Author: Barbara Swafford

Remember when you first decided you wanted a blog? Remember: Picking the name? Deciding on a blogging platform? Finding just the right theme? Deciding what to blog about? Hitting the “publish” button the first timet? Seeing the first sign of traffic to your blog? Receiving your first comment? Leaving your… read more Shhhh! Listen Carefully …What’s Your Blog Telling You?

I remember it starting with Feedburner’s RSS feed reader counter (chicklet). I would see it on nearly every blog and even included it on mine for awhile. Some showed numbers in the tens of thousands. Others were only double digit. And some of the big name bloggers would hold contests… read more Blog Badges – Beneficial Or A Waste Of Space?

I’ve heard them called “ten dollar words”. You know, the “BIG” words some people use to explain a process or procedure, or even to tell a story. Many will understand what the person is talking about, but some won’t. This is very evident in the medical profession, as well as… read more Blogs – Should We Be Dumbing Down

The back story to this lesson and assignment comes from a comment left by Keith Davis of Easy Public Speaking on the Count The Words or Make Each Word Count post where he said, in part, Perhaps todays assignment should be to write an eleven word post and make it… read more The Eleven Word Challenge

The blogging journey has ignited a love for coding in me. I’m amazed how by just changing a tiny bit of code we can change the complete look of our blog. Take for example if we want to change our blog background from white to black. Find the code for… read more 2nd Chance Drawing

The “About Me” page of a blog is often the first thing a new visitor will read. After all, they want to know who is behind the words. They may want to know, can the words be trusted? Is the author an expert of some sort? Or, what makes the… read more What Does It Say About You?

Good Day Class! Today I am honored to introduce our substitute teacher (guest writer) Greg Blencoe, from the fabulous blog, “Positive Waves Baby”. Greg will be discussing and analyzing a topic we hear about quite often – blogging tips. Grab a seat, have a listen, and share your thoughts in… read more Most Underrated and Overrated Blogging Tips

The shortest post I ever wrote was 11 words. It was a haiku*. My longest post was published on another blog of mine, was a short tutorial on wood recycling and was nearly 2000 words. Although they don’t always start out that way, I normally keep the posts on this… read more Count The Words or Make Each Word Count

I’ve noticed a lot of “addict” labeling going on. There’s the drug addicts, food addicts, gambling addicts, and sex addicts. If we turn our attention to technology, there are the texting addicts, gaming addicts, cell phone and social networking addicts. We hear about those who are are addicted to tobacco,… read more Bloggers Rehab – Need To Go?

I remember when Darren Rowse of Problogger mentioned Akismet had blocked over four million spam comments on his blog. According to the stats for my blog, Akismet has blocked over 100,000 (and counting). Although I don’t check my spam folder often, whenever someone emails me and says they left a… read more Comments -Why Some Aren’t Worth Reading

We often hear bloggers say how fun blogging is. We also hear them say,”it takes up a lot of time”. Blogging for some is their passion, whereas for others, it’s their job. And those with blogging in their blood, feel they could do it forever. But, will they? Today’s Lesson… read more Blogging – Have A Plan? Or Fly By The Seat Of Your Pants?

For work, blogging and issues in my personal life, I do a lot of research online. When I land on a site, I expect the information to be accurate, however, wanting to be an informed consumer, I double check the data by reading additional articles on the same topic. If… read more Blogs – Are They Fact or Fiction

Remember when we discussed how when we blog it’s our choice? A Dr. Phil episode was the inspiration for that post and it was also on that show Dr. Phil stated, Being busy is a status symbol My first thought was, “Surely that can’t be true”. Being busy, a status… read more Can Perceived Blogging Success Be A Turn Off?

Good Day Class, What an exciting treat we have today. Not only is Bamboo Forest of the fabulous blog, Pun Intended making a return appearance as substitute teacher (guest writer), but he has brought along his latest invention; a free online timer we can all use to monitor not only… read more Save Your Best Posts For Later, Or Not?

When Friar, aka artist, cartoonist and blogger commented on the “No One Put A Gun To My Head” post, he said, in part, If you’re not blogging for a living, and it’s too demanding, for God’s sake, STOP. Or just blog LESS. That’s true. If blogging has become a burden,… read more I Don’t Want To Blog Anymore

When Dr. John Robinson was a guest on the Dr. Phil show he created a firestorm of comments when he said (not a direct quote) … women have 30-40  hours of LEISURE time each week But after interviewing a handful of mothers with young children, it was quite evident, Dr…. read more No One Put A Gun To My Head

When blogging, I often reread what Google includes in their Webmaster tools If you haven’t discovered it yet, it’s a wonderful resource for anyone who has a blog or website. Two of their statements made me contemplate how I blog. Participate in forums related to your blog topic. Many let… read more Google Isn’t God

Good Day Class, Today we have the honor of having TWO substitute teachers (guest writers). They are the ladies behind the popular ebook, “The Narcissist – A User Guide” and are also known as blog authors, Betsy of Passing Thru and Lori of Think Like A Black Belt. For some… read more Warning! Online Bullies Hide Behind Their Words

Twitter knows what people need. So does Facebook. As do cell phone companies. And online dating companies, too. Nearly everyone in this world has a strong desire to be connected with others and these businesses know it. Today’s Lesson Although communicating on Twitter is limited to 140 characters, many get… read more The Secret That Keeps Us Blogging

I am blessed to have a wonderful blogging community; a group of giving and gracious bloggers who have supported me in my blogging journey as well as for the launch of my latest project, The Blog Boutique. To all of you, I say “thank you” To jump start the unveiling… read more The Random Drawing – The Winners

Life works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we take a detour on the highway of life, and it’s because we did, we end up in a better place. Sometimes an affliction we have becomes our platform. Sometimes we’re in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that which haunts us,… read more My New Baby – The Unveiling – Enter The Drawing And Win

Before you spend your time reading this post, I will warn you, we’re discussing a topic many bloggers prefer not to think about. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you want to read this post, or just move on. You see, we’re talking about making our blogs,… read more Oh Please, Dont Tell Me I Need To Learn This

When we set goals for ourselves, we often neglect to look at the complete picture. Take for example, actors. They crave to to see their name up in lights, make big bucks like their peers or predecessors, and may want a life of luxury where anything they ever wanted is… read more Be Careful What You Wish For

Good Day Class, Today I am honored to introduce Hulbert Lee as our substitute teacher (guest writer). Hulbert, author of the fabulous blog From Bottom Up will lead the discussion on how we gather information for our blogs. Please join me in welcoming Hulbert to the Blogging Without A Blog… read more Books or Blogs?

Blogging is defined as a hobby. You know. In the same category as other hobbies such as scrap-booking, fishing, quilting, collecting, etc… Take for example, when someone decides to make a quilt. They don’t race to get it done. No. They take time to find a pattern. Then they pick… read more S-L-O-W Down – Blogging Is Not A Race

Comments. A topic many bloggers stress over. Let’s face it, receiving comments means we know “for sure” our blog posts are be read (or maybe skimmed), and in some cases, comments are what keeps us motivated to keep going. But, how to get others to comment on our blogs is… read more I Want More Comments

“Ten Easy Ways to Make Money With a Blog” “How to Become A Successful Blogger Overnight” “Twelve Tips to Get More Comments” “The Secret to Getting More Visitors To a Blog” “Attract Hundreds of RSS Feed Readers In a Matter of Days” O.K. You get the message. In hopes of… read more Say It Ain’t So

In advertising, it’s a known fact, sex sells. Whether it’s an ad for food or drink, clothing, vehicles or nearly anything else, advertising agencies often incorporate an implied message such as “If you buy or use a specific product, you’ll be more popular, get the girl/guy or you’re love life… read more Blog Sex – Is It A Reader Turn Off?

“If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.” ~Henry David Thoreau I like to go down memory lane as it reminds me of where the journey of… read more Sharing For The Benefit of Others

For the last few days, I’ve been trying to fight off what appears to be a cold; sneezing, coughing, chills that come and go and that achy feeling that makes you want to crawl back into bed. I don’t get sick too often. I think this is my body’s way… read more Calling In Sick