Hello! You’re probably reading this for one of two reasons.

1. You’re a regular reader and are quite used to my quirks or…
2. You’ve been sent here via The Secret’s In The Sauce {if you’re a blogger and you don’t know about SITS click that link, right now}!

Let’s get right down to business shall we? Below are three posts of which I am particularly proud. 

• The one where I actually cleaned something.
• The one where I showcase my acting career.
• The one where you get to hear my lovely voice and I teach you a simple blogging trick.

And just in case three isn’t enough to satisfy you, you can click the “Best Of” button to the left for more. If you want to know more about me click “About.” And that’s all! I’m keepin’ this intro short and sweet. You’re welcome.

ETA: The MckLinky widget is now up! Link up your posts about what you sent and/or received for the exchange. Make sure to link to the post and not to your blog homepage {such links will be deleted}.

• Grab the button below and put it on your blog if you have one.
• Sign up by commenting below {please include your state or province}. Sign ups will be closed on January 8th.
• Your partners will be assigned to you by January 9th, so be sure to check this post!
• You may send your partner anything related to Valentine’s day {I’ve listed some ideas below in case you’re not feeling inspired}.
• There is no spending minimum but please remember the golden rule.
• Hand-made items are encouraged, whether hand made by you or by someone else.
• If you choose to send food {such as Valentine’s candy} please ask your partner about food allergies and other diet restrictions first.
• Items should be sent in time to arrive on Valentine’s Day.
• Blog about the exchange once you’ve sent/received your items and add your link to the link list {link list will be added to this post at a later date}.

I just got this message from someone I've never done business with, nor communicated with {that I'm aware of, maybe I know them on Twitter or maybe they comment on this blog}. If it is you, and you are reading this I have removed your name and website to protect your identity.

Hi Blogging Mommies and Friends!   My name is ******** and I am the owner of ***************. Some of you are familiar with our store, some of you have had giveaways or reviews, some have purchased from us and others have things for sale with us. I am a stay at home - homeschooling mom. I started this business three years ago wanting to help other moms stay home with their children. As you can probably understand in this economy we are struggling. We cannot compete with the big companies such as Walmart who bring items at cheap prices! That is why I am turning to you. I am a loyal reader of your blogs and know the power of a blogging mommy (and grandma)! :)  
We are a very small online business that supports other work at home moms. We carefully choose our items and only bring our customers quality items. Our items are often personalized, hand made and made to order. A unique gift!  
I am writing you today to ask for help (begging really). We are on the verge of losing our business. I would love to be able to stay afloat and keep some income coming in to the moms with items in our store. I am asking you to open your blogs and post about our store. A button to our store would be great as well. We do not have anything to offer for your advertising other than a huge heartfelt thank you from other mom's. I know many of you get paid for advertising. We need the help this season. If you could take a look at our items *********************, blog about some of your favorites and promote some hand (mom) made gifts that would be wonderful. If you are able to post about us please send me a link to your post. I would love to thank you personally. If you can pass this on to other blogging mom's that you know could help please do. I cannot express my gratitude in words.  
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

When that message arrived in my inbox I couldn't believe it. But I visited their website to check things out before I made my final judgment. And what I found on their website was not encouraging. I felt the items were overpriced {and not just compared to Walmart}. I can support WAHMs and homeschooling moms on Etsy without burning a hole in my wallet. I don’t spend money at businesses just because they’re mom-owned. I spend money at businesses because they deserve it.
Please explain to me why I should give away one of the only products I have {just because it's digital doesn't mean it has no value} to save someone else’s business? Why should someone get for free what my other sponsors pay me for because they couldn’t keep their business afloat? If one’s business can't make it without me saving it maybe they ought to change what they’re doing. And maybe I'm just heartless but if I gave free advertising space to every WAHM who wasn't making money I would never make money either. It is not my job to make sure every one else stays employed. And while the government might give out bailouts to industries that are "too big to fail" and that employ probably hundreds of thousands of people I am NOT the government and this business is NOT an entire industry. They say 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and 90% in the first five. Is it my responsibility to prevent that from happening by giving away what my business provides?
I find it rude and ridiculous to send me an unsolicited request for free advertising, especially when not offering anything in return. It's pretty common for bloggers to contact companies to set up reviews/giveaway {though in most cases businesses contact us} but we're providing a service in exchange for those samples. Offer a discount code for me to share or a gift card to host a giveaway for my readers. It would have provided publicity and traffic to the web store while giving me the opportunity to give my readers something worthwhile. 
See, I try to limit reviews/giveaways on my blog for a reason. I want my audience to have good content. I don't want to be a corporate swag sell out. I haven't yet done a review that didn't come with free stuff for my readers too {and I’m hoping to keep it that way} nor have I written up a business or product I don’t personally like. 
But all that aside I DESERVE TO BE PAID FOR MY WORK. My work is blogging. I have worked very, very hard to make a good looking site and I work hard to post regularly and with interesting content {something that has suffered a bit during our move and the holidays but I digress...}. And here's what I think offends me so much: by asking me to not get paid for MY work so I can make sure she can continue to get paid for HER work, she has essentially said that HER work is more important/legitimate than mine.
I wouldn’t send an e-mail to a business saying “Could you send me some free shoes for my kid? I’m a SAHM! I can’t pay you but I’ll send you a big ‘thank you’!” So why is it OK to come to me and say “Could you spend your time writing up free publicity or give me free advertising? I’m a SAHM! I’ll send you a big thank you!” This woman says she started this business because she wanted to help moms stay home with their kids. Well, what about me?
Blogging is work too. My blog is not just some digital scrapbook/diary to keep my family up-to-date. It is a product into which I put a freakin' LOT of effort. And if you are really a "loyal reader" like you say then you should know that. If you were a "loyal reader" you should know better than to try to manipulate me into giving away my work with a sob story and compliments that, frankly, feel less than sincere. You have offered nothing, not even publicity {though, even then, I’ve seen some compelling arguments against bloggers writing unpaid in exchange for publicity}. You, a complete stranger to me, want me to save your business in exchange for nothing. No discounts for my readers, no giveaway, no publicity, nothing. And by doing so you are essentially telling me my work is worth nothing.
Well I disagree. I think my work is worth something. That’s why I charge for advertising space {with the exception of non-profits}.  Maybe some people think that because I don’t make much {and believe me, I really, really, really don’t} then I won’t care if I go from making pennies to making nothing. I do care. Any professional blogger {or blogger with delusions of professionalism like myself} should care. So will I give away the one source of income I have on this blog to save your failing business?
NO.

A client was asking me about how to add watermarks to her blog photos as a way of deterring photo theft. I did my best to explain it, but felt that text just wasn’t the way to describe the process.
So I made a video tutorial.
At four in the morning.
You can thank me later.*
Now, go protect those photos!

ETA: Here are the links for GIMP and for Windows Live Writer.


*Thank me, tell me how crazy I am for staying up that late…whatever.

It’s not secret that I’m a bit of an internet junkie. What can I say? I love having so much access to knowledge, humor, social networking, and so on. I have so many bookmarks that I’ve had to create folders within folders within folders to organize them. And over the next few days I’m sharing some of my favorites from each category. Get your clicking finger ready! And here we go…

Family & Friends

Adam (these are pages bookmarked for Mr. Dork):

• http://www.freeworldgroup.com/ Lots and lots of free Flash games. Warning: You may find yourself wasting a lot of time on this site!

Mama Resources:

• http://www.kellymom.com/ My favorite breast feeding resource.
• http://promom.org/ Another great breast feeding site.

Sky Academy (learning at home resources):

• http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/2024/list_15_1.html Amazing paper crafts to print such as a scientific model of the sun!
• http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/sound-bingo.html A fun audio version of the game Bingo.

Crafts:

• http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-be-thankful-fall-garland-070293 A fun decoration to make for the Thanksgiving season. Be sure to browse the site for even more crafts and project inspiration!
• http://giverslog.com/?p=1146 A really easy, fun, DIY gift perfect for teachers, grandparents, or to keep for yourself!
• http://www.allfreecrafts.com/homemade-gifts/canning-jar-lamp.shtml A lamp I’ve been dying to make!

Shopping:

• http://www.theorganizedparent.com/servlet/StoreFront Products to help you be an organized mom.
• http://www.passionspice.com/ Nursing bras that are actually CUTE!

$$$:

• http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/ A great personal finance blog.
• http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm More money-saving tips than you’ll know what to do with!

Brain in a Binder (pages for my home management binder):

• http://www.diyplanner.com/ User submitted printables to use in your planner (such as a Franklin Covey planner).
• http://notebook.organizedhome.com/printable Binder-sized printable.

Bitchen’ Kitchen (recipes and more):

• http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx Our favorite bread recipe (no-knead)!
• http://www.mothering.com/recipes/nori-wrapped-salmon We make this with tilapia because it’s cheaper. But we still love it!

Blogs

Groups:

• http://www.momblognetwork.com/welcome-new-user A network for Mommy bloggers.
• http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ One of my favorite blog networking sites.

Memes:

• http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/ Fill in the blank prompts every Friday.
• http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2008/03/hi-yall.html Tips to make life easier.

Writing:

• http://www.problogger.net/ Probably one of the very best blogs about blogging on the internet. Don’t miss the “31 Days to a Better Blog” program!
• http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-open-your-blog-post-with-a-bang/ Ideas for how to write the opening section of a blog post.

Design Tutorials/Tools:

• You can find some of my favorite blog design links in the post about my blog makeover.

More to come tomorrow!

What are some of your favorite websites? Leave me their urls in the comments!

Do you have a “baby blog"?” Are you thinking of starting one? If you’re aiming to write a blog for the masses (i.e. not a family blog for close friends and family) it can be intimidating at first. You’re probably reading blogs with readers in the hundreds or even thousands. And maybe you’re wondering how do they get so many readers? I feel that way all the time. But recently I was contacted by a blogger asking me how I get so many readers. As I wrote my reply I realized that maybe my little blog is intimidating to people just getting started and maybe I have some advice I can share that will be helpful. Here’s what I shared in my reply!

The most important thing is content. The second most important thing is content. The third most important...well, you get the idea. Keep your audience (or desired audience) in mind when you write. Write professionally (i.e. proper grammar and such) but with personality. I like to use a very conversational, casual style because it matches who I am. Good content is key, because no matter how many ways you find to increase your traffic you need to provide something worth coming back for. I highly recommend browsing ProBlogger for lots of really good articles on writing great content.

Now for getting more traffic...

My traffic has exploded since I joined SITS. My followers more than doubled in less than a month and I haven't even been the featured blog of the day yet. I also get traffic from participation in memes such as Muffin Tin Monday and the Body After Baby challenge. I try to keep memes to about one post a week because I think too many interfere with having good content. But anything relevant to your blog and life can be a fun way to get more visitors (and to find new blogs to read).

Design/presentation is only important if you A: have already worked on content and B: have serious aesthetic issues (in other words “if your current design is fugly”). You want a design that is nice, simple, and uncluttered. Some blogs are far too busy or have crappy graphics. And you might want to consider thinking of a catchy title that is easy to remember. But a title and the graphic design are hardly important compared to getting and keeping readers.

My last two valuable suggestions are:

1. Comment, comment, comment! Visit other blogs and leave comments. Make sure they are relevant and not "hey, come check my blog" type comments. A lot of bloggers (myself included) try to visit the blogs of their followers and commenters. Sometimes I find a new blog to read that way.

2. Read, read, read! Read blogs you admire, and try to figure out what they do that works and that you like. Obviously you don't want to copy people,* but gathering inspiration is A-OK! And read books, newspapers, magazines, etc. as well. The more you read the more you get a feel for good writing. You'll probably pick things up by "osmosis."

So, there are my two cents. Be sure to visit SITS and ProBlogger. They're priceless resources as far as I'm concerned. ProBlogger even has a 31 Days to a Better Blog program you can sign up for. You'll get (free) e-mails for a month that guide you through ways to make your blog better and ways to promote it. I'm currently on day 13 or so and have already gained a lot of great ideas and knowledge.

All that said, no blog is perfect (certainly not mine)! And we “Mommy bloggers” have added distractions that get in the way of timely, typo-free posts. Be prepared to make mistakes and be prepared to wait, wait, wait for your subscriber numbers to increase. If you think you need to be wonderful and successful right off the bat you’ll never get started because the pressure will be too great. So have fun! It’s taken me a long time to transition this blog from a family blog to “the real deal".” And it’s going to take longer still to grow my readership to a size I’m happy with. But in the meantime I’m still having a blast!

Best of luck to you! Was this post helpful? What blogging tips do you have? Share in the comments!

PS- For the love of all that is good in this world DO NOT PUT MUSIC ON YOUR BLOG. It’s totally acceptable for friend and family blogs, but NOT blogs you want to be professional. And it’s especially aggravating for readers who are mothers and may have a sleeping babe in their arms. Plus, while I’m sure you loooove such and such song not everybody has the same taste in music. So please, just don’t go there.

*That’s called plagiarism and it’s WRONG.

Do you have a new, baby blog? Are you thinking of starting one? Then you’re going to have to strike the delicate balance between anti-social butterfly and busy bee.

Case in point? Me.

See, usually when I’m brainstorming post ideas I find myself thinking Holly, you nerd, you have to have a life to have things about which to write! But today I found myself thinking Holly, you need to spend at least part of the day at home so you can write!

Needless to say, I’ve done a lot (relatively) the last day or so. Yesterday I walked 5K to the nearest pool to take Lucy for a dip {without the stroller which got left in our car which Bear takes for work}. We probably spent less than an hour in the water before Lu got cold and tired. Then I walked another 5K home in very windy conditions. It was good Lu didn’t want to play in the water very long because if we had left later I probably would have gotten caught in this:

Today we went out once again {with the stroller this time}. First I walked to the new educational store in town. Then I headed over to the mall {because why not? Plus, malls = air conditioning}. We left the house at 2:40 and got back at 8:00. So…yeah, spent a lot of time away from my beloved lappy and the interwebs today. Hence, the late post.

My feet? They hurt. But I got a hair cut {FINALLY}! Aaaand I promise a better post tomorrow, OK? In fact I promise a post that really is about writing a blog that will appeal to those of you with baby blogs or blogs in embryo. ;)