Note: Also see Blogging 102
I have been blogging for a couple years and have learned a thing or two about blogging. I am not going to try to re-invent the wheel here because so many bigger and better other bloggers have already said so much on this topic, but readers write to me frequently with blogging or starting-a-blog type questions, and I thought I’d share a few of my own thoughts.
This is in no way a comprehensive list and it touches on different aspects of blogging but here are a few thoughts.
Each and every point is my opinion only, of course.
1. Thou Shall Not Steal. Remember the Eighth Commandment? Well, the same is true in blogging. If you see it on another person’s blog, it’s theirs. Don’t take it.
Whether it’s their recipe, their widgets, buttons, text, graphics, or anything at all on their blog, it’s theirs. Don’t take it.
This includes their photos. In the past I have done recipe posts where I highlight various bloggers recipes and use photos from their sites, but I will not publish those posts any more of those unless I first have their permission to use their images. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes; but once we know better, we do better.
Ask a blogger, first, if it would be okay to use something from their site on your site (graphics, images, etc.) but be prepared for them to say no, or gently ignore your request. And yes, I have asked others and this has happened to me. This is their prerogative.
Also, don’t steal their “voice” or their vocabulary. Use your own.
Be your own person in life. And on your blog.
In life, almost everything can be taken by someone else. Whether it’s your car you have parked in your driveway or your purse you left in your grocery cart and turned your back on for a second, someone can take your things.
The internet makes it very easy to take intellectual property and non-tangible things. This doesn’t mean it’s right.
There may or may not be laws concerning this, but there are norms, customs, ethics, and a moral code that I hope is not dead. In life, as in blogging, if it doesn’t feel right to you, it’s probably not.
2. Linking Back. To expand on point #1, if you see a recipe on someone’s site and you want to make, or you did make, don’t re-write the whole thing on your blog. You simply link back to it on their site.
This can be a bit tricky if you adapted or modified their recipe. I’ve noticed it’s becoming increasingly common on food blogs to say “Adapted From” when someone uses and reprints another’s recipe.
However, unless you really adapted it in a significant or meaningful way, I personally think that simply linking back is more appropriate rather than rewriting it and reposting it on your site.
The blogger or person who created and developed the recipe should get the credit, accolades, and traffic to their site. Not you.
If you made bigger modifications, or you feel justified in reprinting it, then let common sense be your guide.
Copywrite infringement laws are a beast. I wouldn’t want to find myself on the wrong side of them.
Want to grow your readership? (see numbers 3 & 4)
3. I’d suggest commenting on other people’s blogs. It gets your name out there. No one knows who you are unless they see your name, over and over, and what better way to do this than on others’ blogs.
Comment on a wide variety of blogs, too. I read and comment on blogs on topics ranging from home decor to photography to yoga and fitness to food. Even within food blogs there are baking blogs, vegan blogs, raw food blogs, wine blogs, you name it.
Let people know you and your blog are out there in whatever way you can and commenting is one tried and true method.
4. Be consistent in your blogging. You don’t have to post 3 times per day or even daily, but if your readers come to expect a post approximately twice a week from you, but you disappear for two months, then post twice in 3 days, and then drop off the map again for a few months, your readership may forget about you.
Readers want some sort of consistency as well as frequency.
5. Expect to spend time at blogging. Blog posts don’t write themselves, and all the other aspects of blogging from answering reader questions via email to replying to the questions you will receive in your own comments, or dialoguing back and forth with your readers within your comment field, it all takes time. Be prepared to have it to give.
Questions/Resources:
1. Posts that have no doubt said it as well, or better, than me include:
Pioneer Woman’s Ten Important Things I’ve Learned About Blogging
Pioneer Woman’s Ten Important Things I’ve Learned About Food Photography
Tina’s entire Blogging Tab/Section
Deb of Smitten Kitchen’s FAQs on everything from copyright law to appliances to photography
Deb of Smitten Kitchen’s Approach to Food Photos as well as links to other sites that give food photography tips
(To my point #2: notice I didn’t list out people’s 10 things or top tips, I simply linked back)
My own post on Real Food Styling & Photography gives real examples of what to do, and not to, to make your food pictures look better. I include a discussion on why you don’t absolutely need a DSLR but you do need to style your food.
There are so many “Blogging Tips” and “Want to Start a Blog” and “Lessons I’ve Learned About Blogging” type posts on the internet. I could re-link over and over, but if you happen to know of any true gems, leave them in the comments. In fact, Katie just did a post today on her experiences and her blogging tips.
2. Was this helpful or what have you learned about blogging that’s been instrumental and helpful for you and your blog?
If this was helpful, I can do many more posts like this. I have so many tidbits I just don’t want to restate the obvious. I already do have a Blogging 102 written so you get one more, at least.
However, we were all new once and even if you’re not new, it’s still interesting to read another blogger’s take on things, I find.
I also didn’t mince words today. Sometimes just being direct is the best approach, and of course these are my thoughts and opinions only.
3. Any specific questions you’d like answered?
Ask and you shall receive.
And from my last post, thanks for the compliments about Skylar and it sounds like you all are some creative and imaginative folks. Excellent!
I think people who read, and write, blogs are by nature creative, imaginative, intuitive, and we’re all cut from a similar cloth in that regard.
Who else could see “beauty” in chocolate picture…
No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles
…after chocolate picture, right?
White Chocolate Blondies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
Give me your thoughts and questions!
Other Posts in this Series:
Very helpful post, lost of great points and info. Consistency is important and tough for me now with my work schedule – ugh!
This is a wonderful post.
Something I always struggle with is the adapting thing. I allllways link back to the original, no matter what…and if I only change a handful of things I don’t re-post. But if I feel I’ve truly changed the flavors and base recipe, I do. I feel like when I do this to fellow blogger’s recipes I’m ripping them off, though, even if you compare the recipes side-by-side and there’s hardly a likeness. I mean…I don’t mind when I see someone else switch things in my recipe, but it really gets me fired up when I see “adapted” and the only thing changed is the type of flour, adding one itty bitty thing or taking away one itty bitty thing. Uhh, hellooo, that’s hardly what I consider adapting. I’ve seen this on quite a few big blogs lately and I’ve just stopped reading even though the recipes are good recipes. I just don’t like supporting that, I guess. Of course, I’m also the person who credits someone if they so much as inspired me to create something by saying like, one word :P
Great point about the photo thing, too. While I would hardly be upset if a photo of mine was used in a “link love” sense, I get so ticked off when I see a photo I’ve shot of someone make it to their facebook with no credit or anything. This has nothing to do with the blog, but the stuff I do “professionally.” The clincher is that my proofing website does not allow right-clicks to save. So these people are obviously taking SCREEN SHOTS of the website, with “PROOF” and my watermark plastered across it. Makes me so glad I offer a low-res file for purchase so I can gain back from all the time I spend taking the images. So if I were to find my food pictures floating through the web I would be just as upset, especially because I don’t bother watermarking them.
Well, I guess I kind of went off a little there, didn’t I? Sorry for that verbal vomit – I guess you know how to get me fired up :P
Jess, you are the linkback queen, you are amazing about it. If only everyone was like you!
And the photography credit stuff…GAH if I was a profesh photographer (maybe one day!) and I found my work on FB w/out permission…I think I’d have a heart attack!
Absolutely amazing tips Averie! I completely agree with everything you say!
Great post, Averie. I especially like #1. It is amazing how many blogs I have seen with images taken from other sources without any credit. Looking forward to 102 :)
Great post, Averie. I’ve enjoyed reading all of the comments as well. This is all stuff I have had to learn as I go, as I’m sure most bloggers do. #4 was the biggest lesson I had to learn–as a new blogger (I started blogging before I really read that many blogs, so I didn’t have a lot of examples to learn from) I didn’t get that aspect at all. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. :-)
:P 8th commandment
;)
editing the post now…clearly you can tell how I skipped sunday school :)
Haha I’ll be honest, I looked it up. I just knew it wasn’t the 1st!
great tips lady! haha i’ve been blogging for over 2 years too but i know nothing about being a good blogger haha my advice would just be to just be you! and who cares about readers and comments somtimes i think people are too worried about blogger popularity and forget that its just abotu being you in a world of similar people :)
This post was super helpful. I am what you call a “lurker.” I do not blog myself, but I LOVE reading blogs, and I’ve been reading them (yours included) for about 1 1/2 years now! You’d think I’d get the guts to start my own blog. I’ve wanted to, and thought about it a lot recently. I am scared of the “vulnerability” side of blogging–of putting myself out there, thought I want too!! If you have any tips on why to blog, or on how to deal with the “vulnerable” feeling when you first start a blog, I would love to hear them!
thanks for delurking and go, start your blog!
I HAVE had some crazy stuff happen, yes, but it’s a small percentage and the good FAR outweighs and *potential* fallout.
You *could potentially* get hit crossing the street. But you still cross it b/c the need/benefit outweighs the risk.
But you have a valid point and this will go in Blogging 103.
102 goes out tomorrow and is prewritten :)
I really liked this post, Averie! I’m still pretty new to blogging, so I love reading all the tips I can get. I think being authentic is sooo important, and I still struggle with posting what I want vs. what I think I should, but it’s getting easier and easier! :)
Thanks for the fantastic tips Averie. Sometimes people make mistakes because they just don’t know the proper etiquette. As a newbie, I will keep all these points in mind. Sometimes you just need to KNOW to do better.
First of all I want to say: I think that your blog is always original, from the recipes you make to the topics of discussions and photos you post! Thank you!
As as reader, I really don’t like when bloggers use other bloggers phrases or photo angles… Its soooooo annoying! I really don’t like silly names for things, and to have multiple blogs doing it irks me. I am not even a blogger and this would irritate me. And I know there are only sooo many angles to take pictures of food, but when you out right steal someone’s technique everyone knows. Or when someone “adapts” a recipes a day after another blogger posted it, and turns out they added 1/4 of a Tsp of cinnamon instead of 1/2, just say I made these amazing xyz from this blog head over to check it out. Be original people.
this is awesome, averie. thanks for the tips. they are not new to me, but interesting and definitely helpful. i saw your comment, above, that you have more tips coming – perfect!
idea #1 resonates with me the most – be respectful. also, write from your heart, post entries that feel right in your heart. if you question if you should write something, if you don’t have a good feeling about a post, listen to that inner voice.
i would love to hear more about the technical aspects of blogging: why consider self-hosting? comparisons of different commenting systems, etc. (my areas of weakness).
great post – thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!
blogging 102 deals with some of your questions, stay tuned for tomorrow’s post :)
Hey Averie! I just found your blog and am loving it! So much to say, first off both you and your daughter and insanely beautiful! :) Thank you for posting this because I am still really new to this whole blogging process and every bit of advice certainly helps. I have a question for you because I might have accidentally committed one of these mistakes. It’s kind of nit-picky but I’d hate to offend anyone or have a guilty conscience. On one of my favorite blogs the gal changes the color of each paragraph text block. I thought that looked really cool and was a fun idea so I started to do the same thing on mine. But I’d hate to think that if she happened to see that she would feel annoyed that I ‘stole’ her idea. What are your thoughts?
Anyways, like I said before your site is stunning and so polished. I’m also excited to look through all of your recipes as your pictures have me drooling already! :)
my site wasnt always stunning and polished, trust me…lol It’s been a work in progress but thanks for the compliments.
I think you’re safe with universal font colors and text colors. I am talking about certain graphics like header images or various images, badges, graphics that are really unique to that person’s site. Font colors, and changing them, is somewhat common so you’re safe I’d say.
And thanks for the lovely compliments!
Thanks for letting me know on that. Haha, I felt a little stupid for asking but figured much better safe than sorry! I know I’d never like it if someone swiped a custom graphic or something I created and wouldn’t ever do the same. It’s sad to hear how you and others have had that happen in the past, but I guess it’s all part of the game. In the end though the way to do well at something is by capitalizing on your own great ideas and content! :) They’ll get theirs…hehe.
Also cool to hear that you’re a fan of running as I am too. Sadly though I’m horribly inflexible and certainly could use a strong dose of yoga…hehe! Looking forward to more stuff…keep it coming! :)
Great tips!!! I love how you mentioned its important to ASK other bloggers to use their things, not simply just post them and link back. You still should ask before you take. :)
You and Katie both said how you didn’t feel like you should be writing these posts, but to newbie bloggers like myself(and probably even bloggers that have been doing it a while) it’s really important, so thank you for publishing. I went and read Smitten Kitchens FAQs and PWs post about blogging too. I especially liked SK’s take on recipes and how to use them on your own site(or use them at all) because I’ve always been unsure of that.
I was reading through the comments and see someone mentioned giveaways and promotions and stuff like that. Maybe you could do a post about that? Or maybe just post some links that deal with that. I’m just doing my first giveaway and I’m not sure how to feel about it. I do want to be able to give products away to my readers but how do you deal with the person providing the giveaway? What kind of things should I expect, what can/should I say no to, etc. I really don’t have a clue.
I’m also interested in the Blogging 102 :D
glad you liked this post and yes, 102 is already written. So everything you asked could be 103.
Give aways, accepting free products, blogging about them, it can be complicated. Google: FTC blogger disclosure.
That will give you some info and then there are ways that certain sponsors, i.e. FoodBuzz, BlogHer, etc govern what bloggers can and cannot accept, or give away. For me, all giveaways are precleared w/ FoodBuzz.
I will discuss in a future post, for sure.
Glad you liked this post and the links.
Those are some serious pet peeves..I’ve seen blog almost identical to each other. It’s bound to happen, but these are so close there’s no way one didn’t copy the other. And as for the recipe thing..I had someone just the other week change a total of two ingredients and call it their own!
ive seen 1 tsp of salt omitted and called their own, so yes, it’s quite rampant.