Blogging Tips OR What I've Learned So Far

I've learned a lot in the year & a half
I've spent blogging.

I'm sure there is much more that I need to be taught!

But I wanted to share with you what I know so far.

Here are my tips:

• You can have your own favicon. Bobbi at It Works For Me has a great tutorial on how to do it.  It's the little picture icon that shows up next to your blog name. {Mine looks like the little pixie above.}
•  If you turn off your "word verification", the sky won't fall! This is the thing {that is supposed to prevent spam} where you have to type strange words to prove you're a human. I took a chance & turned mine off. SO FAR {fingers crossed}, no problems! If you use "Blogger", click on "design" - then "settings" - then "comments" to turn your word verification off.
• Make it easy for readers to comment. Again, this is taking a risk, but {SO FAR} none of those mean people have left an anonymous comment like the ones we hear about. WHEW! I was really nervous at first, but I did it because a lot of my friends mentioned that they don't have a profile, but would like to leave a comment. Now they can.  If you'd like to give it a try, follow the instructions above for turning off word verification. On that same page, in the "Who can comment?" section. I opted for "Anyone".
• A picture is worth a whole bunch of words. Everyone loves eye candy! Make sure to use at least one photo for every post. Sometimes they don't even have to be THAT specific to the post . . . for instance, if all else fails - I just use a cute photo of my granddaughter like this . . . 

• Make your pictures as great as possible. I am constantly trying to improve my pictures. I use Picnik a lot. You can adjust exposure & so much more! I also read articles about photography. It's an ongoing effort.
• No guilt please. There is actually a marketing strategy called reciprocity. {Like when they send you those address labels that you didn't order & then they expect a donation in return.} We all want followers, but do we really want someone to "follow" only because we made them feel obligated to do so? I think blogging etiquette should ban those "I am following, please follow back" messages.  Hopefully those who follow our blogs do it because they want to come back & read what we're up to.
• Leave a comment. I do believe a good way to help others discover your blog is by visiting theirs. Leave a {sincere} comment & they will often visit you back. I also love finding other blogs when visitors leave a comment for me!
• Link it baby! I've discovered so many great blogs through linky parties. Link as many posts as you can to increase your traffic. 
• Enjoy the ride. It's a labor of love that's for sure! Even when I'm lucky enough to have sponsors, I still put in SO much time that I couldn't do it if I didn't enjoy the process.

To be continued later!

I'm Linking to These Great Parties:
Blogging Tips at I Gotta Create
"The Weekend Wrap-up Party" at Tatertots & Jello
"Feature Friday" at Spunky Junky
"Frugal Friday" at The Shabby Nest
"Feature Friday" at Sassy Sites
"Flaunt-it Friday" at Chic on a Shoestring