Bragging and Ranting. How I came up with a Blog Post.

November 5, 2014November 5, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog, Blog Tips, Blogging Tips, Bragging, Gifted Student, Intelligence, rant, Ranting, Son, Sports

I wanted to write an article about a Blog Tip today. I thought I would play off of my “How to come up with a book idea” article from the LWI site and do “How to come up with a blog post” but the juices just didn’t flow in that direction and I’ve basically done things like that.

Instead I am going to simply brag a bit.

I am not overly boastful. Yes, I seem to brag about being humble and not seeking attention. I am not sure how to exactly understand the boasting of that but I am sure that it is boasting somehow. Anyway, people may have noticed I haven’t done any announcements about number of followers or views in a while. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I think it’s fine when you do it to sincerely thank followers for achieving those milestones. I have a friend that does that. Most of us never even expected but a handful of people to ever even see what we post. I am still surprised people show up here. Sure some days are slimmer than others, and weeks are slimmer then other weeks.

So what am I going to brag about?

‘B’ the Athlete

My son. My boy ‘B’ is awesome! He recently started basketball, his first try at sports. He’s 10 and was walking into the gym and the high school head football coach saw him, looked him up and down and smiled. “Have you ever thought about playing football?” A humorous conversation followed. ‘B’ is approaching 5 feet tall and is 100 lbs. And he’s not a chubby kid. There was visible droolage on the coaches face.

I am proud of how ‘B’ acted during his first practice. He’s serious about it and wants to learn and do well and he’s a team player.

‘B’ the Scholar

‘B’ is smart. I’ve mentioned that before. How smart is he? I’ve never mentioned that. A package came to the house from his school. Apparently he has been selected by one of the top 100 Universities in the world to take part in their gifted student program.

People don’t know about that at school, as in the other students, but tonight he came home and said he is considered one of the nerds in school. I suppose that’s because he makes good grades and knows answers in classes. So what if he is 10 and blew the Science teacher away by not calling a ‘beneficial relationship’ between animals a beneficial relationship, the dumb down version of the high school answer and instead called it a symbiotic relationship. And what if he did give the example of said relationship as being the warthog and mongoose and so what if the teacher had to look it up and was blown away and made a big deal out of it. And so what if that is not the only time it’s happened.

‘B’ watches educational programs . . . on his own. ‘B’ checks out non-fiction books from the library . . . on his own. Wonder where he likes that knowing facts from? So what if both his parents happened to have been gifted students. One thrived and was a Star Student. The other was told to kick back when transferring schools in the third grade until the rest of the class caught up and the month that took led to that parent checking out of caring about learning and didn’t care again until in their twenties.

What am I proud of?

I am proud that ‘B’ is still moving forward even though he’s misunderstood as teachers don’t know how to handle a gifted child that can do math in his head and does not understand why he has to show work in the way he doesn’t come up with the answer. People think a gifted child has it easy. No, a smart child can have it easy. A gifted child sometimes has to work twice as hard because he has to learn two ways of doing the same thing and he doesn’t get the help and support he needs.

I understand that students need to know certain things, but as a teacher I also believe and did this myself, as a teacher you pay attention and recognize how each student learns. Too much? I don’t want to hear it. I know it’s difficult, but if you only became a teacher because you want a couple of months off during the summer and you thought it would be an easy job, then go find something else and let the real teachers who love their subjects and have a desire to have a student understand and learn get the job you don’t deserve.

I don’t want anyone thinking I am talking about my son’s teachers. I am talking about things I have experienced and witnessed. The phone-in teachers who haven’t changed a test they give in 20 years.

Well, there is my brag and a rant. Now you know how to come up with a Blog Post. Start writing your life and see where it leads. You’ll end up finding out a lot about yourself along the way.

Much Respect

Ronovan

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Surviving the Blogging Dry Spell.

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Tips, Blogging, Reblog, Reblogging, Tips, Writers Block

“HELLO?! It’s dry in here!” My brain screamed at the top of its . . . whatever it has to scream at the top of with.

“’Sup?” I asked.

“Dude, we got nothin’.”

“What do you mean, nothin‘?”

“Seriously? I’m your brain and you are asking me what that means?” It asked. It sounded ticked.

I waited a moment, gathering my thoughts.

“Dude, I’m your brain, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I mean we have no more ideas up here. You need to get your butt in gear and stimulate us somehow,” it said.

“Okay,” I said. “You got any ideas?”

“You are a freakin’ froo froo. I just told you we’re dried up and you ask if I have any ideas.”

“Oh yeah. Okay . . . wait, then how am I supposed to come up with something if you have no ideas for me to come up with ideas?” I asked, realizing the real dilemma.

“Just figure it out. I’m taking a nap.”

Surviving the Blogging Dry Spell . . . Or How to plan for one.

Yes, the above is a real conversation I’ve had–a few times. Don’t ~~commit~~ judge me!

Remember that feeling when you first created your blog . . . and immediately wanted to change the name of it? And that was after you sat there 20 minutes coming up with the first name. Nah, I’m just kidding about the changing the name part—a little.

We had that giddy feeling of having a presence on the internet. We were now going to ~~take over the world~~ share our thoughts with others.

Then–dun dun dun.

We had to write our first blog post and, yes, we froze.

We were excited but our brains started hurting because we thought this was the be-all-end-all of our blogging career. The future relied on that first post. DOOM was on the horizon and we were freaking out and regretting we ever signed up for the Blog World Life!!!!

Boy, were we wrong. Drama Diva much? I get like that at times. Hey, we all have a touch of diva in us.

But that excitement is something we want to keep going. And wo/man, is it difficult at times. And you know what? It’s okay. It happens, just go with it.

You might look at my blog and wonder how I would know about a lack of excitement in blogging and finding that energy to create something new. All you see is the AMOUNT of articles/posts I have.

Variety is the spice of life, folks.

I do poetry, humor pieces, opinion pieces, post videos, rants, stories and I even interview bloggers and at one point on RonovanWrites I did Author Interviews, I’ve started a new site for that though.

Some sites like to do just one type of thing. If that’s the case, then keep in mind you might run into a dry spell. I said might? You WILL run into a dry spell. Even with variety it WILL happen.

How do you make it through a dry spell and get that excitement back?

Write while you are excited and hold some of those things in reserve. Don’t put everything out like a maniac like I have done. I’ve put out enough for two years worth of posts. In the beginning I would put it out as it came. Because the thought was that you needed content content content. But the habit you start is the habit you keep. Then I came to my senses and began to go ahead and schedule something for each day moving forward until I am done with that creative flow. I also have drafts of things I’ve done and folders on my computer with things to pull from if I need to.
Visit blogs and find inspiration there. I said find inspiration, NOT copy. There are times I will read something and think a few things; 1) That word used, I like that and can do something with it, 2) That turn of a phrase brings a memory to mind, or 3) That is just wrong and I need to write something factual about something along those lines. I don’t take an idea and then make it my own. Never do that. If you do something with an idea, give credit to whoever it was and then go with it.
Have a Reblog day of some of your favorite posts you’ve found and make that part of your regular schedule. Why? It allows you time to actually visit blogs when you might normally be writing because you think it’s all about you. And if you plan to do that, make sure to be someone who reads reblogs as well. Why? I’ve found that reblogs aren’t the biggest traffic inviters on my site. I try, but most times it just doesn’t work. Maybe I don’t present it right. But Reblogging does a lot of things. It helps you rest, and it gives your friends another outlet for their creativity and it shows your enjoyment of what they do. So if you are reading this, expect some reblogs here, and not just from my LitWorldInterviews site.
Be open to anything. Even if you do only blog one type of thing, be open how to interpret things to fit your content type. I created a Wordless Haiku for Photography even though I am not a Photography but I love seeing what people do with it.
Spend a day commenting on blogs. I tell you, having a conversation with your fellow bloggers can be a great stress reliever.
Read your comments on your blog posts. There are ideas waiting there for you.
Take a break. Yes, take a break. Who says you have to post every day? Take a mental break and recharge. Go out into the world and look around, pay attention, and write what you see.

There are a lot more things you can do, but only you know what they are. Just know that a Dry Spell in Blogging does not mean to stop Blogging all together. It happens to everyone. Dry Spell might even be the wrong words to use. You might just be going through a Down Spell, or a Blah Spell in your energy and you THINK it’s a Dry Spell.

Give it some time and then you’ll be fine. Don’t put a time limit on it. Don’t set deadlines for yourself ever. Deadlines are a killer in blogging. Blog because you want to blog and blog when you want to blog.

Well, that’s about it for me this week. My brain has said “stop now before you get into that you are stretching it too thin, Ronovan zone”.

See Y’all Next Time
Ronovan

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There’s No Worrying In Blogging!

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog, Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Inspiration, Motivation

All through life I’ve worried about things.

In school it was having friends, crushes, grades. Okay, flip those first two. Yeah, that’s the order. I remember Roberta and a song that began with . . .

Down on the corner by the traffic light

Everybody’s lookin’ as she goes by

Since college it’s been family, job, health. No flipping the order there. Not really sure of a song I would put to that. Perhaps something like . . .

I think I’m tired today, driving the same old way

Why can’t I see what’s ahead, only blindly living instead

Now here I am in Blog World. I entered in timid and unsure. I didn’t know really what I wanted to write, well I did but I didn’t know how to write it the way it needed to be.

Approaching 800 articles across Blog World later . . . I still find myself worrying.

Or I did.

Ladies and Gentleman, and unladylike and slovenly, I have discovered that, to paraphrase a famous line from a famous baseball movie;

“There’s no worrying in blogging!”

This is not a joke.

Not some pithy thing to say. I mean it.

I worried at one point about talking about my faith. I do it mostly on Sundays, but I’ve been happily surprised at the reception. If the reception had been bad would I have stopped? Well in the beginning no one was really ‘recepting’ it . . . soooo. . .

I’ve worried about things like writing sensual poetry or even articles about race. Would I offend people? Would people stop following me? Would people not visit and like my work?

Yes, I fell into the blogger Blog World trap. I obviously did not fall in so deep that I didn’t post what I wanted to. But I did struggle and worry and even question myself after publishing.

But do I still worry? Am I still afraid people will abandon RonovanWrites over something Ronovan Writes or how bad Ronovan Writes what he Writes?

Let me paraphrase again, only with a slight difference this time.

“THERE IS NO ROOM FOR WORRYING IN BLOGGING!”

I am not saying intentionally seek to offend people. But do not be afraid to speak your mind. I happen to have a fairly rational and calm way of doing it. It’s just in my personality or something. I can’t write intentionally offensive things. Believe me, I’ve tried to write rants that end up as these think pieces and totally change. I end up calm by the end and have to rewrite everything because my thoughts had turned into this debate thing. And then I didn’t have to change much. Yeah, I sometime wish I could just go off on a subject.

I have a site dedicated to Rants but so far it has one article and that’s basically the here I am article. Yeah, its’ going to be a big mover.

We have enough stress in our lives to worry about blogging which is really meant to be a stress reliever, thing to enjoy, fun, creative.

You are worried about offending?

I have three very simple tips for you today:

Turn off your comments
Do not have contact info or a contact form
Or get out of blogging

I am a super over sensitive person. I will admit it. The smallest thing will make me think for days and become depressed. But here in Blog World I do my best because I know there will be people that, in all honesty are just out to be mean on purpose. Trolls anyone?

Why is this something to think about? Why is worrying something that is something to worry about?

One thing I enjoy about blogs is all the different people with different lives, perspectives, opinions, backgrounds and personalities. I like to learn. If we all are worried about things, then we all sound the same. If I was happy talking to myself I wouldn’t be here. Well, never mind, that’s a whole different article.

Sum up time

Blog what you want to and don’t sweat it. Or to paraphrase a famous baseball movie line;

“and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.”

So I didn’t paraphrase. But I liked it. And can you think of a better way to not worry?

Much Respect

Ronovan

Blog Tips: Collaborating-The Pros, The Cons, and the Cautions.

September 23, 2014September 23, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Benefits, Blog Tip, Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogs, Collaborating, Risks

There are different types of Blog Tips. Some are simply how to tag your posts better, or how to advertise, so to speak. But one Blog Tip takes a bit more effort, time, and really a gamble on your part to make work.

They Can Work

They Can Stall

And

They

Can

Epically

FAIL

Collaborating with another writer on their blog or your blog can be beneficial to both of you for many reasons.

For some they might do it for a sharing of each others audience.
Others might do it to experiment with style.
Still others might just do it to work with a friend.

It’s not something to jump into without a lot of thought. Are you protective of your work, your words? Do you get hurt when things are changed or another person doesn’t agree with your ideas?

If you answered yes, then do you think you should collaborate with a blogger you consider a friend?

I have collaborated a few times, unbeknowst to all but a very few, I asked my name not be mentioned. Why?

There are people out there that want to collaborate simply to use another blogger for increasing their Followers/Views.
I didn’t want to open the flood gates to their having to possibly say no to others asking for a collaboration, when a collaboration just happens for myself and another. Intentional collaborations for me don’t seem to flow well. Those that are inspired by a conversation are the best.
And to be honest, I just don’t like the attention that much. Which sounds odd because I like to have Followers for my site and Twitter and the ‘likes’ of my work and everything. It is a fantastic feeling, it really is. I won’t lie about that. But for some reason I prefer to stay in the background a bit and just do my little thing. I like to see the success of something I had a hand in. That’s been enough for me.Some might say it’s the Gemini in me and the intellectual and emotional aspects at war.

The Pros of Collaborations

You get to work with a good friend and learn from one another about what and how we do things differently
Your work is shared with a different viewing audience and you can see how it works
(I get to take credit for another person’s talent.)

The Cons of Collaborations

Hurt feelings might happen over creative differences
One person seems to think their opinion is more important the others and changes work without thinking how it makes one feel
(You end up wanting to kick the other persons butt because you find out they are really the biggest lame jerk that every graced the page tabs of a blog site.) Your friendship suffers because your differences over each others work that you normally love are just too different together.

How to Make a Collaboration Work

You should PERSONALLY keep in mind what you like about the other persons work and try to make sure that is included in the piece you are collaborating on
Chose a battle. Not every single point is worth a fight in an article. Unless it is just a matter of your personal beliefs or something, look at it for what is best for the piece over all and the message.
And seriously, be honest and recognize that the site you will be posting on expects THEIR blogger’s work. We know what our readers like to see. Just make sure your ideas get included and some of your writing as well. It really depends on the piece being written. Whose style does the piece fit best?

How to Determine Who to Collaborate With

Do you click-This means do you have a rapport and an underlying sense of respect for one another
Do you agree-If you are writing certain pieces and you don’t agree, like politics or religion and its about a sensitive topic, you may wan to stay away. You can like a persons work and respect their views but once you delve into the behind the scenes and deeper into their thoughts you may not really enjoy things as much.
Frankly, do you like the work of the other person-That sound simple but you might have a friend but it’s the person you like and your two styles just won’t click. Stay away. Friends are more important forcing something.

The Cautions of Collaborating

Friendships end over unimportant things
You end up having the other persons reputation be associated with yours. This is a caution in case you don’t overly agree with their views or really their style
You might end up getting asked by friends for collaborations and you have to say no and hurt their feelings, or you say yes and neglect your own work

There are a lot of benefits from a collaboration from expanding your blog reach.

Two or more people can end up sharing some of each others followers and find new viewers because of it. You get that new audience.
It allows you to learn some tricks you may not have known before about blogging.
You earn a reputation as a person that works with others which to some means being nice and sacrificing.

I can collaborate with anyone, but I choose not to jump into that pool much. It does take time from my own work. I did one recently that I enjoyed and was not something I felt took away from my work at all. Why? Because we click, we shared ideas, and we recognized who could do what. I know my strengths and weaknesses and had no problem expressing that. I also felt I could express my opinions without any problems. Why? Because we click and respect each other. Neither of us really benefits in regards to followers from the work. We share a lot of the same people.

The main reason I even allowed my name mentioned was the subject really required both of our names to be included for there to be a balance. Not specifically our names, but our genders.

Finding a collaboration partner that really works well is difficult. I don’t seek them out, they just happen. I don’t ask, they just happen. Do I get asked? Yes, I have.

Do I encourage you to collaborate? That is up to you. To me it is not something I go out and look for unless the idea pops to mind, I am already clicking with the person, I know we agree on things and we can mesh well. You need to know that first.

Much Respect

Ronovan

How to use fotoflexer for adding text and more to your images.

September 16, 2014September 16, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Adding Text, Blog, Blog Tips, Blogging, fotoflexer, Images, Photography, SEO

I had a lovely and sweet lady ask how to put text on an image. Sometimes, even when you are just not at your best you can’t say no to a wonderful woman. So here I am.

You can do it with your various photo editing things. I used to use ‘Paint’ that comes with windows to do it sometimes but now I use an online site called fotoflexer.com. I know of this because Colleen of Silver Threading used it on a Haiku Challenge of mine and I went nuts for it. Collen is another sweet and beautiful lady and friend. She shared the site with me and now here we are.

The reason I use it now:

They have some cool features you can use to make things look awesome.
The text looks sharp and professional.

Why should you add text or other things to your images:

You don’t have to but it makes for variety and if you are using Twitter it’s a way to get something said in a visual way that jumps out at people. I get more clicks when I include images than when not.

The step by step looks long below, but if any of you have read my Tips before you know they really aren’t that Long, they are just detailed.

First thing to remember is? Take your time this first time out. Give yourself plenty of time to play around with it and have fun with it, because it can be very fun to play with adding things. So if you are in a hurry to get an image done . . . either forget it this time or plan for it another day. Sure you can do this in a matter of a few minutes once you know it, but right now . . . you don’t know it.

Once you get to fotoflexer you can sign up for a free account, like I did, or just use it. But either way you need to allow pop up ads. It’s not for the ads themselves but I think it’s for what works on the actual site itself. You can allow pop up ads just for a particular site. Most likely you have ‘Adblock Plus’ or something of that nature. That’s not what I have but it is a popular one. Just click it and click the option that probably says allow for this page.

Now we’re good to go. I am not going to bullet point these. Each piece is a step, each paragraph or whatever you want to call it.

I simply click on ‘upload photo’ and then ‘upload’. Now you find the image on your computer you want to use and load it.

Once loaded you get a lot of ‘tabs’ for features you can use. Play around with them. You can add picture frame borders or little decoration things. It’s lots of fun. But we are looking at just doing text right now.

To add text to your photo, click on the tab that says ‘Decorate’. You will see the big ‘T’ for text here and you can do plain text or glitter text. Both are added the same way, it’s just glitter can be animated so it sparkles.

So click the T of choice. I am using the Glitter one for fun here.

You will get a little ‘Enter Text Here’ box come up as well as a big white box on the photo where the text shows up. Go ahead and type your text. You can resize the actual text box on the picture by clicking and dragging the sides, top and bottom and also dragging the box to the location of your choice. I like to do that early so I see what it looks like as I do it. But it really doesn’t matter when.

In the Text Options box above you can see some options that appear on the right of the screen at this point. I have the glittery one here, and can actually uncheck the ‘Glittery’ if I like. Let’s run through the options quickly.

Background allows you to do the shape of your text box that will appear on your photo. You might want a heart or something, this is where you choose it.

Transparent will get rid of the background of the text box and the words will appear on the photo itself.

Font-Here it’s glittery or not but if you notice the box below as Cretino in it. That’s a font style. Simply click here and choose your font.

You can align your text left, center, or right with the option below the text options

Choose your Font Size-Auto will automatically adjust the text size as you change the height or width of you text box on the photo.

Text Color-Change the Text color

Background Color-Change the background color if not using Transparent.

Then you Apply the changes, Cancel, or Delete.

Once you hit apply and you see your results and maybe you don’t like them, if you look to the far left of the screen you will see the ‘undo’ button. Click that and the text disappears and you start over.

But you’re happy with the results so what next. At the very top you will see ‘Save’. Click ‘Save’

Once the save is finished you then get the ‘click here to continue button’. Click it.

Now the ‘Save To My Computer’ button comes up. You guessed it, click it.

You can name the file now in the pop up window, just make sure to keep that ‘.gif’ at the end. I advise you to name it now, like the one below I named something like ‘Ron_Hoodie_Glitter’. I really don’t know how to spell hoodie for sure but there you go. Why do I name my images with the undescore (_) between words? Because that’s the way SEO likes to read them, so why not do it now?

Now you get the ‘Save Complete’ button. Yep, click OK.

Now you’re done.

Things you need to know:

You can sign up for a free account for the site or just do the images. I signed up, why not, right?
The other thing, you need to allow pop up ads for the page. For some reason it won’t always allow you to load images unless you do this. But it’s only for the one page so no big deal.

Why do I suggest you use fotoflexer and not paint?

Paint can make your text look very bad and unprofessional. fotoflexer makes it look clean and crisp.

Well, I hope this helps.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Some fun ones I did:

NEON Effect

How is Bloglovin’ doing for me and some other ideas.

September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Referrers, Blog Statistics, Blog Tips, Blog Views, Blogging Tips, Bloglovin, Blogs, google, Social Networking, Twitter

Have you ever checked out where your views come from? If you are like a lot of bloggers you are just happy people show up to read what you offer. For others that are perhaps looking at this as a career thing they are more into details.

I come from a data analysis career. Not that I was one by training or choice, I just somehow had a knack for it and thus there you have it. The reason I look at the statistics we have available to us in or blogs is to see if I am wasting my time with some of the things I do.

I recently added Bloglovin’ to my blog. For those of you not aware, you can connect your blog to Bloglovin’ and people that don’t have an account with your blog world can follow your blog there instead. It’s a pretty cool set up. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now.

If you go to your stats page on WordPress and I suppose other blog platforms are similar you will find a ‘Summaries’ link to click on in the ‘Referrers’ section. This section lets you know where your traffic/visitors are coming from.

If you click on ‘Summaries’ in WordPress you get to see the totals by ‘Referrer’ for the last 7 days and you have other options a well. Well I wanted to see how my Bloglovin’ was doing bring traffic in. The reason I wanted to know is because I go through the trouble of putting the little ‘follow me on bloglovin’ image in each post I do and include a link to my Bloglovin’ page. You don’ t have to do it that way but it’s a way for a reader to see it for sure. Now if there isn’t much traffic coming from it, then why bother, right?

It turns out that Bloglovin’ for the past 7 days is the fourth largest ‘Referrer’ to my blog. The WordPress Reader is first, then Search Engines, then Twitter, then Bloglovin’.

What this means to me is, Bloglovin’ is worth it. You see, you may not have a lot of followers over on Bloglovin’ but people still see your posts and can click. As i get better and better at blogging, at writing better post Titles and content then Bloglovin very well could move up.

One other thing you might won’t to think about is Google+. I have my blog linked all over the place. When a post goes out it also goes to Google+. Here is the problem though. Now I’ve been looking for it and maybe you can help with it, but when you send a post there it is automatically set to private and just your circle of friends sees it. Great right? Sarcasm there a little, actually a lot. So what I have to do is then go in and share it as public. I can’t find a way to set it to be default Public for my posts coming in from my blog.

If you are writing a post in Google+ and share it as Public, then your next post you write in Google+ is supposed to be Public. I think I’ve tried that and it worked. It’s just any scheduled items don’t do it. Is it worth it? Well I only recently noticed this problem was happening and really only recently connected with Google+ so I will have to get back to you. I have had some visitors though.

Twitter is my third place provider of ‘Referrers’. This takes no effort really other than typing in some hashtag words in my ‘Publicize’ box in my blog post editor. That’s right, I don’t even have to go to Twitter. As long as I am connected to it, I’m good. I’ll give you a couple of cool tips for Twitter another day. I know people are scared of Twitter, but don’t be. It is not difficult at all.

So kick back and enjoy some simple ways to make your blog work for you.

Well that’s about it. Use what you want, ignore what you don’t, right?

Much Respect and Love to Y’all

Ronovan

And hey, wait a minute. See that image over there? Click it and follow me on bloglovin’.

Nice try . . . but even though I may be stupid, I do check.

September 5, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Cheating, Scamming

Keep an eye out for messages in your comments saying things like “I follow you and noticed you liked my post (so and so) how about following my blog in return.” Or a variation of that. Good way to get followers but sorry, I do go look. I didn’t ‘like’ the post, never heard of the blog, and sad to say might have followed it if approached differently.

I just wanted to put that out there for y’all. Yeah, I follow a LOT of blogs. I return follow if I like the blog and/or like the About page even if the topic of the blog isn’t my thing. I like to support. But don’t lie and cheat to try and get a follow out of me. I’m easy, real easy. I would have enjoyed the blog this particular post mentions and had someone in mind to recommend it to. But sad to say, two follows not happening, which the person probably doesn’t care about.

Keeping Your Sanity in Blog World

September 4, 2014December 30, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Burnout, Blog Management, Blog Scheduling, Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Time Management

It doesn’t take long before those new to Blog World to experience the first feelings of impending . . .

I experience it every day. Now although I have taken on more writing responsibilities I’ve started taking control of my Blog World. If you don’t do it in the beginning, it takes months to dig yourself out if you are like me. So why not start your experience off on the right foot, or left, or . . . let’s do this the correct way.

We all blog for different reasons. I love my Friends in Blog World but too much of a good thing and I am just about dead. I need time for other things, like writing my novels, spending time with my son, reading books (that are really for reviews for my blog) and sleeping. I may have forgotten something important in there, I am sure of it.

But breaks don’t always happen. That’s why you and I have to . . .

Three Ways to Keep your Sanity in Blog World

Before you even start a blog need to consider these three things and stick to them.

#1

Set boundaries for your Blog Life

How available to do you want to be?
Do you want to be personable in your interactions?
Do you allow access to your various social networks?

Basically you want to be able to have your readers connect with you through your writing. Be satisfied with that. You will make a few friends and I am not saying to limit yourself. Just keep your Blog World in Blog World. I have made some great friends and we talk on Twitter and Facebook. I’m not saying it’s wrong or bad or anything. If you have thousands of followers and 1 percent want to talk to you, that ends up taking a big chuck of your time. I have one friend who spends as great deal of time just responding to comments.

Also you want to remember why you are in Blog World in the first place, to Blog.

#2

Set a schedule for your Blog Content

You can write all you like, but I recommend that you save that writing in drafts for those days you just don’t feel like writing at all.
Set how many posts you want to put out per day and/or week and stick to it.
Make time to visit other blogs you enjoy.

I have had a problem with this. I blog write like a mad man. I am all over the place writing, and I do enjoy writing. I don’t want anyone to get me wrong about that. If I had saved my writing and limited myself to just 2 posts per day I would be set for the year. Just think about that. You could do all the writing your want and schedule it for months ahead, freeing up your time for writing your novel or whatever else you might like to do.

Another thing about content management. Give your content time to be viewed. If you load up content then things get pushed down and are not seen. Give it time.

#3

When your Blog Schedule is over . . . unplug

Disconnect from your blog and social networking
Set time for your other life activities.

This is a bit wrong in how I set it. You set time to blog, the rest is your life. Make sure that when you are not scheduled to do Blog World things that you disconnect yourself. Blogging can become an addiction. It replaces needs in peoples lives. We enjoy it, we can share it, we can be us, we can create, we can express ourselves, we are the world. Pretty cool stuff really.

I tried to set a schedule not long ago and ended up feeling guilty as people felt I didn’t want to talk to them. Well Ronovan has to toughen up or just get out of Blog World. Schedule is coming.

Blogging is a great life. If you manage it from the beginning you don’t need to worry about burnout so much and you will enjoy it a lot more. Some reading this will hate it. They will say “You can’t schedule your friends.” Well you know what? I would rather schedule my friends than burnout so bad that I lose them.

Much Respect

Ronovan

How to do Bloglovin. It’s pretty easy.

September 3, 2014June 14, 2015 Ronovan Blogging Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogging Tips, Bloglovin, Blogloving, Blogs, HTML, Social Media, Social Networking, Widgets

Bloglovin’ It

What is it?

First, if you are a Blogger then you can break this up into three parts to make it less work for you at a time, although it’s not that much work. For some of us it just takes time away from blogging itself. And it LOOKS like a lot of work.

Let’s look at two basic purposes:

#1

Just to Follow blogs

For a lot of people that either don’t want to sign up for accounts with a lot of different blog providers just to follow a blog, or don’t want to subscribe by email, Bloglovin’ can be a great alternative. Simply go to Bloglovin.com, sign up and follow any blog that’s on the site or add a blog to the site. These blogs are from every imaginable blog provider, from blogspot to WordPress. I don’t mention those to promote those but one is toward the beginning of the alphabet and the other is toward the end.

#2

As a Blogger

For bloggers this is a great way to have people follow your blog without having to do blog accounts or email subscriptions. Even I am hesitant to do the email and I am a blogger. I do follow a handful that way but I receive enough email driven from my own blog to keep me busy as it is. Okay so I don’t get that much from my own blog but it’s still email to go through. And the more email you have the more of it that turns into junk for you, my blog included.

Once you register your blog with Bloglovin’ then your posts will show up on Bloglovin’. Yes, you read correctly. You don’t have to share or do anything special after you have registered your site itself, not just registered as a member. I repeat after you become a member and then register/claim your site, that’s it.

How do you do it?

#1

Just to follow blogs:

Simply sign up by going to bloglovin.com. When you first register you’ll be asked if you want to use facebook or your email to register. If you use facebook then you will have any friends that are on Bloglovin’ already with blogs perhaps automatically in your list. Kind of cool. I did the email option simply because I like to keep my Blog world and my everyday world separate and manageable as I like it.

Then you search the categories for something you like or search for that favorite blog you like, perhaps ronovanwrites. Several of my friends are there but too many to mention and I don’t want to slight anyone here. Once you find a blog you like, such as ronovanwrites follow it. Then every time you log in you will see posts available to click and check out and even on the right side of the screen see a list of your friends and how many posts they have going on at the time. Did I mention ronovanwrites is on Bloglovin’? Well if not, ronovanwrites is on Bloglovin’. Hey, if I don’t promote myself who will, right?

#2

For a Blogger you need to sign up just as above. Then: (Updated-12/09/14)

Look at the top and to the right and you will see the Heart icon. Click and you will see ‘Settings’ in the drop down list. Click it.
Next you will need to scroll down until you see, Blogs by Me and a button next to it that says Add Blog. It’s located under the Profile section. Click ‘Add Blog’.
Now a screen called Blog analytics comes up with the ‘claim blog’ button.
Type in your blog address and search for it. It should come up. Click your blog. If it’s not there you need to register it and Bloglovin’ does well showing you how.
Crazy as it sounds, my blog actually had a couple of entries already and I had never been to Bloglovin. I just picked the one that had the most followers and claimed it. It was my address. People can put in a blog they want to follow so don’t be surprised if you see your site there.
Whoa! What do I do with that box with the script in it and says ‘Claim blog’?
To actually register you need to copy that text into a new post on your blog in the TEXT tab, not the VISUAL tab. You know, just like when you share a video.
Once you publish the post and go back to Bloglovin’ you are now registered. Difficult, huh?

How do you add the Bloglovin’ Widget?

No need for numbers now, this is all Blog World business. And it’s simpler than it at first seemed as I tried to follow some directions.

First thing, it’s a Widget that will be in your sidebar.
I would go ahead and have a Text Widget open and read so you can copy a simple code from Bloglovin’.
The image is in the code so no worries there. The Bloglovin’ Widget site has different widgets you can choose from. Click ‘Get this icon’ under the one you like and copy the code into your text widget. Save it and guess what, you’re done.
You can always change your widget when you like, just choose the one that best fits you, your blog and your theme.
And also it’s not a bad idea to change up that widget at times just to make things look different and draw your readers eye.

“But wait, Ronovan, some people don’t look at those thingies on the side. What other way can I let a visitor know how to follow me on Bloglovin’?”

Copy a Follow me on Bloglovin’ image you like and add it to your media in your blog.
When you create a post, add the image and then click the image in your post editor and add the address to your actual Bloglovin’ site. Make sure to check the box for open in different window if you like. What, you didn’t know you could add a ‘link’ to your images? Yep, you do it the exact same way you do any other link. Click the image and then the add a link option in your post editor.
Sounds tedious that you need to do it each time. Nope. It’s just like adding any image but this time you have one that should be called Bloglovin’ and one link in your list called Bloglovin to add to your image. It’s that simple.

We all freak out a little when we start using these new to us features/options, but the truth is, once you actually sit down and walk through it yourself to explain it, it’s easier than a lot of people think and make it sound. I’ve found some sites that just totally confuzzled me. I probably confuzzled you. Have questions, ask me, or I am sure any of my Blog friends who do Bloglovin’ can help as well.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Blogging Tips: 3 More Ways to Increase Your Views . . . the easy way.

August 25, 2014August 24, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Content, Increase Followers, Increase Readership, Increase Views, Reader Analysis, Scheduling

I’m a fraud.

I’m a fake.

I’m a liar by mistake.

I’m a spinner.

No complaint.

Hope this doesn’t make you faint.

(If the rhythm feels familiar you may recall a song by Meredith Brooks that was quite popular back in the mid 1990s. I just put my own words to it.)

Do you ever get the impression a blog site must be old and the blogger has years of blogging experience? People have said that to me about my site and experience. My experience has nothing to do with the age of my blog, four months and counting I believe, or vast technical know how related to blogging, Google is a friend y’all.

Where does my experience come from and my sites modest level of following? And yes it is a modest level believe it or not. It comes from pouring my heart out to y’all, researching various ways a blog works, and using my 11 years of marketing analytical skills, my eduction, and my gut instinct. But most of all, I use my love of people. If you want to increase views to your site, love people. Just love ’em and be honest in your writing. You don’t need to read any further. If you are really into making some quick success of things then read on, but if you want to make it easier and more relaxed . . . love ’em.

Don’t content your viewers to death! (or yourself)

I’ve learned this one through my own personal experience. In the early going of your blog (if you are out to generate traffic/views/people visiting your site) you need to put out a bit more content. Then settle down. Work on a good piece and put it out. And then sit on it.

How often you put out content/articles/posts depends entirely on the purpose of your blog and your own need at the moment. If you are wanting to develop a loyal reader following, give them quality pieces and give them a chance to read them, react to them, and you a chance to respond to those who comment. You may write a magnificent article or poem but it gets buried in all of your content. I’ve done it! This is something I have recently become passionate about. I get an idea, I write, and hit publish. I can’t help myself. Write a great piece and run with it for a few days then publish another great piece.

Putting out your great pieces slowly, even if you have five prepared will keep you from burning out.

Pay attention to what what viewers are clicking and liking.

I have to admit this is not one I do very often in regards to determining what I write. I do notice and in speaking with blog friends I’ll comment on it. But I write what I write. But if you are wanting to specifically bring in followers and viewers, write what they like. You think that’s an easy one, right? You would think that’s one we all should realize. We don’t. One thing about this, if you’re trying too hard to write for the readers, the readers can tell, and it begins to sound fake, and becomes a turn off.

My content is me. Why that appeals to some people, I have no idea. People in person don’t find me appealing. (That may have sounded a bit wrong there . . . or maybe it sounded right.)

Scheduling for the right time of day.

I believe I have mentioned this in other articles but I’ll repeat it because it saves you time. Americans are the biggest blog viewers around. I’m an American blogger. When I write, I write for the whole world in that I write on universal topics. When I schedule my articles to go out I take three things into consideration.

What is my regional target?
What age group am I targeting with the article?
When will they be at work?

If your blog is geared toward, or article is specific to one region/area/country of the world then you need to consider what age group your largest amount of readers are in because of when they will be available to read the articles.

Being an American blogger I schedule my articles to publish normally around 9AM NYCT or Noon NYCT. Why? People primarily check blogs when they get to work and have settled in or they read them at lunch time. What about the rest of the USA or the world? The eastern seaboard has a massive readership. Leave your blog alone for a few days and everyone will get a chance to see it. Publish at lunch NYCT and you might be able to get lunch time eastern/NYCT and morning time in the western time zones in the USA.

That being said I also publish according to the time zone for Britain. Why? I love British bloggers and want them to see my articles. That’s a five hour difference and that may hurt my views but sometimes I don’t really care. I just like to have fun with it. I reflex and schedule at certain times, but if I do think about it I change it up to Britain and sometimes Australia.

And that is a few ways to increase your views. If you’re having fun, it comes through in your work and people will have fun with you.

For the first 3 Ways to Increase Views and Make Your Life Easier.

Much Respect

Ronovan

3 Ways to Increase Views and Make Your Life Easier

August 21, 2014December 31, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips. Increase Hits, Change Your Articles Name, Change Your Posts Name, Permalink, SEO, URL Change

3 Ways to Increase Views and Make Your Life Easier

I travel around Blog World a lot, I research and I use trial and error. Experience in marketing doesn’t hurt. I like to share what I find and TRY to make my and your life easier. I thought I would share a few of them with anyone that just so happens to be foolish enough to click today.

Change Your Article URL also called a Permalink.

I’m sure you all know how to do this, but I need an article for the day so I’m going to explain it anyway. By changing your article URL you give it a better chance to show up in Search Engines.

Step 1-Go to your Dashboard-Posts-And click one of your posts

Step 2-You’ll see just under your Post Title field/box the ‘Permalink:’ section. The grey/gray part is something you cannot change, just the pink/salmon colored field.

Step 3-Now come up with a usually no longer than 5 word identifier for your article with each word separated by a dash/hyphen. It can be longer but the shorter the better. Don’t use words such as ‘the’ or ‘it’. Those are called stop words. Just put in the big words that say what the article is about. It doesn’t even have to be the title of your article, just what it’s about. Example: Your article is called “What Happened Last Night?” but the article is about an episode of a show you like. You want to put the name of the show in the permalink. That’s what people are looking for when the search in a Search Engine.

Step 4-Click ‘OK’ and I usually click ‘Update’ on the right hand side as well.

Now this is what Search Engines will see.

The Example in the image is my ‘What super power would I want? Heart surgeon…sort of.’ article.

‘what-super-power-would-i-want-heart-surgeon’ as a URL is too much I think.

‘super-power-change-hearts’ seems much better to me. I cut out the unnecessary words and got to the point. This is like Flash Fiction for URLs.

This doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get hits but it will help your chances.

Difficulty with 10 being most difficult? 1

Rescheduling Old Posts

It’s difficult to come up with new material each day. I like to provide two pieces. I know, some of my things are totally random but it keeps me creating. But even I get tired sometimes.

Reschedule your old posts. This sounds a bit odd because you think everyone has seen it so why bother, but your much older stuff from when you were new to the blog world wasn’t seen by everyone and some of it was good, maybe all of it.

I go to edit my post and simply edit the schedule time on the right hand side where it says ‘Published on’ for a different day and date. You can even do this throughout a given day if you like. I’ve done it before. What I have found though is it may not really increase views significantly. It also takes up your time. Rescheduling a post from a month ago is one thing, and really you can revamp the article, make it fresh with your new blogging experience and give it new life.

WARNING! If you have a post linked in another post you need to check that link after you reschedule because the date in the heading will have changed.

A better thing to do is just copy the post. It’s very simple but no images for instruction this time. Do this: Click Posts-Add New-Scroll Down to Copy a Post under Writing Helper-Type the name of the Post you want to Copy-Click Copy-Now just make sure you put in a Feature Image, Add the Tags which are still there you just have to click add and they all show up. The Post will even be in the same category as before. All the links are the same inside the post as well. Whenever I do this I do make note that it originally appeared on a certain date.

Change the name of a Post that didn’t seem to catch on

Have you ever looked at the title of an article and just didn’t want to click it to go check it out? You may have missed out on a great article. The name just didn’t pop with you, didn’t connect. You’ve probably done a bad job of naming as well, I know I have.

A name change, even just one word can make a difference. Just step back and look at the title and think “Would I click on that if I didn’t know what was behind it”.

Naming an article in a way is more difficult than writing the article itself. It’s like writing a Twitter pitch for your novel. You have to hook ‘em. Naming a poem that just came to you is excruciating to me.

I first called my ‘What Super Power Would I Want? Heart Surgeon . . . sort of‘ article ‘What super power would I want? Heart surgeon,’ but that just didn’t look right or get the right message over. Then I changed it to ‘What super power would I want? Heart surgeon…sort of.’ That title said what I wanted it to say and makes you wonder ‘what does he mean by ‘sort of’’ and people started to read.

One thing to note here: Your URL will still be from your original article title. You may want to go in and change it if you feel a need to.

Those are three quick tips to help bring more views in.

(This is a post from May. I’ll be bringing a new post with some new tips soon.)

Much Respect

Ronovan

Add your website/blog site to your Gravatar.com site . . . PLEASE!

August 19, 2014November 9, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Sites, Blog Tips, Blogging Tips, facebook, Gravatar, Gravatar.com, Networking, Twitter, Web Sites

This is just a quick reminder to those who might not have given it a thought.

When I am wandering the blogs and see great comments I click on who left those comments. I don’t do that just to see a larger version of a pretty face, or to read a bio, I do it to find the website, their blog. I rarely find a blog and thus miss out on following that person.

So PLEASE:

go to your Gravatar.com,
your profile, then web sites
and add your blog site
You can even add your facebook and Twitter or whatever, but PLEASE add your blog site.

Thank you!

Ronovan

If you are not receiving email notifications from WordPress blogs . . .

August 17, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blogs, WordPress Email Tips, WordPress Tips

If you are not getting notifications of from your own blog such as from comments made by Readers, or you subscribed to a WordPress blog and are not receiving the emails of the new posts, or if you are sending an invite to someone to either Follow your private blog or become a contributor on your blog, then go to the following link and scroll down to the bottom to ‘Block Emails’ and make sure the ‘Block all email updates from blogs you’re following on WordPress.com’ box is not checked.

https://wordpress.com/settings/notifications/

I Speak with . . . Suzie81Speaks.

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 Ronovan Interviews Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogger, Blogger Interview, Blogs, British, Female, Humor, Interview, Woman

One of the first blogs I started following when I began my own site was a lot of fun to read. I liked the humor with a bit of sass and a bit of class. Women love to read her because she lays out it out there real and like they wish they could say it sometimes or have said it and are happy to find someone to show them that they aren’t the only ones that feel that way. Men read her because she writes about universal things and well . . . let’s be honest . . . the eyes and that grin . . .
What was I saying . . . oh well let me just say this . . . meet . . .

Suzie
Suzi81 Speaks

@suzie81blog

RW: Suzie, first of all, where do you live, reside, crash, blog, basically where does The Suzie81 hang her umbrella?

SUZIE: In my head I live in a beautiful beach house on the coast. Unfortunately, my wallet hasn’t caught up with my little fantasy world and I live in a small terraced house on the outskirts of Birmingham, England’s second largest city, with The Bloke and two cats. I hate the curtains, but it’s cosy and comfortable and next to a beautiful park.

RW: You have a career that to me, one who knows, makes blogging really a chore, can you tell my Friends a bit about what you do?

SUZIE: I’m a music teacher by profession. I work with teenagers, and I’m lucky that my school is well managed, well resourced and I am surrounded by lovely staff and students. I teach my students all about music – one of my biggest influences throughout my life – how to play it, understand it, appreciate it. I try to incorporate lots of different genres and artists into the lessons, aside from anything by One Direction and Justin Bieber. They’re banned from my classroom. Oh, and Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ It’s the first song that everyone teaches themself on the piano and after eight years of listening to it I have to resist the urge to stab myself in the eyeball repeatedly.

RW: I know that your career as a teacher recently just put you in a place where writing content for your site was near impossible. I know how much you love your site and your readers, how did you handle not having the mental energy to probably even enjoy a TV show let alone write for your site?

SUZIE: I find it difficult when things get ridiculously busy as blogging is a stress relief – an outlet for any pent up frustrations that have built up during the day. However, when I’m mentally exhausted I find the best thing to do is write down some ideas and store them in my notes until later, retreat to the couch wearing a comfortable pair of jammies and watch something that makes me laugh. I then revisit ideas later when I’m in a better mood.

RW: This is going to seem like an odd question but do you ever sit back and think about living in a country so filled with history?

SUZIE: My mother and sister have always been fascinated with British history and so I have grown up being surrounded by endless books on the subject. However, it was only in my early twenties that I started to really appreciate the heritage that my country has, and over the years I have become a bit of a tourist. I particularly like London and I try and visit several times a year so I can just wander around and take everything in. I also live quite close to Stratford -Upon -Avon, Shakespeares birthplace, and I like to visit there. I’ve always been a royalist and love going to all the palaces, cathedrals and museums.

RW: Where do your blog ideas come from? Do you just sit down and it happens or does something have to spark before you sit down?

SUZIE: It varies. They can be inspired by something I’ve read, a comment that has been made or something will randomly pop into my head and I’ll write it down before I forget it. The post ‘23 Things You Should Actually Do Before You’re 23‘ was written in response to a post that really angered me. My most popular post, ‘How To Know When You’re a Teacher‘ is a collection of things that I have learnt from the experience that I and my colleagues have had in the profession. ‘No Means No!’ was created after the Santa Barbara murders earlier in the year. If I’m busy, I’ll make a note of it and write it up later, and sometimes I’ll sit at the laptop, write and see what happens.

RW: What is your blogging space like?

SUZIE: I’ve seen pictures of other people’s blogging spaces and I’ve been left feeling envious of the clean desk, the pastel coloured walls, the beautiful flowers that surround it. My space, however, consists of a couch, usually with a cat asleep at each side of me. The TV is usually on in the background. The Bloke is asleep next to me. It’s calm and quiet usually.

RW: Tell us a little about The Bloke? (Why do I for some reason think of Sex in the City and Mr. Big every time she mentions “The Bloke”?)

SUZIE: The Bloke is a legend. He’s a little older than me (he’s 45, I’m 32) and we’ve been together for four and a half years. He’s the sensible one, once comparing me to a children’s TV presenter (I’m still not sure how to take that), he’s a computer genius, a silver fox, a fabulous photographer and loves all things geeky. Believe it or not, I had no idea about the difference between Marvel and DC before I met him. I now not only know the difference, but I’ve seen all the films and live with his extensive comic collection. And his Lego, most of which I’ve bought for him.

RW: I always wanted to be Captain America as kid . . . and now really, which hero would you want to be or what power would you want?

SUZIE: I don’t have a favourite marvel superhero. However, I would love to be locked in a room with all the male members of the Avengers. They might be tough, but I’d love to see them attempt to get away from a crazed northern woman…

Confession time here folks. Why is Suzie one of my favorite bloggers? Is it the hair, the eyes, the grin? Is it her writing, her wit, her ire that shows itself at times? Well yes . . . but stay with me. It’s her Twitter account photo. She’s standing in front of, yes . . . Captain America. And I am a huge Captain America fan with my prized comic book collection item being Captain America #100. Were Suzie and I thrown together by fate? Sigh. Perhaps. And then there was that last answer.

10 Minutes Later After Comic Boy Geek Dreamdom

RW: How supportive of your blogging endeavors is ~~Mr. Big~~ The Bloke in as far as getting involved maybe to help you with going certain places for photos?

SUZIE: It was his suggestion that I started the blog in the first place, but since that initial suggestion he tends to keep out of it. I read out posts to him and ask him for advice, and the general response that I get from him is ‘yeah’ and a shrug of the shoulders, because he has no idea what sort of advice he thinks I want, but I know that he is proud of me. He is very supportive when I achieve something. When I was Freshly Pressed [Professional or Hobbyist] he printed out copies of it to save… It was very sweet. I’m quite independent when it comes to content, so he doesn’t need to take me out anywhere for photos – I’ll go myself or he’ll come with me and we’ll make a day of it.

RW: Speaking of photography, you list that as one of the things you enjoy and we’ve seen evidence of that on your site, what type of camera do you use? Go ahead and baffle me with the technical mumbo jumbo. I have Friends reading this that will eat it up.

SUZIE: I’d love to have an SLR, but I have a Canon SX270 HS that works as well as many SLR’s I’ve seen. Technical mumbo jumbo? I wish I could give lots of brilliant advice about settings, but I’m still learning. My best advice? Take as many pictures as you can. In every hundred pictures I take there is usually only one or two that I would consider to be any good.

Suzie thought this wasn’t technical? She spoke in Hieroglyphics as far as I’m concerned. Why do I keep asking these ladies about their cameras? And why is it the British are the ones I keep asking? And why is the British bloggers I keep interviewing? Is it the accent? Think about that one for a moment and see if it makes sense to you.

RW: How much did you know about websites and the like before starting your own blog?

SUZIE: Absolutely nothing. I had a Facbook page, and that was as complicated as it got. It’s been a lot of trial and error – deleting, adding, experimenting. I’ve changed my theme many times and spent a lot of time messing about with colours, fonts. I’m still not happy with my layout, but I’m getting there!

RW: You’ve been at this for over a year and have a great following, but at times you must run into those bad ‘blokes’ that just are not very nice, how do you handle a person who seems to simply comment to be a problem?

SUZIE: I’ve been lucky in that I’ve only experienced one or two negative comments (most of them being from irate women in response to a negative post I wrote about Justin Bieber), but I have had to deal with one or two men that weren’t particularly nice. One kept requesting the link to my personal Facebook page, and another, well, I’m not going to go into it but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

RW: I’ve been lucky as well in not having any really negative feedback but even some messages sent my way about content focus hurts. What’s your advice?

SUZIE: I make sure that I blacklist IP addresses where necessary and I have my comments set so that I moderate each one first. The key is to try and not take things too personally – there are always going to be troll-like figures lurking around the Internet. It’s also important to appreciate those who take the time to leave something positive – it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to agree with you, but followers who are polite, friendly and respectful and ones worth holding onto.

RW: I’m a content fiend just because I have no impulse control, but I know burnout is probably imminent for me, so for the brand new bloggers how often do you advise people to put out new content?

SUZIE: It depends what your blogging goals are. If you are writing for you and only you, then post whatever and whenever. However, if you are hoping to create a regular readership I think that it is more of a question of content than how often you post. Content is the key to any blog if you want it to be a success. There aren’t any rules about how often you should post – I follow blogs that post daily, weekly and monthly, but my best advice is to make sure that what you are putting out there is something that you are proud of. Of course, the more often you post, the more likely that your blog is likely to be seen, but the content needs to entice your readers to keep coming back for more.

RW: Other than my blog, which I know MUST be your favorite, what types of blogs do you like to follow?

SUZIE: All sorts! Poetry (mainly because I have the poetic talent of a walnut), craft, lifestyle, humour… This morning I read posts about running, a sleepy cat, a poem about lost love and a movie review of Guardians of The Galaxy. I like variety. The more interesting blogs are personal, well laid out and contain photographs.

Note that I included the part about me being her favorite blog after I asked the question. Can you blame me? I wonder if she will notice?

RW: Have you ever wanted to just throw your hands in the air and say “NO MORE BLOG”?

SUZIE: Never. It’s genuinely the first thing that I’ve truly been interested in doing in years. I’ve experienced blog burnout and had to give myself a break for a few days, but there has never been a point in which I wanted to give up. It has now become a part of my life – my blog is incorporated into my daily routine and I have put hours and hours of blood, sweat and tears into creating something that I’m really proud of – it would be such a waste of time to get rid of it. Change it, yes, add to it, yes, but never delete it.

RW: What’s the funniest comment that a reader has made on your blog that first comes to mind?

SUZIE: I’ve had so many that its impossible to choose the funniest of all time, but I do remember that Steve Says made a comment recently when I was talking about The Bloke, proclaiming that he was ‘my lobster.’ I haven’t seen that episode of Friends in years and it cracked me up.

“Come on, you guys. It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You know what? You can actually see old lobster couples walkin’ around their tank, you know, holding claws like..”
GIFSoup

“See, he’s her lobster.”
GIFSoupRW: When I read your blog and look at it I get the sense of ‘professional’ in that you don’t do things haphazardly and you don’t get to crazy like I do. Where do you want your blog to lead you?

SUZIE: Honestly? I’ve no idea, but I love the possibilities. When I initially started the blog it was a form of therapy and I had no expectations, and I certainly couldn’t have predicted the direction that it has already taken me and the amazing people that I have met along the way.Now, I’m quite excited about all the things that I could do with it.

RW: I definitely agree that blogging is great therapy. Is there a book idea in the mind of Suzie, if so then would you give us a general idea about it and if you have put work into it yet?

SUZIE: I’m not a creative writer so fictional stories are never going to happen, but I have contemplated the idea of putting together a compilation of my favourite posts. The problem is that I don’t know who would be interested in buying something like that. I’d have to consider a target audience a little more…

RW: When does Suzie81 Speaks find time for her social life and what does she do during her favorite social life moments, her escape and getaway moments?

SUZIE: One word… Karaoke. If it isn’t a school night and there’s a microphone, I’m there. My best friend runs a karaoke night at the pub that he works at every Friday, so when I really need to unwind that’s where you’ll find me. My social life doesn’t really exist during the week, but I like to meet up with friends at the weekends and we’ll go for a meal, to the cinema or around to each others houses for a catch-up. If I want to escape I go out for a day trip somewhere – to the park, into the city, on a train somewhere, to the spa. I did once decide to go to Malaga for the weekend for my friend’s birthday and spent Saturday afternoon lying on the beach. As it was in the middle of term time, the flights were dirt cheap. I think I need to do that again.

RW: What is something you do that’s a hidden talent that maybe only your close friends know about?

SUZIE: I can make my stomach expand to the point where I look heavily pregnant. I stood next to my friend when she was 24 weeks and we looked the same size . . . perhaps it’s not a talent, more of a party trick . . .

RW: I can do that too . . . without trying . . . and it’s not a trick. Umm . . is Suzie a great dancer?

SUZIE: Suzie likes to think that she is, particularly after consuming her own body weight in cider. Unfortunately, comparisons have been made with a frog in a blender – arms and legs everywhere – and I don’t think that Beyonce or her backing dancers will be losing sleep anytime soon.

RW: We need a video of that, seriously. I think our followers need to start a vote on your blog for it. What’s the one talent you would like to have that you don’t?

SUZIE: Dance. Again, resembling a frog in a blender proves to be a problem.

RW: I see a pattern here. What is your favorite outfit?

SUZIE: I have a dress that I bought for my 30th birthday. It’s black, strapless and figure hugging. It’s beautiful. Unfortunately, it doesn’t currently fit (i’ve enjoyed my food a little too much recently) but I’m working on it.

RW: With ‘The Block’ in your life and the mention of the dress, what is romance to you?

SUZIE: I’m not a romantic, despite owning almost every romantic comedy on DVD from the last 20 years. While I love the idea, in reality I would be likely to laugh in The Bloke’s face if he gave me the speech from When Harry Met Sally, or stood outside my bedroom window holding a ghetto blaster above his head. We did, however, once sit by the Seine in Paris and watch the sunset behind the Eiffel Tower, and left a love lock on the bridge behind Notre Dame Cathedral. I suppose romance to me is not hugely wild gestures, it’s things that happen on a daily basis. When I got an ‘Oustanding’ in the last OFSTED inspection, he wrote me a card telling me how proud he was of me and that he loved me, presented me with a bracelet in a beautiful box, made me a lovely dinner and rubbed my feet. Yesterday, he attended a wedding with me, and sat holding my hand. He opens doors, kisses me on the top of my head as he walks past at home and tells me he loves me. My apologies to your readers, I can practically hear them vomiting into buckets as I write…

RW: Young Russell Crowe or Hugh Jackman?

SUZIE: Young Hugh Jackman. Middle aged Hugh Jackman. Fifty year old Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman without a shirt. Mmm… Hugh Jackman. However, the ultimate man is Dolph Lundgren. I’ve had a crush on him since I first watched Masters of the Universe when I was about six yeas old. I even have an autographed framed print of him in my bedroom. He’s a truly beautiful man.

RW: Did not see that one coming. What is your favorite comedic show to watch?

SUZIE: I love sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and have seen every episode of Friends about thirty times, but I particularly like British comedies that have a slightly eclectic humour like Spaced, Green Wing, Blackadder and Bottom. I love live stand up shows – Eddie Murphy’s ‘Raw’ is still one f the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Has to be one of my favorite answers ever. I loved hearing of TV shows I know nothing about. It shows me how much I don’t know about other cultures. Loved.

RW: What is your favorite scent/aroma/fragrance and why?

SUZIE: Stella by Stella McCartney. I love the stuff and make sure that it’s on my birthday list every year. I’ve been stopped in the street by people who have asked what perfume I’m wearing because I apparently smell nice. Unfortunately, there’s also a very popular brand of beer that has the same name, so on occasions I’ve had to explain that I don’t bathe in lager. Although, there’s an idea.

RW: What is your favorite beverage?

SUZIE: Mojito. Original Mojito, strawberry Mojito, raspberry Mojito.

(Traditionally, a mojito is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.)

RW: What is your favorite word and why?

SUZIE: Chuff. It has many uses and connotations in my world, but I like to use it in the context of ‘tighter than a gnat’s chuff.’ Take from that what you will…

Well on that note, and I am hoping Suzie was not referring to me specifically with that last one . . . I want to thank Suzie for agreeing to an interview. This one has been a long time in coming, what with her busy work schedule. I hope you all enjoyed it. I can’t believed she answered everything.

How to turn your Readers OFF.

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Gaining Followers, Gaining Readers, Losing Followers, Losing Readers, Profanity

What the . . . Pho? I bet you thought I was going to say something else, right? Well maybe not considering this is my blog and you don’t see me using language of that sort. One reason you don’t see me using it is because I don’t use that language in life. First of all, I’m not going to be getting preachy here. That’s not what this is about. I want to help you get more traffic through your blog’s doors.

The ‘What the . . . Pho?’ is actually a noodle restaurant that some friends and I just love the name of because here in America we have naughty minds at times. We can say this and people around us just look at us funny. One of the friends played the organ/keyboard in church and he would look over at me and I would mouth the phrase and he would suddenly bend over in convulsions doing all he could to focus on his music. The other friend was the choir director. He had learned long ago not to look at me. Yes, I tended to be a little mischievous if the time was okay to do so.

“So ‘What the . . . Pho?’ do you know about this and ‘What the . . . Pho?’ does this have to do with blogging?”

I’m glad you asked.

How to turn your Readers OFF

One of the first decisions you need to make when you create a blog or even when you begin writing an article for publishing is . . . “Am I doing this to get more people to read my writing?”

“I write for me. I don’t write to satisfy others!”

We like to say that but that isn’t always true. If you have a blog and want to bring people to it, then . . . yes you are writing for them in a manner of speaking. Here are tips to turn your readers off, depending on the type of blog you have. I am going with a blog type that has the average person who wants a nice, safe place to go for entertainment.

Put Profanity in the Title of Your Article

You probably have never even really thought of doing that, but I’ve seen it and it instantly turns me away. It doesn’t even make me curious about the article. It could be by the Pope and I still wouldn’t read it to see what medications he’s on.

If it happens enough, I stop bothering with that blog at all.

“Ronovan, you’re a prude!”

Far from it my Friend. I enjoy all types of blogs, I just respect intelligently put together content.

Articles Laced with Profanity

Notice I said ‘laced’, meaning filled with it. I’m not a fan of proFANity. Yes I made a pun. I am chuckling on the inside. Seriously. Can’t you tell? You’re screens should be shaking now. Okay, maybe not. I do however understand while reading something real life that words happen. Sometimes a word may fit a situation. I may choose another word while another person chooses a different word. No big deal.

I have a problem with the articles that are laced with it as shock factor. It doesn’t match what I know of the writer. It doesn’t match the piece being presented. It was placed there in an attempt to either shock, evoke humor, or just for no reason at all.

“We can say what we want, stretch our wings, and experiment, you dork!”

Very true, and I experiment as well. I just know myself and what my Friends have come to expect and I will stretch my wings within that boundary and at times it’s more challenging to do so. Write a sensual poem that conveys a lot without saying much in sexually. It’s a fun challenge.

Being Derogatory

I write poetry where I slam bullies and the like. I don’t spend an entire article running down a people, a country, or a system or a mental of physical illness in generalities. Yes, there are times when certain articles need to be written. However, they need to be written in an intelligent and rational manner or the reader tunes out, turns away, and turns the channel.

If you are going to do it, pick your battles so people hear you. Run things into the ground and your words become a blur. That is unless you are targeting that audience who only wants to read about that issue.

“Ronovan, there are certain things that are just clear cut!”

The issue may be clear cut but the entire story never is.

Back to Profanity

If you are going to use a word then wait for it. Build up your reader, hook them in, get their support, and then when you throw the word in, it isn’t AS MUCH of as a turn off. It might still happen, but less likely.

“If I use the words I want at the beginning it grabs their attention!”

Do you want respect as a writer or attention as a shock hack?

I would go for a 5^th one just to make it a Top 5 list but that’s pushing it and pushing you to read something weak. So I’m not going to do it. I’ll stop with 4.

Keep your articles clean and professional and only use certain words when you honestly believe they need to be used. I’ve stopped following several blogs of late for multiple headlines using certain words. And if you know me you know I follow lots of people of all types and language use. And there are even a few articles that are laced with profanity that make a point, but it’s rare, and I slowly begin to shy away.

I hope this article proved useful to you. If so, leave me a comment, so I know I’m helping you out. Sure a ‘like’ works as well, but I like to hear from my Friends at times.

If you found this helpful you can also find other tips by clicking here.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Inside the Life of . . . Amanda Lyle, Blogger extraordinaire.

July 22, 2014July 25, 2014 Ronovan Interviews Amanda Lyle, Blog Tips, Blogger Interview, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Humor, Inside The Life of Moi, insidethelifeofmoi, Interview

Must read blogs are rare. We all have blogs we like to read, but then there are the cannot miss blogs. What websites or blogs keep me coming back for more? Sites with entertaining content that give real life moments in humorous ways at times, but can surprise with a bit of the serious and the deep of the heart. There are a few of those out there but one that I find very entertaining, primarily due to the personality that breaks through every paragraph is Insidethelifeofmoi. Now to introduce the star . . .

Meet Amanda Lyle

Insidethelifeofmoi

(Don’t miss the Thailand adventure movie Attack of the Mankinis at the end of the interview.)

RW: Amanda your bio says that along with your blog you also have three bambinos and a husband? I didn’t know you were Italian. How do you manage all that and a blog?

AMANDA: I feel like I’m in the ‘cirque du life’. I’m juggling fire, I have a few plates spinning, and all whilst walking a tight rope. It’s difficult to keep those plates spinning. It’s almost impossible to juggle fire without getting burned. When I started blogging I was writing a lot more, 3 or 4 times a week, in fact. As my blog grew in popularity, it meant I had to devote more of my time, time as a mum, I didn’t really have. The way I managed things, was to reduce my posts to twice a week. My number one priority is obviously my children…and my husband! (he might be reading this!) I generally write in the evenings when my husband is watching the football, or some gangster, too-much-shooting-and-dying-for-my-liking, film. So, to answer your question, it is very difficult, but I find it equally rewarding.

Continue reading →

How to get your Twitter Handle to show when people Share your blog articles.

July 5, 2014July 5, 2014 Ronovan Blogging, Twitter Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogs, Social Networking, Twitter, Twitter Handle

You ever notice how when your blog gets tweeted by someone that it says ‘by @wordpress’? You want it to say ‘by @yourtwitterhandle’, well not actually the words yourtwitterhandle. It would actually be whatever your actual . . . um, you get it.

Why is this important? Each time someone clicks the Twitter option to share your blog article you want your name attached to. That’s advertising, that’s credit, that’s what you deserve. When I share an article of a blog I like and the Twitter Handle isn’t in there I go looking for it either on their site or on Twitter itself and replace the WordPress with the real thing, but I don’t know if that’s just me or not.

How to get your Twitter Handle to show up when your articles are shared in Tweets.

by: Ronovan

So you’ve connected Twitter to your WordPress blog and you are even Publicizing up a storm and you go look and is says ‘by @wordpress‘. Blogger say what?

Do this:

Click your Dashboard
Click Settings at the bottom
Click Share when it appears under Settings
Scroll down the page and find “Twitter username to include in tweets when people share using the Twitter button.”
Type in your Twitter handle, without the @ included.
Click Save Changes.

To check and make sure it is working properly, go to one of your blog articles and click Twitter. Your Twitter handle should now appear. Now whenever anyone Shares and Tweets your blogs your name is attached and you get a bit of name recognition out there. If it’s not showing sign out and back into WordPress and possibly clear cache. I haven’t had to do that myself but those are things to try just in case.

Hope this helps.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Make me WANT your Blog

July 4, 2014July 4, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Burnout, Blogging Encouragement, Burnout, Creative Writing, Culture, Writing Advice, Writing Inspiration, Writing Tips

What can your Blog give me that no one else can? Why should I read something from you instead of someone else? Make me stay on your site and keep coming back for more. How can you do that? How can you MAKE me want to come back for more? So what I am really asking from you?

Make me WANT your Blog

by: Ronovan

I know a lot of bloggers who, especially of late, are finding it difficult to keep creating things to write about. They cannot come up with a new fiction story, a new poem, a new 10 Things list, or a new How To list. How many sites do you know that have those types of things?

I’ll go out to a movie while you count, and maybe a bite to eat as well.

Sniff, sniff . . . Ellllliiiiiooooot.

Oh, um . . . hi.

Yeah, I’m back, you can finish the counting later.

I have some friends who do the slice of life and list blogs very well and I love them. But they can take their toll on you. Just take a look at them and there is more than just a story about what happened. They tell a story and the good ones go through creating a lot of images to go along with it to make it that much more fun for you. All that can equal to . . .

You’ll likely see that as my header photo for my blog someday . . . soon.

There are others who just are getting to the point of their blogs are not going in the direction they want them to. They want to continue but they are lost somehow.

Then for some reason they will publish something about where they are from. It might be personal memories, opinions, or photographs. Their voice in the writing is completely different. It’s personal. And that is when they draw me in completely. Even if you are from the city next to mine, I still want to see what you see and learn about how you see things.

I want to learn.

We have an opportunity through our blogs to connect to people around the world and turn each country into a place with human beings in it and not just a news broadcast of something bad happening or where a politician, sporting event, or celebrity happens to be. The news turns the place into the event.

The event has nothing to do with the people.

Mix your blog up a little with a bit about your country. I know I don’t do it, but I am so busy putting poetry and tips out that I rarely have time to even think about anything else. But I have done a couple of articles about Southern Culture. And I plan to do a little more.

I think some of my writing tells a bit about where I live through my life. I tend to explore deep feelings and emotions in my writing, not intentionally, but it happens. I know not everyone will do that. Use your photography and your experiences and tell us the story of how your country, your city, your culture really is.

Connecting Twitter to your Blog to Publicize your Blog articles.

July 4, 2014July 4, 2014 Ronovan Blogging Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogging Basics, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Social Networking, Twitter

You’re scared to death of Twitter. IT FREAKS YOU OUT! No worries. You don’t really have to be there to use it. Just have an account and let WordPress do the work for you. Here’s how to connect Twitter and WordPress together.

Automatically Sending your new Blogs to Twitter

By: Ronovan

Be logged into Twitter.

Go to your Dashboard in your blog

At the bottom you will find Settings, hover over this and a box will appear, click Sharing in that box.

If you click Settings a box of options appears below it and you can choose Sharing there.

You will see various social networks to link to. Choose any you like. For now click connect beside Twitter. Then accept it asking you to connect.

Difficult, huh?

Now whenever a blog of yours posts it will go to Twitter as well, or should, it is technology after all.

Bonus Tip

You’ll notice in the Add New Post section, where I am typing this now, that on the right side where you have the Publish button there is a Publicized: Edit Settings option. If you click Edit you can customize the message that will appear with your Twitter announcement of your blog post. I sometimes put in the hashtags I want to use, you know the #Blogs or #Photography things you see sometimes. You don’t have to go to Twitter to do anything.

Also when you click Edit you can uncheck any of your authorized connections you don’t want the article to Publicize to. Like I don’t always want mine to go to facebook.

But that’s how simple it is.

What about your About page?!

July 3, 2014July 3, 2014 Ronovan Blogging About Page, Blog Advice, Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Basics, Connecting

What about your About page?!

It’s time to step things up a notch with a blog tip. Everyone wants more people to connect to them through their blogs. We all want people to keep coming back and maybe even mention our site to other people. Yeah, sure, a great article might do it, but you want to really make an impact? You do? Okay. Tell them what they want to know . . . about you. Where? On your About page.

I’m not a big secret for those who wandered around the walls of my blog a few times. Everything I write has me in it. I don’t hide. But there are things I don’t tell people. But I let them know the things that matter to them.

I’m talking about my About page. Some call it the About Moi page. I won’t name any names because they may be reading this. Some people can get away with that, I’m not one of them.

Guess what after my Home page is the most Viewed thing ever on my blog. Here’s your cookie if you said my About page. That’s right. And guess what has the most likes of anything else on my blog. Aw, and here is your glass of milk to go with the cookie. (I’m not sure the bit of sarcasm is my style, but I tried. Hmm.)

Why is it liked more than other things? I really have no idea to tell you the truth. I look at it and shudder with it all. I have almost wanted to start over but I’ve put so much work into it that it makes me physically ill to even move an index finger towards the delete key.

To get a Follow from me you 99% of the time have to have an About page with something remotely decent in it. Sometimes if there has been several exchanges in comments or I just know the person through their being a Literary Agent or Writing Resource I will Follow without an About page. But I really like to have a little something to become connected to.

The About page also lets me know the person and site is legitimate. There may be some of you reading this that noticed that when I decided to Follow your blog that I made a comment on your About page. That wasn’t an accident.

“Ronovan, I don’t want to do an about page because I don’t know what to put on there.”

Take a look at my About page. Yes I shared more of me than you might, but I did it without telling anything really.

There are different ideas on how to do an About page. Some say do it short and just tell them what they need to know about the site. Some say do an essay of the world so to speak.

Here is the importance of the About page.

My top most viewed page is my Home page.

Second is my About page.

Third is my 10 Fun (?) Facts About Me page.

What does that tell you people want to know?

Okay so maybe they want to know what kind of nut writes the things I write. But I think you can see they are interested in connecting to the person writing. I feel sorry for those that read through both the About and the Fun Facts. My apologies.

Here are the tips for an About page from my own personal experience.

Tell them about your experience that makes your having this Blog worth their being here. If you have a writing blog such as mine you don’t tell them you were a professional Dish Washer as your first paid job. (Which was mine.) That can come later. First make them know they are in good hands.
Tell them what they are going to get from your site. Your part about you should be brief and this should be longer than that. Your Readers are the important ones so make them feel welcome, wanted, and give them a reason to want to return.
Give them a little of what turned you into what you are. For me I noted books through the formative years that turned me into a reader and eventual writer. For an artist it could be museum trips, a teacher, a movie just whatever brought you to being a creative person.
Show them what kind of person are you as a result of this in regards to creativity.
Share with them some professional aspect of you that influences your creativity, such as my having been a History teacher lends to my loving reading and creating worlds and histories of those worlds and people.
Throw them the boring things that you might want to. You never know what will connect with someone.
Tell them about any causes you might be connected to if you like. I have Fibromyalgia so I have a connection to people that have similar problems.
Tell them why you are blogging. I know you probably put some of that in the number one and you should have, but expound upon it here at the end.
Give them links to your social network connections.

Notice the About page tells about YOU but is really for THEM. You already know about you. Share you with them. If you think you are so boring that people don’t want to know about you then what in the world are you doing? You’re creative and blogging. They showed up to your site! They think you are at least interesting once!

I’ve had a little fun during this article, a few jokes, but in all seriousness, the About page is truly one of the important things of your site. It’s where personality can come through that your work won’t reflect. Visit the About pages of people you admire and see what they have. Make it as big or little as you like, but by all means put something in there.

If you found this article helpful you may want to check out my other blogging tips by clicking here. If not . . . thanks for stopping by.

Instead I am going to simply brag a bit.

So what am I going to brag about?

‘B’ the Athlete

‘B’ the Scholar

What am I proud of?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

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Surviving the Blogging Dry Spell . . . Or How to plan for one.

Variety is the spice of life, folks.

How do you make it through a dry spell and get that excitement back?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

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“There’s no worrying in blogging!”

“THERE IS NO ROOM FOR WORRYING IN BLOGGING!”

You are worried about offending?

Sum up time

“and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.”

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They Can Work

They Can Stall

And

They

Can

Epically

FAIL

Collaborating with another writer on their blog or your blog can be beneficial to both of you for many reasons.

I have collaborated a few times, unbeknowst to all but a very few, I asked my name not be mentioned. Why?

The Pros of Collaborations

The Cons of Collaborations

How to Make a Collaboration Work

How to Determine Who to Collaborate With

The Cautions of Collaborating

There are a lot of benefits from a collaboration from expanding your blog reach.

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The reason I use it now:

Why should you add text or other things to your images:

Things you need to know:

Why do I suggest you use fotoflexer and not paint?

NEON Effect

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Three Ways to Keep your Sanity in Blog World

#1

Set boundaries for your Blog Life

#2

Set a schedule for your Blog Content

#3

When your Blog Schedule is over . . . unplug

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Bloglovin’ It

What is it?

Let’s look at two basic purposes:

#1

Just to Follow blogs

#2

As a Blogger

How do you do it?

#1

Just to follow blogs:

#2

For a Blogger you need to sign up just as above. Then: (Updated-12/09/14)

How do you add the Bloglovin’ Widget?

“But wait, Ronovan, some people don’t look at those thingies on the side. What other way can I let a visitor know how to follow me on Bloglovin’?”

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Suzie Suzi81 Speaks

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How to turn your Readers OFF

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Meet Amanda Lyle

Insidethelifeofmoi

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Suzie
Suzi81 Speaks