Get Blogged?

Get Blogged

 I’ve been working on websites for most of this century yet last week I found myself asking Mr. C what exactly the word ‘blog’ meant? I genuinely didn’t know that the word blog is a shortening of web log!  In other words a log (or diary) that is published on the web.

 Since 2005 I’ve written more blogs and website articles than you could imagine, so how ridiculous that I didn’t know where the word came from! It all started off for me when we started our first website TheBabyWebsite.com .  We wanted new parents to be able to keep an online diary of their babies’ lives – Baby Blogs. There were also Mummy Blogs and Pregnancy Blogs. 

Mummy and Daddy Bloggers

We sold that website and decided that we’d use the proceeds from the sale to travel.  Well hey, you only live once and who knows what the future will bring! The number of times I’ve heard people talk about travelling when they retire only to become ill and not get as far as retirement.  Ok that’s a bit maudlin of me, I know. But it is true to say that ill health can come out of the blue so if you can take advantage and travel when you’re young and healthy enough to enjoy it, then do so! 

Time to Travel

We kept a blog of our Travels Around The World here so that our family could keep up with our gadding about all over the place. 

poolside in Thailand

 It was a fantastic year, it really was. It all seems like such a long time ago now though, and we’ve been concentrating more recently on our latest website aka the 50 Plus Blog called MrandMrs50Plus.com . We write features for the site but we also have regular writers and journalists who contribute editorially.  The occasional Micro Blogger  sometimes contacts us out of the blue and offers to write appropriate content and we love to publish their blogs. It’s great for us to have an eclectic mix of writers to turn to for content and as they often post our links on their own blogs, it helps with our Link Building .

Get Blogged

Both Mr C and I write guest blogs for other sites and sometimes we ghost-write too.  Not all website owners have the time to write their own guest blogs so turn to sites like Get Blogged to find competent writers. This is a great source of additional income for any freelance writers who may have a few spare hours here and there. The thing I like best about them is that they pay promptly.  None of this waiting 45 days nonsense. No, Get Blogged tend to pay within 48 hours of you submitting them an article.

family blogger

Since the advent of blogs and blog writing, the world of publishing has changed hugely. In effect, anyone can have a go at writing for themselves on their own blog. And if you’re good, you can get your work published elsewhere too.  Once upon a time, only time-served journalists could hope for news websites to publish their articles. Online publishing has changed everything.

Social Media Marketing

The world of marketing has also changed beyond recognition. If you run your own company, you can have a go at promoting the company yourself. Social media has made self-promotion a breeze if you’ve got the knack. Likewise you don’t need to employ an expensive marketing company to market you if you’re happy to contact websites yourself and ask for a little publicity in exchange for something. Most companies will give you a link back to your own site if you run a competition with them, for example. Playing swapsies can save you a lot of money.

Even though I had previously worked in newspapers ( journalism and advertising) and in marketing, I had no idea that blogging could be so worthwhile.until we started.  Turns out it’s good for the writer and the company you blog for.

micro blogger

The Power of a Blog

The first time I think I became aware of the power of a good blog was back in 2007.  We had just come back from a family holiday and blogged about it. The company we wrote about actually contacted us to ask if Mr C and I wanted to travel with them to France and write about our experiences. I think they could see the power of words from a bona fide holidaymaker as opposed to a travel journalist. Perhaps bloggers are more relatable.  Obviously I mean ordinary bloggers and not those body-perfect, sun-kissed, perfectly filmed and photo-shopped bods who we see all over Instagram!

An ‘influencer’ needn’t emulate the likes of The Kardashians. Buy a waist trainer if that’s what you want! No, just be yourself when you blog and who knows what the future may hold for you!

Mrs C
In a nutshell, I'm a Mum to three gorgeous daughters and two step-sons who are gradually making their own lives and leaving Mr. C and I plenty of time to enjoy life just as a couple again. I'm a big fan of Afternoon Tea & Corrie and hate, with a vengeance, violence in films! I love reading 'proper' books though I concede that my birthday Kindle was brilliant on holidays.
https://thethumbsup.co.uk

Leave a Reply

Top