This week ‘Buzz a Mom’ features Shynea, owner of Penny Pinching Diva and founder of Mornings with Mom.

Here’s what Shynea had to say about being a Mommy Blogger:

I love hearing about how moms started blogging! Please share your blogging story with us, Shynea.

My blogging journey really isn’t that complicated. I have been privately blogging on LiveJournal since 2003. It was nothing special. Just a journal where I kept a lot of my thoughts and only allowed a few people to read it. [Read more...]

Are you interested in improving your blog in 31 days?

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger and the author of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income is starting a free 31 Days to a Better Blog project April 1st.  Here’s how he describes it:

Each day from 1st April until the 1st May I will make a post here on ProBlogger that is part of the challenge.

Posts will be designed to each have two aspects to them:

1. A teaching component (theory)
2. A practical component (a task/homework)

Along with the daily posts, bloggers who register for the project will receive a daily email with more information that isn’t included in the post.

You can also read more project news by following Darren on Twitter @problogger and setting up a group on your Tweetdeck for #31dbbb.

If you are interested in improving your blog it’s not too late to sign up.  But you better hurry,  the project starts on Wednesday!

If you missed the project beginning you can still learn from Darren buy purchasing his book ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income and applying his advice at your own pace.

Mom’s Talk Network is a community for moms in business to find encouragement, resources and business ideas.

I love how the women of this community invest in and build each other up.  Such a positive atmosphere is refreshing and difficult to find in the world of business!

Through blogs, podcasts, coaching and a forum, Mom’s Talk Network has helped many women achieve success.

Now it’s your turn to help us!

Just visit StartUpNation and cast your vote for Mom’s Talk Network as a Leading Mom in Business.  Hurry!  Voting ends tomorrow (Tuesday)!

I enjoy tweaking the design and layout on my personal blog.  Unfortunately, not knowing much about css and html code has limited what I can tweak, but I don’t let that stop me!  I just find smart people who know what to do and are willing to share their knowledge!

Of course, it helps to have a great blog theme or basic layout before you start tweaking, though finding the right WordPress theme can be a bit overwhelming with so many choices.  As a WordPress newbie, I found this post describing where to look for really great themes helpful.  I also appreciated the reminder that colors, fonts, and images are changeable and shouldn’t be the basis of your decision. [Read more...]

Blog Memes are a ton of fun and great for your blog traffic!

A friend of mine recently participated in new-to-her memes on a Monday and a Tuesday. She had so much fun meeting the bloggers of the two communities that she decided to participate in new memes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

Her impromtu experiment was a lot of fun! She meet a number of great bloggers and challenged her creativity to write for each meme’s theme.

In addition to fun, her experiment increased her blog traffic for the week as meme readers visited her blog and left comments. Increased traffic is always a good thing!

I’ve been thinking about my friend’s experience. Why not quadruple the fun and traffic? Instead of a week, what about participating in a different meme each day (Monday – Friday) for a month?! [Read more...]

In a series of three e-books Nicole Dean, owner of JustAddSweat.com, takes three common areas of a mom’s life, crafts, food, and opinions on products, and shows you how to turn them into a sources of income through montized blogs.

As the owner of a non-monetized foodie blog, I read Nicole’s food e-book, How to Start a Recipe or Cooking Blog for Profit and Fun, with great interest.

This resource has provided me with foundational information to turn my online cookbook into a source of income for my family.  I found the following items in the e-book especially helpful: [Read more...]

The power of Mommy Bloggers continued to be a hot topic in the Blogosphere last week.  Even mainstream media picked up on it and added to the conversation.

Did you watch  Ann Curry addressing the topic of Mommy Blogging in a series called “Digital Mom”?  I love how the first Mommy Blogger in the video says that her blog started as a hobby and has grown from there.  Boy, can I relate! [Read more...]

This week I had the privilege of interviewing Laurie Ayers, a busy mom who works as a personal safety speaker, author, and Scentsy candle consultant.

You can read the interview here:

Please describe your blog, Thriving Candle Business, for us.

It’s a direct sale blog with topics on Home Parties, Marketing, Networking, Party Alternatives, Personal Development, Scentsy Candle Specific, and Team Building.

What motivated you to add blogging to your line of businesses?

I was a ghostwriter for many years.  When I retired from that career, I still knew the importance of article marketing and blogging – so it was a natural fit to continue.

What part of blogging do you enjoy most?

I write about whatever I want, whenever I want. (I enjoy the self employment part that “I am the boss of me!”)

How have you seen blogging and internet usage among moms change since you first became involved in internet martketing in 1999?

I see more moms jumping on the band wagon.  I see more who don’t necessarily know what they’re doing or have a particular focus, but I like that I see them out there.  Everyone has to start somewhere.

As a successful Mommy Blogger, please share with us your 3 suggestions for earning an income online as a Mommy Blogger.

• Just write – something is better than nothing.
• Find a focus which will help attract a following.
• Think of ways you can offer help to others so that you’re not just posting about how wonderful you are.

Thank you, Laurie, for participating in this week’s Buzz a Mom.

For more ideas on marketing and direct sales go vist Thriving Candle Business today.

I recently had the opportunity to view the nine videos (plus 2 bonus resources) of The Blog Tutorial by Susan Whitehead.

Wow!  I’m impressed with this highly professional blogging resource!

In the videos, which you can download or view on line, Susan walks you through many of the details of setting up and running a monetized WordPress blog. [Read more...]

Are you a planner or a wing-it kind of blogger?

I confess, I used to wing-it when it came to blog content.  As holidays and new seasons arrived I would scramble to include a few posts that would appeal to my readers for the current holiday.  Typically these articles published the week of the holiday and contained random bits of information.

Then one day I realized that a little effort (planning) before the holiday would improve my posts, give my readers content they wanted AND attract new readers through search engines. [Read more...]

Am I the only one with Cabin Fever?  I am so ready to boot my little darlin’s outside, raise my windows and enjoy some green on the horizon!

Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen for at least another month here in New England.  In the meantime, I have written a list of ten ideas to help me (and you!) combat Cabin Fever.

[Read more...]

If you use Twitter you probably receive a ton of follower notifications.  Annoyingly, the only information in the email is the follower’s Twitter name.

Twimailer.com has a solution to this annoyance.

With Twimailer you receive the follower’s name AND profile page.  Now you can really see who is following you and if you want to follow them.

Sign up for your FREE Twimailer account today and transform the way you see Twitter follower notifications.

Spring is coming, at least that’s the rumor here in New England. With Spring comes a desire for a new and fresh look, whether it’s a sassy new outfit or a stylish new blog design.

You probably know where to look for those adorable strappy sandals that are just right for your new Spring outfit, but do you know where to look for the right designer to update your blog?

I suggest you search in three places: “The Big Blogs,” Google Reader, Twitter and SheLancers.

First, visit some of “The Big Blogs“. You know the ones I’m referring to – the “Big” Mommy bloggers with all the traffic. The ones who can’t afford to have their design detract from their content (and ads). If they’re hiring great designers, why shouldn’t we?

While reading “The Bigs,” scan the sidebars and footers until you find a button or text link saying “Designed by” and follow the link to the designer’s blog. There you should find the designer’s portfolio, packages, and prices.

If none of the “Big” designers appeal to you (or your budget!), the next place to search is your Google Reader. Instead of reading the stripped down feed version take the time to visit your favorite blogs. While you read, pay attention to the design. If you enjoy it, follow the button or text link to the designer’s blog.

After you’ve done all that, you could find the online BFF’s designer that you just love has a wait 6 months long, so what to do then?

Ask you Twitter friends and followers for their designer recommendations. They just might introduce you to a terrific (and inexpensive!) little-known designer.

Speaking of little-known designers, don’t forget to visit SheLancers. They have a great list of quality designers (women like us!) who are just waiting to update your blog for Spring.

Now that you know where to look for the right blog designer, can you tell me where to look for a pair of open-toed white sandals with a medium heel for less than $30?

One of our newer members at Mom Masterminds posted this on the forum yesterday and it really blessed my socks off

I have reached a point where I am no longer at the beginning phase of my blog. I still consider myself a newbie, but my blog is up and running and besides a few tweaks here and there, there is really nothing for me to do.

Since joining this website you guys have stretched my mind and put so many ideas in my head of what I want to do. I have changed my domain name to something more recognizable, I have joined a few affiliate programs, now I need to work them properly.

I also signed up to create a mailing list, no one has signed up for it yet which is cool cause I don’t know what I will offer, but I have a mailing list none the less. None of this would have ever happened if it weren’t for Moms Mastermind.

I think right now I really need to sit back and really look at what I have to offer my readers, subscribers, clients, and where I really want to go. There are so many ideas floating around in my head but if I really look at where I want to go then maybe I can make better choices and steps to get there instead of feeling like I’m all over the place and not being productive.

Anyway I just wanted to brag on this site a bit and let you ladies know I so appreciate this group and this service.

Thank you Felicia! Your comments about Mom Masterminds are so appreciated.  You’re a pleasure to work with.  We are looking forward to seeing what you do in your future as you learn and grow!

Visit Felicia’s blog, I Complete Me.

And come check out Mom Masterminds for yourself!

Do you know what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is? Do you use SEO or keywords when writing your blog content and titles but still have a few questions?

I have great news for you! I found 3 FREE ways you can learn about SEO and keyword basics.

First, listen to the podcast recorded last week during an open source conference call by Seth Jenks and Susan Carraretto, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom. During the call Susan and Seth explain what SEO is and how to use it. They also discuss anchor text and no-follow. [Read more...]