I read lots of great ideas last week as I implemented my three four tips for learning from blog conferences.

Some of those ideas came from an interview I had the privilege of doing with April Atwater.

April recently attended her first blog conference, Mom 2.0 Summit and shared the following things she had learned:

What tips do you have for first time blog conference attenders?

It is best to stay in the hotel where the conference takes place or one that is very close. There is a lot of in between conference networking that takes place so it is good to be where everyone else is staying. [Read more...]

I recently recommended 3 ways you can learn from a blog conference without leaving home. Well, I’d like to add a fourth way to that list.

Interview people who attended the conference.

Misty Khan attended Friday’s sessions of Mom 2.0 Summit and has graciously agreed to be interviewed for Profitable Mommy Blogging.

Read the interview: [Read more...]

Keeping your brand in mind as you build your on-line reputation you will make it easier for readers, promoters and advertisers to find you. Instant recognition is to your benefit!.

Here are 5 ways to maintain a consistent blog and social media brand.

1. Use the same avatar on your blog, email signature, Twitter profile, and other social media sites.
2. Use an avatar that matches a design element on your blog or is a fairly recent picture of yourself.
3. Leave comments with your first name and blog name.
4. Match your Twitter username to your blog title.
5. Keep major design elements the same when you update the look of your blog.

For more ideas on consistent blog branding watch this video by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWkZTG6QgI

Are you tired of the standard Twitter backgrounds but can’t afford to buy a customized skin right now?

Well, I am thrilled to tell you I found some FREE Twitter skins you can download!

• Split Decisionz has 7 background images or skins.
• TwitterImage.com has 48 background images and a How-to Manual to guide you through the process of downloading/uploading.
• Twitter Patterns has several pages of skins.

And just in case none of those appeal to you visit Twitter Designer and try your hand at designing your own Twitter background.

Did you attend Blissdom or Mom 2.0 Summit? No? Me neither. I wanted to go but just couldn’t swing it. Instead, I discovered 3 ways to learn from a blog conference without leaving home.

Buy the Audio & Transcripts

You can secure copies of the session after the conference wraps up. You can purchase the entire Blissdom conference for $75 or buy individual sessions for $15. That’s much cheaper than plane tickets and hotel rooms! [Read more...]

Hi! I’m Stephanie, Kelly’s new intern for Profitable Mommy Blogging.

Like many of you, I am a wife, a mom and a business woman.

In 1997, I married my college sweetheart, Joel. Shortly after our wedding, he found a job in Rhode Island and moved me from rural Arkansas to suburban New England. Over a decade later, I am still amazed that a girl who grew up among wheat fields now lives between Boston and NYC!

In 2003, we began adding children to our Rhode Island home. I never dreamed I would birth 4 babies in 5 years or become the mom of three boys (and 1 girl)!! Laundry, rocks, and trains now fill much of my time and home. [Read more...]

Carrie has been on a roll ever since she came home from Blissdom – did you listen to her on this week’s Profitable Mommy Blogging podcast?

She’s put together a great report with one hundred really useful tips for bloggers and she’s letting us give it away for free!

Thanks Carrie!

Carrie’s 100 Top Blogging Tips (PDF)

First off let me say congratulations to Barb of Elementary Spirits, the winner of the best mom blog header contest! Her prize? $100 paypal cash. It touched my heart to find out that she wasn’t accepting the prize but instead donating it to a cause known as The Virtual Food Drive. I asked Barb a few questions for a quick interview.

[Read more...]

This is a guest post by mom blogger, Carrie Lauth.

Last weekend, I spent two days with 250 mom bloggers.

I had a blast. I made new friends. I shared pizza, beer, chocolate, a chick flick, a dance floor, handsome Greek opera singers, a painfully slow wi-fi connection, elevators and a hotel room with funny, intelligent, beautiful, artistic, nutty, gifted, amazing women.

Still, the experience left me wanting.

Why? Because there was something that bothered me about the mom bloggers. Not all of them, mind you, but a goodly portion. So I decided to write this article to name what it is that troubled me. [Read more...]

It’s been awhile since I shared some of my favorite new WordPress themes – and no, they are not made just for moms, I just think moms would like them

I Can Watch Movies

This one is kinda strange and angular, but the 3d effect is fun and I think that a mom would have a lot of fun with it.

Sheep in a Field

This is a classic three column design that would be a breeze to customize for your own needs.  If you’re a classic blogger, you’ll love this theme.

Simple3

With a strong emphasis on social media, four ad spots up close and personal, this makes for a great affiliate blog theme

If you write your blog for fun – have fun

But do you realize that you could be having fun and making money?

It’s true.

I’m having fun right now   Seriously!

And – I’m definitely making money.

I haven’t sold out – I don’t take one single penny from any advertiser or affiliate program that I don’t have full confidence in.

See, I have a rule – and it goes like this:

If I wouldn’t recommend it to my sister,
I won’t recommend it to you.
And I Love My Sister!

I’ve turned down tens of thousands of dollars in advertising over the years from companies and programs who offer products I don’t believe are good for my listeners.  I’ll sell no ad at all before I’ll sell one pixel on my website that would be an embarrassment to me.

It is possible to pursue an income with your interests and passions without compromising your message and values.

I’m sure most of you, as mom bloggers, have “opted-in” at one time or another when you requested materials from a website or other blog.

The basic process is as follows:

• A potential customer requests information from a website and is asked to confirm that they want the information to come to their e-mail address.
• The potential customer then receives a confirmation e-mail in their inbox. This e-mail requires them to click on a verification link to receive further information.

Once the verification is received, the potential customer will receive the future messages from the mailing list, e-course or autoresponder series.

If you are a mom blogger that sells informative eBooks, eCourses or other material, using the Double Opt-in technique ensures that a potential customer actually wants to receive the marketing materials you’re sending them. It is a way to prevent unwanted spam and your customers will appreciate it!