2 glasses with coffee on a table, there is a decorated biscuit on a plate beside the coffees and house plants behind the coffees
Brenda

Introductions over Coffee #6

2 minutes

Welcome back to Introductions over Coffee, where I provide some guidance and insights for new bloggers and maybe as a refresher for us all. I also introduce a new blogger to the community. Please make them feel welcome (as I know you will).

For any new bloggers who want to raise their profile, please follow the guidance in my posts and do not spam my comments section.

Introducing : Writing in Shining Armor from Citrus-Poetry

Table with 2 coffees in glasses with a cake on a plate in front of the glasses. Behind the glasses are houseplants.
Image by Maria Paredes from Pixabay

I know a few of you out in the community appreciate poetry, so im bringing you a new poet, if you haven’t already discovered them. I hope you’ll enjoy their work.

https://citruspoetry.wordpress.com/

https://citruspoetry.wordpress.com/2023/06/08/when-persephone-awakes/

https://citruspoetry.wordpress.com/2023/07/06/my-dearest-love/

Welcome to the community, Writing in Shining Armor 😁

Beginner’s Tips

Today I’m struggling to identify a specific area to focus on for my beginners tips. I know a range of bloggers read my posts, so I’m going to turn the tables this week and I’d love for you to answer at least one of the two questions below.

Woman sitting at a table, she is holding a pen to her mouth, her elbow is sitting on a notebook and her laptop is open in front of her, but behind the notebook
Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-working-in-home-office-4240505/
  • If you had to give one, most important tip to a struggling blogger, what would it be?
  • Do you have any questions or suggestions of something to cover?

I know sometimes people can feel self-conscious putting a comment publicly. If you want to ask me to cover something but don’t want to ask in the comments, you can use my contact me link with your suggestion.

It’s important to me that this series really reflects the needs of the community, and new bloggers, so please let me know what would help you.

Image shows a woman sitting at a laptop looking at an internet page and holding a cup of tea.

What I’m looking for in new bloggers I feature

I review the new bloggers I come across to decide who to highlight in this post on a weekly basis, and some have been asking what I’m looking for. I would say the following are my criteria:

  • a blogger who interacts with their readers and responds to comments
  • Are they posting regularly – if someone posts weekly, that’s fine, but I’d probably observe for a few weeks to see how they’re getting on
  • Do they produce quality work – if its text, is it full of spelling/grammar mistakes
  • is there sufficient information to encourage conversation through the comments section
  • If someone regularly spams, they will not be featured. I accept that people can make mistakes at the outset, but they should learn and adapt what they do

I accept that this process is subjective, based on my opinions. Equally if you spot an interesting new blogger, send me a message through the Contact Me part of my site with their details.

To keep up-to-date with my blog, if you haven’t done so yet, fill in the box below to subscribe to Curiosities, Castles and Coffee Shops.

69 comments

  2. Best wishes to citrus poetry!!!

    One important tip I want to give to a blogger is:
    Care for others work, like you want to get cared.

    Love their work.

    Some people are very selective. They interact with a selected few (Like this Guy, FGW), but that selection is itself sufficient to build and be a part of the community.

    Reply

  3. My advice for a new blogger would be to just start and keep going. You could wait forever until you feel ready, until you learn about SEO, until you perfect the colours and fonts etc. Start, connect with others and enjoy the process.

    Reply

    • Thanks Helen. And I agree. I’m still tinkering with colours … not really tried fonts yet. And SEO is a whole different Pandora’s Box

      Reply

  6. a lovely blog you’ve introduced, Brenda. visited and read and it’s wonderful.
    Thanks for sharing this.

    aah… your questions… will be visiting back here to read your responses 😁🤍

    Reply

      • It did but ended up with extra, so didn’t finish until after 5. My throat is really scratchy

        How was your first day back?

      • aaaw… that went till late.
        rest well🤗

        the usual… Lol, always hectic and tiring these first days back.
        But back to routine was much needed too 😁

      • kids are back already… with us. staff development scheduled for Thursday after hours 🥴

        previously teachers would go back earlier… now all one time.

        your’l go back earlier than the kids?

      • Yep. And they’ve pushed back their start date … id need to find a calendar for the year … but think I’m back on 8th August, inductions week beginning 21st August … my class inductions are 23rd. Classes start from 28th August. Or it might be a week later … not kids (in theory) for me, young adults … most 17/18 upwards … but all school leavers or adults returning to education. Can be people right through to 50s/60s+

      • it works better your way… for planning purposes and to avoid unnecessary after hours stories…
        our way is like time wasted… trying to settle ourselves with the kids 🙄
        how lucky for your’l 🤍

      • I agree. I’d hate to start back the same time as the students. Plus my first class on a Monday is going to be 11am, so time for coffee first 😁

      • It is… abit more severe from Thursday as the cold front comes in. snowed also in certain areas. agh… I can’t get wait for this Winter to pass 🥴🤣

      • We’ve had rain more or less every day since the end of June … and its not expected to improve. Compared to Europe, we’re cold here … nor snow levels though

      • I’m going to have to keep moving places… lol migrating like the birds… for warmer skies 🤣

      • I’m thinking on it… 🤣
        maybe I’ll visit Scotland when the sun is there… for now I’m checking for summer places 😁

      • Mind you, we still end up with time outside of working hours marking etc. Plus, because of my wrist, I still have a batch of marking to do. Possibly try for Thirsday/Friday this week now I can type again

      • dreadful marking 🥴
        but I’m glad your wrist is healed. It did take a while so go easy there.
        I dare not bring marking home…my girls automatically become teachers and want to mark 🤣

      • lol, it would be a nightmare remarking 🤣
        … and glad you listening 😋
        caution on your adventures too 🤍

      • lol, it’s almost an essay… our conversation here🤣
        I shall let you carry on with your catching up.
        nice chatting. take care and thanks 🤍🤗

  10. Incredible and excellent blog post Brenda. Now, I know why your blog is titled “CURIOSITIES AND COFFEE SHOPS”, it i s because it focuses on helping bloggers who are curious about blogging and want to make the best out of it. Also, nice coffee picture by the way , it looks delicious😋☕ and you are a special person Brenda for doing this, I am sure new bloggers feel at ease and I would like to welcome all new and beginner Bloggers to WordPress.com, feel at home family and looking forward to read your work🙏💯

    Reply

  11. Hi Brenda, here’s my one piece of advice for any blogger who is struggling. If they are struggling to get visors to engage with them on their posts, then read and leave comments on other blogs but ensure those comments are meaningful and prove you have read the post.

    Don’t leave (what I call) dead-end comments which can only be responded to with a ‘Thank you.’ If you like a post, there must be a reason why you liked it, so expand on why and feed that back to the blogger. Honestly, you’ll make their day with the thoughtful comment you leave.

    Reply

  12. Tips for the new blogger…..

    Read, read, read other’s blogs on subjects or with styles that resonate with you and leave meaningful comments

    Find and join in some of the challenges or prompts, this will help you get seen, and read/comment others who have done the same one that you joined in on

    Set a goal for posting, but be realistic. If you are working full-time, have a family to care for, and can barely find time to breathe throughout the day, setting a daily blog goal may be a bit much. My personal goal is weekly, and if I’m inspired to post other than that, its simply a bonus.

    I love this series of yours, Brenda! 💞💞💞

    Reply

  13. I’m in the process of answering all the AMA questions I received when I asked my bloggy friends for them in June. This is relevant because one of their questions is exactly what you ask here: If you had to give one, most important tip to a struggling blogger, what would it be?

    My answer is: LESS IS MORE. Would that I’d have learned that earlier, say decades ago.

    You also ask, do you have any questions or suggestions of something to cover? Do an Ask Me Anything (AMA) post and you’ll discover what readers are interested in. It’s been fascinating.

    Reply

  15. ✅If you had to give one, most important tip to a struggling blogger, what would it be?

    Not just one but all the following are important to remember.

    Forget statistics and SEO, be consistent with your creation, publish regularly engaging posts, do visit others blog posts of mutual interest and leave helpful comments

    ✅Do you have any questions or suggestions of something to cover?

    Always nice you know how you evolved over the year despite having a busy schedule, so that others are benefitted as you share your experience .
    Thank you, Brenda.

    Reply

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