Things I Have Learned From The Book Blogging Community

09:42 Cilla 12 Comments

Welcome to my first post - or second really, with the introduction - of the Blogger Positivity Campaign! I started out thinking I'd write things that I have learned about the community. Then I realised that I have picked up quite a bit of new knowledge about blogging itself in the short time I've been here. So I'm going to run with that idea now. :D

Here are some of the things I have learned from the book blogging community:

How to make things look pretty

I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a natural talent for aesthetics. I know when something is unpleasant to my eyes, but I won't ever be able to come up with a gorgeous layout and theme all on my own. So when I gave this blog its' first makeover, I read a lot of tips about what a well-designed blog should have. I didn't take all of the advice, because not everything works for me, but still they all really helped. I like to think the current theme is an improvement on the previous one, even if it is still not perfect!

What those mysterious words mean

DNF, NA, ARC, pub date, link-ups - these are some of the phrases I had never heard of until I started reading book blogs. The first time I read the phrase 'pub date', I thought that person was talking about an actual date in a pub.

How to talk to strangers online

That sounds kind of dodgy, but it isn't really when it's applied to book bloggers. I'm pretty shy, and talking to people I don't know - even when it's just a matter of leaving a comment on someone's post - doesn't come naturally to me. Most bloggers are so lovely when they respond though. Plus, there are plenty of discussions about the importance of meaningful comments around and how bloggers love getting those (I'm starting to experience that myself). Now, I don't feel like what I'm saying would be seen as superfluous, and I do try to talk to other bloggers more!

The tricks to managing social media

I'd had Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads long before I started blogging, but I had only known the basics. I had never heard of Tweetdeck, for example, let alone the fact that you can schedule tweets! (I still don't schedule tweets, but that has more to do with my organisation skills.) So I keep saving blog posts related to social media for reference, and I find that I learn something new every time.

How to be an organised blogger

I like to think I'm a fairly organised person in life, but I've been struggling to get my blogging schedule in order. Thankfully, there are dozens of organisation posts out there by book bloggers. I have gotten myself a Google calendar and a blogging notebook, and started planning my posts weekly. I'm still not quite on top of things, but I'm learning!

Now I kind of feel like an intern running around eagerly, hoping to learn the masters' ways to greatness. I like the learning process though. Thank you to every book blogger who has taken the time to write a tutorial or share tips on tackling a certain aspect of blogging!

What skills have you picked up from the book blogging community?

12 comments:

Lara20 November 2015 at 10:19
Hahaha all the acronyms are so true! I remember when I first started blogging I spent aaages trying to figure out what ARC stood for and what they actually were...
Erika20 November 2015 at 10:29
I agree with all those points! For me, I've also learned how to talk to professional authors, and how to improve my writing skills! Plus how to politely disagree with people with books I liked/didn't like. But I've learned so much, just like you!
~Erika @ Books, Stars, Writing. And Everything In Between.
Anonymous21 November 2015 at 09:52
Same! I had no idea what ARC or DNF meant. I remember Googling what an ARC was because I thought it was like a computer file thing, like those generic computer terms such as PNG or JPEG lol :P I had no idea it was pertaining to a book!

I also learned to talk to strangers through comments, which no longer feels like talking to strangers because everyone literally became like my friends now :) It took me a while to muster the courage to write a comment, but I did once and now I've met so many awesome people!
Zoe N.22 November 2015 at 06:12
Yes to all of these Cilla! I've learned so much about organization and talking to others from book blogging. It really is an amazing and eye-opening experience. And I've learned a ton about design as well! I never thought book blogging would teach me so many different things, but it really teaches you a ton - not just about yourself and your interest in books, but about the world around you too. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! ♥
Romi23 November 2015 at 04:23
I have to say, I definitely haven't worked out how to use social media to it's best! I did have Twitter when I first started blogging, but it didn't work for me and I was so much happier when I deleted it. Now I only really have Instagram, and I love it a lot, but I don't really promote my blog/reviews/posts on it, which I probably really should!
I'm with you on the terms bloggers use! Some of them are peculiar and it's nice, when you understand what all those things mean. I endlessly talk about tbrs and dnfing now, and five years ago I didn't have a clue what that meant! xx
Anonymous24 November 2015 at 01:52
Haha, this is so relatable! Yeah, before blogging I had no idea what WIP, TBR, DNF, and all those other acronyms. I have made a lot of friends through blogging and I am so happy that I decided to start my blog. Social media has definitely helped a lot with that, too!