The Pain of Working from Home

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Osteopathic Association for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being able to have a job that I love, that also allows me to be here at home every day with my little girl, is an amazing thing. I woudn’t trade it for the world. But, there are a lot of “pains” that come along with the awesome parts….

The Pain of Working from Home

Some of the pains I deal with are due to the unpredictability of working online – things like an income that varies greatly from month to month, changes in social media or search results that can impact my traffic, and just keeping up with the ever-changing world of the web. There is also the pain of trying to balance both of my important jobs each day – the job of running and growing my online businesses, and the job of being a mom. But, there’s one pain that some of you probably share with me – the type of chronic pain that stops you from being able to live your life the way you’d like to. [Read more...]

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Bloggertunities: Earn More, Learn More, Grow Your Blog Traffic

Grow your blog – Get more blog traffic, earn more money with your blog, and connect with new people… Hi all! Welcome to another weekly Bloggertunities post – a round-up of the best blogging tips, tools, leads, opps, and events of the week. I hope you’ll find some helpful stuff – and if you do, be sure to share it! And if you have something awesome to share – event sign ups, linkys, tips posts, etc – post ‘em in the comments! I do my best to tweet your links out all week.

Learn how to earn more money from your blog, and get more blog traffic [Read more...]

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Bloggertunities: Big Weekly Resource List for Women Bloggers

Grow your blog – Monetize, find new leads and blogging opportunities, and get the best tips too… Hi all! Welcome to another weekly Bloggertunities post, a round-up of the best blogging tips, tools, leads, opps, and events of the week. I hope you’ll find some helpful stuff – and if you do, be sure to share it! And if you have something awesome to share – event sign ups, linkys, tips posts, etc – post ‘em in the comments! I do my best to tweet those links out all week too.

Big weekly resource list for women bloggers [Read more...]

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Join Me for a Do-It-Herself Twitter Party with Home Depot! – #DIHWorkshop

Are you a “do-it-herself” type too?… I am such Home Depot junkie… Just like some girls can wander a shoe store for hours, I can browse the aisles and displays of a Home Depot for hours – shiny chandeliers and sparkly dresser knobs, sleek shower fixtures and funky new floor tiles – I love it all. And, while I’m super lucky to have an incredibly handy Mister around the house {he used to be a Construction Superintendent, and is a massively skilled carpenter} – I still love to be able to do complete projects on my own. Which is why I’m super excited about the expansion of their Do-It-Herself Workshops coming to more stores this year!

[Read more...]

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How to Get Paid Blogging Opps

Welcome to the Blogathon, bloggy ladies! It’s that time again, which happens twice a year… A time where we all commit a weekend to not just working on our blogs – we do that all of the time, right? But working on specific tasks, things we might not have thought up on our own, or things we know we should do – but either don’t know how, or haven’t had time. When you visit the Blogathon site you’ll find a seriously amazing blogger-themed giveaway: every task you complete this weekend gets you another entry to win. It’s always an awesome time, so you haven’t linked up yet, check it out! If you ARE already on board – then here’s your mini-challenge on How to Get Paid Blogging Opps.

How to get paid blogging opps

How to get paid blogging opps 

There are a million ways to make money from your blog. {Last Blogathon I wrote a post: How to Monetize Your Blog in 5 Easy Steps.} Another great resource for learning how to earn money from your blog is on Money Saving Mom, in a free ebook. To really monetize your blog, I encourage you to diversify as much as possible – use affiliates, write ebooks, do speaking gigs, teach classes – and just keep looking for the next opportunity. And one great way to find new opportunities is by joining quality blogging networks, and sponsored post sites. You’ll get opps to review products, write posts about brands, sites, or services, and earn an income while doing it. So – I put together this list of totally legit ways to get paid blogging opps. {These are all networks that I’ve worked with, and have earned at least one check from. So I can vouch for every single one.} If you have a favorite to add, please leave a comment so I can add it!

  • 1. Global Influence: This is a great network of over 1500 bloggers, founded by the amazing Amy Lupold Bair. Not only will you find great opps, but it’s also a really active community of bloggers too, with lots of support. Learn more and apply for Global Influence.
  • 2. SITS Girls: Do you want amazing support, super cool opps, and an awesome community to be a part of? Then you want to sign up to be a part of the SITS Girls today! Their opps are always really unique, and pay very fairly for the work involved. I’ve been with them since I first started blogging, and love them.
  • 3. Social Fabric: If you’ve never heard of them – it’s a community of Collective Bias, where they put a big focus on the shopper experience. You’ll participate in “Shoppertunities” – {see an example of a Shoppertunity here.} Learn more on the Social Fabric site.
  • 4. The Motherhood: Oh, how I love this site, and the women who run it! You can learn more about joining The Motherhood – just click the button to fill out the form on the right sidebar. One of my favorite projects to work on with them was creating the Chef Boyardee ebook. And, when Abby was going through her seizures and health problems, these awesome ladies sent us a handwritten card and gift, to boost our spirits. Amazing people to work with!
  • 5. Social Spark: This is a super easy network to work with… You get offers, accept or decline, to be sure you only take offers that are a good fit. Then the ones you get, you create the content right on their site, using the links and graphics they provide. So easy. Learn more and join Social Spark.
  • 6. Mom Bloggers Club: This is a great group founded by the amazing Jennifer James – who I was so excited to get to hear speak at Reviewer’s Retreat last year. She was so motivating and inspirational, and went I got a chance to meet her after speaking there myself {first conference ever, AND first time speaking} – she gave such great compliments and made my day. You can sign up to be on their list, and be contacted for compensated opps during the year. Or, if you’re a generous type, you can join me as part of Mom Bloggers for Social Good – another group she founded, where we post about amazing non-profits each month. No compensation, but the awesome feeling of doing good is worth it. {Learn about my fave non-profit on Babble here.}
  • 7. Link Vehicle: Ok, this one you have to be a little bit aware – the amount that they quote you for a post or text link ad – you will only receive, you’ll only get 50% of that amount as a payment. So just be aware, and make sure you’re happy with the work you’re doing. But I’ve worked with them many, many times and have had a good experience – and they pay once a month.
  • 8. Influence: Ok – so maybe this isn’t an “opp” exactly. But there are a lot of other ways to make money from home, and use your influence to get things for free. So – always remember to think outside the box – Use that community that you’ve built up with our blog to earn other places too.
  • 9. One 2 One: This network doesn’t usually have a ton of paid blogging opportunities – but they do have some simple campaigns that can be fun to partner on. You choose which ones you want to sign up for – so you only pick what feels worth it to you, and has value for your readers. There is a high percentage of the type of campaigns where you “post for a chance to win” – But, I do quite a few of these. When it’s good content that my readers will enjoy anyway, or super simple to do like posting to social media, it’s worthwhile to me. The prizes are often $25-$100 Visa Gift Cards, or cool gift packages. I’ve won really often, and enjoy working with them. Learn more and sign up for One2One today.
  • 10. Blog Frog: There are several ways that you can earn with BlogFrog. You can start a community – see mine here, Smart Moms Community. If you enable ads on your community page, you can earn revenue from the traffic and activity that you build there. You can also apply for the BlogFrog influencer program, which will allow you to work with them on compensated campaigns. They are always super professional, and so fun to work with – I totally recommend checking them out.
  • 11. Pollinate: This is a newer network – but seems to be growing quickly. Here are a few things that matter when thinking about joining – They prefer to pay via Chase payments, not PayPal. It’s an incredibly easy set up, and once you’ve done it, the payments are deposited directly into your checking account, which is really nice. Also – as of right now, the majority of their campaigns are centered around Cost Plus World Market – some that you need to shop at a local store {which I don’t have, bummer} – but many are able to be done online, like this one where I share my love of Owls. Simple directions, fair compensation, and great potential for growth make this one I definitely recommend checking out. Pollinate Media Group App.
  • 12. Double Duty Divas: This is the amazing group that puts on Reviewer’s Retreat, where I was invited to speak about growing your audience earlier this year. They are a ton of fun, and always putting together awesome new campaigns for you to partner on. You can read more about them, see the brands that they work with – and apply to be a Double Duty Diva too!
  • 13. SheHeard: Making Blogger to Brand Connections – that’s what they do! There are a couple of totally rockin’ ladies behind this network, and you’ll love working with them. Learn more about the site, and sign up to be a member of their great community today to get access to new opps.
  • 14. Mom Select: This is a great network that I’ve gotten some really cool partnerships from – Like the opportunity to have our homemade recipes in the Baby Brezza cookbook, which was amazing. They run campaigns on everything from earn a gift card for filling out a quick survey, to chances to host super fun product house parties. Love them. Join the Mom Select team.
  • 15. Business2Blogger: You’ll find everything from paid posts to product reviews on this site. I was able to get connected to a brand who flew me to Texas to cover a really cool event earlier this year, by applying for the opp on the Business 2 Blogger site. Lots of new opportunities going up each week, so check back often. Sign up for their Blogger Outreach.
  • 16. Mom Spark Media: If you’re following the Mom Spark blog, then you already know how awesome Amy is, who runs the site. She also has a network to connect bloggers and brands, called Mom Spark Media. It’s a paid membership – either $5 a month, or $40 a year – And after paying for my second year recently, I can tell you that it’s definitely worth it! You not only get connected with cool opportunities like sponsored posts, twitter party hosting, and sweet product reviews, you’ll also be able to access all of the great support forums too. Love it.
  • 17. Simply Sassy Media: This is a great network to join – lots of opps from cool products to paid posts. You can request to join the Facebook group, and then check out their website to sign up to get their Blogger Outreach emails with new campaigns to apply for.
  • 18. Blogvertise: This is another site where not all of the writing campaigns are the right fit for me. But I choose carefully, complete a couple a week, and do the “grab bag” tasks to earn extra cash when I have the time. These aren’t really high paying offers – $10-$35, but they add up when you’re on a tight budget! Very easy to work with, and you only have to do the campaigns you want to do.
  • 19. Bookieboo: They don’t send opps out as often as a lot of the others do – but they have some really great stuff. Bookieboo is really focused on health, fitness, and well-being – so if that is something that you’re passionate about, they will be a great fit for you.
  • 20. Glam: This one is a little different… Glam is an ad network. So, to be able to work with them on their sponsored posts, you have to be a member of their ad network, and have at least one ad placed “above the fold” – which means it can be seen without scrolling down on your screen. They can also be a little bit tough to get accepted into – but if you’re not accepted, do try again later in the year. But I was able to travel with some other awesome blogging moms to the Nike HQ last year, and another member I know got to fly to NYC for her son to do a photo shoot for Target. Very cool stuff!
  • 21. Mama Buzz Media: This is a really great way to get connected to things like ambassadorships, reviews, sponsored posts, and more. Join the Mama Buzz blogger community to learn more.
  • 22. Mamma Media: I can’t believe that I forgot to add this one! This is a really great place to connect with other mom bloggers, and find some really cool opportunities and partnerships – Learn more on the site, and join today.
  • 23. Linqia: I love this site! You get to be a part of really great opps – like this one that I’m currently working on, for a wonderful {free!} kids books site called Bookboard. Then, you get paid per click, up to a designated earnings level. And after the campaign is over, they pay via PayPal very quickly.
  • 24. Lunchbox: I haven’t worked with them yet, but have heard really good things. If you’re interested in learning more about them, fill out this form to be added to their database of bloggers.

I hope that some of these have been helpful for you guys. Maybe you found at least a few new places to check out? And – If you’re a part of the Blogathon this weekend, then here’s your challenge to complete…

Biannual Blogathon Bash

Blogathon Mini-Challenge: Find at least one new site on this list to join. Leave me a comment on which one you’re going to try. Or – leave me a comment on a great network or site that I missed – I’d love to join it too!

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Where to Submit your Recipes: 30 Alternatives to Tastespotting and Foodgawker

“Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – Jim Davis… For some people, food is kind of a way of life. For me – it means attempting recipes from Pinterest and failing more often than I succeed, but still having a good time trying. For many people – creating original dishes, sharing those amazing recipes and photographs, and serving those delish homemade meals to friends and family are what happiness is all about. If you love to cook, and love to share your creations – {either to drive traffic to your food blog, or just because you love inspiring others} – then you’ll love my list and tips below…

Where to submit recipes: Tips for food bloggers [Read more...]

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Winter Blogathon 2013 Kickoff – Join Me! #Blogathon2

Who’s ready to party?? Then join me all weekend at the best party around – the Winter Blogathon 2013 Kickoff! You’ll meet new people, learn awesomely amazing new tips, get to party with us on Twitter, get a TON of blogging work accomplished – and just to add some whipped cream on top of all that sweetness – You’ll also have the chance to win some super cool prizes too. How much better can you get, right? It’s not too late to join in the fun – let me break down real quick how it works… [Read more...]

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