She learns

I’m so happy to have one of my “BBBs” (see what that stands for in her post!) guest-post for me today. I joined Blogelina’s Facebook “Blogging Buddy Groups” and Laura was there. Her blog wasn’t even officially up yet, but I knew I wanted to support her right away. From her blog I knew she was a crafty and loved sharing recipes. But through our interaction, I’ve also learned that she has a HUGE heart. And reading her post below, I’ve also learned that is quite FUNNY too! Read on to see what Laura’s learned about blogging, what she wants to learn, and what she wish she knew before she started blogging.

*Laura is a mom of two kids, two dogs and one cat and blogs at World of Laura B.*

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I'm a blogging newbie. I have been blogging for 3 months and while it has not been as easy as I thought it would be, it is definitely something that I enjoy. When Lisa asked me to do a guest post on blogging, I must admit, I panicked. I'm so new to all this and sometimes feel like I'm trying to find my way in the dark, but I pushed old no self-confidence me down and started writing. So the following is what I learned, what I want to learn and what I wish I had known about blogging.

What have you learned from blogging?

• Blogging takes time. Time to write, time to edit pictures, time to learn.
• Do your own thing. I struggled at first with looking at all these fabulous blogs out there and wanting mine to look that fabulous too. I had to stop and be happy with what I have. My blog is not perfect, but it is mine and reflects me and my personality. It will get better as I learn more.
• Definitely hook up with some BBB's (best blogging buddies). Most bloggers are super-friendly and are happy to lend their support and answer questions.
• Read other blogs in your niche and comment sincerely. This will help you develop a network of BBB's. I haven't utilized this as much as I need to, but it is on my list of things to do...my very long list of things to do.
• There is a vast amount of information and tools out there for blogging. Do not let yourself become overwhelmed by thinking you have to have or know about all the latest and greatest plug-ins, buttons, social links, etc.
• Do something blog related every day. It could be writing a post or researching a plug-in that you might want, taking pictures, or working on gaining readership. Whatever it is, even if it is for 15 minutes, do something.
• Take advantage of the wealth of information out there. I am grateful to Tanya Peterson of Blogelina.com for inspiring me to go ahead with my blog and providing such great information. Check out her site for solid advice.

What do you want to learn about blogging?

• How to take better pictures. I don't think I'll ever be as knowledgeable or take great shots like Lisa does, but she has inspired me to learn a little more about photography!
• How to monetize my site. I'm not looking to make a living with my blog but enough to cover the hosting fees and maybe a few extra dollars for crafting supplies would be nice.
• How to edit my Wordpress theme. I know that I can make some changes, but I'm clueless on how to do it.
• How to utilize social networking to increase my readership. Not sure if I really want to become a Twitter-er but I at least need to learn about it.
• How to generate more traffic. I think I know what I have to do for this to happen, I just haven't really done it yet. Which leads me to the next point....
• How to best organize my time so that I can learn and grow my site. I'm a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes and am easily distracted by shiny things!

What do you wish you would have known?

• Bigger is not better. It turns out that some of my main interests and categories are not what I'm really interested in writing about. I should have started with fewer categories and let the blog evolve as I went along.
• Starting a blog was not something that I've always wanted to do. It wasn't even something I wanted to do 6 months ago, but I am so glad that I did. I have found that I really enjoy writing about crafts I love, recipes I love, family I love and pets I love.
• That I wouldn't be blogging alone. I might have started this earlier if I knew there was so much support out there from fellow bloggers.

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Laura, you are too kind with your words on my photography -- you made my day! Thanks, Laura, for sharing your blogging experience. There IS a lot to learn, but like you said, we don’t need to know it ALL right NOW. We can take our time! I love your “wish I had known” list because I was also surprised at how social blogging is! I’m so glad we met through Blogelina!

Please share your thoughts on Laura's post
in the comments below!

And be sure to visit World of Laura B!

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Originally posted at expandng.com - She learns