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!]

bcb // style and writing

it's another week down and i feel like i can't even keep up with my own series! whew! do you believe it's actually friday again? on one hand, this week has just flow-own by. on the other i feel like, good grief it's been a long week! in anycase, it doesn't matter... the week is almost over and i need to talk to you about style and writing because next week is gonna be tricky for me [my.worst.topic.networking].

i actually took a class my final semester all about style and writing [8am, best teacher ever, she was hilarious, we did a lot of laughing, but i learned a lot, too! best class of the final semester]. so let's look at some important tips to keep you looking professional, smart, and credible.

be you. when you are writing, write like you are talking to your friends [we're friends, right?]. be genuine. if you write the way you speak, the words will come naturally, the posts will flow, and you won't feel as much pressure if you are trying to keep up some kind of persona. if you are not being yourself or being genuine, you will sound fake and people won't want to read what you have to say. if you're not a professional, you don't have to sound like one. just sound like you. people will love the real you, so don't hide that person.

[on the other hand, if you want to have some secret identity online and you are really good at acting, you can totally make up an online "character" and talk like that person... as long as you follow the next tip very strictly.]

your style should be consistent. have i mentioned this in all other topics?? so important. here's the thing, everyone has a different style. it's ok if you like to use bolds and italics like me. maybe you hate them. maybe you occasionally like to SHOUT at your readers. i mean, it's all about you and who you are and how you write. maybe you like long words, or long, drawn out, descriptive yet appealing sentence. or. short. ones. bottom line is, whatever that little quirk of yours is, use it. and use it well and use it the same every time. i use these thingies [], i read a blog that has a different font when she tries to make a point. it's all up to your style, just be consistent with it.

reread your posts. please oh please, go over them a time or two. make sure they flow, make sure your spelling is mostly correct. sometimes, if you have spent a lot of time on post, it helps to walk away for a few minutes, then come back and read it with fresh eyes. reading out loud is a good way to check your wonderful work. first, you can actually see if you sound like you, and second, you will also read slower, giving your brain a little help in catching those spelling errors. another handy tool is a dedicated reader who texts you your errors [thanks, mama]. could be a friend, or husband/wife, whoever. they are more apt to catching things we miss.

be honest. this goes back to being you. but really, don't be fake, don't lie, don't exaggerate or take credit for something you didn't do. this is the internet. who knows what could happen. so be honest in your words and your dealings. this will get you far! pinky promise.

if you're just a terrible writer but still have the desire to blog, don't be afraid! blogging is good practice to help you develop a skill for writing. don't be afraid to take chances and put yourself out there. there are plenty of bloggers out there [like me] who are willing to help!

don't forget to check out the blog cheats for beginners!

intro | platforms | design | networking | tools and other helps

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

bcb // design

it's time to talk about design: the biggest giver-awayer of beginnerness. yeah, you read that right. like i said in the intro, the look and feel of your design is either going to make or break it for your viewers... except maybe your mom, she'll read your blog no matter what it looks like. so don't ask her if it looks good, she's biased.

maybe i'm a blog snob, maybe everyone does this, but if a blog looks unprofessional, uncoordinated, or just blah, i don't even read the post. it doesn't matter what you have to say, it's probably not important or relevant if you don't have an adorable blog. ok, you're right. i'm a blog snob.

so let me give you some rules to think about when you are designing your blog, picking a layout, or messing with templates [there may be a lot of vagueness, because in the end, it all comes down to your style].

keep it clean. if you over clutter your page, the visuals will distract from your message. you want it to be appealing, but not overwhelming. i'm not a fan of elaborate background images, not to say they aren't useful sometimes, but they can really distract from the posts or make it difficult to even read them sometimes. i suggest sticking to solid colors, or have embellishments on the side. another good way around this is to pick really big patterns. it helps your page not feel so cluttered and busy.

stick to a few colors: you really only need a few. my favorite thing to do when redesigning is head over to design-seeds and look at some color palettes. [i will tell you my trick later on in tools] if you use a color palette, don't. use. any. other. colors. don't have red links if your color palette is pastel, change the links to a color in your palette. don't have different colored text in your post that is completely wrong for your palette. stick to the few you need. usually 3-5 is a good number. i've got 4 colors if you don't count the white background.

pick colors that go together. they don't have to match, they have to mesh. you don't want burnt orange and cherry red, or like four different oranges and then green titles. are you catching my drift? your colors should compliment each other, enhance the whole view and make everything floooow. no need for making things stand out stark and obnoxious like a zit on the face of your blog.

use readable fonts. in the body of your blog, you want something very basic, easy to read, and easy on the eyes. sans serif are your best bet. though serif fonts are easier to read in print, it's actually much easier to read sans serif fonts on screens. [p.s. sans serif means without the little tails and decorations like times new roman, which is a serif font] for headers, titles, etc, it's ok to be creative, but again, make it flow. pick one or two fonts you can change out and keep them that way.

use pretty pictures. this is something that can come as you continue blogging. i'm not a photographer. shoot, i use my iphone. but make sure your photos help with the flow, have a good quality and lighting, and don't hinder the visuals. again, this is a learning process and you will get better! i'm a lot happier with my photos now than when i started blogging. [more tips on my free editing junk in tools coming soon.]

for pete's sake, use a cute picture of yourself. if you decide to post one of you in your little about section on the sidebar [always a good idea, people feel like they know you a little better when they see your face. but you don't have to], make sure it's appealing. if you are perpetually cute, good for you. if you aren't, like me, just put on sweet face and take a shot that compliments the rest of your blog. the eyes always go to your face first, so try and use similar colors in your clothing or setting as you did for your design. doesn't have to be the same, but floooow. remember floow.

ok, are you tired of rules? let's talk about what i do. i was going to save this little part for the tools section of the series, but this is probably more appropriate here.

inkscape. i don't have photoshop or illustrater. i use this handy little program. it's free, it's easy to use, and i made all of my designs with it. you can download inkscape here if you like. they also have tutorials you can check out, too.  when i want to learn how to do something i haven't figured out by clicking a million buttons, i just google how to blah blah with inkscape. i usually find a pretty easy answer! i pretty much learned how to use it by playing with it.

i usually create my images and have to upload them to photobucket or flickr so they have a url. with blogger, using images is really easy, and you can change your fonts and text links to match your design. with wordpress, you can really only change the background image and header, so be sure your template goes with the designs you make, both the fonts and the colors!

now that all that is out in the air, please tell me if this helped, if i confused you, or if this actually made sense. it makes sense to me because i know what i'm actually talking about... but does it really make sense? please tell me. okthankspreciateya.

last thing! designing your own blog can be pretty daunting, occasionally frustrating, and most times, time consuming. if you want to play around with designs, i say do it! i enjoy it, and i feel pretty rad when i'm done. but if you have a million other things to do and you don't want to mess with it but wish you had an awesome blog that was unique to you, you're in luck! 

i've decided i'm willing to help you out. obviously, i'm not a professional designer, but i can totally whip out some simple designs for background images, headers, buttons, and about photos, like the ones you see here and help shape your blog into something you love. i can't say i'm free, but i will say that i am pretty freakin cheap compared to those awesomes out there who are way too amazing for my wallet. if you're interested, shoot me an email: heyhollandfam{at}gmail.com. the first serious client [hehe that's a fun word!] i'll give 50% off as long as you tell everyone you love me. but really, feel free to ask and i'll send you all the deets and info. i like making the blog world a pretty place and i would love to work with you lovely people!

when the posts are up, these will be links!

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

bcb // platforms

it's time to officially start the series i told you about last week! today's topic:

there are a lot of platforms out there to choose from. i'm going to tell you about the two pretty popular ones, both of which i have used. we'll look at some pros and cons for each, but if you are really looking at getting started, i encourage you to check out some other info, too and not just rely on my words alone. i will be as thorough as i can, but google is always full of more answers than i am.. wink..

blogger

the blog you're looking at right now is a blogger blog. there are a lot of things i like about blogger and aren't very many things that i don't. obviously i like it because i am using it. so let's look at all the fun things there are:

blogger pros:

• blogger is always always free. there are no charges for anything. ever. done. 
• everything is customizable. you can look for blogger templates online and find lots and lots for free that lovely people have made available for your own use. you can start with the templates blogger provides and change them up to fit your style. or if you are handy with some html code, you can rock it however you want. i am not a coder... though someday, i hope to get better. 
• blogger is pretty simple to use. once you find your way around backstage*, you can basically do anything you want to behind the scenes: post a blog post, check your stats, change your layout and template, etc. 
• blogger comes with a lot of widgets. widgets are those handy little things you see on sidebars, like twitter feeds, or photos, or archives. there are so many to choose from to fit your needs.
• there is a blogger app. it's mainly for posts [i will talk about this in the cons actually, but it is handy to have on the go!]

there are only a few cons that i want to point out, just so you have a feel for what i've noticed in using blogger.

blogger cons:

• because everything is customizable, it can be overwhelming, daunting, and occasionally frustrating. templates are a nice way to go, but it can be difficult to get everything the way you want it. more about this when we get to the design section of the series.
• the blogger app is only for posts. you can't check your stats or manage comments, which i find a little frustrating because i like to respond to comments quickly. just my preference.
• there is no network system set up for blogger [more about this in wordpress below].

neither here nor there:

i didn't want to classify this as a pro or a con because it depends on how you feel... but for those of you unaware, blogger is a google product. it's convenient because you can connect with everything like youtube and all other google products pretty easily [obviously you need a gmail account for blogger]. because google is getting so big, brock is actually becoming anti [crazy because he tried so hard to get me to use gmail when we were dating and now he wants me to get rid of it... and everything else in my life since i use blogger and chrome and all google products. oops.] but really it's just your preference. so consider that. 

wordpress

even though i really like blogger, i happen to like wordpress better. i can't figure out why because honestly, blogger should be the better of the two [and it is] i just think wordpress is pretty backstage i guess. weird? i don't know. i don't even get apps if they aren't pretty. it's a thing i guess. so here's the real list of goodies about wordpress:

wordpress pros:

• wordpress is pretty [i'm just gonna put that first]
• when you get started, wordpress walks you through everything, from choosing a blog name, to picking a template to writing your first post. there's even a navigating video to help you figure out how to use your dashboard.. or backstage. 
• the templates for wordpress are very modern and there are a lot of options to choose from but... more in the cons.
• the backstage of wordpress is a lot more detailed than blogger. you can customize a lot of your settings that aren't changeable on blogger, like privacy, create polls, and other reading and writing settings. 
• wordpress is a blogging network. this basically means that you already have an audience. that's a huge pro. audience is what you want, right? when i blogged on wordpress, most of my traffic came from other users. they can like your posts, follow, and comment very easily. 
• wordpress's app is just like the website and everything can be controlled from it. nice. 

even though it looks like wordpress has more pros, it has more cons, too. and that's what makes me come to blogger. again. all about preference. so let's see what they are:

wordpress cons:

• wordpress is only free for the basics. if you want to customize your site, you have to pay. if you want to use code [wordpress uses css code and not html], you have to pay. if you want the even fancier version, wordpress.org, you have to pay. if you want to get into that, go for it, but it's always better to start out free, right?
• because wordpress is more like a network, it's not as easy for non-wordpress users to follow or comment, not impossible, but not as easy. 
• like i said in the paying part and the pros part, wordpress is not very customizable. if you want a unique site, it's either going to cost you money or you will have to go somewhere else. you can sometimes change the colors in the templates, but that's about it. and that was huge for me. 
• additionally, there are a lot of templates that cost by themselves. not all templates are free. 
• wordpress also has many widgets to use, which is good, but it doesn't have near as many as a google product.

one last note about wordpress... it's wordpress.com, .org is a different more expensive and extensive platform like mentioned above. 

and there you have it friends. i laid the two out for you, now you have to decide what you want. there are other places you can check out for blogging. i've heard of tumblr, typepad, weebly, and livejournal, but i don't know anything about them. if you are looking for something more professional to  be home to a website and not just a blog, wix and squarespace are good options, but those will cost some mula. so do some research before you decide. or if you want, just sign up for a couple and see what you like after working with it! 

*backstage: i refer to the behind the scenes part of blogging as backstage. it's the part only you see of your blog, where you control it all and make the magic happen. 

check out the others!

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