Well, I think the most important question came from Nish of The Outdoor Wife, who asked, “WHY and HOW are you so smokin’ hot?!” & to that, I like to say Daddy’s money &  The Momma’s good looks.  I take no credit for it.

I had never really thought of doing a blog about…well, blogging.  Basic blogging is just being an attention whore with either a) really crappy self-esteem or b) really high self-esteem (I fall into either category depending on the day).  But emails started pouring in & I noticed that so many of y’all had the same questions.  & maybe there were folks out there afraid of emailing?  (oh gah, I hope not!  I am really nice over email!)  I’m going to do my best to answer ALL of your questions, I’ll probably misuse terms & misspell & pronounce things wrong, but whatevs.  This will be a mix of blog & vlog, simply because there is SO MUCH TO SAY.  I might go a little list-crazy because I like lists.  & gahhhh, I hope this isn’t boring.

Starting a Blog

I am going to start with the best & most IMPORTANT piece of advice in the entire blogging universe – DO NOT BLOG WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF MAKING MONEY.  There is only one Dooce in this universe – I’m not her, & you are not her.  She’s in Utah with a weird haircut, frolicking her smart ass around on HGTV with her cute kids.  Do not begin blogging with dreams of being interviewed by Oprah for your refreshing outlook on life, or buying a mountain house in Aspen with the cash money it will roll in.

Now that the big thing is out of the way, we can begin!

Why did I start my blog?  So that my friends & husband would be spared my ramblings about my cervical mucus.  Complete truth.  If you look back in August & September 2008, it’s pretty much a run-down of my bodily fluids & temperature & angst over whether or not to get knocked up.  It’s boring stuff, really.  I think I was the only one that read it.  But we ALL start small.

So ask yourself – WHY do you want to start a blog?  WHAT is it’s purpose & content?  WHERE do you see it going?  & HOW will you do it?

To the “how” – I’ve been on three different “platforms” – Blogger, WordPress.com, & WordPress.org.  I don’t think that this is the only way to do it, but if you are just starting out, I would highly suggest Blogger.  It’s super-easy to use, will walk you step-by-step through creating & beginning posting.  It’s also an intro into design with lots of tutorials online about backgrounds, creating a badge, & all that “fluff.”  Blogger is PERFECT for those that just want a blog to keep up with family, jot down thoughts, etc.

WordPress.com is fantastic, & Blogger vs. WordPress is kind of like a Mac versus a PC.  Just very different, but both have their purpose.  Switching to WordPress.com & becoming familiar with the setup was fantastic before switching to WordPress.org.

Are you lost right now?  Then I suggest Blogger for you.  Are you interested in WordPress.com versus WordPress.org?  Click here!

Getting Traffic, readers, & having a blast while doing it

I would be nowhere without TheBump.com.  Yep, I said it.  NOWHERE.  I used to chat on their boards…well, the word “regularly” does not quite describe my involvement in their message boards.  Obsession sort of comes close, but still fails to meet the mark.  Initially, my readers were “nesties” & “bumpies.”  Hell, I’m sure most of my readers are still “bumpies!”  I loved the boards, but left due to a) needing to take a break from everyone else’s business on Internet boards while I fight PPD and b) the blog needing more attention.  Oh, & that little bit about me returning to work & now I have this kid on my hip.

Use blog lists.  Use Twitter.  Use Facebook.

& GUEST BLOG.  Once again, I will say that I have zero shame in pimping myself out to be a guest blogger for everyone & their mom.  Okay, not really.  But blogging is about RELATIONSHIPS.  It’s about connecting.  Readership = connections.  Read other people’s blogs.  Comment.  I TRY my best every week to “make the rounds” on McFatty Monday.  Sometimes it’s Saturday night when I’m commenting.  But I do try my very best.

Blog regularly.  Nothing annoys me more than finding a blogger that I love – her style, her writing, her family – but she only updates once every few weeks.  NOT ENOUGH.  WE WANT TO LIVE YOUR LIVES VICARIOUSLY & CONNECT.  I never really got into “Wordless Wednesday” or any other blogging traditions.  Until I started McFatty Mondays, but y’all, that was so I could drop the extra FIFTH GRADER I was hauling around on my body.

But honestly, I think what makes me “popular” (your words, not mine) is how open & honest I am.  (again, your words, not mine).  One of y’all asked how I find the strength to be so personal.  It’s a loaded question because honestly, I don’t feel strong.  I feel vulnerable & like I’m crying for anyone in the universe to listen some days.  That’s why I blog.  aka refer to the first round of Q&A about starting a blog   But I know that at the end of the day, if ONE person emails me to say “me, too” then it was worth it.  One girl emailing me to say, “thank you for giving me hope” makes the gutteral blogging of losing Harpie so worth it.  One mother emailing me to say she finally called her OB about depression made my confessions easier to swallow for myself.   CONNECTIONS.

Making Cash Money

So it’s no surprise that the #1 question is about advertising.  SHOCKER.  Not  & yes, to one question – I had an established, large following prior to selling advertising.  It wasn’t necessarily planned that way, but it’s the natural order of things – I can bring in the numbers, they feel confident in paying me to represent their brand.  Simple as that.

p.s.  See that massive zit on my left cheek?  I named him Henry.

• Knowing your statistics.
  • Use Google Analytics!  They can tell you how many unique hits versus page views you receive, & your loyalty of readership.
    • I tend to be of the opinion that readership loyalty is FAR more important than unique hits.
  • WordPress.com folks, you have built-in statistics!
• Know your demographic.
• Figure out what you are worth.  These are EXCELLENT sites to explain how to do this:
  • ProBlogger
  • KaiserMommy
  • One more for kicks & giggles
• Make yourself a “marketing sheet” listing your credibility, demographics, statistics, testimonials.  Ad your rates.  THEN MAKE IT A PDF THAT CANNOT BE ALTERED.
• Stand behind your advertisers.  Go with people you like, products you endorse, because it’s ETHICAL.  & you want the trust of your advertisers & your readers.

Free stuff! aka Giveaways

I know.  I giveaway a lot of stuff.  Especially now.  Because overall, I’m a really nice person that HATES saying no.  To peanut butter cups, or making Thanksgiving dinner, or product reviews.  But this may shock you…more times than not, I DO say “no.”  It’s unfortunate.  But I’m not into reviewing bug zappers & thankfully, nobody has contacted me about a penis pump.

As you can see, giveaways have been SUCH a learning process for me.  I LOVE the people I have worked with so far, have made some true friends through them (::fist pump to maggie, tali, & kacia::) but there are lessons to be learned, like anything in life.

• Learn to say “no” quickly.
• Only review/giveaway products you adore & support.
• Make sure you’re not one of 352,302,385.138 bloggers doing the SAME review that week.
• Manage the holidays so you’re not bombarded.
• Don’t make people jump through a hoop while spinning a Yorkshire Terrier on their nose & singing The Impossible Dream to win your contest.  That’s annoying.

& make sure the company is legit.  Do your research.  If it looks sketchy, SAY NO.  If an “agency” contacts me for the company, I always want a specific name at the actual company that I can contact.  FYI, some big companies do use third party agencies that are legit – just be careful.

Things I Cannot Live Without as a Blogger

1. An amazing IT girl.  I’m with twenty70 Hosting & it was the BEST DECISION I MADE as a blogger.  She is worth her weight in gold, especially now that I am back at work & do not have time to blog AND run the IT side of things (she’s also WAY smarter than me).
2. Design.  I was so hesitant to jump out & outsource a designer.  No really, ask Lisa if you can see the emails I sent her when I was all, “LISA, I don’t know about this.  I FEEL LIKE EVE IN THE GARDEN.”  But a good design is priceless.
   1. To answer questions, YES, I did my own design up until last week.  In Blogger, I used Cutest Blog on the Block as a background & then Scrapblog for my header & badge.  When I switched to WordPress.com, I used Vector Designer for Mac to make the cartoon you saw for months.
   2. If you don’t know how or have the time to make your own design, there are some talented girls out there with incredibly reasonable prices.  I have two on my advertising slots, so check them out (& I know Jocelyn has a discount code for y’all).  It may seem like a lot of money at first, but I promise you the time the designers put into your blog is well worth it.
3. Applications – well, my email subscriptions once I get them up & running!!  A spam blocker is a must-have.
4. Girlfriends that back you up, encourage you, challenge you, & make you a better businesswomen.  FIND A GURU.  Gussy & her cute ruffles happen to be mine.
5. A Mac.  There, I said it.  I’m a Mac girl.  I feel lost without my precious Mac which allows me to edit, watermark, made vlogs, edit those, etc. all in one happy little world of smooth-sailing.  Sometimes, I want to dry hump my Mac.  But I won’t.

Brand

I talked about that yesterday.  Be kind.  Be sincere.  Be compassionate.  Be approachable.  Be relatable.  Don’t be a douche on Twitter.  THAT is your “brand.”  It also helps to have an avatar people recognize.  Or something that reminds them of you (like birds & cupcakes!).  Also, if you’re making cash money with your own domain, it doesn’t hurt to make yourself an LLC & get an attorney on your side.  & then if anyone is an ass to you at your high school reunion, you can be all, “I OWN MY OWN COMPANY, RECOGNIZE.”

Randomness

Yes, my parents do read my blog now.  & my brothers.  Everyone wave hi!!  What they don’t know is that they’re going to be interviewed on how to make marriage stay awesome for over 30 years.  It became necessary to tell them when I started this whole…”brand”…thing.  Like flying to New York City, conference calls, & oh yeah…Daddy is a CPA & does our taxes.  So eventually, the truth would come out.

How do I feel about people I know reading my blog?  ehhh…they’re welcome to it.  I’ve had several stumble across it, then email me saying “OH MY GOD, YOU’RE BLAIR?!?!”  Here’s the thing – they’ve been warned that they may learn more about me than they ever wanted to know, that sometimes I use foul language, sometimes I get drunk & make vlogs, but if they’re okay with that, then I’m fine with them reading my blog.  There are a lot of things in this world that I give two shits about, & those include my child not growing up to be a terrorist, PPD awareness, & shutting down puppy mills.  Notice that list does not include what someone’s mother’s friend in her Sunday School class reads on my own personal website.

My favorite blog post??  Oh, Lord.  I think the 38 Week Letter to Harrison.  It just really sums up what I felt my entire pregnancy.  Also, in a weird way, I love the post where I came 100% clean on my PPD.  It was so…freeing.

How many readers do you have?  I see between 7,000 and 11,000 visits per day   It depends on if I write, what I write, etc.  & to that, I must say THANK YOU.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  Thank you for coming back.  Thank you for reading.  Thank you for caring & loving my little blonde kid.  Thank you for being a part of making my dreams come true.

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I hope you take away from this some tips you can use, maybe a little bit of advice, & hope your not rolling your eyes calling me a pompous asshole (but it’s okay if you are).

At the end of the day, I’m lucky.  Most of the time, I like to call it blessed because that sounds sweeter.  I’m lucky to have people that care about me & my babies over the internet.  I’m lucky to have found a creative outlet.  But I also work my ass off for this passion, & I don’t want to discredit any of my hard work.

Essentially?  Write your life.  BE YOUR OWN PIMP.  But do it with smile & class.  ::curtsies::  & that’s Blogging 101 by Professor Blair.