Blog Tip Thursdays: Blogging Vows

Every week, we share one of our favorite ‘how-to’ posts about blogging, social media, and the community we LOVE to love. Our desire is you consider HLB a resource in your efforts to blog BETTER – we want to be stronger bloggers ourselves, and we see the desire for stronger posts and cleaner designs. We understand wanting to know the BEST plug-ins, aps, programs, and resources to keep your site in tip top shape. And nothing makes us nerd-out more than getting super meta about all things blog-world. We’re not experts, we’re simply bloggers ourselves – sharing our own experiences, tips and tricks of the trade each Thursday with a BTT post. We welcome your questions, your suggestions for future topics, and your ‘how-to’ post recommendations at healthylivingblogs@gmail.com!

Blogging goals is one of our favorite subjects to chat over coffee with blends – either at blogger meet ups or virtually over twitter, G-Chat, email, and more.  A couple of weeks ago we hosted a #fitblog chat all about goal setting, as a matter of fact! You can read the transcript from the chat here:  A Proactive Chat for Change.

Today I’m happy to share a post from Halley of Blunder Construction.  Halley wrote this post write after her blog turned two and it’s a great list of the kind of blog goals you might be considering for yourself at this part in your internet journey.

As I begin my second full year of blogging, I want to take some vows.

I have picked up a lot of tips over the course of the past year, so these blog goals are separate from the resolutions I already set as personal goals. I hope everything on this list improves your experience of Blunder Construction, and some of it will save me headaches along the way.

I, Halley of Blunder Construction, do solemnly swear to do the following and possibly more than the following, so help my blog:

• I will size my photos appropriately before uploading.

I used to upload ginormous photos straight from the camera on to the blog. My photos from Dec 2010 through Oct 2011 were always huge, like twice the size of Justin’s enormous monitor resolution. I did not adjust them out of sheer laziness. Now, I have the Photoshop shortcuts memorized so I can make a batch of blog photos in less than one minute (without editing.)

• I will edit more photos.

While I have all my photos open for resizing, I might as well touch them up. Recently, I have been trying to brighten and sharpen my photos before posting them. But, I promise not to get all Instagram filter-crazy on you.

• I will post my photos in large format.

When I first started blogging, I was embarrassed of my dinky little camera and the quality of photos it produced. Therefore, I kept all the photos I posted on the blog as medium format. Ten months after getting a nice, big camera, I realized I should be posting in large format so people can actually see them. If I can, I’ll go back through last year’s posts and upsize the photos.

• I will give photos relevant names.
  

Giving photos proper file names (vs. IMG3907) will help the blog come up in search engines. It would also save me from the painstaking task of sorting all my pictures every three or four months.

• I will get another 3 photos approved on Tastespotting and Foodgawker.

Taking beautiful photos of food that fit perfectly in a square frame will be on my mind all year. Fear of rejection will be in the back of my mind.

• I will make more balls.

Chocolate-covered, salted, cake-filled, or truffle; the more balls the better.

• I will go to more blogger events and meet-ups.

I had tons of fun going to blogger events last year, as I summarized in this post. This year, I will keep it up! It is pretty easy because dinners and meet-ups pop up several times a month, but I want to get into food swaps and bake sales this year too.

• I will have guest posts.

This is already in the works for the end of the month while I am on vacation. Stay tuned for some very fun travel related guest posts and features throughout the year.

• I will post almost everyday, unless I truly have nothing good to post about.

There are bloggers who post three times a day and some who barely post once a week. I plan to find a happy medium blogging almost daily. The real goal is having enough quality content to post everyday, I won’t do it just for quantity’s sake.

• I will feature less butter.

My lump sum teetered on the heavier side of the scale in 2011. This was largely due to copious amounts of baked goods loaded with butter. It was fun, but my pants have been working hard and need a rest. Time to cut back on the sweets.

To read the rest of this post, click here: 12 Vows: Blogging Edition

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