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Blogging and Motherhood – Success is Not Limited to One or the Other

Flirting With Mom at the Park

Flirting With Mom at the Park

And thank God for that or I guess I would be up-a-creek. Stuck watching soap operas instead. Seriously, is anyone else horribly troubled by the headline and tone of the propaganda supposed-article published recently in the New York Times? I think it was their coverage of the Blogging Bootcamp event (although the piece was published in Fashion & Style instead of Business), but I’m not sure. The seemingly biased, snarky piece read more like the attacks we used to see thrown at working mothers who dared to use their brains for more than washing dishes. Heavens!

The headline read “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand.” That was the unbiased part. It got worse. Golden nuggets of sarcasm wisdom are sprinkled throughout the article, like this gem, “Teaching your baby to read? Please. How to hide vegetables in your child’s food? Oh, that’s so 2008.” One would suspect that Jennifer is a childless, single-minded, fast-tracked-career woman who just doesn’t realize that you can get plenty of computer time in by cutting out a daily commute and afternoon soaps.

But no. It turns out that Jennifer Mendelsohn is actually a mother herself. And blogger. Too bad she hasn’t more productively joined the community she chose to mock and treat with such derision. I wonder how she managed to build such a successful freelancing career as a stay-at-home mom when by her own admission she only just got four hours a day to herself while her two kids were in school as recently as January of this year. *Gasp* It was probably in the same way the rest of us do – WITH our children.

The article makes it sound like one cannot be a successful mother and manage a successful career simultaneously. I’m sorry – that mentality is so last century. Is it not? Have we NOT come further than that since the 70’s and 80’s when women were still seeking entry into “male-run industries”. Like publishing, marketing, PR and online industries?

Maybe I have a warped idealistic point-of-view. After all, I grew up with a mother who not only runs a successful home-based business (one of the top in her company!) and has trained hundreds of women internationally in said business, but ALSO raised and homeschooled eight (count them – EIGHT!) children. Both. It never crossed my mind to disbelieve the notion that I could be anything I wanted to be. I could be a successful mother (as well as any mother can consider herself “a success”) and ALSO manage a successful career writing online.

Yes, I was away from my children to write this blog post. They were happily helping my husband bring the tractor back from the 10 acre garden we are planting at the ranch this year. They never noticed my absence. I WOULD have written this post two days ago when I first read the article but I was busy on a date night with my husband and today, at the park with my kiddos. (See photographic evidence for pictures of obviously neglected kids *removing tongue from cheek*)

I don’t have to”hide vegetables” in my child’s food – I’ve had almost every meal of their little lives right by their side and showed them by example how to enjoy nutritious food. I actually AM in the process of teaching my children how to read. Thank you very much. And instead of paying someone else to do it for me, while I punch a clock on someone else’s schedule, I am able to BE THERE when my child needs a new diaper, or has an exciting new discovery from our backyard wonder-land to share with me.

Don't Let the New York Times Squash Her Dreams, Please

Don't Let the New York Times Squash Her Dreams, Please

Because online careers and, yes, blogging, has leveled the playing field in such a way that my mother in her petitioning-against-required-Home-Economics-for-females-in-her-high-school could only hope for. And following in her footsteps I plan to do BOTH – raise and school my children and be actively involved in their lives AND manage a successful career that blesses our family financially and keeps my children out of childcare with total strangers.

I’m just sorry Jennifer’s article didn’t celebrate that women are finally empowered to manage that dream. Instead of berating and belittling them for attempting it. THAT attitude was so last decade. And I pray for my daughter’s sake the remnants of that attitude will finally end in THIS decade. We could only wish that influential old-media like New York Times would pave the way towards more enlightened attitudes regarding women, motherhood and business. But apparently not. I guess it’s a good thing I’m home to encourage my daughter myself!

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Posted in Blogging Skills, Business Skills, Family.

The Permanence of Blogging – Why This Mother Loves It

Does Your Blogging Leave a Permanent Mark? Probably so! Photo by Beate W.

Does Your Blogging Leave a Permanent Mark? Probably so! Photo by Beate W.

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off” ~Proverbs 23:18

I’ve spent an amazing three days at Blissdom conference this past month meeting and connecting and reconnecting with my amazing women blogging friends and it’s made me remember one of the things I love about blogging. It has permanence. It lasts.

My Motherly Duties Do Not Last

So few things I do as a mother seem to last. The dishes don’t stay clean for more than – yeah, maybe an hour if I’m lucky. The bed does not stay made and the laundry does not stayed washed. My children DEFINITELY do not stay fed. Lol! Especially when going through a growth spurt or two.

But when I blog, I can have confidence that the little piece of my heart that I share with you will have a future. It will last. Even if this post isn’t read today, right now this second. It will be. Read and enjoyed, maybe commented on.

The Blogging Legacy

It’s like another piece in a long-term legacy that collectively adds to my unique contribution to the world. Forever. It’s an amazing feeling when I remember to appreciate it.

On the other hand, it makes me a bit humble. Encourages me to remember what some of the panelists shared at the conference – Is what I’m posting of value? Does it have worth?

If the only way someone had to KNOW ME was through my blog, would it be someone worth knowing? I wonder. What would these words say about me as a person. That I’m passionate. Wordy. Follow a wide variety of interests. Lose my temper. Love my family. Try. Always.

In what ways has your blog renewed your hope? What does it mean to you that you’ll have a future undeniable? Incapable of being cut-off?

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Posted in Blogging by the Book.

Thinking Through Your Blogging Business Steps

Have you marked your steps towards blogging as a business?

Have you marked your steps towards blogging as a business? Photo by Lewandowski

A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.” ~Proverbs 14:15

When bloggers begin to look for ways to increase revenue and income online it can be a tough road when you don’t know who to trust. There is SO MUCH out there – some ok, some good and some out-right horrible. What it means for those who want to take blogging beyond “personal outlet” and turn it into a business is that some common sense business principles must apply. Here are some thoughts.

Read Every Blogging and Writing Contract Very Carefully

Are you writing for someone else? You should have a contract. If you weren’t given a contract, run away. Quickly. :-) If you were given a writing contract, READ IT. Carefully. And then read it again. Be sure to clarify any confusing points, especially when it comes to your rights.

Ask Yourself What Rights You’re Willing to Give and at What Cost

If you are ghost-writing content for another site, and your name is not on it, you should be charging a premium price. That is freelance copyrighting. Not “blogging”. If you get your name on it and a brief bio and even a link back to your website, that may be of value to you so you could consider charging a lower price. If the client is taking full rights and you are giving them the rights to the content forever, you would want to charge more than you might if you were able to reuse the content in print or on your own website in the future. These are all considerations you should be aware of before agreeing to a certain price.

If it Talks Like a Business, It Should Act Like a Business

I’m just sayin’. If you call yourself a professional blogger or say that you want to turn this into a business, than do not treat it like a hobby. If you want to blog for personal enjoyment, by all means, do so. Just don’t call it a business if it’s not. And by all means – if you’re calling it a business, please, please, please act professionally. This means your speech. Your financial dealings. Your disclosures. Your dealings with clients and other bloggers.

Of course, sometimes these things sneak up on us – that’s what it means to give thought to your steps. When you find yourself in the position to accept advertising, or begin using affiliate links in your posts, you’ll need to think carefully to your steps. Think of yourself as a business from dollar $1 and you won’t find yourself stumbling in the future. Step wisely, dear friend, and the prudent path will be before you.

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Posted in Blogging by the Book.

Blogging Session Notes Link-Up!

So, I am not the only one who has been typing up some amazing blogging conference notes from the workshops and training sessions we attended. Here is a gathering of the session recaps and blogging trainings, both here on AngEngland.com and on other websites.

From @JustHeather – Keynote Session w/Kevin Carroll - about blurring the lines between work and play.

From @TipJunkie – Connecting With Your Community of Readers – all about our readers and our community as bloggers. From @JustHeather – Liveblogged Version of Connecting Session.

From @AngEngland – Content is Queen – about high quality writing and finding your voice.

From @JustHeather – Getting Published - about publishing options, tips and tricks.

From @AngEngland – Problogging Session Notes – about taking your blogging to the next level. From @ChristineSatter – Evolving into a Problogger.

From @BostonMamas – Striking a Balance – a realistic look at balancing blogging and life. @JustHeather’s Liveblogged Recap

From @AngEngland – Advertising on Your Blog - examining ad networks and monetizing your blog. @JustHeather’s Liveblogged Version.

From @SGetgood – Disclosure and Slides from “You Should Know Better” - all about the financial, ethical and legal things you need to know as a blogger. From @modernmami Her notes on Disclosure, FTC and Accounting.

From @BeyondJEMS – Memoir Writing Session Notes - all about how to blog your own story.

From @AngEngland – Leveraging Social Media – how to use social media to build your business. @JustHeather’s Liveblogged Notes

From @JustHeather – Inspirational Writing Workshop – sponsored by HallMark, this workshop was all about inspiring others w/your words.

From @AngEngland – Using SEO Techniques as a Blogger – increase your blog traffic through well-optimized posts, w/o losing your unique voice.

From @JustHeather – Niche Blogging Workshop - about finding and maximizing your niche.

From @frelle – Wisdom Workshop Recaps – She has the notes posted from “What’s Your Story” media training workshop, the “Her Story” Writing Track Wisdom Workshop, and the “Social Media and the Women Who Love it” Wisdom Workshop.

I know there are other session notes out there, so leave a link in the comment and I’ll add the blogging session to our list! :-)

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Posted in Blissdom Thoughts, Blogging Skills.

I’ve been Nominated! Calling all Okie Buds to Vote….

So I recently found out that I’ve been nominated for an Oklahoma Blogging Award.

You must live in Oklahoma to vote for me, but you’ll notice that not only was this site, angengland.com, nominated in Best Writing Blog category – Untrained Housewife was nominated for Best New Blog of 2009!! What an honor! Both of my big sites nominated – I must find whomever snitched on me and kiss them.

Meanwhile, please consider voting for me if you are an Oklahoman blogger! Click the link above to find out how.

Thanks,

Angela <><

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Posted in Uncategorized.

SEO Tips For Bloggers – Merging Humanity With Technique Blissdom Workshop Recap

This is the teaching outline and merged notes from the Blissdom Wisdom Workshop on SEO and Stats that was taught by Kelby Carr (@typeamom) and myself, Angela England (@AngEngland). Thanks to @econemicliving who shared her copy of the notes – the basic teaching outline was created ahead of time, but the Q & A’s came from the audience and helped guide the session outcome!

Writing Good SEO Does Not Have to Hide Your Humanity. Photo by Ivan Petrov

Writing Good SEO Does Not Have to Hide Your Humanity. Photo by Ivan Petrov

Kelby -Understanding SEO for Bloggers

SEO does not have to mean geeky/soulless. You do not have to choose between writing for humans and computers.

Reasons SEO is important to bloggers

Look at SEO as a different style of writing, just like newspapers, books, TV, radio, etc. are all media with their own styles. Cover basic standards for web/SEO writing: clear, concise, on point, etc.

Ask Yourself: “What Would I Search?”
Go to Google and do a search before you start writing – what comes up is probably what your title should be. (What is this about?)
-Slight tweaking of a phrase can make a big difference

Researching and choosing your keyword phrase (with demo of doing keyword research)
-Ex: mommy blogger, mom blogger: MOM BLOG, top 10 mom blog
(Google – keyword tool –click on global monthly search volume (keep use synonyms checked) – be sure people are searching it.

(Angela’s Note - one of the best features of my ebook is the step-by-step visual guidance on how to do this. If you are “stuck” on this portion of keyword research, or still having trouble applying it to your specific situation, that may be a resource for you to consider.)

Angela – Implementing Human-Friendly SEO on Your Blog

Understand the ABC’s of Web Writing

  • A – Active Title “No Cutsey” – Start with a good, clear title (should ALSO be title tag next to Mozilla/IE symbol)

  • B – Bolded Subheading – Use Heading (Angela uses H3) setting vs just bolding

-Subheading for clarity, helps catch the eye
-work some of the words in your title into your subheading

  • C – Cut Away Rambling Fluff (narrow focus)

Things that help with SEO also help with human readers -(Sub heads – bullets – scan )

Don’t be Afraid to Tailor SEO to Site  and Situation - (demo of posting book review  to three diff sites)

SEO in Action – Formatting the Post

Tag your photos too – people search for photos- google image search – use hypens between your words – alternative text to increase SEO. Do intro paragraphs for videos and then embed it

From Kelby -Categories = chapters and Tags = index

Takeaway Handout – post from my blog/ebook w/article template for web writing

HUB PAGE – a post to send people to other posts – put your links in a keyword sentence

(Angela’s Note – By popular request, here are some sample hubpages. This is the round-up post for the Ten Habits of Successful Blogging Series on my site. This shows Popular Children’s Books for Preschoolers and here’s one Kelby did about Traveling in the Summer. )

How Can You Improve SEO Now?

  • At the end of post – call to action (what do you think, post a comment, read this) Link to other people
  • Weave your keywords/title throughout your post – words in title should be in first paragraph
  • Google pagerank, firefox browser extensions, seaquake, pagerank
  • Optimize your past posts – will re-index your SEO’s, including your page titles – rework old content
  • When you repeat posts (Freebie Friday) put more interesting title at beginning (CVS freebie – Freebie Friday)

A Word About Stats and Analytics

  • Install Google Analytics – look at referral from google (if under 50%, there’s a problem)
  • Get Clicky – to see what people are clicking on when they leave your site
  • Take advantage of seasonal content
  • Social Bookmarking (wikipedia and digg = no follow links)
  • Curtsey, mom share, propeller, facebook fan page, stumbleupon.com, Hubpages website are follows (This sample from Hubpages includes another example of a round-up page designed to get On-Topic links back to other posts and articles).
  • Google.com/webmasters

-set preferred domain
-Claim a sitemap (please use rss feed as a sitemap) – not ideal, but a place to start

Angela says: Content attracts, relationships keep

Search WP extension: “redirect” if you’re going to start changing page names

Create HUB PAGE with lots of resources – with links – and put in side bar

People love Top 10 Lists

(Angela’s Notes – I couldn’t take exact transcriptions on this session because my mouth was open the whole time so I hope you’ll all forgive the rather abrupt and “bullet pointed” type of notes. The information is, of course, still helpful I hope. :-) Kelby and I bounced off eachother so much through the session it was hard to note who said what sometimes. For Mommy Bloggers SEO Advice, please check out Kelby’s upcoming book which will have more specifics on SEO tips that WON’T make you sound like a robot!)

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Posted in Blissdom Thoughts, Blogging Skills, SEO Tips and Resources.


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