Theme Thursday - Blogging -

Today I am linking up for ...

and today's topic is BLOGGING. 

So here are my thoughts on the subject! 

* Blogging is such a great way to meet new friends.  I love my readers. you guys make doing what i do possible and i thank you for coming back here time and time again to see what we are up to and leaving your comments and encouragement. You have given me the opportunity to connect with you all and share my experiences, to discuss things that are important to me and to ask for help when I need it. you guys are awesome and i thank you for that.

* Numbers don't really matter.  I started blogging about 4 years ago, I didn't care about followers. I just wanted to write and document our lives. Lots of amazing blogs have a smaller following. Its easy to get hung up on the numbers but again.. it doesn't really mean anything. I didn't put the GFC up on my blog until this year and while I love seeing more people follow along with us.. I don't live and die by it. For years the only way I had it set up to follow my blog was through email only. And yes, I have a lot of email subscribers.. I don't worry about those numbers. Followers will come and go. You just have to get use to it. 

* That dreaded Capacha..You know what I am talking about don't you?  Its where you go to leave a comment and I have to strain my healthy eyes to try to see a number and letters. Its sucks.. and its the fastest way for me NOT to leave a comment. It really doesn't do any good. I think its silly to have on a " Lifestyle " kind of blog. It totally sucks ass. Remove it!!!!

* Comments.. We all love comments. Its a great way to say thank you for a great post.. Its great for getting to know new friends.. and its just as important to respond to comments as it is to leave comments. Sometimes I go a couple days without responding to comments and then I kinda do a blog binge and answer all the comments in one sitting. For me that's easier..but if you read a post you like.. leave a comment and say so! 

* Photo's.. While I come from a family of photographers, I understand that not everyone has a house full of cameras. But good pictures do make a post better. They really do. I am not saying you need to pose yourself and your family like superstars..but visual aids are always nice! I love taking pictures. But I don't just shoot the perfect picture. I try to get the most natural pictures I can. But there are a ton of great blogs that don't have pictures. Just do what you feel comfortable with! 

* Trolls.. Blogging has so many positive aspects to it but there are some trolls lurking around behind a computer screen or phone just waiting to be an asshole to you. I use to hear all the time that since I blog, I open myself up for negative remarks and criticism. I think thats bullshit. Just because you blog.. that doesn't give anyone the right to stalk or harass you. It just doesn't. I am on youtube and that use to be another place where you would see trolls who just want to bring you down. I don't put up with that at all. I have said for YEARS.. this is not the Monopoly game. If you leave harassing or mean comments, your blocked and there are no get out of jail free cards either. To be very honest, I have only had a few trolls around here. There is one really stalker I have. and that was from my ex boyfriends wife. But at this point.. I don't care what she says or does. It just shows how unhappy her life is.  For the most part, my readers are sweet hearts and I have actually made some great friendships through this blog. 

* Don't stress...I know this sounds silly but its true that a lot of bloggers flip out over not getting a post up fast enough. My mom is a prime example of this. Not long ago she was all stressed out over a Sunday post and I had to tell her... calm down.. your readers will wait. Blogging is suppose to be fun.. its not suppose to be a place of stress for anyone. Sure there have been times when my blog was looking right or a widget wasn't working right and it stressed me out.. but that's rare. If you find yourself stressed out more than happy due to your blog.. you probably shouldn't be blogging. 

* Post often.. if you are going to blog.. don't be one of those bloggers who start out strong and then don't write a blog post for months. Nothing pisses me off faster than finding a blog I adore and then they just stop posting new content...which happens often. I think if you are going to blog.. get a couple posts up a week if possible! I do a lot of posts daily.. but I am home all day. If you work, I understand that.. but it sucks to find a blog you love, only to realize its short lived because they just don't blog very often. Pace yourself and you should be able to get a couple of posts up a week. 1 good post a week is better than none and better than a bunch of crap posts. To have a successful blog.. you need to blog often. 

* Network..part of making your blog successful is meeting other bloggers and getting your name out there. I personally don't recommend telling EVERYONE you blog. I don't tell my neighbors.. I don't tell my kids teachers.. There are some people who I just don't want reading stuff about my daily life. But I do network often and my husband is great at it too. He loves showing people this blog... and I don't care most of the time but I don't really like his boss's knowing that we have a public blog. However his last boss is on here all the time and he has in fact shown this blog to his new boss. Yea.. not so crazy about that... but when you network great oppportunites pop up when you are least expecting it.. Such as.. being offered a spot to host a giveaway or linkup.. or a sponsored post. 

* Sponsored blogging.. I don't do many sponsored posts. I just don't. If I do .. my opinion doesn't change because I am being paid to review it or blog about it. If it sucks.. I will say so. If you start reviewing shit just for the money.. it will show and readers won't care what you have to say about it. Be honest and don't just do it for the money. I would rather give you $10 than read some bogus post about a product that you really don't know anything about. Believe me.. it totally shows when you are doing it for the money or when you are doing the review/post because you really want to share what you think about it. 

* Be yourself and have fun! Don't follow the rules.. You can't please everyone .. why try? I think its better to be yourself and not worry about what others are going to think. You might read a blog where it says.. don't post more than 2 new articles a day.. Really? Or don't use curse words on your blog..Bullshit is what I have to say to that!! No one is going to do you.. better than you! Write about what you love.. what sticks out to you.. what inspires you.. and it will just flow. When you are trying to make up - GREAT - posts just to get followers.. it won't happen. You have to write what you are passionate about and it will show. Those are always the best posts ever! I hate bloggers who are so serious. For instance.. I used a CELBRITY picture I found on another blog.. that she did not take herself.. it was a Getty image and I used it in a blog post. She sent me a raving email saying it was copyright infotainment and demanded I take it down. WTF?? I told her to pipe the fuck down and explained that it was not her picture.. I could use it if I wanted.. and that she took this wayyyy to serious. Again.. have fun and don't worry about the small stuff. You know, my pictures.. especially the beauty review pictures I do, get copied all the time. I don't watermark them anymore and while I could go around raise holy hell about it.. I don't worry myself about it. I just don't. If its a personal picture of myself or my family.. I would get upset but I am not going to go around and threaten people who use my pictures.. Again.. too many bloggers take themselves way to serious! And I try to look at it like a compliment because they like the pictures I take. This is not a business.. so why worry yourself about that silly stuff??

Blogging is a hobby for most of us. I love sharing my life with you guys and I love reading about you lives. Just have fun with it.. and everything will fall into place at the right time! 

So those are my blogging thoughts! If you have a though you want to share.. let me hear it in the comments! 

Have a great day! 

xoxo

K Jaggers

♥