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Showing posts with label blogger tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogger tips. Show all posts

social_media_monitoring_tools1It has taken me nearly 9 months to come up with a way of dealing with all my social media accounts and not be overwhelmed with the responsibility. Many people now have multiple social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and so on, so it’s important not to spend your whole day stuck to your computer screen, it’s bad for your health for starters!

Whether you are a small business or just an avid social media fan there are a wealth of tools out there which can help you manage your time online. Maybe you like spending a lot of time online interacting with your friends, family and followers, or maybe you’re in business and need to free up some time to actually get on with your work.

Here are some great tools (in no particular order) I have come across in the last 9 months which I wouldn’t be without, I have written about most of these on my own blog:

Tweetdeck

Since Tweetdeck was updated a few weeks ago I have been using it a lot. You can use Tweetdeck with Twitter and Facebook. I can consolidate all my own accounts and my client’s accounts on here and can easily scroll through them quickly to see any mentions or interactions. I used to schedule tweets through Tweetdeck but it was a cumbersome operation and took me such a long time just to do a week’s worth of posts, I now use SocialOomph for scheduling...

SocialOomph

Automation of updates is a hot topic among the social media circles, some like it, others hate it... it’s a bit like marmite!

If I was being honest I didn’t like automation when I first started out, it seemed as though the person didn’t really care about being on social media. My opinion quickly changed when I realised how much time social media can take up, I just wasn’t getting any real work done and I was starting to get stressed with it all.

SocialOomph lets you schedule tweets, and with the advanced plan, Facebook and blog posts as well. I have a paid account and it has definitely paid for itself in the number of client’s I have gained through Twitter alone. I love the queue reservoirs, I can add updates when I think of them and add them to the queue. You set a time frame, so say every 2 hours and the queue is tweets out and it goes to the back of the queue and so it carries on. To really benefit from this you need to have a lot of updates in your reservoir because people don’t want to be seeing the same updates over and over. I tend to check mine once a week, delete old irrelevant ones and add some new ones.

I also have my clients profiles on here using queue reservoirs and it’s a great way of getting your updates out there but not being tied to your computer 24/7 - plus it frees up your time to interact more with your followers/fans.

Buffer

Buffer works by scheduling Tweets, Facebook or LinkedIn updates at optimum times of the day. When you install it, either as an add-on for your browser, on your iPhone or a widget on your blog/website, you can click the Buffer icon and the tweet/link/update will automatically be scheduled to post at the next time slot.

I recently upgraded my account with Buffer so I am now able to have 6 accounts and 50 updates per account.

I use Buffer with Flipboard and SocialBro, they link very nicely!

SocialBro

SocialBro is all about stats, it tells me everything I could ever want to know about my followers and who I follow on Twitter.

Within the application you can customise what you want to see such as 'Best Time to Tweet' or 'Analyse Your Competitors' and so much more! You can also link it to Buffer and it will automatically customise the best times to tweet, it suggests you do it once a week so your tweets go out at optimum times.

Flipboard

This app is for the iPad and iPhone. When you are overwhelmed with social media this is a great app which consolidates everything into a magazine style format. You can flip through page after page of updates, it's nothing like your Twitter feed, and it includes the images so it makes it so much easier to pick out items of interest. You can also add customise searches, and you can link a lot of your social media accounts. I have mine linked to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Reader, but there are other options too.

I am always interested in what others use for managing their social media, so why not follow me on Twitter and let me know, or comment on this blog post.

clip_image002Jo Harrison of Writer's Block Admin Servicesdivas guest blogger is a British Virtual Assistant based in South West France. Jo specialises in social media management for small businesses and eBook formatting. Jo's blog contains further articles on social media tips and the eBook industry.

VHave 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 !

Before I started the A to Z Challenge, I knew I was going to faceJ trouble with some of the alphabets for my theme (which is the A to Z of Blogging – Diva Style … oooh I like the sound of that!)

I sent out a plea tweet yesterday as I still didn’t have any topic to write about and then one of my favourite bloggers @TheHopefulRom came to my rescue with the suggestion for today’s post ‘Just Do It’ ‘

TheHopefulRom thought it would be apt ‘For anyone who's spent ages thinking about blogging but has been too afraid’ – Just Do It.

It’s perfect and makes for a great post.  So I’ve come up with a few scenarios where the motto ‘Just Do It’ will get you motivated enough to keep you going.

Here’s the Deal. You’re new to the blogging world, and you want to get your blog noticed.  What do you do ? Blog, Blog and Blog on ! Just do it ‘cos if you don’t, no one will know you’re out there.

Here’s the Deal.  You want to experiment with your blog content to show off your witty sense of humour but aren’t sure if your readers will like it. Just do it – ‘cos someone out there in blogosphere is going to enjoy your post.

Here’s the Deal. You’ve been reading about blog challenges but don’t know if you will be able to complete it.  Don’t be afraid. Just do it – how else will you know if you can or can’t complete it.

Here’s the Deal. Are you afraid of leaving comments on other blogs ? Just do it and de-lurk ! Trust me – you won’t regret it.

Here’s the Deal.  You want to write about a potentially controversial topic / you are infuriated by something but afraid to blog about it / you’ve been inspired by an idea that could just turn the heat up on your blog .. but you hold yourself back.  Just do it – blogs are meant to be an outlet for you to express yourself; it’s your blog after-all.

Here’s the Deal.  You’ve made your blogger friends that you follow them on FB and/or Twitter and you would love for them to Guest Post on your blog but afraid / embarrassed to ask.  Just do it – not only will the other blogger be flattered they would also appreciate that you think highly of them. 

justdoit

Just Do It.  3 very powerful words.  So whether you are a newbie or a native in blogosphere, whenever you find yourself in doubt (in similar situations to above; not for when you’re thinking about raiding a bank or jumping off a cliff) – just do it ! What’s the worst thing that could happen ?

Disclaimer : Neither TheHopefulRom or myself are promoting Nike or blogging on their behalf.  This thought can be traced back to the Tweets between THR & myself on 10th April 2012. 

(I’m trying to be funny – is it working ?)

Blogs & BloggingB wreath

There must be a reason behind how and why you started your blog; and just for that you must remember that the blog must go on.  Whether you write a blog post every day or once a week – don’t forget to blog – by way of your own posts and by commenting on other blogs. 

There are some posts that evoke strong reactions and the comments themselves can sometimes be considered blog posts themselves and you can use it to create a brand new post for yourself. 

You may read that one needs to maintain X number of posts a day / a week to become an established blog or to keep readers interested .. I reckon that all you need to do is maintain a basic blog schedule / blog goal for yourself.  When I started out in 2008, I aimed for at least 2 posts a week / 8 posts a month; and between 2009 to 2011 I’ve gone from an average of 10 posts a month to 17 posts a month – that’s a huge achievement for me.

It takes each of us time to discover our blogger voice – but at the end of the day your blog is a reflection of you and your blogger voice.  And if you are ever stumped, just ask yourself ‘why do you blog’ and the post will be ready before you know it !

Bookmark Blogs That Appeal To You

When you aren’t blogging – you should be reading other blogs (and book marking them too).  Let’s face it, there are thousands of awesome blogs out there in Blogosphere and as much as we would like to think we can singlehandedly remember every single blog we have ever visited – we can’t and that’s why bookmarks are an awesome way of collating all the blogs that have made an impact on you.

I’ve used ‘De.li.cious’ in the past and have found it to be a useful tool for bookmarking my favourite sites – especially since you can log onto any computer / laptop and import your bookmarks over.

If all the fancy tools for bookmarking are too much to deal with – then I suggest just making ‘folders’ in your regular bookmark provider that comes with IE / Chrome / Firefox and save your favourite blogs on there.

Yay ! That marks the end of my 2nd post for the A to Z Challenge.  Would love to know why you blog and if you feel that you have discovered your inner blogger voice ? Are there any social bookmarking tools that you would recommend that has made it easier for you to keep track of your favourite blogs ?

a-zBy now you would be aware that I’m taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge which kicks off on the 1st of April.  In fact I’m one of 1416 people who are participating.

This will be the 3rd blog challenge I’m participating in and the one thing I have learned from all of them is that – one must plan ahead.  A few months ago when I discovered this challenge, I actually wrote up 5-6 posts (with no theme) but those didn’t get transferred when I switched laptops.  So for the past few weeks I’ve been contemplating what sort of theme to focus the A to Z challenge around. Technically I can write about anything I want – or even use photos as long as it corresponds to the alphabet of the day and has about 100 words.

I’ve decided to go with the theme ‘A to Z of Blogging’ where I’ll associate each letter of the alphabet with tips / ideas of how you can enhance your blogging experience. 

Here’s a run down of the topics behind my Blogging theme (please feel free to add points on what you would want to read about or perhaps a topic that you feel I could include)

  1. A – about page / accountability / advertise /
  2. B – blog blog blog / bookmark your fav blogs /
  3. C – comments / challenges /cite your sources
  4. D – Delurk Yourself
  5. E – express yourself
  6. F – Follow others / Facebook / Friends
  7. G – guest bloggers / grow as a blogger
  8. H – humour
  9. I – Intense Debate / Interact
  10. M – make the time / music / Memes / mix it up
  11. N – new ideas / networked blogs / networking
  12. O – Opinions Matter / original posts
  13. P – pimp your blog on social networks
  14. Q – quotes / quality over quantity
  15. R – respond to comments / Read & Respond
  16. S – sexy Saturday / Sunday / Schedule your blog
  17. T – tweet away / tweet & tumblr
  18. V – visual content / video content
  19. W – wordless Wednesday / we heart it
  20. Y – your blogger voice

I’m having trouble with the below letters – and really hope you guys can give me some suggestions on what I can write about.  It’s like my mind is completely blank in trying to put together something for these letters.

  • J
  • K
  • L
  • U
  • X
  • Z

If you are participating in the challenge, have you decided on a theme ? What is it ? Do let me know if you can think of other tips I can throw in based on the alphabets.  If you aren’t participating, what are some of the topics you would like to read about based on my current theme ? If you fancy taking part, then feel free to sign up for the challenge here.

UBC-completed-smallI never really thought just how hard it would be to complete the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  It’s been a tough month considering I’m not a daily blogger – at one point I thought, hats off to anyone who blogs daily (and to those who actually write journals).  The only time I’ve ever blogged continuously was when I took part in the 10 Day YOU Challenge back in August 2011.

Blogging every day, or even putting together 31 posts over 31 days is not an easy task and for every day that I wasn’t able to blog or schedule a post – I got pretty worked up about not being able to keep up to the challenge.

Despite putting together tips on how to stay on track for the blog challenge; I felt that I was falling behind due to a rather hectic work schedule.   To make matters worse; I realized that some of my scheduled posts didn’t get published on time which made me feel like my efforts kinda went to waste.

Regardless of the set-backs that I faced, I was determined to see that I got 31 posts up and I have – and I’m proud of completing the challenge.  I managed to learn a lot from this and discover a lot of new bloggers who are all featured in my blog challenge report.  Would I do it again …. YES !! (I know it sounds crazy but I do love me a good challenge).

What about you ? How far did you get in the challenge ? Did you complete all 31 posts ? Would you take part in something like this again ? And if you didn’t participate – do you think you would participate later in the year ? (I believe there are 3 more UBC challenges this year)

ideas 2After countless hours in front of my laptop trying to put together new post topics to keep me going through the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I realized that there are ideas everywhere; you just have to know where to look (which can be pretty time consuming).

So I thought I’d save you some screen time and share 712 blog topics that you can write about and refer to when you’re suffering from a bout writers block or when your creative juices are completely drained out.

  1. 100 Blog Topics I Hope You Write by Chris Brogan
  2. 50 Article/Blog Title Ideas For You by Michelle Shaeffer
  3. 93 Business Blogging Topic Ideas – Things to Blog about When You’re Out of Ideas by Mike Brown
  4. 101+ Killer Blog Post Ideas
  5. 15 List Post Ideas When You Get Writer’s Block – by Tristan Higbee for Kikolani
  6. 353+ Blog Post Ideas to Inspire You by Amy Schmittauer

There you have it .. there are enough topics in there to keep you going for 1 year 11 months (if you wrote a post a day) ! Damn !!

If you have any links or post ideas that you know about, please do share them in the comments so that everyone who stops by can benefit from it.

Some of you might recall that a few months ago I participated in the 10 Day YOU Blog Challenge which was quite a bit of fun and it really got me focused on ensuring I churned out one post a day (every day) for 10 days.

Then in October / November I came across something called the Ultimate Blog Challenge (and being the rock star that I am) I decided to sign up for the January 2012 session.  Little did I know that I would actually get an email informing me that the challenge was about to start and whether I was ready to get my blog on ! 

There are few simple rules to follow :

  1. Post every day for 31 days (duh !).  Doesn’t matter if you post twice a day and then skip a day – but you have to hit 31 posts over the entire month of January.
  2. Each post must have a minimum of 100 words to count – so you can’t just put up a picture or a video and leave it there
  3. Once you’ve posted, then tweet your post with the tag #blogboost so other participants can find you, and come comment on your blog
  4. Go to the #blogboost page and take the time to read other participants blogs (and don’t forget to comment!)
  5. No adult blogs – so keep it PG
  6. Have fun whilst you blog !

Now I just have to figure out how on earth I’m going to manage 31 posts in 31 days given my extremely hectic schedule for the coming few weeks … Wish me luck folks !

link-twitter-to-facebookNow we all know how to link our FB profile pages to our Twitter accounts and vice versa.  There are built-in apps for FB and Twitter that allow us to do this which does make life easier.  I found Tweetdeck to be a life saver when it came to publishing my company tweets to the company profile page on FB.  But the thing is, most of the above apps are for ‘profile’ pages !

I’ve spent the last few days trying various methods of integrating my tweets to my Facebook fan page but it’s been a futile effort ! The most I managed was to use Involver or Selective Tweets to publish to my FB Fan page however the drawback was that :

  • Tweets were also getting published to my personal profile
  • I had to use specific #fb hash tags which can be a pain to do
  • I had to manually ‘publish’ the Tweets from the Tweets tab on the fan page

Today– I found the perfect solution thanks to my Twitter friend @spinsterlicious – who suggested that I use ‘HootSuite’.  Now seriously – how is it that this never once came up in any of the searches ! (and hence the reason for this post)

5 Steps To Posting Tweets to FB Fan Page

1.  Go to HootSuite.com

2.  Register and activate an account

3.  Add a Social Network

a) Your Twitter profile

hs social network

b) Your Facebook account

  • note at this point it will show your FB profile page and ask you to ‘allow’ access and permissions to Hootsuite
  • click ‘allow’
  • Log onto your FB account from the pop-up browser

hs fb

4.  Once you see your FB account listed; you will also see all the ‘pages’ you subscribe to and also those that you are an ‘admin’ of.

  • I’ve logged onto my company FB profile and can see the ‘page’ that I am admin off as shown below.
  • Select the FB page that you want to link your tweets to by clicking the ‘+’ sign; which will then open as a new tab within the HootSuite application
  • Start posting and scheduling tweets that you want to share on your FB Blog Page without worrying about all your personal tweets going on to your profile or the fan page !

hs fb network

5.  Add a Stream.

  • Basically you will see a few tabs in the window which will show your Twitter profile, FB profile and FB fan page
  • Adding a stream means connecting your FB fan page with your Twitter profile
  • Select your Twitter Profile and the ‘type of stream’ you want i.e. all the tweets; or just the @mentions or only what you send out (I selected only ‘sent tweets’ for my company account)

hs stream

And voila ! you are done ! I couldn’t believe how simple it was to publish tweets to just on my FB fan page ! All the other instructions I had seen were way too complex !

Have you got any other ways to publish your tweets directly to your FB fan pages ? Have you used HootSuite before ? If you did try out these instructions, do let me know your feedback :)

Do you use FaceBook Pages ? I’m not talking about ‘Groups’ but ‘Pages’.  I do and I actually have created a few FB Pages for various clients and my own company AKA : A Klass Apart BUT I’ve always wondered how to go about making a FB page for my blog.

I’ve always known it was simple, but I realized that unless you did your homework on this, most people are not able to find / select a ‘blog’ or ‘website’ feature when creating pages.

I’ve put together 5 simple steps that outline how to create your new FB page for your blog.

1. Log in to Facebook.

  • To create a page, you must have a personal account. If you don’t have your own account, go to the Facebook home page and sign up.

2. Go to Create New Facebook Page

  • From the category options, chose “Brand, Product, or Organization”
  • Scroll down on the drop down menu and choose “Website”.
  • On the next section, enter the name of your page. I just used the name of my blog. Click “Create Page”.

facebook fan page pic 1

3.  Customize Your Page

  • Add an image from your desktop that best represents your blog
  • Start filling in all the relevant sections with the info that you want to share with your audiences
  • Set up your blog RSS feed to show your new posts in Facebook.  You can do this by ‘editing’ the ‘Notes’ section and using your blog URL or the RSS feed link that exists on your blog.

(I would offer to give more step-by-step methods in doing the above but with the constant FB changes, its better left simpler)

4.  Become a Fan of your own Page (very important – if you don’t do it, why would anyone else ?) facebook_fan_page

5.  Pimp your new FB Blog Fan Page to Cyberspace. 

  • Tweet it !
  • Tumble it !
  • Update your FB profile to let your friends know you have a Blog (unless of course you don’t want them to know)
  • Blog about it so your readers can become your fan on FaceBook
  • and watch your fans grow !

There you have it – 5 easy steps on creating your very own FaceBook page for your blog.  I’ve just set mine, ‘Dazed Reflections of a Diva’ up today – so do go check it out whenever you have a chance.

For More Tips and For Visual Step-by-Step Guides check out:

  1. How to create a FaceBook Page for your Blog by StandoutBlogger
  2. How to create Facebook Page for your Blog by QuickOnlineTips
  3. How to promote your blog with Facebook pages

i wantI’ve decided to take part in a blog challenge as mentioned previously, where I am going to write 10 posts in 10 days. Today is Day 4 and I’m about to share all the things that top my ‘want’ list !

1/ My own dream home.  Who doesn’t want this right ? I’ve always thought of having a house on the beach since I love the water.  My aunt has a gorgeous place on the Palms in Dubai – I’d kill to have a place over there !  If not a house, then a very modern apartment in a high rise with great views; lots of rooms so all my friends & family have a place to crash; a swimming pool and a walk-in wardrobe to put all my clothes, sandals & bags !

2/ Luxury Sports Car.  I love Mercedes as a brand.  My first car was a CLK 230 and I can’t wait to own another Merc – the new AMG has caught my fancy ! Otherwise a Porche, Lamborghini or Maserati would do just fine. 

3/ My own night club.  I don’t know where it’s going to be but I want it and I’m going to get it ! (in an ideal world – I’d own a few night clubs actually in different parts of the world)

4/ A puppy.  I absolutely love dogs especially German Shepherds & Dobermans ! I haven’t gotten a puppy over the last 4 years as I wasn’t sure how long I was going to  sooner than later, it doesn’t make sense to get one here.  I’m definitely gonna get one once I find a city / country to settle down in.

5/ To travel the World.  I love traveling, and there are so many places that I have yet to discover.  I would love to be able to take a year or two off and just go traveling around !

6/ To be successful in whatever I do.  I’ve been an entrepreneur for years now and whilst everything is great – there’s always scope for improvement.  I know my hard work and dedication will pay off – so there’s nothing wrong in wanting it right.

7/ I want a magic lamp with my own personal genie who grants me 3 wishes every day for the rest of my life ! Hell I might as well throw it out in the universe and hope for the best right ?

10 day you challenge

That’s my ‘want list’  – now it’s time to share yours.  Feel free to list them out in the comments or share the link to your own blog post on the subject.

fear (2)I’ve decided to take part in a blog challenge as mentioned previously, where I am going to write 10 posts in 10 days. Today is Day 3 and I’m about to share my worst fears with you !

1/ Losing my parents.  The thought alone makes me tear up and I don’t even know how to imagine a life without them.  It doesn’t matter I’ve lived away from them for years – but to not be able to speak to them or see them again – the thought kills me.

2/ Losing my Memory. I’ve always prided myself on being able to keep track of things far and beyond; my Mum says I have this uncanny ability to remember the randomest of dates and comes to me when she can’t recall something.

3/ A slow painful death.  We are all going to die one day and I’m cool with that.  I just want it to be quick and done with ! The idea of a slow and drawn out death is not only painful but it would hurt my loved ones and I rather not see that happen.  I’ve actually said to a friend of mine & my mom, if that were the case – just pull the plug on me.

4/ Not being able to give my children the life that I have had.  Everyone wants to give their kids a better life if not the same life they have had.  It would eat me up if I wasn’t able to give my kids (when I have them) the life I’ve had (and thinking about it makes me realize I really should save more for that to be able to happen !)

5/ Being a burden to my loved ones.  I know one day I might not be able to do all the things I do for myself on a regular basis.  I’m gonna hope that never happens.  I’d hate to be dependent on someone for my day-to-day needs.  This also holds true for being incapacitated.  The thought of not having any functioning body parts (hands, legs, brain) gives me the shivers and would pose to be a burden for those around me.

6/ Losing all my teeth. I know it’s gonna happen someday but I actually get nightmares of my teeth falling (actually crumbling) in my mouth !! It’s given me many sleepless nights.

7/ Cockroaches. I’m a chicken shit when it comes to cockroaches. I know they can’t do much to me but just looking at them gives me the creeps.  Anything that can live without its head for 9 days needs to be feared !

8/ Losing everything stored on my various Hard Drives.  That is enough to give me a nervous break down !! I have everything from my school work, university papers, photographs (this is the most important of them all), work related documents, music, fav TV shows, fav movies etc stored on my HDs.  It would drive me nuts if I lost any of this – especially the photographs.  We live in a technology driven world and I have no hard copies of anything anymore !

10 day you challenge

That’s my list of fears for you – now it’s time to share yours.  Feel free to list them out in the comments or share the link to your own blog post on the subject.

I found this on a blog called Bits n Pieces and it caught my fancy.  It’s a 10-day challenge where I have to disclose the following on my blog to share with all of my neighbours in Blogosphere. 

10 day you challenge

That’s right. 10 Posts in 10 Days.  Ever since I started blogging, I’ve always strived to put together at least 2 posts each week / 8 posts a month; which I have maintained (and many a times, exceeded). 

I wouldn’t have been able to do that if it hadn’t been for some of my fave bloggers pushing me along the way.  Sometimes they ‘tagged’ me in posts and we’d nudge each other to complete those posts; and you know what – it got me a whole lot closer to my blogger friends.  It also helped quite a few of this blogs readers to de-lurk.

So I’m going to take on the 10-Day Challenge and ‘tag’ some of you who I’d like to know more about ! Consider yourself warned ! And if you feel like you want to take part in the challenge, just keep sharing your links =)

This should be fun !

Further Reading :

  1. 7 Must Have Mood Enhancers
  2. The Dazed Master of Divas
  3. 7 Dazed Facts About The Diva
  4. My  Top 12 Guilty Pleasures

Disclaimer : Originally written as a Guest Post  on 6th April ‘11 for The Single Filez to celebrate her 1 year blogaversary.  Don’t forget to check out the other international bloggers who participated.

I’ve been blogging regularly for just over 2 years now; and it’s been a really insightful journey of discovering more about ‘me’, my blogger voice, and becoming aware about what else is ‘out there’.  I’ve discovered some amazing bloggers spread out across the globe; some of which are now my Twitter and FaceBook friends.  When I started my blog – I didn’t quite know what to blog about or how I would carve a space for myself out in Blogosphere but I knew I wanted to have a place of my very own where I could look back and think ‘damn so that’s what I was thinking / experiencing / going through all those years ago’.   I didn’t know the first thing about blogging – so I just kept reading around Blogosphere; found inspiration in posts; wrote up whatever I could and hoped that someone out there was reading my sporadic reflections.  And here’s what I discovered:

blogger learning cycle

Be Yourself.

Bloggers earn their readers trust.  Be honest with them.  Don’t be somebody you are not.  The best blogs I’ve read are usually ‘in-your-face – this is my thought whether you agree or disagree’.  Everyone is entitled to an opinion and your blog is an avenue to express yourself.  Your blog should be a reflection of your personality – the good, the bad, the funny, the ugly – you get my drift.  Some people may applaud you on it; some might throw in a counter-argument but that’s all a part of being blogger.

Read; Comment; Read & Comment Some More.

Even the most amazing bloggers can get writers block; so it’s no surprise that the newbie bloggers and part-time / social bloggers need inspiration for their next post.  It’s important to read what others have to say about a topic / subject that appeals to you or holds value to you.  When you come across something you can relate to – then make sure you leave a comment behind – even if it just one line.  Blogging is about building relationships with your online peers so that you are able to engage them with your blog content and thereby build up readership on your blog.

Continue The Conversation & Ask For Feedback.

Are you giving your readers a chance to continue to the conversation with your blog post ?  What is the purpose of your post ? Do you want another opinion on your thoughts ?  Ask and thou shall receive !  I’ve gotten into the habit of ending my blog posts with questions to my readers and people do respond to them; which brings about a new perspective to the topic on hand and thereby allows you to continue your conversation with your readers.  There are times I call upon my readers for help – whether it be to find a music artist; or to get feedback on the change of design of my blog – and being the helpful bunch that bloggers are – the responses always help me out.

Unleashing Your Blogger Voice.

Your blogger voice is reflected in your writing style : is it personal, opinionated, sarcastic, conversational etc.  The more you read other blogs, the more you will discover what kind of writing styles appeal to you.  Pick a blogger that you admire and write a follow up post on something that they have done in a similar manner.  Don’t hold back when blogging – write without inhibition as if no one is reading and when you’re done with the post – then worry about the grammar and corrections. It will take some time & practice but once you ‘discover’ your blogger voice – you’ve hit the sweet spot!

Two years down the line – I’ve found out that there are a whole bunch of people who actually ‘follow’ me and read what I have to say.  They interact with me; encourage me; and push me to write and express myself in ways I didn’t think I could at all.  I never thought of myself as a relationship / dating blogger but some people do and I consider it an honour to be a part of this elite group of bloggers.  A few weeks ago I received a tweet that ranked me #20 in India as a person to Follow on Friday!!

Does this mean my blogger voice has been heard – YES ! I believe that each blogger has an individual voice that will keep changing with every curve ball that life throws our way.

What have you learned whilst blogging away to glory ? Have you noticed any changes in your style of writing ? Are you a blog lurker or have you managed to de-lurk on your favourite blogs ?

A while back – I had a guest post featured on my blog by a dear friend AS.  I was writing about dating and so was he and it made sense to show case a post with male insight.

A few weeks ago, I lost my guest post cherry and got featured on MetAnotherFrog.com; and luckily for me, people quite enjoyed the post =)  I’ve been asked to write another guest post for next month which I’m quite excited (and nervous) about.

guest-bloggers-wantedEver since then – I’ve been wondering about asking my readers and visitors if they wanted to share their thoughts and their own sporadic reflections here on my blog.  As much as I’d like to believe and hope that I can continue to entertain my neighbours here in Bloggerville – it might just spice things up by adding a few new perspectives every now and then.

So here’s the deal and it’s pretty self explanatory.  If you feel like you want to add your Blogger Voice towards my very sporadic reflections – then get in touch via email / comments / twitter.

It could be about anything and everything (let’s just avoid the porn); your favourite song that you want featured on Music Mondays; a picture that took your breath away for Wordless Wednesdays.  You might be a great poet; a great cook with a divine dessert recipe you want to share; or you found a way to take revenge on the ex … you get my drift ?

Drop me a line on dazediva@gmail.com  with whatever you have in mind, a small blurb about yourself along with a link to your blog / twitter account; your avatar / photo and we can take things from there.

I’m being serious !! … Seriously ;P

Yeah you read that right .. it’s time to de-lurkify yourself my friends ! Yes you … I know you’re reading this; I know you want to comment but you just haven’t gotten a strong enough hit of your coffee to want to comment just yet .. but I know deep down you really want to do it !

LurkerDay_DontWantToHideForever Are you just pretending that you don’t know what I’m talking about ?? A lurker is someone (just like you) who enjoys stopping by blogs (or sometimes lands there by accident), reading various blogs and enjoys the comments but doesn’t leave a single trace of his/her presence on your blog =( 

It’s a big bad world out there – and even though its great that you’re here visiting my blog; I feel kinda sad that I’m never going to know who you are and where I can ever find you again !!! It’s just not fair – that you come and visit my blog and that I never get to discover who you are and what you do and what kind of blog you have or what kind of tweets you send out !!

It seemed apt to suggest that it’s the time to de-lurk as I happened to come across a similar sentiment whilst blog hopping today.  Adam Singer suggested that one of the ways to generate a buzz on a blog was to ask readers to de-lurk and Ari Herzog of Ariwriter wrote ‘Why I’d Like You To De-Lurk’; and I discovered that 14th January is National Delurking Day !

I remember losing my lurking streak to Kathy at the Junk Drawer way back in March 2009; I was so nervous that by the time I decided to de-lurkify myself – I was commenter number 118 !!!  Wow ! 118 comments on a single blog post ! That’s impressive !  I remember being scared about sounding silly but eventually I just took a deep breath and wrote down whatever came to mind.  Here’s a bit of what I wrote to Kathy …

So why was I lurking .. still grasping the concept of blogging; trying to find time to pen down my thoughts; sometimes I feel that what I have to say has already been said – so I just go off with a smile on my face

So what have you got to lose by de-lurking ? Absolutely nothing.  You would only be sharing your blogger voice with us all (and you’d be making my day by letting me know that you stopped by !)

And just to show you how easy it is .. here’s what you have to do to De-Lurkify yourself :  

  1. Click on the Comment link
  2. Leave your name (real name or blogger name) and website address so I can drop by and visit you
  3. Leave your twitter name (if you tweet) comments

Now that’s the easy part … if you’re feeling brave you can also

  1. type in whatever you want i.e. how long you’ve been lurking for; if its your first time here; do you like / love or hate my blog; why do you lurk;  seriously you can write anything you want in here !

My aim is to try to discover at least 20 lurkers on my blog (my stats show that I have all these visitors but since there are never comments from them – it kinda leaves me feeling a bit low) – so if you’re a lurker – you’ll really be doing me a favour by de-lurking !

Go on – it’s time to de-lurk NOW !

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this morning (like any other morning) and came across an interesting post by Jeff Bullas titled ‘Why Do You Blog’ (hence the title of my post since there was really no other way of putting it)  which I highly recommend you all read.

I have taken the liberty of putting together a little diagram to summarize what Jeff has said :

why do you blog 

I’ve been blogging for almost 2 years now .. seriously since about 1.5 year .. and I’ve never really thought about ‘why’ I blog .. I blog because I want to.  There’s no real hidden purpose behind it.  It’s more about the ability to be able to express myself and to voice out an opinion.  I’m not a political blogger nor am I a business blogger .. I don’t fall into the dating / relationship blogger category (but am flattered that a few of my Twitter friends consider me to be so) ..

I suppose I blog for all of the above illustrated reasons – more so in the personal blogger category because I tend to write about a variety of things .. hence the name Sporadic Reflections for my blog.

I never thought I’d make money from blogging.  Hats off to those who make a living as bloggers.  I just don’t know if I would be able to do that.  I mean I love to write but I barely have the time that would even remotely qualify me to be able to make enough money to sustain myself.  Having said that, I have over the past few months enrolled myself with various sites that pay bloggers for content.  I’m also quite proud of the fact that I’ve managed to make about $100 from doing what I enjoy in my spare time – writing – or to say it correctly – by blogging. 

Everyone has their own reasons behind why they choose to blog – after all it’s about finding your blogger voice.  As an events & wedding planner – I have been meaning to put together a few articles that I feel would be helpful for brides and grooms and have them put up on my blog.  I’ve even thought about having a separate blog just for that.  I’m still in the researching phase for that – but it’s something I want to do and hope to have up and running soon enough.  Alternatively I will just wait until my company website is live and have the blog as a part of that.

I recommend business blogs to all my clients who come to me for marketing consulting.  I am very pro social media marketing and encourage clients to delve into it if they haven’t already as I feel its a better medium for them.  There are a plethora of ways of business to promote their brand and their products by way of blogging and incorporating a few other social media mediums and use it voice vitaminsto their advantage. 

MySpace introduced blogging quite a few years ago – and created an avenue for music artists to put up their latest projects, gigs, their new music, and also enable them to interact with their fans.  There are a growing number of photo blogs out there that lets photography enthusiasts show off their talents and lets the rest of cyber space enough their photography.  Some of us have never seen the images captured and probably never will.

Now that I have found my blogger voice – what about you ? Have you found your blogger voice ? And lastly I’ll leave you with this thought – does a public or private blog affect your writing ?

So why do you blog ? Would love to know your thoughts on this and if you have taken the time to read any of the other posts linked to this article – don’t forget to leave a comment :)

I was hanging out over at the Fabulous Bitch’s place and WOW .. it hit me right in the face ! I didn’t even know that this place existed.  Not the Fabulous Bitch’s place (I go over to see her almost every day !!) but WOW : Words of Wisdom.

Considering that I pride myself on ensuring to check out as many blogs and links left by other bloggers – I was quite surprised that I’d never heard of this place.  So I did what any good blogger neighbour would do .. I dropped by and paid them a visit .. left a comment and a link and visited a few other new neighbours to check out what they had to say in the blogosphere world .. and I am happy to say that I’ve found some cool new neighbour friends :)

WOW is a cool neighbourhood – still very new so you may not see the exciting possibilities of being a part of this ‘hood but the bloggers there seem to be enjoying and just joining the conversation as each day passes.  I took Shelter from a Storm over at Kris’s place a few days ago and she was nice enough to drop me back a line telling me thanks for visiting which was really sweet of her.  This morning I dropped by Mama K’s and came out with a good recipe :) She’s been nominated as this weeks’ BON (Blogger of Note).  I also came across Danielle who has Meandering Thoughts and enjoys dancing randomly at any point during the day :)  Not a bad start to my morning !

If you are looking for new reading material or just a change – why don’t you drop by and see if you find a blogger or two that you might just WOW you :)  If you’ve got a few BON’s that you want to share with my neighbours and moi – just leave a comment and include their link so we can all check them out.

Whilst on this journey of discovering my Blogger Voice in the past few days – I’ve come to realize a few things.   In the last few months, quite a few people I know in my regular social circle have told me that they read my blog !

Considering the fact that I don’t really tell my friends about it – except for perhaps a select few – it was quite flattering to know that therebrand voice are others out there who read and lurk on my blog =)  These friends are lurkers – they don’t comment – but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that they’ve taken the time to drop by .. even if its every few weeks; and not regularly.

Even more flattering was when a few of my favourite neighbours like Simone Grant, the Fabulous Bitch, SingleCityGuy all messaged to check on my MIA status.  It just felt good to know that somebody out there was thinking about me.  And these guys have never met me.  

As I mentioned in my last post – I reckon I’ve always had my Blogger Voice – and of course I have adjusted and adapted my style of writing as I got more and more regular.  However it was only recently; perhaps in the last few months that I started making a conscious effort on how to make my blog more appealing.

Here are 10 tips that you can use (and you probably do this anyway) to find your inner 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.  We are all entitled to our opinions.
  2. Blog the way you think.  Your thoughts are original to you; sure – others may think the same thought – but they process it differently to you.  I took my neighbours behind the scenes and gave them something to think about for the first time in March ‘09.  I haven’t done something like that until my last post ‘To Blog .. and How ??!!’  I hope to be doing more of that this year.
  3. Mind Your P’s & Q’s.  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.
  4. Commit To Writing.  The more you write – the stronger your voice gets.  In 2009, I averaged 10.8 posts per month.  My highest blog count is 19 posts last May.  I don’t keep a schedule for writing – I write when I feel like; but I’ve told myself that I need to have at least 4 posts a month no matter how busy I get.  If you’ve got an idea – write it down – check out my thought process that resulted in this post.
  5. Be Transparent.  Bloggers earn their readers trust.  Be honest with them.  Don’t be somebody you are not.  When I first started writing, I used to often wonder ‘how do people get blog awards' … and then sometime ago, I got my first blog award.  It didn’t stop there – I ended up with a dazed blur of awards..  It doesn’t mean I’m a super blogger – I was given those because somebody believed in what I was doing.  Nubby has written a great post on The Importance of Transparency in Blogging which is a must read.
  6. Avoid Censorship.  Just because someone has a different opinion to yours, or negates your writing doesn’t mean you censor their comments.  Unless the comments are spam; offensive and/or abusive – leave them up there.  You never know who else might stand up for your thoughts.
  7. Comment, Comment & Comment Some More.  I discovered a new layer of thoughts by interacting on other bloggers posts.  There are times I wish I could write posts like Simone or WSG – but I can’t (in time perhaps) but I let them know by commenting on their blogs.  And it’s always nice to see other people keeping your comments in mind when responding.  Besides, a lot of what you read and comment on can help inspire your next blog masterpiece !
  8. 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.
  9. Experiment With Content.  If you’ve got a favourite author, give their writing style a shot.  I’ve seen a lot of ‘Wordless Wednesday’ posts around cyber space – try one of those Mr Linky things.  I started this blog with music, poetry and my random thoughts.  I still write about those and quite a few other things too. 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.
  10. Contemplate & Reflect.  What is the purpose of your post ? Why are you using certain photographs ? Is there a lesson to be learned ? Is there something you want to ask your readers ?

So here’s wishing you well on your journey to find Your Blogger Voice.  For any of you veteran bloggers out there – please feel free to add to these tips.  Is there something else that you guys recommend ?

I believe that our voices will keep changing as we experience all that life has to offer us.  I’m glad you are a part of my journey – and I look forward to being a part of yours =)

Inspired By

  6. Voice and Blogging