Hey Friends! How’s it goin?
Anyone else insanely happy that it’s Friday? π
I’ve bee blogging for a little over a year and a half now and I’m just starting to realise how much blogging has affected my life. So for today’s Friday Features I thought I’d share that with you.
Thanks Kristie for suggesting I make the awesome pinnable graphic above π
5 Ways Becoming a Blogger Impacted my life
1. I have a lot of seemingly random info in my brain
So, this one isn’t really limited to blogging because I read a lot and tend to store all sorts of shit in my brain. But now, dropping words like superfood and phytochemicals in everyday conversation seems a-okay to me. I’m almost positive that most of my friends secretly hate me and my healthy living jargon…
Speaking of friends:
2. My friends are (almost) all virtual
Because of the sheer number of bloggers, readers, tweeters etc. I connect with on a daily basis, my tribe of ‘internet friends’ is almost surpassing my real life friends. Not a bad thing for a homebody like me, since I can keep up those relationships from the comfort of my own home. But still, kind of weird.
3. Most of my food pics are lies
No, I don’t mean that I stole someone else’s food pictures, just the way my food is presented is pretty much a lie. I’m not a food photographer by any means of the imagination, but I’ve been spending a bit more time staging my food before taking pictures to share with you all.
Here’s a picture of a bowl of oatmeal I planned to share on Instagram this week:
When I was actually ready to eat? All hell broke loose!
Oh, and did I mention that my food is almost always cold? π
4. My ideal career changes daily
I’m a Statistics major but I have never had a purely statistics related job. Right now, I’m all about digital marketing. My blogging days are filled with SEO, social media marketing, engagement, pageviews etc. and the more I learn, the more I want to pursue it outside of blogging. So all of my internships so far have been marketing related.
However, I sometimes decide I would LOVE to be a health coach or a registered dietitian or a personal trainer or something else health and fitness related. Oh, and don’t forget wanting to become a full-time blogger and making ALL the monies!
Good thing I don’t graduate and enter the ‘real world’ for another year, right? Lotsa time to figure it out π
5. I’m a bonafied (wannabe) coder
I do all the coding for my blog re-designs because I get bored with my designs often and I couldn’t afford redesigns every couple of months. So I actually know a lot more about HTML and CSS than I ever learned through my Computer Science minor. Definitely useful to have on my resume π
And, just because, here are some blogging related posts I’ve been reading this week:
- Blogging Tool: CoSchedule via The Lean Green Bean
- Getting Google’s Attention via Fabulous Blogging
- My Best Blogging Tips via A Healthy Slice of Life
- Summer Blog Challenge via Blog Genie
- 5 Tips to a Great Blog Design via The Blogger Babes
What about you?
How has blogging changed your life?
Where’s your favourite place to get blogging tips?
Share in the comments below!
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LOVE your blog redesign! You have some serious skills girl! I’ve been blogging for about the same amount of time, but my blog is nowhere near as pretty as yours π
Amanda H recently posted…Five Favorite Spotify Workout Playlists
Thanks Amanda! I’m actually working on another redesign so I hope you like it just as much π
I am with you on all of these things! It’s easy to let the blogging overtake you. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much. I did finally hire a designer and I’m so glad I did.
Carla recently posted…Keep Me Groovin’ with Some Energy #AAF
So true Carla. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve sat down to do ONE blog related thing and it snowballed into 5 million and I lost my entire night to blogging.
Also, love your new site…your designer is great!
Your breakfast looks delicious. I’m sure it tasted just as good.
Lacey@fairytalesandfitness recently posted…Are the Disney Princess Races the Right Races for You?
Thanks Lacey. And it did! π
haha Your food picture cracked me up! I think most of these are true for all bloggers. π
Logan Cantrell recently posted…Tips for Being a Great Wedding Guest
Glad I made ya laugh Logan! Thanks for stopping by π
Well I usually forget to take pictures of food before eating it …
One way blogging has changed my life is that I’ve become more confident in expressing myself.
Alex – Funky Jungle
Alex recently posted…Beauty Finds – Shampoo & Lip Balm
I used to forget to take pics too but now I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum taking wayyyy too many lol
Also, yay for confidence! I’ve noticed the same thing as well.
CSS scares me. I barely know the basics of html. π
Coco recently posted…Five Things Friday – Things I’m Loving
I hear ya. Let’s just say I broke my site many times in the early days. But it helps that there’s so much info about designing for WordPress and Genesis online. I spend a lot of time learning new techniques now so I don’t kill my site haha
So true! I find I’m constantly thinking of what’s “Instagram worthy” and taking way more pics than I ever used to. I’ve learned that taking pictures of food, and making it look good, is an art form I need to practice a lot more. And finally, I discovered that what you don’t know, you can figure out. I didn’t know a thing about CSS codes, but after some research, I customized our site quite a bit. Yay for Google!
Instagram worthy <- my biggest worry when I choose my meals, which is kind of sad haha And Google saved my life - and my site - more times than I can count lol
These are so very true, especially the food ones!
Paris at My Big Fat Happy Life recently posted…10 Tips for First Time Disney Cruisers
hahaha, I am definitely with you on the food pictures! π
Farrah recently posted…Fitness Fav on Friday (Places)
It’s so cool to look back and see how stuff like these changes us a bit. I can definitely say I have my thoughts a bit more organized now that I have somewhere to put all of them!
alyssa recently posted…Lovely Little Quizzes
This is so true! Blogging also forced me to GET more organized in the rest of my life so I can make room for all the things I need to do.
I enjoyed reading your reasons and I was drooling over that oatmeal since it is 7am when I am reading this! Food never looks as pretty when we start eating it, so original presentation counts for something! I have been seriously blogging since January and it has changed things for me in a lot of ways – more confidence and giving me an outlet beyond my stay at home mom-ness. #SITSsharefest
Susan Maccarelli recently posted…The 10 Best Blog Posts I Have Read So Far This Year
Same here Susan. Blogging gives me an outlet, not from mom-ness but just a space for me to share things that I may not be able to share with the other people in my life.
Thanks for stopping by!
I laughed out loud at #3. I could totally relate. And it is all I can do to squeeze in a picture when I am starving or the food is getting cold. Who can think about staging when we are ready to eat? lol
Actually, I can relate to pretty much every single one of those. It’s no wonder our tribe becomes so virtual. Where you ya’ going to find a person next door just like that? lol
I found you on SITS. It’s nice to meet you, Giselle. That is a beautiful name.
Topaz recently posted…10 Ways to Be Contagious in an Epic Kind of Way
I know what you mean about the food! I’ve been meaning to take some photos for a recipe post of my breakfast, but by the time I remember it’s a mushy mess π
I don’t know how my life has changed since blogging. I’ve been blogging for so long now that I forget what life was like before I did it. I guess a lot more people know things about me, sometimes things that people I actually know (offline) don’t know about me.
Kalliste recently posted…Recipe: Choc-Caramel Fudge Slice
Coding never even occurred to me until I became a blogger. Now I want to be an expert π Now, food photography is a full blown hobby that I love!
jill conyers recently posted…A Running Assessment and Increasing Mobility
Your food pictures are hilarious. I’ve learned so much from blogging and there is so much left to learn. I love my “bloggy friends”, to me it’s been the best part of my blogging experience! #sitsblogging
Ida recently posted…A Big Step: No More Training Wheels X 3
I have only been blogging since March and I already feel like a new person. It is so amazing the challenges blogging creates, both good and bad. I see my writing getting better and everything is a photo op! Love the before and after oatmeal pics! Such a cute post!
Trish @TheTrishList recently posted…Fit-Trish: Why I chose to work with a trainer
I think my favourite thing about blogging is meeting people from all over the world. That will NEVER get old. I’m like you, the amount of ‘internet friends’ I have surpasses my ‘real life’ friends. #sitsblogging
Tami recently posted…10 Reasons why Kate Middleton would make an excellent BFF!
Blogging has definitely changed my life and I haven’t been at it as long as you have! I absolutely love all of the people I’ve “met” through blogging and can definitely relate to the food staging and cold food!
Julie @ Girl on the Move recently posted…Adventures in Denver
My early blogging days didn’t have any of my own pictures so that one is definitely new to me lol And although I read a lot of blog, it took a while before I actually started interacting with other bloggers. My only regret is that I didn’t do both sooner! Although, I long for the days when my food wasn’t cold…
I have some really great online friends as well, including you! It’s awesome that I would have never connected with any of them before and now, they add so much value to my life. My food is almost always cold, too! haha And yes…. my food is a lie most of the time!
Kayla recently posted…Pull-Up Training AMRAP
I do a lot of my own coding too, so you know I’ve been messing around with it if ya swing by and my page is all jacked up. Haha, all my food is usually jumbled together & cold too. I hope your having a great Saturday!
Leslie recently posted…5 Practical Tools YouΓ’ΒΒve Never Heard Of
After the last time I broke my site I do a lot more testing before I push it live lol but I’m always changing my design, even if it’s just something small here and there. Can’t seem to stop haha
Hi! Stopping by from SITS link up. I was just thinking the other day how much blogging has changed my life. Mostly it’s the tons of friends that I feel like I know, yet I’ve never met in real life. I love it!
Cecilia @ MommiesRun recently posted…FYI Friday
Thanks for stopping by Cecilia! And my blogger friends are definitely one of the best perks of being a blogger π
There is nothing wrong with having a lot of virtual friends. LOL (Says a blogger with virtual friends). Blogging has changed my life in some ways. The main one is all things that happen in my everyday life get turned into a post. I found you via the Sits Share Fest π
Samantha recently posted…My Favorite Things
I didn’t think it was weird either until my friends started pointing out that I talk about most bloggers like we’re lifelong friends I kinda got it after that haha
And thanks for stopping by π
I’m laughing a little because I can so relate to eating cold food and all the props, etc. I’ve ducked in and out of the rain because my pictures are always better outside. I’ve even asked guests to wait a sec because I have to take a picture of that food before they eat it.
And I have lots more cyber friends, too! Thanks for sharing at the Pretty Pintastic Party. Oops, I was about to pin your post, but got sidetracked reading your great writing! Back to pinning!
Alli recently posted…Pretty Pintastic Party
LOL @ asking friends to wait before eating. That’s something I haven’t done yet with friends, but when I was home for Christmas my parents ate a lot of almost cold food due to picture taking haha
And thanks for hosting the linkup π
Such an honest list! I’m feeling all of them, especially not knowing exactly what I want to do with my life, and I finished my degree some time ago! Right now I wake up everyday excited about blogging and related tasks, so I’m running with that!
These are my favorite resources right now:
The SITS Girls: http://www.thesitsgirls.com/
Blogging Betties: http://bloggingbetties.com/
Dollars and Roses: http://dollarsandroses.com/
Happy Blogging!
Farrah @ Reflective Mama recently posted…Do The Work
Thanks for sharing the extra resources Farrah! I’m familiar with SITS but the other two are new to me π
I love #5 and aspire to be YOU. After much wondering if I should hire someone to help me redesign my blog, I’ve decided to give it at least six months to learn more about HTML and CSS for the very same reasons you mentioned. However, I do NOT have a computer science degree (major or minor). Can you recommend any books to get me started? Or websites?
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama recently posted…Pregnancy Update: 17 Weeks
Ahhhh #4. What to say about #4. It’s funny because no one tells you that it’s ok to not know what you want to do, even after you graduate, but it is! It’s a little scary, but the feeling is totally normal π
Erin @ The Almond Eater recently posted…Better Booty Workout
Haha, I feel you on the pictures! Sometimes I look at what my food looks like when I’m not snapping pictures for the blog and just laugh. Salad out of mixing bowls and sandwiches off paper towels. π
Brittany (Healthy Slice of Life) recently posted…Chicken Caprese Panini with a Side of Life
I have met most of my best friends VIA BLOGS!!!!! So I am so thankful for being a blogger! ha ha! π
GiGi Eats recently posted…Poppin’ Tarts In The Kitchen
Blogging definitely makes me wish I went to school to be a coder haha… I had to pay a designer to design my blog!
Cassie recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday: Cincinnati
I think I just found my best place to get blogging tips. Thanks! I’m completely clueless and one of these days somebody is going to spam me into oblivion or something if I don’t get it figured out.
Cindy recently posted…Leave the legs ALONE!
love, love, love this!!! I wish I knew how to ‘code’! I am such a computer challenged blogger!!
April recently posted…Bad news from the summer that just keeps on giving
That’s great that your blogging has made such an impact on your life. I started my blog 5 years ago, but with homeschooling my three kids, I simply didn’t have the time to devote to it that I wanted. Now that they’re all mostly or all the way grown, my desire to write regularly again has surfaced.
I had to laugh while reading your post, because I can totally relate to everything you said. I’ve learned tons about web design, SEO, Coding, things that have nothing to do with organic, natural, do-it-yourself, homemade living, which is my niche. It’s been such a wonderful experience, and because I’ve learned so much over the years, I’ve had folks enlist my help with their non-profits, which is a huge compliment (and of course, confidence booster). π
Michelle @ Green Earth Bazaar recently posted…Homemade Chocolate Chip Cake
I love, love, love the oatmeal picture. You should put it into a collage with caption so I can pin it to Pinterest.
I love that blogging gives me more in my brain!
Kristie Hill recently posted…How to optimize your blog images for search engines (SEO).
Thanks for the idea Kristie! Collage made and blog post updated…watch out Pinterest π
Awesome! It’s better than I even imagined. PINNED!
Thank you π
I just want to say that oatmeal looks freaking amazing.
Erin recently posted…Fashion Classics