On Tap: Mrs. Robinson ~ Favricons

Don't panic, it's just me!  

Mrs. Robinson from My New Wife Life.  :)    For those of you who aren't familiar with me or my blog, I'm sort of a newbie to the scene.  I started blogging last October and it has been one big learning experience ever since!  I'd love to share the latest little thing I learned.



Do you know what a Favricon is?  I'm assuming the word is a cross between favorite and icon.  So that when people "favorite" your blog, they can easily find it later by looking for your "icon."  If you still aren't familiar with them, look up at the top of your screen.  You might see something similar to this:  

Look closely at the Blogger tab...

See the orange square with the white "B?"  That's a Favricon!  And unless you customize your's, it'll be an orange square with a white "B."  I just know you want to stand out from the other bloggers and have a Favricon all your own!  And I'm here to tell you how.  It's very simple!  :)

First, you need to figure out what you want to use as your Favricon.  Keep in mind, picture's will be really hard to see.  I used a "R" for "Robinson" on mine, and made the colors match my blog layout.



Cool, right?  Duh.  Now, how to make your own!  {These steps are for the new interface.}

Log into blogger and into your dashboard.  

-Select "Layout" from the left sidebar.

--In the layout-edit-window, you'll see the Favricon box in the top left corner!  Hooray!  You found it!  Congratulations!! =)  Now, comes the annoying part.  :)  

---Click "Edit" and it's time to upload a photo.  The thing is, though, the picture has to be less than 100 KB and it has to be a perfect square.  There are many different ways to do this... I'll give you a few ideas.  Since I'm new here and want to make a good impression, though.  Don't expect it all the time or anything .  ;)

-You can probably use Photoshop if you have it.  This is a complete assumption since I have no such program.  :)

-You can use a word processing program because they have nifty rules on the sides.  Size the image to a perfect square, copy & paste into "paint" to save as a JPG image.

-Or use a free photo-editing site like Pixlr or Photobucket.

Then upload the image.  Make sure you click "Save Arrangement" before leaving the page.  Now, my new Favricon took about a day to show up, so don't lose hope if you don't see the change right away!  You'll stand out from the blogging crowd in no time...all you've got to do is take the first step.  :)  Thanks for reading!

What do you do to stand out from the other blogs? 

On Tap: The Merry Mrs. Mobley

Meet Lauren, the sweet and merry Mrs. Mobley.  She's going to talk to us about what to expect when you start blogging.  This post is perfect for newby-bloggers and it's something even us ol' veterans can laugh about.  Enjoy!     

Why do you blog? I think it’s important to ask yourself this on a semi-regular occasion. Do you blog for fun? Do you blog for friends? Do you blog to memorialize? Do you blog for money? Whatever your reason, it’s essential you figure it out and go with it. Why does it matter? Well, depending on your reason you could go in many different directions.

I started blogging as an outlet while my husband was working states away for a few months. It was a great way for me to connect with people to combat the loneliness and to keep him informed about what was going on in our neck of the woods. I kept it up, and actually took it to the next level, when he returned. It would have been very easy for me to stop since my original reasoning seemed to have been fulfilled, but I realized how much I enjoyed it. I was able to morph my blog as I grew as a blogger. A few tips to keep in mind as you get started:

*Domain Name*

Pick a domain name that you are confident in. This is how people are going to find your blog, so keep it simple. Also make it something you will still like years down the road. Be sure it is something that you can stick with!

*A Host*

Along the lines of your domain name, choose a host you can see yourself with for the long haul. I chose Blogger because it was through Google (I love me some Google) and seemed like even a computer dummy (moi) could figure it out. I liked the templates and the troubleshooting help that was available for beginners. I have friends who use others, but this is what worked best for me.

*Friends*

Your IRL (In Real Life) friends are probably going to think you’re crazy when you talk about your blog friends, be prepared for this. Your significant other is probably going to be a little scared for you when you say you’re going to a blogger meet-up, be prepared for this. You are going to feel closer to some of your blogging friends than some of your IRL friends, be prepared for this. We live in a very digital world that offers us many opportunities to connect with people just like us. What more could you ask for? Just be sure to be safe in all that you do!

*Exposure*

Along the lines of friendship, be careful in what you expose to the world. No matter what your profession is you want to be careful in what you share with the world. The minute you hit that “publish” button, you are welcoming the whole world in your home. It’s different than Twitter and Facebook, where you have to “confirm” friendships and followers. In the blogging world anyone and everyone can see what you have to say.

*Criticism*

Be prepared for criticism. The minute you post about something, be prepared for everyone and their cousin to think they are the expert you are searching for on this topic. In my experience I’ve found that people are mostly nice, but not everyone can say the same thing. Just know that there are meanies out there who are looking for the next opportunity share their “expertise”.

I am only scratching the surface on where to begin, but I’d be happy to answer any additional questions you may have on my blog, the merry mrs. mobley!

On Tap: Holly from These are the Moments

Hey there blog tappers! My name is Holly and I blog over at These are the Moments .

 I started blogging a few years ago just about daily ramblings. My blog really took off when I got engaged on 02/06/2011.  I consider myself a lifestyle blogger. I believe in sharing my daily rambles, my wedding planning, and everything in between. I have met some amazing gals in the process and look forward to meeting even more as I go through this journey of life I'm on :) My groom and I are set to be married September 1, 2012. We have been together since 2002 and REALLY can't wait for our BIG day to finally be here :) This has been a long time coming and I am so excited/happy/honored/everything in between to be marrying my best friend.  

such a STUD.

With the beautiful thought of a happy marriage, a gorgeous family, and having it "all", I sometimes find myself consumed in fears.

Do I want my fears to consume my happiness...absolutely not...but do fears cross my mind, definitely yes.

I am always such a positive person, one who always has a smile, one who can make anyone feel better, one who is confident about life. But when it comes to the stuff that weighs heaviest on my heart, I get weak, I question myself, and I doubt.

My biggest fear is not being the wife I want to be. I love my groom more than anything, but in a non-perfect world, I strive for perfection while beating myself up in the process. I have never in my life been self conscious, but I question "Can I really make this man fall in love with me over and over again for the rest of our lives?" You see my fear comes from my own life experience. I come from a divorced family. My parents were divorced when I was a very young gal, I have had emotional sad moments in my life that have defined me know matter how hard I have tried for them not too. The word divorce scares me, I have such a fear of it. In fact before I even met Mike I questioned if I ever wanted to get married because of what I had been through. BUT to answer everything I have just said, no matter how deep the scars cut or how much fear this gives me, I can only TRY to be the best wife I can be, to LOVE as hard as I can, and to know, NOTHING in this world is perfect.

Source: tumblr.com via Holly on Pinterest

Besides the D word, my second biggest fear is not being able to have the family I have imagined. Like the marriage part, it wasn't until I met Mike that I knew for a fact I wanted to have a family. These last 6 months baby fever has hit an all time HIGH. It doesn't help that pinterest has the cutest stuff for babes. But between the cute outfits, the photo shoots, the nurseries, what if one who deserves and longs for a baby, cant have one. I have had my fair share of medical history/diagnosis. One time even being told it would take work to get pregnant. Work as in Dr visits, testings, yada yada. Well since that day I have been terrified. What if it doesn't happen for us? What if we don't have the extra money to help us out? What if, what if, what if....

My answer to this is simple. Prayer.

I'm a believer. I know if its meant to be it will be. And I know, no matter how big this fear is, I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

Source: tumblr.com via Holly on Pinterest

So there ya have it blog tappers, and honest and raw look at some deep fears.

Nothing is impossible, and I'm a firm believer in that.

I'm made of hope, love, faith, and happiness. That beats fear any day! :)

Thank you all for reading.

CHEERS!

A New Face on The Blog Tap

Hey.  :)  I'm Mrs. Robinson.

My blog is My New Wife Life.  My blog is about a little of everything, but I hear what set's it apart from all the other blogs is my honesty.  :)  I married my man on 09.10.11 and while we are in the honeymoon phase, things aren't always perfect and I don't pretend like they are.  Like I said, I am Mrs. Robinson.  I keep my first name private for security reasons, much like Digger.  Things you might want to know about me....well, I'm 23 years old.  We live in, and are from, South Carolina.  We have a Chihuahua named Zombie who is as close to a child as we want, at least for now.  We are both Christians and love the Lord, and even though we are members of a Southern Baptist church I wouldn't consider us to be conventional.  :)  My husband has 12 tattoos and I have 5, so we're some of "those people."  I like to make people laugh.  Lately I've been trying to make my body healthy.  We're quirky.  Oh, and you can't forget about whirlwind romance.  Met, dated, got engaged, and got married all in under a year.  I guess that scratches the surface.  :)  

I'll be helping out here, on The Blog Tap, for a while.  Lauren recruited me and I'd do anything for her, so here I am.  :)  Putting The Blog Tap on Pinterest was my idea..and hopefully we can catalog some blogging tips, blog designers, link parties, etc.  It's the only idea I've had so far, so we'll see how it goes.  Yesterday, we linked up with The Vintage Apple's weekly pinning party.  Check out the post if you missed it.  Anyway, I'm happy to be here!  We've got some really great guest posts coming up this week, so keep an eye out.   

If you are interested in being featured on The Blog Tap, let us know!  E-mail theblogtap(at)gmail(dot)com, we'd love to have you share some blogging tips with us.  Have a great day!      

Oh, How Pinteresting

I'm sure that most of you know about the legendary link-up hosted by Michelle at The Vintage Apple.

It seems like there is an abundance of lifestyle pins - you can find delicious recipes, stunning dream houses, romantic wedding photography, and darling baby announcements all in one place.  The Blog Tap has joined Pinterest!  We've decided to start linking up on Wednesday's and show-casing some of our favorite blogging pins!  If you've never participated in a linky-party before, try it out.  It's a great way to grow your blog and make new friends.  Now, for some of our favorite pins!  {Make sure you click on the pins to view some posts that will help improve your blogging experience.}


What to do when Picnik closes tomorrow....

Source: theblogtap.blogspot.com via The Blog on Pinterest

The Basic Rules of Blog Design

Source

What Emmy Learned in 60 Days of Blogging

Source: emmyjuneborninmay.blogspot.com.au via The Blog on Pinterest

Blogger Pet Peeves

Source: pricelessadventure.com via The Blog on Pinterest

Here are two of the blog designers you can find at The Blog Tap.

Source: digdeeperdesign.blogspot.com via The Blog on Pinterest

Source: wtfarmywife.blogspot.com via The Blog on Pinterest

Thanks for looking!  If you are interested in being featured on The Blog Tap or if you're interested in advertising your design business here, contact us.  And don't forget to find us on Pinterest!

On Tap: Emily -- Emmy June (part two)

We are back today with more fabulous blogging advice from Emily  over at Emmy June (Born in May). There is no doubt this woman is quite savvy and knowledgeable when it comes to this blogging business. A real natural at it if you ask me. But you weren't asking me, were you? So go ahead and read the following information and have your mind blown. And then swing by and say hi to her on her blog when you're done here. Be sure to check out her travel section of her blog. She features bloggers who share their exotic and exciting vacations. Pretty sweet sizzle. 


Take it away, Emily...

I'm back with more blogging advice.  {I can feel the excitement in the air!}
First off, let me say the response to my first installment was uh-mazing.  It warmed my heart to get so many comments from bloggers saying that the advice helped them.  I know, I know, I'm a nerd.  I embrace it.

Without further ado, I give you Part II.

Sponsorship
So you want to grow your followers?  Paying to sponsor a big blog can be a nice way to do this in an expedited fashion.  Of course, there are free ways of doing this too, which I'll discuss in a moment.  If you want to do a paid sponsorship, here's what to consider:

1.) Does the blogger's content and writing style gel with yours?
2.) How has the blogger promoted sponsors in the past?  {go read old posts....if you were one of those sponsors, would you like the way you were presented?}
3.) Check out the usual stats {either provided on their "Sponsor" page or provided when you email them for sponsorship details.}  How many followers?  How many pageviews?  What size ads?  How much money?
4.) Does the blogger rotate the ads throughout the month for maximum exposure?
5.) Does the blogger tweet about sponsors or offer guest posts or hosted giveaways?
6.) Contact a current sponsor of the blog you're considering.  Ask them if they are happy with the experience and how many followers they gained.

My two cents: I would rather pay slightly more money to have a solo guest feature.  If I'm paying, I'd rather not share the spotlight.  Secondly, the best bloggers will never use the word 'sponsor' in their posts. When you read blogs that say "check out my lovely March sponsors", that translates in blogger language to "you can skip this post where I tell you how awesome the people are who paid me money."  {I see this a lot and I'm not being a hater; however I do believe that the very best bloggers promote their sponsors in a "check out this blog I love to read" kind of way instead.}

Also, sponsorship is not a silver bullet.  If your blog design is bad or you don't put time & effort into the introduction you provide the blogger, all the money in the world won't buy you new followers.  I also see some poorly designed buttons out there.  Why pay money to place a blah-button on someone's site? Invest in the basics first.

Guest Posting
This is an awesome way to meet new readers, and is mutually beneficial to both bloggers.  Even better? It's free!  Many bloggers have weekly series {such as my Tuesday Travel Diaries </end shameless plug>} for guest bloggers.  Otherwise, contact a blog buddy of yours and suggest that you blog swap for a day.  Your readers will follow you to your guest post, and the blog's regular readers will get a nice introduction to you and your writing.  It's a win-win.
{I also have a bit of a rant about guest post etiquette that I'm stewing on.  Coming soon...haha!}

Link-Ups
Another wonderful, free way to meet new bloggers.  There are link-ups galore around the blogosphere. However, a word of caution...it's easy to go overboard on these.  Yes, they are easy because the post is somewhat prompted and it's a nice way for your blog to be discovered.  The trap is that it can be difficult to make the content compelling.  Take a look at your Top 5 favorite blogs.  How many link-ups do they participate in each week?  I'm willing to bet the answer is zero to one.  Many big bloggers host a link-up, but it's rare to find them linking-up very often.    The reason goes back to creating unique, compelling content.

When you do a link-up, try to weave it into your post.  Your goal should be that your reader doesn't even know it's a link-up until you spill the beans at the end.

My favorite link-ups:
Ashley @ Aventures of Newlyweds hosts "Friday Letters"
Heather @ Undercover Blonde hosts "Book Club Friday"
{And, yes, all the good link-ups are on Fridays.  Oh, the dilemmas!}

Creative Content//Working Ahead
Jenni from Story of My Life recently attended a blogger conference.  She came back with this gem:

“People respond to original content.” –Camille, Camille Styles (Jenni’s note: this is one of the #1 most important things to understand if you want to grow your blog!  Curating content is gathering pictures/inspiration from around the web and compiling it on your blog. But people truly do respond best to original content, created by YOU, photographed by you, and with your own personality inserted!)


I agree with that statement 1,000%.  It's the reason I love my favorite blogs.  Strive for that!  The number one tip I can recommend to help with creative content is working ahead.  As soon as you feel the obligation to blog, you'll lose your desire.  And if you force it?  The content will suffer.  Write when you feel inspired.  The best bloggers do this.  They write several posts at a time, when they are feeling creative.  They have their posts scheduled 5-10 days in advance.  This gives them time to write, re-read, and edit.  But most importantly, it gives them freedom.  Let's face it--there are going to be days when you don't feel like blogging.  And the best thing to do on those days?  Don't blog.  If you work ahead, then you can honor your creativity, and avoid apathy.  

Labels
You might think the "Labels" section under your 'Post Settings' is just for you, as a way to categorize your content.  Or you might think it's just to make your label cloud look cool.  Well, you're wrong on both accounts.  Labels are the things that tell Google's search engines what your post is about.  Hence, they are an important way to drive traffic to your website.  Use them!  Single words are typically best.  Try to add at least three labels to every post.

Internal Links
These are another item that Google search engine's love.  Without going overboard, it's good to link to other parts of your blog, within your posts.  For example, at the top of this post, I linked back to 'Part I'.  I cannot tell you exactly why Google loves internal linking so much, but they do.  So use it to your advantage, when you can.


I really hope this blogging advice is helpful!  Clearly, I'm no expert, but I have done my research.


What advice would you give to bloggers?

On Tap: Emily -- Emmy June (Born In May)

Have you ever read a good book and loved it so much that you read it again? Maybe it was Hunger Games. Or Harry Potter. For me it was Gone With The Wind (a real classic, yo!). Well I have similar feelings about certain blog posts. Not only do I think that they need to be read twice (or more!), but also posted more than once. That's the case with today's guest post from Emily at Emmy June (Born In May). And I am clearly a dyslexic of sorts because up until recently I kept calling her Emmy May (Born in June). Oy. But seriously, when Emily published the following post I knew that I had to ask her permission to re-post it here. The following is filled with a wealth of knowledge and insight into her first sixty days as a blogger. And the girl is so spot on with all of it. Please take the time to read it. And when you're done stop over and visit her fabulous blog. You're gonna love her just as much as I do.

Anyone who's ever started a blog knows that you learn a lot in the first few months.  In fact, you might look back later in your blogging career and laugh at your former self.

"Did I really think that design looked good?!?"
"How did I not know about turning off word verification?"
"I cannot believe I used to spam everyone's blog begging them to Follow Me!"

For the sake of shared learnings, I'd like to document what I've learned in my first 60 days of blogging.

Blog Design
The new blogger may not be ready to fork out hard earned cash for a professional blog design.  I get that!  However, that's no excuse for an unsightly blog.

Readers will judge you based on your blog design.  It will either tell them 1) "I treat my blog in a professional way," or 2) "this is just a little hobby for me and I couldn't be bothered to spruce it up."  You might be the best writer in the world, but if your blog design is bad, people will not stick around to find out.  {And seriously, if you have music that auto-plays on your blog, you will never, ever make a single blog friend.}

So, what to do?  If you want to go the DIY route, I recommend checking out Becky's how-to guide for blog design.  It is very simple and geared toward total beginners.  {Please note the instructions are specifically for Blogger blogs.}

There are a million and one tutorials out there if you have the patience to seek them out and follow them.  For me, it made more sense to invest a {relatively} small amount of money to get a professional design.  Yes, it felt silly spending money on my blog.  But I rationalized it because I frivolously spend money on eating out, going to movies, etc. on a regular basis, and never see that money again.  At least with a blog design, I'll have it for awhile.

What I did not know is that most of the popular blog designers have a wait list.  As in, you might have to wait over a month before they begin working on your blog!  So make the decision right away, knowing you'll have to be patient.

How to choose a blog designer?  Check out some of your favorite blogs.  Almost all of them will have a graphic & link somewhere, crediting the designer.  You can follow the link to explore their prices and packages.

Setting to change, like yesterday!
Connect your E-mail
If your email address is not connected to your blog, you need to change that asap!
Otherwise, you will never receive a response to comments you leave {sad face.}

Log into your dashboard>> click edit profile>> click on privacy>> check the box that says "show my e-mail". DONE.

If your word verification is on, you need to turn it off, NOW!  Bloggers hate that crap.  They go to leave you a comment, and have to type in a nonsensical, barely readable word.  It won't take long before they abandon the comment, and your blog.  ***The thing about this is that you might not know it's on.***  So unless you're 1,000% sure, check your settings.

Here's how you turn off word verification:
1.) Click on the gear icon under your profile picture on your dashboard page, and select "Old Blogger Interface."
2.) Then go to the "Settings" page and click on the "Comment" link under the tabs. 
3.) Where you see "Show Word Verification", select NO.
4.) To get back to the newer interface, there is a link in the upper right hand corner on the older dashboard page.

I follow at least 10 blogs that have word verification on.
I'm not gonna name names...
Oh who am I kidding?
I am going to name some names.
But it's only because I love you {and I hate captcha.}

Kate @ Daffodil's
CaitEmma @ Linen & Leaves
Julie Marie @ The Funny Thing of it Is

{Okay, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.  Girls, I love you.  I want to comment on your blogs.  But please, for the love of God, turn off the word verification! And please forgive me for the public call-out.}

Comment Settings
On your own blog, the following settings are most important:
1) Turn off word verification.  Are you noticing a theme?
2) Change the setting so your comment box pops up in a separate window.  Many bloggers spend a lot of time reading blogs and commenting.  The pop-up window reduces time and hassle for readers who want to leave a comment.  They will never have to leave your main page, and will appreciate it!
{Optional} If you want threaded comments, here's how to do it.  I don't recommend it, for various reasons that I will happily explain via E-mail, but I'm showing you how nonetheless.


Button Making & Swapping
Button swapping is a great way to make blog friends and attract readers.  As you find other blogs that are similar to yours (lifestyle vs mommy vs DIY vs fashion, etc.), they will likely have a page titled "Sponsor."  Read further to see if a) they are doing free button swaps, b) what size button they request, and c) how long they will swap for {some bloggers do a perma-swap, while others make you email each month to keep it going.}  If it's a blog with more than 500 friends on Google Friend Connect, it's likely that they will charge money for sponsorship, so finding smaller blogs is key.

If you don't know how to make a button, here's an easy tutorial.  Also, once you have your photo edited, you can use THIS easy button generator to get the code.  Try your best to create a button that will be eye-catching and draw readers' attention.  Often, a picture of yourself with your blog title works best.

Making Blog Friends
This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Whether you know it or not, making blog friends will become the most important reason that you blog.  It's seriously amazing how many great, smart, funny women are in the blog world!  Trust me, you want to get to know them.

Follow
Follow lots of blogs.  You can refine as you go, but at the beginning, start following and reading many blogs.  It will help you develop your own voice as a writer, give you ideas, and help you make friends.

Leave a trail
Leave tons of comments.  Comment, comment, comment.  However, a word of caution.  Mean what you say when you leave a comment.  Try to show that you read the post and make a connection with the blogger.  Secondly, don't leave a link to your blog in your comment.  People know how to find your blog, but many won't go to your blog if you're constantly leaving links for it everywhere.  Childish?  Maybe so, but I didn't make the rules ;)

Size Matters
You'll naturally fantasize about starting a blog and immediately becoming BFF's with the Big Baddies {as Debbie Jo calls them.}  You'll think, "I'm going to leave the wittiest comment of all and they'll immediately start following my blog and the rest is history."  The reality is-- you may not even receive a response.  Over one-thousand people follow the Big Baddies.  And guess what?  They formed most of their strong blog friendships when they were getting started.

So what's the lesson in all this?  Follow the Big Baddies because they are awesome and you'll get enjoyment and inspiration from them.  However, try to make blog friends with smaller bloggers.  I promise, it will be more fulfilling.  And it will be fun to watch your blogs grow together!  Then someday y'all will have millions of followers, but your inner-circle will still be the bloggers you met when you were getting started.

Answer Every, Single Comment
If someone finds your blog and takes the time to leave a comment--ANSWER IT!  The best relationships will be formed via E-mail.  They will start with a single comment, and blossom into an E-mail exchange.  From there, you'll be sharing stories, personal details, and advice!  But you'll never get this opportunity if you don't respond to comments.

Street Cred
And if you don't believe me, check out the blog advice from these amazing ladies:
Jenni @ Story of My Life
Michelle @ Vintage Apple
Mrs Monologues
Debbie Jo
Kristen @ Confessions of a GDS


To Be Continued...
So as it turns out, I have a lot of unsolicited advice.  Shocker!  I seriously need to work on that.  I'm pretty sure no one likes unsolicited advice.  But in this case, I'm saving more for later {ha!}


What's your best blog advice?