#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging April A to Z Challenge blogger voice random rambling random thoughts writing

This Diva has been a bad bad blogger.  I haven’t blogged properly since I hit my 600th Century; and I feel like the A to Z Challenge in April just drained me out of any creativity for new blog posts. 

I haven’t really blogged about all the amazing things I’ve been up to, which makes me sad for so many reasons. My head hangs in shame as I realize how much time has passed and how many awesome things have happened since the last time I’ve updated.

My absence hasn’t been for naught, though. I’ve been on this absolutely epic vacation which currently stands at Day 51.  That’s right, 51 days of vacation ! Okay fine I’ve been working as well but it’s been more of a holiday for me.  I’ve been to New York, Bermuda, Montreal and now I’m in London.  The last few weeks have been all about catching up with my friends (and some family) and just finding ‘myself’ all over again.  There hasn’t been a day where there are at least two or three things happening, and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon!

Whilst I have missed blogging, these past few weeks have taken me on an emotional rollercoaster journey; literally dug up every memory and thrown it in front of me and it’s made me think … think very long and hard about the things I have done, experienced, the people I have encountered, the place they hold in my mind and heart and the majority of it all has been absolutely beautiful.  A few bittersweet memories are now just that – because the reality a decade later is that the mind tends to hold onto some more than others.

More on all that later.  I’m back now and it feels good to put my writing hat on and dive back into my blogging world.  Thanks for sticking around and not giving up on me.

#atozchallenge #blogboost a to z challenge a to z of blogging

Damn.  The A to Z Challenge really took its toll on me.  I’ve been wanting to blog but I’m honestly so mentally drained that haven’t been able to string a post together.  But I know I have to get this post up and running if I want to be a part of the ‘A to Z Reflections’ crew of awesome bloggers.

This was my first A to Z Challenge and I’ve got to admit it was a lot of fun ! I wasn’t sure that I’d finish it on time or if I could stay on track but I did and it felt really good to accomplish the blogging goal I had set for myself.  Looking back at the challenge, here’s what I’ve gathered from it …

Theme Writing Can Be Fun

I’ve participated in challenges before and what I really liked about the A to Z challenge was the letter prompt.  We all know our alphabets – and with every alphabet comes a spectrum of endless possibilities we can pick and choose from to write about.  It’s a push in the right direction.  I picked my blog theme as ‘A to Z of Blogging’ and I think I managed to do a pretty damn good job with my posts.

Makes You Accountable

I knew I had to post every day ‘cos everyone else was going to be doing that.  Participating in the challenge made me accountable for my posts – not just for myself but also for all the other bloggers who were participating and visiting blogs.  It worried me that a new blogger would come and visit my blog and there would be no new post and they would end up leaving disappointed.  I made it a point to draft up and schedule as many posts as I could so that there was always a new post for each day.

Blogosphere Friends Are Super Supportive

The friends one makes in blogosphere and blog hopping are honestly awesome people.  During the course of the challenge, I came across so many new bloggers and what really kept me going was the fact that they would turn up to my blog every day and leave me comments that gave me a chance to react and respond to them.  When I needed help with post ideas ‘cos some alphabets were just really hard to come up with a tip for – they were there tweeting ideas to me.  That’s a different level of friendship there. 

Learn Something New Everyday

There were over 1500 bloggers participating in the challenge which meant that I got a chance to discover some amazing blogs & bloggers.  I didn’t go through every blog out there – but I read about others who had checked out every single participating blog !  I bow down to that ! I’m grateful for the fact that the 30+ blogs I was checking out all taught me something new – every day !  Whether it was gardening tricks; cooking tips; writing tips; movie & book reviews – it was a great learning experience.  I even managed to learn some Swedish ‘cos one of the blogs I was following was using the alphabets to teach useful Swedish words.  All of the blogs I have read have been an inspiration to me and given me a bucket load of new post ideas as well for the future =)

I’d Do It All Over Again

Yes it’s true – I would do it all over again.  I’d also be better prepared for the next time around.  I actually came to know about the challenge towards the end of 2011 and I thought ‘oh I have time, I can put together my posts before hand’ (in retrospect, what the f*ck was I thinking).  I only ended up writing my posts a few days before the challenge started.  Next time around – I’m going also going to participate via my business blog – so that’s double the posts.  (yeah I’m crazy but if others can do it – so can I)

Would love to hear about your experience during the course of the challenge if you have participated.  If you haven’t, would you consider participating next year ?

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Just writing a word like Zeal and Zest looks kinda funny as part of a blog title.  At least I managed to come up with something other than ‘zzzz’ (which is really how I’m feeling after 26 posts for the A to Z challenge)

This is gonna be short & sweet.  Your blog is all about you and your blogger voice.  Let it be heard.  Let your zeal and zest for your blogging come out in every post that you write.  If you can’t express yourself on your blog – then what’s the point ?

And most importantly, don’t ‘zeek out’ i.e. don’t lose control of yourself / don’t freak out !  Blogging is meant to be fun – so smile and just do it ! 

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay !! The A to Z Challenge is finally complete !

p.s. I promise ‘zeek out’ is a real word in the dictionary !

#atozchallenge #blogboost a to z challenge a to z of blogging

I was going to originally use this post for V (video content) but then decided to go with Voice (blogger voice that is) instead. 

Have you noticed how popular YouTube videos are these days ? Almost everyone I know has a YouTube account – even if it is to just ‘like’ other peoples uploads.  Video content is one of the best methods of engaging readers on your blog.  They have to hit play and discover what the video has to convey and most of the time readers will stick around right to the end.

I’ve used videos a few times in my posts – mainly for my #MusicMonday posts but sometimes when I find a really creative advert or something else that inspires me to write a post – I tend to share those. 

There are blogs that I visit that use videos and these are the actual blog authors who are coming in front of the camera and recording messages to their readers or just simply showcasing ‘how to’ tutorials (which honestly is quicker to grasp than reading paragraphs of text).  I haven’t made my own video content as yet – maybe one of these days I’ll get around to it. 

If you have your own YouTube account – you can share and embed the links into your blogging platform; and hopefully also increase your subscription base to your YouTube channel. LiveWriter, Blogger & Wordpress allow you to upload videos quite easily.

The only drawback I find about watching videos on blogs is that sometimes it slows down the browsing experience if the videos are buffering; and sometimes content is not available in certain countries.  Hmmm that’s only 2 reasons not to use videos versus 23 Reasons To Add Video To Your Blog. 

What are your thoughts ? Do you use any sort of YouTube or other video content on your blog? Why (or why not)? What do you like and dislike about video on other people’s blogs?

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging challenge blogging tips

That caught your attention right ? My attempt at a slightly humourous heading considering I couldn’t think of anything quirky to go for an X tip.  Damn it’s a really hard letter to come up with things for !

In case you don’t know .. Xanadu is an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place (according to the Webster dictionary) … and that’s what my blog is for me .. its my idyllic place, my haven to just let myself go !

You should be super eXcited about your blog – I know I am about mine and about the ones I read.  I’m forever pimping out blogs of my favourite bloggers to anyone who wants new reading material and its always good to hear that other people I know are checking out my blog.  I love connecting with new readers via their comments and feedback.

I often find that I lose myself in my blog … especially when I’m on a roll .. sometimes I can’t type my thoughts up fast enough because there is just so much going on.  Do you find yourself in that mode ? Its a place where I can express myself without any reservations at all .. do you notice that on other social media platforms there’s a certain degree that we hold back when it comes to really saying what is on our mind ? 

How Xanadu is your blog for you ?

#atozchallenge #blogboost 10 Day You Blog Challenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blogging challenge blogging ideas blogging tips

Okay so I was totally clueless about what to write about for the Letter W … My first thought was to write about Wikipedia (‘cos really it’s such a great site to be able to find info on) but then I realized it wasn’t quite the blogging tip I wanted to share.

Ever since I started my first blog challenge in Aug 2011, I have been on the look out for other blog challenges as well as trying to find new ways to come up with good content for my blog.

Just now it struck me – the only way your blogger voice is going to grow is when you actually try out different forms of writing !  I’ve never actually done an actual writing exercise (like proper writers do) so I can’t tell you what to do with that.  But my perspective of it is that you should be open to writing about things you have never written about and something that is different to your usual content on your blog.  Taking part in a blog challenge is a form of a writing exercise for me and I can’t tell you just how chuffed I am with myself for making it through the challenges !

Here are a few ‘writing exercises’ (or challenges or whatever writing prompts – whatever you want to call them) that you might find useful :

1. 15 Day Feelings Challenge : you have one word as a prompt for each day and you can write about anything you want
2. 7 Deadly Sins Challenge : 7 sins, and you need to write 7 things about them in relation to you
3. 10 Day YOU Challenge : a great way of letting your readers know more about you !

And if you want more check out these links :

1. 5 Daily Writing Exercises That Can Improve Your Blogging by Mariana Ashley
2. 365 Picture Prompts from the Creativity Portal
3. Imagination Prompts from the Creativity Portal 

I hope you find these useful and if you have any writing exercises or tips then please do share them in the comments.

Bottom line – write whatever it is that you want to write about as long it comes from the heart.  Not all of us are professional writers; or can claim to have penned a book or two – but if you put your mind to it – anything is possible.  Happy Blogging folks !

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blogger tips blogger voice

Have you noticed that any time you visit a blog – you can almost ‘hear’ the author through their posts ? A few of my close friends who have read my blog have told me that my blog reads exactly as I speak and that’s what they really like about my blog.

Have you ever thought about how your blog sounds to a reader ? What does the tone behind the words say about your blog and what you are trying to actually convey to readers ?

I read this other article ‘Does Your Blog Have a Personality’ by Heidi Cohen that tells you how to create your writers voice.  Check it out when you have a chance.

Diva’s Tips on Finding Your Blogger Voice :

1. Be Yourself.  Nothing  you can say is wrong because it’s Your perspective.  Some people will agree with you; others will not; some may start a heated debate. But there’s nothing wrong with that.  Your thoughts are original to you; sure – others may think the same thought – but they process it differently to you.
2. Edit Your Posts.  Every writing tool (MS Word, Live Writer, down to web browsers) have got spell checks installed.  They are there for a reason.  Use them ! It shows a sign of respect to your readers.   The same way – make sure your grammar is correct.  Use capitalization and correct forms of punctuation when forming sentences.. It gives your reader a better experience.
3. Commit To Writing.  The more you write – the stronger your voice gets.  If you haven’t already done so – set some blogging goals. 
4. Ask for Feedback.  Let go of your ego and fears and just ask someone for feedback; and take it with a pinch of salt.  Bloggers are a friendly bunch – if you ask for help – they help.  If you need motivation – they give you that little push to get your feet in motion.
5. Experiment With Content.  If you’ve got a favourite author, give their writing style a shot. Try a new template / blog design; a writing format; make a few lists; a book or movie review; or just a post linking to your favourite bloggers.

These are just a few tips for now.  Have you found your blogger voice as yet ? Yes. No. Maybe. Somewhere in between perhaps ? Not that I’m an expert – but thought I’d put together a few words of wisdom to help you determine your status.  After all – its Your Voice – Your Blog – Your Blogger Voice.

p.s if you aren’t afraid to do it – you can actually create actual voice recordings and upload to your blog (my friend @DragonBlogger does this with some of his poetry) or You Tube videos for your blog and that way people can put your face to your voice !

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging how to tips blogging ideas blogging tips

This was a bit of a hard one for me – so I’m going to try and make this short and sweet.  Your blog is one of millions of blogs out there.  So what makes your blog so special for people to come out and keep visiting you ?

You need to make sure your blog is Unique and is always Updated.  I know it sounds ‘easy’ but it’s sometimes overwhelming to know that you have all these amazing blogs out there that just seem to have something special about them.  And of course we all want our blogs to be one of those ‘go-to’ blogs ‘cos its got all the best content ever !

My suggestions to you to keep your blog unique would include mixing up your content; participate in various blog challenges; and invite your favourite bloggers to write guest posts for your blog to give a new voice to your blog.

Some of the ways you can keep your blog updated is by refreshing your blog design every few months or at least once a year.  I’ve had about 4 different designs & layouts for my blog since I started blogging.  You can also schedule your blog posts so that you have regular content being posted even when you are too busy to blog. 

There is no right or wrong way to make your blog unique – what makes it really unique is the fact that’s its YOUR blogger voice that’s going to be heard and those who like it will stick around and those who don’t – oh well they’re just missing out. 

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging challenge

My last post for covered scheduling posts for your blog.  Today I’m going to talk about how you can stay connected with social media by using this very cool site called Timely.is

I discovered it a while ago and honestly – its made life so much easier especially when I’m swamped with work and I don’t want to leave my social media platforms blank.

With Timely.is one can decided whether you want to auto-publish posts 3, 5, or 9 times a day from this one site directly to your Twitter profile.  Since I don’t always have the time, I managed to post my tweets to my Facebook page for my business account and that way managed to always have my FB & Twitter page updated.  The added bonus is that you get statistics on how many people have clicked any links you have shared; how many people have RT’d your tweets / posts and how many people have you ‘reached’ out to.  Lastly, instead of you having to think about what time you should schedule your post to go up – the site tracks your tweets from the past and pre-determines what time is the best time for your new posts to go out at ! How cool is that ??!!

I personally think its a fab way of being able to pimp your blog without being too OTT.  I use it to ‘tweet’ my old posts / most popular posts and of course other bloggers posts so that my Twitter timeline doesn’t look too deserted. 

Have you ever used Timely.is before ? Do you use any other platform to schedule your tweets & posts ?

Diva’s Discovery

There’s another site called Dlvr.it which I also use and that automatically publishes your blog posts to your Twitter, FB & Linked In profiles when you put up a new post. 

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Just the other day, I wrote about Quality vs Quantity of posts and prior to that I’ve gone over how we must maintain original blog content. 

Have you found that sometimes you are on a total blogging roll – everything seems to be inspiring you and before you know it – you have got 4-5 ideas that you can make into blog posts.  So all these posts are ready but ‘now what’ ? Do you post them immediately ? Do you come back to them in a day or two or even the next week to post them ?

I’ve been there and guess what – sometimes I’ve forgotten that I have this awesome post sitting in the drafts and that post has gone unpublished for the longest time.  That sucks especially if it is a post that was probably more relevant to have been published earlier (maybe ‘cos it related to another post you had / it was in time for a new movie release / had something to do with what has been going on in the news – you get my drift here)

During the course of the Ultimate Blog Challenge that took place in January this year – I discovered that ‘scheduling’ my posts was really a God-send !  Blogger & Wordpress both offer this service and if you use Windows Live Writer like I do – then that has it as well.  The best part is being able to review & edit your posts prior to publishing (even though its technically already published)

Some of my posts for the A to Z Challenge were all written up on my free days and due to my ad-hoc work timings – I set up the posts to be scheduled to be published at different times each day so that I didn’t miss out on my posts. 

What are your thoughts about scheduling posts ? Have you done that in the past ? Are you going to be scheduling any posts during the Ultimate Blog Challenge ? Have you figured out when is the best time to ‘schedule’ your posts for ?

#atozchallenge #blogboost a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging tips

Read, Read & Read Some More

Blogging isn’t just about writing your own blog and letting people find you in Blogosphere.  It’s also about ‘reading’ other blogs ! Yup – you know all those other thousands of blogs that exist out there.  You’ve got to read them (ok not all of them but you need to make the time and do some blog stalking).

Who knows what kind of blogging techniques you will discover just by visiting other blogs.  Maybe you even ‘discover’ the next big blog that carries trends that people can’t wait to find out about.  The more you read the more you tend to get inspired – and hey inspiration is something we all look out for ! Reading other blogs also gives you the chance to make some great blogger friends.

React & Respond

So reading other blogs sounds easy right ?  Errrrrrrrrm WRONG.  If you read 20 blogs a day but don’t ‘react’ and ‘respond’ to them  (i.e leave comments by de-lurking) then what’s the point of reading those 20 blogs ? How are those folks going to know you thought their post was absolutely fantastic and totally expressed your own perspective on the topic in ways you couldn’t do yourself ??

During the course of this challenge, I’ve mentioned that it’s very important to engage your readers and to at least respond to comments that you get on your blog.  The other thing you’ve got to do is also ‘react’ by responding to other blog posts you read by leaving comments for them.

It’s quite an easy mantra.  Read. React. Respond.  (oh and feel free to pimp the blog that you react the most too – the blog author would love you for it)  Now imagine if everyone was networking that way – how many new connections would we all make ?

How many blogs do you read on a daily basis ? Or do you keep your blog reading for the weekends ?  Do you react with a response when you come across an interesting blog post ?

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging challenge blogging tips

Quality Over Quantity

Some blogging tips suggest that one should post a minimum of a post a day; sometimes more if they want their blog to reach top ranking.  After 3 years of blogging, there is no right or wrong way to blog ‘cos it really depends on you and what you want to achieve with your blog.

My belief is post quality over quantity.  As long as you are putting up good quality content on your blog, that’s all that matters.  The content should be relevant, informative, and intrigue your reader enough to want to leave you with interesting & interactive comments.

Make it your blogging goal to post quality over quantity.  I rather have a handful of meaningful posts than 30 posts that lack any sort of depth.  Others believe that Quantity matters too – check out what Jan Wong has to say in ‘Quality over Quantity, Really ?’

Questions

I noticed that when I started ending my blog posts with questions to my readers – the conversation on my blog increased.  You can’t be shy at blogging – so why not come right out and ask your readers direct questions related to your post topic which will encourage them to respond and therefore also get some of your anonymous readers to de-lurk. 

Do you question your readers directly or indirectly ? Which one works better for you ? Or do you sort of place the question between your post and hope someone responds to it ? 

Quotes

Personally I find that quotes can be very inspirational and can always be linked into a blog post or used to create a brand new post.  Do you use quotes at all ?

During the course of the A to Z Challenge, blogger Gillian of A Daft Scots Lass has been putting up some great ‘mottos’ (and some quirky quotes) for each letter of the alphabet.  Make sure you check them out and follow her on Twitter whilst you’re at it  @ADaftScot

On that note, I’ll leave you with 3 quotes I came across and thought were pretty apt for this post.

It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.
Mahatma Gandhi

Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential.  Anthony Robbins

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blog content ideas blog post ideas blogging challenge blogging tips

Before I start today’s post, let me throw a few questions your way.

• Do you want other bloggers to know about your blog ?
• Do you think you have a fun blog and want more readers ?
• Do you want to be recognized as a budding blogger with tons of potential ?
• Do you have amazing products and want to reach out to new clientele ?
• Are you looking to publish and distribute the next best-seller on this side of blogosphere ?
• Are you publishing blog content that everyone should read at least once ?

If you answered Yes to any of the above (very random questions) then my darling blogger friend, you better start pimping your blog ! And I don’t mean by standing in a dodgy alley and giving out your blog business card. 

Social media is an amazing space and the most perfect place for you to pimp your blog without fear of being judged.  To use social media effectively, you know ‘know your audience’.  . Flowtown has a great infographic on social media demographics on their site.

6 Ways To Pimp Your Blog Diva Style

1. Create a Face Book Fan Page for your blog and invite all your FB friends to ‘Like’ It.  Tell your Twitter friends too !
• Use Networked Blogs to sync your blog posts to your Facebook profile and Facebook Fan Page.
2. Create a Twitter account if you aren’t already on it – make sure your twitter name is something people can associate with your blog (if you are an anonymous blogger)
• Tweet and Re-Tweet to your hearts’ content and use relevant hash-tags so people can find your content.
3. Digg the posts you enjoy
4. Stumble your own posts and share other posts you Stumbleupon.
5. Add your blog link to your email signatures.  I do that on my personal email as ~ My Dazed Reflections http://www.dazedreflection.blogspot.com/
6. If you are a business blogger or have a blog for your business, then LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for B2B (business to business) companies.

How do you pimp your blog over social media ? What works for you ? What other platforms have you used that aren’t mentioned ?

Feel free to leave your FB Fan Page; Twitter ID’s and Linked-In Profiles in the comments so others can share some bloggy love with you.

#atozchallenge #blogboost a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging challenge blogging tips

You are a unique person – there’s no one else out there who is ‘you’ (unless you have a twin and even then I’m sure there are differences in who you both really are).

Your blog is a reflection of you and therefore all the content you post on your blog should ideally be original posts.  This is where I always end up thinking ‘erm how original can my post be ?’

Technically there is no such thing as an original idea ‘cos all ideas are somewhat borrowed or based on ideas from the past (whether it was 10 years or 100 years or even 10 days ago).  It’s a fact – so accept it.  I have.

There’s no harm in taking titbits of a great news article or a featuring a YouTube video that you enjoy – but if you don’t add your own opinion / perspective to it – then it doesn’t really add value to your blog and loses its ‘originality’.   Oh, and don’t forget to share the linky love so that your readers can go back to the original source of your inspiration.

See what I mean – it’s a bit tricky trying to be original but there are ways to do it.  You just have to bring your opinions and perspectives to the post and voila – it’s as original as it can get.  It’s all about expressing yourself at the end of the day.  And if you’re lucky – someone else will be inspired by it and write about the same thing and so it goes on. 

How do you come up with original content for your blog ? Do you list off potential topics and then just go with one or do you get that gut feeling that it’s going to be a good one ?

Further Reading :

1. How to Write a Popular Post by Leo Babauta
2. 10 Secrets for Writing Good Blog Posts

 

#atozchallenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blog challenge blogging challenge blogging how to tips blogging tips

Let’s be honest here – if you are a blogger, then you are already in a way – a bit of a networker.  It may be in your personal life, or work life – and now due to blogging / because of blogging you’ve started networking.

Networking is a fab way to make friends in blogosphere.  It’s also a really easy way for you to pick up on new ideas that you can use to create new content for your blog.

When I talk about networking – I don’t mean just add someone to your blog roll / Twitter.  I’m talking about actually connecting with other bloggers via all platforms available to you.  When you discover a blog post that really leaves you gobsmacked or awestruck – make sure you de-lurk and let the blogger know that you appreciate what they have to say.  If they have a Facebook page for their blog – then ‘like’ it and share it with your FB network.  If they are on Twitter – then tweet with your favourite bloggers; RT their posts; interact via tweets with them – have an actual conversation outside of your blog (I’ve actually met a few of my Blogger & Twitter friends in real life as well)

I managed to get some great new content for my blog by asking my network if anyone wanted to write a guest post for me.  The response was overwhelming and I have new content that is different to my regular style of writing – which in turn gained me a few new readers.

Do you network with your blogger peers ? What’s your preferred way of communicating with them ?  Do you ever seek their help when you feel a creative stump ?

Diva’s Discovery

Networked Blogs is a simple and fun user generated blog directory that lets users gain more exposure for their blogs.  Your blog gets it’s own page, a listing in the Networked Blogs directory and its easy syndicated to Facebook and Twitter (which means once you publish your post to your blog, it automatically gets posted to your FB and/or Twitter page as well).

Check out Michelle Shaeffers’ post ‘How To Add Your Blog To Networked Blogs’ – I’m sure you’ll find it useful.

#atozchallenge #blogboost 26 Day Blog Challenge a to z challenge a to z of blogging blogging challenge blogging how to tips blogging tips

Make The Time To Blog

When one first starts blogging, they tend to write / post whenever they feel like it.  I’ve found that over the past few years; I’ve started to make the time for blogging even when I’m super busy and have way too much on my plate – but I make sure I put aside a little bit of time to update my blog. 

Why ? Because I want my blog to grow (for myself).  One of my blog goals is to post a minimum of 8 posts a month; and luckily for me in 2011 I averaged 17 posts a month (compared to 2009 / 2010 where I was averaging 10 posts a month). 

My blog (or me) will probably never be a Top 10 blog across genres – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be. And the only way it will – is if I make time for my blog like all the other pro-bloggers out there.  Just by committing to take part in the A to Z Challenge – I’ve made myself make time for blogging each day.

What about you – do you just blog as and when you like or do you set aside a particular time of the day to blog ? I tend to write the most late at night or early in the morning.  Do you have any blog schedule that you follow ?

Mix It Up

I enjoy mixing up the content on my blog since I’m the type of person who gets bored quite easily.  I love to read blogs with different content to mine – and if I learn something new from a blog post that’s a total plus point. 

Memes are in essence pre-defined templates that bloggers can use to provide regular and interesting content to their blogs.  They are particularly useful when you’re lacking inspiration or when your creative juices are drained out.

I do owe some of my blog posts to the memes that I participate in such as Music Monday; Wordless Wednesday; and a little meme I created on my own Sexy Saturday.  The idea behind these memes is quite simple – every Monday I put up a post about a piece of music that I enjoy.  Wordless Wednesday involves putting up a photograph / visual art – I’ve clubbed this by adding my thoughts to the picture and asking my readers what they think about it too.  Sexy Saturday is all about eye-candy and I used it as a way to feature the actors / actresses that I (and the rest of you) drool over.

Do you participate in any popular memes or blog hops ? Would you consider participating in any of the ones I have mentioned ? Does your blog have a mix of topics or do you tend to stick to one type of content ?

Did You Know …

Richard Dawkins first introduced the word ‘meme’ in The Selfish Gene (1976) to discuss evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. He gave as examples melodies, catch-phrases, and beliefs (notably religious belief), clothing/fashion, and the technology of building arches.

 

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Links are awesome.  I enjoy clicking on links within articles or blog posts that provide ‘further reading’ links that are relevant to the topic on hand.  It’s a way for me to discover new blogs as well.

A Back-Link is exactly what it sounds like – a link coming back to your own blog or website.  It could be from another blog or website to your own; or an external link from someone else. 

Diva’s Guide to Giving & Receiving Linky Love

1. Links to Posts that you have referenced.  I tend to link back to blog posts that might have inspired my own post and I make it a point to also inform the blog owner that I will be doing so / or have done so.  It makes them feel good and you’d be surprised at how often those bloggers will pimp your blog post for you just ‘cos you’ve mentioned them and given them credit.
2. Link back to your own related posts.  Linking within your own blog is a great way to boost your blogs SEO, and to showcase your other blog content to your readers.  You can go a step further by using key words that relate to posts that you’re going to be linking back to so as to further boost your blog SEO.
3. Link back after Comments.  Most of the time, when you leave a comment on a blog, there is a feature that lets you leave your blog link.  Make sure you do this ‘cos you never know who might be interested in reading your last post.
4. Become a Guest Blogger or Invite a Guest on your Blog.  I encourage any blogger doing a guest post for my site to include a link to their website and to their FB and/or Twitter; and the same has been asked of me when I have guest posted for other blogs.

What do you do to increase your back-links ? Do you use any of the suggested methods above ? Do you offer a link exchange feature on your blog ?

Diva’s Discovery

A while ago I came across ‘Comment Luv’ – it’s a plugin that can be used with Wordpress and Blogger blogs which allows the person commenting to choose to display not only their name, but any one of their last 10 blog posts.  Now that’s an easy way to create and increase links to and from your blog.  Check out this nifty video to get a better idea about it.

p.s. if you use Intense Debate as a commenting system like I do – you just have to go to your dashboard and activate CommentLuv

p.p.s the ‘Love’ part of this post was inspired by @MystiqueWanderr and @Mate1