Author: Barbara Swafford

I love to visit other blogs. I like to see the themes, read the posts, watch how others handle comments, and learn more about the author. Today’s Lesson When I started blogging, I read that we should “copy” what the successful bloggers are doing….”learn from those who came before us”…. read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson Eight

When we start a blog, we’re pretty excited about it. We tell our friends and family, and they may or may not give us a nod of approval, an “atta boy”, or “way to go, girl”. Today’s Lesson When I started blogging, those in my inner circle asked, “What’s a… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson Seven

Blogging helps us to share information with the world. With hands perched on the keyboard, we wait for the words to travel from our heads, to the screen, via our fingertips. Like magic, they appear. Upon completing our “story for the day”, we hit publish and send our thoughts, opinions… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson Six

Anyone who has been following my New Blog Of The Week (NBOTW) series, knows I started this feature as a way to pay it forward. Shilpan, who held the title from 4/15 to 4/21/08 has paid it forward by nominating a favorite blog of his. This blogger is another non-traditional… read more Midlife Motivates NBOTW To Share

Blogging can eat up a lot of time. Today’s Lesson When I first started blogging, most of my time was spent on researching, writing and publishing. Being technologically challenged, the rest of my free time was spent learning “blogging language”, techniques, and behind the scenes maintenance (e.g. adding/removing plugins, html,… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson Five

Like a roller coaster ride at a carnival, checking our blog statistics can take us on highs, lows, twists, turns, make us come to a screeching halt, and even turn our life upside down. But with blogging, in order to know if we’re “being found”, or to find out if… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson 4

You’ll often read, “blogging is easy”. And, in some aspects it is. But to be successful with blogging, it takes a little more energy than just writing and hitting the publish button. Today’s Lesson I tried to fight it. I really didn’t want to learn it. But I realized early… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson 3

When you first start blogging, you really don’t know if someone hears/reads your words. You write and write, but no one shows up. Your statistics are improving, but no one is commenting. You borrow the line from the movie Field of Dreams , and think, “If I build it, they… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson Two

We often see ads with the pink “Energizer Bunny”, but this week’s new blog of week (NBOTW) credits his success to associating with”energizers”, e.g. positive people. People who are undoubtedly operating with a full charge. I never looked at it that way, but it’s true. If you hang around negative… read more NBOTW Credits Energizers For His Success

Recently I celebrated my first anniversary of blogging. As I contemplate where I am today, I’m reflecting back to those first days. The days before I had a blog, and why I started blogging. Today’s Lesson Before you even start a blog, it’s important to ask yourself, “Why do I… read more Blogging – Year One – Lesson One

When I started blogging, I put up a “donation” page. I did because I had seen them on many of the blogs I frequented. Although I still have mixed feelings about donations on blogs. my “donate” page sits quietly in my header. Close to my one year anniversary of blogging,… read more Why Pay For It, You Can Get It For Free

We eventually become acquainted with other bloggers. We read each other’s posts, leave comments, and often become cyberspace friends. Small communities form in comment sections of blogs. Today’s Lesson Not so much different than in real life, with blogging, like minded people are attracted to each other. That often become… read more Control Your Comments – Gain Readers

Blogging is a hobby by most definitions. That is, unless you are a problogger (a professional blogger who blogs for a living) Today’s Lesson The further you get into blogging, the more you learn about social networks and how, by joining, they can help promote your blog, i.e. gain exposure…. read more Social Networking Can Kill Your Passion

Does an apple a day, keep the doctor away? Soon we may know the truth. As bloggers, we often read posts on how to manage our time, run our business, and/or learn how to improve on our blogging skills, but we often forget about our health. We could make tens… read more NBOTW- We Have A Doctor in The House

Is it a movement, or is it becoming a new way of life? You sell your home or move out of your apartment, grab your labtop and head to a sunny location and blog remotely. Today’s Lesson As I travel through cyberspace I read blogging articles/comments about those who are… read more Beach Blogging In Belize

If you use Google AdSense, you may have noticed arrows on the ad unit. Today’s Lesson Just recently Google added two small arrows to their AdSense ads units. What this does, is gives the potential ad clicker, more advertising options. Whether a reader on a blog will notice these arrows… read more Google AdSense – Arrows For More Ads

It will happen. Just like lyrics, sooner or later, blogs and websites will include a parental rating. It may not be a placard, so to speak, but may be a meta tag inserted “behind the scenes”. Major search engines could easily be reprogrammed to “read” these ratings in an attempt… read more Blogs To Be Subjected To Parental Ratings

When we publish an article to our blog, we often don’t think who might be reading it. Some love to share anything and everything about themselves. Others write how they speak, adding “colorful adjectives”, in the form of profanity. And many, use their blogs to advise readers of poorly made… read more Who Is Sneaking A Peek?

Photo Credit laurenatclemson’s photos I love a success story. I think we all do. Success stories give us inspiration and hope. Who doesn’t need that? This week’s “New Blog Of The Week’s” (NBOTW) author wrote a post of how she left the comforts of her homeland and came to the… read more NBOTW Took A Huge Leap Of Faith

Photo Credit rick’s photos Today is my one year anniversary of blogging. I’ve been thinking of how to celebrate this special day, and I knew what had to be done. For the past few months I have been wanting to get my “Blogging Buddies” page rewritten, so I have made… read more Celebrating One Year Of Blogging

Photo Credit oskay’s photos Do you do a lot of experimenting on your blog? I do. In the beginning, I changed themes, added and removed plugins, reconfigured my sidebars, experimented with ad placement, tried my hand at HTML (I knew nothing about it), and proceeded to crash my blogs a… read more If One Is Good, Two Is Better

Photo Credit: liewcf’s photos Bloggers are always looking for help. Help to get found. Help to make money online. Help in writing. Help in turning a blog into an online business, and help on how to blog. Well, I’m here with help. Today’s Lesson Listed below are 1066 great resources…. read more 1066 Links, Lessons or Tips For Bloggers

Deb & Peanut Today I am foregoing my daily assignment and am asking all readers of this blog to ban together to help a fellow blogger. Debbie Yost of “Three Weddings” just published a post regarding a sad subject. As some of you know, Debbie’s daughter Peanut has Down syndrome…. read more Join Me In Helping A Fellow Blogger

Photo Credit Steve Navarro’s photos I came upon this week’s NBOTW (New Blog Of The Week) in Problogger’s comment section. His compelling comment inspired me to click on his name and check out his blog. One of the first posts that caught my eye is titled: Why Doing Your Laundry… read more How Doing Laundry Inspires The NBOTW

Photo Credit djrue’s photos A few months after I started blogging, I wrote, When I first started blogging, I felt overwhelmed by everything I was reading. My head spun for weeks, and the learning curve was more like a switchback road going through a mountain pass. With every site I… read more Winding Your Way Through Blogosphere

Photo Credit Clemson’s photos I, like most bloggers (and online visitors), have ADD (Attention Deficient Disorder). I want answers fast and I don’t want to search for them. Put me on a blog that’s difficult to navigate, and I’ll need a GPS (Global Positioning System). Today’s Lesson For both business… read more Do I Need A GPS To Navigate Your Blog

Photo Credit maven’s photos > In my post titled: “Blogging Block – Can’t Find Anything To Blog About, I listed 15 ideas from which to draw inspiration. Today’s Lesson Today, I found a new form of inspiration. Pictures. As I search for just the right picture for my blog posts,… read more A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Photo Credit moriza’s photos Have you read Darren Rowse’s Random Reflections on SXSWi-2008 (South x Southwest interactive) convention? In his first “reflection”, he writes: The more I meet bloggers the more that I find that many of us are lonely soles (to some degree). We sit alone in our home… read more Bloggers Embark On A Lonely Journey

Photo Credit basykes’ photos At first glance, an elder person’s hands may look ugly to you. But the wrinkles, thin skin and visible veins are like a road map to their past. How carefully do you listen when your parents, grandparents or an elderly person speaks? Do you tune them… read more NBOTW Shares From Years Of Experience

Photo Credit jurvetson’s photos We all know McDonald’s golden arches, Nike’s swoosh, and Starbuck’s circular green logo. It’s part of their brand. But, how much is familiar as we travel through blogosphere? Based on a name or avatar, do you know if a fellow blogger has visited the same blog… read more Branding In Blogosphere – A Necessary Evil