Blogging: 8 Ugly Truths

Whether you are blogging as a hobby or do it full time as work, I’m certain you are all too familiar with the responsibilities that go along with it.  And while the benefits may outweigh the disadvantages, there are still some ugly truths to blogging.  Why write a post on it though?  Well, because I was never big on denial.  And as a veteran in the blog-o-sphere, I felt responsible to let all the newbies out there know the truth, or should I say “truths”! Yeah, they may be ugly, but you’ll find them helpful as well.  And that’s what this post is really about: educating and helping you!

Photography Exposure Tips: Understanding ISO

Hello Cropped Stories readers!  I am so excited to be here as a guest contributor.  Keep an eye out for my posts here on Cropped Stories as I will be providing tips as a non-professional photographer trying to achieve professional looking photographs.

Today’s post is all about ISO.  While I was in Hawaii, one of the tours I did was a photography expedition.  I found a local photographer that offered these personal, one-on-one tours.  I went into it thinking he was just going to take me around the island, and we would capture some pretty pictures.  However, I gained SO MUCH more than just a few tropical photographs.  He taught me things about my camera and photography that brought my picture taking skills to a whole new level.  I will benefit from what I learned for the rest of my life!

And guess what?  I am going to share some of the things that I learned with you!

Adding and Customizing the Pin It Hover Button

In case you aren’t familiar with the Pin It Hover Button, it is a Pinterest icon that appears when you hover over an image on a website allowing you to click on it and pin.  Why is it fantastic?  Well, for one thing, it’s very convenient for your visitors.  It prevents them from having to go directly to Pinterest and click on the add a pin option and past the URL of the content they want to pin.  Secondly, it’s customizable which means you can create the icon yourself to keep it consistent with the design of your website.  Are you sold yet?

Are images/graphics in blog posts that important?

When it comes to posts, what kind of images and/or graphics do you find most appealing?  What makes you want to share a post across your social networks?  Take a minute to think about it. For me, not only does the topic have to interest me but the images and/or graphics have to grab my attention!  There are many things that contribute to a great image/graphic including: subject, size, proportions, the inclusion of text (when appropriate), exposure, clarity, perspective, vibrance, and color palette.  I try to keep all of these things in mind when drafting my own posts.  Writing comes naturally to me and while photographs and graphic design may too, they still take me longer to prepare and finalize.  It's definitely worth it but let me tell you why.

How to Make your Website Visually Appealing!

Just think PRETTY.  As a blogger, I am always searching for ways to improve my website design to attract new visitors and keep it visually appealing for the ones that visit on a consistent basis!  Let's face it, Blogging is a shallow business. A lot of it is based around looks and first impressions.  If you don't have a well designed website, you may as well retire it.  If your following is not increasing, than consider this: your website design may be to blame!  It's unfortunate because I'm sure you are putting a lot of time and effort into researching topics, creating, and writing fresh content for your site and even still it is not making a difference.  It can get quite frustrating!  With that said, I'd like to help!