Week 23: What Blogging Has Taught Me

Hello Peachies! Happy Monday. You know what Monday's mean. It's time for the 52 Week Challenge with Sarah from Sarah Emily Blogs and Ashley from Girl Talk.

Today we're talking about What Blogging Has Taught Me.

I started blogging before it was the in thing to do because I wanted to document the important moments in mine and my son's lives. We have family that lives out of state and I thought that was a good way to keep up with them, too. In May of 2013 I was inspired to take my blog to a new level and start networking with other bloggers. I had no idea how to do it, I just had a wish and a dream and I chased it. I re-vamped my blog and set out into the blogging world. Instagram and talking with other bloggers led me to numerous Facebook groups and from there I am making my blogging tribe and blooming with my blog.

What i've learned from blogging is:

+ The look of your blog is important.
I went from using pre-made blogs (which is fine) to making my own designs because I want to learn how to.
I like nice, clean coherent looks with pops of color.

+ Pop ups annoy everyone.
And I will never have them.

+ It's okay not to have a niche.
I'll probably never have a niche because I don't focus solely on one thing.
I'm a lifestyle blogger. That's pretty all encompassing.

+ Blogging requires a lot of time.
It's not just sit down and type out some words, hit publish, and boom! You're done.
It's hours of writing, researching, snapping pictures, creating headers, etc.

+ Having a week's worth of posts ready to go on Sunday and scheduling them to be published through out the week is a dream in my world.
In a dream world, I'd love to be able to do things like that. It's just not how I roll though.

+ Using a planner is a lifesaver in the blogging world.
I winged it through May because I had so much going on and was so inspired but on those days when I'm not feeling it, It's nice to pick up my planner and look at what I have planned.

+ The best way to learn is through other bloggers.
They've been through it, they've figured it out so they know what they're talking about.

+ Join Facebook groups because that's where you get exposure for your blog.
And you can engage with other bloggers, too!

+ Find your blogging tribe and lift each other up. My blogging tribe is amazing.
Sometimes I feel closer to them than I do real life friends. They just get me.

+ Quality over quantity.
Creating good content is better than having posts 7 days a week.

+ Blog about what's important to you.
Your blog should be a genuine reflection of you so share your most genuine self with others.
Sometimes that even means sharing the messy, crazy things.
Being real with your readers will keep them coming back because they'll feel a connection with you when they can read something and think
"Oh, good! Me, too!" OR "Yes! I like, that, too!"

Sarah, from Sarah Emily Blogs and I have had many of those moments. We swear we're long lost sisters because we're so much alike, even the bad stuff.

Don't be afraid to show the bad stuff. You might help someone else through a tough time or you just might bond and make a new friend over it!

+ Interact with your readers.
When you get comments, comment back!

+ Pay attention to your analytics. See how many re-pins you get, how many comments because that's how you gage what your readers enjoy.
And give them more of that and less of the things that don't bring you as much traffic.

+ Never blog for free. I made this mistake a couple times because I felt like I was getting good exposure but in reality, I wasn't.
I was still the only one promoting my posts and doing all the work.
One company even nit picked my post to death and asked me to change it three times! Needless to say, that's when I realized I was being taken advantage of and won't make that mistake again.

I still have a lot to learn in the blogging world and my blog doesn't look perfect.
That's why I join as many groups as I can, I ask for help and advice when I need it and I take webinars.
I'm not blogging for profit yet but i'm in the middle of learning how to make social media kits and how to pitch ideas to companies.
I'm also learning about collaborations and affiliate programs.
It's always a learning experience but I feel like any good thing always will be.


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Rules for the Link-up
1. follow the prompts exactly or put your own spin on them
2. make sure to add our button to your post and link up with us
3. visit other blogs and show them some love
4. the link up will close in 5 days!

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