Happy Saturday Ladies!

I know there are lots of bloggers among all of you and I thought I could share some simple blogging tips as I go along. Going at it for coming on nigh 5 years does lend some authority yes? LOL! :P I will not and cannot commit to a weekly space like Tine but I’ll throw them up now and then if you enjoy reading it. Otherwise, say the word and we’ll move onto something else :) I will try to keep it relevant for new and beauty bloggers. Let’s leave the detailed nitty gritty to the probloggers so if you have questions, ask away! :)

Last week, I threw up some questions about social media and whether you use it on a day to day basis. I do think most of you do, one way or another. However, from a blogging standpoint, if you are interested in getting yourself out there, I might venture the suggestion to get yourself on at least one social media platform outside of your blog. Its not necessary of course – but its fun to connect and “talk” to others.

Social media platforms allow you to connect with other people of similar interests and if used properly (i.e. no spamming) can help you get your blog noticed by people who may enjoy reading what you have to say.

Here are some options you can consider and some quick thoughts I have on their use. If you are a reader, I think it would be very helpful to know which social media platform you like following bloggers on :)

 Ok I lie – there are only 2 real popular social media platforms to get onto but there’s no need to do both ;)

Facebook

The hottest social networking tool in recent years. You can opt to have a Facebook profile or Facebook Fan Page. Whichever you choose depends on what you plan to do with it or how much you want to share. I use a Fan Page only because I bowed to pressure and I’m not personally active on Facebook myself.

There are many people who are active on Facebook and having a Fan Page allows them to keep in touch with your blog and updates. You can use it for a myriad of uses – I use mine mostly for information that moves quickly like sales, special offers, quick announcements and blog updates.

I find that the Facebook Fan Page is popular with those who naturally use Facebook a lot. So if you yourself are an avid Facebook user, you will know best how to get yourself out with your Facebook page. I’m a bit of a FB dodo so I pretty much just use it for what I’ve mentioned, without too much cross-promotion. Some may say I’m silly, but there you go. Can’t force these things :P

You could take a look at what I do with the MWS Facebook page. I do notice that many Fan Pages of popular beauty blogs aren’t very active socially outside of blog updates. Take a look at the fan pages of Temptalia and Beaut.ie for example. I do notice also that locally (Malaysia) bloggers enjoy being on Facebook more but as I don’t, my page does tend to be a little impersonal. That said, popular blogger Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog doesn’t go the Fan Page route at all!

Twitter

Twitter is my platform of choice because its quick and its personal. I opted to co-opt my blog updates and Facebook updates into my personal Twitter timeline. This makes my Twitter account Paris B first, and MWS second. I’m happy with this as for me, Twitter is a more personal tool.

It is like chatting and sharing your thoughts with the world and I prefer to deal with the world as a person as opposed to a blog. I must stress that it is a personal choice. Many bloggers I follow on Twitter use their blog name as their Twitter handle – it is again a personal choice and it does not detract from my enjoyment of chatting with them.

Because I’m active on Twitter, this means that I’m exposed to other blogs and bloggers through ReTweets and Mentions and twitter conversations. I’ve found that if I enjoy a Tweeter’s tweetings, I’m more likely to get a look in on their blog and to follow it. Again, the keyword is no spam. Spam and excessive self-promotion will get on everyone’s nerves.

Stumbleupon, Digg

I was on StumbleUpon a few years ago. I don’t think it and Digg are useful for beauty (or food) blogs. They are very good platforms for tech blogs however. I found through trial and error that most people who read about beauty (or food) are less likely to stumble or digg a post simply because they don’t know what it is or what it does! Hands up anyone among you who actually know what these platforms are. It is already nearly impossible to get someone to like or retweet one’s post, much less stumble or digg when the reader has no idea what they are :P

Link to other blogs

Remember that your blog is a social media platform too. But no one will know about it if you just stay within yourself hoping to be discovered. One quick way is to link out to other blogs within your post.

Did you read something you liked from someone else that is relevant? Do you think another blogger’s post might assist or provide contrast to yours? This is a whole different subject matter to be dealt with, but its a way for others to notice you and your blog when they notice traffic coming in from your end. Linking to others isn’t a bad thing at all!

Grow your blog with social media

If you are interested in getting your blog out there, then do consider indulging in at least one social media activity outside of your blog. Social networking makes one more visible and by extension, your blog becomes more visible.

Blogging is a social activity – its discouraging talking to the wind – and interaction is what makes blogging so much fun. Social networking too is great fun if you don’t treat it as “work” but as a natural extension of yourself. Sometimes, I see an interesting link to a post on someone on my Twitter timeline and click through to their blog so I can say for certain that it does help get the word out.

It is however noteworthy to not spam. Spamming includes flooding another person’s Facebook Wall with links to your blog and pleas to “follow me” or doing the same on Twitter or in a comment box. As with everything, there is no short cut if you don’t want to fizzle out. So take your time, socialize, build your network and keep updating your blog consistently so people have something to read once they do visit.

I hope this has provided some food for thought for the bloggers amongst you :)

Do you already do this with your blog and which social media platform have you found most suitable for you or that you enjoy the most? If you have not already started to participate, will you?

If you are a reader (not a blogger or an avid blogger) do you use any social media platform to follow your favourite blogs or bloggers? Do you have a preference?

Food for thought on the weekend :) If you have a specific blogging question you can leave it in the comment box or email me at parisb(at)mywomenstuff(dot)com if you prefer, and I’ll try to answer it as best as I inexpertly can :)

Paris B