Removing time and date from your blog posts

When I am reading a blog and I see the date it was written it takes away the value of the information given.
I mean if I am searching for something and a post is dated 3 years ago I will skip it, but if it is current within a year or so I will read through.

You can make all your post timeless, by doing a little work in your blog settings.

The Blogger version is pretty simple.

Go into your settings menu, then click on language and formatting.

Date header: is where you can choose your option to only show the day of the week the post was published instead of the day/month/year format.

Timestamp Format: Is where you adjust the time the post was written, rather than 12:89pm date/month/year format.

The comment section is important also, I always read the date when a comment was posted so do the same for then too.

Comment Timestamp Format: Make sure you set the time to the same and the timestamp format above in the last step.

Click save settings and your posts are timeless :)

This is not a good format for blogs about things pertaining to time and dates.



If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

Finding your Blog name

Finding blog name is important if you want to stick around for a while.

This blog was called Makeup, beauty and me.
When I realized I was posting more on blogging advice
rather then makeup beauty or me, I knew it was time for a change. The name I had chosen didn't have anything to do with what I was saying. I know some people probably got confused because of the change, but it's better it happened now rather then later.

 Finding a universal name can be very hard if you want an online presence, everything will need to match in some way. the "MakeupSquid" wasn't very hard because no one is named the "MakeupSquid besides me.

But interwebschic was a bit of a hassle. I wanted a blog name that had something to do with the "Net" and at the same time have a female voice.

 I don't want a different twitter identity, But you should have one main twitter account to represent you online. This name should match somewhat across all platforms of social media.

 If you are a new blog and aren't happy with your blog name, change it now before while no one is noticing. Make it something that represents you, your personal style and give the readers a general idea of what your writing about.

There is a website called spinxo.com that helped me find both of my blog names. They ask for info like your hobbies, likes,etc.. and a keyword and they generate hundreds of names for you to chose from. Through this site you can see if your chosen name is available on all social media platforms.

This site really makes finding your online identity very simple and I like simple.

 If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

How to create a favicon

makeupbeautyandme.blogspot.com

Whats a favicon?

A Favicon is the little graphic on your page tabs on your favorite browser, they are also listed right next to the names of the links in your favorites.

This is a good form of branding, Look at my favicon on my page tab, its that little pink bow :).

every brand needs a favicon, I mean we all the the blogger icon right? That orange B, or that blue G from the Google home page. Well you want one too right?

I am going to show you how to make one of those awesome little icons for your own blog or website.

First you need an image this image can be anything you want it to be, but it must be a even square.

500x500, 1000x1000, as long as it is even it will work.

You can make one yourself if you like but it isn't necessary. You can take your blog button and turn it into a favicon or your face if you like.

I went through a google images and did a search for royalty free png. graphics and found my bow.

png. is the best file format as it is a transparent graphic.

once you have found your image go to 

http://www.favicon.cc/ 

1. click import image

2. choose your file

3. click the shrink to square icon option

4. Click upload

Now you are going to see a bad pixelated version of your image, don't panic.

Click the download button and save the ico file to your machine.

Now log into your blogger account and go to your layout page. and on the top left corner

you will see a favicon widget thingy. Click it and upload your file!

This will take a few minuets to show up on your page, but its there I promise.

I added my blog to my favorites and i shows my favicon right next to my page name I love it!!

I hope this help! if you need any more help please let me know, Good Luck!

If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

Whats a Niche? Do I need one?

If you are blogging you have probably heard the phrase "your niche" floating around.

makeupbeautyandme.blogspot.com

Well today I am going to explain what a niche is, as well as if you need a niche to blog.

I Personally don't feel you need a niche, but the blogging Gods say that you do.

You can expand your niche, I have a beauty blog that I used to add blogging tips and tricks to.
And actually those were my most responded and viewed posts.

But I did not like that  I was writing more about blogging tips than beauty.
So I created a second blog that focus more on blogging advice and the whole makeup of my beauty blog.

So the Gods are correct a niche is needed.

A niche covers your subject matter, Makeup, fashion, family, food. Pretty much what ever your passionate about is your niche.

Do you need to be an expert? Nope.
As long as you love it, you can write about it.

You can expand your niche from "makeup" to "nail colors" and so on, but it should stay within your boundaries. Don't write and Makeup and Fishing, unless your write about wearing makeup while fishing.

If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

Your Keywords and how to use them

Content is the biggest draw to your blog so, write, write and write some more. Just make sure your content focus is on your keywords or keyword phrase.

makeupbeautyandme

Keyword "makeup" Keywords phrase " how to apply makeup".

Make sure your content is useful within your niche.
Bring your content to your page on a regular basis or somewhat regular basis. this will help your rankings as new content refreshes your standing with search engines.

Links should use your key keyword phrase. If your target in the link is "pink blush" then your link should be "pink blush" instead of a "click here" link.

Place keyword phrases appropriately in text links, image ALT attributes and even your domain name.

People always ask about their labels for their blog posts. There is just one problem here.
Labels "keywords" in blogger are only for your blog itself and has nothing to do with search engines, they help the reader navigate your blog.

The top keywords for beauty bloggers niche.
Makeup, Beauty, Makeup Tips, Cosmetics, Make Up, Beauty Products.


If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

My YouTube channel updates!

Hi Everyone! I hope all your holidays are going well!

I recently joined a Facebook group called YouTube beauty gurus.
I left a message on the board introducing myself and my channel and I got 8 new subbies from their in the first few minuets after my post.

I now stand at 181 YouTube subscribers. My channel is youtube.com/themakeupsquid
Check it out and sub if you can I always sub back.

I am unsure what the invitation process is but I am sure they are accepting new members, it a great group and they are very supportive so far.

They do have some group rules though, Saturday and Sunday are the only days you can promote your channel in the group. The rest of the week they exchange ideas and tips for your channels so definitely check them out. YouTubeBeautyGurus.


Also I had a mix up with BlogHer.com They are a blogging network for women. I copied one of my recent posts to their site and it was blocked for spam or what they thought was spam. I thought is was about my post. The subject matter of the post was wearing makeup while doing the nasty. And I thought they blocked it for that reason, but it was a system thing, We got it all straightened out and my account was reinstated.
This is a great site to connect with other bloggers and they have amazing women giving great advice on anything from family to blogging. BlogHer.com

I tried to add livefyre to my blog, Livefyre is a commenting system just like Disqus. I really hate the Google/Blogger commenting system and want to change but I don;t know much about code to add it without screwing anything up, so I am going to stay with blogger comments with everything turned off. Livefyre.com

So those are my updates for this week.

If you liked this post please like & Share. It Makes me happy :) Laurie M.

Get your blog buzz going

Here are a few tips from the interwebs I found that may help you get the buzz going on your blog.

1. Your aim should be to create content that people want to read and share.
2. Be true to the goals you set out for your blog: Are you providing valuable information?  Are you provoking conversation?  Are you commenting on trending topics?
3. Use target keywords, use these key words in your title and blog post.
4. Share your link on all social media

Here are some tips to grow your social media presence.

Facebook:

1. Find and like 5 new pages in your niche.
2. Post about 2 interesting topics related to your niche.
3. Update your Facebook page daily if you have one.
4. Ask people to comment, like and share your posts.

Twitter:

1. Send at least 3 new tweets daily. Make them fun and interesting.
2. Re-tweet 2 interesting tweets daily
3. Follow 10 new people per week.

Google+:

1. Add 5 new people to your circle each week.
2. Share blog posts at least twice a day ( make sure you share to public)

Pintrest:

1. Post images from your blog as pins leading back to you blog.
2. Add 1 new board that contains 6 new pins each week.
4. Always use keywords pin description and board titles.
5. Follow 5 new pin boards each week in your niche.

Youtube:

1. Subscribe to 3 new channels in your niche each week.
2. Find 3 new videos each week to share on Twitter, Facebook and Google+


I hope this helps, wishing you the best of luck.
Laurie M.