![How and Why We Blog]()
by Valynne | Jan 13, 2013 | Blogging Tips, Mountain Girl Organics, Photography, Simple Living, Technology |
The Santa Fe Plaza ~ Inspiration Mecca
Recently, I’ve had a couple of friends tell me they want to start blogging. They want to know how to get started. I’ve referred them to WordPress, because this platform has worked for me more so than the others I’ve tried. I am not an overly techy girl, and WordPress is pretty darn intuitive.
If you are somewhat computer literate, you can start a blog quite easily…and it will cost you nothing but some time and energy. Start with the link above, and then if you decide you love it and want to monetize it and all sorts of other fun stuff, you can upgrade it later like I did.
Backyard Blogging in Nambe, New Mexico
That’s my easy answer to the question of how to blog. The more complicated question that needs to be asked of anyone who wants to start a blog, is why? What do you expect to come out of this blog you are contemplating creating? This is important, as blogging can be a real labor of love…it can take quite some time to build an audience, and no time at all to lose said audience if you don’t keep at it.
It doesn’t really matter why you want to start a blog, so long as you yourself know the reason. Do you want to share your travel stories? Build brand recognition? Meet other Harry Potter fans? Post your head shots in hopes of furthering your acting/modeling career? Gauge interest on a new business idea you have? Establish yourself as an expert in your field? Great! Just know your “why”.
I began blogging because I enjoy both writing and photography and the thought of communicating with people all over creation excited me. Initially, I blogged about Mountain Girl Organics, a company that I have since sold. For the past three years, I have blogged mainly about our adventures as Caretaking Couple, throwing in suggestions and support to those who are interested in a similar lifestyle along the way (to date, there are over 160 posts on this site).
Like I said, I am not all that techy. Still, I have managed to capture an audience of like-minded people. My target audience or demographic is mainly caretakers (or house and pet sitters) like us along with people who are looking for caretakers like us. This demographic includes travel enthusiasts, animal lovers, and friends and family who enjoy keeping in touch on a more personal level than our other social media outlets allow.
New Year’s Eve in Nambe, New Mexico
My main expectation for this blog was that I would get the word out that we care for properties and pets across the US. This I have accomplished. We are now offered sits based solely on the contents of our blog. This has saved us tens of thousands of dollars, owing to the fact that when we caretake, or house and pet sit, we typically have no rent/mortgage/utilities to worry about. I have a looong list of other goals to accomplish as well, including publishing our e-Book and making SEO a priority.
Are you a blogger? If so, how and why do you blog? Has your blog met or maybe even exceeded your expectations? Please let us know via the “comments” link and share your blog address as well, if you wish. If you are considering starting a blog, please let me know if you have any specific questions, and share with us what you expect to receive in return for your blogging efforts.
by Valynne | Nov 9, 2009 | Blogging Tips |
We are so excited at having almost 1,000 hits on a blog that is just a little over a month old! One thing I am still trying to figure out is how to get you, our reader, to leave a comment here on the blog, rather than responding via e-mail.
Why, you ask, would it matter? Because when you leave a comment on this blog, you are sharing with not only Paul and I, but an online community who is also interested in this particular topic. You are helping me, the blogger, to establish a rapport.
Obviously, this is not where you would want to share something personal. But, if you have something to contribute relating to Caretaking Couple (and I know you do, based on the e-mails I am receiving daily) please, by all means, share with the group!
This will encourage others to join the conversation. My goal for this blog is to not only keep in touch with old friends, but to meet and hopefully network with new ones. This is already happening, slowly and surely. From little acorns…
That is all well and good, you may be saying, but how exactly does one go about leaving a comment, then? Well, if you look at the top of each individual blog, you will see a tiny comment link below this post. Click on the link. Type whatever you would like in the comment box provided, and send it off.
*I am adding this as of 6/10…if you have a website or blog, be sure to share the address when you go to comment. That way, when people click on your name, it will automatically direct them to your site. Cross promotion – it is a beautiful thing.
If you have a problem getting the comment to send, try sending it as “Anonymous”, then just sign your name to it so we know it was you. When I have more of an idea how this works, I will explain it better.
If you are unable to leave a comment, please e-mail me at Valynne@CaretakingCouple.com and I will do my best to figure out why, keeping in mind I am also learning as I go…
PS Paul is in Evergreen as of today! He can be reached at
(303) 478-6058.
by Valynne | Nov 1, 2009 | Blogging Tips, Simple Living, Writers and Readers |
Here it is, another Sunday. Paul is off to pick up a newspaper and some bagels. I am sitting in the living room with Milo, who is enjoying his second nap of the morning. It is the day of rest, after all. My plans include reading the paper, taking down the Halloween decorations, doing a bit of cleaning, hanging with the dogs (Ty comes home today!) and writing letters. Yes, writing letters. Pen on paper. I’ve always said I love receiving letters…especially tucked into a card that has been picked out or sometimes even made (thank you, cousin Jenna) just for me. I have three big boxes full of letters and cards, and wedding invitations, and birth announcements that have been sent through the years. No, I am not a horder in general – just in love with all things handwritten. Old photos intrigue me also. Sadly, I haven’t had to buy a new letter box for over a decade…which is around the time we all started taking this whole e-mail phenomenon so seriously. There are many ways to keep in touch nowadays…still, I miss the handwritten letter. Do you?
Last night, I signed back onto Facebook after several months on the wagon. I wanted to see pics of my friend Suz’s new house and all of the Halloween costumes I knew would be posted. Hours later, I thought here I am again, feeling like an addict, unable to pry my face away from the screen. I love the concept, it is just overwhelming and time consuming with all of the extra stuff. I want to keep in touch without feeling obligated to answer interview questions and get poked and quizzed and join everyone’s cause and on and on. I know one is supposed to be social media savvy these days, especially when one owns her own business, etc. It just seems like a bit much. Twitter, I feel, would only add fuel to my ADD fire. Linked In seems a bit stuffy. Am I missing something?
In my perfect world, all of you would have a blog. I love blogs. They allow me to really get to know a person/entity at my leisure. They oftentimes entertain, inspire, and sometimes even motivate. I know not everyone fancies themselves a writer or a techy-type, but I honestly find blogging to be simpler than all of this other stuff (WordPress for Dummies might have had something to do with it, too) . And it doesn’t have to be along the lines of Shakespeare (obviously). Setting up a blog is easy and free, in most cases. Are you thinking of starting a blog? If you already have a blog, would you share it with me please? Perhaps I will get around to writing letters to all of you. In the meantime, feel free to read my blog. If you comment, I will comment back. It’s fun!
