The Weekend Post #2: Blogging Tips (Behind the Scenes of Blogging)

Hi My Lovelies,

I always get asked every now and then how much work it takes to run a blog and I never have the right answers because blogging could be demanding ( lot of work) or easy (minimal effort) depending on how you look at it. I am in no way an expert but this is just the way i work on this blog which is by no means the perfect way; just what works for me.. So, I decided to share this post on what I do before I publish a blog post.

1. Getting the Idea: I draw inspiration from different things which include magazines, other bloggers, press releases, internet, myself, products, nature, friends, family and you of course (your comments are one of my favourite inspirations). I get inspired and I always try to jot something down even if it's on a small notebook or on my phone or iPad. For example, let's say a friend asked my opinion about choosing the right foundation, I would give my honest opinion and of course I would feel inspired and a blog post will be birthed.

2. Writing the post: If I am really buzzing with inspiration and I have the time, I will whip out a blog post in no time. I write and type very fast (and even faster) when I am in the mood. Most of my posts are done either on the tube, train, bus, at work (during lunch break), on my balcony at home if the weather is fine (I also take pictures here) or just on my bed (my favourite place); I don't have a set time for blogging (I know, I know, I am not very organised) because I have a lot of other things vying for my attention and time. Writing the post is one of the most interesting parts of blogging for me because I love to write :-) which is why sometimes you are all bored to death with my super long posts..sorry!!

3. Photography: This is where it gets a bit technical and complicated. I like to take pictures but it takes a lot of time and a lot of factors influence it with the biggest being the amount of light available especially now that it's winter in the UK with very short day light. I always go crazy with pictures and take a lot then I delete them. Contrary to what people think, I don't own a DSLR camera but I have a point and shoot digital camera (Nikon CoolPix), an iPhone and a Bridge camera. I hope to share a photography post soon. I would like a DSLR camera at some point but my other devices do just fine for now. I prefer to take photos with natural daylight so if the weather is nice, I would take all the photos I may need for a week because if I have photos ready, I can whip out many blog posts.

Unedited                                                                       Edited

4. Editing the Photos: Most of the photos used on here are edited to improve the quality. I love pictures and I always want the best experience for my readers. Editing could take a while especially when you have tonnes of pictures to edit so I always do them in batches. I love editing because the pictures seem to be brought to light instantly which is why I am not too bothered if the initial quality of the picture is not great; I am more concerned with getting a good shot. I don't do heavy editing for the photos because "ain't nobody gat time fo' dat" but I usually adjust the white balance and contrast and that's it. Sometimes, if the lighting is great, I don't really edit, I just auto-adjust and that's all. I don't edit pictures of swatches of makeup of course because I prefer the real/true image to be seen.

5. Arranging/Editing the post: I like this part because it means I am getting to the end goal- publishing!! Here, I just decide what style I want the post to look like. I could either put all the pictures above the actual post and have the blog write up underneath or I just insert the pictures above related headings. It takes a really short time and I actually enjoy this. Whatever I choose, I always choose a nice picture for the heading/post title which is incidentally what is picked up when sharing the blog posts. I also add links if necessary and edit the posts for any errors and spell checks. I italicise and make bold where necessary and add headings.

6. Preview: If you use blogger, you can preview your post while in draft and it shows you how the blog posts look like when it is published which is very handy. I wish life had a preview button so we can preview any decisions we want to make to see how it looks like before attempting it...hehehehe that explains why we are still humans despite all the knowledge we think we know *holds lips and smacks wrist for digressing*. The preview button allows me see the blog post as though I was just a reader like you and I make a few adjustments and add my labels/tags after I am satisfied.

7. Publish and Share: Once I am happy with all the editing, I hit the publish button and it's published. I really feel very accomplished and excited once I hit the button. Then, I proceed to share  on Google, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Glipho. Occasionally, I would share on Instagram and other forums. For more ways to share, I have a post here which is helpful for sharing blog posts. If I see an error, I am always happy to go back and tweak it. Sometimes, I am naughty and check how many views the post has..very naughty I know but it does make me feel encouraged and if I get comments, it makes my day and I always reply because I love the interaction.

That's it folks. I know it seems like a lot of steps but step 5, 6 and 7 take just a few minutes. The most time is spent in steps 2, 3 and 4. More on 3 and 4 which is photography and editing. Sometimes, I do these steps over a few days while on other days when I am less busy I can actually do all steps in a day which I prefer. The amount of blog posts I have in my draft is ridiculous but I am getting to whip them out soon.. I hope you have enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes and if you would like more of this kind of posts, let me know...toodles... xx