To think that this little crazy idea of blogging would take me to where I am today. Here I am, one year later since officially launching my blog RUNWAYTEACHER and I can’t believe how much my blog has grown. Blogging has definitely open so many doors for me and I know that this is just the beginning. I have met incredible women in the blogging world and I too hope that one day I will be able to meet some of my favorite bloggers I have met since blogging. I have also been able to collaborate with many different companies that align to my blog vision and each collaboration has uniquely been a fun experience for me. Furthermore, my blog would not be where it is today without the support and encouragement I have had from all my readers. A HUGE thank you to you all for taking the time to view my content and being patient with my blogging schedule and my poor grammar skills,lol, yikes! Thank you to my amazing and loving family and of course the one and only Lord and Savior.
10 things I learned my first year of blogging
- Choose your blog name wisely
Choosing my blog name was not an easy task for me. It literally took me months before I was satisfied with it. I would typically write down several names and search them on Google, Instagram and Facebook. I wanted to make sure that my blog name was unique and no one had it therefore searching them on those platforms helped me make sure that there was not a site or account with that name.
Being a teacher with a passion for fashion helped me create my name RUNWAYTEACHER. Although I have never walked on a runway and probably never will, being 5’1, the only runway I walk is the school hallway.
- Choose a topic
Focus on one or two topics that you are passionate about. Picking a few will help you build your credibility and establish your blog.
Fashion
Cooking
Baking
Lifestyle
Makeup
- Registrar a domain and host
In order to build your own blog site you will need to purchase your domain and host name. I used GoDaddy to purchase my domain name and Siteground for my hosting. You will need these two in order to own your own site. A web hosting is like renting space on a high-powered server on the Internet. A domain name is what identifies your brand name and IP address. Trust me I had no clue what this was and how to install it. After researching and getting help I was able to get it done.
- Build you blog page
After having an idea of how I wanted my blog page to look I started to communicate with people for prices to build my website and plug in my domain and hosting. I realized it cost a lot of money to have people build your website and my mistake was going with someone who had knowledge about building websites but not blogs. I chose to work with him because he was affordable and although he did the best he could after 7 months I knew I needed to change my platform if I ever I wanted to take my blog to another level. I left his web platform of using Joomla, which was not blogger friendly, and switch it to wordpress.org. I came into contact with carrieloves.com who took care of my migration from Joomla to wordpress.org. Carrie did such an awesome job and I am very impressed and satisfied with her work. My suggestion is to invest in hiring someone to do this for you and hire someone who has knowledge and experience.
- Make blog collages for free
Since I was not sure where my blog was taking me I didn’t want to purchase something that I was not going to use. I found PicMonkey to be super easy to build my blog collages and it is absolutely free. Other bloggers use Polyvore or Photoshop.
- Photo editing
I used PicMonkey to edit my photos for a long time and just a month ago I have started to use Light room and Photoshop. For starters I suggest using Picmonkey because again it is very easy to use. I am still learning how to work both Light room and Photoshop, but I do see a transformation of my photo content happening soon.
- Invest in a Camera
I bought a Canon Rebel 5ti about 2 years ago and I am going to be honest, I had no idea how to use it and I thought all you had to do was change the setting and snap photos. Buying a great camera can really provide great content for your blog. Make sure to research your camera options before purchasing.
- High quality photos
If you look into my original photos you will see how far I have came with my photos. I had no idea about RAW photos, AV, ISO, camera lenses, and other photography terms. I am pretty much teaching myself about all those things and you can find the resources I use by following me at my Pinterest account. I edit all my photos on my blog so if you ever have any questions let me know!
- Social Networking
Surrounding yourself with bloggers around the world goes a long way. You don’t only learn from them, but you also create genuine friendships that motivate and support you. As a blogger you will have to make time to post your blog on different social networks in order to get your blog around. You must also make time to respond to your audience because readers love to interact with their favorite bloggers and hear from them. I know I get all happy when my favorite bloggers take time to like or respond to my comments.
- Personalize your blog
When writing your content, you want to provide content that is honest and totally you. Readers enjoy content that is original and relatable.
I look forward to another year of blogging and having you all by my side on my crazy little journey of mine! If this post helped you please let me know and if you have any other questions ask away! Thank you once again for celebrating my 1-year Blog Anniversary!
Outfit Details:
This jumpsuit was bought last summer but I linked several that are similar!
God Bless You!
♥ Robin
Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 37:4
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