blog tips Archives | A Thought and a Half | Southern Food & Lifestyle Blog

My 9 Essential Blogging Tools

April 4, 2016 By Kate 2 Comments

I’ve been blogging for almost five years (well, five years in August, but close enough). I like to think I know what I’m doing; sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. A lot of my blogging is trial and error: What works? What doesn’t work?

One thing I have learned is that blogging–good blogging–requires a lot of effort. There’s a lot of work that goes into planning and creating content, going to events and keeping your audience and readers engaged and interested. Most of the time, it’s fun work, so it’s not draining or exhausting. Or at least it shouldn’t be that way.

One thing that does work: having a set of essential blogging tools to make blogging a smoother process. Finding the right tools is absolutely game-changing.

26 Winter Blog Post Ideas

December 20, 2015 By Kate 2 Comments

Tomorrow is officially the first day of winter. While it hasn’t exactly felt like winter is coming here in Tennessee, ’tis the season to start bundling up and counting the days until spring. At least I start counting the days until spring… I don’t know about y’all.

Last year when I lived in North Carolina, we had a cold and snowy winter, which was unusual, especially for that region of the state. In fact, I think the whole southeast had a rough winter. I keep thinking that the further south I go, the further I get from snow. Apparently that’s not how it works.

Even though winter isn’t my favorite season, I still think it’s a great time and season for creativity and new beginnings. Whether you’re wrapped in a blanket on your couch or out playing in the snow, there’s wintry inspiration all around us, and always something to share with our readers. Admittedly I struggle with blog posts after the holidays, after all of the holiday-themed posts are no longer relevant. But winter starts before the holidays, so we’re still safe for a little bit!

8 Tips for New Bloggers

November 16, 2015 By Kate Leave a Comment

So you want to start a blog? Amazing! It will be one of the best decisions you make in your life, ever. It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Starting a blog can be overwhelming. I had a lot of questions myself, but I didn’t know where or how to find the answers. I only read a handful of other blogs, and none of my friends knew anything about blogging, either. For the most part, I was on my own.

Now with over four years of blogging under my belt, I love to offer my lessons and advice to new bloggers. There’s always something to teach and always something to learn. Those who blog together stick together, right?

How to Conquer Writer’s Block as a Blogger

November 9, 2015 By Kate 13 Comments

As bloggers and writers, we are responsible for producing quality content as often as we can (or have to). When the creative juices are running, content seems to flow from our fingers like magic. The perfect words form the perfect thoughts, thus creating the perfect posts that our readers are bound to love and share all over the Internet.

But sometimes, the magic just doesn’t happen. Writer’s block is the bane of our existences, and it always seems to strike at the worst possible times. Nothing comes out. The fingers don’t move, or if they do, you delete whatever you just wrote because it sounded awful. The brain brakes screech to a stop and it’s over.

Real talk, though: writer’s block is the worst. If only there were things we could do to combat the plague of writer’s block… oh wait, there ARE ways to get past it and get the creativity flowing again!

My Blog Rebranding Process

June 16, 2015 By Kate 6 Comments

Here’s the post I’ve been promising about my blog rebranding process and move to WordPress! I started thinking about the idea back in the spring. It started as a fleeting, “Maybe I should move to WordPress,” and quickly evolved into, “Yes, I’m moving to WordPress and I’ve got my domain nailed down.” At the time I was still in my last semester of grad school, and knew I wouldn’t have a ton of time to work on it until I’d graduated. And that was okay. I did what I could in small doses, until I had more time to devote to it.

The ONE Thing I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging

May 6, 2015 By Kate 3 Comments

Blogging is an ongoing learning process. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or expert, there’s always something new to learn every time you write a new post and click Publish.
Back in the fall, I wrote a post about the 5 things I wish I knew when I started blogging. There’s all sorts of blog advice out there that covers all aspects of having your own space on the Internet. These tips range from what social platforms to use, what kind of design works best, how often to post new content, and everything in between. I’ve heard a lot of these tidbits and can vouch for many of them myself.

the one thing i wish i knew when i started blogging

9 Things to Consider When Rebranding Your Blog

April 28, 2015 By Kate Leave a Comment

Lately I’ve had some big blog things on my mind…like a rebrand, or a blog facelift! Sure, I used to play with my design a lot, but this time, I’m thinking about some larger changes that I’d love to explore and implement on the blog. When my creativity starts flowing, new ideas start forming, and I just can’t help myself…I have to see where they take me! It’s exciting, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little overwhelming, too.
When I started making my list of plans, I realized how much goes into a rebrand. I did a mini rebrand way back in my first year of blogging, but nothing like what I’m thinking about now! Whether you’re doing a full overhaul and rebrand, or just giving your blog a little facelift, there are lots of things you’ll need to think about. Here are 9 things you should definitely consider when planning to rebrand your blog!

9 things to consider when rebranding your blog

Blogger Etiquette

March 2, 2015 By Kate Leave a Comment

Etiquette is everything. Various situations call for different types of etiquette, but it’s still there. Blogging is no different. There’s a set of unspoken “rules” that comes with starting a blog and getting involved in the blogosphere. Some of the “rules” are common sense, but others, well, some people need to be reminded of them more often!
Here’s my best collection of blogger etiquette.

Remember the adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? That applies to blogging, too. Keep snippy comments to yourself. Nothing ruins a post like a nasty or uncalled-for comment.
Related: pick your battles, just like in elementary school. There’s always going to be that one person who leaves a nasty comment. Most of the time, it’s not worth responding to them. Just ignore them, unless it’s really degrading or upsets you that much. Save your energy for writing your next awesome post!
If you get comments, do your best to respond to each comment, even if it’s just, “Thanks for reading!” If you take the time to respond to your fans, they’re more likely to keep coming back and sharing your posts. As an avid reader and commenter myself, it’s nice to feel noticed. Keep the conversation going, even after your post ends.
Related: when replying to your comments, always thank your fans for reading. It’s like saying “thank you” for a gift.

Reciprocate the love. As Neely said, “You have to be social and help others to expect them to help you.” Couldn’t have said it better myself! This is so important, especially when you’re trying to grow your blog.
Never comment asking for likes, shares, follow-backs, giveaway entries, etc. It looks needy, not to mention unprofessional and not genuine.
I have no experience with entering contests or giveaways, but don’t expect a follow back from the host just because you entered the contest or giveaway. It’s not always possible for the host to follow every single person who entered, if at all. (Thanks for this tip, Heather!)

And most importantly… Be a blog cheerleader. Support your fellow blog friends. We’re all on the same team, and teammates support one another all the time.
There are so many more blogger etiquette “rules,” but these are the most important. At least I think so!
What would you add to the list? What are your biggest blogging (or general social media) pet peeves?

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