Blog help
Welcome to the official blogXperiment lab!
I've decided it's time for me to step up to the plate and take a swing at some blogging changes.
So... here are the rules.
1) Post at least twice in one week.
2) Each day that I blog on has a specific topic- like...
- Monday= 30 day challenge updates
- Tuesday= HELP*CreComm (tools ya need to survive Communications living)
- Wednesday= my*World: projects that I'm working on.
- Thursday= Photos: tips/tricks/projects
- Friday= Simple*life
I won't be posting every day, but hopefully by doing this it'll get me into a routine of blogging and experimenting with different topics that are near and dear to my heart- and deciding what I really want this blog to all be about.
So raise your venti, light ice, nonfat caramel macchiato! And Go!
[k]
*feel free to comment and let me know what you think about the good, bad and ugly of this all.
For the past few weeks, I've been trying to figure out what blogging looks like for me. I've spent time making lists, asking questions, making more lists... and I've come to the conclusion. For the longest time I thought to be a real blogger I could only write about one thing- and that I would have to be an expert on that subject. This drove me to near insanity because if you know me you know that I'm an expert in being a Jill of all triads. I love to learn about things that I don't know about, I love to pick up new hobbies, I like trying new things... and so to pick ONE thing to blog about was as hard as picking a drink at Starbucks.
So what's this conclusion I had? As a baby blogger (someone still figuring this stuff all out) my blog really needs to be a sum of all of me. I realized my "thing" is having many things, and that a) I can't just pick one thing... and b) if I could pick a "thing" I wouldn't be able to write about anything without feeling like I didn't have enough to say, or important enough info to consider myself an "expert".
What does this mean for this blog?! Experiments!!! Seeing that it is the beginning of a new month I'm going roll out something I call BlogXperiment. I'm going to be posting different things on different days of the week that have to do with different topics/ ides/ interests I have. This hopefully will either help me figure out what I like bloggin' about, and also help me figure out what's important for you to read about.
I'm really excited about this because, well, either way- I get to figure out what makes me me... and let you join for the ride.
So here is to this weekend- this blog- and BlogXperiment 101.
Details coming October 1!
[k]
In my quest to figure out what exactly blogging looks like for me (k*sara), I've been taking a serious look at my blog-reading habits. My google reader is teeming with amazing bloggers who I follow- like kal, or elise, or these messy girls, or this young guy, I even follow some incredible businesses because they are just that cool and creative. *(for other blogs I may be addicted to... look on my sidebar)
I follow them, not with the hopes that they follow me (how cool is that if they did though?!)- but that their life inspires, influences, and keeps me current in my creative zone. I like seeing how other people see life, how they internalize and shape the things they hear, and how in the end they in turn shape the world around them. Their blog is evidence of how they live and are in this world.
Like I mentioned last post- I don't always "read" everything that is there. I'm a visual learner, so the more visual things are the longer you probably have my attention. Ha. But on the off chance I have time to read, I do. And sometimes I just like getting to know another persons space.
All of that being said, it makes me wonder how much I need to fret over my blog because in reality my voice is my voice- it wil come through, and be the consistent regardless of what I blog about. It's still the topic of blog that I need to figure out. Eeeek.
So- I'll throw it in your court- what do you like to read? What are your go-to blogs? And more importantly why?
[k]
A little bit ago I said that I'm in the process of changing my blog and to watch for new things to come. If you are a follower at all you probably have noticed that NOTHING has changed yet.... and for that I apologize. I want to change it, I'm just not sure how.
I recently sat down with someone with words of wisdom on this topic to get me thinking- She asked some great questions, but it left me even more unclear of what direction I want to take this blog. I LOVE/am about soo many things: photography, crafts, design, food related stuff, farming, being Mennonite, missions work, my job, my faith, running, knitting, crocheting, filming, video editing... do I need to keep going? Last year my blog was about all of this stuff and then some! And to think about narrowing it down makes my head spin. Sometimes I don't like narrowing things down because I want all the options open to me; but I know that with a blog I'm not just writing for me... I'm writing to share things with you (whoever you are), and to remember that you are reading for a reason.
Maybe you are "reading" because you like the content, or like the photos, or can relate to me... but I don't know why- and I don't want to just write stuff that I did during the day or whatever. I want to write with a reason in mind- I want to write for more than just me- I want to write to add value to the world around me *(and when I say "write" I mean post not only words, but images, things that inspire etc.). And more so I want to write from my perspective, but which one do i pick?!
So I'm left with questions... what makes a blog important? and what makes it important to you? What makes you keep coming back for more? Do you just like to look at photos or videos? Do you even read content?! (cuz sometimes I follow some blogs for the cute photos and have yet to read a word they write? eeek!) Bah- so many options... it makes me feel stuck to where I am.
[k]
Blog it, tweet it, tumble it.
Much was discussed at our last seminar for us first year CreComms.
We had Winnipeg bloggers come and share a round 2 of info... and I feel like there could be a round 3 with all the crazy questions we all have on how to keep on top of all the social media stuff we are plugged in to (both personally and for school).
After much wisdom here are some thoughts I pondered after the event:
Much was discussed at our last seminar for us first year CreComms.
We had Winnipeg bloggers come and share a round 2 of info... and I feel like there could be a round 3 with all the crazy questions we all have on how to keep on top of all the social media stuff we are plugged in to (both personally and for school).
After much wisdom here are some thoughts I pondered after the event:
Alyson Shane: Pick a day an write consistently on it- like her Hip Hop Sunday posts.
Liz Hover: Don't start tweeting until you got your blog together. Don't add a facebook page until your website is good. Essentially don't do a bunch of things if they are all going to be garbage.
And Google+ is dead...
*(But don't worry Google+ I'm still pullin for ya!)
And Google+ is dead...
*(But don't worry Google+ I'm still pullin for ya!)
Erica Glasier: for more blog traffic: newsjack fast, newsjack often... Newsjacking
*(has anyone tried to newjack the newsjacking of newsjacking?!?! Well... lets make an attempt shall we?!)
*(has anyone tried to newjack the newsjacking of newsjacking?!?! Well... lets make an attempt shall we?!)
James Hope Howard:As much as you can try... sometimes getting hits on your blog is random.
*(this made me feel like I have hope!)
*(this made me feel like I have hope!)
Shelly Cook: Starting five different blogs is CreComm suicide! But go for it!
*(I second that Shelly... I'm on my second blog in the school year- third blog of this year- and 5th blog in my blogging live... eekkkk!!!)
*(I second that Shelly... I'm on my second blog in the school year- third blog of this year- and 5th blog in my blogging live... eekkkk!!!)
After a solid 50 minutes of tips/thoughts on social media I was personally still in the dark and left wondering if I will ever make it in the communications industry since blog doesn't get a consistent 5000 hits a day.
And to cap it all of no one even mentioned the bustling platform known as Pinterest... sigh-
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