BlogHer

“Thinking too long about doing something is often the reason it never gets done.” – Everyday Life Lessons

Love this quote. I do tend to have a tendency to procrastinate… I over-analyze things, I doubt myself, I question my decisions. It’s a terrible habit. But, my goal this year was to dream big. Get gutsy. Grow some lady balls, if you will. And so far – I am pretty amazed with myself. Big example – BlogHer. Last year I felt like I was too small, too unknown, it would be silly to go to a big conference full of blogging rock stars, right? But at the last minute, I committed to splitting a room in New York City with a couple of girls I’d never even met. I bought a ticket for the conference. I had NO idea how I’d accomplish it all, or afford it, or heck – how I’d manage navigating NYC all on my own!!?? But – I got to meet one of my roomies during the Nike trip, and again at Reviewer’s Retreat, and she freakin’ rocks. My other roomie was uh-MAY-zing in scoring us some great sponsors that covered our whole hotel room bill. At the last minute, I was invited to be a part of the new Best Buy Blogging Board, and get to meet them at BlogHer. So, my best advice this week is to stop dreaming, planning, wondering – and start DOING! Just jump into things, even if they scare you. You will ALWAYS have more regrets about things you didn’t try, then things you tried that didn’t work out. Promise :) So – use these tips and links to help you learn & try some new things, and let me know if you’re going to BlogHer too, so I can connect with you there! {There is a whole section of BlogHer links this week too!}

Events and Linkys

Contest: Love this – Link up a post you love before the 28th, for the Bloggers Favorite Post Contest. This is a fun way to find some great new blogs to follow, get a little attention to your fave posts, and maybe be one of the winning posts that gets featured!
Back-to-School Bash: This is a great event from a great blogger – Sign up to join the Back-to-School Bash giveaway event with MomVantage!!

BlogHer Parties, Tips, and Apps

McDonalds: Leave a comment for a chance to join the Listening Tour Breakfast session with the Family Arches team from McDonalds during BlogHer.
Highlights: Missed the invitation to the Highlights Hello Release Party? Here’s your chance to join the fun! Send out a tweet with the #HighlightsHello hashtag, nominating a fave blogging buddy to get an invite. If Highlights chooses them, then YOU get an invite too! Fun, right?
Guide: This is a GREAT guide to help you plan and prepare for BlogHer – especially if you’re like me, and this is your first time! {And, I always love seeing pics of what everyone wore last year! That’s the big part of planning for an event, right? Lol.}
Room Key: Fill out the form for a possible invite to a sweet cocktail party with Room Key at BlogHer. This is at Dream Hotel’s rooftop Ava Lounge on Friday (8/3) from 6:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m. Sounds good to me!
Portable Charger: Are you ready for the crazed frenzy of texting, tweeting, and Instagraming you’ll be doing at BlogHer? Get this Incredicharge I-11000 External Battery Pack and Charger and you’ll be fully charged all day!
Conference Promotions: Check the BlogHer sponsor promotion page often for updates on new brands to connect with and cool events to attend. {I’m SO hoping for an invite to meet with Harley Davidson!!!}
Mobile App: The BlogHer app is here, with TONS of cool tools and info. Make sure to get this onto your phone asap, to help you stay organized, find your way around the event, and keep updated.

Makin’ Money on Your Blog

Blogvertise: Apply to be a part of this network, and get paid for posting. You can choose to accept or decline each offer they give you, and there are also grab bag offers you can do each day for more cash. They pay out in full once a month, no minimum.
Escalate Media: Easy offers to promote, great payouts, and they pay quickly at the beginning of each month. Learn more and sign up for Escalate Media today.
Monetize Your Blog: Get some of my best tips on earning an income with your blog in this post: How to Monetize Your Blog in 5 Simple Steps.
Paper Coterie: This is my fave affiliate ever. Beautiful paper products, and awesome promotions = Super easy content to promote and share. It’s simple to use and get started – learn more here: Paper Coterie sign up.
Social Spark: I’ve told you guys before – this is one of my fave super easy peasy income earners. The posts are very quick to complete, the payout is great and pretty quick. Love it.
MySavings Media: Promote brand name coupons and free product samples on your web site or blog. Click Here
Logical Media: I admit, this used to be one of my lesser favorite affiliates to work with. But, lately they have had the best banners, great service, and just really good quality offers that I feel comfortable sharing with my readers.

Good Reads & Resources

Paper.li: Sign up for a free account – or upgrade very cheaply – and Paper.li will send out a cool newsletter daily to promote your content. You can see an example by checking out mine here – The Daily Sunshine. I use the free version, but am thinking about trying out the paid version so I can add ads to it. If anyone’s doing that, I’d love to hear what type of results your getting!
Prize Confidential: This is a totally free way to get your giveaways promoted – simply fill out the form with your giveaway details, and get your best giveaways shared with a bigger audience – Prize Confidential.
Social Media: Get a free copy of the Social Media Tactical Plan Template. This is super helpful in helping you put together a comprehensive plan to organize and manage your social media efforts.
Headlines: Love these tips – Great ideas on how to create more clickable headlines for your blog posts. This is something that I often struggle with – so this was a BIG help!
Rafflecopter: If you use Rafflecopter to run your blog giveaways, check out this sweet post on Life with Levi on how to add an image to your entry form. Very cool.

Reviews and Opps

Question Moms: If you’re a business owner, you can get great feedback on your products or services. If you’re a blogger – you can earn incentives for sharing your feedback with the brands, and connect with them for product reviews too.
SheSpeaks: If you’re a member of SheSpeaks, fill out this form to review a sweet new handbag. You get to choose your top 3 choices, and if you qualify for the campaign you’ll be sent out one of your favorites. Cool, right?
Social Moms: This is a fun site that I just recently started getting into. You get reward points for doing things like sharing posts, leaving comments, or writing content – and you redeem them for PayPal cash or fun gift cards. Easy peasy, and it’s actually good stuff too. Join Social Moms today.
Auto Campaign: If you’re an African American blogger who is interested in working with a major auto manufacturer in the future, fill out this form to be contacted for new opportunties.
Gorton’s: Join the Gorton’s Blogging Crew to share cool product info, try yummy new products, and host fun giveaways for your fans. Just fill out the form here to be considered for upcoming opportunities.
OXO: Sign up to be a part of their blogger outreach program! OXO Blogger Resource Sign Up.

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— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) July 27, 2012