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Posts Tagged ‘ Bloggers ’

It’s Fun to Meet New People

On Tuesday night, I had the privilege of meeting a lot of new people through a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators night of networking. Leeza Hernandez, illustrator and new Regional Adviser, did a wonderful job of talking about SCBWI and the benefits of joining, several other members met their agents/editors through various SCBWI events, and ways to effectively network.

Networking is an integral part not only in meeting agents and editors, but building a platform to increase your visibility as a writer. I was able to talk to picture book author Ame Dyckman and debut middle grade author Kit Grindstaff about the benefits of Twitter as a social media site. They both gave me great tips on how to follow librarians, bloggers and other kid lit lovers to both gain followers and find out about trends in children’s literature. Sweet!

Events such as this always make me excited to write. They’re invigorating and inspirational. I’m already looking forward to continuing to connect with all the new great people I met. Can’t wait to meet more friends! 🙂

2012: 10/25
CATEGORY: Events
Healthy Living
Writing
YA lit trends & news
TAGS: authors
Bloggers
children's literature
librarians
middle grade
picture books
SCBWI
twitter
Writing
YA
1 comment

BEA Here I Come!

It’s my first time going to BEA and I’m so, so excited! A day filled with authors and publishers and lots and lots of books. There are two things I’m looking forward to the most: experiencing something new that (bonus!) revolves around writing and books two of my favorite things AND potentially meeting my fellow book bloggers. 😀

I knew my inner nerd was truly coming out when I downloaded the BEA mobile app. It boasts a full exhibitor list, book signing schedules, an interactive map, and more. I feel like my dream of becoming Penny, Inspector Gadget’s niece, has finally been realized. I’ll be boop-be-booping my way through the expo planning my strategies of maneuvering through the maze of books. Hopefully I won’t miss anyone because I’m too focused on my app or because I’ve tripped over one of my enormous ARC-filled duffel bag and am sprawled on the ground.

I noticed that people are posting pics of themselves so their fellow bloggers are able to pick them out from the crowd. I have a couple pics of me already on my blog, but if you want to find me I’ll be the one with the look of sheer bliss standing immobile as the crowds flow around me. 🙂 See you there!

2011: 05/24
CATEGORY: Blogs & More
Books & Media
Events
TAGS: authors
BEA
Bloggers
blogs. books
events
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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

The Versatile Blogger Award

My friend and fellow blogger and author extraordinaire, Alissa Grosso, awarded me The Versatile Blogger. Sweet!

While I believe that these awards are kind of like those chain letters – that are more like chain emails these days – I think that they are a great way to check out new blogs. And no bad luck is attached to this award if you choose not to follow the rules!

I’m sure to a certain extent this is like whisper down the lane where the rules have been tweaked a little bit each time it’s received, but for those of you who choose to pass the love along, here are some guidelines for you to follow.

1. Create a link back to the blog where you received the award.

2. Write SEVEN interesting facts about yourself that relate to the corresponding number. A little confusing, but see below for the example.

One, the number of dogs I have – Jackson, a miniature dachshund.

Two, the number of states I needed to visit this past week to complete my visit to all 50 states.

Three, the number of countries I visited this summer – Switzerland, France, Spain.

Four, the number of times I try to run each week.

Five, the number of nieces and nephews I have. Well, after my sister-in-law has her baby in September.

Six, the number of states that I’ve lived in – New Jersey, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware.

Seven, the number of days each week that I try to write!

3. Nominate 15 other blogs/bloggers to receive this award and let them know they’ve received it. I’m going to nominate 5 of my favorites.

Danica @ The Chic Runner – Great blog devoted to running with delightful anecdotes about her daily life.

Lisa & Laura Roecker @ Lisa and Laura Write – I visit this site for my daily dose of laughter. The sisters are witty and snarky in their views on the world and give great insights in their journey into the world of being newly published authors.

Audrey @ Holes in my Brain – A great blog about YA books with a topping of cultural insights to make this blog a fun read.

Molly @ A Dazzling Distraction – Another wonderful blog that centers around YA novels, authors, and book reviews.

Jennifer @ Unedited: My Journey to Becoming an Author – As an aspiring author I love reading new blogs about others and their quest to becoming published authors. Jennifer writes about her writing journey as well as news and books in the world of literature.

Feel free to pass on the award and the love! 🙂

2010: 07/06
CATEGORY: Awards
Blogs & More
TAGS: awards
Bloggers
blogs
6 comments

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: