Bloggy stuff from Voices of 2013

I know there is heaps of advice on the blogosphere about how to, what for and when?
But I just have to share some insights from some of the successful bloggers who were at the masterclass that I went to a couple of weeks ago.
It was put on by Kidspot and I did blog about it here.

The session Blogging 101 was led by the wonderful blog-queen Pip Lincolne. Her partners in crime  blogging were Rebecca Lowry-Boyd of Wee Birdy, Jen Bishop of Interiors Addict and Vivian Mansour of Ish & Chi.

These are some little pearls of wisdom I gathered from their chats.

What attracts readers to a blog?
Beautiful-looking blog. Clean design.
Clear navigation.
Fonts? Not too many different ones.

An eye-catching header.

If you can't or don't want to design your own blog you may need to pay for a website developer.
How to find one?
See a blog that you like the look of? Ask them if they used a professional developer?

 Quality content - research.
                          - explore
                          - get away from the computer!

What to blog about?
Post original content.

Be yourself.
Be true to yourself.
Do your own thing (don't be a copycat)

Stay humble.

Blog with passion and enthusiasm.

How do you attract followers?

Reach out to people.
Comment on other blogs.
Have a conversation with people.
Build up networks.

Use social media to increase your blog traffic.
- pinterest
- facebook
- twitter
- instagram

What about SEO?

Do you choose "killer headlines" or opt for more descriptive titles?
Make it easy for people to find your posts by not be too clever-clever with your titles.

What blogs do you admire?

The Design Files 

Hair Romance

Potty Mouth Mama

52 suburbs

in out

I'm sure there was lots more - but that is all I can glean from my notes!

Have a great week.

Voices of 2013

Yesterday I did something I've never done before - I went to a meeting of bloggers.

I was a little nervous but knew that one of my on-line friends would be there....and being bloggers everyone was very friendly.

And there were people there who you felt that you knew like Pip Lincolne from Meet Me At Mikes and JustB.

I didn't know what to expect.
Certainly not a neat little notebook and pen, beautiful flowers and some yummy afternoon tea.

There were inspiring speakers-

Keynote speaker Hayley Bartholemew

Panel discussions - 

Panel 1

Panel 2

Michelle and Sally

and goody bags!

The whole shebang was put on by Kidspot which is a fabulous blog dedicated to parenting. And what a fab job they did - it was so well organised.

I should add that there is a section on Kidspot called Village Voices which hosts a wider range of topics - go check it out!

The venue was rather amazing - an old warehouse that now has a cafe Kitchen By Mike and a very interesting looking furniture store koskelo.
Note to self "must go back and explore these places someday"

Then there was the goody bag that we all got!

It was great!

I'll blog about what I gleaned from the afternoon some other time,

Thanks so much to Kidspot and everyone who took part and shared so generously.

Are you making earrings AGAIN!?

Well - yes, I am making earrings again!

It's what I love.
It's how I got started in this crazy self-employed-home-business journey.

I love how you can take the simplest of beads and turn them into a beautiful adornment.
I love how you can take the prettiest beads and turn them into a simple stylish acccessory.

And from a business point of view I sell way, way more earrings than anything else.
They are the bread and butter of my business.
People always seem to enjoy a new pair of earrings when they might not go for a different piece of jewellery.

I love wearing earrings.
I feel naked if I go out without my earrings.

Well that's my creative space this week - if you'd like to see more creative spaces or join in hop on over to Village Voices (we have moved!)