Blogger Appreciation Day: March 2011

I found this meme at Simply Stacie and then followed it all the way to 3 Boys and a Dog.  For the month of March, we're joining in!


Here’s how it works:

1. Go into your tracking service (I use Google Analytics) and set the time period for March 1st – March 31st.
2. Find the sites that have referred readers to you and put them in order from most sends to lowest. (I only do blogs and small businesses, not big sites!)
3. Write a post (like this one) listing your top 10 referrers.
4. Grab the Blogger Appreciation Day picture and add it to your site or post. (It is also nice to link back to my site, since I am giving you a link )
5. Link that post up in my LinkyTools below. (Please do not list your current giveaways!! If you want your giveaways linked, send me )
6. Scroll down and you will see a list of links, simply add your direct post link to it.

To start, I'm putting up a jpg of the top ten referring sites per Google Analytics:

 

I was surpised to see that in first place was none and second was google.  Who knew?  As for blogs, I knew Tightwad in Utah would be in the top ten.  Audrey's blog is fabulous and I list lots of the MS giveaways there.

Here's the breakdown:

1. Tightwad in Utah (598 visits)

2. Tropical Traditions giveaways blog (24 visits)

3. Island Life (22 visits)

4. Real Mom Reviews (11 visits)

5. Little Yayas (9 visits)

6. Rach and Jase Ohana (waving to Rach! 9 visits)

7. Snack Bar Reviews (6 visits)

8. Scraps of Life (2 visits)
9. Mommy has to Work (2 visits)
10. The Suburban Mom (2 visits)

As you can see, there's a HUGE gap between A Tightwad in Utah and all of the other blogs who have sent traffic our way.  Goal for April?  Make more bloggy friends!

Create a Welcome Page for your Blog

I was strolling through my Facebook feed when I clicked on SuzieQTPie’s Scraps of Life and found her new welcome page.  It was cool! And it was free!  Which meant that nothing could stop me from trying it out. 
Pagemodo is a marketing design application on Facebook that lets you design pages for your Blog/Business/Brand page.  It adds a professional touch to your presence on Facebook and also personalizes it as well.  I added the header from the Moana Saves blog (although it isn’t as stunning as it is here) and some pics of the MS bloggers.  Oh and that ocean pic?  That’s just down the street from where we live.  I know: Lucky we live Hawai’i.  And I enjoyed communicating that as well using Pagemodo.  The future of online marketing will definitely include Facebook.  Pagemodo helps you present yourself professionally on Facebook.  While I used the free Pagemodo option, there are also upgrade packages if you want to harness the greater strength of the application.   Check out the new Moana Saves Welcome page on Facebook!

More Info about the Blogging Success Summit (free Webinar!)

The organizers of the Blogging Success Summit have just announced a free WEBINAR: 9 Companies Doing Blogging Right and What You Need to Know taught by Michael Stelzner and the leaders from BlogWorld (Rick Calvert & Dave Cynkin). 

HERE is the link to the webinar which is just a sample of the kinds of presentations/presenters the Summit will feature.

WHAT IS THE SUMMIT?: The summit stars 23 blogging pros teaching business owners and marketers how to master business blogging. Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra, Scott Monty (head of social media, Ford), Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Darren Rowse (author, ProBlogger), Debbie Weil (author, The Corporate Blogging Book), Douglas Karr (co-author, Corporate Blogging for Dummies) experts from Sony, McDonald’s, Cisco, Southwest Airlines and Procter & Gamble; Jay Baer (author, The Now Revolution) and Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner)--just to name a few.

WHO'S COMING: You might recognize some of the folks who already purchased tickets... Tupperware, World Bank, Home Depot, Aetna, General Mills, Vanguard, Simple Green, Chiquita, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, The Daily Telegraph, Arbitron, Virginia State Parks, and hundreds of smaller businesses.

Right now the Summit is currently offering 50% off tickets. The half-off sale ends Jan. 20th. The event takes place in February.  Stacie, of Simply Stacie, and I have signed up and look forward to blogging about the Summit as well as taking our blogging to the next level.  You are welcome to join us!

Eight Things Learned from Blogging in 2010 (or the post with the most parenthetical asides)

I'm seeing lots of "year in review" posts from bloggers since we're on the verge of 2011.  Well, that made me want to write one, too. (Peer pressure is a powerful thing--even when you're not a teenager anymore.)  But Moana Saves has only been 'live' since the end of August so my "year in review" would only be "four months in review"--it seemed a bit staged to write something like that.
Instead I thought of writing about what I’ve learned about review blogging since August. So here we go:
1. Social media is a vehicle and not the thing itself
It transports your message and that message is best delivered within the web of relationships that social media creates.  I’m still learning about social media and networking (check it: I’m not a social media maven ((yet)) and am leery of those who call themselves that ((still))) but I’m amazed at how social media connects people in significant ways.
2. Blogging is a process not a product
I’m constantly adjusting the blog interface—tweaks here and there.  And I’m always thinking about content although those changes are still in the works.  I’ve never been the kind of girl who re-arranges the living room furniture although I’m compelled to do the equivalent of that on the blog.  But here’s the important thing: blogging as a process is FUN!  For me, its become a creative outlet (that I truly needed!)--especially when I look back and measure what I’ve learned since the launch of the blog.  This may motivate me to move the living room sofas around and put up some new things on my walls at home . . . nah . . .
3. Writing is the meat and potatoes of review blogging
I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this.  Good writing and strong writerly voice=fun-to-read, engaging product review.  Good writing is an important component of excellent PR and I’m happy to provide that on the blog (not just talking about myself, peeps—the review bloggers on Moana Saves ROCK!).  I love blogs that reflect this and hope we are in the process of becoming one.
4. Monetizing your blog doesn’t mean you’ll make money
Hahaha. Its true.  While I’m not in this to make big bucks, I’m surprised by all of the different ways to monetize your blog.  However.  Monetizing your blog doesn’t mean you’ll get rich quick.  A blog still needs a steady stream of good content over a long period of time to benefit from monetization.  Which means we haven’t. Yet.  A review blogger who is particularly transparent about affiliate blogging/advertising/etc is Stacie over at Simply Stacie.  You should read her if you’re interested in monetizing your review blog.
5. Blogging ethics are everything
And they can’t be separate from your every day living ethics either.  Some people think that how you act online can be different from how you act in real life.  They aren’t.  Trying to manage your on- and offline personas like that will get you into trouble.  Like some of my sista review bloggers say, “Transparency is everything” and that’s something I truly believe.
6. The power of the product
Its important that a review blogger reviews products that she feels good telling her mother about.  Or her daughter.  Product reviews for the sake of having something to talk about on the blog will come back to bite you.  If I’m offered a product I wouldn’t normally use, I won’t do it and I learned that one by experience (no, I’m not telling you. go ask Alice.  seriously! ((inside joke))).  As a result, I’ve also been drawn to products that make my family ‘greener’ and I think this is because I’ve internalized the responsibility one has as someone who promotes something in a public forum.  What you do says a lot about who you are.  That is not to say that I’m anti-consumerism.  Its more like saying I’m pro careful consumption.  I hope we reflect that philosophy on Moana Saves.
7. I love you guys (sob)
I’m bowled over at how fabulous everyone is in the review blogging community.  Everyone, from seasoned bloggers (thass you, Kailani!) to PR reps, is wonderful and in indirect ways have worked to make Moana Saves a better blog.  THANK YOU!  It has been a pleasure interacting with you!  I love you! (oh wait, that’s getting out of hand.)  Most of all, I appreciate the review bloggers who blindly committed to writing for Moana Saves.  Jayne, Kristen, Lisa and Liz, I love you almost as much as I love Chevy the Super Dog (and that’s a lot!).  Thanks for your careful, engaging reviews and for hanging with me on the blog.
8. I’m long-winded
If you haven’t noticed.
And lastly, mahalo nui loa for reading to the end of this post and for coming to visit us at Moana Saves.  I loves ya and I wish you all the best that 2011 has to offer.  Happy New Year!

Blogging Success Summit 2011

 

Do you want to start a blog? Do you have one and want to take it to the next level? I just signed up for this conference after reading about it from one of my favorite review bloggers.  I'm completely excited about learning from the blogging pros and I don't have to leave my home to do it!

Blogging Success Summit 2011 is a special online conference designed to help you master business blogging (brought to you by BlogWorld and Social Media Examiner). Join Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra, Scott Monty (head of social media, Ford), Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Darren Rowse (author, ProBlogger), Debbie Weil (author, The Corporate Blogging Book), Douglas Karr (co-author, Corporate Blogging for Dummies) experts from Sony, McDonald’s, Cisco, Southwest Airlines and Procter & Gamble; Jay Baer (author, The Now Revolution) and Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner)–just to name a few. These are some big names in blogging and in business! Go here for special half-off savings: 

Michael (and his team) have been working for months to bring the best minds in blogging together in this fully online event.  More than 4,400 marketers and business owners from around the world attended his last two summits. Businesses were transformed. In fact, 95% of attendees said they’d attend again. (how cool is that?)
This summit’s focus is to empower you to implement successful blogging strategies, grow a loyal following, generate quality leads and sell with your blog.

Twenty-three of the world’s leading social media superstars will be summit instructors.
Presenters include Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra, Scott Monty (head of social media, Ford), Darren Rowse (co-author, ProBlogger), Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner), Debbie Weil (author, The Corporate Blogging Book), Douglas Karr (co-author, Corporate Blogging for Dummies) and experts from McDonald’s, Cisco, Southwest Airlines, Sony and Procter & Gamble.

Attendees at the two last summits included well-known organizations such as General Electric, American Express, Staples, General Mills, Intel, Harvard, San Francisco Giants, Kraft Foods, Hyatt Hotels, Stanford, IDG and Disney. But you don’t need to be a big business to benefit!

This is the world’s largest online blogging event designed to empower marketers and business owners to master blogging. And the great news is it’s a live online conference you can attend from your home or office.  Go now to learn more HERE.


You can get 50% off if you act now. Twenty-three successful blogging pros will show you how to use blogging to market and grow your business.  Remember, the experts teach the sessions live (and it’s all online). So you don’t need to leave your home or office! Go HERE to see how this works.


For a limited time only, they are selling tickets for half price for the first 2500 people who register so don’t delay in purchasing. I paid $297 and was able to break that down into two payments. If you've ever attended an "in real life" conference, you'll know that the conference fees, plane tickets, daily food/incidentals far exceed this total.  While I can't promise this, I suspect that these summit sessions will more than return to me the cost of attending.  Even if I have something going on the day of a session, no problem because as an attendee I'll have access to the videos and transcripts from all of the sessions.  Here are some of the sessions presenters are planning:

• Turbo-Boosting Your Blog Traffic With Facebook
• How to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings With Blogging
• How to Create Compelling Blog Content That Brings People Back Again and Again
• How to Grow, Engage, and Retain Blog Readers
• How Big Businesses Are Leveraging the Power of Blogs

As a way of saying “thanks” for checking out the summit, there’s a gift just for marketers called “Building Community with Facebook and Blogs” (valued at $59) waiting for you. Go get it HERE.

I would love for you to join me at the Blogging Success Summit 2011 and here’s to your success!

Heads Up: Handmade with Love Blog Hop Feb 2-6, 2011

I'm excited to announce that Moana Saves is participating in our first ever blog hop!  The Handmade with Love Blog Hop will begin on February 2 at 12:01 am EST and end on February 6 at 11:59 pm EST and will consist of 145 blogs featuring handmade item giveaways!   

Each blog will host their own giveaway. All the blogs will be linked up through the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway linky so that readers can just hop from blog to blog with the theme of the giveaways being handmade products or gift certificates to handmade stores.  Some blogs may offer just one prize; some will offer more.  I'm excited to join in!  All of the Handmade with Love giveaways will start on February 2nd and run for five days, ending on February 6th. 

We would love to offer more than one handmade giveaway on Moana Saves and are currently looking for prize sponsors.  If you have a handmade business or know someone who does who would like to get lots of PR during this blog hop, please contact me at moanasaves at gmail dot com.  I would love to feature your product(s) during the Handmade with Love blog hop! 

This is what we can offer our giveaway sponsors who donate a prize of $50 or more: 

• We can put your button on the Moana Saves blog in the "advertise here" wide side bar for the entire month of February.
• Send out a tweet about your company every day of the blog hop and once a week for the rest of February.
• Include one or more of your social media accounts (liking Facebook or following you on Twitter for example) as one of a reader's bonus entries in your giveaway. 
• Write a feature article about your company (250+ words) to be posted along with your giveaway.

This is what we can offer our giveaway sponsors who donate a prize of $49 or less:

• We can put your button on the Moana Saves blog in the "advertise here" wide side bar for the entire week of the blog hop.
• Send out a tweet about your company every day of the blog hop.
• Include one or more of your social media accounts (liking Facebook or following you on Twitter for example) as one of a reader's bonus entries in your giveaway. 

We are also  open to other options you request for giveaway sponsorship.  Just contact me at moanasaves at gmail dot com.

 

Deb-E for SAM-E

To the right of this post, you can see Deb-E's "vote for me" button.  Debbie's a college writing friend from way back in the day when we had nothing better to do than write about toe fetishes and nanny-ing.  Now we're moms and blogging up a storm instead! She would make a great representative for SAM-E.  Debbie is always smiling and happy with just the right amount of healthy cynicism (its great for the colon!).  Plus she met Jack Johnson and spotted pre-presidential President Obama coming out of the bathrom at Turtle Bay.  Check out her blog here and don't forget to vote Deb-E for SAM-E.

Custom Blog Design Giveaway From the Shabby Vanity

Ever since Madeline Mele of The Shabby Vanity did my blog design at the end of August, I've wanted to feature her and her business here at Moana Saves.  Working with Madeline on the blog design was great.  She is efficient and professional, listening to me every step of the way yet also adding her expertise when I dawdled.  I was almost sad to see the process end!  Further, Madeline has been great about answering my design questions or making adjustments after the original work she did. Here are some recent designs she's done.  Hard to miss mine and the other blogs are fabulous, too!

I interviewed Madeline recently for the readers of Moana Saves:

How did you get into creating blogs?  What do you like most about designing?
Since I am far away from most of my family and friends, I needed a way for them to keep up with my new little family. So I created a family blog with Blogger. I loved messing with the designs and reading tutorials on how to improve the look of my blog. Blog design uses a lot of coding such as html, javascript, and css.  So I committed to learning those codes by reading articles, writing codes, and ultimately working towards html certification. Then I realized that I could help others with their blog too! What I like most about designing blogs is seeing the reactions of my clients when they see their new blog design for the first time. That initial reaction of "I have a cute blog now!" is great!

What design tip can you give to bloggers?
Make your blog how you want it to be!  There are so many great tutorials out there that can teach you how to design your own blog. Having a great look on your blog not only increases traffic flow- but when your design looks professional, your content begins to improve too! Designing it yourself can be time consuming and require extra computer programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and other third-party resources. However, most of the time, basic things like adding a post divider, or uploading a background can be done pretty easily if you are following a good tutorial. When things get complicated because you want a design that no one else has, you don't have the resources to follow a tutorial, or you just don't have the time- that's when you contact a blog designer to do it for you!

As a mom and a business owner, I know you're busy and you work hard.  When you get some time for yourself, how do you like to pamper yourself?
Just like everyone else that has multiple responsibilites, I feel like life is a juggling act.  In order to make the most of my time for myself- I do what I enjoy. Whether that day it's make a batch of cookies, take a bubble bath, or update our family blog- I just make the most of it!  

Okay, so you know about my process of working with Madeline on Moana Saves and you know more about Madeline, the blog designer and mom.  Check out her blog here where you can see her custom blog designs she's done, grab a button or just hang out.  Madeline is also offering one lucky Moana Saves reader a complete blog makeover!  Check out the info below:

Enter to win a Full Blog (Blogger) Makeover from the Shabby Vanity.

You could win a free Custom:

Background 

Header

Button/Blinkie

Post Signature

Post Divider

Here's how to enter:

1. Become a follower of The Shabby Vanity and Moana Saves with Google Friend Connect (This is the mandatory entry).

2.  For the mandatory entry, leave a comment. For all of the extra entries, leave a comment for each.

Extra entries include 

3. Follow The Shabby Vanity on Twitter.

4. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.

5. Tweet about this giveaway (once a day) and post the URL: #Win a blog makeover from @TheShabbyVanity and @MoanaSaves http://bit.ly/bzXGu2 ends 11/9

6. Follow The Shabby Vanity on Facebook

7. Grab a Shabby Vanity button and post it on your blog!

Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway.  He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S.  This giveaway ends on Tuesday, November 9th at 11:59 PM HST (Hawaii Standard Time).  One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.  I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner. 

Disclosure: I did not receive any form of compensation from The Shabby Vanity to host this giveaway.  Any and all opinions are my own. 

So I didn't get to BlogHer10 . . .

But I have the aspirations and the frequent flyer miles to get to BlogHer11.  That's right, I'm setting a goal and sending out there into the bloggerverse like a message in a bottle. But I digress . . .

Check out Robyn's BlogHer10 Swag Bag giveaway on her blog.  With how companies are recognizing the power of women's blogs and word-of-mouth advertising, you can be sure there will be some cool swag in Robyn's bag (hey! it rhymed!):

Robyn's Online World