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Tag Archives: blog
The Blazer
Hi everyone and welcome back to another week of blogging! This week’s blog post is all about blazers. Blazers are perfect for all seasons because they come in many different colours and materials. They are styled perfectly when thrown over a blouse or even a hoodie. The trendiest pattern we have been seeing over the […]
The Trendiest Christmas Gift Guide
Hi everyone and welcome back to another week of blogging! As the holidays are quickly approaching, I thought that this week would be perfect to post a holiday gift guide to give you guys some inspiration and ideas of what to get your friends! This guide is mainly girlier gift ideas but they can work […]
Essay #2
My Experience with Online Publishing
I created this blog three months ago, and it has been a great journey since I began. Before beginning this blog, I worked with blogging through Instagram, and found that I liked blogging my thoughts on what I read. My experience has been very positive on this platform, and I was able to build my blog from not having anything into being my own space to share what I think. When I began my blog, I had difficulty with learning how to add different features and drop-down menus. I had to watch tutorials and ask people how they learned to do certain things on WordPress, too. Creating my publication took a couple weeks, but I was able to build content that I really loved, and also that I thought others would be able to relate to. I did this by writing updates for my progress and writing reviews on books from different genres. I began this blog to share my love of books with others and have found that it is a wonderful outlet to have.
           I have learned a lot through creating my own blog, and I have also grown in how I review books. As the article, “Publics and Counterpublics” by Michael Warner, mentions, every publication has an aimed public (Warner 1). My imagined public for this blog is anyone who loves to read or is looking for book recommendations. My goal for this blog is to reach more bookworms, and provide them with quality content on books, which may result in them gaining a recommendation. I always appreciate having book review blogs and websites to visit, and one of my favourite bookish websites is Epic Reads. Personally, I always feel welcome and happy when I visit their website because of everything they feature and the fun colours they use. This became my goal when I began this blog, to make my audience feel welcome when they visit. I attempted to do this by using light colours, a simple background, and also inserting Autumn themed photos I took of books. In addressing my audience, I made the blog easy to navigate with a search bar, drop-down menus, and also a sidebar with recent posts linked. Many bookworms also have a Goodreads account or access Goodreads regularly for synopsisâ, so this is one additional thing I added to my book reviews. By inserting hyperlinks for my audience to visit the book on Goodreads, it allows people to easily check it on Goodreads, if they would like, and then return to the review. I attempted to make my website easy for people to find things on, and access different sections.
           Google Analytics was a feature that I used in order to help me understand how many people were visiting my blog and how it grew throughout the past three months. Using Google Analytics, I discovered that my audience members were staying on my blog, on average, for about two minutes, but recently that increased to around 9 minutes. I also learned that a lot of my audience visited my blog in the afternoon or during mid-day. Using this information, I have a better insight for what times would be best to post, and how I have improved with creating my content. I have not been receiving comments, yet, but I am hoping to gain them in the future, as I continue to grow my blog. I have received inspiration, throughout these past months, from a few blogs, including Bag Full of Books (Arpita 2015). From these blogs, I was able to take away what I enjoyed from them and apply some of those aspects into my own blog. I have found that I have grown a lot since I began blogging, but I also know that there is more growth to achieve for my blog.
           My thinking has changed regarding my blog since I began it. When I first started writing on my blog, there were times when I wasnât sure how to blog or what to write about. I had to brainstorm ideas and thought it might not be successful. As I continued working on my blog, I began to forget about the success it had, and instead focused on the content I enjoyed creating. As I began to enjoy creating content more, my content became better, and I was able to work towards my goal of creating a welcoming space. Looking forward, I would love to continue this blog. I really enjoy having this blog as a place to talk about books and create content that I love. I will be taking a break from it for a little while, during the holidays, but hopefully I will be continuing my blog in the new year. In doing so, I will most likely connect more social media aspects to it, and also feature more colourful photos. Overall, this has been a very useful learning experience, and I look forward to continuing my work with blogging.
Works Cited
âYoung Adult (YA) Books & Books for Teens.â Epic Reads, Harper Collins, www.epicreads.com/.
Warner, Michael. âPublics and Counterpublics.â Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 88, no. 4, Nov. 2002.
Arpita. Bag Full Of Books, 15 Mar. 2020, bagfullofbooks.com/.
Semester Reflections
Habits for Contentment Is a website that started as a hope I had for the semester. During the pandemic, I had been feeling everything but content, and I wanted to use this blog as an opportunity to build healthy habits into my life. This essay will cover why I created this blog, and what I have learned over the course of the semester.
What is it about and who is it for?
Habits for Contentment is all about building healthy habits into your everyday life. This is demonstrated through blog posts about thankfulness, generosity, staying active or building a morning routine. While this blog can be for anyone that is looking for ways to find peace during the pandemic, it is mainly for students who are also struggling through the hardships of completing a semester online.
One blog I have taken inspiration from is Andi Anne. She writes about nutrition, health, and messy stories from motherhood. I love this website because of its neutral tonal pallet and clean organization. She creates a sense of order in an occasionally chaotic cyberspace. In my website, I hope to use a similar sense of design and layout to engage with my audience. Check out her blog here.
Who is your public image?
The public image I am hoping to create is one that values vulnerability and honesty. One resource I used when I was first building my public image was Creating your Online Persona by Jack Canfield (n.d.). Canfield talks about how first you must decide who you are, then you can begin building your website and advancing your brand with content (n.d.). This article helped me to focus on understanding who I am as a writer and then decide what to post and how to present myself.
I want to use my blog posts to explore new ways of finding contentment in my life, but I do not want to paint an unrealistic picture of myself having a perfectly content life. I will share the success I have in running and painting, but I will also share my frustrations when I sleep through my alarm or cheat on my morning routine. I want to create a public image that is relatable, accessible, and joyful. Â
Something I want to try and counter in my writing is the Online Disinhibition Effect which describes how when there is anonymity, people are more likely to shed their usual restraints or integrity (Konnikova, 2013). This can promote engagement and risk taking, but in my website, I want to promote honesty and vulnerability, so I hope to create a different style of engagement with my audience.
This infographic I created talks more deeply about the values of Habits for Contentment. The core values I want to represent through this blog are people centered, vulnerable, honest, and fun loving. Read more about my values here.
How are you addressing your audience through editorial, design, content?
Once I had decided on the purpose of my blog and the online image I wanted to portray, I put together a vision board to help guide my posts, design choice and voice. Take a look at my vision board here.
I want to capture a feeling in my vision board. I want readers to look at my website and feel a sigh of relief like when you take a refreshing walk outside or see a beautiful sunset. My goal is to create a blissful feeling throughout my entire blog. On my homepage I do this by using a clean font and leaving lots of white space. Additionally, I have a picture of wildflowers as a banner on every page of my website to begin curating a feeling of refreshment and peace. My colour pallet has deep greens to symbolize trees with deep root and consistent growth and includes some light pinks to symbolize fun and curiosity.
This article published by Blogging Explorer discussed the importance of understanding your target audience and how to cater your content online (Mikke, 2020). Two points he made were about how your target audience will help you create better content, and have great post ideas (Mikke, 2020). Understanding your audience will help you to know their needs and desires, and understand what they might be looking for in their digital content. This will help to increase reader engagement and build my audience.
One blog post that highlights the purpose and design of my website is Being Thankful for Rain. In this blog post I wrote about how being thankful for the small things in your life can help you to get through hard days. Making thankfulness lists is one way I try to find contentment in my life and is reiterated throughout almost all my blog posts. The design of this post incorporates lots of white space separated by curated pictures that I took of a recent thankfulness list I had made. Being Thankful for Rain is a post that highlights the values of my blog and captures the design aesthetic I hope to maintain throughout my website.
What value are you providing and to whom?
My hope is that through these blog posts I can provide value by offering practical tips and advice on how to live with contentment and joy amidst a pandemic. Some blog posts that do this are 5 Reasons to Try Running and Morning Mishaps & Daily Routines. Both blog posts offer a glimpse into one habit I have tried to implement in my life, and some practical ways they could be applied to my readers lives. Both posts contain external research into how these habits have been proven to improve your health or decrease stress levels.
In the future, I may build monetizing features into my posts such as product promotions or specific collaborations with other bloggers, but these must be directly relevant to my core values and not be misleading to my readers.
What have you learned through Google Analytics?
Google Analytics has been a very fun tool to learn how people are interacting with my website. The most helpful thing I learned was that I had a very high bounce rate, meaning that people would quickly leave my website after visiting the first page. As I was investigating this, I noticed that my home page did not give the reader somewhere to go after reading the introduction. To address this, I linked some of my favourite blog posts to my home page, and my bounce rate has decreased by 15%. There is still lots to learn from Google Analytics, and I have so much to benefit from understanding my audience more and learning how people are interacting with my blog.
Blogging has been an incredible experience in learning about writing, creativity and finding contentment during a pandemic. I look forward to continuing this blog in the future and building my brand image.
Works Cited
Anne, A. (2020, December 02). Andi Anne: About. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://andianne.com/about/
Campbell, G. (2009). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/9/a-personal-cyberinfrastructure
Canfield, J. (2019, November 26). Online Branding: 5 Steps to Create Your Online Persona. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/online-branding/
Konnikova, M. (2013). The Psychology of Online Comments. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-psychology-of-online-comments
Mikke. (2020, July 24). How to Find Your Blog Target Audience in 2020: The Ultimate Guide. Retrieved December 04, 2020, from https://bloggingexplorer.com/blog-target-audience/
Working on Black Friday⌠Was Surprisingly Okay?
Last week, I posted a gif on this site that summarized how terrible I expected Black Friday to be as a retail worker. This was my third Black Friday working at my retail store, and in previous years it was SO BUSY. I would come home after those shifts and sleep for 12 hours just to let my body recover from the insanity.
Even with the Covid-19 pandemic this year, I still expected Black Friday to be busy. This past summer, we would have long lineups of people waiting to get into our store, so I expected that Black Friday would be even worse. Despite the rising Covid cases in BC, my faith that people would stay home this year was pretty low.
Well, I guess I was wrong! My store did not have people lining up to come inside. It was maybe a little bit busier than the average weekend, but not by a lot. At first, I wondered if only my store had been affected by this, but when looking at other stores in the mall, it seems like we were all in the same situation.
I would love to think that this is all related to people finally realizing that they should stay home when possible, but I feel like there is another factor at play. Black Friday is not so much a day as it is a week. Most stores, mine included, have Black Friday deals going for several days, and donât necessarily provide an additional discount on the Friday as opposed to Saturday or Sunday. If consumers have begun to realize this, it could be another reason why it wasnât so busy on Friday- perhaps people are spreading out and shopping on different days. Whatever the case, I am glad that we were able to provide a safe shopping experience and that I only needed to sleep for 10 hours to recover from this yearâs Black Friday
(Featured Image by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)
Dad Pants
Hi guys and welcome back to another week of blogging! This weeks blog post is all about the dad pant. Dad pants are the perfect pair of pants if you’re looking for something comfy but classy and trendy to wear. Over the past few months we have seen this pant come into style because of […]
The Ultimate Fall Boot
Hi guys and welcome to another week of blogging here at Falling for Fashion! This week’s blog post will be all about finding the perfect boot for you. In this post I will be introducing you guys to some of my favourite boots we have been seeing this season. Boots and booties are the perfect […]
5 Footwear Essentials Under $250 For A Minimal Closet
White Sneaker
If you couldn’t tell by all of my previous posts, I’m a big fan of white sneakers. It dresses things down and makes things casual, but also keeps the outfit pretty clean and sleek. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Nike Air Force 1, but if you do want to keep yourself apart from others, Windsor Smith shoes are a great alternative that gives off the same look! The Carte White Leather Sneaker have a nice platform and sporty look to them.
Statement Sneaker
As opposed to a white sneaker that keeps everything sleek, I think a statement sneaker can really change up a basic outfit for the better. Before going hunting for the perfect statement sneaker, make sure to think about the colours in your closet + the vibes that you are going for. I have been eyeing the Nike Air Max 270 React SE sneaker, but can’t seem to bring myself to buy them. Although this is the case, I can’t deny that it’s a pretty shoe with a colour-way that I’ve never seen until now. I’m not that big of a sneakerhead since I only wear white shoes on the daily, but it would be fun to expand my sneaker collection when I gain the budget for it. Nike Air Jordans would be a cool collection item in the future.
Chelsea Boot
I’ve owned Chelsea Boots since high school, and I’ve always felt like it elevated an outfit that I would normally wear with sneakers. It’s another one of those footwear essentials that you can wear dressed up or dressed down. It’ll also keep your ankles warm from windy weather. Chelsea Lug Boots, in particular, are in style right now – so cop yourself a pair! For Black Friday this year, I actually bought a pair online at Urban Outfitters for a good deal. The UO Mira Chunky Chelsea Boot offers the same classic vibe with just a little bit of streetwear and grunge.
A Nice Sandal or Slide
In the summer, your feet can get a little too toasty in a sneaker or boot. With that being said, opting for a nice slide is essential to keep the outfit cohesive but airy! I would opt for these – clad with any nail polish colour is a must! The Steve Madden Lorna Mules are sleek black with a little bit of a heel to make you just a tad bit taller. Exposing the ankle elongates your legs, which also gives off the illusion of having longer legs and being taller. I personally think these mules look sleeker than a heel… but maybe that’s because I wouldn’t opt for a heel at any point.
Slippers
Most people don’t mention slippers when they think about the necessary footwear. Honestly, I didn’t think about it until a few months ago when I invested in a pair of slippers and realized that I stopped suffering from extremely cold feet. It was life-changing. UGG perfects the art of the slipper. If you enjoy the classic slipper from previous years, you can’t go wrong with their closed-toe Scuffette II slipper which offers a plush wool lining. If you want something a little more extreme and stylish, UGG has recently garnered attention with their Fluff Yeah Slides, which come in many vibrant colours and platforms. You either hate them or you love them. I can vouch for investing in house slippers for forever, especially since working from home is the vibe now!
Final Blog Post: Semester Recap
How Clean are the Products in Retail Stores?
Yesterday, I was asked a question by a customer that prompted this post. The customer showed me a product from the sales floor and asked if I could bring her the same item but from the back room. I told her that unfortunately this was the very last one of these items that we have. Her complaint was that since it was on the sales floor, she figured that many people would have touched it already. This was really funny to me, considering she had been touching all sorts of products and was planning on purchasing several other items. At this point, I had to bite my tongue and just apologize for the inconvenience.
What I really wanted to say was that customers touch everything. I can almost guarantee that all the items on the sales floor have been recently touched by a customer. Sure, we donât have our fitting rooms open, but that doesnât mean that people donât still feel the material of a shirt or hold up a pair of pants against their body. Hopefully, these people are following protocols and keep their hands clean, but that is impossible for us as a company to guarantee.
If you go into a store and find yourself touching products that you donât end up buying, you should assume that others have done the same.
Itâs just so ironic to me that the people who complain about this are also contributing to the problem. If you are worried about other people touching your products, why on earth would you go to a mall? Online shopping exists- try utilizing it. Finally, if you are buying something from a store, you should absolutely assume that someone else has touched it and you should wash it when you get home and/or quarantine it for a bit.
(Featured Image by Becca McHaffie on Unsplash)
Finance in Relationships
Fighting Fear in Fear Obsessed Media
Letâs talk about fear.
COVID has been a scary thing hasnât it? I was reading a friendâs post online about how this pandemic has been a shared traumatic experience and this is consciously and subconsciously affecting all of us.
Recently Iâve been feeling discouraged. Iâve been feeling like things are continually getting more bleak and less joyful. Maybe itâs because of the rain or the shorter days, but I think itâs also due to the underlying fear a lot of us are feeling with the looming numbers of COVID-19.
So how do we deal with fear? Do we run away and pretend itâs not there? Do we get angry and blame the people around us? Or do we confront it and try to find whatâs really going on within our soul?
This podcast from Bridgetown Church features Tristen Collins, a therapist in Portland, Oregon, and she talks about how fear can often hinder us from living a life that is free and filled with joy. Take a listen to hear Tristenâs definition of fear, what fear looks like in different individuals, and how we can address the fear in our lives.
This presents a Christian perspective on fear and how God views emotions, but it also presents practical advice on how to address our fear and begin moving past it.
Throughout the podcast, Tristen reminds us that all of our emotions are good and valid, even though not all of them feel nice. She quotes Mr. Rogers who said, âThereâs no should or should not when it comes to having feelings. They are part of who we are, and their origins are beyond our control.â
Tristen emphasizes that all our feelings are valuable, and what we do with them will affect the rest of our lives.
There’s no should or should not when it comes to having feelings. They are a part of who we are and their origins are beyond our control.
Mr. Rogers
I hope this podcast brings you peace today and reminds you that there is healing from the pain we are currently feeling.
Keep journeying on friends 
Letâs Do The BC Mask Mandate Right
Just yesterday, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced new regulations to slow the spread of Covid-19, one regulation being that masks must be worn in indoor public spaces and retail stores. You can read more about the new regulations here.
THANK GOODNESS!
I feel like this is long overdue, so I am so relieved that this mandate is finally being implemented. While my store already had a mandatory mask policy, these government regulations will help us by showing that we were in the right all along. Some customers would complain that we didnât need a mask mandate in our store if the government hadnât deemed it necessary. Hopefully, those people will shut up now!
Now, if only people would learn how to wear a mask properlyâŚ
At my store, Iâve seen all the incorrect ways to wear a mask: not covering the nose, not covering the mouth, hanging off the ear, sitting only on the chin, etc. Itâs really not that hard to wear a mask correctly. If your mask keeps slipping off your nose, buy a new one; seeing as we are over 8 months into the pandemic, youâve had plenty of time to get a mask that fits. Also, you donât need to take off your mask to take a phone call. Youâre still in a store with other people, so be respectful and always keep your mask on.
One other note that Iâll make is that mask use, while being very important, is not 100% effective. Please continue to physically distance from others. Iâve noticed that more and more customers come way too close to me, almost as if they think that wearing a mask allows them to disregard the 2-metre distance between us. PLEASE keep your distance even when you wear a mask- combining these two methods is essential to keeping you and others safe.
(Featured Image by Cory Checketts on Unsplash)
Needs vs. Wants
My Picks for the Aritzia Winter Event Sale
The end of November is always a good time for Aritzia friends to stock up on their favourite pieces, so here are my picks for what to buy during their sale. They started their Black Five-Day Warm-Up sale today, which includes some items for a deep discount. Their clientèle pre-sale event goes from November 20th-25th, where everything is basically 10-20% off. This sale goes out to the public from the 26th-30th. I will be including items that are both from the deep discount section as well as regular discount items. The only thing to keep in mind is the Aritzia return policy can be dodgy when it comes to sale items, so make sure to review that + the size/colour you are buying before you make the final decision.
Deep Discounts
These items are a part of the Black Five-Day Warm-Up sale that started today, so I think these items will sell out pretty quick. Get your hands on them before they’re gone.
The Kahlo Robe
This is more of a spring/summer item, but I personally think it’s such a classic piece that it will never go out of style. Originally $228, it’s now discounted at $113.99. I was originally going to buy this one at regular price, but thankfully it’s on sale! I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see this robe at such a discounted price, so this one is my #1 pick for this sale. The ‘Bone’ and ‘Stone Taupe’ colours are really nice and versatile.
The Hadwyn Blouse
This is another item that I wanted during the summer but I couldn’t justify the price. Originally at $110, now at $54.99 – you can’t really beat that price. It’s a really nice blouse that can be dressed up or dressed down.
The Freshman Pant
High-rise straight-leg pants are really in fashion right now, and these ones are spot-on for the season. These ones are at $48.99 down from $98. I would buy these if I wasn’t so short, but if you’re a bit taller than 5’2 then these would be amazing. I love the way that they styled them on the website. Preppy = in.
The Everly Camisole
These camisoles are extremely easy to pair with blazers or coats if you aren’t into the cropped-style of many other camisoles. The silhouette is classic and modest. They’re also double-lined so it won’t be see-through. These ones are at $28.99 down from $58.
Regular Discounts
As I said earlier, the whole store is 10-20% off when the sale is released to the public from November 26th-30th.
Sweatsuits
All of their sweat-fleece items are selling out really quick, so pick them up before they are all gone. They have a multitude of different fits + rises on their crewnecks, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. With that being said, it’s super easy to find a fit that will cater to anyone and everyone. I’m a personal fan of their mega sets – the mega sweatpants and mega crew sweatshirts. The oversized fit on these pieces are *chef’s kiss* so go check those ones out if you aren’t sure what you’ll enjoy. Here’s a link to their sweat-fleece guide if you wanna check out their designated page for their sweatsuits. I really enjoy the way that they advertise their sweatsuits on this page.
The Super Puff!!
From my experience from previous years, this is the only time that the Super Puff goes on sale. If you’ve been eyeing them for a while – now is the time. I made a whole post about the Super Puff, so if you want to know more about my thoughts about the Super Puff, check it out here!
Week 10 â Analytics & Friendship with Google
Holy, I cannot believe how fast the semester is going!
I was reflecting on my first process posts this week, and all the fumbling I did initially with Word Press. I started to feel oddly nostalgic about the beginning of this website and how far it has come. It has been so fun to grow in writing, aesthetic, and overall vision.
This week we talked about Google Analytics and SEO. Woah.
Google Analytics has been a really fun tool to experiment and learn with. It was great to have the demonstration in class walk us through some of the more complicated information that is collected through Analytics.
One important thing I noticed is that my bounce rate is quite high at 70%. This means that users are not usually staying on my blog long enough to view content or enjoy the media. I clicked on my homepage to investigate, and I noticed that while my home page is colourful and well organized, it may not be leading viewers into the right area of content. After reading through the welcome message, there is no clear direction for the user to go.
This was confirmed when I looked at the flow of behaviour of users. Most users started on the home page, and then about 50% dropped off after their first interaction. I could decrease my bounce rate by increasing engagement at my home page and directing user flow.
I am going to improve this by updating my home page with a more active vibe, linking users to content and posts that they may be interested in. This way, users will have a clear direction of what they should look at after being introduced to my website.
I am looking forward to seeing how these small changes may affect the way users interact with my blog!
Life Update -> Engagement!!!!!!
Crazy news: I got engaged this weekend!
Okay real talk. I have been so distracted this week by thinking about wedding things, how COVID will affect things, and just general JOY that I have not really been able to get any school work done, so I thought for this next blog post I would write a little bit about what happened and what’s next!
A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend (Jeremiah) and I drove up to Whistler to hike and enjoy the outdoors. It was a great time, but when we got home I realized I had left my purse in a cafĂŠ we stopped at during the day.
My whole purse. Wallet. Keys. ID. I was freaking out.
Thankfully, we had been planning to spend some time together that following Friday, so we decided we would just drive back up there, get my purse and enjoy the snow.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was out buying champagne, tuxedo cake and wrapping a decoy gift in preparation of proposing!
The funny thing was he told me he was doing all of these things, so I just thought he was trying to cheer me up and plan a fun date. I had no idea what was coming.
Friday arrives: We both work in the morning and then head out around 2pm to retrieve my purse! Thankfully the shop owner has contacted me and let me know we could come pick it up. That was the biggest relief!
Our mission was complete and it was still quite early in the day, so Jeremiah suggests we go play in the snow! Why not? We are in Whistler after all.
We drive up to this lake we had been to before and there is so much snow! We put on our warmest clothes, grab the champagne and head outside!
We find a spot to sit, and Jeremiah pops the champagne and pours it into some glasses. He sets it up fancy and then tells me we need to take a picture to capture the moment. It’s dark by this point, so he asks me to stand in this spot and shine a light so we can get a good shot. At this moment I stand up, thinking he’s being a little bit silly, and then he gets down on one knee, and asks me to marry him!
Okay. At this point I thought I would be so smooth and graceful. But in reality I was surprised and awkward, but so so thrilled! I fumbled out a yes and here we are!
The week following has been really funny. We are trying to let all our friends know while abiding by COVID guidelines and it’s all been a funny combination of excitement, anticipation and stress.
With all of that being said, this is good news.
I didn’t want to share this story to paint a picture of my beautiful life and distort reality, but I wanted to share some good news in the face of a world that seems to only generate bad news.
Our relationship has been far from perfect. I am constantly freaking out and making mistakes, and we are constantly learning to forgive and understand one another. Each day is a journey that we are taking toward creating a healthy relationship.
I hope this post brought you a little bit of joy today. And if the world is making you feel overwhelmed and afraid, I would like to leave you with some wise words from Abraham Lincoln:
This too shall pass.
(Onward to Pinterest boards and wedding planning!)
The Perfect Puffer
Welcome to another week of blogging! This week’s blog post will be all about puffer jackets. By now I’m sure you have all seen a friend or a celebrity rock the timeless puffer. What is a puffer jacket? A puffer jacket, also known as a down jacket, is a quilted or padded jacket that is […]
Peer Review #3 â A Blog for Life Livers
I love this blog!
A Blog for Life Livers is written by Hope Stewart, an adventurer and life liver, sharing her stories of childhood joy and new experiences. Hope writes beautifully about enjoying the life around you and being present in every moment. She uses pictures and poems to portray her feelings and emotions from each adventure, with occasional videos showing small moments that she wants to remember.
This is blog that leaves you feeling refreshed, optimistic, and in wonder. Check out a Blog for Life Livers here.
Organization
Hopeâs homepage is set with pictures and bold fonts that capture the viewer on first glance. As you scroll through, youâll see some images that capture the vibe of this website and set the tone for all of her blog posts. There is also a welcome message at the bottom of the page that invites you to consider your own life and how you might create new adventures.
So come in and stay awhile, as each page has been placed here for you: to draw inspiration for your next adventure, to help you conquer fear, to help you seize each day, and to learn to fully immerse yourself in moments both wild and calm.
The top menu is well organized and gives the viewer easy access to the media they are looking for. The media gallery highlights Hopeâs videos and photos and immerse the viewer into an adventure of their own. Browsing through Hopeâs media makes me feel as though I get to experience a little bit of her adventure as well!
Marketability
This blog presents many beautiful original images that capture the vision of Hopeâs website. Creating prints or postcards of these images could be a great way to allow your audience to participate in the stories while supporting your writing! Post cards would be an especially unique product you could sell that represent the slow-ness of handwriting a letter and enjoying every moment.
Check out Hope’s media gallery here.
Another way to market your website could be to partner with tourism companies in encouraging more travelers to come visit their area. Your video of Hornby island captures moments that feel whimsical and magical and could definitely inspire more people to visit those places! One suggestion would be contacting small island communities like Bowen Island, Gibsons, or Lund and offering to make them a video showcasing the best part of their city! This could be a great way to travel, gain more content for your website and generate revenue.
This website is beautifully simple and refreshingly organized, so I would hesitate to incorporate ads that may hinder the viewer experience given that this blog is very experience driven. One possibility for ad revenue could be to partner with related companies to promote products that relate to your blog postings.
An example of this could be with the Mushroom Hunting Blog post. You could reach out to companies that offer classes or books on how to identify mushrooms and then collect revenue based on how may clicks from your blog lead to theirs.
A similar example could be with your Mindfulness and Yoga post. This post links to Yoga Youtubers and workout routines, which could potentially be business partners and generate revenue for your website!
Overall, this is a beautiful website that creates freshness and relief in a busy and confused world. Check out a Blog for Life Livers to enjoy nature, mindfulness, and stealing moments as presented by Hope Stewart.
Stealing moments helps you realize that you are the master of your own time and that you have more control over your own happiness than it may feel. It helps you look for little silver linings in the smallest of things and encourages gratitude and mindfulness.â
Importance of Home Ownership
Week 9 â The Business of Publishing
Entrepreneurship & Monetization. Hm.
I have a background in businesses and entrepreneurship, so our talk from Trevor was a lot of things I have already heard through marketing classes, but it was interesting to hear in terms of publishing our unique websites.
It seems funny to put a price tag on art and creative work, but for artists and creatives, this is what they deal with everyday.
I have some friends that are musicians, and Iâve heard many times from them about how it can be frustrating to self-promote and sell tickets to shows when really all you care about is the art of creating. I think for this to be sustainable and not a âsell-outâ situation, monetization has to be carefully thought out with lots of emphasis put into maintaining your core values.
This is the struggle shown by the âThe Toast is Toastâ reading (Carpenter, 2016). This blog had incredible content and a strong following; however they werenât able to get enough financial support, and the administrative tasks of website upkeep became two much for the blogging duo. This is the danger of wanting art to remain separate from business.
In considering my own website, I have linked to a lot of related bloggers and products that my readers may be interested in. If I was to monetize, I would like to carefully curate the businesses being addressed on my site, and preferably I would like to have relationships with the companies I am linking to. This way I could monitor what is being promoted through my voice.
For this semester, I will refrain from installing ads on my website and instead reach out to some bloggers that may be interested in collaborating with me!
