How to Promote Your Blog For Free

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I read a really funny but absolutely true meme on Facebook once that said,  "98.5% of being smart is knowing what you are dumb at."

How to Use the Internet Like a Pro

If you are reading this, you are probably either a blogger or a Loyal Reader of my planner posts. 

Like me, you probably try to be smart about the internet and how you use it, either to promote your blog or to manage your life.

A Blogger's Guide to Rocking Facebook in Under 5 Minutes

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Most bloggers and business owners have a Facebook page for promoting posts.

If it takes you more than about five minutes per day to deal with the page or if you have to pay to promote your posts, you need to improve how you are using your Facebook page to save time and money!

How to Improve a Blog for a Year of Blogging Success

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My tiny blog has grown a lot over this past year. 

As I type this, the year is coming to an end and I am reviewing all that I have accomplished.

Take Your Blog from Cookie Cutter to Fabulous

I recently participated in a blog review. 

Each of us got assigned several blogs to review honestly. Then, we received all the reviews of our own blog in an e-mail.

The Technology That I Use for Planning and Blogging

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I use a paper planner, but as a blogger, I am very techno-savvy. 

How can a Luddite in the world of planners love to tweak HTML and edit YouTube videos?

And what I am willing to spend (you KNOW it's not much) to do so?

Increasing Hits on a Single Blog Post

Welcome to my little blog, Giftie Etcetera. 

Back when I started (as a lifestyle/parenting blog) in 2007, I had posts that got as few as 3 views and averaged about 20 views for a couple of years.

As you stumble around my blog today, you'll notice that I focus more on planners, organizing, and being productive. I also have a few more readers these days.

How I Earned a Threefold Increase in Monthly Blog Income

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My tiny blog makes me happy. 

I feel like I get to think out my processes and share good ideas with a community of planner folks, parents, organized ladies (and a couple of gentleman, but stats reveal there are only about two of you), and some Loyal Readers.

But my blog will never make me rich.

3 Shortcuts for Writing Your Blog Post in Less Time

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Blogging takes a ton of time. If you blog, you realize that.

I think my Loyal Readers know about the time commitment, too.

How to Increase Blog Pageviews By Being Yourself

I'm friendly, intense, energetic, intelligent, and obsessed with planning.

Even with all that, last year my blog stats were low. Really low. I had a core group of fans (my Loyal Readers), but that was it. No one else even knew my little blog existed.

7 Smart Ways to Attract Readers to Old Blog Posts

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

I feel your pain. I wrote blog posts in the past. 

Some are awful.

The perfectionist in me wants to fix them.

Some were brilliant, but no one had discovered my blog back then.

Some are incredible, jammed-packed with great information, and went viral.

People still visit those posts. And, frankly, letting them look at them is the digital equivalent of that picture of me in the 1980s with my mullet.

(Stay tuned for that goodness, later in this post!)

I Bought a Planner...Now What Do I Do?

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A new planner comes with infinite possibilities, but it also comes with infinite questions and decisions to make.

How to Write More Interesting Facebook Posts for Bloggers and Nonbloggers

Facebook gives people a chance to peek at the quality of your writing.

If you are a blogger, you write for a living. Sure, a blog isn't a novel, but if you want people to read your blog, you've got to be interesting and give them quality content.

If you aren't a blogger (most of you, I'm guessing), you still want to write cool, interesting stuff on Facebook!

I've got some tricks that will help your posts be more compelling for your friends and readers.

Write from the heart.

It's so important to be reveal your true self, even if you don't reveal everything. If you write it, make sure you believe it and would stand behind it.

You don't have to tell everyone everything, though. Facebook is way too public, even with privacy settings, to be used recklessly. But reveal enough of yourself that people recognize you.

Use good grammar and spelling.

Facebook is casual. Typos happen.

But it is a sign of respect for your friends that you write something that is easy to read.

Attention Grammar Nazis: This does NOT mean you should correct someone for poor grammar or spelling. Perhaps they have a learning disorder or a lack of education. Maybe they have coordination problems when posting from a smart phone. Use your manners!

Show the good and the bad.

Nobody needs to  know about the details of your medical procedure. (Seriously, we don't. And we DO NOT want pictures of that toe nail. Ever.)

But don't limit yourself to only good stuff or only bad stuff. Be real. It's only fair to your friends. Plus, it saves you from being labeled a complainer or a braggart.

Use Facebook hacks.

Facebook has lots of little things that can make posts more interesting.

***Tag someone in a post by simply typing their name while posting, and selecting the tag when it pops up.

(Caution - their friends will be able to see your posts if you tag them. If you prefer, tag them in the first comment, instead, and they will get a notification but their friends won't see your post unless they are also your friends.)

***Add photo to your posts by clicking on the camera icon in the lower left corner of the status box.

***Tag people at the end of the post (rather than in the middle of the status) using the person plus icon.

***Add your feelings using the smiley icon.

This tip helps your readers know what you are feeling and clarifies the post.

***Check-in, done with the teardrop icon, tells where you are.

(Caution - consider only checking-in after the fact, for security purposes.)

***Customize your audience. 

Sometimes, only some people need to read what you are writing. Maybe you want to exclude your boss or a friend who is dealing with heavy stuff from a particular post.

Find out how here.

Here's a sample of me customizing privacy so my husband can't read about his upcoming surprise party:

(Aside for husband - Don't worry, dear husband, I'm only kidding. You'd hate a surprise party!)

Here's what my final status looks like, using the photo, feeling, and check-in icons.

Most of all, enjoy Facebook. It's a conversation, not a performance. Remember that and you'll be fine!

If you enjoyed this post, please share on Facebook.

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

Partied at: Reasons to Skip the Housework, Happiness is Homemade, Simply Sundays

Organize Your Link Parties

Loyal Readers know I will organize just about anything. If something is organized, it's easy and quick to find, use, and put away.

Websites that I want to visit on a certain day at a certain time, like link parties, are prime material for organizing.

For my blogging friends, today features a peek at how I organize link parties in three easy steps!

(For non-bloggers, check out some link parties, included at the bottom of most of my recent posts. It's a great way to discover new, soon-to-be favorite blogs.)

1. Add the link-ups that I like to my Google Chrome bookmarks (pictured above).

2. Divide them by day.

3. Subdivide by time. 

The pink part of the picture shows a.m. linkups. The purple part demonstrates a party that starts at 8 a.m. And the blue is for p.m. parties.

Having link parties set up this way is critical for quick linking. I just link when I have free time, so if I have free time at 9 a.m. on Monday, I can do just the Monday morning links.

Simple, but effective.

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

Partied at: Meetup Monday, My Favorite Things. Reasons to Skip the Housework, Saturday Sharefest, Saturday Sparks, Dare to Share, Share the Wealth, Small Victories, Happiness Is Homemade, Simply Sundays, Making Your Home Sing, Inspire Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Sundays Down Under, Motivation Monday, Mommy Monday, Anything Goes, Something to Talk About, Baby Brain Monday, Create Link Inspire, My Favorite Things, Happy Home Life, Way Back Wednesday

Featured at: Small Victories Sunday, Happy Home Life

Labels on Blog Posts: A How-To For Readers and Bloggers

My Loyal Readers might be surprised to know a couple of new tricks that help you find what you want to read on my page.

FOR READERS:

First, scroll down below any post and look at Labels. See one you like? Click on it. You will see a bunch of posts that share that label.

Using this simple trick, you can read all the posts about a single topic, like setting up "weekly" pages or "parenting."

Second, look on the right sidebar for the Search field. Type in any topic and Google will search Giftie Etcetera for more posts about that topic.

I hope these two simple tips let you explore my blog with ease. If you enjoy reading Giftie Etcetera, make sure to join our Facebook group by clicking here.

FOR BLOGGERS:

If you are a Blogger, consider using Labels to organize your posts for your readers. After all, my Loyal Readers shouldn't be the only ones enjoying all the good stuff!

Blogging an All Nighter

Thanks to everyone who has been so kind as I recover from my recent health scare. One more test on Monday before I should get the all clear!

I'll still always be at higher risk for stroke, but...

...I should be fine. I have my planner and my plan, including walking for 30 minutes a day EVERY day and taking aspirin therapy.

To thank all of my Loyal Readers, I spent the energy that the steroid medication gives me pulling an all-nighter and making my blog easier to read and navigate. After all, what is a nerdy girl to do but code all night long, right?

(My apologies in the morning. I suspect I'll be grumpy.)

And, hey, bonus - I made a coffee meme for you! Feel free to steal it. 

Etcetera.

P.S. I posted an updated Privacy Policy on the sidebar, way down. The law requires me to tell you that now. 

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media.

Partied at: Lou Lou Girls, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Funtastic Friday, Pintastic Pinterest, Momma Told Me, Feature Fridays, Weekly Summer Link-up, Something to Talk About, Create Link Inspire

Planner Bloggers: Announcing a New Facebook Group Just for You!

Patti at Homemakers Daily (an excellent blog, so click here to check it out) commented last week that we need a group for those who blog about planners. I am in some great blogging groups, but none of them focus on our niche or struggles and successes!

Announcing PLANNER BLOGGERS, a Facebook group for the sole purpose of serving the planner blogger community.

To join, click here. Sorry, Loyal Readers, but this group is ONLY for the planner blogger community, so that we can focus on continuing to give you great, easy-to-access content.

Also, please remember to share this post, in some way like Facebook or Pinterest or Twitter, with your favorite planner bloggers!

Etcetera.

Conquering the Summer Blogging Slump

Bloggers can usually expect stats to crash during the summer. Maybe it's because people are vacationing. For planner bloggers, back-to-school and December/January, when people get new planners, are busy times. But June and July means fewer readers and lower statistics.

There are ways to keep your readers engaged (and to keep you engaged), even during the summer.

*Create relevant content.

The Loyal Readers who visit Giftie Etcetera do so more when I offer good content. Summer, in the planner community, is a time to catch-up on overdue tasks, plan vacations, and get ready for back-to-school. Good content addresses those topics and gives useful information for dealing with them.

Whatever your content area, think about how to make it relevant to your readers during the summer.

*Have a place for discussions.

I have several places, beyond my blog, where the conversation continues. Participating in the ongoing discussions keep my readers aware of my blog.

-Facebook group

-Facebook page

-You Tube

-Pinterest

I am active in all those places, answering specific questions from my readers and engaging with them. As a bonus, they are a great source of ideas for blog posts!

*Set goals in terms of growth.

I often compare last summer's stats to this summer's stats. Even though my readership goes down in the summer, it is up from last year. That is a win.

*Use the downtime to improve your blog.

Summer is a great time to clean up rogue links, write some great back-to-school and holiday posts for the future, and make sure your branding is solid.

Readers aren't as likely to visit daily anyway during this time of the year, so reduce your post schedule just a bit and focus on better content instead of more content.

Happy blogging!

Etcetera.


Bloggers: Find a sponsor for your web site. Get paid for your great content. shareasale.com.



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Funtastic Friday, Something to Talk About, Weekend Wind-Down Party, Tator Tots and Jello

How to Write a Perfect Title for Your Blog Post

I've read so many sites that suggest blog titles like:

5 Reasons to Not Use a Planner

How to Create a Summer Menu That's Always Frozen

Why I No Longer Eat Turtle

Numbers, Hows, and Whys seem to be the trend. The theory is that these titles get people to click. You apparently get bonus points for sensationalist headlines.

Yes, those things do improve clicks.

But blogging is not only about getting random clicks off the internet.

Blogging is about creating a relationship with your audience and giving them quality advice and reading material. Your title choices should reflect the trust that your readers give you.

*Use proper capitalization.

I suggest Capitalize My Title. You just type in the title and it does the capitalization for you. If you get capitalization (or spelling or grammar) wrong, you lose credibility.

Confession: One of my most popular Pins ever had a typo in the blog name. Oops.

*Make sure your title reflects the content honestly.

"5 Reasons to Not Use a Planner" is a great title for a technology calendar post, but not for a Filofax post.

*Keep it short.

People decide whether or not to read your blog in seconds. Put enough in there for your title to make sense, but don't make your title too complicated for a quick glance.

*Reserve sensationalist titles for sensational stuff.

If you only highlight really exciting or tantalizing stuff occasionally, readers will trust that you are not pretending or tricking them into reading.

*Understand that trends change.

If every blog on Facebook starts with "5 Ways to...," people stop clicking on those links. Save a number of ways or reasons for things that are actually better as a list. Reserve "How to..." for actual tips and processes. For everything else, just focus on clear communication and honesty.

The bottom line is that you don't want fly-by readers. You want people to read your blog because they enjoy it and because you are a trustworthy source of information and entertainment. Choose your titles with that in mind.

Remember, if you enjoy Giftie Etcetera, share on social media. It's the nicest compliment that you can pay to me.

Etcetera.

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How to Become an Organizing Blogger

I've noticed many members of the planner community are moving from commenting in Facebook groups and on blogs to publishing their own blogs.

I love it! More blogs for me to read.

Becoming an organizing blogger is so easy enough that even more of you should do it. We organizing bloggers just have one big secret.

The big secret?

We aren't organized!

Instead, we document our processes and attempts to organize.

Think about it. How often have I shared a planner tip, only to abandon the tactic within the month? How many times have I put up pictures of piles of dishes?

So get out your planner and a camera. Or take a picture of your cluttered closet. Make a plan, follow the plan, and tell us about it!

If you start a new organizing or planner blog, make sure to add your link to the comments of this post. We want to check you out.

Etcetera.

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