Author: Barbara Swafford

When we start blogging, chances are we’ll find other bloggers who are sharing the same information we want to write about. Some may see these fellow bloggers as competition, whereas others see the similarity as motivation to be better. To be different. Sadly, some will be discouraged and not start… read more Just Do It

Since blogging basically has no rules, it’s time we stop believing it does. ~Barbara Swafford Before our first post is published, we’ve usually done enough homework to educate ourselves on blogging; from choosing our blogging platform (WordPress, Blogger, or other) to what we’re going to write about. In the process,… read more Who Says?

“What will I blog about?” is a question we ask ourselves when we think about setting up a blog. Some of us have a topic picked out, whereas others know they want a blog but have no topic in mind. Today’s Lesson Like magazines, some blogs contain a variety of… read more Blogs. Is One Enough?

Blogging can drive us crazy if we let it. We get one visitor, then we want two. One comment, sale or ad click leads to wanting more. Soon, more is never enough. Today’s Lesson There’s a lot of talk in the blogosphere about visitor counts, page rank, subscriber counts, followers,… read more Do It For The Fun Of It

Growing up, our parents taught my siblings and I the value of money. If we wanted candy or toys, we were taught we had to work for them, so we babysat, helped friends and relatives in their hay fields or gardens and little by little saved up for what we… read more Blogs. Treasures or Trash?

Sensationalism sells. Outrageous headlines. Unbelievable claims. Photoshopped pictures. All published in hopes of gaining attention, making money and/or other. And it works. Today’s Lesson Sensationalism can silence people, too. Look at these headlines: Student Photojournalists Arrested; What Are Their Rights? Governments Increasingly Targeting Twitter Users for Expressing Their Opinion Marine… read more Scared Silent

I recently watched a video named “Owned and Operated” on the Crackin Films site. In a nutshell, it’s a movie about how the world is changing and not necessarily for the better. The film goes on to show how we, as citizens can make a difference if we choose to…. read more You May Be Offended…

On a recent episode of “Celebrity Apprentice”, the task was to create a slogan and a display for Donald Trump’s new cologne, “Success”. Each team did a good job, however the team which lost had a poor slogan and failed to provide a “take-away” for the cologne campaign. The winning… read more Forget Me Not

If you spend time in the blogosphere, you’ll find many talented writers. Some bloggers are great word smiths. Some write posts which read like a book you can’t put down. Whereas others write so concise no word is wasted. Sadly, sometimes words are wasted. Wasted because some of our readers… read more Blog Readability – How Do You Score

A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today* I recently celebrated my five year blogging anniversary. I remember the days before I started blogging like it was yesterday. It’s been a wonderful journey; one I’m thrilled I took. Today’s Lesson Before I started blogging I didn’t know what… read more Don’t Be Sorry

Every time I write a post about comments and how to receive more, it becomes a popular one. The most recent one, Five Ways To Increase Blog Comments, is no exception. What this tells me is most bloggers WANT comments. Bloggers like to have their thoughts validated. Bloggers also like… read more They’re Just Not That Into Us

When you think about it, the internet and all that is shared on it is powerful. Mainstream media now has competition with alternative news sites, as do governments. People voice their opinions or share what they believe to be fact, whether it be in comments, on social networking sites, or… read more Make Up Your Own Mind

If you’re worried about competition in the blogosphere, the good news is, most blogs don’t make it past the first month or two. My guess is, many bloggers jump on the blogging bandwagon believing they’ll make a substantial amount of money in a short period of time and when that… read more Another One Bites The Dust

It’s often written, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.”. Just like in real life, how our blog is dressed, designed or decorated will tell a newcomer a little about us as well as what they can expect from our blog. First impressions can be lasting. First… read more The Key To Attracting Readers

Let’s face it, most people don’t even know what a blog is. They go online seeking information and if the site (website or blog) they land on gives them what they’re looking for, they’re happy. But, what happens if the site (blog) gives the wrong information? Today’s Lesson Like many… read more Warning: Reader Beware

In an earlier lesson we discussed how asking questions at the end of a blog post can possibly help us to gain more comments. By asking questions, we not only open the topic up for discussion, but we let our readers know we’re interested in their thoughts. And, if we… read more Start With a Question

Distractions are all around us. At this very moment while we’re reading this blog post and thinking of what we’ll say in our comment, little ones may be pulling at our shirt tails, begging asking for food or attention. The phone is ringing. Texts are coming in. Our email is… read more Can You Do It All, and Do It All Good?

“How dare them?” is what bloggers say when someone steals their content. Plagiarism is wrong. We all know it. But, are honest bloggers inadvertently stealing and sharing copyrighted images? Today’s Lesson Before joining Pinterest, one of the issues I read about was: are images being uploaded to Pinterest illegally? Questioning… read more Ignorance is Bliss. Or is it?

Until comments begin to show up, new bloggers often feel like they’re in an echo chamber – talking to themselves. For some blogs, it can take months before someone comments. For others, a matter of days. It’s when we feel what we’re sharing isn’t being read, we think of giving… read more 5 Ways To Increase Blog Comments

Blogging is like partaking in an individual sport. What attracts one person to blogging often differs from that which attracts the next. Not only are we attracted to blogging for different reasons, we also differ in what we blog about (our niche). Today’s Lesson When I started blogging, I was… read more Did You Pick It or Did It Pick You

“Pass it on” is the final assignment in the ebook I read over the weekend. The book, “The Flinch”,written by author and blogger, Julien Smith is a free download from Amazon. To complete the assignment, I am passing it onto YOU. Today’s Lesson My blogger friend Davina told me about… read more Why Learning Blogging From Others May Not Be Our Best Choice

Have you ever noticed how much fake stuff there is? In the real world we see fake Rolex’s and other knock-offs. There are also fake breasts, fingernails, hair, eye lashes, tattoos, fake foods engineered to (sort of) taste like the real thing, fake weather conditions including snow and the list… read more Are They Fake?

With the onset of a new year many people decide to start fresh. Some will restart those goals which were never met in years past, whereas others vow to make the new year the best it can be. With blogging, making New Year’s resolutions isn’t a bad idea either. Today’s… read more Everything Old is New

“Should I start a blog?” That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? “Should I start a blog?” is what all bloggers asked themselves prior to blogging and ultimately they all answered, “Yes!”. For some it worked out. For others, not. Today’s Lesson In the comment section of the “Park it, Leave… read more Advising Wannabe Bloggers

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of blogs come and go. I’m not surprised, considering how most blogs don’t make it past the first few months. That said, the question becomes, “What’s the best way to put a blog to rest?” Today’s Lesson When I click on the links… read more Park it, Leave it, or Say “Good-Bye”

After you’ve blogged for awhile, you realize there’s more to blogging than just writing. There’s behind the scenes maintenance; a task some of us would rather forget about. Today’s Lesson Over the past few weeks, I learned two great lessons. If my blogs load slow, chances are, I haven’t done… read more Taking Responsibility

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” ~Edward Bulwer-Lytton Nowadays, this quote has been changed to “The keyboard is more powerful than a gun. “, which to me means, some of the words which are posted online (or in texts and emails), can, in some instances, hurt another person so… read more Killer Words

For the new blogger, receiving a comment can be a memorable experience. We feel validated. We’re excited our blog got found. Unfortunately, some of those comments which make us so happy, can be spam. In the past, spam comments were easy to spot. They were usually comments filled with links… read more You Like Me. You Like Me.

If you were to bet a blog would make it, chances are you’d lose. The life of most blogs is short. Some claim 95% of blogs fail. If the only reason someone starts a blog is to make money online, I can understand why they quickly give up. But, aside… read more Why Bloggers Keep Blogging Against The Odds

Closing comments on a blog can be a huge decision for any blog author. With the closing of comments comes the death of the community which was previously built on a blog; community which may have taken years to amass. It would be extremely difficult for me to say “good… read more Why I’m Closing Comments