My Five Best Blogging Tips

There is a lot of information out there about blogging.  You can find tutorials on how to start a blog, the best way to capture readers, advice on how to be successful and the list goes on.  I've been blogging now for almost four years.  I'm not an expert by any means at all, but I've seen a lot of blogs now and I have people ask me often about blogging.   So here's my quick tips for new bloggers:

People read blogs for a lot of different reasons and are usually looking for something relatable or something that gives them something in return (advice, knowledge, inspiration, etc.).  I used to have time to read a lot more blogs than I do now; but when I do read other blogs, I've learned that I'm a "skimmer".  I realize that I am a visual reader and I love pictures.  I don't usually have time to read lengthy posts, but occasionally come across a few that hit home and really enjoy reading.  I've come up with a few tips that I think are important for your blog when starting new or looking to make some updates. 

"Do as I say, not as I do." 

I honestly don't always do these things, but I'm trying to incorporate them more.  These are things I love to see from other blogs when I'm reading them or skimming through new ones. 

1. Use LARGE photos:

Make your photos large or x-large in Blogger.  I hate (and so does everyone else) looking at small photos.  I recently figured out how to enlarge your photos in Blogger.  I mostly only enlarge the vertical photos that I post.  This little trick has made me very happy! I've learned that my width is best at 640.  Everyone's may be a little different, but that might help guide  you. Here is a quick tutorial:

Step 1: choose original size on your picture!

Step 2:  Go to the "HTML" setting (you can shift between "Compose" and "HTML" at the upper left of your screen when you're editing posts).

these options are in the upper left corner of the editing screen.

You'll see a lot of stuff that looks like this: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlZrbw_46iqBZm936f2oCTRU2ops7BS-2pQh6c_3esOjISbPKCDk3RQnTp6mo6k8wivO1mYkPzgjdEt0VueTInB8y1asBbJ8tX2R12rCg59EtpxBo7aI116VJrT6kgYS1P3chPmCcnbk/s1600/sc003c7770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlZrbw_46iqBZm936f2oCTRU2ops7BS-2pQh6c_3esOjISbPKCDk3RQnTp6mo6k8wivO1mYkPzgjdEt0VueTInB8y1asBbJ8tX2R12rCg59EtpxBo7aI116VJrT6kgYS1P3chPmCcnbk/s1600/sc003c7770.jpg" /></a></div>

All you have to do is find the place where it says the name of your image file. (Above, mine is a very long string of things ending with .jpg", highlighted in red for clarity.)

Step 3: After the .jpg" or however your image title ends, put one space and then type in width="640" (or any other size you want!). I like 640 for vertical photos, but you can decide whatever you want. That's it!

Your HTML after will look like this: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlZrbw_46iqBZm936f2oCTRU2ops7BS-2pQh6c_3esOjISbPKCDk3RQnTp6mo6k8wivO1mYkPzgjdEt0VueTInB8y1asBbJ8tX2R12rCg59EtpxBo7aI116VJrT6kgYS1P3chPmCcnbk/s1600/sc003c7770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlZrbw_46iqBZm936f2oCTRU2ops7BS-2pQh6c_3esOjISbPKCDk3RQnTp6mo6k8wivO1mYkPzgjdEt0VueTInB8y1asBbJ8tX2R12rCg59EtpxBo7aI116VJrT6kgYS1P3chPmCcnbk/s1600/sc003c7770.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>

2. Use Photo Editing Apps:
People are visual which means it's important to have good quality photos! Do your best on this.
My favorite photo editing apps are After light and PicTapGo on the iPhone.  I love Picmonkey on the computer for adding text to my photos for the blog.  They also just released an iPhone app that I bet will be good too.  There are a ton of photo editing apps out there.  Just pick one that is easy for you to use and use it!  It can make a big difference in your photos.

3.  Choose a Simple/Clean/Pretty Design Template:
Just keep it simple.  You are seeing a lot of black & white blogs out there lately because it is as clean as you can get.  I love seeing some personality in blog designs, but just remember to keep it clean.  People will judge your blog by it's cover :)  And make sure you have a great "about me" page.  Those are always one of the most popular pages on a blog because people want to get to know the face behind the blog! And if you're up for it, have a home tour.  Bloggers are nosy and love to see inside the house.

4. Less is More Sometimes:
Don't always think that you have to have a really lengthy post to publish for the day.  Sometimes less really is more.  Like I mentioned above, I'm into letting the photos do the talking a lot of times.  Keeping your message brief is okay.  Get your message out there and write enough so people can feel like they know you and understand you, but don't write a novel.

5. Love what you do:
This really should be number one.  Don't blog unless you love it.  There are so many blogs out there right now and I think they can be so helpful and inspiring to all of us as long as they are written with the right intentions.  Don't start a blog because you think you are going to immediately make money.  Start a blog because you love to write, or cook, or tell stories, or want to have a creative outlet.   Start a blog because you want to inspire.  I love to inspire and I hope to do that every day.

What tips am I forgetting???  

Link up with Natalie and I below for Thoughts for Thursday. 

An InLinkz Link-up

 

New Year Goals | 2016

What is a new year good for if you don't spend a little time to reflect?  Even if you are not one for resolutions (like me), it's a great opportunity to look back on your year and see what was accomplished, what brought us joy and what we would like to improve in the year to come. I like to make goals. I made a list of goals last year which I used as a guide throughout the year even though I definitely didn't complete them all.  It felt good just to write them down.

I spent an hour in the car with a good friend of mine on our way home from our NYE celebrations and we started talking.  The two of us happened to meet right before we both got married in 2012 and we started going through the last four years (which oddly are almost identical).  But here's mine:

2012 - Moved to Pensacola, got Married and got Pregnant
2013 - Started building our new home, Brody was born & my Dad got sick
2014 - We lost my Dad, moved into our new Home & Pregnant Again
2015 - Had baby Madelyn

I'm exhausted just typing all of that.  I'm ready to slow things down a bit.

This year I really want to focus on me.  There is always a growing to-do list of things that I want to do and accomplish.  There are so many days where I wish I could just sent in front of my desk with complete silence and zero interruptions and catch up on life.  There are so many things I want to accomplish and do with this blog.  Everything with the blog is so fun for me, but yet so darn time consuming.  I'm going to try and keep this compilation of goals short and sweet this year.

Personal
+ Lose my Brody baby weight (5 pounds) and "happy marriage" weight (10 pounds). This is my year to focus on me.  I need to prove I can get healthy again even with two kids and a husband to take care of :)
+ Cook new recipes - I honestly love to cook and I love posting new recipes to this blog.  Last year, I think I posted about 5 total because I was so sick during my pregnancy that cooking was near impossible.
+ Travel!!! This is always my favorite thing to do and now that I won't be pregnant, I want to enjoy some fun vacations with and without the kids.
+ Photography - this was on my list last year and I still have so much to learn.  I want to keep taking lots of pictures and learn more about my camera and Photoshop Lightroom.
+ Keep Blogging - This little hobby has turned into what feels like a job (a fun job, of course).  A job that gives me outside, adult socialization and a feeling of accomplishment.  Even though it doesn't pay the bills, I still enjoy the little perks.

Blog
I've mentioned many times before that this blog has evolved from what started out as an online diary about my family to so much more.  I realized how many of us our reading online looking for inspiration, encouragement, and sometimes failures.  We like to know that sometimes we are not the only ones struggling being a Mom, finding time to do what we love, or having trouble losing those last 5 pounds.  I want to really try this year to make sure that I write to inspire at least one of you with each post.  Tell me, which type of post help inspire you the most at Home of Malones?  Do you like Mom posts, travel, fashion, home decor, or entertaining posts?  If you can answer that, you can help me with my blogging goals for 2016.

+ Get back to posting 4-5 per week

+  OOTD posts- I had so much fun taking these photos and doing these posts in-between my two pregnancies and then I pretty much stopped when I was pregnant for Madelyn.  They really are fun to do and more than anything, they help make me wear the cute clothes in my closet instead of living in workout clothes all day long!! 

+ Grow the blog - I've picked up a lot of new tips the last half of 2015, but really haven't had any time to implement them.  I hope to keep learning and keep spending time to grow the blog.  

+ Keep Advertising on this blog and spend time advertising on other blogs

+ Have Fun with it and continue to meet and promote other fabulous bloggers out there.

I'm certain I've left a few things out, but I'm glad I was finally able to get these goals written down.  Have you made your 2016 goals yet????

 

It's a Party | My 3 Year Blogiversary + Giveaway

It's hard to believe that this week marks 3 years of blogging for me here at Home of Malone's.  My very first little post started here during my first few months of marriage.  We've celebrated and gone through so much in the last 3 years.  We honeymooned, got pregnant, started building our first house, welcomed Brody, loss my father, moved into our new house, and now welcomed our 2nd child.  It has been so much fun having many of you along for the ride.  

 photo via

I don't get to thank all of you enough for your support, suggestions and comments that you provide each and every day.  The hardest thing for me this year has been finding the time to do what I love most... reading each of your blogs and commenting on posts (or responding to your comments) that begin conversations and ultimately friendships with many of you.  I do promise that I read each of your comments (even if I can't respond) and I love all your encouragement and kind words.  

I opened up advertisements for the first time this year and have truly loved meeting new bloggers through this resource.  I honestly opened this feature more as a way for new bloggers to be discovered than a way to make money (although I admit, making money is always fun too!).  When I decided that I wanted to start advertising my blog, I found it hard to find bloggers who I really related to that offered ad spaces.  So I hope those of you that have advertised here have benefitted and enjoyed your experience! Now until the end of the year use code GobbleGobble for 50% off any ad purchases.  

As a token of my appreciation, I wanted to offer a giveaway today that has to be on my top 3 "favorite things for kids" list. If you have been around this blog for any amount of time, you know that Brody owned far too many pairs of Freshly Picked Moccasins because I loved them so much. The quality, the cuteness, and the ease of use made these a quick favorite in our household.  He still wears them now and even with the soft soles, they withstand the wear and tear of a wild two year old.  I'll be very sad the day that he outgrows their sizes, but excited that I have a new baby to wear all the cute girly colors now! 

Can he please go back to being this tiny again???

If you don't have kids, don't hesitate to to enter.  These make the most adorable gifts for any young baby or child in your life! I wish you all the best of luck and thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking around this little slice of fun for me! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's my post from my anniversary last year too:

Two Year Blogiversary

Thank you again for all of your support and good luck to all of you!! 

 

Thoughts for Thursday | Blogging Q & A

{via}

I was nominated by Vi of Say Yes to Happy to answer a few blogging questions for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.  I had never heard of this award before, but I thought the questions were interesting and might take me down memory lane with some of my old blog posts.  

Why did you start blogging?
I actually started my first blog back in 2009 as a way to keep up with my friends that I left behind in Atlanta and all the ones that I moved away from after college.  I tried so hard to get all of my friends to start a blog so I could feel connected (none of them kept one up!).  I had just moved to Orlando to be with Matt and I had no girlfriends in my new city and I missed my friends like crazy!! The blog started off being called Try to Keep Up and then went to The Malone Monologue.  I've kept it live and think its pretty funny to go back and look through sometimes.  

Has blogging created friendships for you?

Yes, no doubt.  I've really loved some of the friendships that I've found through the blog.  I think as a Mom, it's been really nice to talk, laugh and commiserate with other Mom's out there on the day-to-day life with little ones.  It's also been great getting to know the ladies out there that aren't Mom's.  Even though I talk a lot about being a Mom on here, I also love this space as a creative outlet for other things I love like home decor, cooking, and fashion.

What is your number one tip for blogging?

This is probably super cliche, but it's always the first thing I think of when I'm asked about blog tips.   Do it because you enjoy it.
There are so many blogs out there these days and people are making money and fame and whatever else from blogs these days, but you really should only start a blog because it's something you are passionate about and you enjoy.  And if fame and money come along with it, then good for you.  I don't blog for fame or money.  I love it because it's my outlet to relate and learn from other bloggers, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and also allowed me to make some really cool friendships that I never expected.

What is your favorite kind of blog post to write and read?
This one is tough.  My blog posts tend to reflect what's currently going on in my life.  For instance, the last 6+ months has been a lot about pregnancy and babies again because I'm pregnant.  When I'm not pregnant, I tend to write more about recipes, parties, or fashion and I'm excited to get back to more of that.  I love writing a post that I think might help others or inspire others to do something great.  Those are always fun :)  

Is it hard to keep up with blogging and your regular every day life?
Yes,  There is no doubt that blogging takes up a lot of free time.  Posts tend to take a good hour + of undivided attention and undivided attention is becoming harder and harder to come by.  The problem is that it's not just about putting up a blog post every day.  I don't want to give up reading other blogs because that's what I really love.  So there's lots of different pieces of blogging that can take up a lot of time!

Have you met any bloggers you met through here?
I've met a couple of local bloggers here in Pensacola.  I've met Emily who actually lives outside of NYC, but is from Pensacola and Traci and Emily of Waltz Me to Heaven who write about fashion, travel and local events around town.  I would love the opportunity to go to a blog conference and meet some other bloggers one day.  It's amazing how well you feel like you know some bloggers without ever even meeting them in person!

How much time do you spend blogging?
It really depends on the day and if I actually write a blog posts.  I would say maybe two hours total.  Lately, I've had to read most of my favorite blogs on my phone when I'm out and about or hanging around the house with a couple of extra minutes. 

What is your most popular blog post?
Baby Registry Must Haves | Equipment and Essentials
This post is by far the most popular post I've ever written and beats the next post out by almost double the page views.  The truth is that as I look over this post as I prepare for baby #2, all of these items still hold true in my opinion.  The only item we didn't end up using that much with Brody was the famous 4moms MamaRoo because he didn't really love it.  I will still give it a try with the new baby and hope she likes it more though.  

What is your favorite post on your blog?
This is a really tough one. I'm not sure what I would consider to be my favorite post, honestly.  I will say that I find it very interesting that my 12 Week Postpartum update from Brody ranks in the top 5 blog post ever written on this blog.  It proves that their are a lot of women out there looking for information on body post-baby.  It's definitely a tough thing for a lot of woman and I hope to document more about my postpartum journey this time as well.  I also love that bloggers are always so nosy to look into other's homes.  Our house tour is the most viewed page and I really love how it came out.  Creative Images did an amazing job photographing our home when we moved in and I love that we will have these images forever.  

Here are my nominees for the Blogging Q&A, but I would really love for anyone to join in!  It's a fun post to write and reflect on your life as a blogger :)

+ Natalie @ East Coast Chic

+ Tess @ Tea Time with Tess

+ Ally @ Life As I Know It

+ Natalie @ Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers

+ Stephanie @ Olive and Tate

+ Megan @ Willow Way

+ Jess @ The Newly

+ Katie @ Katie Elizabeth

+ Biana @ Bloved Boston

+ Amanda @ Meet @ the Barre

Don't forget that anyone can join in!  Just say you were nominated by Home of Malone's and copy these blog questions into a post!  Then nominate some of your favorite bloggers to join in on the fun!

Why did you start blogging?

Has blogging created friendships for you?

What is your number one tip for blogging?

What is your favorite kind of blog post to write and read?

Is it hard to keep up with blogging and your regular every day life?

Have you met any bloggers you met through here?

How much time do you spend blogging?

What is your most popular blog post?

What is your favorite post on your blog?

I hope you enjoyed!!

Now grab the button below and link up to Annie and Natalie  on your Thoughts for Thursday post.  

Use #thoughtsforthursdays on Instagram and tag us @homeofmalones and @eastcoastnat.
Link up starts at 7 am EST. 

Follow us on Bloglovin' too:

Home of Malones and East Coast Chic

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An InLinkz Link-up

 

Promoting or Advertising the Blog

I'm changing things up today from the normal Taste of Tuesday mainly because the one new recipe I made last week turned out totally disgusting and I wouldn't dare share it with you.   It doesn't happen often that a meal is downright horrible that I can't share, but I guess everyone has to have a BOMB every now and then.  This week was mine.  On a brighter note, I have something I want to share with you guys...

I'm a little nervous, honestly.  I feel like I'm totally putting myself out there to be asked to dance at the middle school cotillon ball (did ya'll have cotillon?) or something.  But here goes... I'm offering advertising space!   

This has been something that I have thought about for awhile and have gone back and forth on the idea.  I've been writing consistently on this blog now (4-5times/week) for awhile and I'm having as much fun as ever writing it.  It took me awhile to really embrace promoting my blog as most of my friends or family didn't even know I had it for the first year or so.  The last quarter of 2014, I made the decision to start advertising Home of Malone's.  I followed the attitude that you have to spend money to make money.  I don't want to scare you to think that this blog is all about making money now.  That's not the case.  But it does cost money to have a pretty blog design and to have good quality pictures and to dress Brody in good looking outfits ;-)  So making an extra dollar makes me feel a little better about the aforementioned! Besides the money, I really love the idea of being able to give other bloggers the opportunity to be seen and noticed.  Since making my decision to start advertising, I've scoured a lot of different bloggers "advertising tab."  You might (or might not) be surprised that a  lot of bloggers don't offer advertising, so sometimes it can be hard to find the right fit.  Thankfully, I have found a couple...

I have had great success with advertising on other blogs and so much fun doing it.  You can see my two features so far here and here.  I hope to get to do several more in the future.  I love the response I receive from advertising with other bloggers and the new readers that I get to meet.  The sponsorship money that I make from advertising here will be used to advertise on other blogs.  The advertising option that I've chosen so far is one that offers a feature on the bloggers site.  It really allows their readers to get to know me and my blog instead of being just a button on their side bar.  I drafted a post to use specifically for blog features and so whenever I decide to advertise on someone else's blog, all I have to do is copy the HTML code to them and my job is done!  It doesn't require any extra work.  

I know this isn't for everyone, but I wanted to let all of you know this is now an option on Home of Malone's.  I would love to hear from some of you and display some of your pretty faces on my sidebar!  Head on over to my newly improved "Contact Tab" to get all the details. 

I would also love to hear your experiences with promoting your blog and if you've ever done any paid advertising.  Is it something you could see yourself doing in the future?  Did the advertising pay off for you?  Share your thoughts...

 

Home of Malones | Blog Tour

Hello friends.  I've been such a bad blog friend and have taken forever to post my tour of blog land.  You may have read these posts over the last few months on one of your daily reads and I'm here to follow suit.  Two lovely ladies have nominated me and I'm happy to finally oblige.  Thank you Jenn and Lindsay!  Jenn is my new source for book recommendations since I have now committed to reading this year.  She reads like a mad woman and posts awesome and honest book reviews.  I can always count on her for a good recipe and a great laugh as well.  Lindsay is my fashion gal that always knocks it out of the park with her #ootd's and kills me every week with her shopaholic posts.  I usually want one of everything she finds :) 

1. What am I working on?

I have one or two posts and projects that I am working on now to post on sometime this month. Otherwise, it's usually me writing a post the night before. My main goal right now is to stay authentic with original content, but to improve your viewing experience. I'm very attracted to beautiful photography and a layout that's pleasing to the eye. I hope to continue to learn and improve my photography throughout the year.

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Honestly, I'm not sure that mine differs that much from other lifestyle bloggers other than that I think I have my own style and thoughts to share. Each lifestyle blogger probably has their own strong points. My passion is really styling our home and entertaining! With entertaining comes cooking and with styling our home comes shopping :) I also happen to have an 18 month old that I still let be the star of the show (most days). So I talk about being a Mom a good bit too. I've been told that people can relate well to my blog as well because I write as if I am talking to you in a normal verbal conversation. I think it makes people feel like they know me well even if we've never met before. I think that's important and I'm all about keeping' it real!

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

It's what I love. I love being a mother. I love fashion. I love food. I love travel. And I love to plan a party. I write because I love the idea of inspiring others and mostly, I want to be able to look back at our life documented. This blog provides me with an amazing creative outlet and sense of purpose outside of being a Mother and wife. It's been an incredible community and wonderful experience for me.

4. How does my writing/creating process work.

As I said above, I mostly write my posts on the night before. It's all about what's been going on in the moment. Ideas will come to me at random times and I've learned to immediately write them down on my phone on the go because I will quickly forget them. I love it when I have a post or two prepared ahead of time, but that's not always the case. My writing most definitely reflects what's going on in my life at that moment. When I was planning a wedding, well there were lots of wedding posts. Same when I was pregnant or after I had Brody.

I hope this gives you a better insight to my blog and helps you get to know me a little better. Now I would like to nominate three wonderful ladies to share a little more about their writing process with us. 

Morgan of Pampers and Pearls

Hello Lovies! My name is Morgan and I am the blogger behind Pampers & Pearls; a Life + Style blog that focuses on all things fancy & functional that will save your time, money & sanity! I live in sunny Jacksonville, Florida with my husband (it was love at first sight) of over 5 years and our perfectly handsome & full-of-life 2 year old son. Stop by my corner of the internet for lots of food, fashion, brutal honesty & tons of laughs!

Natalie of East Coast Chic (my Thoughts for Thursday co-host)

Lastly, I want to not only nominate; but also introduce you to an old friend of mine from college that has just launched a brand new blog. I was so excited when she contacted me with a few blog questions last year and showed interest in wanting to write a blog of her own. She's witty, beautiful and has mad style....so I know The Champagne Supernova Blog will be a huge hit with all of you! 

Hi! I'm Jennifer. I launched my lifestyle blog, The Champagne Supernova, on January 1st in time for the new year. I live in Tampa, FL and in addition to working as a full time attorney, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two girls, photography, traveling, decorating small spaces, reading, and writing. 

I hope you all enjoyed the blog tour and be sure to check out these lovely ladies!