Finding Your Blog's Niche - Guest Post by Diane Estrella

Diane Estrella and I met in the blogosphere. When her husband came to this area on business, she tagged along. We got to spend a whole day together. She's a good friend and has much to share. Here's Diane...

This carving out your place in cyber-world is sometimes harder than it looks.

Does your blog or website have a theme? A niche, an activity for which a person or thing is best fitted, can make or sometimes break your blog.

My very first suggestion would be: Plain and simple, showcase and talk about what you love.

You don’t even have to be an expert at it. Your passion and enthusiasm for your topic should carry you along. If you don’t love what you’re doing, you will fizzle out, and so will the pizazz of your site. The good news is if what you’re doing isn’t working for you anymore, then change it! I grant thee permission to try something new. We evolve as people with new likes and dislikes, and so can your blog.

Secondly, if there isn’t one theme that is your total “You complete me” area, then find a way to incorporate many. I see a lot of people out there with varied interests: scrapbooking, photography, writing, homesteading, quilting, and on, and on, and on…

Maybe showcase the different areas on specific days of the week. Have regular features that your audience will know you’ll be talking about on certain days, so they can follow what they love about you too.

Finally, find others with similar interests. There is nothing more encouraging and powerful than to have a whole community of people behind you. Learning new ideas or lifting others up can be empowering for you and give you even more ideas for your blog and how to make it better.

How about you…do you have a niche? Where does your blog fit in?

Alphabet Fun

My friends, Jeanette Levellie, Diane Estrella, and Nancy inspired me to share a little about myself. If you want to do this exercise, jump right in either on your blog or a short version in the comments.

A. Age. Older than 20, but younger than 80.

B. Baked Goods. Chocolate Chip cookies and brownies.

C. Chore you hate. Cleaning my kitchen floor. Because of the design, I have to get down on my hands and knees.

D. Dogs. I like them, but they're too much work. I prefer cats.

E. Essential start to your day. Bible reading, journaling, and prayer.

F. Favorite color: Purple. (Jeanette can verify this.)

G. Gold or silver. I like gold, but silver is nice.

H. Height: 5' 6" I've shrunk a bit. With the longevity in my family, I could end up petite.

I.  Instruments you play. I took piano as a kid, but hated it.

J.  Job. Administrative Assistant. I love the work, the people, and the company.

K. Kids. Two grown stepsons and a daughter-in-law.

L.  Live. East Coast, USA

M. Mother. Still with me, Praise God!

N.  Nickname. Suze (pronounced Sooz, but sometimes Susie)

O.  Overnight hospital stay. Two that I'd prefer to forget.

P.  Pet peeve. People who don't clean up after their dogs.

Q. Quote. John 10:10. Yes, you'll have to look it up!

R.  Right or left. Right.

S.  Siblings. I'm the Lone Ranger (my Dad's words), but I have an honorary sister.

T.  Time you wake up. I wake up several times during the night, but I get up at 6:15 A.M.

U.  University you attended. The School of Hard Knocks (again, according to my Dad). I did graduate from Bible School and spent an additonal year at a second Bible School.

V.  Vegetable you dislike. Brussels Sprouts and asparagus. However, I do like broccoli.

W.  What makes you late? Digging my car out after a snowstorm.

X.  X-rays. It's a wonder I don't glow in the dark.

Y.  Yummy food. Spaghetti and meatballs with salad, black olives, and garlic bread.

Z.  Zoo animal favorite. Giraffe. I always remember my cousin's 2-year-old pointing to the markings and saying, "Boo-boo?"

Were you surprised by any of my answers?

Conference Pictures

My dear friend, Jeanette Levellie, and I finally met in person. Here she is at our regular "catch you after a workshop" spot at the base of the Learning Center stairs. Isn't this picture stunning? She's a beautiful lady--inside and out. :)

The figures you see in the background are part of a nativity scene.

It must have been near the end of the day. I look tired (but definitely happy).

From Left to Right: Barbara Higby, Jeanette Levellie, and Susan Panzica

Barbara is a new friend. We hit it off right away.

She and Susan came to the conference together.

Susan and I met here two years ago.

From Left to Right: Susan J. Reinhardt, Jeanette Levellie, and Elaine W. Miller.

Elaine is an author and speaker. She taught a workshop at the conference. We met on the

Internet through our friend, Diane Estrella.  Hi, Diane! Sorry you couldn't join us.

Here's Jen going over her notes for the next editor meeting. Isn't the setting gorgeous?

To the left of the picture is a small lake with ducks and geese. We

enjoyed getting some refreshment for the soul.

If you ever get an opportunity to attend the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, jump at it. We had a fabulous time!

What is your favorite part of a writers' conference? The workshops, the editor/agent/author meetings, or networking with other writers?



Friday Round-Up - #152

Laurel Garver, at Laurel's Leaves, wonders what it would be like to time travel.

I wonder if you can ride a bike through a wormhole? Maybe our friend, Stephen, can answer that one. I digress. Who would you like to visit in the past or future?

Ah, from bikes to bleachers! Diane Estrella, at That's What I'm Here For, tells us why you will need a fan page on Facebook.

Do you have a fan page on Facebook? Please share some tips on set-up and what to include.


Have a splendiferous weekend!

Happiness Is...

My Blogger Buddy, Maria Morgan, of Life Lessons, gave me this lovely award. She draws spiritual insights from daily life.

I'm supposed to bestow this award on ten other bloggers, but I'm whittling it down to five.

1) Sandra Heska King combines amazing  photos with her daily thoughts.

2) Jean Fischer, at the Walrus & The Carpenter, talks about writing and life. Check out her other blog, The Compost Pile, as well.

3) Carla Gade, at Writing to Distraction, is a newly contracted author. She's been doing a series on Colonial custumes. If you're a historical writer, zip over there and check out these posts.

4) Jessica Nelson, at Booking It, posts on Wednesday about her writing journey. Romance is her genre.

5) Diane Estrella often tickles my funny bone with videos and posts about her everyday life. She also does giveaways.

All of these ladies are regulars on my personal blog tour. You can always find them on my blogroll, along with many other awesome bloggers. Congratulations! Thank you for providing so many delightful hours of reading.