Thursday, December 10, 2015

Tips for New Bloggers, or Just Bloggers in General!;)

Hi everyone!
Just a few minutes ago, I was reminiscing on my old blog Wack-A-Doodle-Doos, as I often do. I was reading my old photostory series and looking at my pictures and quality in general and I thought it would be fun to make a post about what I have learned in the multiple years of my blogging experience.
 
1. Oh, the joy of taking pictures outside.
When I first began taking pictures for my blog, they were all at night (for some weird reason, I have no idea) and they were all INSIDE. Inside photography is an art that I did not even understand, or even know was an art!XD I took photoshoots of my dolls on my couch, during nighttime while we watched movies. And my picture quality was terrible-
Exhibit A-

This was in one of my more early on stages of blogging. First off, here's a little tip- NEVER USE FLASH ON YOUR PHOTOS IF YOU ARE IN A DARK ROOM! Even better, DON'T TAKE PICTURES IN A DARK ROOM!
(If you are going to take pictures inside, I'd recommend taking them during the day. There is some sort of magical balance of light that I am still confused by, so don't worry if you take pictures inside during the day and they don't turn out well, for me, it's some sort of 50/50 chance!XD LOL!;D)

Exhibit B- 
I took this picture also during the early stages of my blogging. Literally, DAYS after I took the first photo. I took the picture out on a clear day, not in the harsh sunlight or in dramatic shade, and automatically, the photos look a million times better.
 
So, I would recommend, for better pictures, taking pictures outside in a well shaded spot that still has good lighting. It barely ever is something that happens like *snap*, but it will probably help the beginnings of beautiful pictures down the line. Just keep practicing and experimenting and it will help your pictures.:)
 
2. Grammar. GRAMMAR. OH MY GOSH, GRAMMAR!!!
I-I...you have no idea how much this annoys me.
 
Exhibit A-
i relly like ag stuff. its SOOOOO cut i relly want the sprkly purs & boots yea im defiantly gunna ask 4 it 4 xmas.
 
Exhibit B-
I really like all of AG's stuff. It's so cute! I really want the sparkly purse and boots. Yeah, I'm definitely going to ask for it for Christmas.
 
Which one is easier to read?
 
Exhibit C-
"rita Y dont u clean ur room mor? heather asked i just dont wanna! she replied
(Can you even tell who said what? Without quotation marks, punctuation, and capitalization, it's just a ton of mush. And please don't use short-hands! It's looks unprofessional and makes your blog seem very childish.)
 
Exhibit D-
"Rita, why don't you clean your room more?" Heather asked.
"I just don't want to!" She replied.
(Much better right?)
 
I would recommend staying focused during grammar class (there's a reason for it!;D) but sometimes you'll just have to grow up and learn more and get more experience!:)
 
3. Comment on other people's blogs.
This will definitely help your blog become more popular. Search the web, go down the rabbit trail of links on bloggers' BLOGS I LOVE page. COMMENT. It will make your name get out there, and if you're super nice-
(is this only me or am I just shallow?XD)
-people will want to check out your blog! Follow blogs, be nice, be yourself, offer something new, create something no one has ever heard of, make interesting posts, etc.:)
 
That's all the advice I can think of right now. Most of it comes from experience and learning and such, but one of the most important things is for you to love all of the posts you are making. If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. (Unless it's chores. Or school. Or responsibilities of any kind.XD)
***
I hope this helped you with your blogging! And please don't feel offended by this, it's just something I thought might be useful!;)
-Emma-

12 comments:

  1. This was a really good post! Your tips are really good. I struggle with my camera to get good pictures. It's a really cheap (like cheapest you could buy :P ) digital camera from 6 or 7 years ago, and it takes really grainy and often yellow photos, and blurs them so easily. I have to take literally 15 of every photo before I get one that isn't blurred, and I know I'm holding the camera really still. :P The only time it works nicely is outside in good sunlight, so that's a very good tip. :)
    I also have a sort of pet peeve about bad grammar - it really bothers me. I usually won't follow a blog if it's got bad grammar, even if I like other things about it, just because I can't enjoy reading something that's written really sloppily. :P

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  2. The one about commenting is excellent, especially if you want to get traffic to your blog. I'm constantly amazed when I look at my blog stats to see just how many people have "found" me that way. Plus we all love comments!

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  3. Good advice! Another good thing is blog design. It's easier and cleaner to read if you stick with a clean theme that isn't busy. It's also nice to have a button that people can display on their blog. It will give your blog more traffic!

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  4. This is hilarious! I can understand these things!

    Allie D.
    www.spreadingmyjoy.blogspot.com

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  5. Thank you SO much for making this, Emma! I totally agree with you on everything. As I'm sure you already know (*cough* Grammar 101 *cough*), bad grammar annoys me so much. I hope many bloggers will benefit from this post!

    Also, just a tip -- you know where you wrote "I just don't want to!" She replied. "She" should actually not be capitalized. After a quotation mark, unless it's a name, it shouldn't be capitalized. I'm sorry if this hurt your feelings, I just felt like I needed to point that out! Especially since grammar is such a big thing for you, too.

    -Loren

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome!;)
      Oh, and no, I am not offended by that at all!:) To my knowledge, I thought the rule was if the punctuation at the end of the quotated sentence was a exclamation point or a question mark, the noun or pronoun was capitalized regardless! But I guess I was wrong! LOL! Well, now I know!:)
      -Emma-

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    2. Great tips - I am actually using one of them now, lol XD! Could you please take a look at my blog? Buzzaboutag.weebly.com

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  6. Thanks so much Emma!! I just Started my blog and it helps to have advice from good bloggers like you!!! Thanks again!! :)

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  7. Off topic, but sort of on topic-since grammar was one of the suggestions, is anyone else as appalled as I am at some of the TERRIBLE (and I mean terrible!) grammar in the comments sections of YouTube videos? There have been some that I couldn't even figure out what they were trying to say.

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  8. I wish posts like these were up when I first became interested in doll photography/blogging but I guess you just have to learn and grow! Indoor photo's is an art and I'm only just on the road to perfecting it! Awesome tips :)

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  9. Oh, yes, pictures of dolls taken in the dark with flash drive me crazy! XD And bad grammar in photo-stories.

    ~Ms. AGdoll~

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