Blog Tips
I’m not an expert.
Not even close. But I’m picking up things as I go along, finding great resources, and slowly learning about the ins and outs of blogland. This is a developing list of tips that I have found helpful thus far.
My tips:
- WordPress Versus Blogger
- Sitemeter Versus Statcounter
- An Amateur’s Breakdown Of Adsense
- The Beauty Of Flickr
- Attention Facebook Losers…I Mean Users
- Blogging 101 – NOreply
- No More Blogspot: Owning Your Own Domain
- Kaboodle: Blogland For Fashionistas
- Linking 101: Three Helpful Tips
- Favorite Plugins: Thread Your Comment AND Reply Via Email
- How To Make Your Own Blog Button
- Blog Conference Do’s and Don’ts
Tips I’ve found helpful from other sites:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey thanks! A great resource. Will be back for sure.
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“Blog world” absolutely has me stupefied! I thought it was just going to be a cheap outlet for a SAHM, but it is an unbelievable “community.” I feel like I will never catch up, but your posts give me encouragement. I’m about two months into really paying attention to my blog and would love for you to check it out and break it down (besides the fact that I should pay to have someone design it! That’s quite obvious!). I’m pretty thick skinned I think, so go for it!
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Why didn’t I find this a year ago? OH, because I didn’t even know what social blogging was!!
THANKS! :)
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Hi Mama Kat,
Quick question. I am new to the blogging world, having clocked up less than 2 weeks worth of posts, and I have just had an ‘Anonymous’ commenter slam me for blogging about my daughter, mentioning her by name, posting photos and up-to-date stories about her.
I have not mentioned anywhere in my blog where we live, Country OR State, or what school she goes to.
I have also seen, on several other blogs, that other parents do the same thing as me. Some even mention where they live.
I was wondering, as a fellow blogger who posts about your family, what are your thoughts on the subject?
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Mama Kat Reply:
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:31 pm
That’s a quick LOADED question. :) And I like it. Is it possible the person slamming you is somebody who knows you in real life and is disagreeing with your choice to blog?
Here’s the thing. There are people more important and more famous than us who’s entire lives are photographed and tracked. We know their kids’ names, we know where they live, we know where they vacation, etc.
Are we taking risks by allowing people to see our children on the internet? Yes. How great are the risks? I don’t know. Are there freaks out there? Yes and they scare the crap out of me. But are we taking those same risks when I take my kids ANYWHERE in public? Yes. There will always be creeps. I refuse to live in fear of them.
I recommend following your instincts. Since you’re so new it might not be a bad idea to give your kids nicknames if it would make you feel more comfortable.
Keeping your last name and the exact location of your home off your blog is definitely wise, but if someone is determined to find you, they probably will. It’s such a touchy topic. We all want to do what’s best for our kids and so many people take opposing views on this. I’m wishy washy, but obviously you see my decision was to allow my kids and their names to be posted in full view. That’s the side I choose.
Hope this helped!!!
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Brea @ Tomika's Treasure Trove Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:20 am
Mama Kat,
Thank you for your input/insight into my dilemma. I appreciate you taking the time to consider my maybe-not-so-quick question. :)
It’s funny that you should broach the subject of the Anon commenter possibly being part of my personal circle, it was a thought that crossed my mind as soon as I saw how the comment was phrased, and has been reinforced as the debate has gone on. (Of which I must admit to getting perhaps overly defensive in my replies.) However, it would be interesting to find out…
Regarding posting my child’s doings, I agree with you. My choice to include my daughter in my blogging was deliberate and not made lightly. After fielding those comments, I found myself questioning it, and my worth as a parent.
It’s nice to know there are others out there that think along the same lines as I do. My daughter is now aware of the blog, she knows I write about her, she has even read it and given me her full support. We BOTH know the risks, and have decided that by withholding identifying landmarks, it was on par with me letting her go out with friends without an accompanying adult.
Thank you. For helping me get back to what I was originally hoping to achieve, an outlet for myself, and a (hopefully) friendly parent/child-orientated community I can connect with.
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