That's me, Joy of Oh Joy!, and Jaime (who is offering an inappropriate gesture because I made her dress up and pose for the camera and she hates that)

So. Jaime and I took a bit of a mini-trip to Salt Lake City last week, to meet and interact with a few of our favorite bloggers and inspirations behind BAKERY, Design Milk and Design for Mankind. While we ventured to the Altitude Design Summit to speak to our fellow peers re: the business of blogging, we ended up learning a thing or two ourselves (imagine that!)

See the list of speakers, and see more roundups and linkage at Apartment Therapy, Mint, Design Crush, Petit Elefant, and Mackin Ink.

Of course, we couldn’t wait to head home and share these tips with you, my dear bakers. The round-up?:

• “Nothing is handed to you. No one receives anything unless asked. Those people speaking at conferences? They’ve asked to be there. The bloggers receiving hot shot sponsors? Yep, they asked. They pitched, they asked, and they asked again.” — Maggie Mason, Mighty Girl (who also has the most luscious red hair in the entire world)
• And another gem from Maggie: “Use your blog as a marketing tool for what you really want to do.”
• Sponsored posts should be written by the sponsors like it’s ad space. And you should charge at least 3 times what you charge for ad space because of the value.
• “You must embrace the Twitter!!!” — OK, that was me who said that.
• Propose a trade with a couple of sponsors if you’re just starting to put ads on your site. It will make your site look like you already have established advertisers.
• “Great ads are like jewelry on your website” and “there is no good excuse for ugly” — Jean, NOTCOT
• People don’t hate ads, they hate irrelevant ones.
• Don’t pursue an idea just because you think it will be lucrative. Don’t blog with the intention of making money.
• “At our ad agency, websites are already considered ‘Old Media.’” — Jeroen Bours (he created the “Priceless” campaign for MasterCard
• Jaime learned that blogs are about being personal. She is starting to contemplate how she can be more personal in her business. Or, maybe it’s not about business at all, and more about pleasure.

We are already excited for next year. Will YOU be there?

image credit: jereitman2

So. You’re an artist, and you have a website with a complete portfolio, whether it’s through Behance, Carbonmade or whatever else you kids are doing these days. If you’re really into your artwork, you might even have a blog (which you should). But don’t start there. The key to gaining an online presence is wayyy bigger than having a simple blog address. It’s time to learn how to own your blog (yep, I said own!).

The best way to that? Get out there. Really. Get out there. Put your art, your name and your website address on anything and everything. Start with this list of over 120 websites for artists to become a part of!).

Ready? Go forth and present yourself!

image credit: charlie engman

Wow. I was perusing the comment section of an older post a few weeks ago and Alexandra wrote in about the lack of business advice for visual artists, as in gaining entry into gallery shows, etc, etc.

Not one to sit around and wait, Alexandra began a series on her blog entitled Art and Business, and although I’m no artist, I can attest to the fact that this is good, good, GOOD advice.

Go now. Hurry up. Your business is waiting…

image credit: heffron

Sometimes in businss, and in blogging, you have to take it very slowly, and even take “baby steps”. In the very beginning of your blog you might feel frustrated or disappointed that you don’t have hundreds of people flocking to your site or you’re not making lots of money. However, it’s a good idea to measure your small successes with small goals. I was reading Problogger [as I do every day] and recently starred a post called “9 First Step Goals for New Bloggers”. I think if you’re a brand new blogger or thinking about blogging, then these are definitely the goals with which you should start.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself, so I’m not going to. Watch this. [It's a long one, but sooo worth it. Take notes.]

image credit: cwalker71 on flickr

Creating a blog is a piece of cake, but marketing your blog is much more challenging. You could make the most eloquent, moving, amazing, engaging posts on the internet, but if no one reads them then it’s just a tree falling in the forest.

Here are a few things you can do to get started:

Level 1: Easy
Comment often on other blogs that you read, and be sure to comment on blogs whose readers you think would also like your blog.

There is unspoken etiquette here, though: comment something of substance. Otherwise, your comments will be seen as spam by the blog owner. “Nice post!” doesn’t count, nor does it attract readers to you or your blog. Try enticing people with thoughtful comments.

Level 2: Medium
Linking to other websites. This isn’t limited to your blogroll! Think outside the box and inside the post! Take a tip from ProBlogger, and do a “speedlinking” post. This is a post that rounds up your favorite links or articles of the moment. You can do this weekly, monthly, or whenever you feel like it.

Level 3: Hard
Pitch a guest blogger spot to one of your favorite blogs in your niche. Wait until you’ve at least gotten 3-6 months worth of blogging under your belt.

A guest blog post will likely:
1) put you on your favorite blogger’s radar & give them a breather for one post
2) get you exposure to a new audience
3) get your name our there
4) get you a link to your site
5) allow you to show off your star blogging power
6) start a dialogue with potential readers

photo credit: lowsalt

In response to Jaime’s super awesome post Tuesday, I felt compelled to write about what to do after you’ve planned your posts. How do you get inspired to actually write them? What to do when you face writer’s block, and how to press through it?

By now, you should have 10-15 post ideas based from Jaime’s post. Pick the easiest for you to write and go from there. I always work from easiest to hardest, as it’s nice to have a solid warm-up in place. You wouldn’t run six miles after a year-long hiatus, would you? Nope— you’d start out slow [hopefully, unless you're totally crazy]. Writing is much the same— an endurance sport where distance is key.

When you’ve chosen the post you’d like to start with, take a few steps/precautions first:

1. Turn it off. Close all chat windows, calendar alerts and Internet browsers [with the exception of any research you may need to do]. Switch your phone to vibrate or turn it off completely. This is important, because chances are, if you write your first article, you’ll snowball into a writing frenzy and may be able to hash out 6-7 posts. With guaranteed isolation, your chances of continuing your writing are much, much higher.

2. Grab a notepad. One thing that happens when I’m writing is that my mind wanders. I know it’s bizarre, but I sometimes finish a paragraph and realize I’ve been in auto-pilot the entire time, thinking about umbrella stands while I’m writing about tents. [Does this ever happen to you?] This is what the notepad is for. While your mind wanders, write down any traceable thought so you can revisit it later. Maybe it’s a subconscious way of finding great new post ideas. Regardless, be sure you write them down, because you’ll be much more likely to let the thought leave your brain if it’s written down. You want to focus on your writing and your writing alone.

3. Treat yourself. OK this is a total Freud thing, but I have a problem writing if I don’t have something tasty to drink while I’m doing so. My favorites lately are iced coffee and/or a cucumber lime spritzer. For some reason, if I have either of these drinks, I feel inspired to write and vice versa— if I don’t have these drinks, I can’t settle down to write. Maybe you have a pair of pants you love to write in, or a certain hairstyle that makes you feel more like a writer [hello, Braid Wednesday!]. Whatever it is, be sure you have those conditions to gear yourself up for a few hours of writing.

4. Just do it. Easier said than done, yes, but start writing the meat of your post or a few key sentences. The rest will flow from there, and if it doesn’t, perhaps the topic isn’t organic for you. I recently submitted a freelance article on camouflage accessories and HATE camouflage. So naturally, I had to gear up for the post by reading a few benefits to camouflage, or look at a few ways camouflage can be used in a cool-ish setting. By the time I finished my research, my hatred lessened for camouflage and the article flew from my fingertips. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of a mind-opener.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Writing is certainly a gift, but it does take practice, and we all know what our mothers say— Practice makes Perfect. Or in my case, Practice makes for One Heck of a Spritzer Addiction.

image credit: cakeybabes on flickr

Do you ever feel like you’re staring at your computer and you just have no idea what to blog about? Do you feel uninspired?

Try a brainstorming session. Here’s how it works:

Turn off the computer. Wait, not yet. After you’ve read this.

Take out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil.

Write an idea and draw a circle around it. Now, break this idea down into 3-5 related topics, putting each idea into it’s own bubble and drawing a line from the original bubble. Then, try creating a post or two from each topic. If you can’t, keep going. Or, try another main idea.

For example, let’s say my main idea is springtime. Here’s what my brainstorming might look like:

A. It’s springtime.

1. Spring means flowers and my favorite flowers are: peonies, tulips, and daisies.
a. Post on favorite flowers.
b. Post on decorating with flowers.

2. Flowers grow in gardens, but I don’t have a garden since I live in an apartment. I could have a potted garden.
a. Post on how to plant an indoor herb garden.

3. It has been raining a lot lately.
a. I enjoy the rain, and recently bought a new umbrella and galoshes. Post on my cute new rain gear.

4. It’s starting to get hot outside.
a. My hair is frizzy. Post on my tried and tested frizz-fighting hair products.
b. I have to get a bathing suit soon. Post on bathing suit trends, and my 5 faves.

See? I have almost 2 weeks worth of posts, all because I started with the season of the year. You can do this with any topic. I suggest you try it out this week, and come back here and let us know how it worked.

image credit: sarah hermans via booooooom.com

Here are 5 tips to help you gain readership and engage your audience:

1. Keep it simple. No one wants to read one huge, long paragraph or a book chapter. Instead, take your ideas, simplify them. Another option is to break them up into separate posts, bulleted lists, or short paragraphs.

2. Use photos to your advantage. If you are discussing a particular piece of jewelry you made, or how you just hung new curtains in your living room, please do use photos! Readers very much enjoy peeking into your world, and photos are the best way to support your words. Be sure to give proper credit or secure permission when using other people’s photographs.

3. Ask a question. Get your readers involved in a dialogue with you and other readers. Read all the comments and respond appropriately.

4. Follow up to that question with another post. Did you learn something new in your discussion? Did you change your point of view on an issue? Let your readers know you value them and blog about the discussion you had.

5. Make a Top 5 list or similar. See? It works, right? ;P

Dear BAKERY,

My question is this… I have been blogging seriously for about 5 months and am getting a reasonable amount of traffic, however in order to attract more readers I have been looking into (and joining a few of the) many MAAANY blogging directory type sites – i.e technorati, stumbleupon, digg, blogcatalog, weheartit…you see where i’m going. I was just wondering what your opinion of them is and if you think they are worthwhile joining and submitted your content to them.

It seems like you could spend 90% of your bloggging time not actually on your own site but submitting various posts and links to all these sites. basically do you think it is worth it? And do you think if people see your posts on these sites most of them will actually make the effort to click onto your blog?

Love,
Socially Confused

–

Dear Socially Confused,

You bring up such a tremendous point. Social networking is a beautiful curse indeed. Yes, there are certain sites that do gain considerable traffic [I'm thinking WeHeartIt, Ffffound, and Digg to name a few], and if you’re on the front page of any of those few, you will see results.

However, at what cost do you find yourself on page 1 of these sites? With Digg, you need to have literally HUNDREDS of readers recommend one particular post of yours, and the odds of that sort of situation are quite slim. Not that Abby would never tell you to reach for the stars, b/c she would, but I do think your time may be better spent in other avenues.

For instance, if you continually generate great content, the masses will notice. I’m a firm believer that hard work produces great results, and the great thing about blogging is that you don’t necessarily have to be your own fan; your readers will promote your work for you through links, word of mouth and “diggs.’”

I recommend joining a few key networking sites that you enjoy most [keep in mind usability, as some of these sites are so difficult to figure out that you won't end up using them anyway!]. I enjoy Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, and to be honest, that’s my limit. I can only focus my efforts on three “social networking” sites, which raises another note to keep in mind: if you can’t devote yourself to social networking, it’s worthless. So, keep your registers to a minimum, as not many people have time to continually market yourself online [yes, we have "real lives," too!]. Thus, my advice is to pick three that you can actually become an active member in, and focus on those.

So which sites do you choose? It’s up to you. I’ve listed my three, and I’ve chosen them simply b/c they are easy to use and I enjoy the community element. You might find something more suitable for you based on your interests.

Whatever you do, remember that good content is always the #1 goal. The rest will follow with time.

Keep up the good work!

Love,
BAKERY