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

[Fontenrose]

People who read your blog submit it.

The links make it easier to do. Plus suggest it, in a polite way.

 

[dreamecho]

Glad the Digg button/link code has been working out for a bunch of you!

verymoni, I really want to help, but I'm having a hard time believing there's no use of the word "footer" in your code! I looked at the Classic template and supposedly there was this line in it:

<p class="post-footer">

Also, when searching, you may want to try substituting the use of the double quote (") with the single quote ('). Let me know....

Nemova, do you have that line that I asked verymoni about? Do you have the word "footer"?

 

[verymoni]

hi dreamecho, I found this: .post-footer {, I added the digg code you gave but it doesn't appear at the end of the posts... it is very strange!
I can mail you the whole code, maybe you will find what's wrong
Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it

 

[Nemova]

<p class="post-footer">

Also, when searching, you may want to try substituting the use of the double quote (") with the single quote ('). Let me know....

Nemova, do you have that line that I asked verymoni about? Do you have the word "footer"?

No. But I have this: <b:section class='footer' id='footer'/>

You're such a sweetheart for helping me. Thank you.

 

[SuzannaMars]

I'm a new member (friend of Liberty Girl) and just wanted to say that Dreamecho's codes worked perfectly on my blogspot blog. Thanks, DE, for posting! Once I had the Digg code in, I just altered it for Stumbleupon and del.icio.us.

I'd like to add to the earlier discussion about starting up a new blog. There are many different ways to find an angle, depending upon subjective factors relating to the blogger. My blog is three months old--an infant in the blogosphere--and my observations are based upon my own experience.

1. Finding a voice, as mentioned upthread, is crucial. Even more than this, finding angle is critical. My blog started as an emergency CV for a social shopping network that wanted short, witty posts about sponsored products. When I didn't land that gig I continued the blog, writing about what I wanted.
2. Showing interest in other people's blogs is paramount; I was reading them well before starting my own and joining the community. If you enjoy someone's blog, let them know. Don't be a passive reader!
3. Decide how much content you want; I do a lot of editorial because I am a writer, but others may find that image outweighs editorial. Blogs can be broken down into two broad categories: commercial and independent. Within those categories there is a lot of diversification. People tend to read commercial blogs for information rather than for elucidation. An independent blog attracts readers by virtue of the writer and then the content. Relatability is a key factor for an independent blog. Is your blog welcoming? Does your tone match that of your readers?
4. Humor is important. Try to write with wit--Wendy Brandes is a great example of this.
5. Build a community of friends. Reach out to other bloggers who have more experience and knowledge than you. Offer to help others where you can. Be invested in the whole, rather than just your part of it!

 

[dreamecho]

Suzanna, you're welcome. And welcome to tFS! That was a very helpful first post. I agree with it all.

Nemova & verymoni, I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I'll try my best! I just don't want to get your hopes up in case I can't figure it out. PM me with the expanded code or just send me your email addresses. In the meantime, try using the Blogger Help center and searching on the Internet. There are tons of blogs dedicated to helping out bloggers with the technical stuff like this. (Blogs about blogging! Who would've thunk...) A lot of it is just experimenting! That's how I figured mine out.

 

[Nemova]

^You are an angel, I mean it. Thank you so much.

 

[SuzannaMars]

In case this helps anyone, I expanded template as instructed, then searched out /body. This was, I think, the second suggestion that Dreamecho made. I am using the new blogger with the minima lefty template. I changed the "3" to "4" and pasted the code in--voila!

Then, I altered the code for stumbleupon and del.icio.us; this was simply a matter of removing the digg url and replacing it with the others.

An expanded template looks very overwhelming at first glance. Remember that if you save your template, you've lost nothing. Also, the preview function will immediately tell you if you've hit the mark without a full commitment.

Dreamecho, you're a whiz! I'd been puzzling this one out for a month, unhappy with pasting in a big honker of a DIGG IT button each time I made a post. Which is quite a bit.

Odd that Blogger doesn't treat this function the way Typepad does, where it is simply built in and can be added at the click of a mouse.

 

[satin chic]

To those who want to add StumbleUpon/Digg/etc buttons to their posts: I've found this little tool called AddThis. It's really easy to include and more practical than adding all the codes manually. You've probably come across this on somebody else's blog, but in case you haven't, check out mine.

 

[Dustcakeboy]

^ I was wondering how you added the code? I still can't locate the right spot to place it...so annoying

 

[satin chic]

Go to "Edit HTML", check the "Expand Widget Templates" box and locate <div class='post-footer'> with the search function and paste the code AddThis generated for you right after that.
After I saved, I got a notice to delete another widget and I did that as well (although I was a bit scared I'd destroy my whole layout ). I don't know if it will occur for you, but if it does, just confirm it.

 

[Dustcakeboy]

^ Thanks hon but I already tried this. I can't find the code <div class...

I'm beginning to think my HTML is totally kerplunk.

 

[satin chic]

Maybe try to choose another layout and then change back to your original one to get the right code?

 

[homeboy]

Is anyone here selling advertising space on their blog int he form of text links or banners? I'm in the process of setting up rates and need some indication concerning how much I should charge.

 

[kimberwyn]

^Selling links is frowned upon by google and can hurt your Page rank (but thats not to say that I dont do it ). Usually I would say, if you have a PR5 or PR6 $20-$25 is good.

 

[airlights]

I started a blog just today: http://www.sleep-light.net/amidst/
how does it look?

 

[dumbbrunette5]

i've been obsessed with fashion for ages and i also read a ton of fashion blogs so i decided to start my own a year ago. i had no time to post so i ended up deleting it but i started over again a couple days ago. the problem is, with all the school work i have i can only do one post a day (at most) which makes it hard to get more readers...seeing as i have none. but i just started so im hoping things will get better. im not serious about making money off it though, its more of an outlet for me to have fun. this is a great thread by the way.

--www.smashingdahling.blogspot.com--

 

[Drusilla_]

I don't think there's any clear way to make traffic increase, really (I tried Dreamecho's guide to getting the Digg code at the end of each post, it didn't work )...I count myself lucky to get 100 visitors a day now, but when I started out it was a lot less. But I do like getting comments, even if my friends like to pull the occasional prank and say things like 'this blog sucks' (it doesn't matter, since I know it's them).
What does everyone do about comment moderation, though? Do comments on your blog require approval first, or are you ok with letting everything go up without screening?

 

[StellaMare]

I really think gaining a steady, and growing, readership is quite simple.
If your blog is original, in the sense that it is passionate and not a waste of time (which, frankly, a lot if not the majority of blogs are), and if you make contact with other bloggers (links, comments) - people will find you.
Also, it takes time! but after a couple of months of steady blogging, you will most likely have found your readership.

One hundred readers a day is not bad, if you think about the incredible amount of blogs that exist today.
And, if you can inspire a hundred different people every day - isn't that quite wonderful?

 

[Drusilla_]

Oh, I don't have any complaints about the number of readers I get (in fact, I'm grateful that anyone actually reads what I put out).
Finding other people through blogging is actually the best part of being a fashion blogger, along with getting to speak my mind in a way I couldn't do in real life - other style blogs were what inspired me to start my own, even if it was done after a very, very long time spent dithering and thinking about it.