It's okay to say no + other tips for maintaining your sanity

Today's post is rather short (but hopefully sweet) and ties in a bit with my previous post on Blogger Organization.  It seems that it is so easy to get wrapped up in the blogging world - not necessarily a bad thing, but I've seen it effect myself and other bloggers negatively from time to time.  Because of this I have a few little reminders that I try to keep in mind.  They've helped me maintain my sanity in the blog eat blog world we operate in...and I hope that maybe they will help you too!
 
1. Only read (or link to) blogs that make you feel inspired and good about yourself.  I would be almost embarrassed to put this out there, except for the fact that every blogger I've personally talked to has shared the same feelings with me, and that is this: not all blogs (even the most popular ones) leave you with a good feeling and are worth spending your time on.  Yes, they might be pretty to look, have thousands or millions of followers and probably don't mean any harm, but do you feel better about yourself and your life after a visit to their site?  I believe it is an important question to ask yourself.  After all, it is you who gets to choose what you will allow to influence your life, so why not be picky and invite only positive things in.  Once I personally determined which sites were causing me to doubt myself or feel like my or my life wasn't good enough, I simply stopped visiting them.  It was a bit odd at first, but honestly my world feels a whole lot brighter now, and I am so glad I took action for myself.

2. It's okay to say "no."  At some point in time you will likely be asked to post something for someone (sales pitches, giveaways, non-profit causes, etc) or to create content for another site or publication (guest posts, magazine features, etc).  It's great and exciting when people and businesses are taking an interest in you and your blog, but it can also feel as though saying no is impossible (even when your hands are already full and/or you don't care for their products or site).  But the truth is that no matter how tough it is, you can and you should be picky about the content you share.  For me, this means that I don't write about anything or provide content for any site/publication that my heart isn't into.  I guess I realized pretty early on that if I were to post every single thing that came into my inbox or provided content to everybody who wanted it, I would be sold out and burnt out in no time at all.  So even though it is scary, and you might feel like you are throwing away an opportunity (especially when you are first starting out), but I really believe that it is worth it to stick to your guns and trust your instinct.

Tip: If you don't want to give a hard no, you can always let the person/business know that you are not currently interested but you are open to receiving contact from them in the future.  This might be a little bit easier to manage and will not likely leave anyone harboring negative feelings towards you and your site.

3. Remember to take time for self-reflection.  In the busy, often over-stimulating online world it is very easy to get swept up in the shuffle for more posts, better content, newer ideas, etc.  For me remembering to take time to sit with my own ideas and not invite other people's concepts of success or brilliance to overtake me is something that I often struggle with.  The two things that help me most of all with this are:

1. Limiting the number of blogs I actually do read.  This isn't because I don't like other blogs...but because I personally want to know that the content I'm coming up with is my own and wasn't inadvertently influenced by another blogger.  Not that finding inspiration in another blogger is bad either, but for my own sanity and peace of mind I like to know that I am being true to myself on a real level and not allowing myself to be fully formed by what is going on around me.  I guess you could say I'm choosy.
2. And keeping a notebook for jotting down little ideas, inspirations and such that I can revisit whenever I want to.  This can be anything as simple as key words and sketches, to full post text and more.  It's my little space to be as random and dream as much as I want to, and since it is always there I can rest easy every day knowing that I'm not forgetting something important.  If you don't already have a little notebook to jot down your thoughts, I highly recommend picking one up.  It doesn't need to be fancy...I actually prefer something that isn't, so I'm not worried about messing it up.

I hope that you will find my little tips helpful as you continue on your blogging journey and navigate the almost always wonderful blog world.  Do you have any special tips for keeping your sanity as a blogger?  I'd love for you to share any advice and thoughts you might have in the comment section bellow.  xo Ez

Blog Etiquette

Hello bloggy friends!  Today I want to touch on the subject of blogging etiquette...for both bloggers and readers of blogs.  I don't know it all (not even close) so I'd love for you to chime in with your own personal thoughts on blogging etiquette.  I'm sure you will have great things to share!  So here we go:

Thoughts for bloggers:

• Always link back...always!  No doubt you have likely experienced what it feels like to find content that you shared posted on another blog with no crediting link.  Of course it is also wise to note that there is a possibility that that other blogger simultaneously discovered the same content (this has personally happened to me and was really upsetting when out of the blue someone came after me with accusations of content theft - I was able to show them that I hadn't stolen the post content, but it was still rattling).  The main point here is not to police the blog world, but rather to do your part to give credit where it is due.  It seems that some bloggers think that it looks bad if they don't find all the content for their site on their own so they intentionally leave crediting links out of their posts.  Maybe some readers are put off when a blogger finds content elsewhere...but I personally have a higher respect for bloggers who make a habit of crediting their sources, regardless of where they found it.  Community and sharing is what blogging is all about (in my opinion)...and link sharing is a positive and vital way to grow your network of blog relationships. 
• It is usually in bad form to recycle full posts/images from another blog.  Since blogs rely upon incoming links for growth you are only hurting the other blogger by copy/pasting complete posts (your readers will have no reason to visit the original blog - even if you do provide a link), not to mention you will be profiting from their hard work (they had to find the content, write about it and assemble the post images).  Instead, give your readers a teaser image or two and let them know why you like the post...then direct them over for the full post content with a link to the source blog.  Additionally, freebies, downloads, PDF files, etc. should remain on the original blog that created them.  It is great to spread the news about a freebie you love, but it isn't nice to take the download and offer it from your own site.  Doing so eliminates any need for your readers to visit the original source blog...not good.
• Copyright.  This is a huge (scary) topic and one that I will be sure to address more thoroughly in the future.  But the main thing I have to note on this topic right now is to be sure to honor the artist/designer/blogger's posted wishes regarding their work.  If they ask for you to obtain written consent before posting...then that's what you have to do.  If they say they don't want their work blogged, then it is best to just walk away.  There are millions of those out there who are happy to have their work shared with the world...so go to it.
• Be proactive, not reactive.  From time to time you may come across someone in blogland (on your or another blog/social networking sites/or by email who has only hurtful or mean-spirited things to say.  Some blogs thrive on this sort of environment, but if you are not a blogger who enjoys this sort of atmosphere then it is wise to sort out exactly how you will respond to these kinds of individuals.  I have personally adopted the "kill them with kindness" philosophy and find that it is best to say nothing at all when possible, or address such individuals with a calm and understanding tone.  I think it takes a strong person to just walk away and not try to get the last word in...but I believe that it really is worth the effort.  If all else fails, ask a trusted friend in the blogging community for their advice and hang in there.  If you refuse to give them kindling for their fire, eventually they will have to burn out.

Thoughts for blog readers/businesses:

• Remember that bloggers are only human.  There are so many facets that make up a blogger's world (and everyone is different) so it is easy for some things to fall through the cracks.  Believe me...any kind comments, sweet emails, etc that you might want to share with a blogger can mean the world (they do to me at least).
• Newsletter no-no.  If you own or work for a business...never sign a blogger up for your newsletter without their permission.  This is something that happens to me all the time and I make it a general rule to unsubscribe immediately.  This practice leaves such a bad taste in my mouth that it makes it hard to want to feature the company's products after this has happened.

The best rule for blogging etiquette really has more to do with the Golden Rule than anything else.  "Treat others as you would like ot be treated."  As long as I remind myself of this then it seems like everything moves along exactly as it should.  I hope my little tips will be of help to you in your blogging journey.  Feel free to ask any questions you'd like in the comment section below...I'm happy to answer them.  xo Ez

Blog Tips: How to Bring Growth to Your Blog - Part I

Hello everyone!  Let me start today's article by saying that I don't actually know everything there is to know on this topic.  That probably sounds funny considering that I'm about to write an article on the subject, right?  I guess my point is that growing my own blog is something that I feel I am constantly working at, reevaluating and revising as needed.  There is no perfect science to follow (as far as I'm aware)..but there are definite things you can do to maximize your blogs' growth potential and so I'll touch on those here today.  Ready to dive in?

• CUSTOM DOMAIN NAME / URL

Firstly, if you don't already own/use a custom domain name/URL drop everything.  Do not pass Go...do not collect $200 dollars until you have secured one.  This is something that I wish I'd known in the very beginning.  By the time I caught on to the importance of having my own domain name a web squatter had already grabbed the URL I wanted and it took well over a year and a lot of stress for me to finally obtain it.  Why is a custom domain so important?

1. For one thing it is much easier for your visitors to remember...increasing the likelihood that they will be able to find you again.
2. It looks a lot cleaner and more more professional than a lengthy automated blog URL.
3. It is better for search engine/ranking purposes.

These three things ultimately add up to the strengthening of your blog and your 'brand' identity which in turn will bring growth to your blog.  Good right?!

There are many hosts for custom domain names, but the one I like the most and have found to be the most reliable is Nettica.  It can be intimidating to set up a custom domain (I find it to be very challenging even though I've done it several times), but most blog hosts give detailed instructions for you to follow along with.  If you're still stuck, try asking a friend or someone you trust online for their assistance.  And if all else fails you may want to look into hiring a web designer to edit this portion of your site.  For something so simple you should not have to spend much money at all.

A little side note: Please don't ever, ever, ever use an underscore character when naming your site.  When I first began blogging (knowing nothing about the field at all) I used one in my URL and ended up working on a blog for 1.5 years before realizing that that one "illegal" character alone was making it unreadable by countless servers around the world.  In order to fix the problem I literally had to scrap my entire blog and start over again.  So please learn from my mistake and keep clear of the pesky underscore.

• ADOPT A REGULAR POSTING SCHEDULE

One thing I learned early on is that the more regular your posting schedule is the happier and more loyal your readers will be.  I think it is important to be honest with yourself about the time you want and are able to invest in your blog.  This amount of time may change in the future as your blog evolves, but it's a good idea to take a look at what you can manage right now.  You don't need to conquer the blog world overnight.  Blogger burnout is a very real thing and nobody wants to see it happen to you.  One thing I personally have to remind myself of regularly is that I cannot possibly post every amazing thing I see.  Yes, there will be many times when another blogger will get to a story before I do, someone who will write more content than I can, etc.  But at the end of the day I know that I put myself into my blog...and I can be okay with that.

• OFFER RELIABLE CONTENT

Again this is something that you will likely come into over time, but the general idea is to consistently deliver content that is within a general theme.  That theme can be broad or very fine-tuned...but whatever it is, make it you.  There is nothing quite so off-putting as frequenting a blog that you count on to deliver a certain type of inspiring content...clicking over one day and discovering that they've posted about something completely off-theme such as heating ducts or sports-cars.  Through a blog you build relationships and trust with your readers, and this trust is formed in large part by demonstrating that day after day you will be a reliable source for content they love. 

I'll be talking in depth about Finding Your Voice / Niche in an upcoming post, so stay tuned for that.

• BE ORIGINAL - BE YOU

There is a percentage of bloggers with the method of simply rehashing what has already been blogged by other bloggers.  Yes, you can build a somewhat successful blog by doing it this way, but I personally find it to be a rather tacky practice (especially when no credit is given to the original source).  It is true that the online world is not a vacuum.  We will come across content from other bloggers that we just have to share (with credit of course), will receive the same press releases from companies and artists and read the same publications as one another.  It's impossible to avoid.  What I'm trying to get at here has more to do with sharing your passion for a subject matter than anything else.  Find that thing or things that makes you tick and let the blog world know.  Shout it from the rooftops, parade it in the streets.  Passion is contagious and a steady following of loyal readers is sure to follow.

• LINK LOVE

One of the oldest "tricks" in the book for growing your blog is to share the blog link love.  It may seem counterintuitive to direct readers to other blogs, but I believe that doing so does a few things:

1. Linking to other blogs that you enjoy on a personal level aligns your site with theirs in a subtle but clear way.
2. Many times you will receive a link back to your site from someone you've linked to.  Link love at its best.
3. You are giving your readers options and showing that you are a "team player" in blogland.

For immediate results I also highly recommend the free service LinkWithin (you can see it at the bottom of each post here on my blog).  I had used the service in the past but forgot to bring it over with me when I relocated to Squarespace.  Since adding it just last week I've seen a huge spike in extra page views (10,700 in the past week to be more precise).

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Next week for Part 2 on this topic I will be talking about the use of social networking sites, targeted growth strategies (such as giveaways), and more.  I hope to see you then.  xo Ez

As always you can print this article using the 'print friendly' button found at the bottom of this post.  And please feel free to chime in and share any advice, thoughts or questions you may have regarding this topic in the comment section below!