Photo by Flickr user atomicity

1. Apologize for not posting. So you didn’t post for awhile? You really don’t need to worry about it. Unless you have something really important to tell your audience (I was gone because I was being knighted by the Queen of England!) then come back to your blog with something your audience will love as opposed to apologies. They love your creativity and that’s what they came for – so give it to them. You have nothing to feel guilty about.
2. Write mega posts. This could be related to #1. And what I mean by that is don’t try to make up for not posting by putting together a huge post with all sorts of unrelated things. If you think about it, you can get six posts out of six topics as opposed to just doing one post. If you space out those six posts, that’s a lot of material!
3. Rants. There are SO many reasons not to rant on your blog. And yes, there is a fine line between sharing pieces of yourself and maintaining a business facade. Constant rants about your personal problems, vague people that have wronged you or someone that took your photo are hard to read. You risk readers and brands thinking that you are a drama queen. And honestly, I go to blogs for fun, not to read complaining (but maybe that’s just me?). I’m not saying don’t do personal posts – I’m not saying be positive even when it’s fake – I’m just saying, think about what you write. The internet is in ink.
4. Take every sponsored post opportunity. If I took every sponsored post opportunity that came my way, my blog would look like Times Square with cat hammocks, winter tread tires and baby formula (even though I’m not a mom!). Pick what fits and be reasonable with the number of sponsored posts you do every month. So what is “reasonable?” Well, no one can answer that for you. I ask myself, “would I want to read this many sponsored posts?” If the answer is no, I don’t do it. I also don’t work with brands that aren’t “me.” Being choosey is okay (more stuff will come along, I promise).
5. Allow unsolicited guest posts by unrelated people. Have you ever gotten an e-mail from someone who would be glad to write for your blog about custom orthopedics? Okay maybe not that, but you know what I’m saying. They don’t want to do you any favors – they just want the text links. I delete all those e-mails quickly. If it’s not related and/or I don’t know you, then it’s not a good idea.

Photo by Flickr user QuintanaRoo

For most bloggers, owning and operating our blogs is highly fulfilling – after all, that is why we do it! But let’s be honest with each other . . . it’s a hard way to make money. You put in a lot of time and effort that sometimes results in pennies (sometimes a lot more, but you know what we mean). Unless you are rolling in blog dough, you likely have to make educated decisions about blogging tools to invest in. The good news is that we are here to help. We’ve had experience with A LOT of blogging resources over the course of time, and there are five that we recommend paying for. There are others, of course, but these are a great place to start if you need some basic tools to help you on your blogging journey. Check out our top five:

1. Rafflecopter – Do you do any giveaways on your site? Are they kind of a pain to manage? Well, they just got easier! You can sign up for the Rafflecopter blogger account (less than $8 per month). It’s so easy to change start/end times to your giveaways, add photos and include Pinterest as a giveaway option. You can also generate standard terms and conditions by answering just a few questions. There’s a free version, but we recommend the $7.99 plan for awesome functionality!
2. A link manager – These aren’t just for people who host linky parties! A link manager can help you organize your tutorials in a visual pleasing way on your blog pages. For example, I share all of my Mod Podge Rocks original tutorials on a page here. I organize them the way you see using InLinkz.com - specifically their Link Manager tool. When I add a new tutorial to my blog, it’s VERY easy to add to InLinkz and will automatically display on my tutorials page without adding new code. Plans start at free, but I use the $1 a month plan for up to 500 links. $12 a year isn’t too bad! Another option that bloggers love is Linky Tools.
3. Accounting software – “But Amy,” you say, “I don’t do enough business to warrant accounting software.” Maybe so. But if you are running your blog as a business, even as a small (teenie weenie?) business, you’ll want to track income and expenses. It makes tax time easier, and then you don’t miss those VERY valuable deductions. There are tons of accounting programs out there, but I use FreshBooks, and I love it. You can invoice clients, too. I pay about $20 per month, and I KNOW that I have saved way more than that just by tracking. Plus now my accountant loves me because I have made his life much easier.
4. A mailing/newsletter list – With so much up in the air in terms of RSS feeds, and also never knowing what the next awesome social media tool is, it’s pretty important that you get a mailing list going. Then you always have your readers right there, at your disposal, when you want/need to communicate with them. If the thought of having a newsletter sounds stressful, just set up a template to have your posts e-mailed out weekly until you figure out what you want to do. We use MailChimp and love it, but we’ve also heard Mad Mimi is great, too (and there are others).
5. Animoto – Do you want to have video on your site but you don’t want to film it yourself? That sounds impossible, right? It’s not. Animoto takes regular images and turns them into animated slideshows, saving them in video format that is perfect for uploading to your site/YouTube. You can reach a different audience by getting onto YouTube as well. Video isn’t for everyone, but for those wanting to give it a try, Animoto might be the perfect solution!

We were not compensated in any way for recommending these services, we just honestly like them. Let us know what you think if you have any recommendations for your favorite blogging resources in the comments.

In March of this year, the FTC released some new guidelines surrounding disclosures in digital advertising. When bloggers do sponsored posts, whether the goodies are paid or free, they are required to disclose a relationship. This is so the person reading knows that there is a relationship between the blogger and a company – it’s all about being honest, making people aware and ultimately consumer protection.

You are probably wondering what Blueprint Social will require in terms of disclosures. Since, per your contract, you are all independent contractors, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the FTC policies and making sure that you are in compliance.

Basically, even though it won’t be the most exciting reading of your life, we ask that you read the new guidelines here. If you have questions about the FTC policies, you should consult an attorney, do online research (make sure the source is reputable) or even contact the FTC.

Our Blueprint policy will be the same as it has been – you will be required to have a disclosure, but we’ll not monitor the location of and/or how you disclose. That is up to you.

If you are wanting to move your disclosure to the top of your post like many are doing, that is fine – also acceptable is putting a disclosure graphic in your post like our own Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts:

We recommend that you get familiar with the FTC guidelines as soon as possible. As we find out more information about them, we’ll be sure to share. Thank you for being a part of the The Blueprint Social!

Photo by Flickr user Jasoneppink

If you’re a blogger, Pinterest is way more than a way to store every great idea you come across on the web. Pinterest is a networking tool and a way to connect with your followers. But followers are only valuable if you don’t lose them. Make sure you avoid these five Pinterest gaffs and keep your followers around!

1. You pin the same thing to multiple boards within 5 minutes
   This is the number one bad behavior that bloggers engage in that will get them unfollowed (or even worse: blocked!). I know you are really excited about the awesome blog post you just finished and want to share with the whole wide pinning world. But nothing is more annoying to a Pinterest user than to see the exact same thing pinned 2, 3, 5, 7 times in a row to just as many boards and clogging their Pinterest feed. Need a better idea? Make a spreadsheet and use it to track which posts have been pinned where – and don’t pin the same post more than once every few hours.
2. You write all over my stuff instead of repinning it yourself
   Comments on pins are great. However, if all you’re doing is coming in to tag your friend on my pin over and over and over, it’s rude.  I’m not saying to never comment on people’s pins. What I am saying is be thoughtful about what you write. Do you love the idea? Have you tried this pin and had success or failure? If you want to just tag your friend or write nonsense that won’t mean anything to the original pinner, re-pin it to your own board and leave your thoughts or tag in the pin description.
3. You only pin your own stuff
   If you only pin things you wrote yourself, you will get boring very quickly. Make sure that you are pinning other things you find interesting in addition to your own content. This not only keeps your feed interesting but helps readers with similar tastes feel more connected to you.
4. You pin stuff to unrelated boards
   If your “Great Recipes to Make” board has way more followers than your “Sewing Crafts” board, avoid the temptation to pin your latest sewing project to the wrong board just to get it in front of more people. People often select a few of your boards they are most interested in and if you start pinning stuff that doesn’t belong it feels like a bait and switch.
5. You only pin affiliate links or links to members only sites
   You never want to look like a spammy bot to your followers. If they aren’t able to click through to find out more about a pin without being presented with a “sign up to proceed!” page, you are not succeeding. Same goes for affiliate links. If your pins don’t reflect genuine interests- but only ways you want to make money from readers, you may soon find yourself short on followers.

Photo by Flickr user drinksmachine

There are a few things in the blog world that make visitors cringe. I’ve been blogging for five years and have heard these things over and over . . . and over again! As bloggers, we try to appeal to the widest audience possible, right? Appealing to the widest audience possible sometimes might not make sense to you, but if you are trying to grow your blog it’s probably a good idea. Here are five reasons we always hear when people say “I won’t go back to that blog.” Are you guilty of any of these?

1. Word verification is required to leave a comment – I know sometimes you get spam and sometimes it’s annoying. But there are things you can do to mitigate it (Akismet for WordPress, 5 day comment approval for Blogger). People really don’t like word verification, enough that they might not even bother with your blog.
2. Unwanted noise from autoplay videos or music – I usually keep my sound off, but there are times when it’s on. I visit a blog, and I hear something . . . I’m not sure what it is, but it sounds like an informercial. This can make me run screaming for the hills. And a lot of other people too. Think about autoplay when choosing your ads. Is it really a good idea?
3. Bad photography – Are you shooting at night? With a flash? Your project might be amazing, but it’s not going to be perceived that way if the photography is poor.
4. Too many sponsored posts – This might sound funny since we work with you on sponsored posts . . . but there IS a balance. The reason people love your blog is for the original content from YOU. While they probably don’t mind a few posts about the latest in candle scents, if every single post is sponsored, they are going to rethink their visit. Be careful about integrating sponsored posts into your content.
5. No search box – Reader wants to find Easter projects, they can’t, they leave and never come back. Have a search so they can find what they want . . . and then engage with you. They are much more likely to stick around and follow via social media, etc.

For more information, visit Crafterminds blogging resources.