Saturday, October 4, 2008

How I Organize My Blogging Time

Something that has revolutionized my blogging is the fact that I have begun to participate in many "Blog Carnivals" or "Memes" on a regular basis. Many of you have questioned me about these carnivals, including the one I host every week, called "Homemaker Mondays". Here, let me answer some of the questions you have posed.

(Image courtesy of www.allposters.com.)

A blog carnival (a.k.a. meme) is a site on the internet where bloggers meet to link up posts they've written on a particular topic. For instance, for "Homemaker Mondays", most participants publish a homemaking post on their blog sometime during the weekend or on Monday morning, then come to my blog and input their information in "Mr. Linky" at the bottom of my "Homemaker Monday" post. All you have to do is enter your screen name and a two or three word description of your post (such as mom2my9 ~ Blackberry Smoothies), then enter the URL of your post. Make sure to enter the URL for that post only, not your home page URL, as many people will click on your link for the following few days and if you have posted something else, they won't be able to link up to the post you intended.

Most carnivals I link up with use Mr. Linky, but some hosts prefer to simply list the participants in a post on their blog. Bloggers who do this will require participants to email their links a few days before the scheduled posting, so planning well in advance for these types of carnivals is a good idea.

What, you may ask, are the benefits of linking up to these BLOGGING CARNIVALS? Let me count the ways:

1. It's a great way to find wonderful posts about a particular topic that interests you. Love to read about how others save money? Join "Tightwad Tuesday" or "Frugal Friday". Don't know what to cook for dinner and would love to know what other people are making? Try "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday" or "Kitchen Tip Tuesday". I have gotten so many great ideas from other bloggers!

2. It's an awesome way to make new friends. As you visit other posts at a carnival, many others will come visit you. It's so fun to get comments from people around the world and make new bloggy buddies!

3. If you have chosen to monetize your blog, linking up to carnivals is a great way to increase your page visits, thus increasing your ad desirability. I have had a huge surge in my visits since regularly linking up to carnivals.

4. Having a subject to blog about weekly helps diminish writer's block. I often find myself logging an occurrence in my mind by saying to myself, "This would be perfect for 'Vintage Thingies Thursday' " or "I should blog the way I'm cleaning my microwave for 'Works For Me Wednesday' ." There never lacks bloggy fodder when I know what topic I will be writing about on a certain day.

5. I have found that some carnivals even change the way I organize myself. If I am preparing to write "Tackle It Tuesday's" post on Monday night, I will make sure I have actually tackled something substantial during the day in order to blog about it. I can honestly say that sometimes, because of blogging, I am a better homemaker. Sometimes, except for the times I blog until the wee hours of the morning and would rather sleep then sweep.

So there you have it. Please let me know if I didn't explain this clearly enough. I know there are many different blogging levels out there, but we all start out the same way, right? I truly hope you enjoy the list on my sidebar and can find some carnivals you would like to join on a regular basis! Please leave me a comment if you have any other questions about blog carnivals!


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14 comments:

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

You did a wonderful job explaining..and I do them "meme" for the same reasons :D

Anonymous said...

Thanks for breaking it down Jen. You know I am kind of new to this I still and haven't ventured out much yet. I have very much to learn. Thanks for sharing this information, by the way I love your blog I look forwad to it daily. Thanks for sharing part of your life with us. Love Ya

Hesses Madhouse said...

Thank you for explaining all of this. I really didn't know how it worked, and I've been planning my post for Monday, so your timing is perfect!

Amanda B. said...

a great description! I think I understand now! :)

Dusty (To the Moon and Back) said...

Thanks so much for posting some more memes! I participate in a couple already, and have been on the lookout for more!

The Apron Queen said...

Could I like just cut & paste this post to my blog? :) You blog the same way I do!

CJ, The Purple Diva said...

I've often wondered about this. Now I don't have to wonder any more! Thanks for explaing it all to me!

Betty said...

Yes it explains a lot now. But can I be honest? I miss the Jen that started her blog, just telling us about her life and 9 kids... It´s somehow more personal to me and I loved reading what was happening in your daily life. I know you´ll say this is your daily life as well and don´t get me wrong, I still love your blog and will stay a loyal fan, even though I don´t/can´t participate in all these carnivals.
I do understand the concept of why you are doing this and please don´t stop!

Connie said...

Thanks for walking us through the carnival! AND for the pie recipe. I love anything/everything pumpkin. I have a yummy/easy layered pumpkin cheesecake that is the bomb! I will be sharing it later this month.

Anonymous said...

I'm only just learning about blog carnivals ... and understanding the value of participating in them. Thanks for this very informative post, and thanks for listing a few of the carnivals in your side bar. I think I'll take a look at some of them.

collyn23 said...

ks for sharing I do Fun Friday and Tasty Tuesday havent started the my linky thing yet but great idea thanks
http://beautifulangelzz.blogspot.com

Cheryl B. said...

Last week Friday (June 12th,2009) I posted my third (3rd) list of blog "theme days". I am now working on list number four to post in July.
Each month I include all of the previously posted "theme days", plus add the new ones I've found. To see the lists, go to: www.xanga.com/thehousethatlovebuilt

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