Blogging Resources

Win a FREE SheStreams Conference Ticket!

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Are you going to the SheStreams Conference?

Mom Select is giving one lucky winner a free full conference registration to SheStreams Conference 2011 in New York City! Wouldn’t that be an amazing prize to win??

To learn more about this amazing blogging conference, check out the SheStreams Conference site for details. And to learn more about entering the giveaway {You just need to do what I’ve done here, share the info about the conference, and then submit your link!}, make sure to join me at Mom Select and get your entry in!

Good luck to you all, and if you win, I’d LOVE to hear about it!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 18, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Contests, Blogging Resources | No Comments

{Intro} Blogging Tips: What are YOUR Blog Goals?

Starting a blog is loads of work, but can also be loads of fun. In my short time blogging, I’ve already met so many great new people, made great relationships, partnered with some awesome brands, and have gotten some cool experiences!

About Me- The face behind Sunshine and Sippy Cups

As many of you already know, my name is Meagan, and I’m the stay-at-home momma of a little girl who will be turning a year old this month. I started Sunshine and Sippy Cups back in February of 2011, so I’ve only been blogging for about 6 months… But, I do it almost full time, and put a lot of work and effort into learning as much as I can. I was a totally NON-techy person when I started this site, so, um… It was challenging, to say the least! I was SO proud of myself when I realized that I had just purchased a domain name, installed WordPress on a Blog Hosting at GoDaddy.com account that I had set up all by myself, and now had my very own self-hosted WordPress blog! Wooo! I thought that the hard part was over, and it’d be easy peasy from then on.

I was wrong, lol.

There have been HUGE challenges… Learning some basic HTML code, SEO tips, how to add photo and video to my blog posts, and, even though I swore I’d never do it, I had to learn how to use Twitter! {A social networking site that EVERYONE uses but me, then not being able to figure it out, made me feel much older than my 31 years…}

But there have also been HUGE rewards! I’m steadily growing in followers, revenue, and partnerships, which is so exciting. I’ve gotten to partner with Baby Brezza for their new cookbook {you’ll see the baby and I in their new book, released soon!}, I’ve learned so much as a syndicate partner for the ultra-amazing Digitwirl weekly videos, and had a blast learning and connecting with some great ladies at the recent Lady Bloggers Society Online Conference. {I highly reccommend this one if you are a newer blogger who can’t yet afford the time and money to go to one of the big blogging conferences!}

Sharing is Caring, right?

So, since I learned a lot from the advice and tips that other bloggers shared with me, I want to give back and share some of what I’ve learned! I felt like it was really hard to find blogging advice that applied to me when I first started, so I hope I can share some helpful tips with you guys, and answer some questions that I’ve been asked really often lately.

Blogging Tips Series Starts Today!

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing at LEAST one post a day, maybe more, filled with tips and resources to help you be a better blogger.

I’m starting today with some tips on increasing the revenue you earn from your blog, since that is the question that I get asked the most. Over the next two weeks I plan to share on the following topics:

Giveaways: How to run an effective giveaway, some do’s and don’ts, how to promote your giveaway and get more entries, and how to get prizes for those giveaways!
Followers: When I first started blogging, I would publish a post, and it seemed like I could hear the crickets chirping, you know? Was ANYONE out there reading my posts? I know we don’t do it just for the attention, but it’s nice to know that someone is reading, and that you’re information is appreciated. I’ll share some tips on how to get your blog seen by more people, and how to find some new faces!
Product Reviews: I’ll also share a TON of great resources that can help you get FREE products to review, some tips on effective review writing, and more.
Networks: There are so many great networks out there, you’re sure to find a few that are a good fit for you! Joining a network is an amazing way to learn from other bloggers like yourself, ask questions, and partner with others for fun events. You can also find great brand sponsorship partnerships through some of these networks, to get paid post opportunties and giveaway prizes.
More Revenue Options: Like I mentioned, this is the question that I get asked the most, so I’ll have 3-4 posts sharing different ways to earn money from your blog. There are a million different types of blogs, and a million different goals, so I want to give you a lot of fun options to choose from to help you meet YOUR unique goals as a blogger!
Social Networking: Some tips to make the most of Facebook and Twitter, some etiquette tips, and some stuff thats just for fun.

Share your questions and goals!

I’d LOVE to hear more from you guys, about what you want to learn. I don’t know everything {surprising, I know}, and am no expert on blogging at all. But I’ve read a ton of books, subscribed to a load of great newsletters, and have learned so much already. I know many of you are also working full time jobs in addition to blogging, and don’t have as much time to track down the info you need, so I hope the resources I share will help you!

Share your goals for your blog in the comments… One of the things that I like most about blogging is the community of it. I love sharing my thoughts, and then getting to hear back from others when they add to it with their comments. So share with me, and the other lovely ladies reading: Why did you start blogging? What are your goals? What are your biggest challenges? Or, if you have a great tip to share, post it!

Confused by Twitter?

Tweet, Tweet!

I’m a new user to Twitter, and I totally admit to feeling pretty dumb when I first started using it. I’m a pro with Facebook, but only joined Twitter a few months ago. {By the way, you can follow me on Twitter, @sunandsipcups!} I’m still learning, but I thought I’d share a few tips in case there are any of you guys that find it a bit confusing too!

Twitter Basics:

Learn the very basics of getting started with Twitter by checking out their How to Get Started post. Then, if you’re a business or blogger, make sure to read the Best Practices for Business post too!

What the @#!!& do all those symbols mean??

Here are a few definitions:

Hashtag: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages. When you click on a word with a # in front of it, you can then see other tweets with that same word. So it kinda helps you search for relevant stuff.

Mentions: The @ sign is used to call out usernames in Tweets, like this: Hello @Twitter! When a username is preceded by the @ sign, it becomes a link to a Twitter profile. If you use Facebook, you’re probably familiar with how to tag people in a status update. Same thing.

DM: Direct Message, these Tweets are private between only the sender and recipient. Tweets become DMs when they begin with “d username” to specify who the message is for.

The star symbol: To favorite a Tweet means to mark it as one of your favorites by clicking the yellow star next to the message.

#FF: This stands for “Follow Friday.” Twitter users often suggest who others should follow on Fridays by tweeting with the hashtag #FF.

GFF: Sites that promise to get you more followers if you provide your username and password. After signing up, these sites send spam from your account. Don’t use them.

OH: Most often means “Overheard” in Tweets. Used as a way to quote funny things people overhear.

RT: Abbreviated version of “retweet.” Placed before the retweeted text when users manually retweet a message.

How to I participate in a Twitter Party?

Ok, so this one I’m still learning! If you guys have tips to share on how to make participating in and following a Twitter Party easier, I’d LOVE to hear them!!

To start, use a program like TweetDeck, to make it MUCH simpler to follow the party. Twitter moves SO darn fast, there really isn’t any way {at least not for me!} to join one of these Twitter parties without using an app like this.

To find cool new Twitter parties to join, follow @tweetpartyguide to stay updated. I’ve been using this to join more parties so I can figure this stuff out better!

How to Link to your Site:

This article on Twitter is filled with a ton of info on how to link to Twitter! Check it out, Linking to your blog or website, to learn all of the basics on how to get started with that. You definitely NEED to have this type of connection set up, since it can be such an easy way for people to share your info!

Share your tips!

I’d love to hear your tips, ideas, whatever… Anything Twitter related! Like I said, I’m still learning to maximize Twitter and make it work for me. So I’d love to hear your thoughts :)

{Do you know someone else who would love this info? Feel free to share it with the social buttons below!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 30, 2011 Filed Under: Blogging Resources | 3 Comments

Bloggers: Looking for new Affiliates?

I’ve had a TON of people ask me about affiliate programs lately, so I thought I’d share a quick bit of info!

New Blogging Series

I’m putting together a series of posts about how to earn extra income with your blog, how to run great giveaways, and some cool networks to join. It will start Sunday, July 3, so stay tuned!

I’m no expert, obviously. But I’ve learned a lot of great tips that I’d love to share. I get so many emails with questions from you guys, and I feel bad that I don’t always have time to get back to people quickly. So hopefully putting together this series will help answer a lot of questions!

Affiliate Programs

These are top 3 easiest affiliate programs to get started with:

I was a fan of MySavings daily email updates before I had a blog! {Check them out here: Free Samples, to see what type of goodies they share daily.} I’ve had a really good experience with them.

Logical Media is another great one… Not quite as simple to use, in my opinion. I don’t like the way you search for campaigns, but a lot of people love the way they do it. Maybe I just am not smart enough to “get” it, lol.

And finally, Escalate Media, which is my favorite. What I love about them is the personal attention… They are super quick to respond to email questions, and they do webinars regularly to give you helpful tips. Love ’em.

Post Your Questions!

If you have any questions about how affiliate’s work, or one of these companies in particular, leave me a comment! Or if you have questions about anything blog related, or a helpful tip you’d like to share… Comment away, ladies!

If I use your tip in the series, I’ll definitely credit you and link to your blog. I’d love to know what you guys would like to learn more about, so I can make sure to put together as much helpful info as I can!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the sunshine!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on June 26, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Blogging Resources | 5 Comments

List Your Blog on The Blog Guidebook for Free

The Blog Guidebook Rocks

Their site has an incredible amount of really great information that can help you whether you’re a brand new blogger, or a pro. You’ll find some newbie blogger tips and tutorials, tips on using new tools, like this one how to make cool photo-collage tutorials, and a great resource page of linky parties to join each week. Awesome stuff, right?

Add Your Blog to the Guidebook Listing

To add your site to their listing pages, simply go visit Blog Guidebook and click the tab that says {SIGN UP} and follow the directions. You can add your blog to as many categories as you like. And make sure to check out some of the other sites too – you might find a new favorite.