Keeping Up In The Blogosphere

Social media sure has come a long way! I remember when we had dial-up Internet and our original email address. I was NOT one of the first ones on Facebook. I'm just getting into Instagram now and while I signed up for Twitter, I must admit I have yet to "tweet" anything or even check back in on that account.

I started my family blog a few years ago, and started this fitness blog last year. It wasn't until I was blogging myself, that I actually started to read other blogs. Now I really enjoy all the blogs out there ... but I struggle with keeping up with them. I'm not sure of the best way to follow everyone.

Over in my sidebar, I keep a list of many of the blogs I follow. I have it set up so that those updated most recently are at the top. I do check in regularly and that works pretty well for me, but it is easy to miss posts.

I have signed up to follow several blogs with Bloglovin, and I do like the daily digest sent via email. It makes it easy to check in on these blogs on my iphone ... easy to read the blogs, but not easy to comment. I always have to wait until I'm back on my computer to comment, and although I have good intentions, that doesn't always happen. Bloglovin also makes it difficult to grab the actual URL (if I want to link to a specific post or something).

I've looked into a couple other apps to help me keep up ... the RSS reader is pretty good, but a little hard to set up. I have to input the URLS manually on my iphone. I discovered digg recently, and I quite like it, both the app and web version. It's nice to be able to organize the blogs into categories ... which I then realized I could do on Bloglovin as well.

I set up a "Fitness Facebook" profile, so that I wouldn't overwhelm any family or friends with my fitness posts unless they actually signed up for that. I suppose I should have set up a "page" ... but this works for me I guess. I use this profile to follow all the health/fitness pages on Facebook too. I have an Instagram account and set up my GooglePlus profile ... although I must admit I'm still not sure exactly how that works.  I've tried to make me and my blog easy to follow if one wants ... but I'm still not sure I'm implementing all I could or should. 

So just a question for all of you ... what ways have you found to follow everyone out there?

Blog Hops and Link Ups

I started my blog about a year ago. I really have no interest in becoming a high-profile blogger. I'm not doing this to earn an income, endorsements or recognition. It's really just for me. That being said, it IS still nice to have someone reading and get a little feedback.  Blog hops and link ups are a great way for a new (or even established) blogger to get their name out a bit, and to find new friends and blogs with similar interests. I'm quite the blog hopper myself. I keep a link-up list here on the blog, and keep a Pinterest board to help me keep track.

I'd been a pretty active contributor in the Motivation Monday link-up, and a few months ago, when Wendy said she was looking for some new co-hosts, I told her I was interested. It's been fun to be on the hosting side of a blog hop, as well as just a participant. 

I've been thinking about blog hops ... what makes it successful. I found a couple blog posts with tips and recommendations (here & here).  I've been thinking about what I like when it comes to a blog hop ... and I've love to know what others think too!

• Consistency: I don't know about you, but after participating in a blog hop for a while, I come to expect it to be there *Ü*  I am disappointed if I have MY blog ready and then I go to link up and the blog hop isn't there that week. Has that ever happened to you?
• Theme: I go back and forth on whether I like there to be a specific theme. On one hand, a theme can serve as a writer's prompt, pushing me to write something I might not have otherwise. I do know, if there IS a theme, I do like to know about it in advance so I can be thinking about my post, and not writing it that day. Did you like it when our Motivation Monday's had a theme, or do you prefer just the general link up? Did the list of themes ever inspire you to write something not originally planned?
• Links: Blog hops will generally show as simple links, or photo image squares. I DO like the picture option, it makes it a bit more personable. As a host however ... the picture option does generally carry a charge with it, and it does add more length to the original blog post each time (it can look a bit cluttered). What is your preference?
• Duration: Most blog hops run for about a week, but I've come across some that only go for a day or so. Often times I've taken the time to write up my blog post, then I go to link up only to find it has closed. 
• Linking Back: I normally always try to link back to the blog host on my post. I know some blog hops actually require this (you're link will not be accepted unless there is a link-back present). I will also really try to follow the request to check out (and comment) on a few of the other blogs in the link up. I actually think commenting on the other blogs will make the connections more than just posting your own link.

Those are some of the items that impact MY participation in blog hops. I do like where there are multiple hosts, as that does help spread the info about the blog hop a little more. Some blog hops will showcase a link or two from the previous week ... I like that! Having a clever name, and a cute button can impact participation too I think! I do take notice when the blog hostess takes the time to come and comment, although I know that can be a practical impossibility with some of the larger ones!

There are so many blog hops out there ... sometimes I will link up for more than one on a single post. Do you have any thoughts on that? Is that considered bad etiquette? 

Blog hops definitely motivate me to blog more ... and as I'm blogging about a healthy lifestyle, I like to think that they help motivate me there too, simply so I will have something to write about! What about you? Do you participate in blog hops and link-ups? Why or why not? What draws you to a link up? What don't you like?  Leave a comment telling me ... and if you'd like, link up with the Motivation Monday team in our blog hop each Monday and get motivated!

Tiffany/Morgan/Wendy/Alisha/Betty
JenB/Brandi/Jen/Gwen /Theresa

The link-up entry is below, but going along with this topic, I thought I'd recap my weekend and linkup with Marvelous In My Monday,  Move it Monday and Motivational Monday.

• Friday was actually pretty good, even with late start at the middle school and early out at the elementary I got in pretty good steps ... this was mostly because of an impromptu treadmill 5k. I plan on writing a little more about that on Workout Wednesday, as it's pretty monumental and I think it deserves it's own post! *Ü* I spend the evening at a basketball game for #3 where the kids were on fire and hitting three pointers all night long!
• Saturday started with a growling tummy. I had really controlled calories Friday and my stomach was complaining! Hubby just looked at me and asked "what exactly is going on over there?" It was a busy day, we had five basketball games and one soccer game (overlapping, so I attended two basketball games, Daddy handled the soccer and #2 hitched a ride to his double header). TOM hit and I went to bed early. Like 8:30 early.
• Sunday we had some family activities, went up to my brother's house. I resisted the treats there but still overindulged in hubby's delicious BBQ that evening. I took a rest day ... didn't even get to 4000 steps on my pedometer!

I'm usually really good on Mondays, motivated and ready to get back at it. I'm feeling quite sluggish today though. It's cold and dreary outside and that doesn't help. Hopefully I'll shake it off, I need to as the weight IS up after the weekend.As always, you can keep up with my daily activities in my Day to Day Doings. I am trying to stay current!

Blogging on the Brain

A bit of a Throwback Thursday post today. Several years ago, I was a "scrapbooker". Yes, one of those obsessed crafty mommy's making pages with her kids pictures. It went beyond just a hobby, as I pursued publication in the various magazines, entered contests, taught classes and worked on design teams. At one point, it even became a full time job. I was managing editor for the Fun With Photos Memories and More project (a collaboration from IMP and Creating Keepsakes, I was working for Creating Keepsakes).  We were using mostly previously published stuff; re-organized for direct mail presentation. But there was a lot of original artwork as well (the page featured above is one of mine).  You can see more of my pages in my online album.

I think I scrapbooked myself out.

I still have a room FULL of supplies (cardstock, stickers, adhesive, trimmers ... seriously, everything you could imagine!) but other than the occasional poster for the kids school or handmade card, I haven't done much in years. The poor little one (will be turning eight this year) doesn't have a scrapbook page to his name. I did start a family blog a few years ago. That is now my way of keeping up with all the photos and journaling.

Why am I bringing this up on my fitness blog?

Back when I was scrapbooking, my head would almost always be filled with "pages in progress" ... ideas to feature a picture or a product. Sometimes "scrapbook brain" would keep me awake at night. My mind was always turning toward ways of preserving my memories on a page.

As fitness and getting to goal weight has become my passion, my thoughts are often on a variety of related topics. As I started this blog, I often have "blogger's brain" ... new experiences, products, interesting articles, I'll think "that could make an interesting blog post".  The trouble is finding the time to get them from my head to the page (just like it was when I was scrapbooking). I plan on doing a post about my experience with my heart rate monitor, about going back to music for my mile jog, about shoes, about my weight workout ... some things I think I will remember, but experience has shown are so easy to forget.  It's one thing I regretted with my original weight loss ... I didn't have anything documented. This time, I wanted to record it all every step of the way.

Ironically ... back as I was working on the project above, we had several categories we were creating cards for. One of those was "Life's Milestones".  We so wanted a "weight loss success" scrapbook page or mini album to feature. In all my resources (all published magazines and books to date) there wasn't one! Often, when we were lacking a page for a specific topic, I'd go ahead and commission it or create it myself. But at that point in my life, I had not had any weight loss success and I honestly didn't think I personally ever would.

That would be an easy scrapbook page to create now. 

I could create an entire album. 

But that IS my blog, and it's still in progress.

Link-Ups also inspire me to different topics or posts I might not have thought about on my own. Very similar to assignments for certain scrapbook pages in the past.  I do consider my blog an NSV for me. Linking up with Kristen (who posted about blogging yesterday *Ü*).  Also check out Feed Me I'm Cranky's blog post You Know You're a Blogger When ...