So, new blog, first post.Let’s talk about blogging.

When I started blogging, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. I started off as part of my training for a teaching diploma. So, my first blog posts were about the things I tried out in class and ideas for tasks. During my first year of blogging I didn’t really blog much (compared to now I mean) and I wasn’t really that active in social media either. Now, two and a half years later, I know a few more things and that’s what I am going to share today. You see, while this is my first post here, I have been an educational blogger for some time now. I know a thing or two you may find helpful.

Firstly …… share

If you are going to blog and want people to read your blog posts, you also need to promote your work. I mean, yeah sure, your blog may be you talking about the things you love, but you are also blogging because you want people to read you (aren’t you?). You want to share your ideas and learn from others through their comments. If you wanted your blog to be private, then why have it at all? Why not just write in  notebook, like back in the good old days when we only had notebooks?

So, once you have written something and pressed the publish button, what next? Well, you share/promote.

Where?

Facebook for starters. I share all my rambles on Facebook (luckily, Facebook doesn’t disown you if you are a prolific blogger like me  :p). Apart from your personal page, you can also share your posts on Facebook group pages.

You can also add hash tags on your Facebook entries because they do show up if someone searches for something you have has tagged (and anyway, urban legend says hash tags are good, so just add’em , will ya?).

Google+

I also share my post by pressing Google+. If I am a member of a Google group and my post will probably interest the people in that group, then I share in that particular group. You share with your cirles and then with extended circles.

Twitter

I must admit this is my go to place to share my posts. First of all, I tweet my posts for a few days. Not just once. The life span of a tweet is not that long. I mean your followers will only see it for a few minutes and then it’s lost in the abyss. There are also twtter chats that you can take part in. The more people you ‘meet’ online, the more chances there are that someone will find your post interesting and then share it with other people.

Extra tip: Try to use the same names on your social media. My blog is called mypinkrambles and that’s what my twitter name for this account is as well @mypinkrambles (follow me btw if you want to ofcourse 🙂  ).

A few more thoughts about blogging

Saying thanks: I think it’s necessary to always thank people who share or retweet your posts. It’s nice of them to be sharing, and you should be saying thanks. I also think that if you read something and think it’s good, you, too, should be retweeting and sharing their posts as well.

Comments: I reply to comments.  I ❤ comments. I enjoy reading them. If someone is going to write something in response to a post they read on my blog, I find the time to reply. I may not do it the same day, but I really try to reply to everyone. Also, comments give me a sense of who reads my posts and what the people reading my posts are interested in.

Blogger vs. WordPress

I started off on Blogger but after almost two years of blogging on Blogger, I moved to WordPress. The move is easy. The bad thing is that you lose all the nice comments and documents and PPTs you shared on Blogger do not get transferred and there is a bit of a formatting issue. I like the widgets on WordPress and how easy it is to embed things. I do miss the font options Blogger had.

Inspiration

I like blogging about the things I am interested in. So far I have been blogging about teaching, but it’s time for a change (hence the new blog). I have also found that I often tend to be borderline personal (two years blogging about teaching? Nah… I have rambled about loads of random stuff about my life). So, I guess my life is my muse as well! I like approaching blogging as if it is diary or journal writing. Articles or other blog posts also inspire me. This is why I also enjoy taking part in blog challenges and chains. It makes me feel like I am part of a community. YouTubers and magazines are also places where I get ideas.

Photos

I now take my own. As a teacher, I think it is really improtant to acknowledge other people’s work. If I cannot give picture credits, then I avoid using the picture.

Making money off your blog

Hmm wouldn’t it be cool if you could make a ton of money from blog posts? My other blog has had about 135.000 page views in total. I have received two free books and I also made 10 euros which were then taken back. What am I talking about? AdSense. Adsense is Google’s advertising platform(?) / company(?). Anyway, if you want to add ads to your blog, you add Adsense. I did. I got some clicks and then was chcuked off cause of invalid clicks. Have no idea what that (invalid clicks) means exactly. I tried to appeal but it my account is still disabled, so, yeah. Don’t mess with Google…. or….no money from my blogging. I have made loads of online friends and learnt a lot though, so it’s fine. I   ❤  blogging anyhoo!

Final thoughts….

Blogging is a commitment. It takes time. I also think it walks hand in hand with social media. Oh! Yes, one last thing. Once you have ‘blogitis’ (it’s what all prolific bloggers have), you might wake up in the middle of the night with a good blogging idea. That’s why you should always have a note pad next to your bed. Don’t worry, it’s normal (ummmm, I think).

This post originally appeared on myeltrambles.com, but I have adapted it here.

If you have any blogging tips or just wanna say, “Hi!” Go for it. The comments section is all yours!!

Talk soon

xx

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