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Blogging

Blogging Better #3

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Last week I shared my refined focus for 2015 here on Girl on the Move…fitness, travel and blogging.  Well today I am excited to share the first part of how I’ll be focusing on blogging during 2015…this week I launched a YouTube channel!  I am equal parts nervous and excited about this new adventure, but I am a big believer in stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, so I’m giving it a try.  Take a minute and head over to the Girl on the Move channel and check out what I’ll be sharing there. (And feel free to subscribe!)

And since today is the last Tuesday of the month it’s time for our monthly Blogging Better link up!  Take a minute to link up any of your recent posts about blogging and explore what other bloggers are sharing.  I love reading all of your incredibly helpful blog resources! Link up parties #blogging

I think one of the most frequently asked questions I hear about blogging is, “How do I grow my blog and find more readers?”  The reality is, there is not a simple answer to that question. So today we will focus on one area of growing your blog…through link up parties. There are two ways to use link up parties to grow your blog…the first is through hosting a link up party and the second is through participating in link up parties.

Participating in link up parties gives you the opportunity to “show off” your best work and bring in new readers.  But it’s important to remember that you will get the most out of your participation if you don’t just link up and run but instead interact with the other bloggers who link up.  Browse the posts, spread the comment love and share your favorites on social media.

Hosting a link up parties encourages people to come to your blog to “show off” their best work.  Just like with participation it’s important to remember that you will get the most bang for your buck if you don’t just host and run but instead interact with the bloggers who link up to your party.  Share their posts on social media, feature your favorites during your next link up party and spread the comment love!

If you want to hear more about making the most of link up parties, you can check out the video I posted with tips for successfully hosting and participating in link up parties.

I’d love to hear, what are your best tips for hosting and/or participating in link ups?

Once a month, I co-host a link up on blogging resources called Blogging Better with Lisa Kerr.  We would love it if you linked up your best blogging resources below. Our readers are new bloggers, mid-level bloggers, hobby bloggers, professional bloggers, small businesses and social media managers. Our link-up will go live on the last Tuesday of every month. Join us on Twitter using the hashtags #bloggingbetter.

Blogging Better Purple
About Your Hosts

Lisa Kerr Headshot
Lisa Kerr is my co-host and a fellow Southern California blogger. She is a veteran blogger of more than four years whose work has been featured on the Huffington Post TED Weekends, HuffPo Live, NPR and more. During her four years of blogging, Oprah’s network has contacted her and the CW developed a pilot TV show about her first blog, so she has learned a lot about the business side of blogging, blogging beyond monetization and protecting your intellectual property. She now advise companies about how to connect with their clients by creating a compelling story and building community and works with new and mid-level bloggers, teaching them how to manage their social media communities, tips and tricks for WordPress optimization, and how to create a professional writing portfolio that will further your career.

GOTM about me
If you’re new here, I’m Julie DenOuden and am a girl on the move who blogs about traveling, fitness, cupcakes and social media resources. I started blogging just over two years ago and enjoy sharing what I have learned with others. I offer social media tips and resources and my 31 Days to Create a Social Media Plan is a must-read for any blogger.

I hope you’ll find the tools and tips we share here helpful in developing your blog, and as always, we’re here to answer any questions you may have (either by email or comments) in future posts.

Sign up for future Blogging Better email updates here

To join the link-up:

Visit at least 2 posts from below and comment on them.

Follow your hosts on social media:

FOLLOW LISA ON TWITTER – FACEBOOK – PINTEREST

FOLLOW JULIE ON TWITTER – FACEBOOK – PINTEREST


Looking Ahead to 2015

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I can hardly believe we are over half way through January!  It seems as though it was just yesterday we were unwrapping Christmas presents and now we are less than a month away from Valentine’s Day.  I have sat down to write a post about the upcoming year more times than I can count and each time I just get stuck and walk away from the computer.  For the first time in quite a few years I have been unable to write up a specific list of my goals for the upcoming year. I have been unable to settle on a word for 2015 and while I am still dreaming big I have struggled to articulate a plan for the year that would help me reach my dreams.

So while many other bloggers shared their plans and goals for 2015 weeks ago I am just now sharing this post with you.  I still don’t have all of my plans worked out but at last I finally have a better idea of what I want Girl on the Move to look like in 2015. Looking Ahead to 2015

During the past year I have had the chance to discover what areas I am most passionate about and how those fit (or in some cases don’t fit!) with the mission behind Girl on the Move.  So this year I will be focusing on fitness, travel, blogging, and inspiration.

As I focus on those four categories, my goal is to create a place where you feel encouraged to live your life just a step outside of your comfort zone and where you can meet other people to create community where you feel inspired and encouraged to try new things.

I’d love for you to stay connected with what is happening here in the Girl on the Move community through my weekly email and I’d love to know what goals and plans you have for 2015 in the comments below!

Year in Review: 2014

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I can’t believe 2014 is almost over! One of my favorite things about celebrating New Years is the opportunity to look back and reflect on the year that has passed and look ahead to the year that is coming. Today we’ll take a look back at the top posts here on the blog in 2014 and then later this week we’ll look ahead to 2015!

Coming in in fifth place is a more recent post when I shared my Holiday Bucket List to kick off the 12 Days of Christmas! I loved putting this post together and I really enjoyed checking things off the list over the last few weeks!

It also seems that y’all loved reading about blogging because the Links I’m Loving Blogging Tips and Blogging Tips Round 2 tied for fourth place! I have some plans to share more posts about blogging in 2015 so if you have anything in particular that you want to see, let me know!

Tied for third place are two closely related posts. The first is when I shared my adoption plans and the second is an update on my adoption plans during Adoption Awareness Month. For those who are interested, I am still in waiting limbo right now and will probably be there for a little while yet. In fact, it could be 3 months and it could be 18…so I’ll try to keep you updated but the reality is there’s not always new updates to share.

The second most-viewed post of the year was Day One of the Create a Social Media Plan…and really, the whole series was high on the most-viewed posts of the year. I loved putting this series together and am looking forward to offering some more social media opportunities and information this year.

And my most-viewed post of the year is the Chopped At-Home Edition!  Competing in this at-home competition was a lot of fun and I still have a dream of somehow recreating this virtually so bloggers and cooks all around the world could participate…now I just need to work on making this happen!

What kinds of posts did you enjoy reading in 2014? What kinds of posts would you like to see more of in 2015?

Blogging Better

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It’s the last Tuesday of the month which means usually I’d be co-hosting our monthly Blogging Better link-up today, but with the holidays we’re waiting until next month…so mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 27th, 2015!  But if you’re looking to take a short break from family time right now here are a few of my favorite posts from last month’s link up…

Design Your Blog for Maximum Impact from Jewels of Sayuri

10 Tips to Get Your Blog Post Read from Deliberate Mom

25 Posts to Help Take Your Blog to the Next Level from A Savory Feast

Photography 101 for Bloggers from The Wetherills Say I Do

Blogging Better Purple
As we wrap up 2014 and look ahead to 2015, what are your blog goals for 2015?

Blogging Better #2

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Welcome to our second edition of Blogging Better! Before we dig into our topic for today, I first want to feature a few of the posts from last month…

Creating a Blogging Income from Oak & Oats

Blogging Resource List from Reflective Mama

Beginner’s Guide to Growing Your Blog from Fresh Mix Momma

One thing I have learned in the last two years of blogging is that for every one thing I learn about blogging I also discover ten new things I need to learn to help me blog better. I believe that whether you are a brand new blogger or a veteran blogger there is always something new you can learn, so this series is designed to help you become a better blogger by learning from each other. If you have topics you’d like to see covered in future Blogging Better posts, please comment below or email me at girlonthemoveblog01 {at} gmail {dot} com

This month I am going to address one of the reader questions I received regarding blogging…

Blogging Better 2
How do I get people to interact with my blog?

First of all, that is a great question! If nobody interacts with your blog it can sometimes feel like you are just keeping a public diary…and that’s not always fun. For me, one of the best parts of blogging is interacting with readers and other bloggers. I love that because of blogging I have friends all over the place! So now onto the tips…

  1. Do you remember learning the Golden Rule when you were younger? Do to others as you would have them do to you. The same rule applies to blogging…if you want more comments and interaction on your blog, then you need to comment and interact on other blogs. You don’t need to spend three hours a day commenting on other blogs, but make a point of spending some time each day on other blogs.
  2. Invite interaction. If you want readers to comment on your blog it helps to give them something specific to comment on. At the end of your post ask your readers a question or ask them to share similar experiences. You can also ask them to share the post via social media…whatever you do, just make sure you’re inviting them to interact with the post in some way.
  3. Don’t forget that commenting on your post is not the only way they can interact with your blog. Maybe your readers don’t leave a lot of blog comments, but they comment away on your Facebook posts…that’s awesome! Without readers, it’s not very easy to blog, so take time to interact with your readers wherever they are…whether it’s your actual post, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, some other type of social media platform, or maybe even a meetup!
  4. Remember to have patience! It’s very unlikely that you’ll go from zero comments a day to 173 comments a day overnight (unless you become an overnight Internet sensation!) so remember that building a blog is more like a marathon than a sprint. Commit to interacting with other blogs for at least a month and I’d be willing to bet you’ll start to see an increase in interaction on your blog. Commit to doing it even longer and you’ll see even more of an increase.

I’d love to hear your tips for getting people to interact with your blog in the comments below…see how I invited interaction there 😉
Join us for the second Blogging Better link-up below!

Once a month, I co-host a link up on blogging resources called Blogging Better with Lisa Kerr.  We would love it if you linked up your best blogging resources below. Our readers are new bloggers, mid-level bloggers, hobby bloggers, professional bloggers, small businesses and social media managers. Our link-up will go live on the last Tuesday of every month. Join us on Twitter using the hashtags #bloggingbetter and #blogbetter.

Blogging Better Purple
About Your Hosts

Lisa Kerr Headshot
Lisa Kerr is my co-host and a fellow Southern California blogger. She is a veteran blogger of more than four years whose work has been featured on the Huffington Post TED Weekends, HuffPo Live, NPR and more. During her four years of blogging, Oprah’s network has contacted her and the CW developed a pilot TV show about her first blog, so she has learned a lot about the business side of blogging, blogging beyond monetization and protecting your intellectual property. She now advise companies about how to connect with their clients by creating a compelling story and building community and works with new and mid-level bloggers, teaching them how to manage their social media communities, tips and tricks for WordPress optimization, and how to create a professional writing portfolio that will further your career.

GOTM about me
If you’re new here, I’m Julie DenOuden and am a girl on the move who blogs about traveling, fitness, cupcakes and social media resources. I started blogging just over two years ago and enjoy sharing what I have learned with others. I offer social media tips and resources and my 31 Days to Create a Social Media Plan is a must-read for any blogger.

I hope you’ll find the tools and tips we share here helpful in developing your blog, and as always, we’re here to answer any questions you may have (either by email or comments) in future posts.

Sign up for future Blogging Better email updates here

To join the link-up:

Visit at least 2 posts from below and comment on them.

Follow your hosts on social media:

FOLLOW LISA ON TWITTER – FACEBOOK – PINTEREST

FOLLOW JULIE ON TWITTER – FACEBOOK – PINTEREST


Bigs & Littles Blogging Network

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The last couple of months I’ve had the opportunity to participate in the Bigs & Littles Blogging Network and I want to share a little bit about my experience and offer you some blogging advice.

Bigs and Littles Network
What is Bigs & Littles?
This is a partnering of bloggers to teach, to learn and to grow that lasts two months. In the Bigs & Littles Blogging Network big & little bloggers are matched together. Each of us regardless of size or experience has something we can give back to others. Throughout this program you will have the ability to build a new friendship, share experiences, teach, and learn.  We know that sometimes in the beginning days of our blogs we were frustrated, even sometimes now we just need a little blogging advice. We just felt that sometimes we were at a lost, with no one to help us understand  how blogging worked. This is something that we feel never changes, yes our blogs have grown tremendously, but with that comes a whole new set of issues that arise.

Have you ever felt the same? Well we can tell you that sometimes asking another blogger questions and advice can be quite frustrating and intimidating. Well if you are looking for a way to meet someone to share advice and just someone to lean on through your blogging experience, then this may be the perfect program for you.

Want help designing our blog, learning how to grow your blog, or just some general advice then we suggest that you take a moment to contemplate this program!

Bigs and Littles Network Amanda
Meet Amanda

I was partnered with Amanda and here’s the first thing I noticed about her…her Twitter account and blog both professed her love of cupcakes…so you just know this was going to be a good match! Amanda’s been blogging for a year (she just celebrated her one-year blogging anniversary) and she lives in North Dakota. Blogging is Best With Others

My Bigs & Littles Network Experience

There were several things I gained from this experience but I just want to touch on my biggest takeaway…blogging is done best with others. Blogging can be somewhat lonely because you spend so much time working on your own behind your computer to create blog content, but the truth is that when you connect with others your blog will improve. This experience helped me connect with another blogger and it’s just helpful to have somewhere you can ask questions…instead of spending hours searching google! So whether you sign up for the next round of the Bigs & Littles Network (I believe in January), or find a blogging tribe, or email me (girlonthemoveblog01 @ gmail . com) and ask to be blogging buddies, I would encourage you to connect with other bloggers…its makes a world of difference

Feel free to take a minute to meet the hosts of the Bigs & Littles Network…Chelsee, Kristyn, Deb, Tiffany, and Christine

I’d love to hear, how do you connect with other bloggers?

Also, if you’re looking to stick to a healthy eating and exercise plan check out this Holiday Sweat Challenge…it’s going to be amazing!  And if you sign up, be sure to mention my blog as your referral!