Advice about Starting & Promoting a Fashion Blog - See Post #1 for Thread Rules - #2
 

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Advice about Starting & Promoting a Fashion Blog - See Post #1 for Thread Rules
 

I have worked for a few online fashion mags/blogs. I believe I have the skills to start my own and would like to, only I don't know where to begin. Does anyone have a blog, specifically a fashion blog? Where did you begin etc? I am also not positive about the objective. I would like to give an insiders view of the NY fashion world- I work for a large conde nast magazine- I think that would be interesting. But is there already a blog like this out there? I don't want to be a copy-cat.

Ched- Do you use wordpress .org or .com? :flower:

wordpress is COMPLICATED =(

Lol everyone from the old thread has a blog and I'd encourage you to go read it a little and that should give you a base from which to start thinking about your blog.

About being a copy cat, don't really wory about it. I mean most bloggers are like mini editors, as I am. We kind of get all of this information and curate it into what we deem relevant, and we portray that with our own voice. This is what makes people come to us instead of someone else, not all the time because we have the newest information, or all the information, but instead because of the way we relate it and because of our voice.

I have a friend who recently stopped his blog but he worked for a large fashion company and he lived in new york. He traveled with his boss to all the fashion weeks and he was always at the parties and he started a very Gossip Girl esque type blog. It was going well and just as he was about to get alot of attention he made it private and it was still a great blog it's just sad that not that many people knew about it. I say all that to say that you can really pretty much copy someone else's format but because you're not them and you really can't write like they do, and you're going to portray yourself anyway, there's going to be a difference. If not though, readers will know and figure... why buy Grey Ant when I can purchase Lanvin??

We have our own server and use the software from WordPress.org along with a pro template and some custom coding. We also recently got linked up with a content delivery network, so all our new images are being served from a cloud system instead of just the one server, which speeds up image serving and page load times tremendously.

Printing your own newspaper would be so much more complicated. If you want to do it right, you just need to learn how the bits and pieces work. If you think WordPress is bad, try playing with Joomla.

Thank you. I really want to have a wordpress.org sometime early next year and am still doing research on it. I think it's much better then .com from what I'm reading but it still makes my head spin since I'm not very tech savvy. :wacko: :p I think I'll just sign up for one of their server hosts

That's probably a good idea. Administrating your own server is fairly complicated. I have to do a lot of web searches when things go wrong. I enjoy figuring things like that out, but if you don't then having someone else be the administrator is probably a good idea. A lot of hosting companies have WordPress as optional software already in the system.

I would adore, and find it fascinating, to read a blog like this.

The 'copycat' issue shouldn't deter you. There will always be a degree of overlap between fashion blogs - as we share and interpret similar content - but it will be your voice and curation of material that acts as a point of difference.

More uniquely, your industry knowledge and 'insider' status will also serve to distinguish you.

I hope that you will start a blog and keep us informed of your progress.

I'm off work with the flu today and - in my paracetamol-induced haze - have spent the better part of the afternoon reading this entire thread. The level of advice and expertise is amazing!

I would really appreciate some opinions and feedback on my own blog.

Since starting my blog nearly a year ago, it has been ticking over and has built a small, committed core readership. I love writing but feel as though I've reached a crossroads: to either set up under my own domain and give this my best shot, or quit completely.

I'm having a crisis of confidence and doubting my own ability - or lack of ability, as the case may be :( - and would be incredibly grateful to hear your thoughts.

My blog can be found here: http://stylesouk.wordpress.com

Thank you, :flower:

I'm launching my new fashionography blog on blogspot today.
Expect more shoots to come :D

Please don't hesitate to voice your opinion and critisice my works there :heart:

www.fashionoid.blogspot.com

I run my fashion blog like 1,5 years and its a lot of work to do.I love blogging.

For those who host their photos externally (not on Blogger) and link them in using HTML ... where do you host them?

I've been using a Photobucket Pro account and I've noticed over time that the more hits my blog receives/the more time goes on, the photo quality seems to slowly degrade over time. :blink: This frustrates me and I'm looking to maybe switch hosts ... Although I told myself, "Never again!" as I've had to reload all the photos on my blog a few times, which takes a day or two, and is a complete pain.

Know of any good (affordable) hosts in which photo quality won't go down the tubes over time? :flower:

Edit: On another note, maybe this isn't a good idea? A while ago I edited a ton of posts and they all showed up as new in all RSS feeds. So, basically every one who subcribes to my blog had all these posts show up as new (and why did this happen anyway?! I was only editing), and if I had to put in new links (from changing hosts) for all my photos ... there'd be like a 100 + posts showing up as new. :ninja:

^ Maybe try Flickr? They have great quality photos.