Unbelievably, a blog has multiple moving parts! And creating and running a blog involves many different blogging resources on the back-end to make a blog look, feel and function in the way that the blogger envisions on the front-end.
Are you considering becoming a blogger yourself? Don’t wait. Start today! I took my leap in late July 2012, have never looked back and have loved every minute of this journey!
This ever-changing, evolving list provides blogging resources needed to get a blog up-and-running. Currently, I use the products and services listed below on my blog and have been happy with the results.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliates links and if you decide to make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission on that product at no additional cost to you. Also, I have personally used the products listed below and recommend them because they are helpful and useful products, not because of the small commission I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
Amazon Disclosure: Toot Sweet 4 Two is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WordPress – this is the web software used for Toot Sweet 4 Two. All websites and blogs need a web software program to create sites. The software is free – depending on whether you are a hosted site (WordPress.com) or a self-hosted site (WordPress.org) determines whether you will need a hosting company. Toot Sweet 4 Two is a self-hosted site and runs on the WordPress.org software program. WordPress is at the top of my list as one of the most important blogging resources.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Toot Sweet 4 Two, launched in late July 2012, started on a free WordPress theme. Exploring what is available out there, I changed themes about 5 times (it’s fun and easy to do!). By October 2012, I knew I needed to take the leap and hire a professional designer. By February 2013, our new redesign was launched on The Genesis Framework with a custom theme.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The annual fee is worth the investment for the serious blogger, and even non-food bloggers can benefit from the course and I consider this one of the best blogging resources available. Plus, the community forum is an active place where you can go to get questions answered by other food bloggers. Want to know more about Bjork and Lindsay? They are such an inspirational couple that I wrote a post about them once, in my early days as a blogger: Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars from Pinch of Yum (please forgive the poor photography in this post!).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- PicMonkey Basics: Getting Started
- PicMonkey Basics: Edit a Photo
- PicMonkey Basics: Touch Up a Photo
- PicMonkey Basics: Design Your Own
- PicMonkey Basics: Create a Collage
- How to Make a Horizontal Photo a Pinterest-friendly Vertical Photo using PicMonkey
- Oh, The Things You Can Think: 15 PicMonkey Effect to Make Your Photos Pop!
and, many more! Like I said, I love that Monkey and consider this site one of my essential blogging resources!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Google Analytics: The Basics
- Google Analytics: A Peek into Reports
- Google Analytics: Analyzing and Understanding the Audience Report
- Google Analytics: Analyzing and Understanding the Acquisition Report
- Google Analytics: Analyzing and Understanding the Behavior Report
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Need help with understanding the ins-and-outs of social media? These “Dummies” books are good reference guides and blogging resources to help you learn the ropes!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Want to stretch your wings further? A few more “Dummies” books of value as blogging resources:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you wondering why I’ve recommend so many hard copy books as blogging resources on the many aspects of blogging? Isn’t most of this information available online and possibly even free? I’m sure the answer to the second question is “yes” – there are infinite blog posts on blogging resources out there in the universe, but navigating that universe can be tricky!
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t be “online” all the time! I can’t be sitting in front of my desktop computer screen or reading from my tablet or even from the itty bitty screen of my iPhone all.the.time! Personally, I like to curl up on my couch or in a big chair in front of the fire with a hot drink, especially on a cold, rainy day! Conversely, I like to stretch out on a chaise by my pool with a cold drink on a hot summer day!
Books allow me to do that and enjoy the experience without straining my eyes and dealing with searching online for info and running into roadblocks! Love books – and, they still have a place in our world today!
Check back periodically to see what’s new, what’s been changed and updated on this blogging resources page. After all, we are all changing and growing every day and so is this blog!
Tootles,