Author: Barbara Swafford

For some it’s a non-issue. For those who spend most of their time in the blogosphere, on cell phones and social networking sites, it would be huge. We’re discussing what happened in Egypt – how the internet was “killed”. How cell phone companies were ordered to shut down service. Within… read more If They Shut It Down To Shut Us Up

In reply to the What Blogging Tutorials Don’t Tell You About Blogging post,  Daniel’s comment brought up an interesting point. He shared how he had a bad experience with a customer service representative and in trying to resolve the issue, he said, in part (to the customer service representative), ……. read more With The Click Of A Button

When I look at the hobby of blogging, I realize it has taught me a lot about writing, coding and social networking, but it’s more than that. Today’s Lesson When we start blogging, we usually have some sort of agenda. Maybe it’s to make some extra cash, practice our writing… read more What Blogging Tutorials Don’t Tell You About Blogging

“Content is king” is one of the first things we learn when we start blogging. But what does it mean? Does it mean our content needs to be consistently stellar? Or can some of it be “less than”? Today’s Lesson When I started blogging I assumed great content meant I… read more The More The Better?

Have you ever Googled your own name? For anyone who has blogged for any length of time, you’ll likely find dozens of pages which link to your blog posts or comments you left on other blogs. You can also find if someone referred to you or a blog post, but… read more Repeat After Me

Writers’ block or as I like to call it, “Writers’ Blogk” (also the name of my next blogging project) is something most bloggers encounter. Let’s face it. Even though we start blogging believing we’ll never run out of things to say, we do. When that happened to Chase March he… read more A Cure For Writers’ Block

I like to decorate our home for Christmas. When I do, the process is pretty simple. I remove my normal decorations and before each spot is cold, I’m adding Christmas decorations. For a month or more as these decorations surround me. I enjoy looking at them. I enjoy having them… read more Take One Thing Off

In a recent comment on the “I Shoulda” post, Miss Becky of Shaking Your Tree brought up the topic of finding our blogging voice. In part she said, I too had difficulties finding my blogging voice, and still have trouble deciding how much of my personal life to share. I… read more Finding Your Blogging Voice

When we’re new to blogging, it’s not uncommon to lurk around other blogs; reading the posts and the comments, but staying silent. The comment section of some blogs may seem personal and jumping into the conversation can feel like an intrusion, whereas other blogs feel more welcoming. That said, leaving… read more Trust Me – It Gets Easier

Blogs are like unfinished chores. They wait for us. Where ever we left off is where they’ll be when we return. You know, kind of like when you leave the dishes in the sink or don’t fold the laundry. Unless a loved one feels ambitious and takes care of it,… read more Break Time

When we join Twitter, those who befriend us are labeled as “followers”. On Facebook, they’re “friends”. With blogging, we often label fellow bloggers as “blogging buddies”. But who are these people, really? Today’s Lesson In the comments of the The Cost Of Being Heard post Sara of A Sharing Connection… read more Friends, Followers and Buddies

Do you remember when you first started blogging? Although I don’t think about it often, I still do. I was scared to hit “publish” the first few times, and I worried because I kept switching my theme. I didn’t know any of the blogging terms either. Being self taught, I… read more I Shoulda…

In the “Dont Believe Everything You Read” post we discussed the hidden cost of blogging, If blogging is taking us away from an opportunity that can increase our income, or is jeopardizing our career or real life relationships, than the cost to blog just went up. To expand on that,… read more The Cost Of Being Heard

It’s that time again. Time to revisit the topic of blogging myths. Buried in the archives you’ll find a previous post on blogging myths. Today we’ll expand on them and add a few more. Today’s Lesson We can blog for free. It’s true. In some instances we can blog without… read more Dont Believe Everything You Read

Any blogger who blogs for any length of time will probably receive a derogatory comment or two. Sometimes, a visitor, for whatever reason, feels a need to demean us with cruel words. Other times, it’s unintentional. Unfortunately, the words can hurt. Even leave a scar. Today’s Lesson With blogging you’ll… read more Ouch! That Hurt!

Some people are hesitant to go online fearing invasion of privacy. That said, in order to blog or engage in social networking, we knowingly, willingly give up part of our privacy. To remain semi private online can be easy to implement, however the more time we spend online, the more… read more Online Privacy – How We Share More Than We Realize

I have heard it said, “When you start blogging, to help you get found, visit other blogs in your niche.” In some ways this makes sense. After all, if we are frequenting the same blogs in our niche others are visiting, not only do we get our name out there… read more Can Blogging Cause Tunnel Vision?

“How do you give credit to other bloggers” is a question many ask. After all, even though we may say our blog is “all about us”, in actuality, without other bloggers visiting, commenting and giving us moral support, we could end up feeling pretty lonely in blogosphere. All the more… read more Link Love

Whether we blog as a hobby, or blog to become rich and famous, we all had a life before the blog. Until Davina Haisell of Shades of Crimson mentioned it, I had forgotten what I did with my time before I started blogging. Today’s Lesson I remember spending a lot… read more Before The Blog

It’s no secret blogging can become addictive. So addictive in fact, we may neglect our health, spend less time with friends and family or even let our blog consume our life. In some ways it’s like we’re connected to our blog via an umbilical cord; afraid to become completely detached… read more Cut the Cord

In the real world many of us compare ourselves to others. As you know, when we do, we can always find someone who appears better than us, whether it’s their weight, age, height, hair, health, habits, net worth, intelligence, talents, demeanor, etc.. Unfortunately when we compare ourselves to others, we… read more You’re Not A Failure

While visiting Lorelle’s blog, I read her post titled, Get Angry – Blogger Sued For Comments On Their Blog which links to an article on how John P. is being sued for a comment left on his blog. In the same post Lorelle provided links to articles about instances were others… read more Comments Can Get You Sued

As you all know I’ve been working on my new site, Writers’ Blogk. I’m currently working on the header plus color scheme and would love your suggestions on part of it. First, let me share how I see Writers’ Blogk. It will be a site for writers to share their… read more Wanna Play?

When blogging, we often hear how we should blog within our niche. You know, stay on topic so those who visit know what to expect when they land on our site. But, blogs can be used for other purposes, too. Often we’ll see bloggers participating in a meme (pronounced meem,… read more Words That Moved Me To Tears

Thank you all for the support and terrific responses to Writers’ Blogk. As I work behind the scenes getting the site ready, for those who are participating, I’d like to ask you to get ready for your part, as well. Today’s Assignment When you provide a guest post to Writers’… read more Writers’ Blogk Bios

Years ago I wrote a post about how stubborn I can be and how I don’t like to ask for help. I used to think asking for help made me look weak. I’ve learned since then and in this post, I’m asking for your help. But I will say this… read more Help Me Help You

This is a picture of my favorite scone recipe. Cooking and baking which are favorite pastimes for me are also an activity which sustains life. We need food to live. Blogging is similar to cooking. Something about the act of blogging appears to sustain us too. Today’s Lesson With blogging,… read more Blog On

As a small business owner, we know we get the most bang for the buck if we use our advertising dollars to target specific clientele. Being in the construction industry, we know those who prefer to rent won’t need our services. And because we don’t have the man-power and equipment,… read more Don’t Blog For Me (If I’m Not Your Target Audience)

A lot of bloggers say, “I’d never sell my blog.” “It’s my baby.” And that’s how blogs become; like children we’ve nursed and cared for since day one. We gave them life and celebrate each milestone. In fact, just like raising a child and hoping they will grow up and… read more Blog For Sale

During my blogging journey I realized how difficult it is to get found in blogosphere. With millions of blogs on the world wide web, we can easily begin to feel like a tiny pebble in a gigantic ocean. With any luck, our blog will be one that gets discovered, however… read more It’s Moving Day