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A blogger’s checklist >> A Chatty Tuesday Video Blog.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Posted inALL,BUSINESS,CHATTY TUESDAYS

Hey lovers.

It’s another Chatty Tuesday session for ya. Crazy how the weeks flow by so quickly!

Today’s video blog is all about the wonders of blogging. I’ve put together a bit of a blogger’s checklist and cover the main qualities that I personally love in a blog.

Disclaimer: this is MY opinion and not The Bible of blogging. Listen to it, evaluate the information, keep what you agree with and discard what you disagree with – but most importantly, think openly about each topic. How does your blog apply to it? Note: no one’s blog is perfect, it’s okay to know that you could improve in certain areas! Embrace it and plant the seed for changes to take place! <3

Big hugs
xoxo

Promised Links: Check out designers Melissa Love, Today, I’m Bobbi.

Or if you’re looking to go down a different avenue, try doing it yourself with ProPhoto Blogs ($10 discount code: ABEA4003) or with a ProPhoto Template. OR try themeforest! *note: all of these options are for wordpress*

Posted inALL,BUSINESS,CHATTY TUESDAYS

  • https://www.facebook.com/j.destashanko J

    This post could not have come at a better time for me, I swear! I’ve been reading up on blogging for a few weeks but this video hits the nail on the head.

    I’ve been contemplating starting a blog as a way to track my photography development. Whist I’m no way in a position to start a business (yet, perhaps one day…) although I do want to document my progress and perhaps talk about the opportunities that come my way as well as the struggles and achievements, strictly photography related of course!

    One of the main issues I’m having at the moment is that I have no idea what kind of design I want to have and would would represent me. Your website is a perfect example of personification, I love that. I will definitely check out the links you provided.

    Connecting with readers and posting consistency/regularly appears to be key, look at the likes of Jasmine Star, Sue Bryce and a plethora of other successful photographers. You’re on to something!

    Thanks again for the awesome vlog, it’s definitely helped me out! (sorry for the long winded response :\) xoxo

  • http://Morganwiltshireblog.com Morgan Wiltshire

    Great post Alex, really useful tips! Thanks x

  • Jasmeen Randhawa

    Alot of these were great, great points! I would love to one day see a video about how you started your business and what struggles and successes you faced. :)

  • Emma Jackson

    Ahh, i LOVED the passion in this Chatty Tuesday! I think this video came second only to the one where you discussed your boyfriend’s magazine – which i loved loved loved and it made me laugh! So many really good points raised here. I don’t have a blog, but as a reader i agree with the importance of getting your personality across, being likeable, making it appealing and easy to navigate as well as many other points too! As an aside, I actually think your personality comes across so well especially in your video posts, since it makes me feel like i’m chatting with a friend over a cuppa! :) You often have me in giggles!

  • anna

    Awesome video!!

    I just thought that you have to pay attention on how your single post looks like; how it appears in for ex. google reader so it could stand out. You have tons of information running and there must be something that will make the reader stop and stare at your post.

    Alex has such coolish titles and I always see her in my reader where I have like almost a hundred blogs and feeds :)

  • http://yellowmelle.blogspot.com melissa

    Great video, thank you.

    Aw man I try to make it as easy as possible to comment to the point where I’m actually frustrated that blogger hasn’t fixed their comment booboos yet! I like the embedded comments because they’re quick! They’re easy! I can start writing a comment at the beginning of a post so I don’t forget my point before the end of it! But nay, I have to set it to separate page because embedded has been glitchy for months :( Silly problems, I know. lol

    It’s funny the little things that bug me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

    It’s definitely something I’d like to improve on, so thanks again for the vid :)

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Melissa!

    Thanks so much for your comment :) I checked out your blog and the commenting is not bad, actually the fact that it’s not embedded doesn’t really bother me – it’s the blogger blogs that make me sign into blogger to comment that are a bit of a pain haha! If the fact that it’s not embedded really bugs you, why not try switching to WordPress? They even make it easy to transfer all of your blogger posts so that it’s not like you’re starting again from scratch, you know?

    By the way – I LOVE your blog! You are incredibly talented and as I scrolled through your posts I was just so inspired, made me want to go out and create! Particularly loved that recent video post you did – I love posts like that where you can see the progress as it goes! It’s always so fascinating! Also really loving the photos you take of your work! Then I found your Etsy store and my oh my I fell in love even more. Anyways, I have added you to my google reader :) <3

    Big hugs
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Anna!

    You’re so right about paying attention to how intriguing your single posts are in places like google reader! I’m so happy that my titles always pull you in! That’s wonderful to hear, thank you!

    Big hugs and thanks for your awesome comment, it’s a great reminder!
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    EMMA! :) I’m so happy that you liked this week’s Chatty Tuesday! Thanks for your awesome comment, it’s very encouraging! Especially to hear that my personality comes across well in the videos – sometimes I worry that the videos are a bit too much! Haha. So thank you :) And I’m glad that even though you don’t have a blog you still found it semi-interesting haha :) You rock.
    Big hugs
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Jasmeen!

    Thanks so much for your comment :) I still very much feel in the beginning stages of my business, but maybe in a few years time when I’ve really achieved what I want to achieve I’ll make a video like you suggested outlining the struggles and successes! :) Thanks for the inspiration :)

    Big hugs to you and I hope you have a wonderful day!
    xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Thanks for the comment, Morgan! Glad you enjoyed the video! :) xoxo

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi J!

    I’m so happy that this video blog was exactly what you needed to hear. And I’m so excited for you that you are starting up a blog! One of my favourite blogging websites is http://www.problogger.net/ – it’s full of great, useful info! Although some of it is for professional bloggers a lot of it is still very relevant!

    Let me know when you start your blog so I can follow along!

    Big hugs
    xoxo

  • http://jamieraephotography.blogspot.com Jamie

    Alex! This is so great! This is really what I needed to hear right now… I am getting a “real” blog in the next month or so and graduating from blogspot haha. Can’t wait. This post was so helpful!

  • http://jamieraephotography.blogspot.com Jamie

    Alex, is this a prophoto blog? You use showit for your actual website, correct?

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Jamie!

    I am SO EXCITED for you! :) Congratulations you must be so excited! Which route are you going? Getting a designer to do it for you or designing it yourself or a template? Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help along the way! Yes, my website is with Showit, and this is a ProPhoto Blog, it’s the 3rd version though, I’m going to be upgrading soon to the 4th version with my rebranding which I have been working so hard on lately, hoping it will be ready over the next month! Oh and don’t forget this discount code if you go ProPhoto. It will save you $10 and pay me $7. ABEA4003. Oh and I think you get a further discount if you start your website THROUGH their link to BlueHost. Saving money aside, I really do love what they offer and even though lots of photographers have ProPhoto, the new version makes it so easy to customise and make it truly yours! Plus – with the new ProPhoto it can be website AND blog all in one -an awesome feature!

    Anyways good luck and as I said, if you ever need someone to chat to about it give me a shout!
    xoxo

  • http://yellowmelle.blogspot.com melissa

    oh geez! Thank you very much!

    I used to have the whole captcha thing going and the login stuff in the comments and then one day I just turned it all off to see what would happen, and I got maybe… one spam in disguise? Not bad at all if you ask me! Sometimes you just don’t need all that security.

    I come here for the photos, LOL! I’m itching to have portraits done someday, because of the way you do them! Amazing!

  • http://thephotogshelper.com Kathy

    Yup, just as excited to watch the video as I thought it would be. You are so adorable and this was another great example of why. And thank you for the note about where you are located! I went and checked and was shocked to realize I didn’t have my location in my About page!! I immediately went in and changed that!

    So, thanks!

  • http://www.ajiradarchphotography.com/blog ajira

    This is one of my favourite video blog posts ever. Seriously, it was so awesome. It was clear from the outset that this is a subject you’re deeply passionate about and you were so present and enthusiastic that it was easy to watch and feel like you were talking directly to me. Thanks so much for sharing your experience and knowledge so unstintingly with your readers. It’s appreciated!

  • http://jamieraephotography.blogspot.com Jamie

    Hi Alex!
    I think I am going to go with ProPhoto… probably a template that I can tweak? I am not too great at designing things, although my showit site is coming along! :) I am hoping to have a bit of help making my site and my blog flow together in their theme with color and font, but for right now I am just trying to get one up and running!
    Thank you, I might have some ?’s along the way!
    hugs

  • http://english-wedding.com Claire

    Hi Alex,

    This is the first vlog I’ve seen from you – I loved it. It’s a topic very close to my heart and I agreed with everything you said. I so need to do one of these… but I’m not convinced about my face. ;-) Anyway…

    I have something to add to your list. It doesn’t apply to photographers, but to other wedding businesses. And yet it’s about photography.

    My personal ‘thing’ is product photography. Dark images, fuzzy bits, poor backgrounds and bad crops all feature on too many new wedding business blogs. They did on my calligraphy blog when I started out, so I know what I’m talking about!

    But I think it really drags a blog down when the product photography isn’t quite right. I’m talking about jewellery designers, stationery designers, cakes and flowers…

    A decent camera is an absolute must for a wedding business. An SLR if possible. If not, a decent knowledge of software to fix what your camera messes up! It ties in with what you said about design, but often people don’t get the images quite right – and it’s so important.

    There you go, that’s my one. :)

    Thanks again for sharing such a great post, Alex.

    Claire xx

  • Pingback: Wedding planning or work? | English Wedding Blog

  • http://www.alexbeadonphotography.com Alex Beadon

    Hi Claire!

    Thank you so much for your valuable input. You are SO RIGHT! Horrible product photography is such a shame and let down to a business. It’s so funny how such small changes and investments can make a huge difference to how people view your work and ultimately to whether they buy from you or not. AGREED! :) Thanks again for this piece of advice!

    On a separate note – You should definitely try vlogging – it’s something that’s sooo out of my comfort zone, but the more I do it the more I get used to it, and it’s made me stronger. It has shown me what a poor speaker I used to be, and has helped me to at least try to be aware of how I speak and come across – my main thing is to speak slower! Hahaha! So definitely try it out, it can only be good for you. PLUS people love to watch videos on relevant topics! :)

    Big hugs
    xoxo