Tag Archives: New blog

Big Up Your Blog – My Facebook Group Launch!

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I’ve been looking forward to today…

I am officially launching my Facebook page – BIG UP YOUR BLOG – and anyone who who has a blog is welcome to join!

As with many things, I only realised the power of Facebook groups a few months ago. I’d been a member of one or two for about a year, only really participating in one, and then after some inspiration I joined a few more, and then a few more, and BOOM! My connections increased massively. I’m still only in less than ten, but I decided to start my own as I have found that there are a number of groups that prevent bloggers from sharing their own links and social media accounts with each other, which almost defeats the idea of being in a group to begin with.

However, instead of it being a constant free-for-all, which usually only attracts link droppers and no interaction, I have decided to set out a weekly schedule that will help to target blog interaction and social media growth. For now, I have kept it small and simple. Continue reading →

Things That Bloggers Need to Stop Getting Stressed About

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imageHow to blog. There are so many questions that I see being thrown around continually among bloggers. How often should I post? Should I create a Pinterest or Stumble Upon account? What plug-ins should I use? How often should I share my posts on social media? Should I be self-hosted? There is no definitive guide as to how to create a successful blog, and therefore there are no definitive set of right or wrongs. Most of what I have learned has been through trial and error, and from advice given by bloggy friends. Some of it has worked, some of it hasn’t, and I have shared my experiences in the hope that they prove useful for others. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that my advice will be successful for everyone, if indeed anyone at all. Focus on doing what works for you, don’t be afraid to try new things, and most importantly, don’t be afraid of failure. Blogging is an exciting process where I’m learning new things all the time, and that’s one of the many things that I enjoy about it. Continue reading →

Share Your Blog With #SundayBlogShare!

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imageIn November 2014 I started a hashtag – #SundayBlogShare – that allowed bloggers to share their links and meet new people. It was not a new idea, I had been participating in similar link ups hosted by other bloggers throughout the year, but I found it to be really useful when networking and getting my posts out to a wider audience.

Eight months later it has become the biggest Twitter party of the weekend (to my knowledge anyway), with hundreds of bloggers around the world sharing thousands of links each Sunday, and it now trends on a weekly basis. I’m still in awe of how much it has grown, and I’ve been lucky to have found wonderful new blogs that I follow on a regular basis.

Want to join #SundayBlogShare? The instructions and guidelines are simple: Continue reading →

Keeping The Personal From The Professional

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imageI went to my first blogging conference at the weekend – Blog Camp UK 2015 – that was hosted by the team at Tots100. It was a last minute decision – I discovered the event after it was trending on Twitter at 8.30am, and by 10.00am I had signed up, downloaded a ticket, got myself ready and was standing outside The Studio in the centre of Birmingham.

It was a brilliant experience – there were lots of food, mummy and lifestyle bloggers from all over the UK, eager to participate in the different workshops that were available, from creating a travel blog, working with brands and vlogging, to metrics, monetizing food blogs and eating yourself happy. Continue reading →

It’s Party Time!

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imageThis week marks my two year blogiversary, and I decided that the best way to celebrate would be to invite you all to my blog party!

It has been quite a while since I last hosted a blog party, and I absolutely love them, so I’d like you all to put on your best outfits, grab a drink (mine is a Mojito for anyone that’s interested) and get your blog on! For those of you that have never participated in one before, the rules are simple:

1. Choose your favourite post from your own blog. The subject of the post can be anything you like – blogging, food, parenting, life, travel, thoughts, photography… Note: This should be only one post at a time or it will get sent straight to the ‘spam’ folder and I may not be able to find you for a while. I don’t have an issue with you posting another link separately, but please don’t share more than three – spend the time visiting other bloggers instead.

2. Paste the link to your post in the comment section of this post.

3. Enjoy! Relax, pull up a chair, meet new people! Find new blogs, comment on their posts, be polite, courteous and respectful, follow, reblog and share. Let them know that you met them here! This is a really useful way of discovering new blogs, particularly if you have only just joined the blogging world – the general rule that I set myself when I participate is that I check out at least two or  three other bloggers…

You don’t have to follow me to participate, you don’t have to be an established blogger – you could have written just a single post – and feel free to invite your friends!

Want to discover six WordPress blogs without waiting for others to post their links? Check out my sponsors – they’re all fabulous bloggers and they would love to meet you – you can find their blogs in my sidebar, just click on the image for the link! 

You’re welcome to share this post on all of your social media accounts too! You can find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog, and don’t forget to visit my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks

And remember…

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NOTE 1: Don’t forget to join me for #SundayBlogShare tomorrow!

NOTE 2: I’VE JUST FOUND TEN POSTS IN MY SPAM FOLDER THAT I HAVE NOW APPROVED – APOLOGIES FOR THIS!

Blog Of The Day: Meet The Phil Factor!

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Meet Phil, author and creator of The Phil Factor.

When I started Suzie81 Speaks nearly two years ago, Phil was one of the first blogs that I followed. Why? Becase both Phil (and his blog) is utterly fantastic.

His ‘About’ page made me smile:

Hi there, thanks for reading my blog. I’m The Grand Poobah of Leisure and the author of the humorous, murder-mystery novels White Picket Prisons and The Sneaker Tree as well as the humor book Fifty Shades of Phil. I’m a father of three, husband to one, and life-long smart ass to many. I’ve been well trained by my two dogs and a cat and am a loyal servant to them all. I’m an excellent ping-pong player and I make the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world, bar none. I have a Master’s degree in Psychology and spent many years working in the field of mental health before realizing that stringing words together might be a little bit more fun. My first fiction novel, White Picket Prisons, is an ode to the life-long friends that I grew up with and still keep in touch with to this day. 

However, (sorry Phil), it doesn’t quite do him justice. Phil’s posts are hilarious, intelligently written and eclectic and during my blogging adventures I have stolen more ideas from ideas from his blog than I have anywhere else. I love the fact that his it doesn’t have a niche – you never know what he is going to discuss next – and he has created a welcoming place where it is possible to talk about anything and everything without judgement.

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If you do nothing else today, follow this blog – I promise that it will be time well spent.

You can also find Phil on these social media sites:

Twitter: @ThePhilFactor

Facebook: (click on the link)

Phil’s novel, ‘The Sneaker Tree’ is also available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

 

Want to be featured as ‘Blog Of The Day’ to over 10,000 followers here at Suzie81 Speaks? Email me at suzie81blog@hotmail.co.uk

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog and don’t forget to visit my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks

Blog of The Day: Meet Nancy Roman!

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Meet Nancy Roman! 

Nancy is a published author, blogger and all-round glamorous lady. Her blog, ‘Not Quite Old’ is a new-found favourite of mine and I have enjoyed getting to know Nancy through her witty and beautifully written observations on her life and those around her. She’s hilarious, and her posts have had me in stitches!

Her ‘About’ page is short and succinct:

I’m Nancy Roman.

I’m sixty-four, and I’m looking (sometimes desperately) for that sweet balance between growing old gracefully and staying as young as possible.

An English Major with an M.B.A., I’m a financial executive who likes my day job. I live in Connecticut with my husband and several well-nourished cats.

My novel, JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED, is available on Amazon.

 

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Clearly, just looking at her picture alone, Nancy has obviously discovered the secret to eternal youth as I think she looks fantastic! She started blogging at 60, she has recently celebrated her birthday and every year shares the same selfie, both for affirmation and defiance against Mother Nature. I like that – she’s a self-assured and confident woman with a great sense of humour and I think you’ll absolutely love her blog!

Want to find out more? You can find her blog by clicking on this link:

Tweet with Nancy @NancyERoman

Find her on Facebook here: 

Nancy has recently published her first Novel, ‘Just What I Always Wanted,’ which you can find on Amazon here:  

Don’t forget that this is my week of #bloglove and I’d love you to share the love and for you all to check out her blog – I’ll be reblogging one of her posts later in the day too and I’m sure you’ll find it as great as I do!

 

Want to have to opportunity to be featured as ‘Blog of The Day’  to over 10,000 followers at Suzie81 Speaks? For a selection of offers and pricing, email me at suzie81blog@hotmail.co.uk

 

Blog of the Day: Meet Sheila Blanchette!

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imageMeet Sheila Blanchette! 

Sheila and I have only recently become bloggy friends. With a name that instantly made me think of heroines from ‘Gone With the Wind,’ Sheila is an American writer, author and blogger and I absolutely love her writing style. Her ‘About’ page is one of the best that I have ever read:

I have an edge. Sarcasm and irony are two of my favorite things.

I am a wide eyed optimist. I love a happy ending.

This is the dichotomy that is me. Lou Reed meets Jack Johnson.

Those three lines are from a piece I wrote for the Huffington Post where I am a guest contributor.

I also like music. All kinds of music. When I wrote that second line about my favorite things, my mind immediately jumped to The Sound of Music. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

I am currently working on my third novel which includes a lot of rock ‘n roll. While you wait in eager anticipation for more on that subject, you can read my published novels. The Reverse Commute and Take Me Home. Both are available on Amazon and if you just move over to the long hallway to your right you can click on their covers and buy the books. I would love for you to buy the books.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am working on shameless promotion. It’s a requirement in my job description. Self published indie author. One Woman Show. We all do it. It’s the way books are sold now. Blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, Pinning and Instagramming. I am everywhere and if you travel down the hallway to the right, you will find a door leading to each and every one of those places where you can find me. I am everywhere.

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I spent a year walking and blogging about it. It’s my year long story of exploring my new home in South Florida, a strange land indeed. It’s also a story of my becoming a writer and the inspiration I found all around me. What I Need is All Around Me. That ‘s Dave Matthews, someone I shared a brief, intimate moment with.

My perfect day would be living in Diane Keaton’s house in the movie Something’s Gotta Give. You know, the one with Jack Nicholson? Diane Keaton’s character is a successful playwright and lives in a beautiful home on the beach in the Hamptons. I want to be that woman. Writing at my desk early in the morning as the sun rises over the ocean, my coffee mug on my beautiful desk in my beautiful home designed in the style of a Nancy Meyers movie.

Sheila’s blog theme is very similar to Suzie81 Speaks – she writes about her interests, her life experiences, stories, interviews, books and her thoughts and ideas, and every post that I have read so far is beautifully expressed, insightful, full of beautiful photographs and makes me want to read more!

For those of you that are interested in any of these things (which I know thousands of you are), then I would highly recommend that you show Sheila some serious blog love!

To find Sheila’s blog, simply click on the link here

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheila-Blanchette/884367004930816

Twitter: @SheilaBlanchette

Instagram: http://Instagram.com/sheilablanchette/

Want to buy one of Sheila’s books? You can also find her Amazon page here

 

Do you want to be featured as my Blog of the Day? For very reasonable prices I can offer you the opportunity to advertise your blog to over 10,000 followers here at Suzie81 Speaks – for more information email me at suzie81blog@hotmail.co.uk

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog