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Archive for the ‘ Bloggiesta ’ Category

Bloggiesta Day 3

It’s the final day for Bloggiesta. You still have time to head over to see what all the fuss is about @ Maw Books. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers, visit old friends and glean great ideas for developing and improving your blog.

I got a lot accomplished this Bloggiesta and it was great to see what others were up to. Here are a few of my goals and what I was able to accomplish:

1. ~~Connect with other bloggers on a regular basis~~ (A daily task, but I’m up to the challenge!)

2. Learn how to embed video into my posts

3. ~~Post more on trends in reading/writing/fitness~~ (Also a daily task, but I’m on Google Alerts so I can get the latest information and pass it along to my readers)

4. ~~Design a signature to appear at the end of my posts~~

5. ~~Have a social network bar and/or “Similar Posts” widget also at the end of my posts~~ (As far as I know wordpress doesn’t support the LinkWithin widget that would allow me to have that feature in my post – I’ll keep searching for something that’s similar and compatible)

6. ~~Create a new button for my RSS feeds~~

7. ~~Improve the pages I have on my blog~~ (Also ongoing, but I added a new page that I’m super excited about!)

For the rest of Bloggiesta I’m going to focus on: writing more posts, improving the pages on my blog, visiting stellar blog sites, and learn how to embed video into my posts. Thanks for stopping by! 😀

2011: 01/23
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
blogs
Goals
8 comments

Bloggiesta Day 2

Day 2 of the Bloggiesta festivities! I love participating in events such as this where it ~~forces~~ encourages me to learn more about how to create a better blog and network with fellow bloggers.

Here are a few of my goals:

1. Connect with other bloggers on a regular basis

2. Learn how to embed video into my posts

3. Post more on trends in reading/writing/fitness

4. ~~Design a signature to appear at the end of my posts~~

5. Have a social network bar and/or “Similar Posts” widget also at the end of my posts

6. ~~Create a new button for my RSS feeds~~

7. Improve the pages I have on my blog

I’ll add more to the list as I think of them, but until then I’m going to hop over to other websites as well as twitter to glean whatever tips I can. 😀

2011: 01/22
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
blogs
5 comments

Bloggiesta’s Here Again!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the wonderful world of Bloggiesta, it’s a time when bloggers of like interests can come together to participate in fun challenges, memes, and general blog improvements. It’s happening THIS WEEKEND and works kind of like a blogging marathon where you try to participate, comment, blog, improve, etc. as many hours throughout the weekend as you can.

My first time participating was last year: MY FIRST BLOGGIESTA CHALLENGE. I had a wonderful time, met some new bloggers, wrote a lot, and basically challenged myself to rejuvenate my mind and my blog.

So come on and join in the fun! Visit Maw Books Blog to add yourself to the fray. 🙂

2011: 01/19
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
challenges
Reading
1 comment

Bloggiesta Wrap-Up

What a fun way to spend a rainy weekend!

I had a wonderful time participating in Bloggiesta this weekend – meeting new people, getting great advice, completing tasks I’ve been meaning to accomplish, etc. It gave me the ideas and tools to be able to become a better blogger and now I just have to make the time to do it!

My #1 Goal was to learn how to generate more traffic to my site and I got great tips for how to do that through other Bloggiesta participants through Twitter and comments on blogs. For what I learned click HERE.

I also was able to complete some (though sadly not all) of the tasks I had set for myself during Bloggiesta.

Here’s what I was able to do:

1. Build a button for my blog and post in my blog sidebar.

2. Create one new page

3. Build a header – and then find out that the wordpress theme I use doesn’t allow for custom headers… 😦

4. Imbed a social networking link to the bottom of my post – now I want to keep it as part of my signature for every post!

So, while I was able to complete many tasks, I still have a lot more I can do to revamp my blog and meet my goals. It was great meeting so many new bloggers! I can’t wait to continue sharing ideas, thoughts, and suggestions with everyone. 🙂

Adios!

2010: 06/14
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
Blogs & More
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
blogs
Goals
5 comments

Day 3: Stuff I’ve Learned

Day 3 is up and running! Okay, okay, I know it’s already almost 4 in the afternoon, but I had errands to run! Now, I’m back in my happy place bloggin away in bliss.

This has been a great experience for me and I’ll be sad when Bloggiesta is officially finished. 😦 I’ve gotten some sage advice from other bloggers as to how I can meet my #1 Goal of increasing traffic to my blog. I’ve read some great posts on the subject as well and have connected with some really cool people. The mini-challenges have rocked as well!

So Bloggiesta (hope you’re reading this Natasha), I give you a 10 out of 10 for awesomeness! 🙂

I know you’re all dying to know what I’ve learned so here are some clutch tidbits of knowledge:

1. Um, BLOG! No, I’m not yelling at you, that was a self-yell. I’m definitely a culprit of not blogging as much as I should be. So I’m making a resolution to step it up and blog at least four times a week. Totally a reasonable goal – and now that my resolution is out in bloggerspace, one that you can keep me accountable to!

2. Comment. This goes hand-in-hand with #1. It’s just as important to comment on your fellow bloggers sites as it is to blog on your own (okay, maybe not quite as, but it’s a close second). The reason for this (thanks for the reminders @kristinglas, @MargReads, and @chachictweets!) is that it’s constantly connecting you to others in the blogosphere. The more people see your name/blog’s name the more people are apt to track back to your blog! Sweet!

3. Be in the know. It’s a great idea to know what’s going on in your field of interest whether it be the latest YA books, authors, games, or TV celebrities. Bloggiesta tweeted about a post mentioned by Emily’s Reading Room that was filled with great ideas of keeping abreast of trends. Check it out HERE. This will not only help spark ideas for new blogs, but it will keep your blog fresh and interesting to your readers.

There’s always room for improvement. That’s one thing I have learned through Bloggiesta. It’s important to not get caught in a rut, so tackling my goals to build a better blog has been rejuvenating! I love getting to chat with others, find solutions, and get amped for new projects! I’m going back to my list of goals I posted on Day 1 to see what I can accomplish before my friends arrive for dinner – until later…adios!

2010: 06/13
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
Blogs & More
Books & Media
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
blogs
Media
twitter
7 comments

Fiesta! Ole!

Good morning everyone! Today is DAY TWO of Bloggiesta. I have to work all day, so I got up early just to catch up on all the action I missed while I was sleeping. And what a great surprise Natasha had for us over @ Maw Books, wonderful hostess of all Bloggiesta festivities.

(If you’re just joining me, Bloggiesta is a great way for bloggers to come together to share ideas (check out #bloggiesta on twitter) and set goals to enhance our blogs. I’ve been having a blast! It’s not too late to join, so sign up through the Bloggiesta link I posted and have some fun!)

Today’s MINI-CHALLENGE:

Take a photo of yourself centered around the Bloggiesta theme. So cool! I wanted jump into the challenge immediately, so I grabbed a book, my camera, and went to work. Thankfully, I have a never ending supply of chips and salsa at my house since I’m sadly lacking in the poncho, sombrero, maraca department.

No one was home to snap my pic, so after spending several minutes of setting up my camera at just the right angle to take a self-timed photo, this is the result:

Fiesta Time!

Yum, yum!

I’ll be posting more on the new graphic novel series I’m reading – Ex Machina – that you see here, soon!

Have a great day 2 and I’ll join you later tonight! 🙂

2010: 06/12
CATEGORY: Bloggiesta
TAGS: Bloggers
Bloggiesta
blogs
Mini Challenge
Reading
4 comments

Bloggiesta Time!

I’ve never been involved in Bloggiesta festivities before and am super excited to get started!

What is Bloggiesta? It’s a time for bloggers to spend on their blogs (ie. marathon blogging) to revamp those pesky to-do items that never seem to get done. Whether you’ve wanted to join a blogging community, catch up on book reviews or give your blog a spring cleaning, now is the time to get it all accomplished. For more info, head on over to Maw Books Blog to read more and join in the fun!

I’ve been blogging since January of this year, but my blog traffic isn’t where I would like it to be. So increasing the number of visits and comments regarding my blog is my #1 Goal.

To reach this goal during the Bloggiesta, I would like to accomplish the following:

1. Find out why some blogs receive more traffic than others – ask questions, post on twitter, collect data, etc.

2. Figure out how to imbed videos onto blog

3. Make background and banner more attractive and eye-catching

4. Write rainy day posts

5. Learn how to make a button for my blog and post on homepage

6. Build more pages regarding: Contests, Books, Reviews, etc.

7. Put goodreads button on homepage

8. Update books and reviews on my goodreads account

Those are my top items for now. I’m sure I’ll think of more as I peruse other blogs on my quest to meet my #1 Goal. Happy blogging!