My Top Ten List of Do’s and Don'ts for Crafts’ Bloggers from an Avid Follower. *

My Top Ten List of Do’s and Don'ts for Crafts’ Bloggers from an Avid Follower. *Lots of added edits and LINKS.My Top 10: Advice to Crafts’ Bloggers from an Avid and Appreciative FollowerInspired by “10 Things about Your Blog that Drive Me Crazy” at Beautifully Invisible here. Read her comment on Autoplay Music and Cee Lo Green. Priceless. After reading her list maybe you won’t think mine is so harsh.View this as a letter from a avid fan of your blogs. I have done almost every craft out there, and sold my crafts to Urban Outfitters (the early days, not the now scandal ridden days). I follow literally hundreds of crafts’ blogs on bloglovin and right now I am not a blogger coming up with original content - so I appreciate the effort you put in more than you know (in the past I have blogged on blogspot - but not for crafts). I still follow the blogs with the not so great photos with wonderful content and even one with autoplay music (but I always mute my computer now). Tumblr can be your friend when people post your tutorials with a link back to you and one or two finished photos (see #5) - potentially thousands of enthusiastic people will see it and maybe want more.Please to do not put political articles in the section below your craft post titled: “If you liked this then you may be interested in…” If I clicked on a wreath tutorial, I will probably not be “interested in” a plug for the Tea Party, or any political party from your site. One of my favorite hugely popular blogs just did this and I almost unfollowed. I think it’s an advertising platform that adds news stories to “if you like this” , so check the content it is “suggesting”.Take fewer Instagram photos of your crafts with crazy filters (unless it’s for fashion, person, or Halloween “atmosphere” shots). This also includes the “rouge” shots which are great for fashion, but less so for crafts. Lots and lots of photos take a long time to load, the colors are usually muddy, so blown out (Scandinavian blogs especially) or way too pastel and I can’t see what the craft looks like in real life.Autoplay Music - been mentioned by so many bloggers on their sites as being obnoxious, especially when I’m on my laptop and the slider on the sound icon never seems to work quickly enough! Why do you think your music tastes are mine?If you want people on Tumblr, other blogs, and duitang.com to stop posting your entire tutorials do not post your tutorials as a block of photos comprising one image that they can download (wait until you see your entire tutorials posted on duitang and then on Pinterest without crediting your blog). Sure they use picassa and the collage function - but make it harder for them. And numbering your steps makes it even more tempting for them to do it. I’ve done it in the past - because it’s like one big photo! *Also state prominently on your site (not in a tucked away tab where no one knows where to look for it) your copyright policy like Fanciful Twist here - you can only use her photos with her written permission. Other blogs state you can reblog one or two photos if you name their site and of course link back to them. I actually read these policies and will email to get permission from you to reblog your craft if that is your policy.Have a great “Beauty Shot” of your finished product with the name of the tutorial and then your website on the bottom - close enough to your creation that it cannotbe cropped out. On Tumblr and in general pretty photos are what get reblogged and your entire tutorial is less likely to be ripped off. EDIT: wonderful article on the right way and wrong way to label and watermark your photo from Amy at Crafterminds here.Please use restraint when deciding on a camera angle and using Photoshop filters (since my real job is using photoshop I understand that almost everything is Photoshopped - especially exposure, but that’s not what I’m talking about here). Take at least one photo of the craft at a normal angle with it entirely visible. I like looking at your finished product with all of it in the frame without having to imagine what it really looks like (see #2 - Instagram photos). Photos at strange angles make me think you’re either trying to hide part of your craft or are more interested in photography than the actual craft.Please Don’t write one or two sentence posts like, “Just checking in today. Planning a huge surprise for tomorrow!” I’d rather you just didn’t post and I’ll check in when you have more content. Sometimes the Internet is fast and sometimes it’s really slow and when it’s slow I’m like, “Oh no. Really? This is what I clicked over for?”, when I get a post with something like that. Don’t cite Tumblr or Pinterest as “sources” unless it really is. See Design Sponge’s Poster “How to Credit? Just Check the Poster” here . Would you like me to post something of yours and not give you credit?  If you do take something from Tumblr or Pinterest post the original source in addition, and see #10. Have your links open in new windows. Simple and makes me want to stay on your site because maybe I’m lazy and/or am ADHD-like and I won’t go back to your site if I’m redirected some place else in the same window. I do this on my Tumblr blog and it isn’t that hard to check the “open in new window” box.MY BEST TIP. Search by Image by Google (info about four options for google image searching here). And even better install the app on your computer so you can right click on a photo to try and quickly trace where it’s coming from (and its origins may really surprise you). How many times have I gone to a blog and read, “Source unknown. Can anyone help?” Then 30 seconds later I’ve found it and then try to leave a nice comment without sounding condescending (because I’m not trying to be). Sorry! Had to add one more! Bloglovin. I personally love and use Bloglovin and for me, my personal opinion, the other blog following services cannot hold a candle to it. So go to Bloglovin, “claim your site”, and see how many people are following you (I did this even for my Tumblr blog, even though I have only several people following me on Bloglovin). EDIT: other blog following services have sprung up (I have mentioned one I’m not fond of on my blog) that post almost my entire posts and don’t go directly to my URL - something Bloglovin does not do. -- source link

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