Tag: Blog

Learning To Be A Humble Blogger

Learning To Be A Humble Blogger

Hi there! I hope you’re having a beautiful weekend. ❤ This is a post idea that’s been on my mind for the past few days, and I’m thankful to be able to share it today.

Recently, I have been thinking about how I’ve been blogging this past month or so – from the basic schedule I had laid out for myself, to the topics that have been being covered in my posts. I came across something while analyzing my blogging habits that piqued my attention.

I have been taking the responses of others on my posts too personally.

Continue reading “Learning To Be A Humble Blogger” →

My Looking-Ahead List: 15 Exciting Things (Updated)

My Looking-Ahead List: 15 Exciting Things (Updated)

Hi there! Happy Tuesday to you. ❤ Last summer, I wrote a post that was very similar to this one, and I loved getting to list all of the things I’m excited to experience one day! This is a realistic bucket list of sorts – instead of choosing different things that I’d like to see happen, I’m including fifteen things that I know will happen in the years to come. ❤ This ensures that I won’t be disappointed, haha! If you’d like to read the looking-ahead list I wrote last July, click here 🙂 Intro aside, I’m happy to know share with you the 15 exciting things I’ve come up with for today! Enjoy!

Continue reading “My Looking-Ahead List: 15 Exciting Things (Updated)” →

Spotlight Saturday – Brad from Total Bradness

Spotlight Saturday – Brad from Total Bradness

Hi there, and Happy June to you! I hope you’re having a beautiful weekend. ❤ I have a very exciting post to share with you today! While thinking through how I’d like to blog throughout June, as well as the whole of the summer, I have decided on two different things. The first one is that I will still be blogging every other day in June, and the second one is very exciting: I’m doing Spotlight Saturday posts again! The last one I did before today was in December (featuring Gracie, go check her out!), and I absolutely miss doing them now. That’s why I’ll be doing one every other Saturday throughout the summer! (And maybe into the fall, as well!)

Introduction aside, I’m very happy to share this week’s spotlight with you. It features an absolutely amazing blogger that I’m so happy to have met on WordPress! I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Spotlight Saturday – Brad from Total Bradness” →

25 Blog Post Ideas For Lifestyle Bloggers

25 Blog Post Ideas For Lifestyle Bloggers

Hi there! I hope you’re having a beautiful weekend. ❤ In this post, I have collaborated with one of the best bloggers I know: Oxria! She has an absolutely amazing lifestyle blog, which you can go check out for yourself here. For today, I will be sharing with you some of the awesome blog post ideas for lifestyle bloggers she came up with! She wrote a great list of twenty-five creative and intriguing ideas for any lifestyle blogger to become inspired by, which is why I’m excited to share them with you today! Thanks for reading!

Continue reading “25 Blog Post Ideas For Lifestyle Bloggers” →

Blog Coaching – May 2018

Blog Coaching – May 2018

Hey there! I hope you’re doing well ❤ Happy Saturday to you! 🙂 In the second attempted draft of this post, haha, I have decided to answer every question I was asked on this post and not just the ones which had answers equaling (in total) over a thousand words. I’d love for this to be short and fun, yet informative and inspiring as well! And fitting it into one post would be great, too 🙂 So, if you had a question for me last week, or you wanted to read an answer to someone else’s question, this is the right place to be! I have some blogging advice to share with you ❤ I hope you learn something and enjoy!

Top 3 Questions + My Answers

Thanks so much to Raf for sharing these amazing questions! ❤

1. How do you grow your blog?
Answer: I have fun conversations with people, pick catchy titles for my posts, and share posts weekly!

2. How many times a week should I be posting?
Answer: I personally love to see 3-4 posts from my favorite bloggers each week, and that’s a great way to stay active in the community.

3. What are the best times to post?
Answer: The morning (usually 8-9AM EST) is when my posts get the most response!

Blog Coaching
Questions + Answers

Lydia: How do you come up with pictures that are relevant to your post and where do you go most to find them?

Answer: Unsplash and Pexels are my best friend! I also love incorporating my own photography into my posts, as well (: It takes some experimenting to figure out which pictures you love pairing with which posts, but by rule of thumb, I’ve found out that nature photos are good for updates/inspirational posts, silhouette photos are great for more personal/insightful posts, and laptop/desk photos are fantastic for blog-related posts!

Lydia: Would you recommend putting a list of your categories on the sidebar?

Answer: Yes! It makes navigating your blog for other readers so much easier. ❤

Lydia: How do you increase blog traffic?

Answer: Do a blog challenge. Browse the Reader for a while and interact with others. Write a post that you know for sure others will want to read. Catch up on reading your friends’ blogs. Basically, put time and effort into keeping your blog updated and your community presence current!

Caz: How’s best in your opinion to showcase your older posts?

Answer: This is a fantastic question, especially for bloggers who have been writing for a long time and have many older posts to share! I’ve personally found that writing a second part to an older post, as well as having blog categories that easily lead back to those awesome posts, is an effective way to draw attention back to older content.

El: Got any tips for when you get bloggers’ block?

Answer: Browse Pinterest for inspiration. Work on the drafts you still have on your dashboard. Create a list of all the ideas of possible blog posts that come to you. Continue working on an old blog series you used to write – anything to keep those creative blogging juices flowing!

SaRitzy: What made you continue to blog?

Answer: On Dreaming of Guatemala, it has definitely been this community. Having the support of others has inspired me every day to keep going! After that, the constant inspiration I have to write about the world around me fuels every blog post, and every comment I leave on others’ blogs makes me happy to know I’m making a difference, if even in the smallest of ways.

Ariana: How would you say to get your blog out there?

Answer: Last winter, I started by browsing the Reader all. the. time! From there, I would branch out to the friends of my friends, participate in blog parties and little competitions – before long, I started showing up in WordPress search results! I think the key to catching people’s attention are GOOD TITLES. I’m not talking about the clickbait-y ones, no – the short, to-the-point, interesting ones. Especially the ones that make people curious!

Kelsey: What’s the best way to bring positive feedback to your blog?

Answer: The one way I know you can do this for sure is by simply being yourself. By this, I mean to share what’s on your heart, let readers know what you’re going through and where you’re coming from – it makes a blogger much more real and easier to relate to. You can picture who’s behind the blog when you know that they’re just as purely human as you are. So, write posts that express what’s on your heart and have true conversations with people – I know they’ll be coming back for more.

Marie: What do you do when your views go down drastically?

Answer: Well first of all, I get discouraged haha, but then I go deeper and analyze why the views have dropped. Usually, it will be because I wrote a less popular post, or it was a holiday weekend, etc. When that happens, I tend to go work on some new post ideas I know readers will like, in the mindset that maybe it was just a down week for everyone.

Shannon: What’s the #1 way to grow your follow count without spamming all your other social media platforms with blog links?

Answer: The one time I saw a huge spike in my stats was when I did the 30-day blogging challenge last May! It took dedication, for sure, but this has proven true every time: blogging daily does something for your stats. Everyone just keeps coming back every day for more, haha!

Lizzy: How do you make your graphics and featured images?

Answer: I use RookieCam (which is free in the app store!)! If I need more filters and effects than what it has to offer, PicLab and Superimpose are awesome, as well.

Thank you so very much for reading! Let me know in the comments below if you learned something new. ❤ And be sure to check out my other Blogging Tips for more inspiration! If you guys want, I can do this blog coaching again next month 🙂

I hope you have a beautiful day!

— Maggie

Things To Accomplish In May

Things To Accomplish In May

Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. ❤ Happy Tuesday, and Happy May, to you! Another new month has come back around, and I am once again surprised, haha. There have been very few times over this past year where I felt like a month lasted longer than it should have – all the rest absolutely flew by! Either way, I am very happy that May is here, because some exciting things are in store for me and my family. I’ll be writing about some of them soon!

Blog Coaching Update: Thank you so much for all of your questions! I’ll be answering them in a post and sharing it this Saturday (the 5th). I’m working on it ❤ If you have any other questions to add, comments are still open! Click here!

Do you have any plans for the month of May? I hope and pray that there is at least one thing you’re looking forward to and planning for! Even if you see the next few weeks as a good time to take a break from something, that’s awesome, too – you have plans to relax!

Even though I’ve been searching for a single way to welcome new months on my blog, I’ve finally accepted that I enjoy mixing it up, lol. Instead of having one type of post to write on the first of each month, I’m going to go with whatever I need and am in the mood for! For May, I’m happily trying out something new.

I have a few things I’d love to work on throughout the month, but then I also came up with a list of 31 tasks to complete one a day in May. This means that regardless of how a day goes, I can check at least one thing off my list! I’ve mentioned before that I love being productive, and this will help me so much.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll share both lists without any commentary. Since I’m still currently working on the 31-task one, I’ll share a snippet of the first ten. I don’t want to bog down your morning with a 1k+ word post, haha! Either way, I hope you’ll enjoy. 🙂 ❤

Throughout May:

  1. Pursue daily fitness and good nutrition.
  2. Continually care for my skin.
  3. Enjoy the beautiful weather.
  4. Nurture optimism and positivity.

A Task A Day

  1. Clean phone.
  2. Watch a movie I’ve been wanting to watch.
  3. Make a new recipe.
  4. Shop for jeans/shorts.
  5. Read more of a book.
  6. Go through PC photos.
  7. Organize game cabinet.
  8. Have a photoshoot with Elizabeth.
  9. Clean out desk drawers.
  10. Share more photos on Unsplash.

… and more!

Thank you so much for reading! ❤ I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in May, because there are definitely some awesome things coming up. 🙂

Let me know in the comments below:

What are YOU excited for in May?

Happy Tuesday!

— Maggie

Blog Coaching Questions | May 2018

Blog Coaching Questions | May 2018

Hey there! I hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂 When I reached the blogging milestone of 2,000 followers last week (which I’m still excited about, thank you sooo much!), I shared that I would try out free monthly blog coaching right here on my blog! This is a way that I can definitely give back to the community, because I love sharing blogging tips and advice, and with nearly seven years of experience, I have a lot to share!

It would make me so happy if you would ask any questions you have about blogging in the comments below! Anything goes, whether you want to learn more about the basics of blogging, template design, post formatting, and more!

Also: If you see that someone has already asked exactly what you were going to comment, click the ‘like’ button on other bloggers’ questions that you’d like to read the answer to! I will be combining similar questions and answering as many as I can this way 🙂

I hope and pray that I can help other bloggers through this! If enough people participate, I will be sharing my answers in a post at the beginning of May. ❤

Thank you so much!

— Maggie

Bloggers Going Self-Hosted | Oxria’s Story

Bloggers Going Self-Hosted | Oxria’s Story

Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. Happy Saturday to you! ❤ For this post, I have decided to feature a lovely blogger I know in a new type of spotlight! My good friend, Oxria, recently went self-hosted (you can find her new site here!), and I can’t tell you how happy I am for her! She has been wanting to do this for a while, and I must say that her new domain is absolutely wonderful. ❤ I know that it would make her so happy if you could check out and subscribe to her new blog! I promise you, it will be worth it to see her posts show up in your Reader! She shares her beautiful art, gorgeous photography, and she’s a budding vlogger, too – there’s no way I could dislike any of what she shares.

The topic of this post is on Oxria’s going self-hosted experience! She was very sweet and answered some of the questions I had about how it worked for her to switch domains, and I’m really excited to share those informative answers with you today. Make sure to let us know in the comments below if her story has encouraged or inspired you, and I’m sure she’d love to answer any questions you have! Let’s get right into this!

Bloggers Going Self-Hosted –
Featuring Oxria

1. Why did you decide to go self-hosted?

The reason why I decided to go self-hosted is because I wanted to have full control of my blog and the thought of my blog just being oxria.com sounded so cool to me! 🙂

2. Which host are you using?

I’m using BlueHost. I read a lot about different hosts before switching my blog to self-hosted and BlueHost seemed like the best option to me (I liked the plans they offer).

3. Was it easy to make the switch? Why or why not?

Hmm, I wouldn’t say it was too hard. A not-so-easy part, for me, was saving enough money. Unfortunately, going self-hosted isn’t free (I’m sure everyone already knows that). But yeah, switching was pretty easy. The hardest thing about it though, is getting used to having full control of my website. Being in charge of everything can get overwhelming. I’m sure I’ll slowly get used to it, though. 😀

4. Which aspects of having your own website
are you most excited about?

As I said, one of the aspects I’m very excited about is having my own domain (oxria.com instead of oxria.wordpress.com)! Another thing that I love about it is the customization. I can now change anything and make it look the way I want. The new blog theme I’ve chosen also makes me very excited (I’ve been wanting to buy that theme for a year! It’s one of my favourite themes out there!).

5. Is there anything you’re still figuring out?

Oh yeah, pretty much everything, haha. I lost access to my website the other day, because I changed the URL and apparently you’re not supposed to do that (there’s a lot of things I have to learn), and I thought, “This is it. I’ve lost my blog.” Thanks to a tutorial on YouTube, I managed to get it back, but oh boy – wasn’t that a stressful experience! I’m still trying to figure out how everything works, how to change the font (I know it’s basic stuff, but I’m a newbie), how to make the photos quality better and a lot of other things.

6. What are some posts coming up
that you’re excited about writing and sharing?

I want to share more of my personality on oxria.com. I don’t have any particular posts in mind just yet, but I’m very excited to continue sharing experiences from my daily life, as well as drawings I make. 😀

7. Would you recommend that other bloggers
go self-hosted, too?

I think it really depends on what you want. If you want to have your own domain and full control of your blog, go self-hosted! If not, sticking to a free blogging platform is completely fine!

“I definitely think everyone should read about the differences between a free blog and a self-hosted blog before deciding whether or not to make the switch.”

I’d like to thank Oxria for collaborating with me on this post, and a huge thanks to you for reading it! I love seeing what bloggers who go self-hosted accomplish on their new websites, because customization and having your own “brand,” so to say, is really exciting.

If you are a blogger who has also gone self-hosted,
email me at dreamingofguatemala@yahoo.com
for a chance to be spotlighted on one of these posts!

Let us know in the comments below:

What are YOUR questions
about going self-hosted?

Happy Easter weekend to you!

— Maggie