A Little Proposition for You

Well I'm supposed to be in NYC right about now but as I mentioned before, due to some financial circumstances, I'm not! I had 2 lovely guest posts lined up for when I was away and since the posts are so great I'm gonna share them with you even though I'm not on vacation :)

Before I let my first guest poster take it away, I wanted to bounce an idea off of you guys.

The Proposition:
I'm thinking about starting a weekly series (name to be determined) that features an exercise/fitness move of the week. I will give you the name of the move, show you guys pictures of me doing the move and explain what areas of your body that the move targets. I think this will help me with my personal training studies :) So leave a comment telling me YAY :) or NEY :( Don't worry, my feeling won't be hurt if you guys don't like the idea!

And on to the guest post...
Today's post is brought you by one of my favorite bloggers, Tammy of Lemons, Avocados & the Bay. Make sure to swing by her parts and say hi from Lovely Little Things!

Last thing and I'll shut up: thank you so much for letting me use this post, Tammy! You're awesome!

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Well, you already know this buttt Jessica is awesome. I really respect her as a person and as a fabulous blogger, and am pretty excited that she asked me to do a little blog takeover while she is away.

Sooo hey, I'm Tammy, and I blog over at Lemons, Avocados & the Bay. On July 2nd I celebrated my 1 year blogging anniversary, and man, I have learned a lot. I have also made the most wonderful friends, been introduced to some incredible opportunities, and have become more creative AND disciplined than I could have imagined. Let's just say I'm thankful.
I'm thankful and I want to share some of my newfound knowledge with you. I've put together a little list of the things I have learned over the past year. That being said I am no expert, and of course, these opinions are all mine and mine alone. Sooo if you want music to play when people load your blog, start picking out your songs. =P

Just a note: these tips are mostly directed to bloggers who are looking to grow their readership and get involved in the blogging community (it's a great one). =)

Do's And Don'ts of Blogging
Do blog regularly. Readers are drawn to new content, and if you constantly provide new and interesting posts they'll keep coming back.
Do schedule and set aside time for blogging in a way that best suites your life. I've found that writing blog posts during the work week can often be stressful for me so I write and schedule a few blog posts on Sunday evenings while Nadav and I are slowing down and watching some of our favorite TV shows (cough Mad Men and Games of Thrones). That way I have blog posts ready and don't feel so rushed during the work week to knock out some posts.
On that note don't feel guilty about not blogging. Blogging should be fun, and not a job. Trust me, I'm still working on this lesson...

Do connect with other bloggers. Leave lots of comments all over the blogosphere, join twitter and start chatting with other bloggers you might have things in common with. Chances are, you'll make some friends. I also highly recommend attending blogger meetups, or gasp.. planning some yourself. I promise you won't regret it =)
However, don't get so wrapped up in social media that you neglect those in your "real life". It's a challenging balance, but it's an important one. Truth is, replying to that tweet can wait just a little bit, but hugging your significant other shouldn't wait.

Do make things pretty. A pretty blog design will help grab the attention of readers, and large pretty pictures are always a plus but...
Don't rely on a pretty blog design. Write, write, write, and write some more. Readers are interested in finding out who you are and what makes you special. Let's just say a pretty blog design will help bring all the readers to the yard, but interesting content will keep them coming back for more.

Do express yourself and share your interests with your readers, but puhleeeease
Don't set music to automatically play when someone loads your blog. Although I also  love the Beatles, The 500 Days of Summer" soundtrack, and Jason Mraz please don't interrupt my attempts to watch The Real Housewives of Orange County and read blogs with your music... =P

Do play nicely. It's scary to put yourself out on the internet, but it's something you have to do in order to grow your blog. Be kind and thoughtful when you love comments, we're all just doing our best.
Don't take negative feedback too seriously. If your blog continues to grow it's going to happen... you will receive a mean comment(s) at some point. Trust me, it won't feel good, but it's just what happens when you put yourself out there. You just have to keep on truckin and work on growing that thick skin. Focus on the good blogging has brought to your life, and try to refrain from focusing on the negative. If you ask me this whole blogging thing is so worth it.

and most importantly..
Do be yourself. Blogging will rapidly lose its appeal if you're trying to present yourself as someone you are not through your blog.
Do blog for yourself, whatever your reasons may be. Try not to get lost in the appeal of sponsors and free loot, because in the end.. if you don't love it you won't want to do it.

What have you learned from blogging head on over to Lemons, Avocados & the Bay and let me know?