Tuesday 17 December 2013

for tips!? Pleeeease!

I have been contemplating for a few days now what to write about this IBOT... My posts have been few and far between lately for a variety of different reasons and to be honest I feel like I have hit a bit of a wall, lost my mojo...not that I am sure I ever really had it.

I feel like I love my Monday and Wednesday link up parties - Monday, Kirstie tells me what to blog about and I love that...Wednesday, no words are necessary and I can just find a beautiful pic to post which I also love.

Monday, my first offical day of holidays, I met a friend for coffee and then slothed on the couch for a few hours, Ipad in hand (If you read my confession post you are probably thinking I should have been upstairs cleaning my wardrobe!), scrolling through Pinterest I came across a few articles on 'how to make your blog better'. My blog is almost 12 months old and originally started as a way of sharing my 12wbt journey but in all honesty, I started it on a whim. I really had no idea what blogging was really all about, had never heard of linkys and widgets and really didn't do any research before starting. Truth be known, I didn't even regularly read any blogs before I started my own - so I really had no idea what I was doing or getting myself in for.... almost 12 months down the track and I am not sure that I am that much wiser when it comes to this blogging business!

So as I scrolled through article after article of blogging tips and blogging mistakes people make (yep, I've made them all!) I feel even more confused.

Publishing Platforms/Web Hosting/Analytics/SEO/Host your own URL/Web design v template/Advertisements/Sponsorship......huh????  :-/

A lot of the tips talk about having a theme to your blog - something you blog about regularly not just random ramblings..... well looking back I think I definitely have the random ramblings things covered. Now that I have had time to reflect over all of this as I have slothed on the couch is that a lot of the blogs I follow and enjoy do have a theme, most of them are Mummy bloggers (which don't get me wrong I love) and considering I am not a Mummy that rules that out.... Then there are the Crafty Bloggers...nope not me. The Chef/Cooking Mummy Bloggers...again, not me.... Fashion Bloggers - huh not likely! So that has left me thinking, what do I really have to blog about???

A lot of the tips talk about being yourself, "write as if you are talking to your best friend"...well if that happened I may never have another reader again! Lol... There are also some things best left unsaid, especially when you never know just who might be reading! Another tip suggested knowing your stats, now when I look at them it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me... apparently most of my page views come from something called vampirestat.com?? Anyone explain that to me?

I discovered today that most of the tips I read I actually do do them, so perhaps things aren't all that bad! My follower numbers are slowly increasing so some of you are finding something worth coming back for.

Having said that though, I would still cherish any other advice or suggestions you may have? Obviously I am a "blogger" blogger and I would like to know more about making my blog more appealing, to look at and to read, so any and all advice welcomed? How do I take my blog from 'template' blog to 'MY' blog?? When coming to a childless, craftless, non-chef , single (non-cat) lady blogger's blog what would you like to read about??

I know I have blogged about my blogging mishaps and asked for advice before but I still feel like I am muddling my way through so am hoping some on you IBOT ladies can help a girl out!!!??

http://essentiallyjess.com/

8 comments:

  1. It definitely takes time to figure out your blogging 'voice'. I still blog about various things, things I'm interested in and am not a big fan of the 'Mummy Blogger' term, I don't really class myself as that but I'm really not sure what it is anyway. Vampirestat I think is a bot of some sort that will crawl through your blog looking for things, but don't visit the website otherwise it'll keep coming back. It's not a good thing. I see you're on blogspot, if you purchase your own domain name 'zitahooke.com' for example, you can go into the blogger settings and link it to that so you don't have to use the blogspot URL. There should be instructions on how to do it in Blogger help. You don't need to pay for 'hosting' because blogger is self hosted (Wordpress.org is different, you have to pay for hosting there but personally after using both blogger and wordpress (for business) I prefer Wordpress and will be moving over soon). Back to niche, I know a number of bloggers who are very successful and don't really write about anything specifically but just write really attractive and interesting articles. I would recommend joining some Facebook groups like blog chicks and Aussie Blogs to Love, they have a great group of people who are very helpful at answering questions!

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    1. Thank you so much Eva! Your tips are very helpful and have already looked into most of them! One other tip was not to reply here, but rather reply to the email notification that is sent... do you do that?

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  2. I pondered over this question earlier in the year --- wondering about my niche. Being sort of similar to you in the childless, craftless, non-chef , single (albeit, cat) lady blogger, with a number of things I'm passionate about, I figured in the end, my 'niche' was life itself. And I find that when I read other blogs, I like to get snippets into their lives. Those are the blogs that interest me more than niche blogs. I might go visit a food blog for a recipe but I will definitely go back regularly to blogs that have stories to share about life and lessons. In the end, you need to be true to yourself and write what you love. Once you do that, it will come through your writing and people will stick around.

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    1. Thanks for the advice and words of wisdom! I think I'll get there! :)

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  3. I'm still getting into my groove over two years later. It's evolving. What are you really into - what hobby could you make a focus even one day week so that you can still ramble on the other days. I actually like the rambling now and again!

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  4. How about just being a lifestyle blogger, then you can blog about anything? While I suppose I am a mummy blogger, I don't like blogging about my kids which I know means that I haven't a bigger readership than I would have hoped to have if I did write about them or share their faces on social media. I have been blogging for 18mths and it is only now that a wider audience are learning about me. Hang in there..A few bloggers like fat mum slim or Pip from Meet Me at Mikes have blogging prompts you can use for the month for ideas. Pip also has a blogging online course for people only $90 for the month I think... Make sure you link up at WithSomeGrace for her flog your blog friday and Sunday Facebook loving so you can get more likes on social media. I agree, it is helpful to have a a day or topic that is special to you so you stand out from the crowd. Blogging is so up and down so don't worry too much.

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  5. I am no good at applying blogger labels. I have no idea where I would fit in the scheme of things I mean at face value I look like a mummy blogger on account of being called A Parenting Life and all but really I am not sure if I am as I don't discuss parenting all that often. In fact I am not sure I discuss anything often so much as just ramble. Much like this comment!

    Leaving some fairy wishes and butterfly kisses from #teamIBOT

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  6. I always wonder this, I don't cook, craft or give advice, I just amble through and talk about myself and my life which is probably not that interesting to some but maybe it is to others. I think a blog is a great place to record our own lives. Maybe write down a list of where you see it going?? I love coming to see what you've been up to lovely :) Merry Christmas if we don't 'chat' before then!! Em

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