bcb // social media and networking

today we're gonna talk about social media and networking. if you remember, this is my weakest area. just wanted to say that up front and get it out of the way. i know all the how-to's and rules, but my execution is weak. maybe we can learn something together on this one. and of course, feel free to add some other rules you may do or see others do! we all know i could use them.

social media is your friend. it may be scary, sometimes daunting, and occasionally a lot of effort, but it will pay off. so go for the plunge. twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest. anything that fits you. i do three things after i post a blog post. i put the link on twitter, facebook, and pin the image to pinterest. i don't have a whole lot of followers so 99.99% of my traffic comes from social media. and that is perfectly fine! welcome to the 21st century. social media drives traffic. so let's talk some simple rules, shall we?

social media rules:

use them to your advantage, but don't use them to annoy people: you don't have to post your link a million times, just once, maybe twice on twitter if you are a tweeting person [one for the night crowd and one for the day crowd]. don't be afraid to use them for other stuff, too! not just your blog. be interesting. you can figure that part out on your own. 

use them exclusively. if you post the same stuff on your instagram straight to facebook [oh whoops! my bad!] people won't need to bother following you because they will see it on facebook. See? it's also a fun way to give readers an extra reason to follow you. for example you can do something like, if you want a behind the scenes look at my blog, follow my instagram! and use that platform to share stuff no one else will see. or if you had a health blog for example, you could do something like for daily snack ideas, check out my twitter. you get the idea. 

use them to make connections. well look at that, a perfect segway into networking! 

networking is fun. i get a little rush when i make new bloggy friends. it's just fun! it's especially fun when they are bloggers that i look up to. although i can still be better at this, i have made some pretty great blog friends. before we do rules, let's look at some ways to make connections first:

make connections:

reply to all comments. when someone comments on your blog, reply! show them they are worth your time. shoot them an email if you want. if you ignore them, they might not come back. 

connect via social media. reply to tweets, leave sweet comments, like stuff. follow people! just reach out and say hey, it's totally ok! get involved out there and don't be shy.  

leave comments on blogs. i may have mentioned this in the beginning, but the number 1 rule to all things blogging is this:

if you want to get noticed, notice others. 

so leave genuine comments on other blogs. we all love encouragement, compliments, and attention, so hand some out. 

join some blog networks. that's all i got on this one, i'm trying to find some, google it, find some that fit you, then get involved. tell me if you do and how it goes... kthanksisuckatthisone.

email people with blogs you like. do it! it's ok. ask them questions, tell them you love their blog. whatever you like. it's pretty nice. bloggers love attention. i'm telling you. and we love making bloggy friends, so just say something. [more about this in the rules] 

now that you know some ways to connect, it's time for some rules. these are rules of courtesy and also pet peeves plenty of bloggers have about people who just want attention.

networking rules:

don't spam! don't leave a comment just to leave your mark on someone's page. leave a comment that is genuine, sincere, and more than, great post, thanks. same goes for all social media. don't say anything unless you can improve the silence. or the internet. you get the idea. 

don't leave your url in the comments. tacky tacky tacky. the cool thing about comments is that before you post them, it asks for your name, email, and *gasp* url. so guess what happens... your name becomes a link to your url. whoa! i know. mind blowing. don't leave your url at the end of your comment. done and done.

don't leave negative comments. i mean, you can. but i've read some pretty controversial posts with hundreds of comments and people fighting, if you can call it that, over issues and it's just messy. do yourself a favor and if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all [thank you, thumper].

i think that pretty much sums up the main ones. mostly just be nice and friendly, yeah? the blogging community is full of friendly happy people who want to make connections, who want to make friends, who want to help new bloggers, learn from experienced bloggers, and expand their teeny little world of the internet. it's one of the things i love about blogging. now go get out there and be friendly. thankyouself.

check the rest of the series!

intro | platforms | design | style and writing | tools and other helps

[links are posted, not links are coming soon!]

a small moment of bliss

everything makes me miss blogging. i get on instagram or twitter or pinterest and see all the bloggy people i follow and their beautiful pictures, or exciting adventures. and I just miss it.

fortunately, i have had some blessings from above this final semester of school. the lord knows the only reason i am even going to school is because i am heeding the voice of the prophet and getting my education. i don't care about international migration [worst class of my life], and i've taken enough ethics classes to last a life time. at least my 8am class has a super entertaining and energetic teacher. she makes that class utterly enjoyable. also my first eight week class is coming to an end and i have enjoyed that, too. we'll see if the next eight week class is the same.

because i don't want to be there and i'm only doing it because he says so, i think god has given me some extra blessings. 

1] i haven't been stressed at all over time... or not having it rather. so not me. in fact i think i cried the last two semester at some point because of stress.  and right now i feel freer than an american on the 4th of july.

2] along with the lack of stress comes a lack of needing a's. i've always been a {mostly} a student, for which i am proud. but no one looks at your grades after you have a fancy embossed paper at the end of college. they just care that you did it. c's get degrees, baby.

    so weird that i can even say that because it is not in my nature! but i said it. it is my mantra.

that being said, my complete lack of academic effort leaves me plenty of time to focus on my church responsibilities [which are demanding] and... maybe perhaps blogging again. no promises. but here i am. blogging, because i don't have that much homework and the homework i do have can easily be skimmed over later [one too many ethics classes means you know your stuff!].

what a breath of fresh air.

it feels so good to be sitting on my couch letting my fingers click-clack away. and not on a paper.

but i have to tell you one more thing. yesterday morning as i was contemplating all this and deciding i could possibly maybe perhaps post something again, i got a new twitter follower. 

i usually check out websites when i get followers before i commit to a long-term relationship. i was stunned. she was witty and charming and blunt and just what i needed. no holds bar, not filter, just get up and do and go and fight and write and win.

and now i'm blogging. thank you, new friend. [i followed her back]

i'm not promising i will be back every week, definitely not every day. but this is a start and i am so so so so extremely happy to be back in my bubble.

   i feel like i have so much to tell you! i've been gone so long. it will have to come in pieces.

the details: part 2

i hope you all took some time over the past 10 days to really think about the small things in your life. it's those little things that really get us. at least for me.

i promised a recap, so here are some of the things I shared via twitter this week: 

ice cold water. *glug glug glug aahhh* 

the sound of brock's heartbeat when i lay on his chest.

little sun kisses all over your skin. warm. comforting. relaxing.

that first salt and vinegar chip that makes your cheeks suck in and jaw tense up. 

to see others i tweeted about, check out my twitter! or you can see some things that i noticed with camera in hand on my instagram. 

i have to be honest, i really paid a lot more attention. i appreciated more, thought more, and smiled more. and i am a lot more grateful for those simple things in my life that we sometimes skip over and miss. don't miss those things! soak them up! talk about them.

cherish them.

what little things have you noticed lately? 

for the details on the details, check out part one.

Mail it Forward

on wednesday i told you one of my summer goals was to publicly launch mail it forward. that goal is about to get a big check mark next to it!

i'm so excited to be sharing this with all of you. you are probably wondering what mail it forward is. let's start at the beginning:

back in march, i was hit with some pretty amazing inspiration from all kinds of directions and in many different shapes and sizes. since then, i have been working very hard designing websites and blogs, collecting ideas, formulating goals, and sinking my teeth into a whole lotta goodness.

i'm the kind of girl who likes to cheer people up, and i finally found a way to do that with an unlimited capacity! there's a fire inside of me that i hope never goes out! it's been a long time since i was inspired in a way that never let me stop thinking about one thing. and that one thing is mail it forward.

mail it forward is all about spreading happiness through the mail. starting this week, i have mailed two very unsuspecting people (whom i've never met or heard of) a small note of encouragement and cheerfulness. and i'm going to keep sending more. every note encourages the receivers to mail it forward, in the hopes that the cheerfulness won't stop spreading!

i have more than enough ideas to help this thing get rolling, grow, and progress for a long time. but i would really love the support of my dear friends and readers! after today, nothing about mail it forward is going to be publicized on this blog. i want to be completely separate from it because the point is for me as a person to remain anonymous, especially to the recipients! i'm only sharing this with you today because i need your help!

please check out the website and the blog! share your thoughts and suggestions with me, and then share the links with your friends. help me get this going! you can follow the blog on bloglovin, or keep up via twitter, but just share it! and help me spread some happiness!

i'm so grateful for all of your support and your love already. it means so much to me to know people out there care about lil' ol' me. so thank you.