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Where To Find Gorgeous Stock Photos

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Many bloggers take their own photos, and I think that is awesome. My mom is a talented photographer, but I did not inherit her gift. Somehow, all my photos look grainy, the timing is always off, and the lighting is usually terrible. That’s why I use stock photos that I find on Flickr Creative Commons! Having alluring pictures is vital to having a successful blog. No one wants to read a solid wall of text. For where to get photos for your blog, check out this post by Brittany Bullen at International Blogger Association:

-Shutterstock– gives you one free photo a day for having an account

–Dreamstime

–Pixel Perfect Digital

–Stock Free Images

Photo Credit: epsos de 

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Making Your Blog More Professional

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Appearances aren’t everything, but they are pretty darned important. Making a good first impression, either in person or online, is the key to being successful. Having a professional looking blog will draw in more readers, and ultimately lead to you getting more clients (if your blog is business related). Simply plugging in a pre-made WordPress theme and using comic sans just isn’t cutting it anymore. For tips on how to streamline your blog and make it even more professional, check out this post by Em at Mascara Warrior:

-Add a custom favicon

-Remove the Navbar

-Purchase and install a custom domain

-Install Google Analytics

-Add a Pin It hover button

Photo Credit: Danny Sullivan 

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Working From Home and Overwhelmed? Read This Post

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Work from home jobs are seriously the best thing ever, but they do come with a few drawbacks. You can do your work from your bed with Netflix running in the background, but it’s honestly extremely hard to stay focused. Working in a cubicle with an overbearing boss breathing down your neck is worse, but at least you get your work done. When working at home, it’s extremely easy to let the projects pile up- not to mention housework, or even taking care of kids. It’s also extremely easy to get overwhelmed. So, take a deep breath and get back on track! Check out this post by Johoanna Robson at Bubbling Cauldron Project for the best ways to press on and ease the anxiety:

-Don’t be afraid to say no, and stop people pleasing

-Delegate- put your kids to work around the house. Hire designers for logos and other projects. Team up with another writer for certain posts.

-Better your time management with to-do lists: (I would literally never get anything done without mine!)

-Take responsibility- If there are some projects you can graciously get out of, then do it. Work through those that you can’t. Set goals and work steadily towards them. Before you know it your plate will be clear again.

Photo Credit: Monica R 

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Abracadabra! Making Old Content New Again

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Blogging is the best job in the world, but can also be challenging. You get to stay at home, and tell the world about your day. You can talk about your family, your children, your career, education, hobbies, pets, favorite recipes, crafts- really, anything you want, and get paid. But, you also have to keep readers interested and coming back for more. You may have some extremely popular posts, and some that are not-so-popular. Coming up with new content constantly is hard! That’s why a common strategy when you have blogger’s block is to refresh an older post. For tips on optimizing old content, read this post by Jamie at Blonde Mom Blog:

-Add a pinnable image

-Create a “wrap up” post

-Update your readers on the status of a situation you blogged about – a career change, a new puppy, a move to a new city, going back to school, etc.

-Write a before and after post

-Survey your readers- ask for feedback on past posts

Photo Credit: Jennifer Morton 

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Common Blog Mistakes and Easy Fixes

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I assume that everyone reading this post is human (at the risk of sounding “speciesist”-sorry aliens!), and humans make mistakes. Sometimes we don’t even know that we’re making. For example, using the word “speciesist” in any context is probably a mistake. When blogging, people face a few challenges: creating good, original content, making people want to click your posts, and keeping a loyal readership. There are lots of things that some bloggers do that sabotage these goals. Check out this post by Melissa at Freeing Imperfections for ways to improve your blog. Avoid these mistakes:

-Ignoring social media

-Not commenting on every other blog you visit

-Over-posting

-Publishing at the same time every day

-Writing in blocks

Photo Credit: Mood Town 

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What To Do After You Post

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Why do we blog? Because we love writing, but don’t want to feel constrained. To put our ideas into the world. To reach readers, and help other people. So, you spend some time and pour a bit of your soul into every post….then what? How do you get the word out? It’s especially important if you receive compensation from a company sponsor or from advertisements. Usually, more readers = more cash. If you are interested in growing your blog’s reach, check out this post by Michelle at the Michelle Shaeffer blog:

-Proofread and test links

-Get busy on social media. Post it everywhere! Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Google+.

-Send out an email to your list

-Get family, friends, and colleagues involved

-Connect with readers and respond to comments

-Consider how to build on your work

Photo Credit: Mike Licht 

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Writing Disclaimers

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Blogging is such a weird field of writing. You’re writing about your life, to entertain or educate other people. It’s kind of a mix of journaling and nonfiction, and it also comes with all types of new things you’ll need to learn to write: About mes, comments, sponsored posts, and, you guessed it, disclaimers. And there are very precise ways to how they need to be done. I’ve been feeling under the weather lately (I went to the doctor today and found out I have a really bad sinus infection- yay!). Before I did that, I was desperate to clear up some congestion (and I’ve gotten on a bad “homemade soap” phase lately), so I tried these decongestant shower tablets by Heather Smith at Our Kids Mom. The discs worked great, and the steamy shower did wonders. However, I was also really impressed with her disclaimer- she stated that the vapor rub can make your shower very slippery, and that the article was for entertainment purposes only. What a great way to keep yourself covered! And unless you are a doctor giving medical advice, you need a disclaimer as well! For tips on writing your own disclaimer, check out this post by Nienke Krook at The Travel Tester.

Photo Credit: Nicolas Raymond

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How To Take Better Photos For Your Blog

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I am a terrible photographer. My mom has such an eye for it, so I have no idea how all my pictures end up blurry, unflattering, badly lighted, and just…terrible. That’s why I get most of my blog photos from creative commons sites like Flickr, Free Clipart, and the Creative Commons search engine. However, every once in a while, I just can’t find what I want. I also love crocheting, and will post (bad) pictures of things I’ve made. And, with blogs, it’s so important to post great pictures to get views. So, that’s why I was excited to find this post by Jennifer at Memory Journalists. It has links to 31 articles about taking better blog photos. Reading the entire thing was almost like getting a free online course on photography! Check out some of the lessons:

–Day 3: What is depth of field? 

–Day 4: What is shutter speed? 

–Day 9: Use details to enhance your story. 

–Day 10: Rule of Thirds 

-Day 21: Using Symmetry 

Photo Credit: Nikita Kravchuk 

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Blog Post Inspiration- Great List of Prompts

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I wrote last week a bit about “blogger burnout”. You get in a rut, have writer’s block, procrastinate, and just can’t think of new ideas. I’m no stranger to writer’s block- I blog, and I also run a creative writing workshop. Every meeting, we do a new writing exercise or story prompt to keep the creative juices flowing and fresh! So, why didn’t it ever occur to me that you use prompts for blogging? Because you totally can! And blog post prompts work just as well as story prompts. Check out this extensive list of blog post titles at Brenda’s Blog Tips that will get you pumped to write! Bonus- you can make them work for a blog about practically anything. Here are some of my favorites:

-(#) Rules For ____

-(#) Habits of ______

-(#) Super Tips For _____

-Beginners Guide: ________

-How ____ Can Inspire Your _____

-What No One Tells You About ______

Photo Credit: Jacob Botter 

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