Join Us For The Chickadette Blog Hop!!

HEY HEY TAPPERS! {or tapettes... whichever takes the cake} I'm thrilled to get to post here on The Blog Tap and share a blog hop I'm hosting! This hop is a way to use Facebook to broaden your reader base and is based on sharing the love! 

I've noticed the women who read my blog generally have between 25-75 or 200-400 followers... unless I comment on the bloggers between 500-1500 who return the favor of commenting. So let's see if we can gain a significant following of random people who genuinely take interest in your blog! I suggest a link-up like no other I've seen!

starting February 1, 2012

THE BLOGGERS FROM ANOTHA MOTHA FACEBOOK ANONYMOUS SHARE PARTY LINK UP THINGY

*I acknowledge that this name is NOT a good one. PLEASE suggest one below and we'll cast a vote!*

Let's take this link up thing a couple of steps farther, starting with Facebook.

Let's help some sista's out.

Take my pledge. I dare you.

I pledge for one week, every day, to post the link URL of a different blogger's website.

There are bazillions of people on Facebook and just think of the potential exposure of one person posting your URL for their 500 friends to see.

Let's promote new bloggers and make some new friends in the mean time!

If you're interested, LINK UP! and DO IT NOW! That way, when we launch and all of my readers and your readers and so on read about this link up you're name will already be on the list of people who want their blog shared!

thesimplestRULESever:

1. Post a blog about this link up and link up, of course!

2. For the next 5 days pick a different blogger from this link up and post their url in your Blog Facebook Page's 'Status' box.

3. *optional* Leave that blogger a comment on their post about this link up letting them know you picked them that day!

<3
This is a Blog Hop!

On Tap: Natalie - From East to West

Happy Monday, Tappers. Today we have Natalie on tap. She is going share some things she has learned about photography and blogging. Leave comments and let us and Natalie know what you think!!






Hi everyone, I’m Natalie and I blog over at From East to West about everything from my adventures in the kitchen to my sometimes comical days at work. A few weeks ago, I participated in an anonymous blog critique. You see, I really don’t have a focus to my blog and being the world’s worst self-critic, I always thought my blog was kind of lame. I’ve been told it’s not. Ha.

But, I digress. What stuck with me the most were the comments about my photos. You see, my “East,” the hubs, Brian, is a professional photographer and takes most of our blog’s pictures but I do take a few. And those aren’t always ever as good as his. So I had him teach me a few tricks which I’m here to share with you.

Watch where your light source is coming from:
Light is everything. Generally speaking, you want the light casting its glory on the subject’s strongest feature - ie: a person’s face or a key detail in a dish. Often times that can be done by making sure the light or sun is somewhat behind the photographer but watch for it behind the subject. Too much can create a silhouette but just enough - a natural beautiful hair light.

Framing:
Fill and pay attention to what’s in the frame. If you watch pros at work their cameras are constantly moving. What’s in that little viewfinder is your canvas. Too often we focus on one element in the picture, an individual person for instance, and forget about the telephone pole seemingly growing out of the person’s head or the great scene in the background. As an experiment, try taping your lens so you can’t zoom in and out. This will force you to constantly correct what’s in the frame without being able to turn a zoom.

Get high, get low, get movin’:
Too often, we shoot from a standing point of view which is great for capturing the whole scene, but not so great for showing something visually different. Get creative, be different. And though it’s counter intuitive, we always want to avoid the double chin. If you’re shooting fashion get low with a telephoto lens to compress the space.  Food? Try from above and capture the whole table.

Easy on the filters:
Although the vintage look in pictures can be cool, it’s often overused. There are a lot of ways to use filters to excentuate a picture without being too obvious. The focus shouldn’t be on the filter, it should be on the subject of the picture.

And that’s it. OK, OK, I know it’s a mouthful but I hope there’s something useful in there for you. Thanks to Lauren and Rushelle for having me. And for those of you who love shooting, what tips have you found helpful over the years?

Basic Rules of Design

Hello, Tappers. (Like the nickname? Tappettes? hmm… I'll work on that.) Today I thought I'd go over a few quick design "Rules" or "Guidelines", if you will.

No matter what you're chosen career, they all have that list of rules to remember and follow. However, in the design field we're a little more flexible. More like the English language rules (you know "there's always an exception to the rule" type stuff).

There are probably hundreds  of great design blogs – and endless posts of tips, tricks and tutorials. But, most of those posts are for graphic designers that design for a living, or for people who need advanced tips and ideas. I have found that while helpful, we often forget some of the basic design rules that everyone should know. It doesn't matter if you design to pay the bills or just for the occasional blog button, these few simple rules will help everything you do look more precise, professional and powerful.

1. White space is good for design. Step away from the color, the boxes and the images. Leaving white space on the page will help lead the eye to the important factors in the page. If a page is too cluttered, the reader doesn’t know what to look at, and there is a high possibility of your message getting lost.
2. Keep things clean and concise. If people have to search for the point, they won’t find it. Want people to call you? Give them your number. Want people to email you? Give them your email. Simple huh? It should be common sense, but many times, we get so carried away with making a design ‘look pretty’ that we forget to make it useful too. Unless you are entering your piece in a contest, more than likely the goal is to get a response, so make sure that the people can respond easily.
3. Pick colors that compliment, not detract. There is no such thing as the right color and "mixing things up" can be a good thing. However, trying to mix too many colors can be overwhelming. Remember to choose colors that are appropriate for what you are designing.
4. Be careful with your font choices. Don’t let them overpower the point you're trying to make. When creating a piece, whether it is for an online site or a printed brochure the font you choose is important. You’re not going to use a goofy font when talking about a funeral home, nor would you want to use a formal font when creating a 2 year old's birthday invitation. Also be careful not to choose too many fonts. Try to stick with the Rule of 3: a font that is for the main writing, a font for the headers, and a ‘fun’ font for highlighting specific words.
5. Spell check. Grammar check. No matter how beautiful the site or the design is, if there are spelling or grammar errors, it will look bad. Do not trust your computer to check the grammar, it won’t. This also includes double checking that your contact information is right, and all the links work. A non-working design fails, no matter how "pretty" it is.
6. It’s okay to break the ‘rules’. Sometimes it is okay to step outside the box a little, to get that surprised response from your audience. Just remember, do it too often, and like anything else, it isn't exciting anymore.

So there's a few of the basics. What do you think? Do you have a design trick that everyone should know? Did I leave anything out?

On Tap: Kodi @ Leaving My Mark

Hey There!

I'm Kodi and you can find me over at 

Leaving My Mark. 

I'm a 19 year old from the great state of Texas. I love my family, my dogs, and life in general. I have an amazing job with even better people that God has blessed me with. 

I'm tattooed. I'm a smart ass. I'm me. 

Why do I do what I do?

Keep reading:)

What do you write about? 

I write about my life and the people in it. And by people I mean my four dogs, my family, and my best friend. I also have a lot of opinions, and I do not hesitate to tell you about them.

I'm also a news junkie, so if there is something important going on in the world, you'll hear about it here too! 

Why did you start? 

I'm a receptionist, which means I sit here and Facebook and occasionally answer the phone. I started reading blogs and thought one day, "I think I can do this." 

I was fresh out of high school (and still am) and figured that this was the best way to remember these next few years as a brand new adult. I would do the occasional post and comment on the occasional blog until the day I thought I lost my blog. 

I logged on one day and blogger told me that my account had been deactivated. 

What?!

I felt like everything I had worked on was destroyed and I was honestly devastated. 

That was the day I realized how important this is to me. That this blog is what I need to be doing. I need to write and share my feelings.

Long story short, I made a new blog and vowed that I would be the best blogger I could.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I think a lot of my inspiration comes from other blogs. Being about to see blogger's being so real, and opening up their hearts for all of us to read is something that I definitely take inspiration from.
I also get inspiration from people in general. Each one of us is different. Different views. Different opinions. And that is amazing to me. I think that' s why I share my opinion on different things because I want to hear yours. I love to see how we are alike and how we are different. 

How do you choose your topics?

My topics are pretty easy to choose since I pull them straight out of my head. I usually write about what I'm thinking even if that means I have a couple of posts a day. If it's something important to me, I make a mental note and try to talk to you about it. I usually don't hide anything from my readers unless it is something very private. Even then though I know I will eventually have to spill my guts. 

What's a normal blogging day like for you?

I blog Tuesdays through Saturdays most weeks, only because those are the days I work. 

I told you i had an amazing job;)

I start out the morning by checking my e-mails. I try really hard to respond to every one first thing so I don't forget about them. After I do that, I go and look at the blogs of my new followers that I acquired over night. I think that is my favorite part of my morning!

Then if I have a post already written for the day I go ahead and post it. If I don't, I try to start writing one. Someday's I'm too lazy to do this and I go read some other blogs. 

This is always a long process because I love to comment and find other blogs. 

Theeeeeeen I write my post. 

And after that, I usually repeat all of these steps numerous times throughout the day. 

Best and worst part of blogging?

The best part of blogging is the wonderful people I meet and the support I receive. Whenever I have a post about something close to my heart, I always receive the sweetest comments or e-mails that mean so much to me.
I don't really know if there is a bad part to blogging. Maybe just the time it takes to get
everything done, but I also love that part. I love sitting down and working on something. 

Any advice you'd like to give?

-Never Give Up. Just because you have 5 followers or because nobody commented on your post, doesn't mean nobody cares.
-Don't blog for Numbers. Don't blog only to gain followers or page views. You will get discouraged sometimes.
Write for you. Don't write about what other people want to hear. This is an example of being a fake blogger. If we wanted to read that, we'd just watch The Kardashians a little more.
Don't forget where you came from. You were a small blog once too.

So how was that?
You think you're gonna like me?
Well head on ova here and see what I'm really all about.
-k-


Oh, and P.S. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this project! I'm so excited to see all of us bloggers come together and learn off of each other.<3

OH and one more thing:

Just a quick note to let you know about a little something that I have going on. 

Bella, my puggie, has convinced me to let her have a link up on here. 

She says that she want's bloggy friends too. 

So, Tuesday (January 30th), we're going to have a

BOW WOW LINK UP!

I know how excited you are. 

What we'll do is help our doggies type up their very own post and them you'll go to my site and link up. 

They can write about whatever they want and then all of our doggies will go comment on them! 

Sound good?

I'm so excited and Bella is already typing her own post to invite all of you to join!

Ok, Now that's it. :)

Other Options When Picnik Closes: by Allison

Hey you guys! I have some really good news. I know we've all been worried about Picnik closing down in April. Well have no fear!! Allison from Feeding My Temple has done our homework for us! She's found some awesome substitutes for us:

Hey, friends! I'm Allison. 

Have you heard the news? As of April 19th, Picnik will be gone. Good bye. Never to be heard of again. 

Great. :: sarcasm::

The only good news I can possibly find in all of this? We all get Picnik Premium until then. I'm not sure if Google has actually come out and said this, but we all know this is another hideous attempt to shove Google+ down out throats. 

So what is a blogger to do?? I wanted to share a few alternatives to Picnik for all of us who might of had a panic attack when we heard the news. 

1. Splashup

  Splashup, formerly Fauxto, is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. With the features professionals use and novices want, it's easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once. Splashup runs in all browsers, integrates seamlessly with top photo-sharing sites, and even has its own file format so you can save your work in progress.

2. Pixlr

I actually use this as an extention in Google Chrome. 

Described as Photoshop in a browser, continues to amaze many.

It lacks features like importing from other sites like flickr, but you can still open an image by specifying its URL. 

3. Snipshot

Snipshot is not a flash based editor. It’s a highly responsive, Ajax powered image editor. So, this should be your choice if stranded in a computer having no flash plugins. You can import photos stored in your computer or from the web by mentioning its address. You can also import photos from flickr using a bookmarklet. Snipshot allows you to export and save your photos in a number of different formats - JPG, PNG, TIF, BMP and even PDF and Photoshop PSD.

4. Picture2Life

BONUS: You can make collages with Picture2Life! 

Unlike all classical picture editors with toolboxes and a number of buttons, Picture2life has a descriptive side panel stacked into four vertical tabs – Quick Fixes, One Clicks, All and Featured. Selecting any tab replaces the sidebar with a new sidebar that contains a number of options like Brightness, Color, Contrast etc. But, instead of showing them as buttons, it takes your picture and shows you how the picture will look if the effect is applied and uses this as thumbnails for the buttons.

5. Aviary

This one is from the creators of Phoenix (a STRONG competitor for Photoshop). It is one of the easiest I have seen, but filled with TONS of tools. It also integrates well with mobile and tablet editing. This one reminds me a lot of Picnik. 

6. iPiccy

iPiccy makes your photo awesome with many easy to use photo tools. Edit pictures, apply beautiful photo effects, add text and even paint!

Nothing will ever really replace Picnik, but we do have some good choices when it goes away! 

Find more of my ramblings and love for social media, recipes, and fitness at Feeding My Temple. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook. 

On Tap: Katie @ ...for Lauren and Lauren

Hello!  My name is Katie and I blog over at . . . for Lauren and Lauren.  

I am a wife, Jesus follower, sister, aunt, teacher, crafter, runner, sweets lover, tv watcher and new blogger.  I started blogging a few month ago when my sister Lauren ,and future sister in law Lauren, convinced me that I should start a blog to share my daily outfits and my etsy shop.  

I've been reading blogs for a long time and did not realize what I was missing out on! I am loving the ladies I have met and get excited about meeting new friends.  I didn't realize what a community there was in blogging.   When I started blogging I thought I would just post pictures of my outfits, but I realize that is such a small piece of what I want to share.  I'm excited for my blog to be a mix of my style and craft projects,  but also about what I'm learning in life!  I look forward to getting to know more bloggers!

Blog Hops!

The Blog Tap wants to hear what your favorite blog hops and linky parties are. Is there one that you link up to every week? Do you link up to at least one blog hop/linky party daily? More than one a day? Or do you host one that you'd like us to promote? Don't hesitate to email us at theblogtap@gmail.com or leave a comment with a link below.

Blog hops and linky parties are a great way to learn about fellow bloggers, and to get your blog out there to be seen by others.

Today Digger and I are linking up with Mary in Marriedland with her Flashback Tuesday link up. Last week was the first time she introduced this awesome idea to her readers. We love the idea of sharing a few photographic blasts from our pasts.

Thanks for such a fun blog hop idea, Mary!!

Introducing Little Lo...

This was taken during a family vacation to the Black Hills. Circa 1987ish. This was the first family vacation that I have a vivid memory of. All five of us were packed into a little white station wagon, and we made the trek from small town southeastern Minnesota to the South Dakota badlands. We visited Mount Rushmore, along with stops at a Flinstones theme park, and a olden days village where we got ride in the back of a covered wagon. We went there twice during my childhood so I get the memories confused. But I do remember that our second time around involved our Argentine foreign exchange student, Gustavo. And I remember not being his biggest fan. Mainly because his arrival forced me share a room (and bed) with my sister. And because he spent way too much time stinkin' up our only bathroom. 

And here's the pint size Digger... 

This was taken in the Uintah Mountains in Utah. We'd go up several time every year for camping trips and hikes. My dad would hold my hand and walk me around the forest. He'd show me the birds and the nests and where all the animals would hide. Then he'd show me the best places to get nuts and wild berries and which ones were safe to eat and which weren't. I LOVED these trips!! I was a Daddy's Girl from the very beginning and I wanted to be exactly like him. Hence the hat and collared shirt. I remember how excited I was when he brought these hats home; one for each of us, and matching no less. I wore it EVERYWHERE and actually still have it.

 Alright, now it's your turn! Link Up With Mary and Flashback Tuesday! :)

On Tap: Grace @ Growing Up Grace

Hello!!! My name is Grace, I blog over at {growing up grace} & Beauty In Design: Community, and this is my first time doing a guest post.

I started blogging when I was nine years old (May 2009). I was terrible with computers...I had never even heard of a Mac (actually, I just learned what a Mac was about a month ago...don't tell anyone).

When I blog, I try to be funny, and I usually blog in "lists" (click {here} or {here}). When I got thirty followers, I got excited. I told my Mom, and she said "Don't you feel pressure to keep those followers now?" No, I didn't. If people didn't like how I blog or what I blog about, then they wouldn't follow me. If I keep on blogging the way I do now; I'll keep my followers! Lots of people (okay, three people) have asked me how I get a lot of readers (I have 54 followers....so not that many....but more than others). I enter in lots of photo challenges, follow lots of blogs & leave comments, and now, I am hosting my own photo challenges.

I get my inspiration from other blogs, such as Color Me Katie, Happy Bow Lucky, and The Wonders of Christ. Also, I put polls on my sidebar asking my readers what they would like me to post about. Those really help - I type up the results and keep it saved on the computer. When I'm feeling "uninspired", I look at that list.

See this button?

That is why I blog - sometimes. Just take out the "laundry" part and insert "homework." Other times I blog because that's how I connect with people. I have met many people through blogging. It's been super fun! I chat with Brooke, email Lizzie, and write Amber. It's probably the best part about blogging.

There is a downside to blogging...it takes up so much time. Lizzie has decided to only blog once a month because she felt she was blogging too much...I should probably do something like that...but I can't. I am more short-term...so I have decided to schedule a week where I do NOT go on the computer AT ALL. That will probably happen in March or February.

Something I have learned is to NOT put music on your blog! Lots of people do that - I used to. But people don't like it. I had a poll on my sidebar:

Question: Should I put music on my blog?

No: 7 (100%)

Yes: 0 (0%)

People don't like it! So, if you have music on your blog, I would advise taking it off, or not putting it on auto-play. Also, don't clutter your sidebar - too much. I have a busy sidebar, but I am constantly putting new stuff on and taking old stuff off. If you put on something new, you have to get rid of something old.

Post lots of pictures. People like pictures.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!!! I bet this is the longest post I have written!

On Tap: Amira @ Shades of Gray

HELLO Blog Tappers!!! 


Lo here. 


So many of you have joined up already. This makes us happier than you know. Have you told your blog buds about us yet? Remember. We're on Facebook (like us!) and Twitter (tweet us!).



Is everyone ready for our very first, very important, and VERY amazing guest blogger? I have been fortunate enough to get to know Amira a bit over the last couple months. I think she is a pretty dang good blogger. She possesses all the features a good blogger should have: She writes well. She is funny. And she has a cute dog (seriously. that's all you need to be a good blogger--secret to success right there). In fact. I am almost positive that her Lucy and my Bobo were separated at birth. Need proof?? 


Here's Lucy (omg look at that wrinkly neck). 

And here's our Bobo boy (with creepy Instagramed eyes). 

Both Amira and I (and I think our husbands too) were blown away by the similarities. I will someday devote an entire post to our canine companions twins (there may be a video of me making Bobo read Lucy's blog post), but for now let's see what Amira is up to. 

Take it away, Amira--our very first and distinguished Blog Tap guest blogger!! 

Ladies, I am so excited to be posting
on The Blog Tap!

When Lauren told me about this idea I
knew it would be a successful one. 

What blogger out there doesn't want to
network with other bloggers,

gain traffic to their own blog

and find new ones to love
everyday? 

Anyone? 

{crickets.}

That's what I thought.

I wanted to share with you guys about
one of my latest postings.

After envying another blogger's real
life pen pal,

{and moping about how I don't have
one}

I thought, "Hey, if I want one - maybe
you will too?"

If you adore receiving mail as much as
I do

{not bills and junk mail which seems
to be all we get in our household}

email me and I'll match you with your
very own pen pal.

For more details, click on the button
below.

If you think your readers
might be stoked on handwritten love notes, post cards, and
packages, 

you can also use the code to spread
the word on your own blog,

<br /> <a border="0"<br /> href="http://amiragray.blogspot.com/2012/01/pen-pals.html"<br /> target="_blank"><img src="<br /> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/deathcabcutie5/penpal-1.jpg "<br /> /></a><br />


xo,

The Blog Tap Tour

We did it! What started out as a great idea has finally been shared with all of you, and we couldn't be more excited!!

Lauren and I are so glad that you're here! Let me show you around a bit, tour guide-style:

This page is where you will find links to ANYTHING bloggy. If you have something you'd like to share (anything from a "How-To" to a "Don't Do") let us know! We want this page to be full of resources for bloggers everywhere.

On this page you will find links to EVERY guest post that is written on The Blog Tap. We want to make sure your hard work and effort doesn't get lost or buried in the archives. It's important to us that your information is always easily accessible and just a click away.

Here you will find a community forum. We REALLY want to know what YOU want and we want you to be able to come here and find ideas, have chats, get to know your fellow bloggers and discuss blogging topics. If you have an idea or a topic let us know. Again, this site it FOR YOU!

 This is by far my favorite part of The Blog Tap! We are currently working on an interactive map so that you can know which of your favorite bloggers live close enough to you for a Blate (Blog+Date). I really can't wait to see who I can meet up with!! In the meantime, send us your name, email, Blog URL and City that way we'll have a bunch of info to start with. :)

I know I've already gone over it, BUT I want to make sure that you all KNOW without a doubt that THIS is for you. For all bloggers, everywhere! It is a resource and a place to get together. We want to promote your blogs as much as possible COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE! Here's a few different ways we're able to do that:

• Guest Post: If you choose to guest post on The Blog Tap (and we really hope you do!) Your posts will be announced via Twitter & Facebook. You will have a 75x300 ad placed under the "Our Guests This Week" header on the right sidebar. And your post will forever be linked on the TAPPED IN… page.
• Free Ad: Send us an ad that is 75x150 for a FREE listing on our right sidebar. 
• Map It: Be listed on our Map On Tap page. 
• Link A Tip, Trick or Tutorial: Send us a link to a post you've written on any tip, trick or tutorial  Bloggy.

And that's it! It's FREE. It's SIMPLE. And it's ALL FOR YOU! Please, join us! We can't wait to get to know you all and learn your mad skills! :)

"I'm A Real Blog!" The Pinocchio Story Of An Email

One Saturday evening, almost a week ago, Lauren sent me a little email with the most brilliant idea I've ever heard! A facebook page completely dedicated to HELP create a blogging community. A wonderful little place where we can ALL contribute and share and help each other.

Thus, The Blog Tap was born. The Blog Tap is all about YOU: The Blogger. Whether you want to share your ideas, dreams, thoughts, opinions, or advice we want to hear from you. This entire space is dedicated to help all of us learn what the "next step" is to becoming the best bloggers we can be.

What started out as just a Facebook idea for Bloggers has turned into:

 Facebook Page

Twitter Account

and Blog

Source: Uploaded by user via Brooke on Pinterest

So, come on in, link up, follow along and join in the fun! The Blog Tap is here whenever you need to turn on some inspiration or feel like spouting off some advice. (See that word play. Oh yeah, we're awesome like that!)

We hope you'll share your blog, tips, tricks and advice here too. It's going to be super cool!! And we're really looking forward to getting to know ALL of you!