So, you want to be a blogger, eh? That’s fantastic! Here are some blogger resources to get you started:
Blue Host is the hosting company I use for Idyllic Pursuit. I’ve used several, and find Blue Host to be the most user-friendly. They have free domain-name registration and are very affordable!
Envato Marketplace’s Theme Forest is where I picked up my WordPress theme. I thought about getting a designer, but it was really expensive. Each theme comes with detailed instructions. There are so many to choose from–all from free to premium and everything in-between. Most themes offer support via forums.
The camera I use now is a Nikon D5000. I’ve had it for about seven years now and it serves me well. The newer version of this camera is the D5300, which has built-in wi-fi!
I’m a huge fan of photoshop for editing pictures! While it’s not cheap, it is preferred for getting pictures just the way you want them!
If I could shoot with only one lens for the rest of my life, this would be it. It is AMAZING. It is a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens and is perfect for low-light shots. Focuses beautifully–super clear pictures!
If you take a lot of pictures, it’s important to have a few of these around. I like to go with a 64gb memory card so that I’m not stuck having to delete a bunch of pictures when I really want to get a good shot. If you shoot your images in RAW or you’re shooting video, it’s important you have a lot of room!
I LOVE this eBook–from one of my favorite blogs, Pinch of Yum. It’s helping me learn to take better pictures in general–everything from set-up, to angles, editing, and everything in-between. They have video clips to explain things in detail, too–for us visual learners!
What happens if your computer crashes? This has personally happened to me about six different times in the last ten years. It’s not worth losing everything–especially when you’ve got precious pictures on there (hello chubby baby cheeks!). What about all of your hard work from your blog? You should be backing up your blog regularly with plugins like VaultPress. To back up your computer’s files, you should get an external hard drive. It sits right next to your computer and can auto-backup. Amazing, right?
Monetizing your blog should not be your priority. Create engaging content, and the rest will follow. Once you’re ready, consider sponsored posts.
Linqia is a great place to get started once you have a social media following. This means your people are engaged, and you have 1,000+ page views per month. They partner with brands to give payment for sponsored blog posts. It’s a great way to try new products, share your opinion, and earn money for doing so!
Google Adsense is probably one of the most-used pay-per-click programs out there. I’ve used it for years. Even had it on an old blog that I forgot about–earned me passive income!
PicMonkey is used almost exclusively for creating all the cool text you see on my pictures. I subscribe to the premium version, which is totally affordable!
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