Blogging in 2014 - My Five Resolutions

I have been thinking a lot about this post. Nothing drastic ... but I needed to reassess where my blog fitted in my crafty/handmade life. I had a lot of comments on my post about pausing and blogging - all very helpful and interesting to read. So I thought I would share with you some of my current thoughts about blogging... and what it means for MiH in 2014. 

How much to share, which social media platform and when? 

When I first started blogging (with the first blog not this one), Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook were not as  important (not sure that this is the right word) as they are now to share craft projects. 

The MiH facebook page is now updated fairly regularly, I try not to post more than once a day - a link to a blog post or a project I am working on. But I don't want to share my life on it, because the last thing you want on your wall is me taking it over with pictures of Baby MiH. 

For more frequent updates I use Instagram - and I use it a lot. I love it! It is not just about the sharing of pictures, it is also the built-in editing tool that makes one possibly boring picture look amazing. 

Which means by the time I blog, I am not as excited as I should be - and it feels like nothing is new. What to do? Does blogging still have a place? 

I think it does, it is a great way to record my projects, share the techniques I have learnt, the issues I have encountered and tell the story of the project. However it probably means I will also blog less - but better, better pictures (please natural light do come back); more time spent on posts, better relevant links... 

As far as twitter is concerned, I am using it less and less but I am still on it...

2014 Resolution no 1: Better blogging and better sharing of projects.

Source: Pinterest

Which projects to choose? 

Looking through my 2013 makes, I was fairly happy that most of my projects reflected my style. However some of them (not mentioned in the post) did not. Of course I learnt a lot along the way, from each and every project I made. But as my crafting time is now quite limited I need to spend more time choosing my projects, my colour schemes and make sure they reflect my style but also that the finishing is of good quality. In the past, if I had not liked a project I may have managed to finish it, but never to a very good standard, just so it would be off my to-do list. Or it may be that the projects are too advanced for me, and I need to learn the techniques more.. Here is a thought! 

2014 Resolution no 2: Spending more time choosing projects and colour schemes

2014 Resolution no 3: Better finishes and techniques

Blogging and commenting

Better blogging, more commenting - but less replying to comments here. Something has to give and I think this is it for me. I read every single comment, and I love every one of them - but unless there is a specific question, I will not be replying to individual comments anymore or not every time. I'd rather spend time commenting on your projects, and make sure I know what the bloggers I follow are up to. I want to be feel part of the community again and this will be the way I will be doing it. 

2014 Resolution no 4: Spend more time commenting on other blogs

source: Pinterest

A blog like me... 

This will be my motto for 2014 and the projects and blogging, ensure that the blog is a reflection of me and my vision of a handmade lifestyle.. 

2014 Resolution no 5: Stick to the motto 


Well, I have my work cut out for 2014, but you know now that it is written here, I feel that blogging will be exciting again! How do you feel about blogging now? Have you changed the way you are blogging? 

Making the most of the end of Google Reader

It is finally upon us, and yes GFC will no longer be by Monday. We have all been trying to find new (and exciting) ways to follow our favourite blogs. From a blog point of view (I read the news on Pulse, but it is really not working out for me for blogs), it is basically between Bloglovin or Feedly. The switch was easy in both cases - you could import your reading list through Bloglovin here, and Feedly used your existing gmail account. 

Many discussed the look and feel of both readers. I prefer the Feedly layout personally - especially on my Ipad , it looks like a magazine and when you have your favourite blog posting, it is like reading your perfect magazine. 

However I use (like many of you) Bloglovin (I have 20 followers on Feedly and 107 on bloglovin, so I am assuming bloglovin has won the battle..). I find it easier to comment on blogs - which is an integral part of my blogging experience. 

So how to make the most of the change? 

1. Updating your reading list

It was so cumbersome to update it on GFC - especially if you wanted to follow French blogs (that operate on canalblog usually) or blogs operating on wordpress - that I was glad I changed reader. It is now much easier to keep up to date with all the blogs I like. I also took the opportunity to do a spring clean in my reading list. 

2. Making the most of categories

I always have in my head a category for each blog I follow - quilting, fashion, sewing. Of course it is not black and white (mine for instance) and therefore a crafty category is also there. There are blogs that are so popular that I don't even bother commenting, but love to see the pictures - I have a category for these 'popular blogs' and enjoy just reading them without commenting (it is quite relaxing too). 

3. Reading the first few lines and picture

Although with GFC it was already there, I am much more aware that the first few lines and the first picture are key to any reader. This is what I see first - and usually makes me decide whether I want to read the article or not. This is why I tend to have one post per project, I find it hard to explain too many things at the same time (unless it is a Saturday post - where I try to 'style' what I have made). 

4. Liking and Linking

I love the fact that I can like an article - usually because a sewing pattern, a fabric pattern, or something that I would want to wear is featured - and keep it for later in a library (although as the library cannot be categorised it is a bit harder to search if you have too many likes). It is easy to link through twitter to share, or pinterest (I suppose that is where the library comes in, except that it is the all important first picture that will go in). It makes the whole process much more interactive. 


5. What stats?

I think that both Feedly and Bloglovin arfe rubbish at providing stats. Blogger is still the best source - it is a bit of a shame. I would like to understand a bit more what is going on there - but the search continues. 

6. Where are your followers and which social media platform? 

The switch meant that we may have lost followers (that may have come only for giveaways for instance) - or that our followers are now scattered between bloglovin, feedly, RSS feeder or maybe facebook. It is also time to update your sidebar, maybe get a page on facebook - I use it quite a lot outside blogging so I quite like updating my page with blog posts and more 'behind the scene' projects. 

How did you find the change? What features do you enjoy most?