On behalf of First Security Bank, I am happy to announce the launching of OnlyinArk.com, a site focusing on and celebrating the uniqueness of our state.
The Women Bloggers has been hired to provide five posts per month for this wonderful site through our Arkansas Women Blogger gals.
Go check out some of the wonderful stories already published on the site, such as;
“There’s a lot to celebrate in Arkansas. It’s unique. Southern. Delightfully eccentric. Which is why we love every nook, cranny, cave and corner. In fact, some of our favorite things can’t be found anywhere else. They’re only in Arkansas. So we love them even more. The attractions we visit, the food we crave, the festivals we attend, the mountains we hike, the rivers we float, the stories we tell and the company we keep – it all adds up to one incredible state. And that familiar, meandering silhouette? Looks like home to us.”
You may work in an office or in a factory. Maybe you are a teacher, a beautician, a fashion designer, or a homeschooler. Or perhaps you spend hours training for marathons or doing marathon sessions of laundry. Regardless of how you spend your day, finding time to do everything that’s expected of you and still have time to blog is a challenge. Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring several bloggers who, while they may not have ALL the answers, have a trick or two to help you get things done! Interested in sharing your story? Email Julie@arkansaswomenbloggers.com.
When I first decided to get into the blogging scene, I had no idea what I was doing. I created my blog, wrote a few posts and thought I had it made. But I was never completely satisfied with what I was doing. I started visiting other blogs that I liked to try to pick up on things that I could do to make my blog all I wanted it to be. I quickly realized that if I really wanted to be serious about my blogging, it was going to take quite a bit of time and work. Time is not something I have a lot of and I was discouraged – until I came up with a plan.
I am a full-time working mom. I work 40-hours a week outside the home as the Marketing Director and Medical Staff Coordinator for a small rural hospital. My job sometimes requires that I work through lunch and after “regular” hours. My other job – the one I’m most proud of – is Mom. I have a three-year old daughter and a six month old son. I am married to my best friend and we also have a three month old puppy. My family is my first priority so I had to figure out a plan that allowed me to run my blog, but also not take away from my family time.
The most useful tool I use is a calendar. I’m one of those people who still use an actual calendar/planner, so I just created a color for blog related items. As I think of topics I would like to blog about, I assign them a date in my calendar. I blog using Blogger and they have an app for my phone that I utilize. If I start brainstorming about a blog post I open the app, create a draft post and start jotting down notes. I can always open that post when I get to my computer and write the actual post.
My husband is a great guy and a huge supporter of my blog. Each weekend I block out about two hours to spend on the computer. I use that time to write all my posts for the upcoming week and get everything scheduled on my social networks. The scheduling feature in most blog platforms makes this a breeze to do.
I then head over to my Facebook page to schedule my updates on my page. I can upload pictures, write posts, create links and then schedule them throughout the week to correspond with my scheduled blog posts. For my Twitter and Google+ posts I do all my scheduling through HootSuite. These features for social networking have been my saving grace. I can now get up from my computer and feel like I have accomplished something huge and not have to worry about it all week.
Karen (aka Ting’s Mom) writes her family journal, as well as occasional product reviews over on her blog, Ting’s Mom Blog. She and her family live in rural South Arkansas. You can also follow her through Facebook and Twitter. Blog – http://www.tingsmom.com Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tingsmomblog Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/tingsmom
