A year ago things were much, much different around here.
Blogging was something I just did on the side. Of my other stuff.
I’ve learned a lot about blogging, About the blogging community and its myriad of niches.
While in my my clearly delusional dreams I’d love to call myself a fashion blogger but the harsh reality is that I’m far from sweet, young and model-like (check out Mandy at Oracle Fox, or Alicia at Sea of Ghosts, now they’re rockin’ model-like fashion bloggers).
And I’m not a beauty blogger in the strictest terms of the niche. I don’t do swatches (for the non-beauty bloggers out there, that’s when you put makeup colours on your inside wrist, much like when you were a little girl and your mum would have done the same with her next lippy colour at the Revlon counter at Myer). I don’t even paint my own nails. I’m a beauty blogging fraud.
I’m me. Me is what you get.
I’m obsessed by fashion and beauty but only so much in what it translates to to the real world, for everyday people with budgets and mortages, with or without kids or fur-babies. And only so much in how most of us want some short cuts to how to look and feel better about ourselves.
So this year, I’ve accepted that that’s who I am and that’s what this blog’s about.
In 2012, you’ll get more of the “real” stuff. And more about me.
Oh, and I’m going to be tweaking Styling You’s look. It’s been two years and that’s a long time between frock changes, isn’t it?
This year I plan to go to every Australian blogging conference plus BlogHer in the US. I got SO much out of last year’s conferences. If you’re umming and ahhing about attending a blogging conference, stop and just do it.
I’ll also be hanging out more on Facebook. I was a bit take it or leave it last year but I’ve learned that it’s where millions of non-bloggers hang out. So if you want to build your blog’s readership, spend time over there talking to your likers.
As far as new social media goes, my money (if I were a more-than-Melbourne Cup-betting-kind-of-girl) is on Instagram.
Click on the image for a link to how to make these and then send them to me please!
Just this month, Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim started the January Photo a Day challenge on Instagram. Today there would be almost 1 million photos submitted for the the challenge. And jeans giant Levi’s is using Instagram to crowdsource for people for its next campaign. Plus, celebs like Zooey Deschanel (girl crush candidate … big time) are using the iPhone app as an instant image insight into their world – it’s not uncommon for Zooey to get up to 10,000 likes on a photo within an hour.
Finally, I’m going to sound a little wanky but last year I worked solidly on building my readership, engagement and blog profile. This is not an easy thing – particularly when you don’t live in Sydney or Melbourne – but it is possible. And the big reason I think I made it possible? I think I’m finally doing something (career wise) that I REALLY love.
Already that has translated into a part-time income and I’m very keen this year to build on that.
Thanks for helping me along the way.
If you blog, what hopes do you have for 2012?
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