How Using StumbleUpon Got me New Friends on My BlogLog

MyBlogLog is a blog directory that doubles up as a social networking site for bloggers. I have been a member of MyBlogLog for a good while but I never really knew how to use this site; I still don't use it very much to tell the truth (I am much more active on BlogCatalog) but last week something strange happened to me.

After studying Caroline Middlebrook' Stumble Rush email course (only the first 10 lessons which are free, mind you, I am still too much of a cheapskate to buy the extra 10 lessons), I decided to become more active on StumbleUpon; I admit that I only skimmed through the e-course but nevertheless I started to use my StumbleUpon toolbar everyday, write more reviews of the sites that I liked and add a few more StumbleUpon friends.

Then I noticed that I was starting to get people following me on MyBlogLog; this seemed very strange to me as I never visit this site (I could hardly remember being a member!). When I logged into my account I checked my new followers' profiles, visited their blogs and added them as contacts (not sure what else I could do) and then I realized why I got this surge of new followers: my Stumbles and Diggs were showing up on my MyBlogLog profile!

I am not sure that this will really do much for my traffic, especially since I have been quite a lazy blogger lately, but I think this is a good thing; this feature is also on BlogCatalog and if you use MyBlogLog or BlogCatalog I think this can make it easier to find people who have the same interests as you.

Now all I need is an extra 10 hours a day (at least) to give me time to do a bit more social networking!

PS. If you are a member of MyBlogLog or BlogCatalog, you are welcome to add me as a friend; I will add you back.

BlogCatalog Can Boost your Blog's Traffic

BlogCatalog is a blog directory I have joined when I started blogging but up until recently I did not know all the benefits I could get from being an active member; if you want to boost your blog's traffic, you should really learn how to use BlogCatalog's features.

This is more than just a blog directory: on top of letting you add friends, join groups and neighborhoods, it allows you to post broadcasts, which if used sensibly, should help you increase your blog's traffic: I haven't used this feature yet as I want to add as many friends as possible before I start sending them broadcasts, but I think it is great being able to send a mass message to all your BlogCatalog friends: the way it works is that when you have an important message to convey or have just written the greatest blog post of all time (yes, I know I am getting carried away!), post a broadcast with the link to the post or whatever it is you want to show all your friends, they get an email that informs them of the broadcast so even if they don't check their BlogCatalog account often, they will still get the message and if the title of the broadcast interests them, they will click the link that will bring them to your post: if it's a good one, you may have gained a few more regular visitors, as they will check the rest of your blog.

Of course, I won't advise you to add all of your blog posts as brodacasts, this would only make you very unpopular (unless all of your blog posts are newsbreaking stories): imagine having 1000 friends and receiving a broadcast every day from each one of them: would you open all of the emails? I would just go and remove them from my friends' list quicker than I can type "STOP!"

With BlogCatalog, you can also post messages on shoutboxes, post a review of a blog, send private messages...I think it is also a great Social Networking site and I will try to make the most out of it in the future.

If you are a blogger and not yet a member of BlogCatalog, I think you are missing out; joining this blog directory makes it very easy also to find excellent blogs: if you have an account at BlogCatalog, add me as a friend and join my neighborhood!

Increase Your Blog's Traffic With Blogrush

Did you notice the change? No, not a new haircut, only my new Blogrush widget.

I had noticed it on a few other blogs and thought it was just another wigdet from another blog directory, but it is actually a bit more; I won't go through all the technicality here (after all, I am just a girl!), all I will say is that it can help your blog get noticed by displaying some of your own blog posts on other blogs that support the Blogrush widget.

If you want to find out more, you can either click on my Blogrush widget or visit the Blogrush website, they have a video tutorial which explains everything much better than I do.

I hope you will excuse me for this, but I just can't help myself, so here it goes: Blogrush, because I'm worth it!

Getting Organized In Order To Succeed

For the last few weeks, I have been trying to find ways to increase the traffic to this blog. I keep telling myself that I must find a daily routine from the time I switch on my computer until when the kids come into my room, hollow eyes, looking very hungry!

I decided that I must do the following each day:
- Find a great new blog and write a comment on it,
- Add it to my "Favourite Websites",
- Find a new Freebies website, add it to my "freebies" and if possible, add a comment on their blog,
- Submit my blog to one new blog directory,
- Try and write one blog post.

If I don't get side-tracked (that is my main problem, I waste a lot of time everyday just reading blogs and just following links), I might have time to write one article a day on Associated Content.

I started a diary and when I get an idea for an article, I just write it down (yes, with a pen, on real paper, like they used to do before computers started to rule the world!), I also write down everything I achieved during the day, it helps a lot and it gives me a starting point every day.

Today, I achieved about half of my goals, now I must go and feed my children!


P.S. Sorry if I offended some people with the reference to my kids, I would never favour my blog over them, that was just a JOKE! It was going around in my head since yesteday, I just had to write it!