The Life of Bon: To Round a Table

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

To Round a Table


Jan. roundtable: Photo courtesy of Elisabeth

April roundtable: from L to R Aubrey, Danica, Eliesa, me, Kim, Tayler

Last night I sat around my living room with five girls and talked blog for what was supposed to be an hour, but for what quickly stretched in to two.

I always feel so invigorated by these roundtables and I leave vowing that I need to do them more and be more active in my blogging pursuit.  They are an absolute powerhouse of ideas and strategies and give me hope that maybe the blog isn't dying after all (More on that later...  But I'm interested- do you think the blog is dying?)

There were a couple of things that were talked about that I would love to hear form you all on- six brains are awesome but 100 brains are even more awesome.

+ Blogging vs. Wordpress... Danica told us that she has switched over to Wordpress and likes it a lot more.  For an internet dummy like myself who can barely code her own button and crop her own picture, is Wordpress the way to go?  I just know that it's much less user friendly.  However I have heard that traffic is better on a Wordpress blog.

+ PINTEREST!  I think I was finally convinced last night that I need to engage is Pinterest more.  It is definitely my resource that I use the least when it comes to blogging, mostly because it is overwhelming for me and I'm not sure I totally understand it.  Also, I don't feel like my posts necessarily lend themselves that well to pinterest.  But the girls convinced me last night that there are many posts that are very easily pinnable.   What do you all say?  Do you get a lot of traffic from pinterest?  Do you find blogs that you follow through pinterest?

+ Someone asked about replying to comments... if it is better to respond to comments through email or right on the comment section of the blog post.  I lean more toward commenting on the post itself because I feel like that lends itself more to a discussion, but then I know there is a good chance that people won't see my response to them.  Which do you prefer?

+ We talked about pictures and what to do when your post just doesn't have a great picture that goes along with it.  I really don't enjoy always having to throw up pictures on my blog posts and I am not good at taking pictures, but I have learned it is kind of a "necessary evil" of blogging.  If I want to write on a blogging platform I need to understand that blogging is visual and peeps want their pics.  The two best things I have done for my blog photography wise are: 1) invest in a DSLR and 2) have Aubrey take "fashion" pictures of me every couple of weeks or so.  Let's face it, Greg got quickly bored of the whole fashion blogging hoax and it was all I could do to get him to snap three pictures of me before he was ready to throw in the towel on my whole blog.  It's much better to "swap" pictures with somebody- find a location, dress cute, take pictures for 15 minutes, you're done.  It also helps to practice photography although let's be honest, I still haven't put that bad boy off of auto.  Any quick and easy photography tips you have learned?

+Using facebook.  A couple of girls mentioned they weren't too keen on getting a facebook page for their blog as they already post on their personal facebook and it just seemed repetitive.  I will say that besides bloglovin and google, facebook is my main source of traffic.  So get a facebook page.

+ What is the best way to make sponsorship seem authentic?  I am looking at changing a lot of my sponsorship options in the next few months and several girls had questions too on how to start a sponsorship program or make it successful.  What makes you want to read a sponsored post?  Or does the very idea that it is sponsored turn you off to the post completely?

+ Bloglovin vs. GFC... basically we just want to know... do people still use GFC?!??!

Comment up, folks!  I am hoping for a great discussion today... I will be responding to all comments.

68 comments:

  1. That get together looks so fun! I need to find something like that to attend. I'm a newer blogger so I definitely can't answer any of your pressing questions with much certainty, but I'm definitely interested in your insights and what others think. Thanks for posting on this!

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    1. You bet! I hope you get some answers!

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  2. i need to remember to come back and read all the comments. i want to hear what everyone has to say.

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    1. I totally agree! Our conversations were good, but Bonnie is right--100 minds are better than 6. I'm really curious about the GFC vs. Bloglovin

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    2. The drawback of commenting on the actual page... you have to remember to come back!

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  3. My blog is still very much in infancy so I can't offer too much insight, but I will say that I am only using Bloglovin, no more GFC.

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    1. Did you ever use GFC? I feel like GFC is honestly a little more user friendly, but I use bloglovin too.

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  4. My blog is also still a baby blog, but I have to take the time to be consistent. As far as GFC vs. Bloglovin, I wasn't too sure as to whether I wanted to use one over the other. So for a little while, I used both! *Excessive, I know* Now I'm just using Bloglovin and it's great! Most of the blogs I follow are only using Bloglovin as well.

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    1. Interesting that you used both! Any drawbacks or advantages that you particularly liked?

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  5. I like to be emailed as far as comments go. I hardly ever go back and re-read comment sections of blogs; so if someone responds that way, I probably won't see it.

    I think it's great that bloggers get sponsored, but as soon as the post shifts from the blogger's content to, "Now, I'd like to introduce...." I immediately hit "next" in my reader. I "get" it, but I don't like it. I don't think there's an easy way for it to seem less contrived. Something to think about, I guess....

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    1. Excellent point on the sponsorship Paige! I think most of us agreed that we tend to skip over sponsored content, so I guess that is the question... is there a way to make it more effective?

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  6. As far as comments go, I really prefer replying on the comment page itself. I feel like it opens it up to more discussion, and when I get comments in my email, sometimes I forget what the original post was about and the context is entirely gone.

    My blog is definitely still a baby, but I don't use GFC... I'm not even sure what it is, haha. I use Bloglovin, but I need to use it more. I use Feedly as my reader, but I'm beginning to think that I should switch to Bloglovin' entirely.

    As far as sponsors are concerned, sometimes they're better than others. I would like to sponsor some more blogs, but I feel like my blog isn't "good enough" to do that yet. I will say that I have found some of my favorite blogs via sponsorships on blogs I already read. I also really love link-ups because I think they're fun and allow you to meet lots of different bloggers through their posts.

    Thanks for posting this, Bon. It's definitely helpful, especially for baby bloggers like me!

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    1. I agree! I prefer commenting on the comment page but I think a lot prefer being commented TO through email, if that makes sense. And yes, the out of context thing is definitely big for me. Half the time I get an email that is a reply to an email and I do not know WHAT in the world they are talking about.

      I have heard about Feedly for an option for following blogs. Do you like it? And yes to link ups! They are a great way to find bloggers and be found!

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  7. Anonymous8:30 AM

    I use Bloglovin'! I personally prefer when people respond to my comments via email. That can lead to a nice little discussion!

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    1. Yes! I love that the email lends itself to a lot of back and forth.

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  8. As far as comments go, I SERIOUSLY recommend using Disqus! You can comment via email and it also automatically shows up on the post's page and vice versa. Best of both worlds. And you can go to the Disqus site to respond to all of the comments at once too and still the comment gets emailed to the person and posted on your page. Couldn't be easier and it makes creating a community discussion A PIECE OF CAKE. Who doesn't like cake?

    And pinterest is the bomb but you have to have a solid following or else it is a lot of wasted effort... just sayin'.

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    1. Bam Lauren! You just solved all of our problems with Disqus! My next question, though, is is it alot of work to comment on Disqus? I have sometimes been deterred from commenting on blogs if they have Disqus because I feel like it makes me enter all this extra info like blog address, email, name, etc. Do you think that drives readers away from commenting?

      And great comment about pinterest. What would you consider a "solid following."?

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    2. I second the disqus platform!! Love it!!

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    3. I was going to say exactly what Lauren said! :) It e-mails them, but everyone can still see the comments and join the discussion if they want :) You do have to have a Disqus account set up, but I've never heard anyone complain about it. It will keep you logged in, just like google does for commenting like this. It's my favorite, I'll never go back. I even added it to my pages :)

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    4. Alright, Amberly... you officially convinced me. It's on the to do list!

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    5. Added bonus - you can import ALL of your previous comments into Disqus to your discussion from previous posts (like this one) won't be lost forever!

      As far as Pinterest, I'd say pinning to group boards gives the best publicity - but as far as a solid following - I'm not sure how I'd define it. I guess it goes back to numbers vs. engagement.

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  9. I definitely prefer to respond (and be responded to) to comments via email. I never remember to go back and check the post for a response and plus, having to do that just takes up more time in my blog routine (I.e. Reading, writing, responding, etc.) I can't figure out the Pinterest thing either. I don't write recipes, tutorials, or anything you typically find on Pinterest so I'm just like, "why would someone pin my story I wrote about last week??" Also, I use Bloglovin all the way but I still have GFC, and my question is and always will be why are we not supposed to be us on GFC??! When the whole Google Reader thing blew up, which I still have no idea what that is or was, everyone made it seem like GFC WAS Google reader and that when Google reader disappeared so too would GFC. But it didn't. So why is everyone so anti GFC?? Is it connected to Google Reader?? So many questions on this topic but since it's probably not even relevant I'll just leave it alone...hahaha!

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    1. As far as pinterest goes, what a lot of the girls were saying is that lists post very way to pinterest so "10 ways to eat healthier" etc which I feel like I already write a lot of stuff that would kind of fall into that range. I think I could tweak some of my posts just a bit to make them fit into Pinterest. Of course, a lot of posts just wouldn't jive with pinterest at all.

      I didn't use google reader either so I don't totally understand the whole freak out over google reader. GFC is still unchanged, and I do think in some way it was connected to google reader, but I'm not exactly sure how. I just know that for now you can still follow blogs through GFC

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    2. I haven't seen a lot of traffic from Pinterest yet, but the blogging guides I've read said it took them 3-6 months to see a substantial amount of traffic.

      Two big tips. Your Pinterest board has to include lots of non-blogging stuff too, or you won't get anyone interested in following you. I have boards on fashion, travel, books, relationships, etc., and only about 1/4 of my pins are to my blog. Also posts have to be optimized for Pinterest. Since getting on Pinterest, I've made my blog posts that are "Pinterest-worthy" more image-friendly. I spend time in PicMonkey editing a top image and adding text to it to make it more appealing on Pinterest. I'm also (slowly) going through my old posts and coming up with graphics for them, but it's a long and arduous process!

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    3. Great tips Belle! And I totally agree.. there has to be non bloggy stuff or otherwise it's just another blog essentially. I think I will do what you said you've been working on... making images on PicMonkey for certain posts and coming up with good graphics for them. Definitely something you have to start slowly, though- I could see it being VERY overwhelming.

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  10. I love roundtables like this. I haven't been to many blog ones, but things like that just rejuvenate why you started. Gets the brain juices going. I was on wordpress, but I don't put enough time into really learning everything it had to offer, so I am back to blogger. I like being sponsored ( I am not really at the level of sponsoring yet) because I feel like I get to know so many more people.

    Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Sponsorship is definitely a great way to meet more people. Most of the relationships I have from blogging have formed through sponsorship or the blogging roundtable, actually. It just makes it so much easier to put a face to a name and develop a real and lasting relationship with the person.

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  11. I love GFC and still use it - I even manually add URLs of blogs I like to it just to follow. I've never used Bloglovin.. maybe I will if I'm convinced? Why is it better?

    I just did a happy hour the other day with Erin at LIY and Taylor at The Daily Tay and it got me SO INSPIRED. Will be following along here as well!

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    1. I would have loved to sit in on Erin and Taylor's Happy Hour! I bet there were so many great ideas out there! I think GFC is still my weapon of choice, too. Bloglovin is always giving me some kind of grief it seems.

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  12. I prefer replying to comments through email and only reply on the posts to no-reply bloggers (which is a pet peeve of mine! Wish no-reply wasn't an option). I'm checking into Disqus too.

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    1. Yes! The no reply blogging is a huge issue. I wish that blogger automatically had your email connected to your comments and that you had to manually go in and turn it off instead of the other way around. Most people have no idea they are no reply bloggers.

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    2. Also, those of us who linked our blogs to Google+ are no-reply by default. We can't change it. I did a hack that fixed it for awhile, but now it doesn't work at all. It's pretty frustrating, but I like being linked to Google+.

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    3. Belle are you sure you can't change it? It seems like some of the girls were saying last night that you just have to go in and adjust a setting. I know it switched everyone's over to no reply but it seems like you should be able to manually switch it back.

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    4. I manually switched it back, and it worked for a few months. Then it reverted back to no-reply. I manually switched it again, but it didn't work that time.

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  13. I really don't care for sponsored posts at all and usually when I see one I will just mark it as read in my bloglovin' feed. I'm just being honest here...I guess for me it is usually because the post seems so forced since they are blogging a specific topic or gimmick or doing an introduction to a different group of readers. What usually gets me to first read a blog and then keep coming back is the actual person and their life stories - not the do these 5 things, or read these 5 books, or whatever. Those kinds of posts, though helpful, tend to bore me.

    As far as bloglovin' or GFC - I absolutely LOVE bloglovin as it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs without having to click "read more" links to the actual page, and it is seamless regardless what platform they use whether it is wordpress, blogger, etc. And I like *seeing* their page...when I was using the Google reader I feel like I missed out on some of the personal aspects of bloggers because I never saw their page designs or sidebars, etc.

    As far as Pinterest goes...I really don't care if a blogger uses it, but I do like when the blogger makes it easy to pin their posts - especially if it is a recipe or something I want to refer back to later. Other than that, it kind of bugs me when bloggers post only their own stuff to their Pinterest page. I feel like Pinterest is almost a window to the soul because people are pinning what is important to them, so naturally, if it is all their own stuff what does that say? hahaha

    comments - if someone replies to my comment I think I very rarely see it unless it is through Wordpress (???) where it is easy to subscribe to comments in addition to posts. But then again, I find I prefer to follow through Bloglovin' a lot more these days then I do via email or any other platform. So I don't know if that is possible???

    You are right - great discussion! Thanks for bringing parts of your roundtable to the rest of us! :-)

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    1. I totally understand your "don't care for sponsored posts." My question is then, how does someone who has a great quality blog get the word out about their blog? Sponsoring is essentially advertising and any product needs to be advertised. I do think there are more effective ways to do it... I just don't know how.

      Interesting points about bloglovin vs. googlereader. I do agree I like seeing the page, but sometimes it is still hard to navigate the page. It feels like I am on their page, but on their page within bloglovin so I still can't roam around like I normally would, if that makes sense.

      Great comment about pinterest- that is actually what I was thinking about alot, if it feels narcissistic to post your own posts to pinterest. And how exactly does one make their recipes "easily pinnable"?

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    2. with bloglovin if you are in the window all you have to do is hit the x at the top right and the window disappears and you are out of bloglovin. I do this if I decide to pin something because you can't within the window. Also you can switch your setting so you never see the bloglovin' window.

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  14. FROM DJ KITTIE: (She emailed this to me because blogger wouldn't accept her comment.)

    Preferably, its much better to have a tripod and camera remote for your camera. PLEASE get someone to teach you because a DSLR is so much fun to use and really easy if you know where everything is. Not everyone can make a really nice quality picture, but if you know how to find the right things and use the right tools, you're basically getting to pro status. I've been a photographer since my freshman year and I love knowing that I don't have to worry about making money off what I do, because all I need to know is that people love my work.

    Also, with comments and e-mail replies, just fix your no-blogger status. Here is a tutorial on what to do. That way your readers can get the best of both worlds - to their e-mail & in the blog. http://xomisse.com/blog/fixing-no-reply-blogger-comments/

    Hope this helps!
    Melanie "DJ Kittie"

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    1. Great tutorial Melanie! Thanks!

      As far as the DSLR goes, I totally agree with just a few quick tips I could definitely improve my photography... it's on the to do list, just not a huge passion of mine so it often gets pushed to the back. Tripod and camera remote is also brilliant, just seems like it would go faster to just have someone there snapping the pictures instead of constantly having to fiddle with the tripod? What do you think?

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    2. Bon, you're talking to yourself again here.

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  15. All comments for reals?!?! Ok, I vow to comment now. But in all honesty - No I don't use GFC and none of my blog-stalking friends do either. And yes, being a blog-stalker extraordinaire, I DO need pictures. Or prefer them. Or crave them. Especially your funny face ones. CLASSIC. Oh, and I'm with Kristen Grimes - I don't care much for sponsored posts and usually skip them when I see them come up. Although you are pretty witty so SOMETIMES I will read & heck even participate! :)
    Definitely do Pinterest. Pinterest is the new FB! I totally understand that posting your own stuff feels a little weird, but I think you'd rock it and I know I'd repost errr I mean repin for sure!!

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    1. Responding to all comments on THIS post. I don't think I could ever vow to respond to all comments on all posts... I'd let someone down for sure. A couple of things-
      1. Blog-stalker extraordinaire is an excellent title!
      2. Duly noted on the pictures... and I vow to post more funny face pictures!
      3. I like your "SOMETIMES" I will read... honestly that is all I am going for. I know no one is going to read all sponsored posts 100% of the time, but if people sometimes read then that's good enough for me.
      4. Thanks for the support on pinterest!

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  16. I think you're proving your argument for reply-comments with this discussion! Thanks again, Bon I had a great and helpful time! My takeaway and reflection post is up here http://www.danicaholdaway.com/ Gracias!

    D

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    1. Thank you Danica! I loved having you there! You added so much to the conversation!

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  17. I use both GFC and Bloglovin'. I always follow with both, because I have things I like about both.

    Also, I prefer responses via email, because I comment on so many blogs that I forget to check back on posts, but an email reminds me what I said and lets me know what the other blogger has to say :)

    ashleynicoleholmes.blogspot.com

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    1. Wow you follow with both? So do you read a blog post on both bloglovin and gfc?

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    2. No, I just use different ones on different days . . . usually if I'm on bloglovin' and I've already read it on gfc, I mark it as read. But I don't always like it when bloglovin' marks things as read, because then they don't show up so it's harder to find. Especially when I can't remember which blogger posted what I'm looking for. And I'm not actually sure if we're talking about the same thing when we say gfc . . . I'm talking about like my blogger home dashboard thing.

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  18. I started using Pinterest back in Um... November???? And seriously between then and the end of January, my blog traffic just skyrocketed. Every day it showed more and more views on Analytics, it was awesome! I didn't think my blog posts were necessarily Pinterest worth either, I don't post recipes or outfits or anything like that. I don't pin every single post, but when I have one that I could create a simple graphic for or something like that, I'll do it! And it makes a difference because people will explore your blog a bit from there.
    And I commented above about the comment thing. But yeah, I don't ever go back to the post to see if the blogger replied to my comment. But I'll carry on a conversation with them through e-mail if they respond that way, or like I said, on Disqus! :) Aubrey and I e-mail back and forth a few times a week over her posts, and the conversations turn to other things :)

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    1. That's awesome Amberly! Thanks for the encouragement! I agree with you- it seems the ticket is a simple graphic and just allowing people to explore your blog if they want to.

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  19. Oh, and I like Bloglovin'! When I followed with GFC, I never had a reader I used, I just looked at the posts that were in my Blogger dashboard. I like that Bloglovin' shows me the ones I haven't read and I can put them in categories. I have blogs that I read religiously every day and others that I might not get to that day if I don't have time, but I'll come back and read them later when I get the chance. I don't know, I'm a big fan of Bloglovin', it makes my organizer/planner heart really happy!

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    1. I guess that's kind of what I feel like is lacking with Bloglovin. A lot of the times I don't see posts I really want to read because they are cluttered behind blog posts of blogs I really only want to read once a week or so. I think we all have our DAILY DAILY reads and I wish I could put those in a separate category or something...

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  20. I was going to come to the round table this month, but I felt awkward about going because let's face it... I don't know you or anyone from the groups. I read some of the blogs, I am to much of an introvert to get myself to go. I have really enjoyed reading through your posts and the comments section. Pinterest has been the number one way I grow my blog, next to Instagram.i have a twitter account but no one follows me there, how do I grow an audience on twitter? Thanks in advance for advice.

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    1. Next time I am forcing you to come to the roundtable! I didn't know a soul at my first get together- showed up like a true and total loner and texted my husband all night so to not feel 100% losery. This is a perfect way to break into blogging get togethers because there are only 6-10 people there- much more intimate and easier to meet people. Plus, the conversations are very directed and so there's none of that weird awkward "What do I say now"? It is awkward for about two minutes when everyone first shows up and then everyone introduces themselves and it's normal before you know it.

      Growing a twitter audience is rough! I grew mine mostly through giveaways and even now I don't think my twitter audience is my most engaged audience... I definitely think I engage more through Insta or FB. But it does still bring some traffic so it's definitely a worthy pursuit to grow your audience. Honestly, a twitter giveaway is the best thing I can think of.

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    2. For twitter the best way to grow an audience is by tweeting (hard to do when you think no one is listening, but just pretend they are and they will come), using popular hashtags (I always get a few more followers when I live tweet something big like the olympics or popular tv shows), interacting with those you follow (sometimes I've interacted with girls for several months before they follow me back, sometimes they follow back right away) and following more people. I don't follow a lot (a little over 100) and my follower # is about the same, a little over 100. I know that if I followed more I would get more, but I really like having an engaged group that I interact with daily. I get the most clicks on my blog from twitter because I don't just tweet my posts, I tweet funny things about my day and then occasionally my posts. If people like what you're tweeting they'll click over to see if they like what you're writing as well.

      Maybe I should write a blog post about this ;)

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    3. Thanks Kimberly and Bonnie for your thoughts! Twitter is just this whole new place in the internet world that I haven't gotten involved in yet. This whole blogging thing is a highly social atmosphere and for an introvert such as myself it can get overwhelming. Now that I have grown my pinterest and instagram audience I figured that twitter was my next step. Kimberly your advice was great and made a lot of sense so thanks for the reply and yes I think you should blog about it.

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  21. I'm not real big on sponsoring and maybe that's why my blog is not big! I have never paid for sponsorship but I have won a few in giveaways and that's it. I like Bloglovin' because I can make different folders to organize my blog roll. I love that feature. As for comments there have been bloggers that I thought were totally ignoring me until one day I noticed they were replying on their page. I don't have time to go back to see if someone replied so e mail works best for me. I'm terrified of wordpress. I don't want to not be able to figure out my own blog! I get no traffic from Facebook and very little from twitter for that matter!

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  22. BLOGGER
    USE PINTEREST! (my biggest source of traffic)
    I cannot get the guts to get my blog a facebook page, it seems self-centered, but I also have a hard time posting my blog to FB all the time... I am afraid I am spamming my friends feeds!
    BLOGLOVIN FOR SURE! My GFC is tempormental and doesn't always work. Plus bloglovin is so much cleaner to look at.
    Good pictures are a must! Somedays I am just not into alll the reading, but if the pictures capture my attention enough, I will read.
    Reply on the comments on the blog. If I see a blog where I can't see that the author has replied to comments, I won't comment for fear they just don't care! If i see their replies on others... well then I am more likely to reply. Sponsoring seems authentic if you REALLY do love the product. So the answer to that is to only sponsor items you believe in and would actually spend money on. :)
    NO BON, you blog isn't dying. heck girl, look at all the comment you have on it right now! xoxo L

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  23. I've been mulling over Wordpress for a while now, and I think I want to make the change! I have a friend who just transferred her blog, and I plan to pick her brain on the matter. And I don't know what to do about making my blog present on Pinterest. I write essays mostly, not DIYs or useful lists. So, I'm not sure where that leaves me. I abandoned GFC a long time ago and use Bloglovin' for all of my blog reading!

    And your blog definitely isn't dying, at least for readers. I do know what it's like, though, to feel drained of mojo. Because that's definitely a thing.

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  24. Hi! I actually follow you on Twitter and find that because you do tweet interesting segues into your posts, I do actually click over!

    I love this post and I love your feedback! I used to have a relatively large blog but shut it down for personal reasons, and then tried to get back on the bandwagon but take the band in a different direction and I just have not been able to find my mojo. I'm working on something new though! Anyway, here is my 2 cents...

    Platform - I presently use Blogger but have heard so many people wax lyrical about Wordpress. I'm not scared to code but I've heard there's a fee and if my mojo is non-existant and I therefore can't build a fan base, paying to occasionally send words into the blogosphere seems not entirely wise. I'd like to try it one day though!

    Pinterest - I'm on it, I like it but I don't love it. Content moves so quickly and I find that when I'm on it, I'm scrolling quickly and appreciating images at a glance. I'll admit that I do find some very interesting content through there but I've had to find some pretty specific boards in order for that to happen.

    Comments - I used to love email replies, then I loved thread replies. I really don't know these days! I agree that thread replies do generate more conversation, but sometimes conversation isn't really what you are expecting from a post... Emails are a really good way to build relationships, and comments are a really good way to show you're listening and to build a community. I imagine the best decision here is guided by what you want to achieve from a blog. (Although apparently Disqus keeps everyone happy!)

    Pictures - I agree, they can definitely be a "necessary evil". Sometimes I add just completely unrelated ones for the sake of a picture and hate doing it. Learn manual because it really does give you so much creative freedom. And also, if you snap pictures, just save them and someday you'll be writing a post and have an appropriate picture in your archive that is original content - which we all love!

    Facebook - someone else said that they feel weird having a facebook page for their blog and I agree. That being said, I love when businesses use facebook pages. I think for me it's just another feed that I can't be bothered to do, because I know I'll do it half-arsed. I don't post blog posts on my personal page.

    Sponsorship - my favourite topic! I feel that sponsorship has changed so much from my early days in blog land. It was all about button swaps, promoting other bloggers, guest posts etc. I find that today it has heavily veered into working with companies. I find that certain bloggers do that well and others really don't and I have unfollowed blogs because of it. I hate poorly integrated sponsorship posts. If you can't do it well, don't do it until you figure out a way to integrate it seamlessly. As for sponsoring other bloggers, I honestly prefer links integrated into posts as opposed to buttons on a sidebar and a weekly round up of sponsors. Link to someone, talk about them. Make it natural and like you are referring something you liked to a friend. Could just be me but I love posts where it's sort of slipped in, and it could be sponsored or it could just be that you love it.

    Feed - Bloglovin' hands down. Love it. I love the design of the site, how seamless it all is and how I can click individual blogs to get to their specific post because they are my "daily love".

    I apologise for the length of this comment but I loved everything you had to talk about! Can't wait to keep reading everyone else's comments! X

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    1. Holy cow that was embarrassingly long...

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  25. Why am I so afraid to delete that little GFC widget?? haha! Does anyone know if I delete it will it still keep track of numbers incase one day it makes a big come back or something?

    Sponsors- I really like the fact that sponsoring has shifted to companies. Logically it just doesn't make much sense to use your blog to advertise for another blog. Does that make sense? If it is a business it isn't "competition" and seems more 3rd party. (Tim studied business strategy at BYU so he is always bringing this up when I talk about blogging haha)

    Pinterest- I feel like if you are an attractive fashionable person with outfit posts or what not you can get a heck of a lot of traffic from Pinterest. Same goes for food blogs if you have a knack for food photography. Somehow I got lucky and I have received thousands and thousands of pageviews from a picture of a pork chop I made and posted on my blog. What the random??? I know.

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    1. GFC will still keep track and you can put it back any time!!

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  26. I get TONS of traffic from pinterest, but only from people who visit once and then disappear, it seems. They read the one post they pinned, but they don't stick around to read anything else. And I don't blame them, cause that's exactly what I do when I follow a pin to a blog, too.

    As for the GFC debate.....I still use it. I almost never use Bloglovin'. I follow SO many blogs on Bloglovin', but only the blogs that I like to read daily on GFC, so that's where I go when I actually want to read things. But I don't think many people do that anymore, because my follower count on GFC does not match my view count at all.

    And I'm curious about how to get sponsorships going as well! I've had the option listed on my blog for a long time, but I haven't gotten any sponsors. It's not a huge deal to me, since I still have a pretty small blog, but it makes me wonder about what sponsors are looking for other than just statistics.

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  27. I dont even know what GFC is. I follow everything on bloglovin. Also, with sponsorships, I know you said you didn't like passionfruit or hadn't jumped on that wagon yet. But as a new blogger, I like to see what's effective. and they give you so many stats. So I only want to do sponsorships with blogs that have passionfruit that way I can see if it's truly worth it.

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  28. I'd rather have a response on email. I'm not going back to a blog to see what the answer is! But with Disqus, you can comment on the blog itself AND the person gets an email.

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  29. I have always preferred the email response to comments. I often forget to go back and check on the comment thread. ^ apparently there is an option that will do both?

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  30. This just set me off on a reading frenzy to see if Wordpress is indeed better than blogger. I have so many questions about that! As for Pinterest, it is one of my top traffic sources! Start pinning, girl. It gets addicting once you see the rewards.

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  31. I never use GFC. It just isn't organized enough for me. Bloglovin' is my sole use now. I saw a few others mention it already, but seriously, Disqus is the best comment platform. It makes everything so much easier! Still trying to figure out the best way to do sponsors and also struggling with using FB and Pinterest as social platforms, but getting there.

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