Welcome to Day 5 of Armchair BEA!
Today's discussion post is Blogging About Blogging. In all of the reviews, reading challenges, giveaways, and interviews we usually lose sight of the fact that we're actually blogging rather than just talking about literature. I for one don't acknowledge that "Wow! I have a blog! Wait, am I a good blogger" and usually just trudge on doing what I do every week.
Today I'll be using the prompt questions in an interview-like scenario.
When I first started blogging I had no idea how powerful social networking could be. In April I created a Twitter account (see the button on the sidebar) and I've gained at least 20 followers since. Twitter is such an awesome way to stay up-to-date on releases, blogging events like ArmchairBEA, and connecting with other bloggers. It's a lot easier to send someone a tweet or retweeting their posts than to send a long-winded email, and it shows other bloggers that their Twitter is actually being used. Unfortunately many people follow you on Twitter but don't actually read your tweets, something that can become frustrating when you're doing polls or surveys.
What are your tips for balancing life and blogging?
Make a schedule! In the first few weeks of my blog I would spend hours tinkering with formats, designs, fonts, and my reading pile suffered as a result. Since March I've stuck to a strict schedule of posting once a day at 7:30 AM every day. To help with this I set aside about an hour a day to check out Google Reader, make adjustments, update my to-read-list, and schedule posts. Scheduling posts has become a life-saver for me! A healthy measurement to keep in mind is read twice as much as you blog.
What genre do you blog about and why?
The Zealous Reader is a young-adult book blog, meaning I mainly read and review young adult titles. I have reviewed a few crossover novels but I would never review something that didn't have YA appeal. I'm not a huge fan of paranormal romance or Clique-style novels but I've been trying to expand my horizons so more people can enjoy my blog.
How do you keep your blog fresh and interesting to your readers and yourself?
Try something new! If you've noticed yourself getting into a slump re-evaluate your blog. Do you still like the design? If not, change it up! Is it tiresome to write 4 reviews a week? Why not cut it down to 2 and add a meme! I have found that features or posts with more comments are usually more popular than ones without, and as a result I've cut down on the number of Teaser Tuesday's I post. Most followers don't like seeing hundreds of memes every day so I'd advise you to stay fresh by posting reviews, something only you could write and no one else.
What are your favourite blogging events and why? How do they affect your blog directly?
I love blog hops! I've only participated in one but have signed up for the Canada Day one in July. They're a great way to win novels, be introduced to new blogs, and market yourself to a new audience. I also participated in Bloggiesta in January and will be participating again in June. It's a great way to learn HTML editing, how to work Google Docs, and a chance to meet new bloggers.
Check out some of the other Armchair BEA posts for more tips on blogs and blogging. If liked my post, feel free to comment below or send me a tweet!
