and I'm not.
don't hate me because i'm beautiful..or because I'm a liar.
it's coming....soon..to a computer near you.
but today I have more blog tips so I'm not leaving you completely high and dry!!!
etiquette:
oh darling. we are so very proper in blogland. pass me the sugar shall you?
oh..not that kind of etiquette?
well good...cause I have zero manners. sorry mom. I know you tried!!!!
blog etiquette:
when linking to someone else
Do it.
the end.
okay not really.
let's say you found something..you love it....and want to share. That's great! most blogger encourage it. It is advertising to them. But here are a few rules...
Only post one or two pictures
and make sure you link to it.
NEVER EVER republish the whole post... it will mess it up in the search engines for your blog and the other person's blog...and most blogger frown upon it! I recently found a few of my tutorials word for word at another person's blog. (she gave me credit...) but still. why would their followers want to come see my blog if they got the entire thing over there!
Most bloggers have a copyright statement somewhere on their blogs...mine is at the
very
very
bottom...
no
keep scrolling...
clear
d
o
w
n.
so check with that....because some people have different rules than I do.
When linking back to someone...do you tell them or not?
well...do you?
okay. I DO! When I do my sunday shoutouts..I tell them...hey I featured your hot stuff..
cause
A. it's nice to know (don't you like when you find out?)
and
B. They will probably come over and check it out and maybe stay awhile..
and
C. some people put up the places they have been featured at (I used to then it became a little overwhelming and took up more time than actually making a craft and blogging about it!) but that means your button gets put on their blog..so basically it's free advertisment!
if you tell me when you make something of mine...I love linking it up to other girls with glue guns...and that means even more exposure to you.
Do you HAVE to tell someone? probably not. I find out a lot of places I have been featured at with my stat thing button...
when I find something from someone else's blog..(say like tatortots and jello) and I love it...I will leave a comment telling them that I found them from T and J...Just so they know how I got to them!
also good etiquette is not to leave rude comments...just saying.
thanks maggie!
making stuff to sell:
make it and love it says it well : go HERE.
i love making stuff..i love showing you what I make. and I love seeing what you have made! but I have an etsy shop where I sell some of the stuff I make...so obviously I don't want competition!
Let's talk about commenting. when someone comments on your blog..do you need to comment back? I don't. call me a hater. but if someone tells me " this is cute" I don't say " thank you" although I mean it. I have gotten a few thank yous back...and if you want to know the truth..I think it's weird. I have to totally go back and see what it was that I commented on in the first place. I will ALWAYS reply back if there is a question..or something funny...or if you say something that really hits me (not in a bad way hits..but a good way...if it hits me in a bad way I will probably post it on my blog for alll to read!)
WHICH LEADS ME TO THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!!!!!
something I THINK is very very important...making sure your email is ON. what that means is when you leave a comment...if you have it on...I can write you back and leave you a comment to your comment. if it's not on..(it just says noreply comment@ blogger) I can't email you and tell you how awesome you are.
I hate when you ask me a question and I can't find you!!!! pretty please for me?
a general rule of thumb....
Find a blog you love:
why do you love it?
pictures?
the way they write?
the colors they use.
I think once you do this...it's a great starting point on how you want YOUR blog to be!
I truly admire kari from ucreate...while she has changed things..added ucreate food and ucreate kids and ucreate parties..and sponsers...I go over there and love it. just like I did when I first started craft bloggin. It doesn't have ads every direction...it's not bogged down with stuff...i can find everything i need...She recently did a post about advertising...and she said "Here’s the thing though, I am very picky about the sponsors I share with you on Ucreate. I don’t want to waste your time or mine for a simple buck! I actually turn away 75% of sponsors (let’s face it, you don’t care about a tanning bed giveaway, right?)!"
she makes sure her adveritsers fit into the theme of ucreate!!!
I love it! It's super hard to keep a blog clean..it's a constant battle of mine...trying to get all the stuff you want..buttons, followers, sponsers without it being overwhelming!!!
I'll share a few blogs I LOVE
the ones I read word for word
the ones I love love love
the little red house (not really a craft blog...but wonderful!)
tidbits with the tremanyes ( I have to make sure I am wearing depends before I read hers) and she just recently won crafting with the stars!!! congrats....!
vintage revivals (count it...four times i have mentioned her this month)
color me katie (fun and .....COLORFUL!)
a beautiful mess (she's the first blog I stalked!)
made (she uses color...in a word...wow)
I am momma hear me roar (yes, I know i mention her a ton too!) (speaking of her...she has a great list of blogs SHE LOVES (go here) it makes for some awesome reading!) (she was also tremanye's partner for crafting with the stars...so congrats to cheri too!!!
nienie (amazing***)
make it and love it (and of course ashley...just click on tutorials and see the wonderment!)
if you notice...they are all pretty clean and simple..great photos..and the way they write makes you feel like you are old friends!
and some other odds and ends:
to make a menu bar (like mine...says home..about the girl..the girls etsy shop etc)
I have not done it personally...but I trust her (her name is kim too! lol!)
or you could just pay her $15 to do it!
I recently took THIS blog help to make myself a collage header for my family blog
just showing that I am learning new things too!!!!
(i'm sure you are wondering what the h is going on with all the weird pictures... (okay..maybe you haven't noticed because I always put weird pictures...) i read through it and noticed that it was lacking something.....so I added a bunch of fun pictures that I found through pinterest.....about my newest favoritest place!!!
The only question I have is, do you know how to find out how many followers/subscribers you have in readers? I have Google Connect, but I mean RSS feeds, etc?
ReplyDeleteGirl, I am just feeling so muchy bloggy blog love from you, I could just cry. Or squeal. Kimbo rocks!
ReplyDeleteI just have to put this out there for discussion, because it really bothers me and I think a lot of bloggers don't really understand their rights to the tutorials they publish. You can't really copyright or put terms of use on a tutorial/pattern. You can copyright your post {i.e. someone can't copy your text and claim it as their own} but you can't really say "you can only make this for gifts, but not to sell". It's like saying "you can listen to this music, but you can't sing it out loud in public, but in your shower it's okay." There's a great website http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/trademarks.shtml
ReplyDeletewhere they talk about copyright and patterns and things. I just think people should know their rights before they post things. If you want to make the stuff to sell, and don't want others to make the same thing, don't publish the tutorial.
I'm really not trying to be confrontational- just trying to get the word out so that people don't end up with unforseen consequences. :) If anyone has any legal proof that things are otherwise, I'd love to hear it.
xoxo,
Amy
Oh god...now you have me feeling guilty! I LOVE your blog and am have been creatively inluenced by you a few times...check out this post and thank you! http://homespuncandlemommy.blogspot.com/2011/01/star-wars-bedroom-reveal-part-1.html
ReplyDeleteAAANd I have to say also, your blog rocks! I love your sense of humor, your awesome projects and your super helpful blog tips. So, please don't think I'm being a hater- 'cuz I'm totally a lover.
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Amy
Great tips. I usually tell the person that I gave them a little blog love if I reference them.
ReplyDeleteI have recently found pinterest...awesomeness! Love Love Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! Love it all!
I really gain quite a bit of knowledge from this post, thanks so much for posting it. I love love your style of writing it's just take it as it is, keep up the great post.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes don't do something if I am not sure and it turns out it was okay to do in a certain way.
Wow... SOOO many great tips packed into a post! (tweeting a link back!) Great list of blogs, too. There are a few I did not know about and need to check out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your knowledge about blogging. I am just starting out for fun. Everything I know about designing a blog I have read from your blog so far....I appreciate you taking time to post what you know...and today I have just learned some more tips. Amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you at my blog...
http://fruitylemonade.blogspot.com/
:) Sue
Kimbo,
ReplyDeleteI just have to give you a big fat THANK YOU for your nice words about Ucreate!
I love your blog and your awesome creativity! You know one post that had me laughing so hard? That one when you told anonymous to suck it!! I just had a horrible comment right before that was upsetting me, and thanks to your post I was able to laugh and brush it off!!
Thanks again!!
-Kari
I'm so glad you wrote some etiquette rules. I came across a fast-growing blog the other day and her projects are AMAZING...BUT...big fat BUT...a large majority of her ideas were those of a much bigger blog. No link backs or even mentions of them.
ReplyDeleteWe all find inspirations and whatnot from other places...it's almost an honor when someone copy cats your projects.
I know I probably should care, but it's changed how I view every one of her posts now.
I think credit is SO important.
One thing I hadn't done that I probably should is tell people when I've linked back to them.
So I'm telling you now.
I linked back to you on THIS project bc I copycatted your original idea! hahaha
http://thebirdspapaya.blogspot.com/2011/02/terra-cotta-pot-bowl-turned-candy-jar.html
Anyways, thank you for saying some things that just NEEDED TO BE SAID!! I appreciate it.
Amen to NOT copying whole posts! Tacky! That's why i link! The people who create those darn tutorials should get the traffic!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! Found you through 733:) I love your blogging tips- thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteC:)
Thanks for all of the tips! I am new to blogging so need all the help I can get!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, being that I am sort of a newbie I appreciate blogs like this!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, especially for us newbies. Thanks a mil.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fairly new blogger so I thought this was a great post! Thanks so much! I am now your newest follower!
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say about great minds. Today I had a blog about Marvelous Bloggers. I linked to several blogs that I like. Check it out http://mmbcreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/marvelous-monday-marvelous-bloggers.html
ReplyDeleteSome of your favorites are also mine. Thank you for the new list.
Thanks for your post! It is pretty frustrating to post a tutorial on some linky parties and then, the very next week, to see your project posted without attribution. Imitation is the highest form of flattery but if you don't link back it's just rude!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great information! I was wondering about something that wasn't addressed, though. I've seen lots of people who link up their favorite projects from blogland and use a picture of each project from each blog. (These are not their pictures, but the original blogger's.) Is it okay to do this without getting each blogger's permission, if I'm just giving them a shout-out for a great project and sending other people their way? I only ask because I generally link to a lot of people, but I've been leaving out pictures because I didn't think it was okay. Thanks for any insight!
ReplyDeleteDid I read correctly you live in Pocatello, ID? If so, hopefully I'll run into you one day and not be too creepy if I recognize you!
ReplyDeleteAwesome ~ thanks for all the great tips!
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess I should have read THIS post before asking my questions on the other post. You have answered my question about notifying the "other" blog owner if you link to them. So thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the advice about actually STARTING a blog. I'm in the process of starting--like haven't even put up a single post yet. Mostly because I didn't know what to start with. AND, I didn't want people to start looking at my blog with just a post that was titled "Welcome" or something cheesy. You're what I would call the "bomb-digity." :)