Social Media Monday: Finding your voice

by Brie You have decided to blog. You have created a blog. Now that it's time to actually start blogging, you don't know what to say.

This isn't as uncommon an occurrence as you would think and can happen to both new and more experienced bloggers. Sitting in front of a blank screen can be intimidating. Typing some words and posting them on the Internet for anyone to read can be overwhelming. It is easy to worry that what you write won't be good. Easy to wonder if anyone will like it. Very easy to talk yourself out of doing it before you even start.

My advice to you is to just write. Write four, five, six posts before you even start to share your blog with others. Like  anything else, blogging takes practice. Give yourself time to find your rhythm and your voice.

The more you blog the more you will discover what you want to write about and how to write about it. Give yourself the freedom to try new topics, especially in the beginning. Be careful that you don't limit the focus of your blog too narrowly or you may find your voice stilted. When you start blogging you want to have lots of room to find those subjects you feel passionate about and bring out your authentic voice.

With blogging, as with any type of writing, how you say something can be as important as what you say. As you begin to blog, try different writing styles and voices. From the beginning I blogged about life with my kids. It was only when I got over the fear of what my readers would think about me writing poetry(which I hadn't done since I as a teenager) that I really started to be more creative in my writing and found my own voice. 

Not everyone will like what you write. You can't expect them too. If you try to write to appeal to everyone, you'll never discover your own voice. I really believe that if you blog for yourself as yourself, you will find the right readers. They will be the readers that come back because of you.

If you are looking to challenge yourself and increase the frequency with which you blog, try out National Blog Posting Month in November. It is a great way to get you blogging everyday. You can stretch your writing by taking part in different writing challenges, like Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop or Six Word Fridays. Blogging conferences, like BlissDom Canada that Lara and I just returned from, can also provide you with new ways of thinking about and growing your voice. Check out the session on content called If a blog falls in a forest that Annie led and I blogged about at Capital Mom.

Just remember that when you blog it doesn't matter if your posts are long or short, researched or off the cuff. The only thing you need to be is you.

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Social Media Monday : Time to join Twitter

by Lara Last time we talked about Twitter I told you why I thought twitter was worthwhile and why I think YOU should join.  This time we're going to talk about how.

Step one - let's go visit www.twitter.com

Step two : Sign up.

I painted a big arrow on my image to help, but here's a link right to the sign up page too :) (I am determined to make this as easy as possible so you'll want to give it a whirl)

Step three: Enter your information and choose a twitter name.

Choosing your twitter name can seem daunting. Many people just use their full name, that way nothing gets confusing. You can start with that, or pick something meaningful to you. If you have a blog, pick something related to increase the chance people will know who you are.  My blog name is Gliding Through Motherhood so my twitter name is Glidinglara.  Brie's blog is called Capital Mom and she is capitalmom on Twitter.  It doesn't have to be related, but it can.

That all being said, you can change it later, so don't sweat it too much.

Step four: Add friends

Once your account is set up it will look like this:

Click on #2 Find some friends now and you'll see this screen where you will type glidinglara and click on search.  Follow me, I'll be happy to help you find your way around twitter.

Once you've followed me, then I want you to follow these fabulous, supportive (and consenting) Ottawa tweeters:

capitalmom, beach_mama, pinkcb, KGrayDonald, craftyinottawa, somekindofmom, eisangel3, amyboughner, kidsincapital

Step five: Tweet something

Go to the section that says "What's happening" and say something. You can say anything under 140 characters.

You could start with "Hey @glidinglara, I signed up for twitter - now what?"

Because you included my name with @ in front of it, I will see it and I will reply to you - you will have just tweeted and interacted with a fellow tweeter all in one big first step!

You can see if anyone is talking to you by checking the @mentions tab under the what's happening window.

Step 6: Observing twitter

The main section to monitor is the Timeline section.  That's where everything that everyone you're following is saying will filter.  An important rule here is this. Don't think you have to read everything that everyone has said!

Nobody expects you to go back in time.  A Twitter timeline is like listening the radio, you hear what you hear when it's on. You don't record it and listen back to it later.

When I asked my friends on Twitter for tips for newbies, the most common response I got was "don't be afraid".  That's because we know it can be overwhelming. Don't be scared, just take it one step at a time.

Here are some things to help you understand:

If a tweet starts with a Twitter handle then only that person, and people who follow both you and that person can see the tweet. It means that someone is "speaking" directly to whoever's name is at the beginning of the tweet, and everyone else reading it is just listening in to the conversation.

If a tweet starts with RT it is being Retweeted.  Someone is simply passing along something interesting that someone else said. For example

RT @kidsincapital: Win 4 tickets to Trick-or-Treat to a Wicked Beat at the NAC! http://ow.ly/2YrAA

Sometimes someone will RT and add a thought of their own. For example

Fun!! RT @kidsincapital: Win 4 tickets to Trick-or-Treat to a Wicked Beat at the NAC! http://ow.ly/2YrAA

Hashtags are words preceded by #.  Like #kidsinthecapital.  If you search that hashtag (or click on it in a tweet) it will bring you to all the tweets that also included that hashtag.  They are used to talk about common themes and also for twitter parties (more on that in future posts).

There is more, but I fear overwhelming people. So instead, for now I invite you to ask questions in the comments, talk to me on twitter "@glidinglara, what have you gotten me in to?"

And I leave you with some tips from fellow tweeters:

- Use your real and authentic voice (Lara: twitter is a casual conversation, talk as you would in real life)

- Finding a good dozen of helpful tweeps (Lara: here's another one of those tw words.  Twitter + peeps = tweeps) to follow is key. Then interact! Ask questions!

- Ask a friend who's on twitter for help. Never would have figured out without it.

- Don't give up, don't be afraid to jump into conversations.

- People care what you have to say. Or if they don't care, they don't mind that you said it.

- Have fun! :)

Next time we'll talk about some of the other sites that you can use to help you with twitter, like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twitterfall, Twitpic, etc.

Lara is mom to 4 year old Kiernan and 1 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

Social Media Monday: Starting a blog

by Brie You've decided to give it a try. I mean, why not! But now you actually have to figure out how to blog. Where to start?

The first thing you need to do is pick a blogging platform. There are two popular platforms for you to choose from: Blogger and Wordpress.com. The great thing is that both of these platforms are easy to use. I mean, even I can do it!

I started Capital Mom on Blogger because that was the first platform I came across when I discovered blogs. I wanted something free and simple, and it was both. Blogger is made for people that don't know anything about technology, so that was a perfect choice for me. I found it easy to navigate, user friendly and I liked that it was linked to Google. Since I started blogging Blogger has expanded the template designs available and now there is a greater variety and more customization available. 

Wordpress.com is equally as easy to use, although the dashboard may look more intimidating, and after hearing good things about it Lara and I decided to try it for Kids in the Capital. Wordpress has a large array of template options and seems to be easy for designers to customize. We had heard it was easier to move to self-hosting with Wordpress.com and we did find it easy to do. Well, as easy as moving text and dealing with technology can be.

If you are looking to self-host or expect to have a large readership, you might want to start with Wordpress.com. If you are wanting to have ads or Google ads from the start then Blogger may be a good option.

Here is some of the feedback I got over Twitter when I asked why people chose the platform they did:

AMotherhoodBlog: @kidsincapitaltried blogspot found it limiting. Heard good about wordpress thru Twitter, moved & love it.

KGrayDonald: @kidsincapital when with what I liked visually, was easy for me to use, and seemed to garner the fewest complaints :)

lana_stewart: @kidsincapital For me: lots of widgets/add-on and free themes to choose from and modify. And then my host made it a one-click install.

No matter which you choose, starting a blog is easier then you think. Both platforms are easy to navigate. Just click through to Blogger or Wordpress.com and give it a go. The hardest part might be picking a name and deciding what to blog about!

Here's a tip: think carefully about your blog name and URL. Even if you think that the blog is just for you or your family you may one day find yourself sharing it and then regretting the URL. Unless you want to be redirecting the link forever or exporting the blog to a new site, make sure you pick a name and URL you love!

Are you thinking of starting a blog?  Have questions and don't know where to start? Leave us a comment!

Do you have a blog? Why did you chose our blogging platform? And tell, us have you ever regretted your URL? :-)

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Social Media Monday - What is Twitter

by Lara Last week we talked about blogging and this week I'm going to talk about an aspect of social media that more people have a hard time getting in to - Twitter.

Twitter - in it's simplest explanation - is microblogging. It is a place where you can talk about the things that you are doing online and in small bites - 140 character bites. (Here is my Twitter page if you want to have a look)

The bigger question then becomes WHY?

Many people who don't use Twitter just can't understand the concept. What is the point? Who cares?? I don't get it!!

So here is my attempt to explain.

If you were to stand in the mall yelling out random things about yourself ("I'm meeting my friend Jenny for lunch!" "I don't know what's good to eat in this food court!" "Is there a place to nurse my baby in this mall?") you are fairly unlikely to get an enthusiastic response. If, however, you are at the mall with a group of your friends and you had any of those questions, someone would try to help you with the answers.

The same goes for Twitter.  If you don't know anyone who is using Twitter- the above questions are likely going to go out into the twitterverse (made up words starting with tw are just a fun part of twitter I'm afraid you're going to have to put up with me using in this post) unanswered. If, however, you have a large group of people who follow you on twitter and you say something like that, you may very well get a lot of response with advice, tips, etc.

"Say hi to Jenny for me!" "I love Taco Del Mar" "Check out the amazing nursing room near the food court"

Brie and I read each others blogs before we used Twitter, but it was only once we started talking on Twitter, and then subsequently met at a tweetup (twitter+meetup... you get it :) that we became friends.  Without twitter, there would be no Kids in the Capital.

And that tweetup happened because there is an incredible community of Ottawa parents on Twitter. Parents who help each other out.  Who are there when you're up in the middle of the night with a sick baby, to give advice on weird rashes, to commiserate over picky eaters, to talk about why such and such a place is the perfect place to go for a playdate with 4 year olds, etc, etc, etc.

Twitter, when used properly, is a community, a social network, a support group, and a lot of fun. It is a goldmine.

But Twitter isn't always obvious - it can be hard to use, hard to navigate, and hard to understand. So we will explain it!

In subsequent posts we will go through how to sign up for a Twitter account.  Once you have your Twitter account you'll want to know how you find people to follow and how do you get people to follow you back.  We'll discuss what all the symbols and terminology mean (there are a lot of short cuts needed to say what you want to say in 140 characters) and then we'll discuss some of the tools people use with twitter from Hootsuite and tweetdeck, to twtvite and twitpic.  There's a lot of info but we'll try to break it down for you so that it makes sense and you're prepared to dive in and give it all a try.

And if you're already on twitter, or want to go at it on your own - follow me and say hi, I'm @larawellman.  And say hi to Brie too - @capitalmom. We are, of course, @kidsincapital.

Lara is mom to 3.5 year old Kiernan and 1 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

Social Media Monday: Why blog?

by Brie If you told me two years ago I would one day come to define myself as blogger I would have laughed in your face. Politely of course. At the time  I was technologically challenged and nervous about having any digital footprint out in the wide world of the internet. Plus, why would I write about my life online? It would be totally self-indulgent. And besides, no one would read it.

How wrong I was. I fell into blogging and bit by bit I have been "coming out" as a blogger. Part of the reason is that my online world and the real world have come to intersect so much as friends in one world become friends in another.

Why blog? There are as many different reasons for blogging as there are types of bloggers. In Ottawa alone you will see bloggers that run the spectrum. People blog about what they love, whether it be food, photography, crafting, weight lose or geekdom.  Many of us blog about our lives.  

For a mom with young kids reading about the struggles and joys of other moms with young kids changed my life. During those first few winter months after I discovered blogging  it made me feel less alone even as I spent day in and day out with a baby and toddler. It was a blog  post that convinced me to have my kids share a room. It was blog posts that  comforted me that other moms lived lives as busy and crazy as mine.

No matter why you chose to start blogging, one of the main reasons we all continue is for the connections. The connections we build with our readers and the authors of blogs we read. For parents these connections are so valuable. We can learn from people who have already lived through our stage of life and we can share with each other the struggles and successes of our kids.

Do you blog? What do you love about it? Do you want to blog? Tell us what scares you most about starting and we will try to address that it a future post!

Brie is the mom of a 4-year-old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.