Can you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
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I am an early-forties stay at home mom to young-ish kids. I met my hubby on a cruise. We were "just friends" for several years. Then at some point I realized I was in love with him and moved 1100 miles away from my family and everything I knew to be with him. We have the two a fore mentioned kids. I love how wildly creative everyone in my family is. We always joke that our kids are going to have unrealistic expectations of what moms and dads are supposed to be able to do. My hubby is a BASE jumper and a carpenter. He is building our entire addition from the ground up. I sew, craft, cook and like to create things as well.
I call my blog a Mish-Mash of mommy stuff. When I was "learning" about blogging, I always read that you had to have a niche. But, I couldn't decide what I wanted to focus on, so I cover it all. . . whatever strikes my fancy at the time. I began blogging as a way to make money. The idea just popped into my head one day. I really had no idea what a blog was, but for some reason I knew that people were trying to make money that way. I wanted to try something that I could do from home. But, the money comes very slowly. So, it's a good thing that I have been having way too much fun creating my blog. I am still "creating" my blog every day. I've been doing it since January of 2011 and it is constantly changing as I change. I have met many great friends through blogging. The great friends that I've met and the creative challenges are why I continue to blog.
Check out my mark. e-boutique!
and my blog!
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I'm not full-time, as I just don't have enough time for that. I explained above why I got into it. . . I thought it would be a way to make a little extra money. But, I am STILL blogging because I love the friends that I've made and love the creative challenges.
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If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?
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Never make your title longer than you can write. And if you DO have a long title, don't use that as your e-mail!! Also, if you are serious about it and think you might want to monetize some day, buy your domain name immediately. Your numbers will drop once you change your domain name and you'll have to build them back up again, so it's better to do it early. Also, just begin. There is no wrong way to begin a blog. But, like anything else in life you have to take those first few baby steps and then you'll learn as you go. And join blogging groups. A lot of them offer a lot of chances to "meet" new bloggers and to learn. Some groups even have writing prompts, etc.
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How do you build a community around a blog and social media?
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I always checked people's side bars to see which communities they were in and joined a lot of those communities. They are a great way to meet new friends, especially if you're new to blogging. The social media thing I'm still trying to figure out! But, I would say, make everything coordinate--you want people to be able to recognize you across all of the different media--Twitter, Facebook, Google +, etc. And begin all of those as soon as you begin blogging.
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What are your three favorite blogs to read? What makes those blogs special?
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I don't really have three favorites!! My tastes are so varied. I love to read craft blogs, inspirational blogs, family blogs. As one of your other interviewees said, I usually read the blogs of the people who read my blog. Reciprocity is a wonderful thing! Plus, I wouldn't want to leave anyone out! There are so many good blogs out there. I can just say, that the blogs that I love to read let you know who they are as a person. The blog owner's personality shines through. You should have no doubt what that person would be like if you met them in real life.
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Which one plugin would you suggest all bloggers to have?
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Oh my goodness. . . I am not tech-savvy enough to even answer this question!
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