Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Blogging Basics- Social Media

First important news of the day.  By popular request, I will share my thoughts on Monistat’s Chaffing Gel on Friday. What has this blog come to? *hangs head* Must finish projects soon so blog does not go down the tube.

Next important news.  Let’s talk about social media.

socialmedia1

Have you noticed those pretty yellow social media icons at the top of this blog?  They allow you to easily stalk me on various social networks.  How fun is that?  (You can read a tutorial on how to make them here.)

I did not realize the important role social media played in blogging until just a few months back. Networking with other bloggers makes this whole blogging thing much more fun!

Twitter and facebook are great for:

  • Building relationships with other bloggers.
    • Leaving comments helps establish relationships but messaging back and forth is great too.
    • I mention more day-to-day type things on twitter than I do here on the blog. As do other bloggers.  This kind of chat helps you feel a little more connected to that girl that always covered in paint and/or hot glue.
  • Finding opportunities in blogland.  I don’t know about you but I always feel like I’m behind in the blog world.  Twitter and facebook help me feel a little less behind.
    • “So and so is giving away a free ticket to Haven.”  “Enter this great giveaway here.” “Great link party happening over at …”
  • Promoting your blog.
    • Shameless self promotion is expected…and encouraged!
    • If you think about it, blogging is no different from anything else in life.  If you want to succeed, you have to get out there and tell people how fantastic you are.  And trust me, it’s much easier doing so on your couch behind a monitor than it is in real life.

Why/how I use twitter and facebook.

I was a little hesitant about joining the twitter

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I still don’t think I fully understand it. @ this, retweet that.  It’s such a fast paced site.  I may need someone to guest post on how to use twitter.  Don’t let that scare you though.  Sign up.  It’s fun.  Just pretend you know what you’re doing like I do. (Like the time I got my internet fixed after a storm in 2 days versus the 30 I was told on the phone…)

Facebook I can handle…

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I like my Decor and the Dog facebook page because it allows me to “like” a bunch of things/places without junking up my personal facebook.  I’m selfish.  When I started my page, I encouraged family and friends to “like” the page if they were interested in reading.  This way they were informed on new posts without me annoying everyone else in my facebook feed.  Brilliant.

Now I here that Google+ is the next big leap for bloggers. Didn’t I just mention always feeling behind? I have an account.  I don’t find it user friendly.  It just may be my old age holding me back.  I’ll let you know when I tackle that one.  Any pointers?

Are you on the twitter?  How about facebook?  Leave your info in the comments so we can all make some new friends via social media!  Not signed up?  Get on it! Any questions regarding social media and how it can benefit your blog?  Fellow bloggers, what benefits have you found from social media?

36 comments:

  1. I totally need to get on the social scene with my stuff. I don't have twitter, do have FB and of course Pinterest! Do you have a separate Pinterest account as well?

    And I also agree about Google Plus, I have no clue how to navigate it.

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    Replies
    1. Pinterest is my second home... http://pinterest.com/decorandthedog/

      I don't have a separate account for that though. Way too confusing.

      Delete
  2. I'm on Twitter, Facebook & Google +.
    However, I only understand Facebook,
    which is saying a lot since my major
    in college was Computer Programming.

    I have my facebook page set-up,
    so whenever I update it, it updates Twitter as well.
    Which is really, really helpful.

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  3. I love my twitter. I have a blog one and a personal one. Sometimes I forget which one I'm posting on, but it doesn't really matter I guess. I only have a personal facebook, I am too lazy to set up a blog facebook page, lol maybe on a sick day (like today!)

    I have a good plus account but I don't find it user friendly at all. In fact, it annoys the heck out of me when I'm trying to figure it out so I give up.

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  4. I'm glad we aren't the only ones pretending like we know what we are doing on twitter!! :-) We are starting to get in a groove with our facebook page - it has been helping us connect with other bloggers and etsy owners that we have featured. Now google plus...haven't gone there yet...

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  5. The big two I use are Twitter & Pinterest. I stopped using Facebook over 4 years ago & resolved not to go back (not even for a fan page).

    I use Google+ as a sort of less cluttered FB replacement and Posterous for snapshots and photo-sharing(instead of Tumblr for copyright reasons, & instead of flickr because they require you have an @yahoo account).

    I like Google+, I find the UI/UX super clean, straight forward and easy to navigate as the design is similar to the new blogger navigation &behind the scenes layout. My only real beef with G+ is that it's still the new kid on the block & doesn't have an auto-post feature yet, so I have to manually update it with posts etc. whereas longtime players like FB have lots of nifty built in features to pull content from external sources.

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  6. I am a FB gal and yes it is helpful for my blog. Twitter scares me and Google+ is a mystery, though I have signed up, not sure what to do now.

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  7. I'm on the twitter (@two_twenty_one), facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Twenty-One/186700271374484), pinterest (http://pinterest.com/twotwentyone/), and instagram (twotwentyone). I like twitter. You covered everything about the twitter-- it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and find out about giveaways. I'm not very active on facebook. I should change that. Google+ is a pain. I opened an account the other day, but it's so confusing.

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  8. I like using my blog's FB page to chat with readers and give them pics/info that don't make it on the blog. It's http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shannanigans/185562181463051 if you were wondering :)

    I also like the Twitter. I usually do short bursts of tweeting though, mostly when I'm bored. I can't be bothered to tweet when I'm out and about, especially when out with friends and whatnot. Who wants to stop having fun to tell the internet they're having fun? I dunno. I'm @ohshannanigans but you knew that already :)

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  9. I'm on Twitter and Facebook with my blog. But I don't really get Facebook for blogs. Do you create new content for your blog's Facebook account? Part of my problem with it is that, since it's blocked at my work, I can't access some of my twitter friends' posts that link back to Facebook.

    Google+... I don't think it's really the next big thing for blogs. We're being told it is because we blog with Blogger which is a Google product and they reeeaally want it to take off. But honestly? I don't think it will. My readers, anyway, aren't really interested in it, so I don't see any reason for me to be interested.

    Love your tips! Social media is so fascinating. It's amazing to see how it can affect and change a blogging experience completely.

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  10. I have a twitter (@popcornotstove) but I've been real bad about updating it. Oops! I stay away from facebook, but that's because I don't even have a personal page. I know, I know... total weird of me but the site started creeping me out when it was opened to HS students and even more so when it opened to everyone.

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  11. I'm with Kristen on the Facebook thing. I'm a teacher, so it can get a little dicey when I post photos of me with a glass of merlot in one hand and a staple gun in the other. I love twitter. I used to make fun of it, and now it's the first thing I check in the morning. I like it for the same reason as you. I feel more connected with other bloggers. It's like texting without having to give out your phone number. Plus I can stalk Nate Berkus, hear about special deals at Home Depot, and see funny photos of my blog buddies daily happenings.

    I need cooler social media icons, but I'll leave them alone for now.

    I love this blog helping series Michelle. Lord knows I need it, haha!

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  12. I looooove Twitter. It used to be part of my day job (at my last job) so sometimes I got to hang out on Twitter AND GET PAID FOR IT. Pretty cool. I have a personal page on FB, but haven't created a blog page. I should probably do that at some point...

    I totally agree with what you said about getting to know people more on Twitter. You just have to be careful or people will invite themselves over to your house because of a Twitter conversation. Hypothetically. ; )

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  13. For those of you mystified by G+ here's a really great, simple & straight forward tutorial on how to navigate the site. The only thing it doesn't cover are Pages, which were rolled out after the tutorial was written.

    http://www.webdesignshock.com/google-plus-tutorial

    I think a big part of the resistance to Google+ is that people don't like change. Plain and simple.

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  14. I have all these things, though I can't say I really use them all that well... I guess I'm just really old too. I haven't gotten a Google+ account yet. I'm skeered! (Pinterest is also my second home!!)

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  15. I completely agree - I don't think you can do the blogging thing completely without being connected in other ways. I have to admit that I'm totally distracted by the fact that you have 48 unread FB notifications in your FB screenshot. What is going ON!? You must be doing way more on FB than I am. I need to get with it.

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  16. Great post! I'm actually enrolled in social media marketing classes to start next week for my day job. If I get any good info on Twitter, maybe I can give a lesson.
    As of right now, I find it way too fast paced for me. Google+ as much as I love Google products, is not heading in the right direction. For the time being I focus on:
    https://www.facebook.com/DirectionsNotIncluded
    http://pinterest.com/directionsnot/
    https://twitter.com/#!/AnnaDNI (not used as frequently).
    And you can't forget Pinterest = http://pinterest.com/directionsnot
    Pinterest is the fastest growing site for social media marketing for retailers.

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  17. I have twitter for my blog, but not a Facebook, yet. It's on my list of things to do. I'm holding off to do some new things in March/April.

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  18. I hated Twitter until a few weeks ago when I unfollowed something like 600 people. It's a lot more fun when I'm only following people I actually enjoy and care about!

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  19. i have to agree with you about G+ not being user-friendly, and I don't think it's your age since I am light years younger than you ;).

    juuuuuust kidding!

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  20. I had a personal twitter before I started blogging and have been hesitant to cross the two territories. I still cling to my pseudo-privacy even though I know it's illusionary. sigh.

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  21. I did Twitter but found I was spending way too much time on there. I am now obsessed with Pinterest and spend way too much time on there. See a pattern??

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  22. Ha! I was curious about the Monistat cream too. You had me at "life changing". Interested to see what the fuss is about!

    I love using facebook and twitter for my blog. It's been a very fun way to connect with other bloggers and get feedback on your blog other than just comments left. Sometimes it's just easier to tweet a response than leave a comment!

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  23. Okay, just finished setting up a FB page for my blog. It was a little confusing, but I think it's done. Now, I just have to "Like" some stuff and get posting. Thanks!

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  24. As a new-ish blogger (My blog isn't even a year old yet) I find keeping up with all the social media sites as well as staying ontop of my blog exhausting, although I do have a pinterest account (couldn't resist!). I'm sure once I get into all of them more the longer I blog, though.

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  25. I made a fb page for the same exact reason a while ago--for those aunts that kept asking me why I hadn't updated my blog in a while. However, I think I did something wrong because I can't figure out what the direct link to the page is. Any suggestions? I'm technologically challenged. It's a wonder I figured out how to type this comment.

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    Replies
    1. Erin,
      What I've done to link my page is to go to my page and make sure that I click on Use Facebook As Cozy Condo Living (the name of my page) since the other options connects to me main Facebook account. Then you can just give out that http link to others. For instance, mine is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cozy-Condo-Living/210454912380203?sk=app_190322544333196
      I hope that helps.
      Lisa

      Delete
  26. Thanks for the FB tips Michelle. I like that you encourage us to be more aggressive/assertive about who we are. I tend to be a bit shy and want people to come to me. I'm really excited about trying out your button tutorial since I'm not liking mine at the moment.
    For anyone who's interested in learning tips from an interior design student about designing/redesigning your room check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cozy-Condo-Living/210454912380203?sk=app_190322544333196.

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  27. I just got a Facebook page but Im not really 'working it' yet LOL, must get out there and do all that self promotion jazz! :) Thanks for the tips xo Kirsty

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  28. I love Twitter! I think it's great for social networking/bloggers because not as many people are on it (which surprises me), and I think it helps some bloggers out there communicate with readers that would've otherwise been lost in a sea of comments on the blog. It took a while for me to get the hang of it, but now I find information through Twitter faster than any other source. At least 2-3x's a day, I respond to someone with "I know! I saw that on Twitter!" :)

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  29. I like using Twitter more than Facebook for my blog world, although I like your idea of using a fan page to notify people of your posts instead of spamming your personal page.

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  30. I've been working on a blog update for a while now and I just want you to know that YOUR adorable social media buttons made me want to create my own! :)

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  31. I have a twitter account (@boyplusgirldes), fb page(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boy-Girl-Design/111250442269556) and pinterest (http://pinterest.com/deemariee/) all for my site. I am, like others have admitted pretty bad at keeping up on all of them. I should do something about that! I have no desire to join Google+. I just don't need another site to keep up with. We will see though. I said that about joining fb when I was still a myspace member. haha.
    -Diana

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  32. Totally agree! I use Social Media all day for my job, so I know the importance of getting your message across multiple channels b/c your readers may be in different spaces. I haven’t tapped into google+ yet either. I signed up for it, but don’t ever use it. Another important part of blogging is to use keywords in your posts (something I admittedly must work on), so you can be found by various searches, including google and twitter searches. I recently started blogging, much of my inspiration to do so has come from you, so thanks Michelle (and Ike)! Check me out, I need readers and followers!
    My blog: http://thegreenbungalow.blogspot.com
    Twitter: www.twitter.com/grnbungalow
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Green-Bungalow/287370787986364
    Pinterest (like everyone else, I am also obsessed!): www.pinterest.com/amy13vsr

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  33. THANKS,GOOD ARTICLE
    I LIKE THIS BLOG FOR FACEBOOK TIPS.
    fb tips

    ReplyDelete
  34. Social media is definitely one of the great ways to promote your blog and build relationship because it allows you to interact with people from all over the world. By interacting with them, you put yourself out there and you create connections with other people. It also helps a lot in raising your rank in the search engine results pages. And the higher you rank in search engines, the more chances you have to be visited by other net users. BTW, I just love how easy it is to navigate your blog! It’s simple, sweet, and cute – just the right combination for you!

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