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All responses Most smiled responses
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i'm not sure if this is the answer you were looking for... but i answered your question here: http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/03/you-say-you-want-a-revolution.html i love me some revolution ;)
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oh oh oh!! i can't give you much direction myself. but megan auman - who makes the core of her handmade business wholesaling - just put out an ebook on how to get started in wholesaling and trade shows. you can read my review here: http://www.taragentile.com/exciting-news-new-ebook-from-megan-auman/
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i'm actually not the found of scoutie girl! jan, http://daisyjanie.com, chose the name of her beloved 4-legged friend: scout.
scout is a lovely, super fun, and sweet dog who now is a 3-legged friend. i think she chose well!
but to me the name conjures up ideas of scouting out the best finds, telling stories around a campfire, inspiring others to reach their goals, and selling cookies. oh wait... maybe not so much with the selling cookies. -
I think it can't hurt but to ask! It can also help to offer a guest post of your own in exchange. Ask your friends, ask your blog idols, ask your readers, ask people in your niche & outside of your niche.
My only other extra advice is to come up with a concrete set of writing guidelines for your blog. Things you do write about & things you don't want to write about on your blog. Your requirements for images, writing style, etc... You don't want to hinder the guest writers but you do want to help them fit into your own blog. It's better for them & for you! -
nope, sorry :(
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well, i think that depends on the mission of your blog. to support ads, i think your blog needs to be focused on generating traffic (#s don't matter so much) and then asking that traffic to leave via the content you provide.
in the case of scoutie girl, i write pieces that encourage others to click away to etsy shops, artist websites, etc... my goal is to build enough trust with readers that they feel compelled to click through - click click click!
if your site is about getting people to stay - for example, you're promoting your own business - then ads are not appropriate.
another consideration is how the audience of your blog. is your audience a key demographic/target market for the people who would want to purchase advertising from you? if not, you'll want to monetize your site in a different way (and there are other ways!). if it is, advertisers will love you because clicks on their ads will actually result in sales.
there's a great article on advertising (for bloggers) on design*sponge's biz ladies series: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/07/biz-ladies-09-advertising-101-for-bloggers.html -
in a completely indirect & convoluted way! want to learn more? i blogged your question here: http://www.taragentile.com/my-story/
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i was a crafty child raised by a crafty mama. math, sports, and science might have been where i excelled, but i've always had a passion for craft!
my mom supported our family through her skills as an amazing seamstress and installed the value of art & craft in us. we watched (dare i say religiously?) the first generation of DIY tv shows every day and played with polymer clay, fabric scraps, and paint.
if you'd like to know more about dear ol mama, check her out here:
http://fabricsshopperonline.com/ -
*guest post to get your name & link out there
*always notify people when you post about them
*trade links/banners with other bloggers
*every so often, write a post that is helpful to your readers but even more attractive to search engines & other bloggers
*really engage the people who follow you via social media. ask questions, make bold statements, share others' work. get people to comment back!
*answer your comments via replying on your blog or by email
*comment on others' blogs. don't be afraid to leave a link IF it's relevant & helpful. -
If your blog serves as a hub for your shop & your social media profiles, my recommendation would be for you to leave a link to your blog. If another reader (& potential customer!) clicks the link on your comment, they are more likely to be "engaged" by your blog because you're actually talking to them instead of just seeing faceless products.
When you leave link to your blog, it's much more likely that they'll click through to your shop OR click through to follow you on twitter or facebook, giving you the opportunity to engage them on a daily basis.
Good luck! -
i honestly can't say there is a "one accomplishment" that i'm most proud of. my life is a culmination of experiences, accomplishments, and failures. i don't believe in fate or "things that are meant to be" so i believe that i've earned everything i've accomplished in life.
the other day i told a woman that used to work for me (& who thought i was quite a tough boss!) that i now wrote for a living. she was quite stunned - and frankly, probably a little jealous as she would also like to write for a living.
it really hit me then just what i have accomplished since lola was born. but without having accomplished starting a family, i would not be here now. so... it's hard to say what i'm most proud of.
i'm proud that i take every situation as an opportunity for greatness! -
I'm not so sure I have a "knack" for writing. But I had several writing teachers that taught things that really resonated with me.
I had a tenth-grade writing teacher that emphasized complex structures and taught me how to write amazing thesis statements.
I had a freshman english comp professor teach me how to "tighten up" my writing.
And all of my religion professors honed my style while letting me find a real voice. They encouraged me to write while walking down a fine line between stuffy, academic writing and literature.
I hope I've taken a little bit of each teachers's insights and melded them into a style all my own. -
great question! so i answered over on my blog: http://www.taragentile.com/great-question-blogging-controversial-topics/
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Blogging does support me financially - to a degree. But it's not the majority of my income right now.
Scoutie Girl ad revenue is good and SG also supports the sales of my e-book. Wordpress design, though, is outpacing that income. However, neither the e-book or the design work would be possible for me without Scoutie Girl. So in the big picture, SG is the catalyst for my entire income.
That's the model that most of the "probloggers" are espousing right now. Eventually, I would like to get to a point where I am mostly writing - whether in blog format (always some to most), print publications, or information products - for a living. -
such a great question! so i had to write a post to share it with everyone :)
http://www.taragentile.com/great-question-finding-your-niche/ -
2005 Ford Focus - it's a true red. i love my little fords!
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hi jaclyn! it's from the "social bird" icon set. there are a bunch of really cute birds, free to use, from great illustrators (including jess gonacha!). you can access it here: http://www.inspiredm.com/2009/04/12/the-social-bird-icon-set-the-first-inspired-release/
there are so many great places to find icons online. that's one thing i'm hoping to post about on taragentile.com. thanks for asking! -
color: gray
food: barbecue chicken (which is going to be an issue since i became a vegetarian...)
song: um... how about a few artists? diana krall, sonya kitchell, john mayer, john legend, kt tunstall... really anyone heavily influenced by jazz but busting out of the genre.
place to eat: good eatz green cafe (http://goodeatz.org) -
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well, within the last 18 months or so, i've personally seen blogs go from just a part of a website, to being hidden behind magazine themes & funky formatting, to now being the main feature of many websites.
i think that blogs will continue to becoming more interactive and i think formspring is an amazing example of that. look for blogs to develop features that incorporate the spirit of the "ask me anything" motto. and, because of the benefits of constantly updated content, i don't see blogs losing favor among web marketers.
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Loading...Tara Gentile’s Bio
blogger, handmade advocate, wordpress designer, mom.
