Blogging Bidness

July 1 marks four years of this blog. Four. Four years.

It shares a birthday with Pamela Anderson, Princess Diana, and Deborah Harry, lead singer of Blondie. So that’s it — hot blondes and my blog.

Had I known how hot and blond spiritually fulfilling this blog would be, I would have started it much sooner. It has brought be joy, catharsis, new friends, business opportunities, and now it’s brought me a new job…

Back in March I wrote a post about being at a crossroads. My day job was getting heavy, my freelance work was picking up, my time for blogging was limited. I had this pipe dream of making it as a full-time blogger, but everyone I know living that dream had some other source of household income. Also, I’m not really sure blogs are going to be around in five years, ten years, so yeah. It would not be smart of me to put all my eggs in that basket. Likewise, it would also not be smart to remain in a day job that I enjoyed, but would never allow for upward mobility.

So I quit my job.

I hussled up all the freelance clients I could take, just to a point where I would be confident in leaving. It had been coming to a head for a while, but last week I stuck a fork in it. To my utter amazement, not only were my bosses okay with my departure, they are keeping me on as a part-time independent contractor (!!!!) In other words, I get to have my cake and eat it too. Which is crazy. I feel so fortunate to work with people that would ever allow this sort of thing to happen. What is this? Who are these people? How did I get here? Am I stupid to leave something this good?

To give you some background, when I was 19 and needed to quit my hostess job at a restaurant, I waited until the end of the shift to give the manager a week’s notice, and then he threw a pot at my head. A pot. At my head. Thank God it was empty, but yeah, that sort of set the precedent for my expectations from my employers. In this more recent scenario, I feared the worst but emerged with the best. I could not ask for a better set-up to start the next chapter. Part of me wants to pinch myself, the other part is like WHOA. CALM DOWN. THE HARD PART HASN’T EVEN BEGUN.

So, did I quit my job to be a full-time blogger?

No. I quit my job to be a freelance graphic designer — something I have been doing as a side job since I was 19, right about the time that guy threw the pot at my head. It’s what I went to art school for, it’s what I do best, and it’s always been a part of my “real job” but I never wanted to risk it as a full time career because the money comes in batches, feast or famine, and my own personal history makes me value stability over anything else. But anyway. In the back of my mind I thought a freelance design career would be a great ‘Someday’ job when I became a married stay at home mom…but that ship isn’t sailing anytime soon, and I’ll be damned if I put my dreams on the back-burner because I don’t have a spouse to lean on. I have two feet to stand on, two hands to work with; why on Earth would I wait around just to depend on someone else? Can I not do this? Can’t I do this? I can do this? I can do this. I’m doing this. I’m doing it. I’m doing it!

That said, there have been a couple of significant changes in the year that have made this shift to self-employment possible;

1. The Affordable Healthcare Act, aka Obamacare. Is it perfect? No. Is it going to allow me to purchase reasonable health insurance for under $500 a month? Yes. That’s not something I could say in 2008, the last time I was faced with this problem (and went without, which, trust me, is a terrifying way to live). I have engaged in enough political arguments on the interwebs this week, so I’m not starting one here, but I will tell you, if you are one of the thousands of Americans who wants to quit their job but think you can’t because of the insurance factor…it’s worth looking into. That’s all I’ll say. Do your homework and look into it. 

2. You. You guys! If you read this site on a regular basis (on the site, not in your email or blog reader) you probably notice a couple of ads running along the edges. Those ads have slowly built a baseline of income every month, along with the sort of audience numbers that allow me sponsor opportunities, and monthly contributor slots with Michael’s and ILoveToCreate.com. Is it enough to pay all the bills? No. Is it enough to reassure me that I can count on a minimal amount of revenue each month? Yes. Does that stability give me the confidence to go out and take some risks on other ventures? Absolutely. Does it make me want to create more content?  You bet it does.

And while It would be lovely to say that being my own boss will allow me tons of time to do stuff I want to do like blog, travel, chill out with cats and stuff…I suspect this first year is going to be rough. Real rough. I need to aim to take on a new client every week just to cover my butt. The statistics surrounding start-up businesses are scary. Four out of ten new businesses fail in the first year. Around 80% fail in the first five years. Let be honest; the odds are not in my favor, I don’t have a safety net, the cost of living is going up, and I will never again be as young as I am today. If this is going to work, NOW is the time to sink or swim.

So I am going to swim my ass off.

Part of that work is going to be this blog. I’m not leaving my job until the end of next month, which gives me a couple of months to get my ducks in a row. Part of me says I should turn this into a nice and vanilla craft blog and just make a new spangled doo-dah everyday, and pray I can roll up some new audience and sponsors. The other part of me says there are already hundreds of blogs like that, and really good ones too, and you guys don’t really need one more. Interestingly, my stats tell me every time I put up a new craft tutorial, my numbers double, but every time I post a long and rambly writing piece (not unlike this one), my stats quadruple. That right there defies every “expert” opinion on blogging habits I have ever read, but facts are facts, and I’m not going to fight it. I’m going to start publishing my writing more, even if that means I get occasionally ranty and y’all have to put me in my place.  I’m also not going to stop making things with my hands or decorating my apartment or finding weird stuff on the internet, that’ll be here too, just perhaps, more often and maybe a little less filtered. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, but I’m also going to pump up the jam.

Anyway. That’s still a few weeks off. Right now I have to close up my job and switch this here website over to WordPress (the dinosaur days at Blogger are over!). You probably won’t see any changes for a while, and when you do they’ll be subtle, but I want to let you know they are happening because that’s the sort of relationship we have. I’m going to start letting you know what is going on with my end, even if that means it occasionally gets ugly. I hope you will do the same.  You would be surprised how closely I pay attention to what you have to say in comments, emails, and social media, even if I don’t always get to say much in return. I am listening more than you will ever know.

So, My Sweetums, that is the state of the union. And by union I mean my blog, but whatever, you get it. This is probably the part where I’m supposed to say something about a giveaway or a survey (and maybe there will be down the road), but really I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for following. Thank you for lending me your thoughts. Thank you for putting up with my weirdness and my typos and rambles and my never ending quest for flamingos and Benedict Cumberbatch. There are elevtyseven different other places to spend your time on the internet and I am so grateful you chose to spend a minute on this patch of sparkly strangeness called Aunt Peaches. At this moment, I can tell you without a whiff of exaggeration, I do not know what I where I would be without you.

Happy Birthday to us.

   Love,

   ~Peaches 

So. I may have hit a nerve with Monday’s rambling post about the meaning of this blog….Who am I?…Why are we here?…What is the purpose of existence? 

Yeah.

I won’t have the answers for a while, if ever, but what came out of that post was a pretty cool conversation about a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with me, which makes me feel better about using this platform for such a self-indulgent romp through the cerebral wilderness. Anyway. Through the comments and emails to follow, the common thread that keeps appearing is not one related to my blog, but our blogs. I don’t assume any of my readers are bloggers, but clearly some of you are, or are thinking about becoming one, or are considering using blogging and social media to expand an existing online business. Since the issue here is expansion, I thought this might be a great time to share some of my favorite blogging tips from other people. Things I have found super helpful over the last four years. Things I wish someone had told me sooner. 

Disclaimer: The sources credited below were not researched for this post. Every single one of these links was bookmarked or pinned by me because I found it extremely useful. Granted, I don’t follow allllll the advice in these posts, but I can tell you I have learned from each one of them. In all this, the thing to remember is that the internet (as we know it) is new. Real new. There is no right or wrong way to do it, so don’t let anyone tell you that their way is better than yours. Nobody is an expert (yet), we are all just enthusiasts. 

****For Beginners
You want to start a blog but you are intimidated by the prospect of setting one up. 

1. Video tutorial how to start a Blogger based blog, start to finish. You will publish your first post in under 30 minutes – it’s that easy. And totally free. The only thing you need to start is a Gmail account, but that is free too.

2. Video tutorial how to start a WordPress based blog, start to finish, including purchasing a custom domain and host server. Will take a few hours (but 80% of it is just waiting for the server to populate) and cost under $35 to get started.

Tangent: What is the difference between Blogger and WordPress?
This is a complicated question and not one I have the full authority to answer, but let me ask you this; Are you comfortable with new technology? Do you understand the difference between a blog, a website, a post, and a feed? Do you use an RSS feed or blog reader like Blog Lovin or Feedly? Do you not get overwhelmed when tech devices change or upgrade? Do you use more than two social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, Tumblr, etc)? Are you one of the five people who understand how to use Google Plus? Do you understand why comic sans is evil? If you answered yes to more than half of those questions, go for WordPress. Everyone else stick to Blogger – it’s much more user friendly. WordPress is optimized for more customization and nifty things you don’t have to worry about, but Blogger is pretty badass too. This site is a blogger site, but I use WordPress sites for work. Both have their benefits. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the comparison, that’s probably a sure sign to stick with Blogger. There are other platforms like Typepad, Squarespace, and Tumblr but they haven’t picked up the same traction as these two, and if you ask me, that’s for good reason.

****For the Interested
You have a blog but you don’t put time into maintaining it. You want to build a rhythm and expand your audience but you don’t know where to start.

3. The template of a “perfect” blog post  Obviously, the “perfect” part is up for interpretation, but I find myself using this outline when I know I need to write a post but don’t have the time or patience to go about it in a thoughtful way. It’s like Bisquick for blogging. 

4. 10 Ways to get more eyes on your posts.

5. 52 Things to post about when you don’t know what to post about.

Sidebar: Crafterminds, the site I just linked, is geared to craft bloggers (oodles of good stuff if that’s your genre, especially for beginners), but I think the guts of those 52 prompts are pretty universal to bloggers of all stripes. If I was just starting out with blogging, I would take that list of writing prompts (and here are a bunch more), then go on a 30 day blogging binge. Post something every day for 30 days. No quitting. Some posts might be just a picture and a photo caption, others might be a lengthier sort of opus. A 30 day bootcamp will shake out all the nerves and anxiousness about tech issues, and at the end, you will know your rhythm. You’ll know what you like blogging about and how often you want to blog about it. That 30 day initial investment is the key.    

6. 22 Writing prompts to help improve your About page (y’all: this is harrrrd)

7. 12 Things to do after you have written a blog post.

8. For creative/crafty bloggers – Sites to submit your work to.

9. How to get noticed as a new blogger.

10. 10 Tips for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

**** For the Experts
You run a successful blog and post on a regular basis. Your blog gives back to you, either by way of personal catharsis, feedback from your peers, or revenue from your audience. You have good thing, but you know it could be better.

11. This is an interview with Gary Vaynerchuk, who understands more about how people operate on the internet than the rest of us put together. You’ll find a bunch of his lectures on the internet, but he has also has some books on social media that are great, Jab, Jab, Right Hook in particular. The good news is he knows what he is talking about, the bad news is it’ll take a ton of time. Earlier this year I dedicated one solid week to following his advice for audience engagement on Facebook (which is almost impossible manipulate these days) and look what happened to my reach:

Dude knows what he is talking about. His advice really is not specific to bloggers, so if you own a small business, or work in marketing or PR, you are going to want to check him out.

12. 13 Blogging Stats you probably don’t know but should.

13. How to manage your social media in 30 minutes a day (I don’t buy the 30 minutes, but 60 maybe).

14. Double your Facebook likes in 5 minutes a day.
      
15. Double your Pinterest followers in 5 minutes a day.

16. This is a good lookin’ media kit.

17. A great infographic on how to get more pins and repins.

18. 15 Productivity tips from prolific writers.

19. How to foster a loyal blog following. Q: Do you know your average return rate off-hand? In the long run, that number matters more than pageviews. Food for thought. 

20. How to keep your inbox under 5 emails (I dream of this).

21. A candid breakdown of how one decorating blogger makes money.

**** Layout and Design Tips
Good for bloggers of all levels and areas of expertise.

22. 10 Blog Layout Tips.  This comes from A Beautiful Mess, a blog devoted to every kind of visual content topic on the planet, and yet never looks overwhelming.They know what they are doing.

23. The anatomy of a perfect landing page. This is more geared toward business-based websites than a blog, but it’s excellent food for thought in prioritizing what goes above the fold. After you see this outline you’ll start spotting it all over the place, including some of the highest traffic sites on the planet. It works.

24. 7 Mistakes even nice looking blogs make.

25. And if all else fails, if you want to hire someone to pimp your blog, Nellie Bellie is for hire. These two ladies know their stuff and are great at breaking it down in bite-sized chunks. They can take your thump of a blog and turn it into a pa-pow!  

Side note on hiring people: If you are considering contracting someone, anyone, to upgrade your blog, DO YOUR RESEARCH. I actually hired someone else to do some work on my blog last fall. Long story short: it was a disaster. I spent months waiting in line only to be ignored, then ignored again, then after much pestering, found out this person never had the time or qualifications to handle my site in the first place. So now I’m stuck; do I spend more money to hire a lawyer to get it back, or do I let it slide? I don’t know, but I have learned my lesson. Moral of the story; even when you think you know everything about something, and you are going about something in a thoughtful way, you are probably missing out on something pretty basic. Whatever the something is, there is a decent chance we covered it in one of the links above!

Anyone else got any great blogging tips or resources to share? Chime in the comments 🙂

Facebook now requires page administrators to pay to promote their updates in order to be seen by readers. If we do not pay to promote our posts, less than 10% of you will ever see the updates.

1. Open the fan page (here is mine), hover the mouse on the gear symbol next to the “Like” button. In the pop-up select “ADD TO THE INTEREST LISTS”. Easy Peasy, that’s it.
2. (Note: and this one goes for your personal friends, fan pages, businesses you follow, etc) If you see a post you like, give it a thumbs up. It’s that simple. Make a point of doing this every-so often. Nobody can figure out the Facebook algorithm for what shows up in our status feed and what doesn’t, but, it is clear that if we periodically tell Facebook that we “like” content from a certain source it will show up more often.

*Side note rant: If you are one of those people who clicks “Hide from feed” as soon as you are finished reading something: STOP IT. Seriously. I know you are just tidying up your feed, and that’s nice, but by doing so you are essentially providing negative feedback, telling Facebook that the content you just hid is somehow inappropriate or offensive and should also be hidden from others. Talk about a party pooper! Okay. Rant over.