to what people have bought and would recommend etc, it is interesting to read their views about it.
What is your top tip for gaining hits on your blog and gaining followers?
So when I first started blogging, I came up with the 3Cs I would follow: Content, Constant and Colour.
For every blog, you have to have content. What you are going to blog about. So if the blog has a theme (baking, music, fashion, beauty etc), then that is what the content is focused on. Even if the blog doesn’t have a specific topic, it still needs good, interesting content. Something new, something different that they haven’t read before.
Constantly update your blog. If you miss a couple of posts then that’s ok but try not to. By constantly posting two days a week or something then it keeps the audience reading your blog. If you don’t then they will most likely forget about the blog, which is bad because you want as many people reading your posts.
Finally, colour. If you want your blog to look professional then that’s fine. However, you don’t want it to look boring and plain. People like colour. Whether it is a photograph or your layout, by having colour then it brings the blog to life so to speak and engages your audience because it is visually pleasing.
Those are the three Cs I use and hopefully they work in gaining me more followers, I have no idea but it makes the blog yours.
Do you read any blogs yourself? If so, what kind?
I love reading film blogs. I don’t read on specific blog based on this but I love reading peoples views on a film that has recently came out or what they have watched on the TV or what film they have bought recently. It is interesting to find out what other people thought of a film that I have watched or wanting to watch etc. I also read fashion, beauty and music blogs because again this is something I am interested in so it is good to see what other people think about a latest single/album or the newest makeup product and fashion trend.
Is there anything you find hard about being a blogger?
The only thing I struggle with is publishing my posts when I want to post them. I try to publish twice a week but sometimes I only publish one because I am busy or I am at university or something. Time management is key to having a blog. You really do have to be orangised and plan what the posts are going to be about. One thing I do is write the posts out a week or two ahead of when I am actually going to publish them. It just saves time and me panicking the day before or the day I want to post.
What do you think about blogging as a long-term career option? Do you think it's viable? Is it something you would consider for yourself?
Blogging has become a huge phenomenon in recent years, especially vlogging (video blogging). In terms of a long term career, I think if you are determined and motivated to write and update your blog then I think it could actually work. I mean look at Zoe Sugg aka vlogger Zoella. She has made money and she has a huge following on her blog and has recent bought out a book etc so she is doing really well. She just started out by posting videos on Youtube about beauty and fashion etc and now she is a huge star with an international following to be honest so if she can have a career but blogging then I think anyone could.
What is your ultimate goal in blogging? What would you like to achieve? What is your idea of a 'successful' blog?
I don’t really set goals as bad as that sounds but it is to just avoid disappointment really. However, I would like to keep on blogging and to go to events etc that I can blog about and meet other bloggers etc, that would be fun.
In my opinion, a successful blog isn’t about the posts that are published but about the person behind the blog. If they are determined and motivated then that is what makes a successful blog. If they publish things that they wouldn’t normally share then they are 1) releasing any feelings they have, 2) getting their views out there, 3) helping other people from what they have written if they are going through that experience and 4) they are being themselves. In today’s society, I think people believe that they have to fit in with a certain group of something. With a blog they can express their own individual style whether it being lifestyle, fashion and whatnot. I think that is what makes a blog successful, for the person to be themselves.
Finally, if you could solve any common blogging problem, what would it be and why?
I am not going to lie, some posts I have read on different blogs are boring. This necessarily isn’t common but it is a problem because who wants to read a boring, same old blog. No one does as harsh as this may sound. I am not saying that mine is the perfect blog but there is either too much or not enough text on the blogs and this is the same with photographs. You want to read something visually pleasing as well as interesting. By breaking up the text by using images and having a punchy post title then it gives the reader something else to look at etc so I would solve how to make some blogs more appealing to read.
Thanks so much for your answers!
Hey Caroline! Thanks so much for doing this interview! First, could you explain to us about your blog, and what inspired you to start it?
I have two blogs now. Originally I started blogging because I am studying Journalism at University so set up a blog to get myself out there because it’s hard in the industry. On my The Adventures of Caroline blog, I would post abut fashion, films I have seen, what I love at the moment and just random things etc.
Recently I set up another blog for my photography. I have always had a keen interest in photography and would love to become a photographer/journalist so I decided I would set up a blog for that. Basically, it is to get my photos out there whilst including posts about how to do this etc.
However, what inspires me to continue to blog is that I hopefully am helping people. It has been almost a year since I first posted on the Adventures blog and looking back, it has really helped me get a lot of things of my chest. By sharing my experiences, I have let go of feelings I have had for a very long time but also hopefully helping people that might be going through the same things. That is what inspires me now to continue to blog.
What do you love about blogging?
I love the fact that I can post whatever I want because it is my blog. If like something or want to share something with my readers then I can. I also feel like I won’t be judged. Its weird I know, but because I am posting my opinions then some people may agree and may not agree with them but they are my own views and I am entitled to having them.
Who inspires you most in the blogging world? Do you have a favourite blogger? What do you love about them?
I don’t really have a favourite blog, I just like reading through different blogs. From lifestyle, cooking/baking, music, film/tv shows etc, I like reading something new. From a review to beauty/fashion tips to what people have bought and would recommend etc, it is interesting to read their views about it.
What is your top tip for gaining hits on your blog and gaining followers?
So when I first started blogging, I came up with the 3Cs I would follow: Content, Constant and Colour.
For every blog, you have to have content. What you are going to blog about. So if the blog has a theme (baking, music, fashion, beauty etc), then that is what the content is focused on. Even if the blog doesn’t have a specific topic, it still needs good, interesting content. Something new, something different that they haven’t read before.
Constantly update your blog. If you miss a couple of posts then that’s ok but try not to. By constantly posting two days a week or something then it keeps the audience reading your blog. If you don’t then they will most likely forget about the blog, which is bad because you want as many people reading your posts.
Finally, colour. If you want your blog to look professional then that’s fine. However, you don’t want it to look boring and plain. People like colour. Whether it is a photograph or your layout, by having colour then it brings the blog to life so to speak and engages your audience because it is visually pleasing.
Those are the three Cs I use and hopefully they work in gaining me more followers, I have no idea but it makes the blog yours.
Do you read any blogs yourself? If so, what kind?
I love reading film blogs. I don’t read on specific blog based on this but I love reading peoples views on a film that has recently came out or what they have watched on the TV or what film they have bought recently. It is interesting to find out what other people thought of a film that I have watched or wanting to watch etc. I also read fashion, beauty and music blogs because again this is something I am interested in so it is good to see what other people think about a latest single/album or the newest makeup product and fashion trend.
Is there anything you find hard about being a blogger?
The only thing I struggle with is publishing my posts when I want to post them. I try to publish twice a week but sometimes I only publish one because I am busy or I am at university or something. Time management is key to having a blog. You really do have to be orangised and plan what the posts are going to be about. One thing I do is write the posts out a week or two ahead of when I am actually going to publish them. It just saves time and me panicking the day before or the day I want to post.
What do you think about blogging as a long-term career option? Do you think it's viable? Is it something you would consider for yourself?
Blogging has become a huge phenomenon in recent years, especially vlogging (video blogging). In terms of a long term career, I think if you are determined and motivated to write and update your blog then I think it could actually work. I mean look at Zoe Sugg aka vlogger Zoella. She has made money and she has a huge following on her blog and has recent bought out a book etc so she is doing really well. She just started out by posting videos on Youtube about beauty and fashion etc and now she is a huge star with an international following to be honest so if she can have a career but blogging then I think anyone could.
What is your ultimate goal in blogging? What would you like to achieve? What is your idea of a 'successful' blog?
I don’t really set goals as bad as that sounds but it is to just avoid disappointment really. However, I would like to keep on blogging and to go to events etc that I can blog about and meet other bloggers etc, that would be fun.
In my opinion, a successful blog isn’t about the posts that are published but about the person behind the blog. If they are determined and motivated then that is what makes a successful blog. If they publish things that they wouldn’t normally share then they are 1) releasing any feelings they have, 2) getting their views out there, 3) helping other people from what they have written if they are going through that experience and 4) they are being themselves. In today’s society, I think people believe that they have to fit in with a certain group of something. With a blog they can express their own individual style whether it being lifestyle, fashion and whatnot. I think that is what makes a blog successful, for the person to be themselves.
Finally, if you could solve any common blogging problem, what would it be and why?
I am not going to lie, some posts I have read on different blogs are boring. This necessarily isn’t common but it is a problem because who wants to read a boring, same old blog. No one does as harsh as this may sound. I am not saying that mine is the perfect blog but there is either too much or not enough text on the blogs and this is the same with photographs. You want to read something visually pleasing as well as interesting. By breaking up the text by using images and having a punchy post title then it gives the reader something else to look at etc so I would solve how to make some blogs more appealing to read.
Thanks so much for your answers!
We also have some awesome news here on The Meta Blog; Caroline has kindly agreed to do a guest post for us! She'll be talking in more depth about her blog, and giving us some of her top tips for being a good blogger. Stay tuned...
Lauren xxx
Lauren xxx
The Blogging Survey
Hey everyone!
So, as you know, the purpose of this blog is for me to write a report on blogging, investigating why it is so popular and how blogs become successful.
However, for me to do this, I need to do more than talk about it from my point of view on here; I need to find out what other people think about it. So, I decided to create a survey.
I used a site called SurveyMonkey to create my survey, and it was really easy to use. In fact, it was a lot better than I was expecting originally. There were loads of different question formats to add into it and it was very easy to add your answer choices and edit them. I would recommend this site to anyone, I found it very easy to use and it was very simple to navigate. If you're thinking of creating your own survey for any reason, I suggest you check it out.
Before choosing my questions, I had to figure out what I wanted from the survey, what the purpose of my research was and what I was wanting to find out. As the 'free' version of the survey maker on SurveyMonkey limits your survey to 10 questions, I needed to make sure that every question counted and I managed to fit in everything that I wanted to know.
As my report's aim was to understand people's attitudes towards blogging in general and how to blog, I decided to take the approach of asking people what their blogging habits were like, and what they liked and disliked about certain features of blogs; after all, these people are the audience, and a blog's success is largely down to them, and to get them on side you need to find out what they want to see and what they don't.
After deciding on my questions, I posted links to my survey on all of my social media platforms for maximum traffic, as I needed as many responses as possible. It's important that surveys have lots of participants to make the results valid enough to create a generalisation and balance out any extreme anomalies.
And now, I sit back and wait! My aim is to get at least 30 participants to take part in my study so that I have enough data to analyse and create graphs and charts from to use in my report, as this will be the main body of work which will be discussed in it.
I'll probably be posting again eventually when people have participated in the study to talk about the results! For now, if you would like to see the survey or take it yourself, click here.
Lauren xxx
So, as you know, the purpose of this blog is for me to write a report on blogging, investigating why it is so popular and how blogs become successful.
However, for me to do this, I need to do more than talk about it from my point of view on here; I need to find out what other people think about it. So, I decided to create a survey.
I used a site called SurveyMonkey to create my survey, and it was really easy to use. In fact, it was a lot better than I was expecting originally. There were loads of different question formats to add into it and it was very easy to add your answer choices and edit them. I would recommend this site to anyone, I found it very easy to use and it was very simple to navigate. If you're thinking of creating your own survey for any reason, I suggest you check it out.
Before choosing my questions, I had to figure out what I wanted from the survey, what the purpose of my research was and what I was wanting to find out. As the 'free' version of the survey maker on SurveyMonkey limits your survey to 10 questions, I needed to make sure that every question counted and I managed to fit in everything that I wanted to know.
As my report's aim was to understand people's attitudes towards blogging in general and how to blog, I decided to take the approach of asking people what their blogging habits were like, and what they liked and disliked about certain features of blogs; after all, these people are the audience, and a blog's success is largely down to them, and to get them on side you need to find out what they want to see and what they don't.
After deciding on my questions, I posted links to my survey on all of my social media platforms for maximum traffic, as I needed as many responses as possible. It's important that surveys have lots of participants to make the results valid enough to create a generalisation and balance out any extreme anomalies.
And now, I sit back and wait! My aim is to get at least 30 participants to take part in my study so that I have enough data to analyse and create graphs and charts from to use in my report, as this will be the main body of work which will be discussed in it.
I'll probably be posting again eventually when people have participated in the study to talk about the results! For now, if you would like to see the survey or take it yourself, click here.
Lauren xxx
Blogging Platforms: My Experiences
Hello again!
Today's post is about the thing that most bloggers are stumped with first when they decide to start blogging: which blogging platform, and what's different about them. Now honestly, I've heard so many different opinions on which platform is the best that it's hard to come to a definitive answer. What I've gathered is that different ones are better for different purposes and different people, and since a non-objective approach to this question seems to be the most fitting, I'm going to write about my own opinions on the matter.
The very first platform I ever started using was Tumblr. Way back when I was around 14 and I stumbled across it, it was nowhere near as popular as it's grown to be now. It was mostly filled with amateur photography and teenagers complaining (I was one amongst them). However, since then it has developed much more status in the blogging world, often being a platform that most artists and other creative people turn to due to the image-based format of the site and the ease of uploading multi-media posts. I like this about Tumblr, because it makes discovering new artists and viewing their work in high-resolution very simple, and I like how there is no 'default' posting format, so to speak. You can literally post any kind of media: pictures, videos, speech, sound clips - anything, with ease, because it's not automatically assuming that you'll be wanting to write a text post like most blogs do. For this reason, I still use Tumblr now to host my Art blog. I also like the tagging system used on Tumblr; it makes your posts easy to find, and it makes finding others' posts on chosen topics easy to find. There's also the added benefit of the daily laugh you get with Tumblr, because there's a lot of blogs on there posting an abundance of internet-based humour, which is a nice thing to have on your dashboard. I think Tumblr is very easy-to-use, and I like the fact that the Tumblr community seems to be very informal and social. However, I have found that it has a lot of down-sides. Firstly, unless you're good with HTML coding, customising the appearance of your blog to anything other than a simple, pre-designed theme can be very tricky. There are no options to even make small changes to existing themes such as changing font colours without changing the actual HTML code, which sucks a little. Also, it's impossible to browse in public. Because Tumblr is one of the few platforms that still allows NSFW content and blogging, it's not uncommon to be leisurely scrolling down a dashboard of completely normal blogs when you get the shock of your life, because one of them has reblogged one out-of-the-ordinary post. Especially not good when there's someone stood behind you who completely misunderstands the situation. Not good at all. It's also easy to go off-topic from your blog's main purpose with Tumblr, because there are so many pretty pieces of art on there that you can find yourself listlessly reblogging hundreds of image posts and forgetting to write any actual text, or losing your text posts in between the hundreds of reblogged images.
The second platform I used was WordPress. I don't actually use this platform anymore, despite not finding much wrong with it. I guess the reason I started using it was because I wanted to try a more 'traditional' way of blogging, heavy on the text posts, simple and easy. I figured that because WordPress was a text-based platform, it would be a good one to use. I started blogging about things that I did and was planning on doing, like baking cakes, attending social events, planning tattoos etc, basically a lifestyle blog. I found that it was really easy to use. Formatting was easy enough and I was able to make my blog look suitably pretty without too much fuss. Posting was easy, too. I figured it out pretty much straight away, which is always a bonus. I liked the dashboard, too, and how it picked out a few blogs to follow based on your interests. I remember my dashboard always being filled with really interesting, artsy textile posts from really great bloggers. I never got many views there though, which I didn't mind, but if I was planning on blogging about something that I needed as many people as possible to see, it would have been an issue. I found it pretty hard to connect with other bloggers there, too. Other than the crafty-type blogs that I followed and appeared on my dashboard, just browsing was pretty hard. I couldn't really find many more blogs, and I wanted to because I wanted more variation than reading posts from the same few people all the time. I guess I just felt kind of cut off from the community, because people weren't as involved in each other there as they were on Tumblr, which I was used to. None of this was really an issue though, and I guess the reason why I moved eventually was purely because WordPress was decreasing in popularity, and there were more other bloggers to connect with elsewhere.
That's when I started to use Blogspot, which obviously, I still use now. I like Blogspot because it's text-based, which makes traditional blogging easy, but since it's more popular there are more other bloggers on it to follow and connect with. I find it very easy to just browse here, too, using the 'next blog' feature. I find formatting very easy on Blogger because panels can be dragged around in settings and widgets added, and in addition to this the customize tool allows you to change small details like fonts and colours with ease, without having to be totally HTML-savvy. One thing that I also really like about Blogspot is that it's linked to Google Plus. It makes sharing posts with more people really easy, and it's another way to connect with other bloggers. I just think that it all works really well. I love the way that blogger offers stats as a feature, too, so that you can see exactly where in the world and which sources your traffic is coming from. The option of having multiple blogs on Blogger is great, too, especially for people like me who like to have their own personal blog as well as others for certain projects, like this one. I think that the only thing I don't like about Blogger is the lack of a proper dashboard. I know that there is one, but it doesn't really feel like a proper dashboard to me, and it's not so easy to browse.
Then finally, my most recent blogging muse is a new site called Ello, which is developed especially for creative people and is ad-free. It's currently still in beta-testing so I haven't had chance to properly blog on it yet, but I've found my feet and I think that it's simple enough to use. Formatting is fairly minimal on here so that gets rid of the problem of working out how to format your page etc, and I quite like the minimalist approach to it all. It basically just does what it says on the tin, and does it well, without all the ads and popups that other sites have. The community is pretty limited because it's just starting up but it's slowly getting bigger. Similarly to Tumblr, it's quite image-heavy but doesn't rely on that so much, although there is still a feature similar to Tumblr's reblog. I like it. I can see it going places.
So, that's all of my experiences with different platforms. There are loads more, but these are just the ones I have tried. Which platform is your favourite? How many others have you tried? I'd love to know your thoughts!
Lauren xxx
Today's post is about the thing that most bloggers are stumped with first when they decide to start blogging: which blogging platform, and what's different about them. Now honestly, I've heard so many different opinions on which platform is the best that it's hard to come to a definitive answer. What I've gathered is that different ones are better for different purposes and different people, and since a non-objective approach to this question seems to be the most fitting, I'm going to write about my own opinions on the matter.
The very first platform I ever started using was Tumblr. Way back when I was around 14 and I stumbled across it, it was nowhere near as popular as it's grown to be now. It was mostly filled with amateur photography and teenagers complaining (I was one amongst them). However, since then it has developed much more status in the blogging world, often being a platform that most artists and other creative people turn to due to the image-based format of the site and the ease of uploading multi-media posts. I like this about Tumblr, because it makes discovering new artists and viewing their work in high-resolution very simple, and I like how there is no 'default' posting format, so to speak. You can literally post any kind of media: pictures, videos, speech, sound clips - anything, with ease, because it's not automatically assuming that you'll be wanting to write a text post like most blogs do. For this reason, I still use Tumblr now to host my Art blog. I also like the tagging system used on Tumblr; it makes your posts easy to find, and it makes finding others' posts on chosen topics easy to find. There's also the added benefit of the daily laugh you get with Tumblr, because there's a lot of blogs on there posting an abundance of internet-based humour, which is a nice thing to have on your dashboard. I think Tumblr is very easy-to-use, and I like the fact that the Tumblr community seems to be very informal and social. However, I have found that it has a lot of down-sides. Firstly, unless you're good with HTML coding, customising the appearance of your blog to anything other than a simple, pre-designed theme can be very tricky. There are no options to even make small changes to existing themes such as changing font colours without changing the actual HTML code, which sucks a little. Also, it's impossible to browse in public. Because Tumblr is one of the few platforms that still allows NSFW content and blogging, it's not uncommon to be leisurely scrolling down a dashboard of completely normal blogs when you get the shock of your life, because one of them has reblogged one out-of-the-ordinary post. Especially not good when there's someone stood behind you who completely misunderstands the situation. Not good at all. It's also easy to go off-topic from your blog's main purpose with Tumblr, because there are so many pretty pieces of art on there that you can find yourself listlessly reblogging hundreds of image posts and forgetting to write any actual text, or losing your text posts in between the hundreds of reblogged images.
The second platform I used was WordPress. I don't actually use this platform anymore, despite not finding much wrong with it. I guess the reason I started using it was because I wanted to try a more 'traditional' way of blogging, heavy on the text posts, simple and easy. I figured that because WordPress was a text-based platform, it would be a good one to use. I started blogging about things that I did and was planning on doing, like baking cakes, attending social events, planning tattoos etc, basically a lifestyle blog. I found that it was really easy to use. Formatting was easy enough and I was able to make my blog look suitably pretty without too much fuss. Posting was easy, too. I figured it out pretty much straight away, which is always a bonus. I liked the dashboard, too, and how it picked out a few blogs to follow based on your interests. I remember my dashboard always being filled with really interesting, artsy textile posts from really great bloggers. I never got many views there though, which I didn't mind, but if I was planning on blogging about something that I needed as many people as possible to see, it would have been an issue. I found it pretty hard to connect with other bloggers there, too. Other than the crafty-type blogs that I followed and appeared on my dashboard, just browsing was pretty hard. I couldn't really find many more blogs, and I wanted to because I wanted more variation than reading posts from the same few people all the time. I guess I just felt kind of cut off from the community, because people weren't as involved in each other there as they were on Tumblr, which I was used to. None of this was really an issue though, and I guess the reason why I moved eventually was purely because WordPress was decreasing in popularity, and there were more other bloggers to connect with elsewhere.
That's when I started to use Blogspot, which obviously, I still use now. I like Blogspot because it's text-based, which makes traditional blogging easy, but since it's more popular there are more other bloggers on it to follow and connect with. I find it very easy to just browse here, too, using the 'next blog' feature. I find formatting very easy on Blogger because panels can be dragged around in settings and widgets added, and in addition to this the customize tool allows you to change small details like fonts and colours with ease, without having to be totally HTML-savvy. One thing that I also really like about Blogspot is that it's linked to Google Plus. It makes sharing posts with more people really easy, and it's another way to connect with other bloggers. I just think that it all works really well. I love the way that blogger offers stats as a feature, too, so that you can see exactly where in the world and which sources your traffic is coming from. The option of having multiple blogs on Blogger is great, too, especially for people like me who like to have their own personal blog as well as others for certain projects, like this one. I think that the only thing I don't like about Blogger is the lack of a proper dashboard. I know that there is one, but it doesn't really feel like a proper dashboard to me, and it's not so easy to browse.
Then finally, my most recent blogging muse is a new site called Ello, which is developed especially for creative people and is ad-free. It's currently still in beta-testing so I haven't had chance to properly blog on it yet, but I've found my feet and I think that it's simple enough to use. Formatting is fairly minimal on here so that gets rid of the problem of working out how to format your page etc, and I quite like the minimalist approach to it all. It basically just does what it says on the tin, and does it well, without all the ads and popups that other sites have. The community is pretty limited because it's just starting up but it's slowly getting bigger. Similarly to Tumblr, it's quite image-heavy but doesn't rely on that so much, although there is still a feature similar to Tumblr's reblog. I like it. I can see it going places.
So, that's all of my experiences with different platforms. There are loads more, but these are just the ones I have tried. Which platform is your favourite? How many others have you tried? I'd love to know your thoughts!
Lauren xxx
Social Networking: Why it's important
Hi everyone!
Today I wanted to talk about something that is often overlooked as a business tool: social media.
Social media is something that is absolutely everywhere these days, with the ever-growing popularity of sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For most people, they are simply ways of passing the time, nosying around their friends' lives (or keeping an eye on their ex-boyfriends...), or procrastinating when there's work to be done, which we're all guilty of, especially me. However, sites like these hold a lot of power in their format due to their ability to easily reach a huge number of people very quickly, at the click of a button. Look how quickly things spread around Facebook and eventually go viral: that's the power that these sites have, and if they can make something as daft as a cat playing the keyboard fly around the world's computer screens within days, imagine what they could potentially do for a business.
This could be confusing you at this point, because you're thinking "how does this relate to blogging?" Well, for many people who have found success with their blogs, their blog is in fact a business, and a high-earning one at that, with the blogging industry growing faster than ever and more and more people reaping the financial benefits of having a blog. Just like a shop on a high street, more people visiting usually means more money, and with a blog it's exactly the same. The more hits the blog gets, the more money it's worth, so the main goal of most bloggers is to get people to visit their page in the first place, and that's where Social Networking comes in.
What are the chances of some random person knowing your exact url and typing it into their browser? It's really not very high, as you can imagine, thus other ways of directing people are needed. Think about when you visit new blogs, how do you access them? A lot of the time it will be through external links on other Social Media sites, through search engines like Google, or because someone on a conversation thread has linked other people to a blog. If it works on you, chances are, it's going to work on other people. This is why cross-referencing yourself on as many social media accounts as possible is important, because it means that if someone reaches you through just one of these accounts, which at some point someone inevitably will, they automatically are connected to your whole online business persona, and have immediate access to all of your social media accounts and very importantly, your blog.
There are so many options when it comes to social networking that it can be hard to find your feet at first, but it's about making smart decisions and choosing which platforms suit your business best.
Facebook is a good all-rounder. Their huge database of users means reaching a lot of people, and it's a suitable place for smaller sites and companies as much as it is huge corporate industries and very well-known, high-traffic sites. Twitter is also good for reaching many people but it's a little more personal as you're posting small snippets of your own dialogue, which can be handy in the blogging community as it can feel more personal when communicating with followers, which tends to be something desirable when blogging. Instagram and Flickr are both good for more visual bloggers such as artists or people who review products and need to post pictures of them, as they allow for very easy access to a large amount of images. Google Plus is a good networking tool for bloggers in particular, as it is linked to Blogger so it's easy to find other fellow bloggers and people interested in blogging through it, who may become strong contacts and gain you more traffic as you help each other and collaborate. There are also very new, creative networking sites such as Ello, which is a new, ad-free creative social network made especially for people interested in visual media. There are also sites such as Bloglovin' which are made especially for bloggers, by bloggers.
This list has barely touched on the many possibilities of social networking available, but it goes to show that there's something for everyone, you just have to find what works for you. In my experience, most of my followers gained on my blogs have been through linking to my other social media accounts, as people tend to click on the links they see on there more than searching for your blog directly. Blogger is very handy in identifying where your traffic is coming from as it actually shows you stats like that in your account info, alongside things like where abouts in the world your blog gets the most views.
Do you have a blog? If so, how do you gain traffic? Do you find that social networking helps?
Lauren xxx
Today I wanted to talk about something that is often overlooked as a business tool: social media.
Social media is something that is absolutely everywhere these days, with the ever-growing popularity of sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For most people, they are simply ways of passing the time, nosying around their friends' lives (or keeping an eye on their ex-boyfriends...), or procrastinating when there's work to be done, which we're all guilty of, especially me. However, sites like these hold a lot of power in their format due to their ability to easily reach a huge number of people very quickly, at the click of a button. Look how quickly things spread around Facebook and eventually go viral: that's the power that these sites have, and if they can make something as daft as a cat playing the keyboard fly around the world's computer screens within days, imagine what they could potentially do for a business.
This could be confusing you at this point, because you're thinking "how does this relate to blogging?" Well, for many people who have found success with their blogs, their blog is in fact a business, and a high-earning one at that, with the blogging industry growing faster than ever and more and more people reaping the financial benefits of having a blog. Just like a shop on a high street, more people visiting usually means more money, and with a blog it's exactly the same. The more hits the blog gets, the more money it's worth, so the main goal of most bloggers is to get people to visit their page in the first place, and that's where Social Networking comes in.
What are the chances of some random person knowing your exact url and typing it into their browser? It's really not very high, as you can imagine, thus other ways of directing people are needed. Think about when you visit new blogs, how do you access them? A lot of the time it will be through external links on other Social Media sites, through search engines like Google, or because someone on a conversation thread has linked other people to a blog. If it works on you, chances are, it's going to work on other people. This is why cross-referencing yourself on as many social media accounts as possible is important, because it means that if someone reaches you through just one of these accounts, which at some point someone inevitably will, they automatically are connected to your whole online business persona, and have immediate access to all of your social media accounts and very importantly, your blog.
There are so many options when it comes to social networking that it can be hard to find your feet at first, but it's about making smart decisions and choosing which platforms suit your business best.
Facebook is a good all-rounder. Their huge database of users means reaching a lot of people, and it's a suitable place for smaller sites and companies as much as it is huge corporate industries and very well-known, high-traffic sites. Twitter is also good for reaching many people but it's a little more personal as you're posting small snippets of your own dialogue, which can be handy in the blogging community as it can feel more personal when communicating with followers, which tends to be something desirable when blogging. Instagram and Flickr are both good for more visual bloggers such as artists or people who review products and need to post pictures of them, as they allow for very easy access to a large amount of images. Google Plus is a good networking tool for bloggers in particular, as it is linked to Blogger so it's easy to find other fellow bloggers and people interested in blogging through it, who may become strong contacts and gain you more traffic as you help each other and collaborate. There are also very new, creative networking sites such as Ello, which is a new, ad-free creative social network made especially for people interested in visual media. There are also sites such as Bloglovin' which are made especially for bloggers, by bloggers.
This list has barely touched on the many possibilities of social networking available, but it goes to show that there's something for everyone, you just have to find what works for you. In my experience, most of my followers gained on my blogs have been through linking to my other social media accounts, as people tend to click on the links they see on there more than searching for your blog directly. Blogger is very handy in identifying where your traffic is coming from as it actually shows you stats like that in your account info, alongside things like where abouts in the world your blog gets the most views.
Do you have a blog? If so, how do you gain traffic? Do you find that social networking helps?
Lauren xxx
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