What I Learned in One Month of Blogging!

Here I am, a little over a month into the blog and I couldn’t be happier with how far I have come! I thought it would be fun to do a little post about what I’ve learned. It will be very interesting to look back on this Let’s get started!    

1. SELF HOST! When I first started blogging I signed up with wordpress.com and gave myself a goal. My goal was to get 100 views and then I would take the plunge into a self hosted site! Well, I quickly hit 100 views and decided I really enjoyed this!  After TONS of research I decided to go with Blue Host! No regrets!
2. How to use wordpress….. Holy different world! If you know what it’s like to put your brain in a blender then you know what its like to start using WordPress. However, just like anything, practice, a lot of coffee and patience makes perfect… am I right?
3. NETWORK! This is the best! I make sure to comment on other bloggers posts, take part in Twitter chats, and join as many Facebook and Pinterest group boards as possible! For example, every Saturday morning I participate in The SITS Girls twitter chat – I have learned so much just from talking with the other bloggers who join. I ask tons of questions and everyone I have met has been so nice!
4. Email  It took me weeks trying to figure out how to get a handle on my subscribers. I went though a least three different techniques until finally I found Madmimi. It was so easy to set up and integrate with my page. When someone subscribes it automatically goes to my emailing system, so they receive my newsletter! They also make it really easy to make a new campaign 🙂 All over win!
5. Social media is my best friend Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook! They’re the best way to get myself out there and try to gain visitors.
6. Pictures are important In some posts, my pictures are supposed to do the talking. I try my best to get the best quality pictures using my iPhone, but we all know that is tricky. I am currently in search of a DSLR camera.
7. Automate! This blog is extremely time-consuming! Tons of fun, but very time-consuming! I came upon BoardBooster.com to help me with automating my posts on Pinterest. I spend about 5 minutes posting to a “secret board” that Board Booster automatically re-pins at specific times. I also like that it shows when the best time to pin is based on your audience. That way I can make my times more specific.
8. Do your research!!! I wouldn’t know half of this if I didn’t do my research. I spent weeks on weeks researching before I even dived into the blogging realm. This was something I knew I was passionate about and wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I was getting myself into
9. I have a ton of interests… Every week it’s something different. Last week I was all about my hot glue gun this week I want to paint…. I had no idea I liked to paint! Michael’s has become my second home these days.
10. Patience! The success I am aiming for isn’t going to come over night. I can’t expect instant gratification! I have to continue to work hard in getting my blog out there.

What I am most interested in learning next it Photoshop. If anyone has some great Photoshop webinars or resources, please send them my way!! Like I said above, I want to purchase a DSLR Camera. I have been doing my research on a few and can’t decide what my best option is. Please let me know what you use and why you like it!