Hey Guys!
So some of you may have already purchased the Fashion Bomb Guide for Blogging (if you haven’t what are you waiting for?!?), but still have questions about blogging, getting started, and taking leaps of faith.
I created the Ebook to answer the hundreds of questions I receive about starting a weblog, and am creating this post to answer every other burning question you may have. If you’ve purchased the Ebook, yet still have questions, let ‘er rip in the comments section. I’ll do best to answer them throughout the day!
If you’d like to peruse our Guide to Blogging, get it here for $4.95:
Smootches!
Hi Claire,
You are beyond awesome for this! What’s the best way to increase readership, fans, subscribers?
Before you can focus on increasing readers, you must focus on your content. People may click on your site because they were prompted to on Twitter or Facebook, but that doesn’t mean they’ll keep coming back.
Try to provide your personal best. Think of what *you’d* like to read, and go from there.
When you’ve done that, think of methods you can spread the word. Create a newsletter. Trade links with similar blogs and webazines. Join social networks.
Then, make sure you hold up your end of the bargain by continuing to update and providing great posts!
Hi Claire
I LOVE the site, and have been a visitor for a long time! When it comes to controversial issues how do decide what to post and what not to? Although this is a fashion website, you’ve dealt with the issue of the lack of minority women on the runway and the recent blackface issues perfectly.
I post everything relevant to our mission, which is fashion for women of color. In terms of ‘dealing’ with the issue, I prefer to be as objective as possible and present all the facts. I leave it up to readers to form opinions and debate.
Claire,
I am addicted to your website. I go here to get all of my gift ideas, look for new wAys to upgrade my man’s look, find new fashion creators, etc. and I am in the middle of writing a blog about fashion and debt (since the love of fashion put me in debt). Any pointers on how to make the two subjects intertwine and how often should I post?
Hey, thanks!
I’d say that since fashion and debt are so personal to you, the best way to blog about it would be to start with your story. Everyone loves to learn more about the person behind the blog. Be vulnerable and tell your story so that others can relate to it! Perhaps involve readers in your mission to get out of debt and look your best for less.
I’d say update as often as you can. Ideally you should update once a day, but some people I know only blog once a week. If you only have time to update occasionally, I’d highly recommend starting a newsletter or getting a twitter account that you maintain more often, so that you can alert people to when there’s a new post.
Good luck!
I definitely have to say – a paid, self-hosted blog is the way to go. It is always annoying having to tell your friends “yea, my blog is at …blogspot.com or …wordpress.com”. It really isn’t that impressive if you can’t OWN your blog.
I have setup well over 30 blogs by now and have gone through the technical setup process so many times I could do it in my sleep : ). If you would like me to set it up for ya, I do it for free.
Happy Blogging!
– John
A friend and I are starting our own theater blog- dedicated solely to coverage of minorities in the arts (mainly theatre). Similar to the goal of many blogs, we want visually stimulating content, including pictures, videos, and other multimedia in our posts. As a result, we are inquiring about the process you and your site use in getting pictures for your website.
Do you ask permission from every owner of the photos that you post on your site? Or do you post, credit, and then post a non-ownership disclaimer clause? Any information regarding photo credit and copyright best practices would be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer our questions.
-Shavanna