Intentional Blogging 12 Being Awesome

Being awesome just means doing your very best work possible, without holding back, every single day.

Jeff says:

• Be different. You can take what we’ve talked about here and do your own unusual and unique thing. Sure, there are best practices and case studies and models to follow, but we don’t need another average blogger. We need a communicator with something to say. 

Here's what I started doing:

• I showed up to do the work every day. While this isn’t a necessity, I personally decided that a daily frequency was what I needed to stay disciplined at delivering quality. I set aside time to write really good content.
• I started planning ahead, writing posts before they needed to be published, so that I never felt hurried and could edit my work before publishing.
• I asked for people's help. I subscribed to free resources like Copyblogger and Problogger. I joined blogging communities and met with successful bloggers, asking their advice and feedback.
• I stopped expecting people to read my writing for its brilliance and started looking for ways to help people and add value. I wanted to create something so unique and resourceful that people were attracted to it. I didn't want to have to beg or coerce people to read my blog.    

                                                                       ~~~

I think there are many reasons to blog and life is too short to add to the 'must do' list so taking pleasure in one's blog should high on any list.   If all I wanted was to jot down what happens when, then a calendar with blank squares would serve as well and a blog would be a slight overkill.  Most brag books fit into a Granny's purse and aren't subject to internet crashes.  Tutorials may just be a delay tactic to actually writing that book.

So I blog as a form of creative expression.  I don't want it to be a mediocre experience. For me or for any readers.  I am pursuing excellence, awesomeness.  That means spending some time planning, some learning and some vulnerability.  It is not really work but it is definitely a commitment.  And as a wise woman once said, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing well!".  And I suppose, "There is always room for improvement.", would be another quotable quote!!!  :)

Jeff blogs over at Goins, Writer   I find his posts challenging.

He ends this series with:

The End

We're done. Over. Fin.

But before we go, here's one final lesson — one last important rule:

BREAK ALL THESE RULES.

The whole point of this tutorial is to learn some fundamentals, to practice. Not to master a formula or turn your art into some robotic equation.

Take everything you've learned, use what works, and throw out the rest.

I hope it was useful. I hope you learned a few things. And I hope this made you a better version of yourself. I hope it helped you create meaningful art.

Thanks, Jeff!

Intentional Blogging 11: Interviewing Experts

It all boils down to relationships.  Interviews are about asking permission to share the the things that influence the artist and the art.  They can start with a tentative invite and develop into an exciting relationship.  We all influence one another in various and subtle ways.  It never hurts to ask.

Jeff maintains, " If you consistently and quietly show up in a person’s life, you will win a friend."
"Over time, some relationships with influencers will go from interviewee to friend to advocate. And that third level of relationship is a beautiful thing."

• Interviews are a foot in the door. Like flashing a “press badge,” when you tell someone (or their assistant) that you have a blog and want to interview them, you’re much more likely to get some of their time.
• Interviews build relationships. The point of doing an interview really isn’t about the content. It’s about building a relationship with the influencer.
• Interviews legitimize your influence. If you can land an interview with Stephen King or Julia Roberts, you’ve made it. You’re legit. And people recognize that. 

"Now, please don’t take that and misapply it. You need to pay your dues. You need to do the interviews and share the content. This is how the relationship is built."

"The payoff for you is a relationship between you and the interviewee. Not everyone will reciprocate, but if you do this often, I’ve found, you do make some new relationships."


This sounds very much to me like introducing acquaintances at a social event to one another.  Some are casual acquaintances and some are dear friends but in giving opportunity for one to meet another,  new friendships develop and the circle of influence increases.

Intentional Blogging 10 Guest Blogging

Why Guest Post?

Here are three reasons:

1. Guest posting builds relationships with other bloggers.
2. Guest posting is great for search engines.
3. Guest posting introduces you to new communities.

There is a right way and a right time to ask.  Be in relationship with the one you invite and it should be mutually beneficial.   Jeff's post today is Doesn't hurt to ask.

I must admit that this series is indeed very  intentional and perhaps more intentional than myself and perhaps some others want for their blog.  I have learned a thing or three so I'm happy for that.  There are 2 more lessons left and I intend to finish and not have 'another' ufo in my life.  LOL    But I want to make known that I primarily want my blog to be a small b blog.  Worthwhile would be nice as well though. Who wants to waste their time???   My blog foremost has value to me. Heck, sometimes I think I may be guest posting on my own blog because I find I am doing things I didn't know I could do.   But to ask someone to guest post at this point seems like I'm asking someone else to write in my diary!   I am just getting comfortable with adding links!  ;^)  I am learning never to say never but  if you are following along on these weekly lessons please just take what is pertinent  (valuable) for you and your blog and the rest can just pass right on by down the line to someone who needs to really know about guest blogging, increasing stats and general growth and development!  

But thanks for hanging in with me.

Intentional Blogging 9 Networking

There is a certain security in the anonymity that blogging offers.

But for blogging to be successful and fulfilling there needs to be some further risk.

That involves developing relationships .

That means reaching out and forming real human interactions.

It means connecting with people.

                                                                                                       

You need to start networking.

Here's how to begin:

• Quit hiding behind your work (blog). Schedule some time in your day, week, or month for socializing. This is an investment.
• Use social media as the means to an end, not the end itself. Reach out to people on Twitter and Facebook and ask to meet them in person.
• Take a stranger out to lunch or coffee... and pick up the bill.
• Sign up for meetups, mixers, and conferences.
• Start doing favors for people without expecting anything in return.

Whether one blogs with a big B or a small b, it is important to make real connections with real people. 

Intentional Blogging 8 Formating

Finding time to do everything is a challenge.  So is formating blog posts for busy people.

This is the age of skimming or scanning documents.

So if you want to post readable and enjoyable post Jeff Goins has some suggestions.

Here are a few ideas for writing scannable content:

• Keep your posts short. 400-600 words is ideal. (If you go longer, break up the content into readable chunks.)
• Use subheads. This breaks up your content into scannable chunks.
 (If you can edit the HTML of your blog, this is usually the H2 or H3 subheading tag.)
• Use numbered lists. These are fun to write and read.
• Use bullet points. Bullets can actually make you a better blogger. I plan out most of my posts using bullets.
• Have fun with formatting. Make good use of the bold and italic formatting options.
• Keep your paragraphs short. I mean, really short. Two to three lines, at most. Absolutely no more than four. This is a blog, not a book.
• Write like you talk. Blogging is different from your doctoral thesis or newspaper article. Blogging is about community. There needs to be a conversational flow to your content.

• Give people a chance to respond. When people have an opportunity to share, they're more engaged in what they're reading. Allow readers to join the conversation through commenting or via social media.
• Link to quality content. People love clicking anchor text (that's the little blue -- or green or red, depending on the site -- text that indicates a link on your page). Give them something worth clicking. Try linking to some of your best content (and maybe some of your friends', too). This catches scanners in the act and holds their attention. 

And if you are looking for more reading material, try this post: How to Write Scannable Content

Jeff has been sending weekly lessons on how to write better blogs. This is lesson 8.  The first lessons were on beginning, focus, voice, type, content, lists and searches. Hopefully they are easily found in my search option.  But I would recommend getting the fully detailed lessons from Jeff himself.

Intentional Blogging 7 SEO

What's a SEO?  I didn't know, nor did I know how it works.

 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a complicated system of optimizing content for search engines.

Basically, what it means is that it's a way for you to create content that is found easily by someone searching for a term or phrase on Google or Bing or whatever search engine you use.

70-80% of the relevance of a page's SEO comes from your title.

Sometimes I, myself, want to search my blog for something that I know is in there somewhere.  Not Found.  That is really irritating!

Now I understand.  The title needs to relate to the main theme of the blog post.  I have  been way too creative with my titles.  Not a bad thing, but kinda useless when the need for a search arises.

If you want to be in the top 3 hits for Google or Bing searches like Wikipedia, there are several tricks.  Beginning the title with "who" "what" "why" or "how" (sometimes "where") captures people's attention.

 But I just want to find my post on striped bindings!

A good title includes:

• Simple description of the article
• Creative hook to grab the reader's attention
• Use of your main keyword or phrase 

I shall be concentrating on coherent rather than cute.

For more insight into intentional blogging you can visit Jeff Goins, the author, over at his blog. I guess you could also try the Big SEO!  ;^)

Intentional Blogging 6 List Building

Blogs do not connect on a personal level.  Face to face is good but given the internationalness of blogging email is another choice. It is a good choice.

If the vision for the blog is to sell products (etsy) or write a book, or build a following, then you need a way to reach out to your subscribers on a personal level and connect with them.  Email is still one of the best ways to reach people online. Some bloggers send out newsletters.

And the best way to build an list is through give aways.

I have benefited from giveaways but I was going to comment anyway.  If I did a giveaway I think I'd try to figure out who the regular viewers are and do a draw from 'the regulars'.

I do not want to build a list but I am certainly willing to connect through emails.  I do have a few blog friends with whom I have connected that has gone beyond blog comments.  And this has been the best that blogging has offered me.

Intentional Blogging 5 Content

Remembering my own voice and to whom I'm writing is a great start for a blog post.  To keep the focus involves some planning about the contents, the innards, the heart of the message.

1) A catchy title is a great starting point.  It gets the key into the lock.

2) Once the lid is lifted, the first few sentences will reveal whether it is worth lifting that tissue paper or old scarf off the contents of the old trunk

3)  Trunks often have an assortment of articles but I'm thinking of a jewelry box, so I want to examine the two to three most interesting pieces.  Are they connected, clearly examined in the light that now shines into the chest?  What happens to them?

4)  Closing up the lid is the hardest part as far as I'm concerned.  What was the best ornament? What will we do with it and is the box worth revisiting?   What does one do with the key and the contents???

Intentional Blogging 4 Type

While there are an innumerable number of kinds of blogs; there are only two types.  Personal and Topical.

My life is not interesting enough for any kind of in depth analysis of my naval!

Topical could be a tad dry if I just stuck to facts, figures and techniques.

So this is actually kinda easy.  I shall stick to the topic of creativity but personalize it with how I develop creativity as it relates to things that I care about.  That would be where I live and work and play-  my home.
It is about the journey as well as the project.

There are no shortage of topics for creating a creative home, whether it be the art on the wall, the hand work on the tote bag and matching scarf, the colour and design of the rooms, the vignettes for the tables, the best way to disguise the cracks in the plaster, or the altered book on the coffee table.  There are more ideas than time to do them all.

Could combining both types lead to a third?  Whatever!  I'm blogging creatively on a topic I personally find fascinating!

Intentional Blogging 3 Voice

I hate to admit it but I'm loud.  I didn't start out loud, although my Dad was loud and so was my sister.  My nature is more introverted so how can loud be happening!

I think it is the Rooster's fault.  He is certifiably deaf.  He has hearing aids.  Sheesh, just to make myself heard I had to get loud.  Mind you, even he tells me not to shout!  This happens a lot on the phone.  My dfil liked to talk to me on the phone as he could hear me.  Now we suspected that he couldn't hear either. vbsigh
I answered the phone from a friend I hadn't heard from and I started yapping away and she broke in (loudly) to tell me not to shout.  It kinda stumbled me for the whole day that the Rooster might be right about some things!

So I totally got it that capital letters on the computer meant SHOUTING.  I don't want to shout. I want to speak with a quiet voice.  Here's hoping!

This lesson is all about voice.  A blog should have a recognizable voice and be unique to the blog writer.

So I need to need describe myself in 3 adjectives and I don't want to use loud.
~ excitable, enthusiastic, and encouraging

Is this how I talk?  I think so. I'm pretty optimistic.
Hmm, I'm also told to slow down, speech wise, I think.

Who would I be talking to?
Hopefully someone who is easily motivated and just needs some encouraging that a project is doable and fun.  It should be about fun!  Interested.  A little back and forth with questions, suggestions and praise reports makes for great conversations.

5 things I read and why:

only 5?  I start out my day with inspirational writings. That could be 5 in itself but I need to start out from a right perspective and with some motivation to do/live/be better.   For sheer pleasure I like young people's fantasy for good overcoming evil and the hero squeezing the heroine's hand!  I was so excited, maybe loud, in my discovery of The Chronicles of Narnia.  I like biographies.  For blogs I prefer to learn things so I'm prone to blogs that share process.  I'm rather eclectic in my likes so my blog list tends to be heavy on mixed media but I will include a variety of interesting, informative, enlightening, inspiring blogs.  I'm all about upbeat, happy, and probably lean to the more conservative/traditional without being too stuffy.

I don't watch tv but do enjoy a good movie.  Usually the house is quiet, but if I want music I like LOUD. :(

Now we are supposed to ask others; what's my voice? and what do I sound like.

Writing should never be a chore, a job.  I do enjoy writing my blog.  I hope it sounds like me!

Intentional Blogging 2 Focus

Lesson 2 of Intentional Blogging is really all about the reason behind my blog.

I really began as a kind of diary.  I have fine tuned it somewhat as I realize the Internet is very public and some things are just plain private.

So this has become my journey into all things creative.  My subject is creativity.

The theme is about several areas in which I want to develop my creativity. This encompasses my home.  Home is what I make it, where I can be me, where I am safe to express myself.  There are creative opportunities in home decorating, cooking ( which is kinda low on the list but should be on the list), landscaping, garment construction and accessorizing, quilting and my new luv, mixed media fibre arts.  Of course, creative writing kinda under girds the whole blog.

The objective?  Hmm. I am not so keen on being accountable so this is harder to define.

But what do I want to accomplish with my blog?  ???  I guess I am expecting a record of my growth as a creative person, an artist. 

What impression do I want to leave?  ???  I think we are all creative and I want readers to realize that
creativity is something anyone can develop. But like piano playing, it requires practice.  I am practicing and I want it to be known that it is a lot of fun and definitely a journey; a progressive past time with serendipities and hilarious happenings.

My goal?  How do I measure it?  ???  Good question.  I do feel that I have grown creatively by leaps and bounds since I've begun blogging.  I have certainly been pursuing knowledge about things that interest me. I have had an interest in home decorating since my teens and what I've learned has come from experimenting and reading LOTS of decorating magazines and library books.  Home decorating led to home made quilts and that led to wall hangings and fibre art which lead to dyeing fabric, stamping, stencils and inevitably to paper and canvas.  So now I want to improve my techniques and define my style.

I believe blogging is a unique opportunity because putting ones work up for viewing and critiquing is only a part of the growth cycle.  The interaction with like minded people, the commitment to blogging and making art contributes hugely to the making of the artist as much as the actual art.  Life influences art and vice versa.

My goal therefore is to define my own style, perfect it, and inspire others to pursue their own creativy.
  
How to measure it I'm not so sure.  I'm not very analytical so stats and graphs isn't going to work.  I'm not planning an etsy shop nor will I be pursuing sales.  I guess the occasional happy face in the comments will have to suffice.  lol  But I suspect I'll know when I can pretty consistently produce good work and have my heart smile when I've completed projects. We can be our own worse critic but I, myself,  need to feel that I am actually improving and having my own voice heard.

Next week is about discovering my voice and how to use it so it is unique to me.

Intentional Blogging 1

I'm always amazed at the difference blogging has made in my life.  I began as an on-line record of my creative journey.  It has become that and an whole lot more. 

I'm probably one of those perpetual students. I didn't complete high school but I'm always wanting to learn about the things that interest me and my interests are pretty eclectic.  I'm also an encourager with strong teaching tendencies.  If I can do it, by golly, most anybody can do it.  But reading one book or walking through one door usually leads to to another and another.

Well, one link led to another link which led to ...  Jeff Goins.

Jeff is offering an e-course, a free series on Intentional Blogging.  I'm interested in the part about creating good content, networking with blogging friends, and developing the disciplines to do it better.  I am not interested in a self-hosted blog and getting my numbers up.  But I am making a commitment to this series and trying a few things. 

Lesson 1 is saying,  "I am in!".