Overcoming My Blogging Comfort Zone

I've been stepping out of my comfort zone this past month by reaching out to other bloggers and networking.  My numbers have grown through out all my social media sites.  So it's true you still have to communicate even if its online.  NETWORKING works!

It's hard to be vulnerable and put yourself out there.  I've been applying for blog job offers.  I'm not thinking I don't have enough experience and then not apply.  I'm going for it!   At this point I'm not upset if I don't get any of the positions I'm just happy I put myself out there and applied.

Connecting with others is important to grow any business even a blog.  Reach out by commenting on other blogs, retweeting, liking posts on Facebook, sharing pins on Pinterest and overall just getting involved.  You can't expect your blog to grow if all you do is post.

I joined Facebook groups that are in my niches (moms, reviews, and giveaways) and it has been a blessing.  I've met some awesome bloggers that I'm learning from every day.

Watch out Blogging World~ here comes PinkMama!  2013 is going to be my year I come out of this Blogging shell!

Join the Ultimate Blog Challenge- Starts Jan 1st

I want to build my blog in 2013 and joining the Ultimate Blog Challenge will help me do that!  

Sign up now: http://ultimateblogchallenge.com

Starts Jan 1st!!!

If you decide to do the Ultimate Blog Challenge please leave a comment so we can SUPPORT each other!  

Freebies For Bloggers!

Cafe Blogelina is going to be posting a FREEBIE for Bloggers for the next 12 days!

First Day~ FREE Private Domain Registration!  

Go HERE to see the above freebie and get more freebies! 

I'm super excited to see what else they will post for the next 11 days.  

Planning Blog Posts-How do you? (Day 1)

I made the commitment to myself I will blog EVERYDAY in November! Today I need to PLAN out the month and see what my plan is.  As of right now I have no PLAN.

I'm one of those people who put PRO in Procrastination:

Problogger ROCKS:This POST helped a lot~!  If you are a blogger his book is awesome and go to his website and check out more info: http://www.problogger.net/

Things to post about~

• Theme for the month
• Contests/giveaways planned
• What Reviews I have to do
• My Kids
• My Hubby
• Me
• My Surgery
• My Job
• Social Media
• Lists
• Pinterest finds
• How to's
• Recipes
• Holidays

Okay so now know now what to write about over the month- it's brainstorm time!  I think I will plan it on paper first then transfer to GOOGLE CALENDAR so I can get reminders!!!  BTW LOVE LOVE Google Calendar.

I know there is a lot more to think about but I know myself if I think too much than I will find something else to do....LOL!  Blogging is so much fun and I love it- even though I might bitch about it!

Look forward to a fun filled month full of posts!  

National Blog Posting Month- Sign up NOW!

I signed up to participate in this month long challenge- and I will do it!  It will take some planning and some days the posts will have to be scheduled but I will finish!

If you want to get involved please sign up HERE and Shareaholic have a lot of info to help you plus some tips for your blog!

Also you can sign up to be on BlogHer November BlogRoll- WOW 235 blogs already signed up- sign up HERE

If you are participating please leave your BLOG LINK in the comments so I can follow your posts!  I would love to connect with other bloggers doing this!

What to BLOG ABOUT??

Do you ever get STUCK on what to write about? I do all the time. I stalk some cool bloggers that talk about blogging but sometimes I get lost on what they are talking about because it doesn't always pertain to my blog.

Last night before bed I was going through some of my PINTEREST boards and came across the BEST POST about 13 Awesome Blog Post Ideas.  I loved every one they listed and oh boy its going to help me in my blogging because I can relate to these blog ideas.  So please head over to CrafterMinds because they have some brilliant ideas that will help us bloggers!

Also I need to be organized- working on that over the summer (lol- I've been working on this all my life- when will I ever pick it up LOL)

What are YOUR favorite Blog Post Ideas?

What To Do AFTER You Write A Post~ Great Info!

I got this off of Pinterest but if you click on the picture it will take you to the website it came from!  Thanks~Health Care Communication

Some AWESOME information here!  I do some of them but I know I need to work on #5, #6,  really need to do #7 more, and #12.  

What do you need to work on?

Last Week's Problogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Homework

Day 4: {Intermediate} Use a Magazine to Improve Your Blog: 
I did this with only magazine I have at home~ Family Circle and I actually got a few ideas for blog post and FONT ideas.  Also let me read my magazine which I do maybe 1 or 2 months down the road.  I will be using this tip from now on when I need some blog ideas! 

Day 5: {Intermediate}: Monitor Statistics on Your Blog Need to start tracking : 
I need to keep track of: Overall Visitors, Most Popular Posts, Referral Stats, Bounce Rates, Daily/Weekly Trends, and Exit Pages. I set up a Google Spreadsheet. 
How to make at Stat Book: http://www.kludgymom.com/creating-a-statbook-tutorial-b2sb2b-week-5/  this how I set up my Goggle Spreadsheet.

Day 6: {Intermediate} Make Your Blog Mobile Friendly 

I have to work on Apple Icons and  Meta Viewpoint Tag  Go to http://marketing.grader.com/ and it will let you know what you need to work on!  LOVE IT!

Day 7: {Intermediate} Create/Update a Sneeze Page for Your Blog


This one was hard but I did a couple: http://pinkmamasplace.blogspot.com/p/about.html and http://pinkmamasplace.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html.  
Down the road I plan to do a sneeze page for:
*Market Mondays
*Tip Tuesdays
*Win It Wednesday


Day 8: Hunt for Dead Links Day 9: {Intermediate} Interlinking Blog Posts

This post helped me a lot!   I took out some old buttons, widgets, and just silly stuff that wasn't needed on the sidebar:  http://www.kludgymom.com/the-11-point-blog-inspection/


I'm working on my labels/categories and will go in and add to posts I never added the labels too.  If I do one a day I will get caught up soon.  I have a lot of categories and I need to narrow them down.

Funny Friday- Favorite Pinterest Pic of the Week

Now we (bloggers) all know we have said this to ourselves when we say/do/see things that are blog worthy!  


My kids will do something these days and ask "are you going to put this on your blog?" or if they get in trouble its "mom, please don't put this on your blog!" so it sounds like my family knows- I'M GOING TO BLOG ABOUT YOU!  I try not to blog too much about my hubby- that can get a bit messy and of course I don't want him mad at me- don't bite the hand that feeds you kind of thing of going on!!! 


Well of tho work I go but of course I would rather be here BLOGGING!!  


Also FOLLOW me on Pinterest~ http://pinterest.com/pamallen68/


What is Pinterest~ Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.




If you need a Pinterest Invite~ email me at pamallen68@gmail.com and I'll send one :)

FREE BLOGGER SIGN UP~ $100 Amazon Twitter Blast

Need some twitter followers than you should sign up to be included in this awesome Twitter Event!

Makobi Scribe and Madame Deals are hosting a $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway that they have opened up to other bloggers to participate in for free- how awesome is that! So generous- THANK YOU!

If your a blogger and want to know more please go to: http://kobiso.com/event/100-amazon-twitter-blast/

Blogging Guilt!

Wow I had blogging guilt yesterday!  I was doing so good this week blogging everyday and then Fri/Sat came and nothing!  Why you say~ well Fri/Sat I work as a waitress and when I get home the last thing I want to do is THINK about anything but laying my tired old body on the couch, LOL!  But the real reason is when I get home I have other responsibilities that take up my time- darn wife/mom duties.  Of course I'm going to take care of my family before I take care of my blog. 

The guilt came in when I was laying down after cleaning up (I'm still fighting a cold) and it took all of me not to get up and go to the computer.  STOP PAM- I needed rest because this cold has been hanging around all week. 

So I have decided to ease the BLOGGING GUILT and schedule posts.  I can write a couple posts to cover on those days I just don't want to blog!  I have to give it up to everyone that blogs everyday!!! 

What I learned this week is Blogging has become more than a hobby.  Wow- it took several years but I now have the blogging bug.

Wednesday Blog Hop- Who in the World?

Welcome to "Who in the World? Wednesday" Blog hop. Your host are Chronicles of a crazy mom, The Coupon Cutie and Mommy Does.  Head on over to one of those blogs and enter your name and lets HOP!

Blog Brainstorming

I did a "brain dump" and it felt good!  This helped me come up future blog posts.  Yes it's messy and its suppose to be.  This was an assignment from a 2 week course I'm taking through http://www.thesitsgirls.com/  #SITSclass.  We are grouped with 3 other bloggers and we discuss within our group about our blogs and give each other feedback!  I'm enjoying the course so far and I know it's already helped me. 

Facebook Friday

I got mentioned on Chronicles of a Crazy Mom blog- woohoo!  Please go check out the other blogs/facebook pages she suggested we take a look at:



Now on to Facebook Friday Blog Hops:

Blogger Organization- How do you do it!

I'm not an expert at this at all so that is why I'm writing this post.  I feel like I'm all over the place- here and there and around that corner too!  I struggle with this day to day in just my life so thinking I would be an organized blogger is FUNNY! 

My search came up with these useful tools:

The Niche Blogger Blogging Organizer Workbook: Keep Track Of And Organize Your Blogs  WOW sounds like winner here. 
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Cool online ToDo list: http://todo.ly/
Easy to do and I set up some projects on it so lets see if this helps. Also you can color code it! So far I likey!   I got this info from http://www.bloggingot.com/blogging-tools/become-an-organized-blogger-with-todo-ly/.  Besides finding this cool site on there- Blogging OT is filled with some incredible info for bloggers.  Wow, looks like I might be spending some time on this site!  See this is why I don't get stuff done- distractions always get me.

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HOLD ON...found a really cool site that might work better than the above because I can get it sent to me by email: https://www.rememberthemilk.com/  It also has some bells and whistles that I'm loving.  The one thing I really like it has a weekly planner that can be printed...AWESOME! 
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During my search today I came across some great tips and some well I just didn't understand but hey I've only had one mocha today so maybe its not their fault.  Anyways this is what I learned:

1. Planning- list of topics, keywords, have a notebook just for blogging
2. Prepare- write blog post in advance (you know that day you have nothing going on but writing posts :) )
3. Schedule/Routine- calendar when/what/where (I have a couple blogs)

Well lets see if this works!  If you have any other suggestions please let me know. 

Five Question Friday

1. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, I can but don't like to! Learned on a stick (poor car-sorry). Can I do it now...driving is like bike riding right?

2. What are two foods you just can't eat? Spinach...ewww hate the taste and texture. Mushrooms taste like dirt. Don't tell my kids mom doesn't eat her veggies!

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind? Do I buy girl scout cookies, heck ya! I track down the girl scouts even before they come knocking. Thin mints all the way but those coconut carmel ones are the bomb!

4. How do you pamper yourself? Well for several years I didn't, it was all about the kids but this year, I'm getting a pedicure every month, I'm buying shoes, and book store trip every couple weeks.

5. What is your nickname and how did you get it? Well Pami was my nickname growing up and HATED IT! My mom still calls me it (ummm I'm 42). I have a couple customers at the cafe who call me RED.

Well that was fun!

Thursday Blog Hopping

On Thursday morning I spend about 2 hrs visiting, commenting, reading some awesome blogs from these blog hops! Please click on button and it will take you to the hop!





I couldn't get the button to work on this one but go here because she has some great blogging/business info: http://jodishomebiz.com/

30 Days to a Better Blog: Day 10 – Add Images or Video to Each Blog Post

Very good advice!!!  I started doing pictures/videos recently because my facebook page looked weird with all the PinkMama's Place buttons on every post.  I know that's a weird reason why to use pics but it makes my FB page look better. 

This is something I already started doing but will definitely continue! 

Read article here: http://www.blogworld.com/2011/01/10/30-days-to-a-better-blog-add-images-or-video-to-each-post/

30 Days to a Better Blog: Day 9 – Establish a Review Policy

I haven't done that many reviews (WOULD LOVE TO DO MORE) but I guess this is very important and all of us who do reviews should have this on our blog.  I will!

Things to include in your review policy:

■Overview: State the objective for your reviews. Are you looking for the best products for your audience? Are you looking to provide well-rounded reviews for your readers?

■What You Look at in a Review: Tell your audience what you look for in the items you’re reviewing, and how you will write the review. Are you looking at content? quality? price? value? other specific factors?

■Items You’re Looking to Review: Make a list of the items you are interested in reviewing – and an example of the items you’re not willing to review.

■Whether You’re Willing to Accept Samples: A variety of companies look to provide bloggers with a sample that they need to return. Some bloggers are fine with that (this way they can review expensive items), while some find it a pain.

■How to Request a Review: Provide contact information for companies looking to send you a review product.

■How You Handle a Review: Tell potential companies how you handle the review. If it is a product that you don’t want to pitch to your audience or would review badly – do you still want to include the review? Will you let the company know? Will you send the product back or pass it on to another reviewer?

■Disclosure: Bloggers are now legally required to disclose if they received an item as a sample and/or were paid for their review as a way to provide transparency to the reader. You can find several sample disclosure on the web, or I found this interesting website that gives you a way to visually display your level of disclosure.

Please read more here:  http://www.blogworld.com/2011/01/09/30-days-to-a-better-blog-establish-a-review-policy/

I know what I'm working on TODAY!  Thanks Blog World!

30 Days to a Better Blog: Day 8 – Add/Edit Your About Me Page

What should you include on your About Me page? Any or all of the following: 

• Your name
• A recent photo
• Your education and/or work history (if relevant to the blog)
• Why you started the blog
• Your goal(s) for the blog
• A link to your contact page (and an invitation for people to contact you)
• Links to other blogs/websites you may write for or run

Okay going to add a picture, why I started the blog, my goals, and other blogs I do!  I don't think I want to add my education/work though, no need at this moment! 

 

Please read the entire Blog World Post~ http://www.blogworld.com/2011/01/08/30-days-to-a-better-blog-addedit-your-about-me-page/

 

Always use you VOICE.  I might not be the best in the english language and my spelling sucks but I still write in my voice.