5 things your blog posts are missing

even as a veteran blogger (12+ years and counting), learning to craft a balanced, visually appealing and genuinely good post took years to learn. not everything that goes into making a good post is intuitive - and that's ok! learning to take full advantage of the space you're working with, the power of your words + visuals and building off of your older content are all beneficial skills to remember.

here are the things you may be missing in your blog posts.

photos that aren't as large as possible.

you've got the space, so use it! it's frustrating for readers to navigate to your blog and be forced to sift through tiny photos centered in a post. make your photos as wide as possible without the size itself becoming an eyesore - usually, however wide your content area is, make your photos this width. your readers eyes will thank you. after all, if you can barely see the photos, why put them there?

links to your old posts + other's content.

if you're writing a post about a new restaurant you tried and happen to mention the restaurant you're comparing it to, link to that post, please! your reader may wonder: "oh, they also reviewed dan's cafe? well, where can i find that? i don't see it here... oh well." and that's how easy it is to lose additional engagement + pageviews. link anything and everything within reason. as i've written on before, blogging is about community now. if you mention someone else's ideas, photos or posts, link them.

re-visitation of old topics & ideas.

everyone's views are going to change over time. have you updated your readers on your newfound  ideas? if you wrote a post on blogging do's + don'ts two years ago, are those tips still applicable today, or have you learned more? this is an opportunity to link posts together and give readers a journey to follow.

content that is not only authentic, but digestable.

on the internet, this is know as "tl;dr", aka "too long, didn't read". can that apply to some of your posts? separate concepts, paragraphs and ideas with headings, lists, tables and bullet points. this helps the reader skim a lot of information quickly, and makes your posts much easier on the eyes. if you've got a long story or rant to tell, that's ok! just make the formatting visually pleasing by adding photos in between paragraphs and headings to give structure.

 

your true writing voice.

read your posts. seriously. read them. is that you in there? do you really talk that way? i am all for being professional and polished online - in fact, my friends who know me in real life could say my social media is a highly censored version of myself (i have a sailor's mouth, but i mean c'mon, my family reads my blog). but beyond the lack of f-bombs, it's really me. is it really you?

birmingham bloggers blogentine bash

i think the word blogentine is one that has needed to exist for, y'know, a while now.

for our first february event, birmingham bloggers hosted a blogentine bash party at fab'rik boutique in homewood. attendees were matched up secret santa style with their "blogentine", and brought gifts to exchange to the party. we were treated to some delicious snacks from rachel - beet & ricotta topped crostinis, hummus and sriarcha deviled eggs. beth made some beautiful red velvet madeleines, and fab'rik supplied us with a yummy prosecco + pomegranate cocktail.

everyone chatted, mingled & exchanged their gifts, and then fab'rik gave away some awesome door prizes, including the chance for two bloggers do to an instagram takeover and run fab'rik's insta for a day. it was super chilly outside, but bloggers braved the cold & came out to party with their blogentines, and we are so grateful!

a few of y'all spoke with me about your feelings on this community, and i honestly have not been able to stop thinking about it since. i am so happy and honored to be able to bring everyone together. y'all made my week, seriously. we want to continue to create events that inspire and educate.

speaking of which, if you're a birmingham bloggers member, head to this link to fill out a survey & be entered to win a $25 giftcard to babalu tacos & tapas. we truly want your feedback regarding what you'd like to hear at one of our march events, a workshop with the birmingham social media guru wade kwon. thank you in advance!

everyone at fab'rik was so helpful and accomodating! they're a fantastic boutique, and if you've got one in your city and have not visited, please make your way there asap - they just got in a ton of spring items that are gorgeous, not to mention, winter items are on sale!

thank you fab'rik for hosting us!

photos via bethcakes :)

surviving a new orleans mardi gras ball

have you ever witnessed something so absurd you felt compelled to write on it?

i did last weekend.

as i've written on previously, i am no stranger to the mardi gras world. i was born & raised in fairhope, alabama. i was riding in parades before i graduated kindergarten. beads, moonpies and fighting soccer moms over teddy bears in the middle of the street was all a normal part of my childhood. mardi gras? yeah bro, i got it. no need to try and fill me in.

last weekend, i went to new orleans for the endymion krewe's annual parade and ball. luke bryan performed, everyone was so friendly and wonderful, and it was an amazing time. however, a new orleans mardi gras is another animal entirely than the customs in alabama. mobile may have invented the celebration, but new orleans took it and ran a freaking marathon with it. the sad truth is, i didn't believe this until i witnessed it for myself.

it wasn't the parade madness that surprised me. or bourbon street, really. all were just as i expected: smelly, silly and kind of unreal. what truly threw me for a loop was the endymion ball. not all balls are quite to this scale (was held in the mercedes benz superdome, by the way, no big deal) but i've got some tips for you if you ever find yourself at a ball held by one of the super krewes in new orleans. these are 110% serious.

1. bring a helmet. i sincerely wish i were kidding. here's the thing, the parade comes into the superdome. i thought i was prepared, but i was oh so wrong. my friend mike and i were squashed up front by the barricades awaiting the parade to come into the dome, and we took a look around: people were wearing freakin' helmets. how absurd, i thought. and then the parade came in, and flamethrowers went off, and fireworks were everywhere, and they started throwing. this was throwing beyond what you experience on the street. my face is bruised.
2. bring a tarp to put on your table. yeah. seriously. this was a thing, too. everyone's tables with their food, liquor and belongings were covered in tarps to protect from the immiment hellshower of teddy bears, frisbees and beads. a table up front was left uncovered by some newbies, and everyone around them collectively freaked out and found them a tarp. serious business, y'all.
3. wear tennis shoes, baby. call me tacky, i do not care. this was the best choice i made all night. everyone is in floor length dresses, and you can get away with it. the nikes were my best friend. the floor was unwalkable by the end of the two hour meteor shower from the floats - kind of like what you'd imagine swimming in one of those toy claw machines would be like. you turn around and oh, a giant stuffed banana and plastic jewelry, and oh look, there's a medallion in your hair.

did i have fun? oh yeah. will i ever go to another new orleans ball? i'll let my bruised face speak for itself.

what are your mardi gras experiences?

how blogging brought me out of my shell

woah, woah, woah, right? blogging is what brought you out of your shell? no way. that doesn't even make sense, meredith. especially when you actually wrote a post about being introverted and how you think bloggers have a tendency to be introverted as well. so how did that thing, that y'know, introverted people do, give you some social chops?

you want the truth? i'm still trying to figure the whole story of how blogging changed my social landscape. before i go on, keep in mind i am an introverted, passionate over-thinker true and true - so yes, i'm going to write about this, but i guarantee you're sitting here reading a highly condensed version that i cut the rhetorical questions out of. i'm going to tell you what i do know.

i do know that years ago, i struggled with social anxiety. 

and i still do sometimes, but not nearly like it was before. i had issues going to the store alone. i had issues initiating conversations. i've always had friends - fellow introverted folks, usually. but the social interactions with people i didn't know that well really, really got me. the funny thing is, i hadn't been that way at all up until my junior year of highschool, and then out of nowhere, bam, social anxiety. i went to a therapist. i worked it out and went off to college. i figured i was a-ok.

little did i know there was so much more growth to be done.

despite feeling confident in who i was and what i was about, i didn't realize just how much more confident i was capable of feeling. i was a classic, mildly anxious introvert. over analyzing text messages, shuddering at the thought of introducing myself to someone i didn't know, recoiling at the idea of a phone interview or a meeting. ick. what? no. no no no. i'll watch netflix instead.

birmingham bloggers happened. i went to my first blogging conferences. i got more and more into blogging, and i decided i truly wanted to embrace the community aspect. i had the 'sitting in my bed writing' aspect down, freakin' trust me y'all. what i hadn't mastered was the networking, the friendships. so i just went with it. i'm not sure what i thought starting a local blogging community entailed, but i was definitely a few weeks in before i realized, "oh my god, this means i'm going to have to meet and talk to a bunch of people. what am i doing?"

somehow, i made the choice to act in a way uncharacteristic of my behavior prior. i just did it. and i forced myself. it wasn't always easy. but i kept talking to people, i kept shaking hands, i kept introducing myself, it was like i was on a blind rampage and i wasn't even thinking, i just did. you fellow overthinkers know what a blessing it is to just act and not think on occasion. i had always been an overthinker. it wasn't until i took control, told my brain "no" and just did it that i saw how that impacted my life, my relationships and my passions.

i know it isn't that simple for everyone. it took me years of growth to get to that point, and i highly, highly recommended working with a therapist to lay a foundation for overcoming your social anxities and getting out there. but once you've got the foundation laid and a passion that ignites you, all that's missing is action. blogging forced me to take that action.

a few months ago, i got an email about attending a speaker engagement for a couple of PR students to talk about birmingham bloggers. upon receiving the email, my first thought was, "wow, how am i going to condense everything i have to say? i could talk about this, but this also may be a good idea..." and then i stopped myself. who am i? for the first time since i can remember, my first thought wasn't, "oh no, a speaking engagement?! oh my gosh, i can't." but a question of how i'd organize my presentation instead. that's when i knew a serious change had happened while i was meeting bloggers at conferences and chatting them up, hosting birmingham bloggers events and introducing myself to everyone, and prancing into meetings and interviews with ease.

i still feel silly when i speak in front of people sometimes. i have my moments. however, i've built a layer of confidence in myself, what i have to say and my areas of expertise that allow me this incredible freedom, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. i can just say, and do, and be. and i don't obsess over it. and i don't lose sleep. and i have the blogging community to thank for forcing me to grow.

go-to green smoothie

hey y'all! today's post features guest blogger molly of heytheresunshine.com. she's not only a great blogger and talented graphic designer, but my wonderful friend and co-founder of birmingham bloggers. today she's sharing a super simple, healthy smoothie recipe with y'all. go check her blog out! enjoy!

i don't know about you, but i'm always looking for a quick, healthy breakfast and this one has been a go-to for me for a couple of years now. i know a bright green smoothie looks really strange, but it tastes deliciously peanut buttery and is still healthy! i always add a little ice at the end to thicken it up, but the frozen banana gives it a good, creamy texture if you don't add the ice. and obviously, PB2 is a favorite ingredient of mine to help keep things lightened up, plus it's wonderful as a substitute for regular peanut butter, too.

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 container chobani simply 100 vanilla (or other vanilla greek yogurt)
1 frozen ripe banana
2 tablespoons PB2 powder
1-2 handfuls of baby spinach
flaxseed (optional)
ice (optional)

add all ingredients to blender (i usually start with almond milk, PB2, and yogurt, then add the remaining ingredients on top of them). blend until smooth, add ice to thicken after ingredients are well blended. enjoy!

you can customize your smoothie by removing the PB2, adding your favorite frozen fruits, and replacing the vanilla greek yogurt with a complimentary fruit flavor.

visit molly's blog, hey there sunshine!

how i stay organized

we've all got our methods. in the past year or so, i've fully transitioned to online calendars, to do lists and organization - something that years ago would have made me shudder. i was a proud moleskin lover, carried my planner wherever i went, and essentially kept my life in it. somewhere, somehow, i made the leap to fully digital organization. some of these tips can still be applied on paper, but i find the seamless integration of the digital apps really makes my life easier.

i strive for inbox zero.

i use gmail, so i separate my email into categories. i create folders for each. for example, on my personal blog email address, i have general, giveaways, partnerships, a folder for emails from networks/societies and reader feedback. when i get an email, i let it sit in my inbox until i have a chance to respond. once it's been responded to, i sort it into one of these folders. this way, i know what i have and haven't had a chance to address - and once i've addressed it, it's out of the way.

i maintain to do lists & update them regularly.

i use the todoist app for my lists, and it's such a lifesaver. you are able to create multiple "projects" and add lists for each. you are also able to create recurring to-do items - for example, if you know you plan your social media on hootsuite every week, you can set up a "plan social media" recurring item that will automatically appear on your list every sunday, or the day you select. every time i email someone or start a project, i put "follow up with ____" on my to do list, just in case they don't reply.

i use google calendar to plan posts + events.

my google calendar combines my personal life and blogging life. when you get an invitation to an event, put it on your calendar without even thinking. i often throw down events i'm not even sure i'm going to attend, but when the time finally comes and i have a better idea of what i'm doing that day, it helps to remember i have the option. google calendar syncs with my phone, so i can quickly access my appointments for the day.

i say no to email on weekends.

this is kind of a half truth. i don't respond to emails on weekends, and 8 times out of 10, i try not to read them and save it for monday. however, i often find myself working on sundays, so if you absolutely must, write and respond to emails, and save them as drafts and send later. or, use boomerang to schedule emails to be sent at a later time.

cookie butter surprise cupcakes

if you haven't heard of cookie butter, i'm about to change up your life. if you're a fan of nutella or any similar sugary ridiculous spreads that totally are not a part of a balanced diet, cookie butter is for you. if you head over to amazon and read the reviews of the mystical cookie butter, you'd think it was made out of unicorn tears and baby's breath. people are absolutely nuts about the stuff. i heard the hype, but couldn't justify ordering it off amazon. for a jarred spread? really?

when i went to athens the other weekend with beth to visit molly, she informed us there was a trader joe's in town. i know a few things about this trader joe's place, one being that they have cookie butter. SOLD. and so, we went. and the more we chatted about it, the more it became apparent we needed to make some freakin' cookie butter cupcakes.

yeah, that's right. there are cookie butter cups too. i sampled the cookie butter and whaddaya know, it's amazing. i don't have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, but i completely get the appeal of this stuff. it's rich, it's unique, it's not "chocolate chip cookie"-ish but it's sugary, buttery and amazing. i brought my brother a jar and he just sits there and eats it straight, if that tells you anything.

anyway, we got to business. we adapted a basic cake recipe from a better homes & gardens cookbook and beth made up the cookie butter icing on the fly. they turned out amazing, so get ready.

for the cake, you will need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 24 cookie butter cups (optional, but so amazing!)

for the frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup cookie butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar 

to make the cake:

1.  preheat your oven to 350 degrees. line a cupcake pan with liners of your choice.
2. in a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. add in vanilla. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. in a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. 
4. add half flour mixture to egg mixture, then add half buttermilk. alternate adding flour and buttermilk until combined.
5. add a dollop of batter to the bottom of your cupcake liner, then press a cookie butter cup into the dough. top with more batter until cupcake liner is 2/3 full.
6. bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick insert comes out clean. let cool before frosting.

 to make the frosting:

1. in a mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. 
2. add vanilla, cookie butter and milk. gradually add powdered sugar until just combined.
3. top cupcakes with cookie butter icing and a cookie butter cup.

 

birmingham bloggers valentine giveaway!

i’ve teamed up with bloggers from birmingham bloggers to bring you a valentine’s giveaway! we wanted an easy way to give back to our readers and show our appreciation. enter below for your chance to win a $165 giftcard to target. this giveaway is open to us residents only, and ends at midnight next monday, february 9th. happy early valentine’s day, and good luck!

visit www.bhambloggers.com and all the bloggers in the giveaway here:

LCB Style, A Pinch of Healthy, The M Studio, Hey There Sunshine, Eat Drink Be Well, Morrell's Armoire, Fast Foodie, Bethcakes, Blissfully Southern, Lola Charles, The Style Gathering, Shotguns & Seashells, Between the Pearls, Sizeable Chic and Everyday Living.

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