03.29.11

The Art of Guest Posting

My guest post today is the lovely Empress from Good Day Regular People. Alexandra is known for her awesome guest posting skills, so what better way than to provide some helpful hints about posting for another blog from someone who does it well!

I am known as a guest poster. I get asked often why I enjoy guest posting so much. It’s true, I do enjoy it. I think my guest posts show that my enthusiasm for being at someone else’s site is evident. I was lucky enough to begin guest posting early into my blogging days. At two months, I had already been a guest blogger on two sites. One opportunity came by way of invitation, the second by my own initiation and submission. From this early start, I was hooked.

Why I Like to Guest Post:

*It develops and expands your writing style

*It takes your blogging friendships to another level

*It helps build community

*It has me write on a topic I wouldn’t think to approach on my site

*I get to be relaxed and a bit like someone else, just like a vacation

*It shows my readers a different side of me, like meeting me outside of the usual surroundings

*It truly is a lot of fun

The Benefits of Guest Posting:

*Increased traffic

*Exposure to a new audience

*Allows you to showcase a side of your writing (or self) that your blog doesn’t

*Ability to gain new followers and subscribers

*Creates a friendship with the blogger that invited you, or accepted your offer to guest post

*You get to introduce your regular readers to a new blogger as well

What I’ve Learned About Guest Posting:

Think outside yourself. When you come across an opportunity to guest post that may not be for you, think about whether it’s right for another blogger you know. If so, forward that contact information to them because they’ll appreciate it.

Just ask. When you see a blog you like, email them a short, sweet note telling them you’d like to guest post for them. All they can say is no. Take the risk.

Use guest posting as a test bed. If you know you want to try writing something “new” that your blog’s niche doesn’t allow, search out a site that will. Say, you like science fiction. Well Google, “Guest Posting for Science Fiction,” and “Submitting Guest Post on Science Fiction,”  and “Guest Post Submission on Science Fiction.”  Visit those blogs and see if they’ll take a submission from you.

Utilize Twitter. Follow the tweets of a blogger you like. Some bloggers will tweet “looking for guest posts. I’m feeling very generous today.” Respond!

Utilize search boxes. When visiting a collaborative blog you’d like to contribute to, enter “guest posts” in their search box: good chance that everything you need will pop up with one click.

Look for “write for us” and “about us” links. Many community blogs will have a “write for us” link in their top navigation bar. Also, click on “about us.”  There will usually be an email address for guest post submissions there.

Check out guest blogger communities. They seek high quality content and a fresh perspective. Very exciting collaboration.

Start out small.  Exchange guest posts with a bloggy buddy. You can reach a new audience there that you are somewhat familiar with, in a niche you know well.  Consider hosting a guest post once a week at your site. Tweet it out! You’ll meet new people, and bring traffic to your site for others to meet you.

Bring your “A” game. This is the most important thing I can say about guest posting. I would not say to myself, “it’s a free post for them, I’ll just hammer this out in ten minutes.” No, no, no, no, and No.

So, bring it! Provide the awesome content that will have people wanting to know more about you and follow you. Make your host proud. Make your host beam with “look what I found to show my readers!” Be a guest, as in “guest post” and good luck with your efforts!

Please send me an email if you are interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® for TMC Network. Full details can be found on the Network page.

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03.25.11

Featured TMC Blogger: Good Day Regular People

TMC welcomes The Empress from Good Day Regular People. Alexandra {better known in the bloggyverse as The Empress} is truly one of the most supportive bloggers I know and she really adores this community. She is a natural writer and a mother who expresses her ideas with thoughtfulness and compassion. It’s an honor to feature her today but moreover, to have “met” her in this space. Here is how she describes her blogging experience in her own words:

“My entire life, I have loved to read and loved to write.  I have stacks and stacks of notebooks filled with made up stories, from when I was a little girl. I was the type of kid that would stay up to 3 a.m., hiding quietly under the covers, just to read “one more chapter, I promise” when I should’ve been sleeping. Reading and writing have been true, constant loves in my life.

I discovered blogs, about three years ago when there was a feature article in Time Magazine on The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Up to that point, I had been using my computer for emails, Google searches, etc., but not much else.

Oh…those were the days.

I read the article on “blogs” and how that word was short for “web log.” I’d leave comments, I’d send emails, I’d hear back! Oh, yes, I was liking this “web log” stuff a lot. After following blogs for more than three years, I naturally had made blogging friends, by then. A few had been encouraging me to start my own blog, since I loved to read their blogs so much, and they liked my comments.

I thought about it: blogging is reading, blogging is writing – two of my favorite things. What’s not to love?

So, on a winter morning, one year ago, my husband set up a Blogger account for me, and with my 3 boys clapping behind me, I sat and typed in my first post, pushed Publish, and voila!

I.was.a.blogger.

And can I tell you? Or, better, try to tell you, that blogging has been worth all the nights going without sleep, to visit my peeps, to meet new people, to have a place for my words. I still can’t believe how blessed I’ve been with the richness and depth to my life, that blogging has added.

For that, I am grateful, to all of you, for gifting me with your time…with so many blogs to visit, I am still so very grateful, when someone visits mine.”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter! New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*To be considered as a Featured TMC Blogger, be sure to comment on this week’s feature! Have a great weekend ladies!

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03.23.11

Izzy Belle’s Trendy Tots

Izzy Belle’s is owned and lead by Michele, a mom who started this business because she wanted to create a place where others could shop for products that were completely safe and non-toxic. After many recalls were announced due to lead paint and other toxins in children’s products, she wanted to start a company that ensured the consumer was buying safe products. Therefore, she only carries products that abide by the highest safety standards and guidelines. Izzy Belle’s is really a one stop shop for unique, upscale and functional products – many of which are made with organic fabrics, are eco-friendly and/or made right here in the USA. Michele takes extreme pride in offering only the best products on the market which meet those safety standards while serving as an online shop that offers quality and trendy products.

If you have a little girl, this dress does not get any more adorable. It’s absolutely perfect for the spring, summer or upcoming Easter holiday. The bright colors and floral pattern truly says it all! The Bright Floral Dress is currently available in sizes 2, 4 and 6:

Another product that caught my eye was the darling little Sailboat Tee which also can be purchased as a onesie. We’re talking total polka dot cuteness! It’s made in the USA with 100% cotton, the perfect comfort for your little guy (in sizes 3 through 24 months).

The Organic Cotton Fleece Blankets are gorgeous organic cotton fleece blankets with natural silk trim. They make beautiful baby shower gifts and are available in both the small and large size. This is the perfect example of how Michele ensures that the material used in these products is the safest on the market.

And the Lunchboxes are completely recyclable and the entire lunchbox (except for the decorative faceplate) is dishwasher safe. Each lunchbox comes with a custom ice pack and three containers as well as your choice of decorative faceplate. How adorable are they?

Izzy Belle’s offers a little something for everyone from Toys and Games to Room Decor and even offers a gift registry for moms-to-be! Now is the perfect time to purchase because Michele is offering a special discount to Theta Mom readers: 15% off your entire order with the use of the following coupon code entered at checkout: THETA11 To stay updated on the latest designs and future discounts be sure to follow on Twitter!

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Izzy Belle’s is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was compensated for this post. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

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03.18.11

Featured TMC Blogger: Glamamom

TMC welcomes Jill, author of the blog Glamamom. Her blog is everything you think it should be based on that title; a gorgeous web design, tons of NYC style and nothing short of sheer lifestyle glamour dripping from every post. As a Theta Mom, I enjoy my visits to her site because Jill reminds me that I am still a woman in addition to being a mom. Here is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“I’m Jill, the voice behind Glamamom, a New York City lifestyle blog.

Heather and I met at Bloggy Boot Camp in Philly late last year and instantly hit it off.  We played hooky during one of the sessions and loitered in the hallway brainstorming and discussing business ideas we’d been cultivating (the mom blogger’s version of smoking cigs in the high school bathroom).

I started writing Glamamom as a way to hold myself accountable. To keep challenging myself, meet new people, and reflect on my life as a parent and as an individual.

Hopefully the title is obviously tongue and cheek. I mean, cleaning poop out from underneath your finger nail is hardly glamorous but if you look hard enough, you can find the beauty in anything, even if it’s just an illusion to help you get through the day.

What I have gained as a result of blogging, I couldn’t have dreamed. New friends, once in a lifetime press opportunities, a full-time consulting business and a personal space, just for me.

I’m honored to be among the supportive and inspiring women that make up the Theta Mom Community and thrilled to be today’s featured blogger. Thank you Heather and to TMC!  I hope you all find what you came to the blogosphere searching for and maybe even some wonderful things you weren’t.”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter! New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*To be considered as a Featured TMC Blogger, be sure to comment on this week’s feature! Have a great weekend ladies!

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03.17.11

Campus Quilt Company: Turning Clothes into Treasured Memories

The Campus Quilt Company is owned and lead by Leigh Lowe which began in 2000 based on a thesis project for her MBA. She later turned that project into a thriving company dedicated to turning “old” clothes into lasting memories. Many of us have a pile of t-shirts, jeans or baby clothes that we just can’t seem to throw away which is why Leigh decided to develop a concept that would help others turn those clothes into treasured memories.

There is a quilt that can be custom made to fit any personality; if you have a husband who is a sports fanatic, you can easily create a customized quilt based on his favorite team. If you have a child who plays a sport, all of his/her t-shirts and sports memories can be turned into a quilt and if your daughter is a dancer, what better way to preserve some of her precious dance costumes? The possibilities are endless…

Although t-shirts are typically sewn onto the fabric to make these beautiful T-Shirt quilts, the company didn’t hesitate when I shared my “out of the box” idea. I wanted to preserve some of my daughter’s “first” things as a baby so I opted to create a customized Wee Quilt. I wanted to use items for this quilt that aren’t traditionally used or sewn but the company worked with me and said, “If we can get a needle through it, we can quilt it.”

Here is a photo of my gorgeous Wee Quilt:

There are so many different ways you can personalize these quilts and there are so many options available; you have choices in fabric, colors, sashing, size of each square, etc. The customer service department did a fantastic job customizing this quilt to fit my needs. If you have an idea, Campus Quilt Company will ensure that your vision is turned into a reality. They offer T-Shirt Pillows and they even create photo quilts, based on your own digital photos. How awesome is that? You can find a bunch of ideas from this page here.  

From every seam down to each square, this is truly a beautifully made product of high durability and quality, something that will remain in my family for years to come.

The Campus Quilt Company has been featured on the Today Show and Rachel Ray and it’s no surprise since these quilts are of very high quality and workmanship, making it the perfect gift for someone special. The site includes many options as you are customizing your quilt from sashing to embroidery and even custom backing. Be sure to visit the FAQ page as the full design process is outlined clearly. To stay updated on the latest designs and information be sure to “like” The Campus Quilt Company on Facebook.

Theta Mom® abides by word of mouth marketing standards and believes in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. Campus Quilt Company is a proud sponsor of Theta Mom and I was compensated for this post. In addition, having worked with Campus Quilts, photos from my sponsored quilt were added to this editorial review. However, all opinions expressed are purely my own and the content of this post was not influenced in any way.

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