How To: Be a Better Blogger [Creating and Editing Images]

Its no secret that the best blogs have the best images.  Whether they are photographs they took or something they created themselves on some cool program, it is pretty obvious that posts with visuals get more attention than long, wordy posts.

When people read blogs and go through their blog feed everyday, they click on:  1)  Their favorite blogs first (friends, family, popular blogs, etc.) then 2) The ones who have a captivating title (giveaways, blog hops, tutorials, announcements, etc.) and finally 3) Blogs with eye-catching thumbnails (outfits, products, food, art, photos with interesting angles, etc.).

Now, before you start making excuses like "They have a better camera" or "I can't afford those expensive editing programs", remind yourself that you're here reading this to become a better blogger.  Don't go backwards by putting yourself down because a negative attitude will not make you a better blogger at all.

The best camera in the world is useless to someone who doesn't know how to use it and even a disposable camera can capture beautiful and interesting images if you have an eye for it.  Do some research and take some notes on the photos that other bloggers post.  What makes this photo great?  Keep in mind all the different elements of those images.  Background, lighting, pose, angle of the camera...

Here's an example:

This is a plain ol' plastic kids' chair.  There's nothing special about it.  They've had this for ages - you can even see the white parts where they bent the plastic.  It just looks boring.

And here is the same chair but in a different angle and with more of a background behind it.  Big difference, huh?  This photo is more eye-catching and interesting and all I did was move the chair over a little and take the photo from a different angle.  This image tells more of a story than the first one.

Here's another example:  Let's say you're writing a post about this really pretty leaf you found on the ground when you went for a walk the other day.  Now, which photo do you think will captivate your audience better?

This one:

Or this one:

While the first photo does show us how the leaf looked to you when you found it, it doesn't really show us the details of how beautiful it really is.  The second photo makes it seem as though we're an ant crawling on that leaf and it allows us to see the colors and textures better.

Take as many photos as you have to until you get the best ones.  Ask others for input, do some research on different types of photographs (scenery, close-ups, self portraits, food, etc.), and apply that to your photos.

As for editing photos and creating graphic images, you really don't need the expensive software and programs to do all of that.  While programs like Photoshop and PaintShopPro are pretty cool and do have a variety of tools for you to use, there are similar programs that you can find online that are FREE.

The program I use to edit all my photos and create almost all the graphic images you find here on Frikken Duckie is Pixlr.  My header, tabs, button, profile picture, etc. were all created with Pixlr.  Though it doesn't have ALL the features that Photoshop has, it is very similar and remember, it is FREE.

Check out some other cool little doodles I created today on Pixlr...

So now that you have no more excuses as to why you can't include amazing photos and images in your post, it's time for you to get creative!  Take some photos and go play around on Pixlr!  I'd love to see what you come up with!

And if you have any other tips and tricks about taking photos and/or creating images I'd love to hear them and I'm sure everyone else would too!  What kind of camera do you have?  What editing programs do you use?

P.S.  Like my new signature?  Created it on Pixlr - duh!

How To: Be a Better Blogger [Gaining Followers]

Now if you're a serious blogger, you've probably asked yourself, "How can I be a better blogger?" about a million times.  I love blogging and I treat it as a job (sure I come in late and call in sick sometimes, but you know what I mean) so I ask myself this question at least once a day.  It is a question that even the best of bloggers ask themselves often, which is no wonder why they're the best.

In order to become a better blogger you need to figure out what being a "better blogger" means to you.  To start off you can ask yourself, "Who are my blogging idols?"  We all have different favorites and that's okay.  There is no real right or wrong answer to that question, it just depends on what your idea of a good blogger is.

Now that you've got your idol(s) in mind, the next question you need to ask yourself is, "What makes them a better blogger?"  Do they have lots of followers?  Are they making a living by blogging?  Do they post stunning, Pinterest-worthy outfit photos of themselves?  How you gauge their greatness affects your blog strategy.

**This started off as just one post but it's a bit lengthy so I'm breaking it up into several different posts in order to cover more mini-topics.**

So lets say that your goal is to have lots of followers.  We all want that, right?  But, having lots of followers doesn't exactly mean having a lot of FOLLOWERS.  You get what I'm saying?  No?  Okay.  I've seen many, MANY comments from bloggers who write "Nice post!  Would you like to follow each other?" and then they go on to list their blog and say how they'll follow you back.  And of course you click on their blog and see that they have thousands of followers and start wondering how they got so many followers - until you read comments from other bloggers saying "Thanks for commenting, I'm following you now so don't forget to follow me back!"  Or something along those lines.

That, my friends, is called the cut & paste follower.  A blogger who uses the same comment for every blog they visit just to gain more followers.  Now, you can do that if you want, but I personally don't take those blogs seriously because they're usually just trying to make up in followers what they lack in content.

If you're really serious about becoming a better blogger, you have to put in the work.  No pain, no gain, right?  As a blogger, I love reading thoughtful, encouraging comments from my readers because it allows me to connect with them and vice versa.  Leaving a comment that says "Nice post!" tells me that they probably didn't really read the post or if they did read it and didn't have anything else to say, they're probably not being genuine.  I'd rather read a comment that says "I'm really not feeling this post, try writing about a different topic next time." instead of just "Nice post!"

In order to gain real-deal, genuine, and loyal followers, you have to be one yourself.  Explore other blogs and help other bloggers out.  Leave genuine comments and get a discussion going.  And when people comment on your blog, connect with them and support them on their blogging journey as well.  The more supportive you are, the more support you'll receive.

A good blogger has a lot of followers, a better blogger has a lot of friends.

♥ Duckie.

IFB Project #85: Where Do You Blog?

So I've put some thought into the direction I want to take this little blog of mine over the past week and I think I've come to the decision that I want to lean more towards fashion and my personal style.

Fashion has always been a HUGE part of my life - I had dreams of being a model-slash-fashion designer-slash-rockstar since I was little.

Check out this picture of a 7-year-old me modeling for the local department store.  My pictures were in the newspaper ads every week - I was a celebrity in elementary school.

This blog originally started as a personal style blog for my sister and I to share our daily outfits and eventually grew to include various other topics.  I do have many different interests but trying to keep up with so many different aspects on a blog can be frustrating!

Right now, I plan to focus more on the beauty/fashion/personal style side of my blog because it's something I am very passionate about.  I will still cover other topics from time to time but I'm gonna try and stick mostly to one (okay, two) main topics.

That being said, I've decided to participate in the IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) Project this week and give you the insider scoop on where I blog.  The IFB site is full of helpful tips and articles that are useful for ALL bloggers, not just the fashion ones!

When I first started this little blog of mine, I was blogging mostly from my desk at work.  I would blog during my down time so it was a little difficult to stay focused and inspired when writing a post.

Yup, trying to find some inspiration up there.

After I stopped working in August last year, I set up a little office nook in our old room which was just being used as storage at the time.

I found that I was able to get more things done because I wasn't as distracted as I was when I was working.  The only problem was that it was hot as hell in that room with very little air flow.  I would literally sweat my ass off over a post!

A few months later, my cousin moved in so my little office nook ended up moving into my room, and then eventually to our living room.  As of right now, I blog from our living room couch.

My laptop, external monitor, and various papers, bills, and unopened mail clutter our little brown coffee table.  Though it isn't my ideal blogging space, it works for now.  I'm in the main area of the house and in earshot of the kids at all times (except when they're in the other yard), I have plenty of natural air flow and light, and I can just lay down and take a nap if I need to recharge.

Eventually I plan to clean and organize my room and create a Pinterest-worthy office space to blog from, but who knows how long that will take - I mean, our kitchen has been unfinished for two years.

 This seems easy enough to recreate, right?
[via]

What about you?  Where do you blog?  Does your blog space help or hinder your creativity and focus?

♥ Duckie.

Thursday Thoughts: The Business of Blogging

Most of you may already know that I've been spending the better part of this month trying to focus on this little blog more.  I've been reading, researching, and subsequently thinking about what I'm trying to get out of this whole blogging adventure.

When I first started this blog (you can check the archives for this) it was a way for me to record and document my life.  That lasted for about 2 posts (that were over a year apart) until it changed into a way for my sister and I to share photos of our daily outfits with each other without having everyone and their mother looking at it on Facebook.  (And if your mother is on Facebook, please ask her to "Like" my

Since then, this little blogging light of mine went on to shine, shine shine!  I've gained so many wonderful friends and supporters through blogging and have grown so much as a person from writing and reading all the wonderful posts out there in blogland...but I still feel that there is more out there for me.  Yes, we Geminis are never satisfied.

That leads me to the point of this post:

  What do I want out of my blog?

Well, I want everything.  I want to earn a good amount of income through blogging, to be my own boss, to travel, to be taken seriously.  I want to be an inspiration for people.  I want to open a boutique and sponsor other bloggers.  I want Frikken Duckie to be not just a blog, but a brand.  I want to be able to make a living by doing what I love.

Is that too much to ask for?  Well, maybe.  But so what?!  That's what I want and that's what I'm working towards.  How, you ask?  Well I'm not 100% sure yet, but here's my game plan (in bulleted form since this post is getting pretty long already) so far:

• Sponsor/Advertise on big blogs
• Apply/Join different affiliate/sponsorship programs to start making a little money
• Reach out to small businesses with sponsorship proposals
• Collaborate with other bloggers and host meetups/linkups/events
• Update and keep track of my blog stats
• Work harder at promoting and networking via social media
• Continue to read and comment on other blogs and build strong relationships

Now, I'm not saying that in order to be a successful blogger you need to be making loads of cash by sitting in front of your computer all day - but, hey, it would be nice, right?

These are just my personal hopes and dreams for this little ol' blog of mine.  What about you?  Do you dream of being a hot shot blogger?  Is blogging your dream job or would it help to open doors towards your dream job?

♥ Duckie.

Blogging 101 + Some changes

So today's (day 11) challenge (yes I know I skipped day 10 - set up alerts to monitor things that relate to your blog - because I already do that) is to come up with 10 future post ideas. I have a hard time figuring out what to write sometimes so making a list of posts to do in the future helps a lot!

Because of today's challenge AND because of a request from my dear friend and fellow blogger Halle of Classic + Glam, I've decided to change my posts up a little. So here's what you should be looking forward to starting next week:

Series Posts.

Mondays will now be dedicated to makeup! Yay! I'll be posting a makeup tutorial or review every Monday. I'm not sure if this will be in video form or in a series of pictures since I'm not all that comfortable talking to myself while recording but we'll see.

For Tuesdays, I'm thinking of doing a series of recipe posts because - well lets face it, we all know I LOVE me some food.

'What I Wore Wednesdays' will still continue.

Thursdays are still up in the air so it'll just be whatever is on my mind for now.

And Fridays, well I'm still not sure on that either.


So Frikken Crafty.

I know. I KNOW! I'm trying my hardest to post another craft tutorial but all the things I want to do - well they don't have the right supplies here on Guam. No leather cord for the leather wrap bracelets, no gold fringe for the eyemask, no glue guns, no mod podge in stock, etc. Seriously. But, as I mentioned in yesterday's post (here) my friend Ardyce (isn't her name just so cool? It's pronounced ardiss which sounds like artist - and she's a pretty good artist) and I are working on putting together some awesome crafts and I will definitely share them with you all.

Guest posters.

So after being a guest post on Heather's blog (Hopeless Notebook) the other day (my post here) I've decided to try and persuade you folks (yeah I just said "folks") out there to guest post here! I think it's a great way for me and others to learn from you! And it also provides awesome opportunities for you to branch out and get new readers/followers to your blog as well! If you're interested, just holler at me: frikkenduckie@gmail.com and we'll set it up.

Well I think that's all the changes I'll be doing for now. Until I think of something else again. But before I leave you, I just wanted to give a little shout-out to my wonderful/kooky/old-fashioned man:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!

Today is Joey's 30th (yes omg he's 30!) birthday! It's really weird though. He still looks very young and he still acts like a kid so people don't really believe his actual age. Anyway, happy birthday honey! I know all your wishes came true already because - well, let's face it - fate brought you to me. Lol. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll love you tomorrow.


Have a great weekend everyone!

Blogging 101 + Thirsty Thursday

I'm still on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and the challenge for day 8 is to interlink your old blog posts. I do that occasionally anyway so I don't feel the need to do it right now. Basically, if you're writing a post that relates to a previous post you did, link the previous post in your current post. Simple right?

So day 9 challenges you to join and participate in a forum. The best way to gain readers and followers is to get engaged in a forum that relates to your blog. For example, I do beauty/makeup posts sometimes so I've joined the forums on Makeup Geek to share and get inspiration from other bloggers and makeup gurus. Someday soon (when I get a new camera) I'll start posting makeup tutorials for you all. I'm starting a "Get Duckie a New Camera" fund and will openly accept donations. Lol.

Btw, last night I tried this awesome drink at a friend's house but I didn't get the recipe from her! Thirsty Thursday fail! Anyway, I love fruity drinks so she made this little concoction for me. I know she used Soju (another Korean stereotype - I have never tried Soju until last night) and Calpico (a Japanese milky drink that tastes really fruity) but I don't know the last ingredient. It looked like strawberry lemonade when she gave it to me. I will ask her for the complete recipe later tonight and post it here once I get it!

AND she is a pretty good artist (her name is Ardyce) so we were discussing my awesome craft ideas and we're thinking about going into business together. Our only dilemma is getting the supplies we need (again, Guam is VERY limited in this area). But hopefully I'll be getting some stuff in from my parentals next week and then she and I are planning on ordering some more things as well and I will definitely feature some of our awesome products on here and do a giveaway or two (or ten!) once we've got the ball rolling. I'm super excited!

Blogging 101 + My Fave Fashion/Beauty Links

So day 7 of Darren Rowse's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenges you to write a link post. Linking to other sites that you frequent or have gained knowledge from will also be likely to help your readers.

Here's a few links to some of my favorite fashion/beauty sites:

Youtube Channels:

Daven Mayeda - your hair BFF

Michelle Phan

Chriselle Lim


Blogs:

Maryam Maquillage

Classic Glam

Extra Petite

With an I.E.


Shopping:

Ruche

Stitched and Adorned

Modcloth




Hope you liked my little linkage post! Be sure to check them out! And don't forget to stop by Hopeless Notebook where I'll be featured as a guest poster on Tuesday!

Blogging 101 + Stereotypes

Day 5 of Darren Rowse's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog encourages you to email a blog reader. By doing this, you can connect with your readers and it shows that you are genuine and appreciate your readers.

Replying to comments and visiting your readers' blogs definitely counts as well, so I'm pretty sure I've got this one down already. I try to make it a point to respond to each and every comment on my blog and I follow each and every one of my followers back (all 17 of you lovely gals! - as of 3/16/2012). I have come to realize however, that not all readers come back to see that I've responded to their comments on my blog, so I go a little further and comment on their blogs as well. A double whammy! Lol.

Day 6 of the book provides you with "27 Must-Read Tips and Tutorials for Bloggers. I won't list them all here, you'll have to read the book for that. Lol.

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So I thought it'd be fun to do a post about stereotypes. I have been labeled as so many different things by so many different people at so many different times of my life. (Was that too many "so many"'s?) Here are some frequently asked questions/stereotypes that people have about me:

You're Korean so you must love kimchi. Definitely NOT true. In fact, I hated kimchi my whole life! It wasn't until just recently that I started eating little bits of cabbage kimchi.

Don't people on Guam live in grass huts? Umm...not for the last few centuries. Guam is NOT a foreign third-world country people! It is a U.S. territory which means we do have military bases, shopping centers, hotels, and concrete houses.

You're a mother so you don't care how you look. FALSE. I have always - ALWAYS - been one to keep up with my appearances and attitude. I may not be dripping in designer, but I do pride myself on being a frugal fashionista and I try to keep a positive outlook in most situations. Of course I do let myself go on sick days or cleaning days though.

People from Hawaii have bad English. Okay, I can't speak for the rest of the state, but I think I do pretty well for myself. For those of you who don't know, a lot (not all) of people in Hawaii speak 'pidgin' or broken English. It's kind of like a mix of different languages but to some people it can sound like jibberish. I can speak it, but I can also turn it off. Brah.

You model so you must be full of yourself. Uh, no. I consider myself to be confident (okay sometimes a little cocky) but I do have a lot of insecurities about myself as well. And until I wake up one morning and suddenly look like Adriana Lima, there is no chance that I'll be too sexy for any shirt any time soon.

You're Asian so you must be super smart. Nope. Though I try to make myself seem super smart (especially when debating with Joey), I've never really excelled in academics. I dropped out of college twice actually because it bored me. My least favorite subject is math.

You blog, so you probably make up stories to sound cool. I wish! I mean, if I really wanted to make myself sound cool, don't you think I would have tried a little harder and had a lot more followers? Duh.

You used to be a stripper. FALSE! There is a huge difference and a lot of misconceptions between gogo dancing and stripping. Sure gogo dancers dance on a stage in bathing suits and undies (c'mon, sex sells), but they do not take off their clothes and show you their choo-chas (okay, maybe some unprofessional ones might). Most of us just love to go out and dance - and if people are willing to give you money to hang out with friends and dance all night, would you really turn that down?


Well those are just a FEW comments and questions that people have said about me throughout my life - so far. Hope you learned a few things from it!

Now what about you? What are some untrue stereotypes that people assume about you?

A Wake Up Call + Blogging 101 + Asymmetrical Hemlines

Hey bloggers, it's MONDAY! Aren't you excited? Not really? Me either.

So first off I'd like to share with you a little "wake up call" that I experienced this morning.

I got in to work this morning and got a call from Joey who had been doing collections for his company all morning. He works for a plumbing company that also provides portable toilets to customers. His job today was to collect on past-due accounts and/or repossess the portable toilets if the customers couldn't pay him right away. These customers are usually small businesses or construction companies who need portable toilets on site.

Anyway, Joey called because he was pretty upset about one particular account this morning. He said he drove to an address of a customer to reclaim one of the portable toilets but he couldn't go through with it. He told me that he drove into a dirt road and found a makeshift house - it was basically a canopy tarp tied to a few trees. Now it's not uncommon on Guam for people to build these makeshift structures in the jungle but what really bothered Joey was that there were little tents around the structure as well. Children's tents - the ones we'd get our kids as a playhouse. There were little children there, about the age of our own kids, who were living in those tents. Joey said it looked as if these tents served as their rooms. I literally started crying when I heard this. I'm tearing now just trying to type it.

The customer on the account was the father of these children and the portable toilet was the only bathroom that they had. The man told Joey that his mother was the one paying for the toilet and that he would call her and ask her to get current with their account so that they could keep the toilet. Joey was supposed to reclaim it anyway, and in any other circumstance he would have - but he just couldn't do it for the sake of those children.

It hurts me to think of what that family has to go through just to get by. The fact that they have to rent a portable toilet is really heartbreaking for me and it is obviously hard for them to keep up with the payments. But because they have no sewage system, that is their only option right now. I wish I could give them a permanent toilet and a stable and secure home but I have my own family to take care of. I do plan to donate some items to that particular family in order to make their lives and their lifestyle a little more comfortable, especially for the children there. It may not be a lot, but hopefully it will mean something to them.

Thanks for listening to that little story, I just really had to share that because it affected me so much.

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Day 4 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenges us to analyze a top blog. This challenge is a good way to see how other blogs operate. It is best to choose a blog that relates to your own. When you analyze this blog, take everything into consideration.

What does the blog design look like? What kind of other pages does the blog offer? Is there one author or are there different contributors? How often is the blog updated? How accessible is the author? What is their average use of photos and images? Do they do series posts (fill in the blanks, tutorials, outfits, etc.)? Take a few notes to get inspiration from this blog and try to incorporate some of these points into your own blog.

*******EDIT*******

So I've decided to add another topic to today's post, that being: asymmetrical hemlines. This topic was inspired by Rach at So, hi.'s opinion post on asymmetrical skirts (here). I love asymmetrical hemlines on dresses and skirts but sometimes the way it is cut can be oh so unflattering to certain body types.

If you don't know what an asymmetrical hemline on a dress/skirt looks like, here are some examples of asymmetrical skirts/dresses:

I'll be doing another post later this week (probably tomorrow) on how to wear an asymmetrical dress/skirt, so stay tuned!

TGIF + New Page + Blogging 101

Fridaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

So glad this week is over! If today were my payday it'd be more like: FRIDAYYYYYYY!!!!!! WHOOOOOO HOOOO!!!!! OH YEAH!!!!! But, its not. Oh well, can't win em all. It totally sucks because our paydays are on the 5th and 20th of every month. Super lame.

Anyway, so if you take a look at the top there - just below the header - you'll see that I added a new page! Hooray for Blogging 101! Haha. This page will be dedicated to my blogging journey and will have the links to my "Build a Better Blog" and "Blogging Mojo" challenge posts. I personally think its totally awesome because it helps me grow, AND you as a reader can follow along and do the challenges as well. Now of course I won't post the contents of each entire book (because that's plagiarism - I hate trying to spell that word) but I will cover the main topics of the challenges that I do since I'll probably be alternating between the two books. So please take a look at it, and if you have any books/sites/posts that have helped you that you think should be there, please let me know! I'll definitely check it out and may just add it to the page as well!

The "Mojo" challenge for day 3 is to explain your blog as you would to a stranger who just asked what your blog is about. Here's what my explanation is:

Stranger: You have a blog? Cool. What's it about?
Me: Well, its a little bit of everything! I write about my personal style, beauty tips, and fashion trends that I love. I even do a series of craft tutorials twice a month called "So Frikken Crafty", which I just started and LOVE doing. I also write about my personal life, you know, being a mother/gf/student/full-time worker and I've just recently started incorporating home design into my blog since we're renovating our house. AND I hope to open up a little online shop in the near future to share and sell the crafts and other items that I make. You should really check it out! I'd love to get your opinion on it!

The idea here is to sell yourself. Okay, not yourSELF, but your BLOGGING self. If you think your blog is interesting, make it sound interesting so others will be interestED. Simple pimple. Now it's your turn, what's your blog about?

Blogging 101: Let's Get Critique-cal

So my stress level from yesterday has been neutralized (for now) and I'm feeling pretty good today. Yay me! AND my work computer has been fixed, which means I don't have to keep hauling my laptop back and forth! Double yay!

Anyway, so as you may or may not know, I'm still a newbie blogger (started really blogging in November) and I am always looking for ways to improve my blog. I had started reading through Darren Rowse's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog but still have not committed to buying it yet. What I did purchase however, is 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo by Bryan Allain. I did the whole ebook preview thing on Amazon and couldn't help myself. Plus, it was about $10 cheaper than the Rowse book, so win/win for me.

And that brings me to the topic of today's post: critique. Day 2 of Allain's book challenges bloggers to critique their own blogs through the eyes of the reader. I'd like to take it a step further.

Now I love all of you who actually take the time to read my blog, follow my blog, and comment on it! I really truly do and I'm so grateful for all my readers, followers, and comments! And thank you for helping me and my "little bit of everything" blog grow! You guys are AWESOME!

Okay, have I buttered you up enough? Good, because now I'd like to ask you a favor. I'd like you to assess my blog. It sounds like homework (which totally sucks) but it's easy, trust me. I'd just like you to tell me 5 things which you DON'T like about my blog so far, and 5 things that you DO like. It could be anything! Like "You don't have enough pictures" or "I don't like that Twitter widget" or "Your punctuation sucks" or "Please show me your feet". Seriously! I want to know what the worst and best things about my blog are, according to you!

I hope that you would be willing to help me out, and if you're interested in me critiquing your blog, I'd gladly return the favor! Please comment below or email me (if you don't feel comfortable putting me on blast publicly) and I will respond!

THANKS SO MUCH!