Blogging Resources

Largest Online Protest in History: Why SOPA & PIPA Matter to You

Want to know why some of your favorite websites suddenly went black?

If you haven’t heard of SOPA or PIPA yet, I’m really not all that surprised. Mainstream media has done a great job of keeping this issue out of sight, and many people have no idea that the freedom that they now enjoy when using the internet is seriously threatened by these two bills that our government has been putting together to “protect us”. That’s why some of your favorite sites will be blacked out today – to make you aware of what’s going on, before it’s too late.

SOPA, PIPA, WTH?

Confused already? SOPA stands for the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA stands for Protect Intellectual Property Act. Those sound like good things right? The problem is, the names of these bills are quite deceiving. What these bills will do is give anyone the right to shut down any website at any time. Seriously. And they would make many of us criminals.

Why this Matters to You

SOPA would give the Department of Justice the authority to shut down any website that hosts copyrighted material – Meaning, not just those sites you go to when you want to illegally download movies or music. Sites like eBay, Craigslist, Wikipeida, and my beloved Pinterest could be shut down simply because their USERS uploaded material that they didn’t own. Right now those sites are protected by “Safe Harbor” laws – but if SOPA were to pass, those sites could be deemed “enablers”, and have their entire website shut down. And there is almost nothing that a site owner can do once this happens to them.

This is Serious Stuff

There are a lot of theories about the motives behind this – But most people agree that if either of these bills were to pass, it will lead to a major censorship of the internet. Sites like Facebook won’t want to risk being shut down – so instead, they’ll have to censor their users strongly to ensure that they are in compliance with the new bills. And I don’t know about you – But I do NOT like being censored.

Who is Protesting?

This is such an incredibly big threat to the internet that we know now, that website owners are going so far as to black out their sites as a show of protest. Who is blacked out? Well, if you haven’t already noticed them, here are a few:

Google.com – You’ll see the black bar over their logo.
Wikipedia – Directs you to contact info for your representatives.
Craigslist – Black site, with a SOPA opposition message.
Reddit.com – Goes down in a few hours, you can read more on their site.
Mozilla.com – Goes black at 8am Eastern Time, read more.

Visit SOPAStrike.com to learn what other sites are protesting, how you can join the protest by blacking out your own site for 12 hours, how to join the movement on Twitter, and more.

Wasn’t the vote canceled?

Yes, due to the growing pressure from so many influential people on the web, they’ve temporarily delayed the vote on SOPA. But PIPA is still on track to be voted on, and SOPA is far from defeated. If you want to learn more about these bills, these sites explain it all much better than I can:

If you aren’t feeling angry, frustrated, disgusted, or a wee bit scared after reading all of those – then you didn’t read them right. JK – but seriously. I debated joining this strike, since I am EXTREMELY opposed to these bills. But – I have sponsors and media partners that I have obligations with, and since I couldn’t reach agreements with all of them on going black for a day, I’ll be staying live. I hope to black out my site for at least part of the day, this afternoon. But I wanted to do my part to spread the word about this – and encourage YOU to take action. Whether it’s writing to your congressman or simply sending out a tweet. Visit SOPASTIKE.com for more info.

What do YOU think?

Share your thoughts on SOPA and PIPA in the comments…. If you disagree with someone, be respectful. Discussion is encouraged, disrespect is not. But I would love to hear your views on this…

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 17, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Resources | 9 Comments

Stumble Tumble Tuesday

Welcome to Stumble Tumble Tuesday hosted by Acting Balanced, Sunshine and Sippy Cups and Wyoming Girl Turned Coastie Wife! The goal of this hop is to use Stumble Upon to help you promote your blog posts and get more traffic.

Even if you think you are stumbling correctly, please read this post on how to check and see if your stumble was successful. Some stumbles aren’t showing up, thanks!

To take part is simple

Add a link to a blog post that you would like people to stumble to the linky below. It *must* be a link to an actual post and NOT your main site. Please do not list giveaways.
Stumble as many other posts as you care to, check to make sure that your stumble went through by clicking on the “Info” icon. If you’d like to, you can leave a comment on their post saying something like, “I’m stopping by from Stumble Tumble Tuesday and just stumbled you – great post! My post is _____(add link)”. That makes it easier for them to return the love! The great thing about Stumble Upon is that it is fast and easy to do with the Stumble Upon toolbar. PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR LINK IF YOU AREN’T GOING TO STUMBLE ANY POSTS.
Remember LINK TO AN ACTUAL POST, NOT YOUR MAIN SITE.
PLEASE DON’T LIST ANY GIVEAWAYS.
PLEASE ONLY ONE LINK PER BLOG.

Feel free to post about Stumble Tumble Tuesday on your blog and help us spread the word – The more people are stumbling, the more traffic we’ll all get, and, hey – the more, the merrier, right?

Have fun with it and let’s discover and stumble some posts!

The first person to “like” a post on StumbleUpon assigns it a category. If your post has not been discovered yet, please leave the category you would like, in your link to help the discoverer assign it correctly. Example: Strawberry Shortcake Recipe (food).

If you have ANY questions on how this works – remember to read the post above, which covers some great basics. If that doesn’t answer it, leave me a comment here or on my Facebook wall – and I’ll get back to your right away. StumbleUpon can be an uh-MAY-zing new way to increase traffic to your site – and this is a fun way to use it!

Stumble Tumble Tuesday Linky

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 17, 2012 Filed Under: Blog Hops | 1 Comment

Facebook Blast Event – Join Today & #RockYourBlog2012

Join me in a totally cool new event – The Facebook Blast!

What is a Facebook Blast? You the blogger can join for only $1.50, and everyone links up just one social media account – Facebook. Then, the amazing Jennifer over at Sason & Pobi will provide the prize – a $100 Amazon code.

What do you need to do to join?

Post about the event with the button linking back to this post. (Right click save the image)
Send a PayPal payment to jennifer@makobiscribe.com with your email address. After she receives the payment, she’ll send you the form to fill out. This way she won’t have to track payments at the end of the event.
You will get the instructions once you send payment.
Instructions on posting to your Facebook page can be found here.
Then schedule the giveaway post to go live on Feb 1 at 9:00 am EST to Feb 15 12:01 pm EST.
Easy peasy and super fun, right?

The More the Merrier!

You can sign up more than one blog if you have one – just make sure to post about the event on EACH blog you’re using to join. Jennifer will email you on the 30th to remind you about the event – but grab the button and code today when you sign up, to make sure you’re ready to go! #RockYourBlog2012 with me – and get signed up!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 16, 2012 Filed Under: Blog Hops | No Comments

7 Ways to Rock Your Blog Today – #RockYourBlog2012

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” – Brian Clark

My new phrase to keep me motivated this year is #RockYourBlog2012 – {feel free to start using it too, I want everyone to be blogging rock stars this year} – so when I came across this totally amazing graphic over at abeachcottage.com, I knew I had to share it! You can read some really great tips from Sarah at A Beach Cottage below, along with 6 other totally awesome posts filled with great information, tips, ideas, and motivation for the new year! And if you’re looking for more ways to boost your blog, join our group for the 31 Days to a Better Blog Challenge, based on the Problogger book. {Read about the First Week Warm-Up we just completed, and link up with us for the 31 Days Challenge that starts today!} If you have a great blogging tips link too, share it in the comments – I’d love to read it.

7 Awesome Posts help you Rock Your Blog

Sweet Blog Tips for New Girls – This post is where the totally awesome image above came from, the lovely Sarah that runs this site, abeachcottage.com, created it herself. That shows you a little bit how awesome she is! Love it – and love her realistic tips here.
How to Work from Home Like You Mean It – There are a lot of articles with tips for working at home. But this is different – It’s a really honest and realistic look at the true challenges you face working from home, with solutions. Love this.
10 Hard-Hitting Link Building Tactics That’ll Boost Your Rankings – Quick Sprout has some great tips for legitimate ways to increase your links. You can also sign up for their newsletter, and get a free “Marketing Secrets” report.
Simple Tips to Improve Blog Readership – Every bloggers goal is to have people actually read what they take so much time to create. These easy to put into action tips will help you increase your traffic. {FYI: Sign up for their email updates – awesome stuff!}
Learn Code in One Year – Code Year will email you a new lesson once a week. They claim that after a year of getting their easy weekly tutorials, you’ll be coding like a pro. Worth a shot, right?
Five Essential Personal Writing Tips – I really enjoyed this ideas about creating more powerful writing, perfect for bloggers.
How to Add a Pinterest Button to All Blog Posts – You know I’m a Pinterest Junkie – {follow me here!} – and it is quickly becoming a major influencer on the web. This is a great tutorial for those of you on Blogger. If anyone knows of a good WordPress tutorial too, I’d love you forever if you share it with me!
8 Ways to Show a Blogger You Like Her – Nice Girl Notes is one of the funnest sites to read! And this is a really wonderful post – Let’s all go and show another blogger how much we love her today! {Read her “How to Use Twitter Like a G” post she links to in this article too – so funny!}

Have a great week!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 16, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Tools | 15 Comments

Build a Better Blog 2012 – Chapter 5 #RockYourBlog2012

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke

I’ve partnered with a group of bloggers to follow the advice from the super duper amazing guys at Problogger, to follow the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog book together – And I am SUPER excited to take on this challenge! I started my blogging journey in late February of 2011, and what a fun {and sleepless!} year it’s been so far! Now that I feel like I’ve got my feet planted pretty firmly here on my little patch of the web, I’m ready to take things up a notch. I think that the 31 days of ideas, tasks, projects, and posts is going to be pretty darn cool. To prepare for the 31 Day Challenge, we’re first doing Problogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging {Click here to learn more} – and while it’s written for your first week of blogging, this is an incredibly helpful book for any blogger! If you’ve missed the beginning of the series – catch up here.

Chapter 5 – Putting Yourself Out There

To get the full notes on this chapter of the book, read Misty’s post on CEO of Me, Inc – and I’ll share my ideas on this chapter with you here. For this chapter, it’s all about getting out there into the web. Getting to know other writers and bloggers in your niche, learn what your readers are interested in, and interacting more with others. Because really, that’s what blogging is all about.

“Link to your enemies. Link to your competitors. Link to everyone. Instead of being sticky, be linky.” –Robert Scoble

Blogging is about community – the community you build with your readers, the community you belong to in your blogging niche, and even the community of other bloggers of different types. So get to know them – I love a quote Misty mentioned, “Leaders are Readers and Earners are Learners.” Perfect.

Task 1: Sharing Your Story

Get your “My Story” post that you worked on earlier in the week posted and shared. I used that task as motivation to update my About Me page, since that had been neglected for much too long. You can use this task to set up a new About page, update your own, or just write a story sharing a little info about the face behind the blog – it’s up to you. Then, share it! Share it with your fans on social media, and ask for feedback. Ask a blogging buddy or two to take a look and offer suggestions. {Here’s my About Me – Let me know what you think in the comments!}

Task 2: Start your Pillar Content Post

By now you have a folder of great blog ideas, including plans for a series of posts on an “Evergreen” topic, that will still be relevant at this time next year. Misty has amazing tips on creating a successful blogging series. Earlier this week, I set up an editorial calendar, with themes for each month of the year – I’ll use these to help me stay organized, and plan content. I’ll be putting together a new series each month, which I’m excited about.

Task 3: Using Blog Comments to Help Create Content

This is a such a great idea! Read through the comments that people leave on your blog. Is there a question that you could answer with a post? What types of content get the most attention and interaction? And – read the comments on other blogs in your genre. Not to copy anyone, just to see what types of posts get a lot of attention for others. Your blog is unique, because YOU are unique. Never try to be someone else, or compare yourself to them. But – it can really helpful to see what is working for others, and use it to create cool new ideas to use on your site.

Task 4: Ask the audience

{This reminds me of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, lol} Choose a topic that you cover on your blog. Now ask a few questions about that topic to ask your readers, and followers on social media. Make sure that this is an open-ended question, something that requires more than a yes or no answer. Example: I recently asked my Facebook fans, “What’s the best and worst parenting advice you received as a new mom?” – It was very interesting to hear their answers, and some of those gave me ideas to write about in an upcoming series. I’m also going to start an “answer the readers” type weekly post, which will be kind of the opposite of this, but fun. I’ll ask them to come up with THEIR questions about a topic, and I’LL answer them each week on my site. Your readers are your customers – get to know them. If they’re anything like mine, they’re awesome :)

What do you think so far?

We’re almost done with this Guide to Your First Week of Blogging ebook, and I have learned so much! I love that this book centered on setting up systems, getting organized, and building a solid foundation for your blog – new or experienced, every blogger should revisit these ideas from time to time, and make sure they’re moving in the direction they want to go. We’ll soon be starting our full adventure – Problogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog ebook – and you can join us! To join, just buy the ebook – {Click here to view more details} – and then link up your homepage below! After you join, send me an email, and I can invite you to our group on Facebook. Rock Your Blog in 2012!! #RockYourBlog2012

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 13, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Resources, Blogging Tools | 1 Comment

Free Guide: Using Genesis on WordPress for Absolute Beginners

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” – Thomas Huxley

Are you using WordPress, and could use some help figuring it all out? Or maybe you’re just thinking about making the switch from Blogger – and want to learn more to get prepared. WordPress is not difficult, but it can be overwhelming when you first get started.

This new, amazingly helpful – and totally free! – ebook from Copyblogger will make you feel like a total blogging rock star.

This book is targeted towards bloggers who use the Genesis framework on their WordPress site, which is what I use. But – I started out on a basic free WordPress theme, and this book will be helpful to you too if that’s what you’re using – trust me. It works great as a guide to understanding basic WordPress features – since many of them are the same on a basic WordPress site as they are on Genesis.

Learn more and download the FREE guide for Using Genesis on WordPress from Copyblogger today!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 12, 2012 Filed Under: Blogging Tools | No Comments

Weekly Bloggertunities – 1/11

“Other people and things can stop you temporarily. You’re the only one who can do it permanently.” – Zig Ziglar

I’m excited to share another weekly round-up of bloggertunities to help you earn more income, build more traffic, and have some fun too. If you’re a business or a blogger interested in having your event, brand opportunity, or blogger outreach program connected with my readers in next Wednesday’s post – email Meagan at sunshineandsippycups@gmail.com for rates and details. And, if you have a cool opp that you’ve come across this week that you have permission to share, feel free to leave it in the comments here! {Remember – it is incredibly important that you have permission from your contacts before sharing their information with other bloggers. It’s a professional courtesy, and the right thing to do.} And feel free to share THIS list with other great bloggers you know too.

Product Review Opportunities

WOLF @ Best Buy Bloggers: Apply to join this cool blogging program – Get the opportunity to review new gadgets and products from Best Buy.
Join SponsoredReviews.com: Fill in your info, set your rates and categories, and they’ll contact you with cool new opportunities that you quality for – Buy Reviews.
WB Word: Apply to join the WB Word of Mouth Marketing Team! Partner with them to promote your favorite shows and movies.

Awesome Events to Attend

Reviewer’s Retreat: I’m going to be speaking at this event – sharing my best tips on how to increase your traffic and fan base. {Super excited about it!} This event is targeted directly at review bloggers – something many other conferences don’t cover. Learn more – Reviewer’s Retreat 2012 – and use code RR12MSM to receive $30 off the already discounted Early Bird pricing – limited time!!
AdSense: There are AdSense events planned in different cities around the country. If you could use some training in maximizing your AdSense earnings – check it out and see if there’s an event near you!

Giving Back:

Mom Bloggers for Social Good: I’m so proud to be a founding member of this new group – and would love to have you join us. If you are passionate about spreading helping to promote great campaigns that give back in communities around the world – learn more, and join us today.
Love Yourself Giveaway: I’m co-hosting this one, and part of the money goes to a charity that’s very near to my heart – Learn more, and sign up here – Join Now.

Twitter Leads:

Check out ShePromotes Twitter Lead Tuesday – and find a ton of great leads you can follow up on.

Affiliates to earn cash money!

Deal Junkies: Do you love finding great deals and sharing them with your friends? Then you’ll LOVE zuuzs – you get rewarded with cash. Very cool – Learn more here.
Social Spark: Get offers weekly for sponsored posts – Only write about the products and services YOU are interested in. Payouts are great. Join Social Spark.
Coupon Lovers: If you’re a total pro at couponing, and love sharing that knowledge with others – this might be a perfect fit for you. The Couponizer is adding new affiliates, where you earn a percentage of sales. And, they have another very cool opportunity – Become a Couponizer Coach. You buy a kit, get access to support and some cool programs, and earn money by reselling the Couponizers. If you teach coupon classes, this could be a money-maker for you!
Escalate Network: I love the quick payouts – Fastest of any affiliate I work with. Check them out – Escalate.
zuuzs: If you’re not yet a member of zuuzs.com, you’re totally missing out. I earn a consistent monthly income with them, and love getting my own cash back when I shop too! Plus, for a limited time, you can earn a bonus of .10 cents per blogging referral, on TOP of your regular earnings. Learn more about how you earn money with zuuzs, or sign up here.
Integrate.com: This is an amazing affiliate company – I think that they track their conversions better than anyone else. Sign up here – Join Integrate. Or if you’re already using them, read my How to Get Started with Integrate post.

Events to Join

Stumble Tumble Tuesday: I get incredible traffic to my blog from StumbleUpon! Come learn how to use it, and link you YOUR favorite posts each week. {Just started yesterday – come join us!}
Love Yourself Giveaway: As I mentioned – I’m co-hosting this one, and part of the money goes to a charity that’s very near to my heart – I’d love to have you sign up to be a part of this – Join Now.
Couponizer Giveaway: Only $1 to join – Starts on Monday, Jan 15th. Sign up Here.
Let’s Get Cooking Giveaway: This one is SO much fun! For entries, people will leave their favorite recipes, that can then be shared on your own blog! Read the post for full details and sign up info – Let’s Get Cooking.
Twitter Blast: I was in the last one, and it’s a rockin’ event! Only $1 to join, Twitter link only. Sign up – Twitter Blast Giveaway.
Fatten Your Wallet Friday: This is a weekly event, and the prize is $50 cash! Learn more and sign up – $50 Friday Giveaway.

Build a Better Blog in 2012

We’re finishing up the First Week of Blogging ebook from Probloggers – and getting ready to do a 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge! Read more, buy the ebook, and link up to join us – this is going to be an awesome way to boost your blog to the next level this year!

Blogger Only HOT Giveaway

Click to head over and enter this giveaway – It’s for bloggers only – and there are some totally awesome prizes. Let them know that I sent you their way – then share it with YOUR bloggy buddies too!