Blog Smarter Twitter Chat Recap

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Hi Friends!

As you may recall, I co-moderated my first twitter chat on Wednesday night!

And guess what?! It was freakin’ awesome. I even got put in twitter jail for a while for tweeting too much…but there was just so much good advice going around that I couldn’t stop re-tweeting! Luckily it didn’t happen until about 4 minutes before the chat ended so it wasn’t too big of a deal. Plus my co-moderator Jes did an amazing job and the other two lovely brains behind this operation Cori and Elizabeth stepped right in to cover for me!

how to blog smarter

I know some of you wanted to make it to the chat but couldn’t for various reasons so we’ve put together a little recap of what we talked about. I captured some of my favorite tweets for you guys, plus we compiled a list of responses from participants…and i’ll threw in my own two cents for each question as well! Ready?

Question One : What do you think makes an effective & successful blog post?

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To recap:

  • When a writer has a good personality
  • Willingness to show their flaws
  • Choosing topics that are relatable and/or inspire readers
  • Covering educational, interesting or even controversial topics
  • Engaging the readers
  • Using humor
  • An organized post with proper grammar and punctuation
  • Posts of a reasonable length
  • Honesty and sincerity
  • Letting your personality shine

My two cents: The most successful and effective posts, in my opinion, are ones that have a good mix of words and pictures, don’t try to cover too many topics and serve a purpose. If you’re posting just to post…to try to get pageviews…people will know. Wait until you have something worthwhile to share and then share it well. Don’t write a 900 word post without any pictures to break it up or people will lose interest. Actually, don’t write a 900 word post period. Most things I read say to try to keep most blog posts to about 500 words. Side note- I’m terrible at this. Mine are always long 🙂

 

Question Two: What do you think are the biggest mistakes people make when blogging? How can we be sure to avoid them?

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To recap:

  • Avoiding the comparison trap.
  • Too many sponsored posts, giveaways or promotions
  • Posting just for the sake of posting
  • Writing posts that are too long, too wordy, too vague or don’t have enough pictures
  • Including links that don’t open in a new window
  • Pretending life is perfect all the time
  • Getting caught up in the numbers
  • Not proof-reading which often leads to multiple grammar issues

My two cents: Obsessing over your stats everyday doesn’t do anyone any good. Check them occasionally if you have to, but don’t let them dictate your mood. I had to quit looking at mine cold turkey because I was just getting way too obsessed. Now I only look at them if I have to send them to a company. Don’t compare your day to day life to what you see other bloggers doing. Often, bloggers are just showing you the best of the best, not the mistakes and hard times. Don’t let reading about someone else’s life cause you to feel bad about yours. Live YOUR best life! Be selective about the number of sponsored posts and giveaways you do and choose the brands you work with wisely. Too much sponsored content is a total turn off for me!


Question Three: What do you think are the best ways to gain more readers and followers?

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To recap:

  • Engage with your readers!
  • Comment on blogs you read and relate to
  • Get active on social media
  • Participate in twitter chats
  • Be responsive and supportive to your readers
  • Make it easy to comment on your blog
  • Promote other posts and bloggers you enjoy
  • Be authentic
  • Host a giveaway
  • Find your niche and embrace it
  • Don’t just follow the crowd…be you!

My two cents: Read and follow blogs that you are interested in and can relate to. Comment on those blogs and share posts you like. Be active on social media. Choose a couple social media platforms and do those well. Don’t try to spread yourself too thin trying to be active on them all. Interact with your readers. Ask questions and form relationships with them. Spread the love to other bloggers- it’s not all about you. 

 

Question Four: Do you work w/ brands on your blog? What tips do you have for successfully working w/ brands & companies?

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To recap:

  • Pick brands that you’re proud to work with and represent
  • Make sure you set up clear expectations with that brand and there is a two way relationship- don’t work for free and make sure they understand they cannot take advantage of you.
  • Be honest in your reviews. If you really don’t like something, contact the company before writing a negative review.
  • Reach out via email or twitter
  • Just ask!
  • Share a business card- you can get them made at moo.com

My two cents: If there’s a brand you want to work with, just ask them! The worst they can say is no. Do not, however, try to work with every single brand out there.  It can be hard to turn down free stuff or money, but it’s worth it in the end if the product or brand isn’t a good fit for you. Don’t undervalue yourself. Don’t work for brands for free. Make sure you’re getting something out of it as well. Relationships with brands are a two way street!

 

Question Five- How do you juggle blogging w/ the other priorities in your life? What tips do you have for time management?

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To recap:

  • Plan ahead but be flexible. 
  • Write on weekends or in your free time and put the finishing touches on later.
  • Carry around a notebook to write down ideas.
  • Get an editorial calendar widget to help you plan.
  • Treat it like a part-time job. Set your hours and stick to them.
  • Use buffer or hootsuite to schedule tweets and posts.
  • Use windows live writer if you have a PC.

My two cents: Set a schedule and stick to it! Don’t let blogging and social media take over your life. Make time for relationships and other things in your life. Keep a constant list on your phone or on paper of blog post ideas so you have something to turn to when you experience writer’s block. Use an editorial calendar so you can lay out post ideas and find a posting schedule that works for you. Use programs like buffer to help you schedule tweets throughout the day to help stay active on social media even when you’re at work. 

We even had some brag time, where we asked participants to tell us one blog-related thing they’ve done that they’re proud of:

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That was the best part! So many awesome bloggers doing awesome things!

If you did participate and found yourself overwhelmed by the twitter chat, here’s a great piece of advice from @ROJrunning:  Think of it like a party, you don’t have to hear and reply to everyone. You can always go back and search the hashtag later!

That’s all, friends! We’re already planning the next #blogsmarter chat so stay tuned for the details! In the meantime, if you have questions you would like us to use in an upcoming chat…let me know!!

If you found this post helpful, you might also like these two posts:
Things Blogging Has Taught Me
Things Blogging Has Taught Me Part 2

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. These are such great reminders! I know much this because it’s what I prefer when reading others’ blogs… but it’s good to take a step back and remember that no one else wants to read my 1000 word essays even if I find myself fascinating. That said, my post today is a little long. Whooops!

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  2. Can’t believe I had to miss the twitter chat! Oh well, this recap certainly helps! And I’ll have to creep back at the hashtag to see more of the talk!
    It’s so amazing how blogging all works, and thank you for putting this together with all the other ladies involved in it too, and of course to all those who participated! Can’t wait to catch up now!

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  3. So much great advice here – I’m almost embarrassed to say it but I don’t even know how to participate in a twitter chat so I’m happy you recapped the chat here!!

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  4. Thanks for the recap and for hosting the chat to begin with. The time difference was too far out to join in for me but it’s great to read through all of the comments together like this. Thanks for the advice that everyone gave. It’s great to have some blogging advice! 🙂

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  5. I’m so bummed I missed this but thanks for the synopsis! Great tips especially about being genuine and not all about the numbers. I’ve noticed that some of my favorite blogs have started to do way too many sponsored posts and giveaways. It’s a little annoying and I’ve stopped reading.

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  6. Thanks for recapping this, and it’s all so interesting. I really think writing half thought out comments should never classify as interacting with bloggers. It’s so obvious when some one hasn’t read the post and is trying to advertise their blog. That could go for any social media though. There is no “magic blog readership button”, it takes time, effort and a true passion.

    Also random but I’m in agreement with Lindsey E. I hate having 100 links in a post to begin with but if they don’t open up in new windows I get pretty irritated as well.

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  8. I really loved this topic. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of it but it was great to get a blend of bloggers in all points of their blogging start up. People were candid and honest which always makes the discussion that much more interesting. I had really no intention of joining it but it was hard not to once the discussion started. I actually got a ton from bloggers that I read daily which makes me realize I think we all can and should use those bloggers we love as our closest supports. I wish open conversations about blogging could happen more often.

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  10. Thanks for the recap Lindsay! And for hosting 🙂 I’m already putting what I learned to use. I can’t wait until chat #2!

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  12. Twitter Chats overwhelm me so I appreciate your recap!

    I could not value the point about sticking to one or two topics per post more! Some bloggers can pull off more but for the vast majority (myself included) that is a great rule of thumb I really need to stick to!

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  14. Thanks for this recap! I especially appreciate the mistake question because if you’re making a mistake or could be doing something more effectively on your blog you might not even realize it, unless someone specifically tells you (since it’s your space, you could be oblivious to the situation).

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  15. Thanks for the recap, Lindsay! And thanks again for hosting the chat. It was really interesting to hear other peoples’ opinions on what makes a good blog. One thing that stuck out to me in particular was the length of posts… I can definitely be guilty of writing way too much sometimes, and ain’t no one got time for that!

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  16. I loved the chat! I got some much good advice from everyone! The main thing that I struggle with is making time for everything and not being totally consumed by blogging! Its only a hobby! Thanks for all the good info!

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  20. Awesome recap! The TwitterChat was my first time participating in anything like this and it was awesome! I cannot wait for the next one!! I found so many amazing new blogs, so that was awesome! Also…didn’t even know you could be put into Twitter jail! Too funny 😀

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  24. I’m so thankful you guys hosted this chat!! It was my first time being involved in a twitter chat so it was a little intense and there was a lot to read, but I learned SO much and thought it was fun! I’m glad you’ll be doing another one 🙂
    Also, I had no idea you could get put into twitter jail?? kind of funny haha

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  26. I am sad I missed the twitter chat. I even had it in my phone as a reminder but since we are on the west coast it was dinner time for my son. 🙁 Thank you for the recap. I am a newbie blogger and will take all the advice you have given. I am always open to learning new things.
    Thank you again! I love you blog!

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  29. Thank you so much for sharing the archives. I would have loved to participate in this but had a traveling husband and two kids to manage at that hour. Such valuable insight to get from others. Are you planning to do another?

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  30. Fabulous resource Lindsay! I wish I’d been able to participate in the chat. You might want to check out ProBlogger’s most recent book. It had lots of great ideas for building a better blog, including many of those brought up in your chat!

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  31. I missed the chat the other night so I appreciate the recap! I especially agree that a blogger can have too many giveaways. I just start skipping over them if there are too many. I also liked hearing about how people make time for blogging. Thanks for posting the recap and hosting the chat!

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  34. This is awesome! As a new blogger, I welcome (and search out) any tips that more experienced bloggers have. I’m so glad you shared this for those of us who couldn’t participate yesterday – much appreciated!

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  36. Oh man I wish I had made it to this chat! I’m terrible with staying on a blogging schedule. I always post at the same time (middle of the night) but sometimes I just don’t have time to post. I’m hoping when I’m done with school that will get a little bit easier.

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  37. Such a great recap! I did my own recap as well because I just had so many great things to say about the chat, and I want to be able to go back and read some of the bloggers’ tips. I hope you all do another one soon! 🙂

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  39. I love this list. I can especially relate with the being REAL. too many times, bloggers are fake and pretend that their life is perfect. This is especially true with the fitness and compeition bloggers. They pretend they never cheat on their diet and never miss a workout!!!
    <3

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  42. I couldn’t make the Twitter Chat, but hopefully can attend the next one. This is all really great advice for a new blogger like me! Thank you so much for the recap!

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  45. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this! I was so sad about missing the chat, but I had a TRX and yoga class to do that night.
    You are the best! 🙂

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  47. I had a great time participating in the #BlogSmarter Twitter Chat! Thank you for posting this recap and helping moderate the chat. I look forward to the next one. Topics I’d like to see in the future would be about blogger safety, self hosting, and owning your own domain. 🙂

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  48. GREAT RECAP! Thank you!!!! I find the chats overwhelming at times trying to keep up – they move so fast. Lots of great advice!!!! As much as I like content, I do find longer posts hard to read – we don’t all have time to read & want to get to a few so.. yes, if you can get it into a shorter [post is helpful & I do love me some pics! 🙂

    Thank you again! A lot for me here!

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  51. Thank you for the recap! I wasn’t able to make the chat and appreciate being able to catch the highlights here without having to search through the party on Twitter 🙂

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  55. This is great Lindsay–thank you so much for the recap! It’s so interesting to see what other people think in terms of content and what’s important. Staying active on twitter is the hardest part for me–the whole thing gives me weird anxiety, and I have no idea why. I need to get into those programs that schedule the tweets for you!

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  56. This was really quite interesting. I appreciate you hosting it and doing a recap, especially since I’m not on Twitter (I’m following your other rule: don’t stretch yourself too thin when it comes to social media). I actually have a food blogging for dummies book, which I don’t have time to read between all the blogging and reading blogs, but I did start it, and they suggest 250 words should be the average post length. I have struggled hard with shortening my posts and usually don’t come close. I do try to break it all up with pictures and stay focused on the topic at hand (wait, what’s that…squirrel), but it’s just not my style. That being said, this reiterates it’s what the people want so thanks for the reminder and again putting all this together. I appreciate it.

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  58. This is AWESOME! Thank you for the thorough recap and two cents on each piece. Really great questions, and really great answers. Has me excited to get back in the game a bit more, once my degree is done. SOOOON

    But really, nice summary. I feel like I learned a lot and got motivated to blog better 🙂

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  60. You were an awesome co-moderator! What great and insightful learnings we all took away from such an impressive and thoughtful group of bloggers/soon-to-be bloggers! Thanks for doing such an amazing job at recapping this. I am definitely printing this one out and keeping it handy for sure. Can’t wait for the next chat!!!

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