tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25306349631757924612024-03-08T12:26:33.882-05:00INDIE e-Conference Fall 2011Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-13710772756086536242011-09-12T19:00:00.000-04:002011-09-12T19:54:14.916-04:00Thanks for Attending!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/thanks.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Hi guys! Thanks so much for attending the conference. We were so glad that we could put it on. The content will continue to be available for you, so don't worry! You can come back and refresh your memory, use a tutorial, find a link, or just browse through at your leisure! Your same username and password will still work. We'll going to be drawing the giveaway winner soon, so watch out for that!<div><br /></div><div>Here are a few pages We've included for you guys to check out. For those of you who didn't get to participate in the live chats, We've included the transcripts, so you can go back and have a look at what we talked about! We've compiled a list of resources that are helpful links we've used in the past and full of some really great knowledge. Last but not least... you guys! We've included a page where you can leave your blog URL and name so we can check out the blogs of all you lovelies who have participated in the e-conference!<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://indieconferencefall2011.blogspot.com/p/resources.html">Resources</a></div><div><a href="http://indieconferencefall2011.blogspot.com/p/live-chat-transcript.html">Live Chat Transcript 1</a></div><div><a href="http://indieconferencefall2011.blogspot.com/p/live-chat-transcript-2.html">Live Chat Transcript 2</a></div><div><a href="http://indieconferencefall2011.blogspot.com/p/bloggers.html">The Bloggers</a></div></div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-63580926404047706272011-09-12T14:00:00.000-04:002011-09-12T14:11:48.280-04:00Fashion communities<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/online.jpg" width="435" /></div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#993300;"><b><i>by Tieka, Selective Potential</i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#993300;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.chictopia.com/" style="text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Chictopia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#696969;">:</span></span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Chictopia is an online fashion community where <i>anyone</i> can sign up for an account. They call themselves the largest online community that gives everyone a voice in fashion. They have over 100,000 users and are always growing. They are one of the top 4 style sites and have a huge presence in the online fashion community. I'm sure you've seen hundreds of blogs with their Chictopia badge on it. They have several features that I'll quickly explain and I'll tell how how I use Chictopia to my benefit.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Style Gallery</i> is one of my favorite features. They have a gallery of photos of girls whose photos have been rated "chic" by members. I use this daily for inspiration. They filter the photos by making members vote photos "chic" or not… so that way you don't have to sift through a bunch of mediocre, dark, blurry, fuzzy, photos. This gallery gives you the best of what is on Chictopia so you can be inspired. You can browse by clothing type, colors, trends, everything. It's so helpful if you want to style up an olive green article of clothing… you can click on the color and find hundreds of outfits styling up an item that is olive green. I <b>love</b> that feature.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Rewards</i> are items Chictopia posts from sponsors! You can earn chic points by doing several things: uploading a photo, commenting, gaining "chic" votes, gaining "fans" or "favorites" to build up enough points to purchase a chic reward! Keep on the look out though - they go <i>super</i> fast. I've only been able to snag one item from them!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Chic Swap</i> is where you can sign up to become a Chic VIP so you can upload to the swap. You can post items, sign up for items and swap clothing online!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Forum</i> They have a great forum with over 10,000 topics and over 164,000 posts on everything from living and advice, to current events, to culture and interests.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Community</i> is where you can find out about recent contests Chictopia is holding (they hold SO many great ones!), they talk about Style Icons (hang tight, I'll give you some tips on how to become a style icon soon!) and the Best of Chictopia with some of the top-rated photos and outfits.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">So go in, create an account and start updating with outfits! It's a fun community; make the most of it!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Tips on how to become a <b>style icon</b>:</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">- <i>Post everyday:</i> I know, it can be really tough to post everyday, but it's the best way to ensure you are constantly exposed to readers so they can add you as a favorite during the month.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">- <i>Step out of the box:</i> When I was in the running for style icon, I had to be really really creative. I used a scarf as a cardigan, wore the funkiest floral tights I could find and tried to work my closet in a completely fresh and unique way.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">- <i>Comment on other photos:</i> It's all about networking. If you comment on other photos, comment back on who has commented on your photos, you'll just be exposing yourself to so many more people who can add you as a favorite! The trick of the game is to get as many "favorites" as possible!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">- <i>DO NOT</i> message or comment on people's photos and ask them to add you as a favorite. That will never work, plus it's annoying spam!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "></p></div><div style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; text-align: justify; "><br /></div><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5417544580_19ac8f7f79_o.png" style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(127, 125, 14); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5417544580_19ac8f7f79_o.png" border="0" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; text-align: justify; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 522px; " /></a><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#993300;"><a href="http://www.weardrobe.com/" style="text-decoration: none; ">Weardrobe</a>:</span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Weardrobe is a great online fashion community. It's a bit more low-key, more focused on the actual outfit photos instead of trying to filter it out by trend or color. Let's focus on the benefits of Weardrobe!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Featured:</i> If you upload your outfit pictures to Weardrobe, you have the opportunity to get featured! They pick only the best outfits in the community and put it on their "featured" page along with links to shop similar styles! It's super helpful if you spot something you like on the featured page… you can shop it really easily.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Recent:</i> Recent shows you a quick and easy look at some of the most recent outfit posts that have been styled. I love the simplicity of Weardrobe and how they let the bloggers do the talking mostly.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Explore:</i> They haven't been keeping up on Weardrobe as much as I'd like to see, but they used to do interviews and features on bloggers! I like to check out their "blogs we love" sidebar. Such a great resource to some amazing blogs out there!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">My favorite feature about Weardrobe:</span></i></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">You can name your clothing articles anything you like. So, whenever I upload a photo to Weardrobe, I am very very particular on what I name the item, so I never name the same clothing article the same name. Why? Because it's AWESOME to be able to click on your outfit photo, click on the name of the clothing article and see all the different ways you've remixed that item (<a href="http://www.weardrobe.com/items/76843-thrifted-diy-navy-skirt">like so!</a>). Weardrobe is like… a remixer's dream! You can't do that on any other online fashion community.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5416935225_10d923c701_o.png" style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(127, 125, 14); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5416935225_10d923c701_o.png" border="0" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; text-align: justify; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 441px; " /></a><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><br /></b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#993300;"><a href="http://www.lookbook.nu/" style="text-decoration: none; ">Lookbook.nu</a>:</span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">Lookbook.nu is a "collective fashion consciousness". The home page is empowering. These are real people.. and they look like they've come out of a fashion magazine! It's such a great resource for inspiration. Lookbook used to be an invite only community, but now they've opened it up and anyone can join!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Hot:</i> Lookbook.nu judges looks based on hypes. Users can "hype" a look and it will rise to the top of the "hot" page. It's a big deal to be placed on the "hot" page!</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>New:</i> The new page showcases all of the newest photos that have been put on Lookbook. It's a great way to see <i>all</i> of the looks instead of just the "hyped" ones. </span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Top:</i> The top page contains the top looks of the week, by total hype.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>Leader:</i> This page showcases all of the big names on Lookbook.nu. Check here to see the most popular Lookbookers of today, this week and of all time on Lookbook.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">The Pros:</span></i></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">The GUYS! On Chictopia and Weardobe, we are lacking some major guy fashion inspiration! I love using Lookbook.nu to look for new ideas for Brett. He secretly denies me and says he hates what they are all wearing… but he'll be peeking over my shoulder and I'll spot him picking up an item that he saw on Lookbook. :)</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><i>The Cons:</i></span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">The lack of variety in body type and ethnicity. There's definitely a lack of diversity on Lookbook. While there are tons of people on Lookbook with amazing style, I do love seeing more of a variety of people in all colors, shapes and sizes.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><p style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family: georgia; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: justify; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br /></p><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5417544728_4898df5d98_o.png" style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(127, 125, 14); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5417544728_4898df5d98_o.png" border="0" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; text-align: justify; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 300px; " /></a><div style="color: rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><u><br /></u></span></div><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5417544728_4898df5d98_o.png" style="color: rgb(127, 125, 14); text-decoration: none; "></a><div style="text-align: justify; ">I hope that helps you learn more about the online fashion communities! There are <i>several</i> out there that can help you, but these three are the biggest ones that have helped me in my fashion blogging journey. Keep your eyes peeled though - there are so many online communities popping up and another one might fit what you need more!</div></div></span></div></div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-72691908652547255522011-09-12T13:00:00.001-04:002011-09-12T13:36:21.565-04:00Writing your "about" page<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/about-2.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><i>by Elizabeth, Delightfully Tacky</i></span></b></div><br />Once you start blogging, you're probably eventually going to want to post an "About Me" page, so your readers have a place to go and find out more about you, and maybe answer questions they may have. A good way of figuring out how to write your About Me/what to include is by checking out other bloggers' about me sections. <div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/about1.png" width="435" /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Mini Bio Section</span></b></div><div>Since your About page is about you and your blog, it's probably a good idea to include at least a little section giving people a mini bio of yourself. You can include what you blog about, things you like, where you are in life (student, married, mother, etc), where you live (if you feel comfortable disclosing your general location), and so on. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">F.A.Q. Section</span></b></div><div>A great thing to include in your About page is an F.A.Q. section. Oftentimes you'll get a lot of the same questions asked of you and by including the answers to those types of questions in your F.A.Q. you can avoid having to answer it over and over. You can also use formspring or a general call for questions people would like answered to find questions for your F.A.Q. You might discover some things people were wondering that you'd never thought to share before!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Favorite posts</span></b></div><div>I like to include links to some of my favorite or most popular posts, so if people are just starting to read my blog and might have missed some of my favorite posts from the past, they can check them out! On my blog, this is actually on a separate page from my About page-- my <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/p/new-to-delightfully-tacky-start-here.html">Start Here!</a> page, which I created as sort of a mini About for people who've just discovered my blog.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/outfits/IMG_3715-1.jpg" /><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Info for sponsors</span></b></div><div>Potential sponsors will often go to a blogger's About Me page to find out more about how they can sponsor. It's good to include a link over to the page you've created with all your sponsorship info, so potential sponsors can find the information they're looking for.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Your contact info</span></b></div>Don't forget to let people know what your contact info is! Make sure to include your email address and if you haven't elsewhere on your blog, link to your blog's facebook page and twitter.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><b>Fun pictures!</b></span></div><div>Because reading a huge block of text is no fun. Include some fun photos of yourself (this is, after all your about ME page. Haha!)<br /></div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-72241027065219583262011-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:002011-09-12T12:38:16.080-04:00Tips & Tricks for swapping<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/swap.jpg" width="435" /></div><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><i>by Elizabeth, Delightfully Tacky</i></span></b><div><br /></div><div>One thing that has been a really fun part of blogging is swapping. Swapping is a great way to not only interact with fellow bloggers in concrete way, but to increase the variety in your wardrobe in a fun and free way. A cool thing that I've discovered about swapping is that it lets me try styles that may be a bit outside of my comfort zone or just styles that I thought might not work well on me. Because the clothes are swapped, though, I don't have to invest in clothes that I'm skeptical will work on me, I can try it out for free!</div><div><br /></div><div>I started the <a href="http://www.delightfuldozen.com/">Delightful Dozen</a> back in 2009 because I loved the idea of a sort of "sisterhood of the traveling pants." Plus, I thought it would be really cool to see how 12 different girls styled up the same item. I knew they would all style it completely differently, and it's such a great way to show how the items in our closets have so many different options, we just don't always have the mindset to see it. Someone with a different brain could see the same clothing item and think to style it totally differently than you would! Another swap group that started up in 2010 is the <a href="http://www.themagpiegirl.com/2010/07/take-ten.html">Take Ten</a> girls in the UK. They decided to make their own swap group after seeing what the Delightful Dozen was doing in the US! Don't feel like you can't start up your own swapping group, just find some of your closer blog friends and bring it up! Chances are, they'll think it's a really fun idea and would love to be involved.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/outfits/DelightfulDozen1.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Another way to swap is by going to local clothing swaps where you take some of your clothes and a ton of other people bring theirs too, you put it all in a pile and then start picking what you want! I've never been to one before but I want to so bad! The <a href="http://theswapaholics.com/">Swapaholics</a> do swaps all the time and they even have listings of swap events all over the world at their <a href="http://events.swap.com/">event page</a> (pssst, there's one coming up on <a href="http://events.swap.com/event/boston-fashion-week-swap-september-29-2011-cambridge-massachusetts-united-states-340/">Sept 29th in Boston</a>!). You can search for swaps based on your country and state. If you're hosting a swap, you can list it too, so more people find out about it!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4374576488_5c9cf90126.jpg" width="435" alt="Delightful Dozen3" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Some tips for swapping</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>1. Find a blogger (or bloggers) who are similar in size to you. This isn't absolutely necessary, but it can help you guys fit into each other's clothes. Sometimes it's interesting, though, to style things that aren't exactly your size. More problem-solving and innovation happens!</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Start a flickr group where you can post discussion topics with photos of the item you're putting up for swap. That way if you have more people in your swapping group, they can take a look at it and comment if they'd like to swap that item.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Create an address directory of the girls in your swap group. This makes it easier to find the address you need to mail the item to. Not so much a big deal if you're swapping with one or two people, but if you have a group of swappers it's nice to have on hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. If someone doesn't style your item, don't feel bad. Sometimes it's just too hard to style, or doesn't fit, or the person just can't figure out how to incorporate it into an outfit. </div><div><br /></div><div>5. Ask one of your sponsors if they'd be interested in sending you guys an item to all style up. The Delightful Dozen did this with a top from <a href="http://shopruche.com/?utm_source=blog_delightfullytacky&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=220x110&utm_campaign=blog_banner">Ruche</a> and it was way fun!</div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-48154838203992549602011-09-11T16:00:00.001-04:002011-09-11T16:00:00.201-04:00NYFW: A Very Stylish Picnic<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6134947988_0e9ee78283_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6134947988_0e9ee78283_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Saturday was a wonderfully relaxing day after the craziness of fashion week. There was a picnic hosted in Central Park by Calivintage, The Clothes Horse and Fancy Fine. It was delightful to sit around with other bloggers, meet a few new girls, eat fruit, snap outfit photos and enjoy the beautiful weather NYC had to offer! Every girl dresses so romantic and whimsical almost. Must be the picnic style! ;)<br /><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6134399485_737b4d73f1_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6134399485_737b4d73f1_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6134399537_96e61bcd10_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6134399537_96e61bcd10_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6134399585_2b64bed9b9_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6134399585_2b64bed9b9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6134399637_6be3739b03_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6134399637_6be3739b03_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-71229239314337626332011-09-11T15:00:00.002-04:002011-09-11T17:49:42.241-04:00BONUS: Creating a working environment<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5431743322_9a694140a4_o.jpg" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size:100%;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-family:georgia;color:#990000;">by Tieka, <a href="http://www.selectivepotential.blogspot.com/">Selective Potential</a></span></b></i></span></div><div style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#666600;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">A working environment is a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">huge deal</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> when you have a blog! More than likely, you'll be working from home a lot and you need to set aside the distractions that might come from working at home. Create a little corner, clear off a desk, set up at the kitchen table… whatever it is, make sure you have a special working environment that suits your needs. </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#666600;"><i><br /></i></span></div></span></b></div><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5172/5417557716_868bed83c4_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 654px; " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5172/5417557716_868bed83c4_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></span></a><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:100%;"></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal 'Trebuchet MS'; "><span style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal 'Trebuchet MS'; "><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;color:#990000;">Steps to take to create a working environment:</span></i></b></span></p><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Find your space</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Find a space in your home you can set aside for a work-space. Like I said, it can be a small desk in the corner, a mini end table inside a closet, whatever it is… find a space that will work for you. I'm lucky enough to have a little nook in our recreation room that I devoted completely to my blog studio.</span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">EMPTY your space</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Huh? Seriously. Empty it. Bare. Nada. Zip. It is so helpful to see the area alone, with no clutter, nothing. That way you can map out where everything will need to go! (Plus it's a great opportunity to clean from top to bottom!)</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5416948255_13fac93811_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 289px; " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5416948255_13fac93811_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></span></a><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Furnish</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. You'll need a tabletop or desktop of some sort! That way you'll have your computer in one spot, along with sticky-notes, books that are of importance and anything you'll need on a daily basis. I also included an enclosed shelf where I can store giveaway items, samples that I throw into packages and other miscellaneous items I might need. I also have a filing cabinet full of cards, papers I need to store and a pen drawer for all of my writing utensils and supplies. Include a comfy item for visitors. I purchased a cute chair from IKEA with a footstool, but it can be something as simple as a floor pillow or bean bag. Plus, if you're flipping through magazines or need a comfy place to think, you'll have it right there.</span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Purge</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Before placing </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">anything</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> into your space, think about it. Are you putting a box in your space that hasn't been sifted through? It's full of old dust bunnies and calculators that don't work? Get rid of those items! If you know you're not going to use it, now is the perfect time to sift through everything and figure out what you need and don't need to keep.</span></span></li></ul><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5416948293_a24e4fff63_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 289px; " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5416948293_a24e4fff63_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></span></a><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Organize</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Purchase some inexpensive file storage. I have boxes, magazine files and binders to store all of my papers, envelopes, you name it. <i>Tip</i>: Find ones with a place to label the box! My most used boxes are: shipping materials, envelopes and letters I've received in the mail from readers/friends/bloggers.</span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Lighting</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. If you're working on your computer a lot, you're going to want to avoid bright lights if you can. It strains your eyes to have too much light while you're trying to look at your computer screen, so try to place a nice warm-light. I have two lamps in my studio… a table top one and a paper lantern. They are both very warm and it's cozy and inviting to be there at night, reading blogs and catching up on emails.</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5417557840_313fd8a6c6_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 435px; height: 289px; " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5417557840_313fd8a6c6_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></span></a><p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Decorate</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. You'll want to add personal touches to your space! Include pictures frames, quotes, inspiration, magazine rip-outs, whatever makes you happy. When you are stressed and trying to get through a hundred emails, you can look up at something… be inspired and get right back to work. I keep a magazine rack so I can stop what I'm working on, get into my cozy chair and read a magazine. I also have a magnet board where I can rip out magazine spreads or print off pictures from the web and put up on my inspiration board. Whenever I can't find an outfit or need something to inspire me, I refer to my magnet board. It's a huge help!</span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Make life easy</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Is there something you use every single day? Keep it out! You don't have to have a perfectly organized and clean space. Every single week I need the address directory for the Delightful Dozen. So, I printed out the address directory which is on a cute map and framed it by my desk! I refer to it daily and so not only does it work in a functional-way but also an aesthetic way! I'm also constantly using my calculator, so I keep it out and don't put it away. I also keep a cup full of things I need constantly instead of putting them into a drawer. My cup contains my favorite pens, a ruler, scissors, you name it.</span></span></li></ul><p></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Keep your space cozy</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. For me, that means the lighting is right, there are no crumbs on the carpet and things are organized. If something bugs you… like how too much natural light comes in through the window, purchase an inexpensive pair of blinds! Keeping your space cozy and up-to-par will encourage you to continue to visit the space and maintain the space. The more time you spend in your space, the better it will become.</span></span></li></ul>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-1945148060445434042011-09-11T13:00:00.000-04:002011-09-11T13:00:03.381-04:00Promoting sponsors<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/promoting.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><i>by Elizabeth, <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/">Delightfully Tacky</a></i></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The basic reason that companies, shops, or other blogs will want to sponsor your blog is: they can get traffic from the ad placed on your blog. It's just advertising basics. The more traffic your blog gets, the more likely companies will want to sponsor your blog. Don't feel bad if a larger brand or company turns you down or stops sponsoring after a bit, it might just be because your blog doesn't draw in the number of clicks that they're looking for. They are, after all, paying you to get their ad clicked on. It might sound a little harsh, but it's business. I've had some advertisers stop sponsoring because I didn't give them enough clicks. Don't take it personally.</div><div>One of the good things about sponsorship, at least for me, is that it pushes me to be a better blogger. I want to create great content, not only because I want to have a good blog, but also because I like the companies and shops and blogs that sponsor me and I would love to be able to send traffic their way!</div><div>A good way to support your sponsors while still staying true to yourself (and not becoming a blogger whose posts are only dedicated to shilling their sponsor's wares) is by incorporating your sponsor into your posts in ways that are natural, and also by doing it sparingly. This shouldn't be too hard if you're taking on sponsors that reflect who you are and the products you love. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Some tips!</span></b></div><div><br /></div>1) Create a "wish list" post and include some sponsored items that you love! (Remember: if you are only working with sponsors you are passionate about, this will be SO easy) This is fun to do at the beginning of a new season when you're craving new things for the changing climate.<br /><br />2) Give them a shout out on Twitter or Facebook! This is fun to do if you're window shopping and find something you really love. I like to tweet stuff like, "Ah! I love this dress from @shopruche! So pretty. http//...." I usually do this anyway, not even thinking that it's a promotion. It's a great way to share little things you find with your readers.<br /><br />3) Inform your readers of a really good sale they are having or a promotion that will be expiring soon. Or, if your sponsor has a special discount code they've created for your readers, let your readers know about it! Tweet, Facebook, mention it in a post... let your readers know that they get a special discount for following your blog!<br /><br />4) If you love one of your sponsor's clothing articles, wear it on the blog and link to their website! Your readers will trust the company if they see you wearing one of their items and you really do love it. Note that readers will notice if you're wearing something totally out of character just to promote a sponsor, always be yourself!<br /><br />5) Don't ever give praise to an item if you hate it, or if it's bad quality. Readers won't want to read awful, snarky reviews… just be honest. Say you received a dress from a sponsor and it's poor quality, that's all that's necessary. If a sponsor continually sends you poor quality items, it might be time to consider removing them from sponsorship. You don't want to be promoting a brand or shop that you don't feel confident is in the best interests of your readers. People will buy things from them and then wonder why you support such a low-quality brand. This has never happened to me though, so I don't feel like it's a frequent occurance.Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-3760638944296418372011-09-11T12:00:00.000-04:002011-09-11T12:00:01.245-04:00Tips for Networking<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/networking.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">by Elizabeth, <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com">Delightfully Tacky</a></span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">10 Tips and Ideas on How to Network:<br /></span></b><br />1. Using your twitter account, respond to @ mentions! If you get #FF @ mentions, you should thank them! You should also do your own #FF! It's also nice to shout out someone on Twitter saying how much you really liked their outfit. Or, if you're wearing a brand you like on your blog, @ mention them and let them know!<br /><br />2. Promote others! If you find someone that you really love their style and feel like they deserve the spotlight, promote them! Talk about them on Twitter, Facebook, in a blog post. They'll appreciate it and spread the word. If you find a new blog you like, tweet about it!<br /><br />3. Create a "favorite blogs" section in your sidebar or on a separate page in your blog. It's a great way to support your favorite blogs.<br /><br />4. Create a little button for your blog to put inside a widget on your sidebar! That way readers can grab your button, paste it on their blogs and draw traffic to you!<br /><br />5. Feature other bloggers. I used to do a feature called "<a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/search/label/blogger%20of%20the%20moment">Blogger of the Moment</a>" where I would feature cool bloggers that I love. It was a fun way to learn more about bloggers and share them with my readers. One cool thing about it was introducing my readers to bloggers I like who they'd never seen before. Since people come to your blog and have similar taste to you, they'll probably enjoy the blogs you enjoy!<div><br /></div><div>6. Have a commenting system that allows you to reply. For years I'd been hoping that Blogger would update their commenting system to allow replying directly to comments, but I gave up and switched my commenting over to IntenseDebate. I love that I can reply directly to comments, so if someone has a question I can answer them right there! There are a few different commenting systems you can install on your blog if your blog doesn't have a commenting system that allows for replying. Disqus, CoComment, and IntenseDebate are a few and <a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-services-for-blog-readers-and-moderators-to-get-more-out-of-comments/">there are plenty more</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>7. Guest blog for another blogger, or have guest bloggers on your own blog. If you guest blog on someone else's blog, you'll be reaching out to all of their readers, many of whom probably have never seen your blog before. After they read your guest blog, they'll probably click over to your blog and check out more, and maybe become followers! If you have a guest blogger on your blog, they'll likely link over to the post on their blog, sending their readers directly to your blog to check out the post they did for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. Be a part of online communities. Depending on what kind of blogging you're doing, there are tons of online communities where like-minded folks gather. Think Lookbook or Chictopia if you're a fashion blogger and <a href="http://madethislovethis.com/">MadeThis/LoveThis</a> or <a href="http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/project-restyle.html">Project Restyle</a> for DIY folks.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. Go to blogger meet ups! Try to find out if there is a blogger meet up anywhere in your vicinity. If you're anywhere near New York, there are always fashion blogger meet ups during NYFW. You might have to make a little road trip out of it, but it'll be worth it and so much fun to meet bloggers in person! You'll probably end up meeting some new folks too! If you can't find a blogger meet up nearby, consider coordinating one! It doesn't have to be a fancy shindig, you could all meet up in a park for a little picnic or go out to coffee.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. If you're a fashion blogger start swapping with some of your blog friends! One of the main reasons I started the <a href="http://www.delightfuldozen.com/">Delightful Dozen</a> was because I wanted a more concrete way of interacting with blog friends. Whenever you post an outfit with a swap item in it, you can link to the person's blog who you got it from. And when they post an outfit wearing something you've loaned to them, they'll link to your blog! Pretty cool. Plus, it's an affordable way to style new items without having to buy clothes. Win/win. </div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-50606994603436604632011-09-11T11:00:00.000-04:002011-09-11T11:00:04.426-04:00Working with sponsors 101<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/workingsponsors.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">By Elizabeth, <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/">Delightfully Tacky</a></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">When to start taking on sponsors</span></b><div>Working with sponsors has become a huge part of blogging for some bloggers, and for those of you just starting out, it'd definitely something you'll want to think long and hard about. Some people are adamant about keeping their blogs ad-free, while others are gung-ho about taking on sponsors. It's a personal preference and people will likely criticize you for taking either route, so just be sure of your decision when it comes to accepting sponsors. Make sure to only accept sponsors that you are passionate about! You don't want to have a beauty blog and promote barstools on your blog! Your readers will be annoyed and confused and may not return. You want your sponsor</div><div>Before taking on sponsors you'll want to do the following:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">1. Do your stats research: </span>You'll need to figure out your stats! You can sign up for Google Analytics or if you use Blogger, you can track your stats through the stats tab. </div><div>What will you want to know? Monthly/daily page views, daily unique visitors and how many readers/subscribers/followers you have. Jot these down.. you'll need them soon.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">2. Figure out sizes:</span> What size ads do you want on your blog? Make sure the width will fit perfectly into your right sidebar, you'll want all of your sizes have the same width. Then you can decide if you're going to offer more than one size of ad. I have three sizes: large, small and mini. It's nice to create multiple ad sizes at different price points, that way people who run smaller shops and aren't yet able to afford a larger size ad can still get the exposure of having their ad on your blog!<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">3. Create a sponsor page or post: </span>You'll need to <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/p/sponsorship.html">create a place </a>where you can put down your sponsorship details, ad sizes and stats so potential sponsors can check them out. You can link to it on your blog so that companies can easily find information if they want to sponsor you, plus I always link to that page in my sponsor call posts.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">4. Create a spreadsheet or notebook: </span>You'll need a way to track sponsors! It's key to organization. This is the hardest part for me. I just recently switched over to using spreadsheets to track sponsors, and I think it'll me much easier than my previous method of writing it by hand in a little notebook! You'll need to make sure you remember the name of the person you're working with, what size they ordered, how much they paid, and when their ad starts and stops! You'll also want to keep track of which sponsors you need to do outfit feature posts for, giveaways, and discount codes. You want to make sure your sponsors are getting what they paid for!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><b>Sponsor calls</b></span></div><div>Sponsor calls are a good idea because it gives you an opportunity to alert potential sponsors to the fact that you're accepting sponsors, but you aren't pestering shops to come sponsor you. It's a neutral post that simply tells people that you're accepting sponsors and gives them a little bit more information and then can direct them to a page where you have more information about rates/stats/options and more.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/aug11sponsors.png" width="435" /></div></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Sponsorships vs. Affiliate programs</span></b></div><div>While sponsorships are basically you selling ad space on your blog, affiliate programs are based off of getting a percentage of the sales you send to a company. So say during one month people click that ad on your blog and buy $2,000 worth of clothing from that company. If you make a 10% commission, you just earned yourself $200! Affiliate programs are great if you know you can make sales for that company.<br /><br /><i>Tip: If you know you might not be able to sell anything for a company but can provide clicks, go with sponsorship. If you know you are able to sell items for a company, an affiliate program might be the better option!</i><br /><br />There are a few different affiliate programs online that different companies work through. Commission Junction, Google Affiliate Network, etc. Most affiliate networks will either cut you a check each month or send your earnings via direct deposit.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Interacting with sponsors</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>You always want to be professional when you're interacting with sponsors. Be courteous and timely and remember that they are paying to be able to put an ad up on your blog. Try to be organized so sponsors don't get lost in the shuffle, I'm guilty of that and I feel horrible when it happens, ack! It's hard sometimes to wear all the hats that blogging requires. You have to be webmaster, photographer, designer, writer, bookkeeper, PR specialist, and so on. Don't be too hard on yourself if something slips through the cracks. Just apologize and try to be more organized in the future! If it's totally beyond your abilities to juggle all that's required, you might think about outsourcing and having someone else be in charge of your sponsorships.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tip: When your sponsors term is ending, follow up with them! Shoot them a quick email reminding them that their sponsorship will be expiring, ask them if they'd like to renew, maybe offer a discount as an incentive to continue? If they say no, ask why and you could learn a lot! They might say, "Because you didn't promote us enough, we didn't receive enough clicks," etc… and it can help you learn how to be a better blogger. For the next sponsorship, you might learn to do a few extra tricks!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Courtesy-of items</span></b></div><div>Once you start taking sponsors, you may start receiving items from those companies as a way for them to get even more exposure on your blog. It's a great way for them to have their product featured and increase the traffic that you send to their site. When you see "C/O" on someone's blog it means the item was received "courtesy of" that company, i.e. the company sent the blogger the item for "free" as a a gift or in trade for ad space to promote the product! You are legally required to announce that something was given to you, so make sure if you receive an item for free, you say it is "courtesy of" or given to you by the company. Honesty is always the best policy.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><b>Payment</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>How do sponsors pay you? It's up to your personal discretion. If a company asks if you want to trade a month's worth of ad space for $100 worth of clothing decide for yourself if that makes sense. If you like the clothing and feel it's mutually beneficial to both of you, then go for it! If you want only cash, make sure you say that up front so that sponsors aren't confused. If you want a check instead of Paypal, be very clear. Typically, bloggers use Paypal to receive payment. It's quick, easy and you can keep track of your income. Plus, you can also transfer money from your Paypal account to your bank account, or even get a Paypal debit card. Once you receive payment from the sponsor you can add the blog to your sidebar and start promoting. Make sure to write down in your sponsor log when you put up the ad so you can note when it needs to come down by or when the sponsor needs to renew it!</div><br />And note: Don't feel bad if a sponsor stops sponsoring. Most of the time companies are trying out new bloggers constantly to try and draw a wide range of potential buyers from across the blogosphere! Don't get mad at a sponsor and call them out online, you'll ruin some great relationships and your readers might not trust your input! Be professional and courteous. <div><br /></div><div>Also note that it's important to be honest when it comes to sponsors and things you receive from them. If a product is bad, <i>say so</i>. You need to be honest. You have a responsibility to your readers to not lead them into buying a crappy item! You don't have to be mean or snarky about it, just be honest about the quality and your disappointment.</div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-60010435951983812202011-09-10T17:00:00.000-04:002011-09-10T21:34:55.173-04:00NYFW: Bloggers Night Out<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6134920492_835dc7fb92_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6134920492_835dc7fb92_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Bloggers Night Out was a seriously wonderful event! It was held at Pranna Restaurant - which was a pretty swanky nightclub and restaurant. It was so fun to meet so many bloggers, get your photo taken, check out all of the sponsor booths and hang out with friends. I absolutely loved the cake pops from Stylegroove. At the LuLu*s booth, you could spin a wheel and win some items or a discount coupon. I also won a Tiffany and Co. iPhone case just by tweeting and using Foursquare at the event! The ladies who put it on were fantastic and it was wonderful to meet so many great bloggers!<br /><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6134371651_eb97ae0c0e_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6134371651_eb97ae0c0e_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6134371523_9e87697007_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6134371523_9e87697007_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6134920274_2254b3f41b_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6134920274_2254b3f41b_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-13895174027743916982011-09-10T16:00:00.000-04:002011-09-10T16:00:03.297-04:00Privacy on the internet<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/privacy.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">by Elizabeth, <a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/">Delightfully Tacky</a></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Blogging is kind of weird. Our lives are broadcast across the world for anyone to read, pretty scary right? It's something we all have to deal with by choosing to put ourselves out there, but it's a risk we take in exchange for being a part of the blogging community. There are measures to take, though, to make sure that you keep your privacy to at least some degree. <div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Email-</span></b></div><div>I keep my blog email completely separate from my personal email. This way people can't search for me with my email address. Plus, it just makes it easier to separate who is trying to contact you from your blog versus people in "real life" who are emailing you personally. There are also measures you can take to keep spammers from grabbing your email. Instead of writing your email like delightfully-tacky@hotmail.com you can write it like delightfully-tacky [at] hotmail [dot] com. It just makes it a little harder for spammers to grab your email. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><b>Location-</b></span></div><div>One thing I'm pretty conscious about it not letting people know where I live. While I'll talk a lot about Tacoma and my favorite places in Tacoma, I won't let people know my address and I'll try to not show landmarks near my home. I guess if someone was really adamant about trying to find my house they might be able to, but I like to keep it as difficult as possible. I'll even go so far as to photoshop out the address number on my house or apartment to keep people from seeing it in my photos. Sometimes I've photoshopped out my license plate on my car too. Another thing that you might want to do is keep your workplace off of your blog too. It's just another way that someone can find you.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/ourhouse.jpg" width="435" /></div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that I've started doing is not letting people know when I'm on vacation until after the fact (if possible). I once heard about how someone's house was broken into after they tweeted that they were out of town. I figure it's best to protect yourself from people who may be out to take advantage of you. You never know who is following you online. Most likely it's just people who are interested in your blog, but there could also be weird creeps that live near you and don't have good intentions!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Your Life-</span></b></div><div>This one is really up to your personal preference as to how much of yourself you want to put out there. How much about your personal life do you want to share? Some people will choose to share very little about their real lives, and others will just lay it all out there. I like to keep a good balance of being open and honest, but also not simply unloading all the crap from my day onto the internet. For me, I like to keep my blog positive and upbeat. I figure there's already so much unhappiness and ugliness in the world and I don't need to contribute to it. That doesn't mean that I'll sugarcoat everything or pretend that I'm super happy if I'm not, but I'm not going to go of on a rant about something terrible that happened if I don't feel like it's uplifting or helpful to others. It's always up to you to how much you share with the world wide web. Make sure you think about what you feel comfortable sharing, and if you feel like you're starting to share too much, dial it down. I think it's important to share at least some of your life with your readers, just because they're interested in you and your life! It creates a connection between you and your readers and they start feeling invested in you.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/IMG_4317.jpg" width="435" /></div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that I've never really dealt much with is keeping people from your real world from knowing about your blog. This is more important for people who feel like it wouldn't be beneficial if coworkers or friends knew about it, or if your employer would feel odd about you having a blog. Some bloggers are teachers or work with youth and they try to keep their students from finding out about their blog. Other people feel like they might lose credibility at their job if people knew about their blog. I know some people have family members who are uncomfortable with blogging, so in that case they even have to keep their blog from their family. Sometimes it's unavoidable to have people finding out about your blog (since it is online and readily available for anybody to see), but you can definitely take measures to keep people from finding out about it. </div><div><br /></div><div>For about the first two years of blogging I didn't let any of my readers even know my first name! I still don't have my last name on my blog. It keeps people from being able to google your name and find your blog. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Photos-</span></b></div><div>One thing that is kind of annoying is the fact that once you put your photos up on the internet, they're kind of up for grabs. You could <a href="http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=watermark&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1441&bih=689#um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&q=watermark+example&revid=786046862&sa=X&ei=U65rToboKPPUiALEzoSWDg&ved=0CEEQ1QIoAQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=b23314241158586a&biw=1441&bih=689">watermark</a> your photos, but I personally hate the way that watermarked photos look-- the watermark is just always so distracting to me. But the downside of not protecting your photos is that people can take them and not give proper credit or even pretend to be you! If you think that's crazy, trust me, I've had it happen. Most of the time, though, when you find that happening, you can usually email the site's administrator and have them remove the person. So decide if you want to watermark your photos or protect them in some way.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are a lot of ways to protect yourself on the internet. Make sure that you're really intentional about how much you want to share about yourself. It's a crazy world out there and sometimes we can get caught up in how nice all of our blogging friends are that we forget that there are those crazies out there as well. Protect yourself and your privacy!</div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-25939878508127336002011-09-10T14:00:00.000-04:002011-09-10T14:00:01.289-04:00NYFW: Beauty Tips<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6131635087_4aeab28bbe_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6131635087_4aeab28bbe_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I thought it would be fun to pop in and give some tips on beauty tips for big events! My getting ready process is usually about 30-45 minutes which is <i>so long</i> compared to my at-home getting ready period, but you have to spend a little extra time if you're heading out for a big event! Here are my tips!<div><ul><li>Feel free to go a little bit daring with your makeup! Try the cat-eye, try a bold coral lipstick, try anything. Especially in dim lighting in bars and clubs, you'll stand out.</li><li>Don't worry about looking <i>perfect</i>. If you're making a bold statement with your eyes or lips, people won't even notice any red blemishes on your skin.</li><li>Take care of your lips! If you're constantly wearing lipstick, try using a bit of chapstick or Burt's Bees in between reapplies. It'll keep your lips moist!</li><li>Keep a little mirror in your purse for little checks like fuzz in your hair, lipstick on your teeth, mascara marks under your eyes. It's natural to quick check yourself in the mirror.</li><li>Always wash your make up off at night. Being in the city - all of the dirt, grime and makeup - you just have to.</li><li>Use a brush - if you can - to apply your foundation. It'll help prevent outbreaks and it will also stretch your makeup bottle. By using a brush, it helps cover more skin... which leads you to use less makeup!</li><li>Use a moisturizer at night while you sleep! It'll help replenish your skin from the harsh wear and tear of the day.</li></ul><div>Hope you enjoyed a few tips on things that have helped me during fashion week so far!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6132183646_5690d306bd_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6132183646_5690d306bd_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>Fun fact?</b> My favorite lip color to wear in NYC so far has been my Maybelline Coral Crush lipstick. I've worn it for several events so far. When I showed up to the ModCloth Swap, I saw Veronika of Tick Tock Vintage and we instantly said in unison, "Coral crush!" It's the perfect lip color to make a statement, but not be <i>too</i> much. We love it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-16951536442913972952011-09-10T13:00:00.002-04:002011-09-10T13:00:00.065-04:00Networking: Using Facebook & Twitter<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;color:#666666;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/facebooktwitter.jpg" width="435" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">by Elizabeth, </span><a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/" style="text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">Delightfully Tacky</span></a></span></b></i></span><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Facebook and Twitter are easy ways to stay connected to your readers. They are the two social networking sites that I really use pretty heavily. There are other networking sites that are available for specific demographics (like Lookbook or Chictopia for fashion bloggers), but Facebook and Twitter are universal networking sites that almost everyone has.</span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"><b>Twitter</b></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Twitter a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">great</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"> way to share information with your followers and fellow bloggers in a quick and efficient way. Plus, with all the smart phones out there, a lot of people have access to that information wherever they go with their phones! For bloggers, Twitter has become a really great resource. You can let your readers know when you've put up a new post, quickly share something awesome you found on the internet, retweet great tweets from other people, and have conversations with people in a really easy way. Replying to people on twitter is just so quick and easy that it's one of my favorite ways to interact with fellow bloggers and readers.</span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; font-size:13px;">I only follow Twitter feeds that I feel are important to me, or will tweet information that I'll want to check out. If you follow too many people, the sheer volume of tweets to sift through becomes totally unmanageable! There are also different platforms for organizing twitter like <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">Tweetdeck</a> which you can try out to see if they work for you.</div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: center; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/twitter-1.jpg" width="435px" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"><b>Facebook</b></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">It took me a lot longer to join twitter than to make a page for Delightfully Tacky on Facebook. Since Facebook is such an invaluable networking site in general life, it only makes sense that it would be useful for meeting your readers where they already are. It makes it so easy to update your readers via Facebook because it posts right to their newsfeed! You can also use apps that link up your blog to your Facebook page so it automatically updates your page when you publish a new post. One cool thing about Facebook is the way that readers can interact too. I've had readers post cool photos on my Facebook page or share links with me. If you don't feel like updating both your Facebook and your Twitter, you can also link your Facebook page to your twitter account so that when you post a status update to Facebook, it automatically tweets that status update also!</span></div><div size="13px" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: center; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/facebook-1.jpg" width="435px" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">Both Facebook and Twitter are always in my top ten referring sites. They're a great way to connect to your readers in an organic way. Since most people already use Facebook and/or Twitter, you're simply making it easier for them to connect to your blog! And that's what you want. You want it to be easy for your audience to access your blog and relevant information associated with it. Facebook and Twitter are perfect in this capacity!</span></div></span>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-25181583162955083602011-09-10T12:00:00.002-04:002011-09-10T12:00:03.194-04:00BONUS: 10 Ideas for a Blog Post!<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6196/6131619309_9b87a6898c_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6196/6131619309_9b87a6898c_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><center style="text-align: left; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;color:#990000;">10 Ideas for a Blog Post!</span></i></center><center style=" text-align: left; font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></center><center style=" text-align: left; font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#666600;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. Post a "what's in my bag" post (repeat with your makeup bag, camera bag, computer bag!)</span></span></center></b></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. Create a "wish list" of your favorite items at the moment (</span></span><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Polyvore</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is great for this!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. Going on vacation? Show how you packed your suitcase!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. Show the inner workings of your closet in a fun video blog.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5. Have a fun DIY tutorial? Nail polish tricks? Share them!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6. Do a Q&A post! (Break it into different sessions!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">7. Cover one of your favorite lines! Include photos of your favorite items and smart research about the designer.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">8. Post a weekly or monthly recap with lifestyle photos or things that make you happy. (Think Delightful Dozen's '12 Delightful Things' feature!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">9. Create a slideshow of your favorite outfits from other bloggers. (iMovie is the best and SO easy!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">10. Show bloopers of silly photos of you!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-66204379407788248982011-09-10T11:00:00.000-04:002011-09-10T11:00:05.997-04:00Behind the Scenes: Lucky Headquarters<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6131600037_8d5e4c2dd2_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6131600037_8d5e4c2dd2_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">by Tieka, </span></i></b><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><a href="http://www.selectivepotential.blogspot.com">Selective Potential</a></span></i></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><div>Note: You guys are all going to see this in my blog in the coming weeks, but this is just a quick snapshot of what I'm seeing during fashion week so you can stay up-to-date on what's happening (or happened!)</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a huge opportunity to attend a breakfast for bloggers at Lucky Magazine headquarters. It was so amazing to walk into the Conde Nast building, check in with the front desk and head up the elevators to their headquarters. I felt like I was in <i>The Devil Wears Prada!</i> Except the Lucky Magazine staff is <b>incredibly</b> kind, especially editor-in-chief, Brandon Holley. </div><div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6132148458_bff75eb1ae_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6132148458_bff75eb1ae_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>We all grabbed danishes, muffins and coffee and gathered in the conference room with about 20 bloggers and 10 members of the Lucky staff, including editor-in-chief herself, Brandon Holley. We discussed some ideas for upcoming magazines, ways that brands can work with bloggers a bit more and other fun things - like what happened during FNO!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6132148496_c6305bc229_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6132148496_c6305bc229_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6132148534_c8d8853c80_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6132148534_c8d8853c80_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6131599961_f1ed37350a_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6131599961_f1ed37350a_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I was so excited to be able to check out where all of the magic happens behind Lucky Magazine. They have some amazing content coming in the future - and even more ways to work with bloggers, so be sure to keep up with this magazine especially. They are on the forefront of working with bloggers - more so than any other magazine! I absolutely love how they support what we are doing as bloggers and are looking to us for our amazing ideas!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6131599993_aab1032c0a_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6187/6131599993_aab1032c0a_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div></div></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-49900263258922721962011-09-09T17:00:00.000-04:002011-09-09T17:00:00.388-04:00Presentation: Rachel Antonoff<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6131024324_29ab712fc5_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6131024324_29ab712fc5_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The Rachel Antonoff presentation is so stunning. I'm so excited to be able to give you guys a peek at their collection for spring/summer. It was very Wednesday Adams-inspired. I love the prints, the hats, the polka dots. Am I seriously already looking forward to next spring? Enjoy the inside look!<div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6131024142_7be4a1e738_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6131024142_7be4a1e738_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6131024096_137d31ce84_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6131024096_137d31ce84_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Tennessee Thomas was there as a DJ! Can we say major band and hair envy? If you guys haven't checked out the band, The Like, you need to do so immediately!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6131024188_37a7ddc44a_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6131024188_37a7ddc44a_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6131024224_a9818cce93_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6131024224_a9818cce93_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6131024282_aa17e5e995_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6076/6131024282_aa17e5e995_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-71007811152176978592011-09-09T16:00:00.000-04:002011-09-09T16:00:03.736-04:00Fashions Night Out: Elie Tahari<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6131001676_92d584b328_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6131001676_92d584b328_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>For Fashions Night Out, I attended the Elie Tahari presentation with blogger, Keiko Lynn! FNO in New York City was insane. The streets were packed with people, flashes of photos going off everywhere, I felt like I was in an overpacked amusement park at points! It was amazing to be able to go inside a quiet place, socialize with a few fellow bloggers, check out some of the gorgeous items and relax for a bit in one place. Here's a sneak peek of what happened behind the doors of Elie Tahari! Enjoy!<br /><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6131001494_b015b5b0b7_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6131001494_b015b5b0b7_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">(Keiko Lynn, Andrea of Blonde Bedhead, me)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6130452543_ab1983c7e5_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6130452543_ab1983c7e5_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">The details of the store were so beautiful. I didn't want to touch anything! At the door, you were given a flash drive that you could take home to see if you won a huge $2,500 shopping spree. Jealous of whoever snagged that!</div></div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6130452451_c642f57045_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6130452451_c642f57045_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">(a stylish couple strolling through)</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6131001584_af8c6ab9d0_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6131001584_af8c6ab9d0_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">(some of the amazing shoes and bags)</div></div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6130452647_a1038e8a08_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6130452647_a1038e8a08_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">(beautiful bloggers Blonde Bedhead and Kim of Eat Sleep Wear)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-20136170496828551122011-09-09T15:00:00.003-04:002011-09-09T15:00:02.518-04:00Lucky Fabb: Photo recap<div>I hope you all enjoyed the recaps of the Lucky FABB conference! It was an amazing event and I was so thrilled to have been a part of the experience. In recap, I thought I'd give you a closer look at some of the things we saw during our time there in a blogger's favorite format - photo recap! Enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Everyone (and I mean, everyone) was on their phone. We saw rows and rows of bloggers tweeting every second of the conference on their phones. Social media is huge, you guys! Make it a priority!</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6128846251_d89c974990_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6128846251_d89c974990_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>2. BLOGGERS LIKE TO EAT! Who would have thought, right?! The lunch was absolutely delicious and we all quickly gathered our lunch boxes (sandwiches, apples and cookies) and hunkered down anywhere we could find to stuff our faces. So much knowledge, we needed the extra energy.<div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6129395902_ee2509f3da_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6129395902_ee2509f3da_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>3. So many cute stylish girls everywhere. I <b>loved</b> Amy of <a href="http://www.stylishyear.com/">Stylish Year</a> and Jen of <a href="http://houseofjeffers.blogspot.com/">House of Jeffers</a>.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6129395958_5df0ca9d71_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6129395958_5df0ca9d71_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>4. Everyone received a schedule of the panelists and ways to connect during the conference using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram. #LuckyFABB was a trending topic on Twitter - globally!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6128846393_17aff4cc05_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6128846393_17aff4cc05_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>5. The break bar was amazing to grab a quick lemonade, a cookie or coffee. Especially when you're so busy in the midst of fashion week - it's important to eat right and hydrate yourself.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6128846431_5c2b534b04_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6128846431_5c2b534b04_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>6. The gift bag. Oh my gosh. Amazing. I heard a lot of people grumble about FABB's cost of $100. They were so wrong. We received gift bags that were worth a retail price of $1200. I cannot wait to try out so many of the products.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6128846471_df8184997b_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6128846471_df8184997b_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>7. Matching our nail polish colors to our favorite foods - especially cupcakes! It's so true, right? You can get inspiration anywhere. Think of your favorite food and try to create an outfit based on it!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6128846507_aea440267b_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6128846507_aea440267b_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>8. Cameras were attached to our faces at all times. It's obvious bloggers love taking photos! A moment would happen anytime and you needed your camera out to quickly document it!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6128846549_55b15092a9_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6128846549_55b15092a9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>9. Meeting your friends in the blogging community. It was the BEST part of the conference. I got to see so many of my very good friends again - to giggle, to take photos, to talk about outfit shots. So amazing.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6128846615_4a7e46b605_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6128846615_4a7e46b605_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-84088987863247577122011-09-09T14:00:00.000-04:002011-09-09T14:00:03.728-04:00Lucky FABB: What platforms are right for you?<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6129366342_baa0ee96a8_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6129366342_baa0ee96a8_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><b>Pinterest.</b> What is it? Pinterest is an online pinboard. It lets people organize and share things that inspire them. It was built to help people share their taste and what they are into. It's for people who like to collect things... people who are visual. That's what makes it so different. Pinterest is really taking off in the design market. How can fashion bloggers benefit? Share their taste! There aren't that many people who can write or take photos, but want to share their taste. If you're excited about fashion or design, curate some things you love and collect them all on Pinterest. It's a natural fit for fashion bloggers.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b>Klout.</b> Klout measures influence online. They are different than followers or friend count. They are looking at... are people sharing your content? Are they commenting? They measure that through several different networks - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare, etc. How to up your Klout score? Consistently creating great content is the best tip.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6128816183_c1a5236e47_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6128816183_c1a5236e47_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>Tumblr.</b> What is next for this platform? How can users get the most? Tumblr isn't for every blogger. The best way to use Tumblr is to have really strong imagery. That's what people respond to the most. Along with quick quotes and text. If you're doing a personal style blog, and you really want to get really really into explaining it... Tumblr might not be for you. Tumblr is quick, fast, on-the-go always. If you like to explain your outfit, use Tumblr to tease up your post and link to your other blog! It's also a great place to share things like... magazine spreads you love, anything. Interaction on Tumblr is so simple and easy. You can like something just by clicking the heart and also reblog it on your blog. Tumblr is a great way to spread your information very quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Instagram.</b> You can take a picture that is completely horrible and crappy and Instagram gives you the filters. You can make an amazing image and share it immediately. The instant connection to Foursquare, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook... you can send it to every place all at once. Tip: Try and make it the same name on Twitter, that way if you get tagged, they are the same on both.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6128816217_b22b2afaff_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6128816217_b22b2afaff_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>Facebook.</b> Although Facebook is getting older, Ben of Pinterest says its really important to not give up Facebook just yet. Most people (especially kids and younger adults) think Facebook <i>is </i>the Internet alone. If you stop posting on Facebook or stop using it, you're really missing out on a huge huge audience.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Foursquare.</b> How can bloggers use Foursquare? Everyone that follows you really cares about what you think. One of the greatest reasons to use Foursquare is to get closer to your fans and followers and show them places you love. It's just yet another added value to your blog content. It's giving a persona to your brand by showing the places you frequent.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6129366256_202f45e906_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6129366256_202f45e906_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>Twitter.</b> Twitter is a wonderful place to view real-time content. You can get responses immediately, learn about what's happening <i>right now</i>, tease content and build hype. Twitter is the biggest resource for fashion bloggers right now - to have conversations, to show a real-time aspect to your life, get immediate feedback. If you're a fashion blogger who is still avoiding Twitter, we say... you <b>need</b> to join now!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Tip with platforms:</b> You need to balance your time with platforms. You shouldn't sign up for a platform if you can't use it. It's better to have no profile than a dead profile. Don't take on more than you can handle!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6129366294_53c6719772_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6129366294_53c6719772_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-39712010256596114932011-09-09T13:00:00.000-04:002011-09-09T13:00:03.344-04:00Lucky FABB: Conversation with the Kardashians<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6129312746_0ca41098f8_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6129312746_0ca41098f8_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The room was absolutely packed as soon as the Kardashian sisters were about to hit stage! It was also announced during the panel that they are going to be the November cover girls on Lucky Magazine too! They were shocked at how many people were there - fashion and beauty blogging is booming! A few tips from the panel:<div><ul><li>They think it's really important to be authentic. </li><li>Be sure to communicate whatever you're into. If you love fashion or beauty or exercise, be sure to blog about them.</li><li>Stay in contact with your readers to receive constructive criticism to see how you can better your content!</li><li>Your style is defined by how you put things together - with accessories, different and unique pieces, how you mix different styles. Make your own style!</li><li>Think about your style in a few adjectives: Edgy, feminine, simple, vintage, bohemian.</li><li>With fashion, just <i>try </i>it, because it's <b>fun</b>.</li></ul></div><div><div><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6129312582_05580149a4_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6129312582_05580149a4_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>You have to make certain things in your life a priority. Think about what is most important to you... and make it #1. If it's family, you need to make it a priority. They also rely on each other to get work done. If a friend, or your boyfriend/husband or parents offer to help - take the help! It's a good time to spend together and it can relieve some of your stress. The Kardashians say that the reason their men fell in love with them is because they <i>are</i> workaholics. It's true, though. Guys are attracted to women who are independent, hard-working and passionate.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6128762215_c90b0368a2_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6128762215_c90b0368a2_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>How to not get over-exposed? They like to think of their brand as a brand for their fans. So they really do read their comments, their Twitter mentions, their posts on their Facebook and take all of those comments and try to do <b>good</b> with them. You need to remember though... that you can't please everyone. You still need to do what makes you happy and feel good but it's great to take into consideration what your readers are saying. It could really help your blog content... and really even help you grow into something bigger and better. They try to please as many of their fans as possible, but you have to stay true to yourself.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6129312638_8b16d05fa8_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6129312638_8b16d05fa8_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>Fun fact:</b> They go on home design blogs way more than fashion blogs!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What is a favorite beauty product of theirs?</b> Kim says that she couldn't live without makeup wipes. They love to wear makeup and get so lazy at night! Kim always uses a makeup wipe before bed, because it's so important to take off your makeup. They also recommend a hot washcloth to exfoliate your skin. They like to keep it simple with beauty products. If you do too many things, sometimes your skin gets confused and will rebel. They also recommend taking vitamins for skin, hair and nails. </div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6128762283_11fc92a7f8_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6128762283_11fc92a7f8_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>On an ending note, they said it wasn't easy for them to get started. It took them years to actually get a revenue going! They had to take risks. But they believed in their business and their brand, so they went for it as best as they could. Relating to us as bloggers, risks can be things as little as trying something new that is out of your element like doing a review of a item instead of a typical outfit shot, trying a risky top you wouldn't normally go for. Step it up at any notch you can to stand out and push and challenge yourself!</div></div><div><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-79001463049485037412011-09-09T12:00:00.001-04:002011-09-09T12:00:01.126-04:00Lucky FABB: Building a business<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6128706031_7b21dc24a3_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6128706031_7b21dc24a3_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>This panel is on <b>Building a business</b> with your blog. The panel included speakers Adam Rich, Cofounder of Thrillist.com, Stephanie/Erin of The Coveteur, Lisa, Head of Marketing for Express, Rodger, President of Rachel Zoe.<div><br /></div><div>Lisa of Express says in order to build your business - you need to be true to yourself. Even though it's hard sometimes, especially when everyone has to pay bills. <b>You have to be strategic enough to realize that whatever you do today will affect how big you will be in the future.</b> It's really important to stay true to who you are. As bloggers, we are going to partner with brands and we will have an opinion. Lisa believes we need to be strategic in communication. Don't boast about a brand you don't believe in, but <i>do</i> be careful how you approach it. It's a pretty "small" industry. Be true to who you are, but be careful. You don't want to bash a company, because other companies might see that and be <i>afraid</i> to work with you.</div><div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6129255920_6ee7070dfd_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6129255920_6ee7070dfd_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Stephanie and Erin originally started as a site, a place to come, a museum, a website only for viewing. They started realizing they wanted to make money by selling clothes... so they launched e-commerce so you could shop looks and get the exact item of clothing or something similar that you see. They were very hesitant to post ads on their site at first. They wanted to keep their website clean and aesthetically pleasing. They were looking for other ways to integrate advertising rather than banner ads... which is definitely appealing to some. They were trying to figure out alternate ways of creating a revenue. <b>You can be a little sneaky with advertising without selling out.</b> Although you don't want to trick anyone, you do want to make a good business.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How do you keep track of books and taxes?</b> Erin and Stephanie recommend outsourcing! They had their mom help. It's okay to work out of your apartment, to get help from your parents, to hire someone to help you. You <i>don't have</i> to be superwoman. It's okay to be humble. It's okay to work out of a space that might not be your dream office! Starting out... expect to be at the bottom and be humble about it.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6128705895_07310151a7_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6128705895_07310151a7_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div>Lisa believes we <i>own</i> content. We all have our own original content. Lisa from Express is always looking for content - as well as many other brands. Partnering together is a way to grow your content. If you're passionate about your business, you need to get really involved. You really need to believe in what you have to say. If this is a business you're looking to grow into - realize it's a small industry and you need to think long term. Especially with the internet, people remember what you say... so many people can read what you have to say. <b>You have a huge reach, so be careful with your words!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Rodger says just because you're out there... doesn't mean you'll look attractive to a brand. Bloggers need to present content to brands and try and think of new ways of collaborating together. Bloggers sometimes get <i>so upset</i> that companies aren't approaching them. You aren't the only blogger out there! You have to be aggressive. Think of all of the go-getters out there who are emailing brands, emailing companies, putting their name out. <b>You can't sit around and wait for brands to approach you.</b> You won't get far!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6129255994_74b0523a3a_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6129255994_74b0523a3a_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div>What makes a good partner? Adam says the the first thing is a likewise audience, not a competitive one. You want to make sure the people you are reaching will like your message. Sometimes you don't want to partner with people who are covering the same exact thing you are covering. You don't want to step on anyone's toes in a partnership. <b>Relationships with brands need to be mutually beneficial.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is important to partner with people with complementary audiences. That's why networking with other bloggers is so important! We'll be talking more about this in future posts, but this definitely pertains to building your blog as a business! <b>Trade sponsorships or ads with bloggers that have a similar readership to you.</b> It's not fair for you to approach a blogger who has 10,000 followers and you have 100 followers and ask them to trade ad space. But try reaching out to a blogger who has 150 followers and asking to trade ad space. That's a mutually beneficial relationship!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6128705981_74ac54ba6c_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6128705981_74ac54ba6c_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-25675017994263129932011-09-09T11:00:00.000-04:002011-09-09T11:00:09.377-04:00Lucky FABB: Brands & bloggers<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6127857599_0a11af075e_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6127857599_0a11af075e_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">by Tieka, Selective Potential</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The second panel of the Lucky FABB conference was about <b>Brands and Bloggers Working Together</b>. It was the last panel before the lunch break... and an especially exciting one. The panel included Scott Galloway, Professor at NYC and co-founder of L2, Donna Noch, President of White House Black Market, Anne Watson, VP of Club Monoco and Kelly of The Glamourai.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kelly from The Glamourai's first major brand she worked with was Coach. They did a great job of embracing bloggers in a professional way early on. She started working with them to design a bag and has been working with them long-term ever since. She's always excited to get involved with new projects with Coach. She loves working with companies who are supportive of her as she is with them. Working with brands should be a mutually beneficial relationship. There are more opportunities now than ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne from Club Monoco started working with Kelly because she had the right kind of voice to fit with their brand. It was important that they found a blogger that <i>fit their identity</i>. Brands often look for bloggers who fit their brand and identity online and offline. Their brand identified with their voice. Plus, Kelly wore their brand already... and so there was already a mutual relationship there. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's also important to find a blogger who is comfortable working offline as well as online.</b> Most companies have fleets of stores, so to work with a blogger who can come in... feel comfortable... be able to style items is very important. You need to be able to present yourself well in real life if you are representing or working for a brand. How you showcase yourself online and offline is directly reflected by the brand. It's important the brand knows you and trusts you.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6128405504_17d760c9fa_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6128405504_17d760c9fa_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>White House Black Market just launched their first major collaboration with bloggers. (There was a huge spread in the September issue of Lucky Magazine!). The bloggers worked with White House Black Market on blogging about their black pants. White House Black Market worked with the bloggers because they felt their voice resonated with their customers. The bloggers were rewarded with gift cards and exposure. There has to be trust with the bloggers in order to have a good working relationship. The most important thing with bloggers is that they are <i>authentic</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Blogs are now becoming the number one traffic sources to some major retailers.</b> Companies are looking for bloggers who are adding value to the company. The blogosphere is an incredibly powerful but it's still the most underpaid part of the media channel right now. It's trending that brands are working with bloggers on a commission basis rather than sponsorship basis because it's mutually beneficial to both parties. The more the blogger sells, the more the company benefits... and the most commission the blogger receives. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>If you're interested in working with brands</b>, just be sure to take yourself seriously! Be sure you don't short yourself on what you feel your content is worth. You are a huge value-add to a company and if you don't realize that, you'll work for free. Kelly from the Glamourai believes that companies need to understand that when they are asking a blogger to do work for them, the blogger <i>needs</i> to be paid. Brands believe Kelly values herself... and values her product and then brands will look to her and trust her opinion.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6127857499_ba9ce874b3_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6127857499_ba9ce874b3_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div><b>Brands are also creating their own content...</b> and bringing in bloggers for that. They are also hiring people to write for them. Think the ModCloth blog... they feature so much more than ModCloth merchandise! They are looking for ways to connect with their consumers and still fit with their brand. They share cooking recipes, style inspiration, bloggers, everything! Customers read their blog, trust what they write, trust the brand more. It's just another way to build a relationship with your customers. Big companies like ModCloth are also hiring personal style bloggers to write on their blog or even guest post! They are looking for people who match their voice and match their brand.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6128405406_7510b36556_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6128405406_7510b36556_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><b>How should a blogger approach a brand?</b> There are so many cool brands to work with. How does a blogger know what works - voice wise and how do they approach a brand? Kelly thinks that rather than reaching out... it's important to blog about what you really love and are passionate about. If you're genuinely a fan of the company, it will be more appealing for them to start a relationship with you. It's important to have a natural and unforced relationship.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the biggest things right now is that.... most brands don't understand the big deal about blogging! They are looking to us - influential bloggers - to teach them about new things like how to use Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook or whatever to reach a bigger audience. It's a whole new world for most retailers. Some companies still believe Facebook is the biggest forerunner in social media right now. So it's up to us - the younger generation - to teach the older folks in the fashion industry how its done!</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6128405248_540d8eba27_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6128405248_540d8eba27_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-11794701340954091342011-09-08T18:00:00.001-04:002011-09-08T18:00:00.115-04:00$50 Giveaway to Shop Ruche!<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6128298932_e4d3ebcb25_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6128298932_e4d3ebcb25_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Hey everyone! Just for signing up for INDIE, you are automatically entered to win a $50 gift certificate from <a href="http://www.shopruche.com/">Shop Ruche</a>. Be sure to check out their latest lookbook, <a href="http://www.shopruche.com/shop-industry-c-662.html">The Industry</a>. There are so many amazing outfit inspirations in there for work and back-to-school. We will be announcing the giveaway winner on the last day of the e-conference... Monday, September 11th! Thanks for joining us in INDIE!</div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-58711637961715987492011-09-08T17:00:00.002-04:002011-09-08T17:00:01.393-04:00HTML: Adding sponsor spots & buttons<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/sponsorbutton.jpg" width="435" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><i>by Elizabeth,<a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/"> Delightfully Tacky</a></i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">One thing you may want to know (if you don't already) is how to create buttons in your sidebar. What you're basically doing is just making an image clickable by adding a click-through link to the HTML code when you put the image in your sidebar. I'll be showing you how to do this in Blogger but the process should be similar in other platforms.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">First, you'll need to add a new gadget in your sidebar. Click "add a gadget" and then choose "HTML/Javascript from the options available in the pop-up window. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/button1-2.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now you have a new gadget where you can put anything you want! We're going to insert a linked image, which can function as a link to something in your own blog (like your outfit posts, about me, etc.) or they can be sponsor ads! </div><div style="text-align: left;">Use the HTML tags we learned earlier today to make a link and image that will click through to the link, like so:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/button2.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then if you want to create a little text box underneath the photo so people can grab it and put it into their sidebar too, add the textarea code underneath with the code you want within the text box for people to grab, like so:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/button.jpg" width="220px" /></a><br /><textarea rows="2" cols="20"><a href="http://www.delightfully-tacky.com"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/button.jpg"width="220" /></a></textarea></center><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's what that looks like in the widget creator:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk159/el_camino70/button3.jpg" width="435" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For all this, you'll want to know how wide your sidebars are, so you don't end up trying to put a 400px image in a 200px sidebar. The image will end up spilling over the edge of your sidebar and will look weird. You can either edit the image to be the exact width of your sidebar or you can add: width="220" (inserting the width of <i>your</i> sidebar there, mine are 220px) and it'll make your photo that width.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you're making buttons for readers to grab, you also might want to give some instructions on how they can place them in their sidebar, for those readers who aren't sure. On my blog I have written, "To put in your blog, just copy the code below and paste into an HTML widget in your blog!" </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you have any buttons on your blog? Try it out! It's pretty fun! If you don't have Photoshop, you can make a button using <a href="http://www.picnik.com/">Picnik</a>!</div>Elizabeth, Delightfully Tackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17796355680341211173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530634963175792461.post-39399899669562870842011-09-08T16:00:00.006-04:002011-09-08T16:00:01.912-04:00Lucky FABB Recap: Building your brand<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6127269795_e8e536abc9_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 267px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6127269795_e8e536abc9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">by Tieka, Selective Potential</span></b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Hey everyone! I'm <i>so sorry</i> about the delay in posts. I'm in the midst of fashion week in NYC... and I go to work on some posts last night and my computer won't turn on! Thank goodness for the Apple genius this morning. I told him I wanted to hug and kiss him... and then when he didn't charge me a dime to replace my dead battery, I told him I loved him. Haha! Seriously... what's a blogger to do without a computer?! So <i>thank you</i> for bearing with me! Today I'll be covering what I learned from Lucky FABB. I'm in a Starbucks right now and am going to try and knock out at least two posts, but then I'll have to go and check back into my hotel at 3 pm, so posts <i>will</i> be spotty today... but you will receive all of the posts scheduled today before 11:59 PM EST... <b>promise.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Lucky FABB was a whirlwind. It was in the gorgeous Apella center with bloggers I recognized at every corner. How exciting is that? The conference got started in the event center room. Our first panel of speakers was on <b>Building your brand</b>. I'm going to summarize what I took away from the conference as well as what I've learned from blogging for the past two years.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6127269993_652d6ba9a9_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6127269993_652d6ba9a9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>1. The biggest and most obvious thing that the panelists kept repeating was <b>be yourself</b>, be authentic, remain true to yourself. The best advice I heard was, "Write a single sentence explaining your blog. If it sounds like someone else, write it again." There is only one <i>you</i> and in order for your blog to be successful, you really do need to make your blog <i>you</i> and original.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. You <b>cannot please everyone</b>. You will receive anonymous comments, you will receive feedback from people saying they don't like your blog. You just need to remain true to yourself. If you're blogging about something that's not you or something you're not passionate about and receive negative feedback - then what do you really have? Nothing! All of this hard work put into something that's not original... and is receiving negative feedback. It's better to receive negative feedback on something you love... and can defend to the fullest.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6127270699_8216995a48_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6127270699_8216995a48_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>3. The best thing I've learned about building my brand is that I need to stay who I was when I started. Sometimes it's easy to get a big head when you're working with big companies, or bigger bloggers, but you can't let that take over your content. I started blogging to document my personal style, my trips and adventures with my husband and the silly things we do. What am I blogging about today - two years later? The same thing. If you read my blog in the first few months, you'll see it's really similar to what I'm blogging about today. That's not to say you can't grow and shift with your blog and have it change direction - just make sure <i>you</i> are changing direction with your blog. <b>Don't change your blog's direction to fit into a certain crowd</b>, or try to please a certain brand. It won't be authentic and your readers will realize right away!</div><div><br /></div><div>4. <b>Think about the things that make you you</b>... and document them. When I close my eyes and think about my life... I think fashion, my husband, our trips and adventures, my friends - the obvious things. But think <i>deeper - </i>think of the little things. So I close my eyes and I imagine Lake Michigan, our beach town, sand, boardwalks, lighthouses, mint scooters, punk music, playing in our band. Document the little things! I never would have thought my readers would be interested in seeing my outfits against backdrops like historic lighthouses... but they love it! (or at least they say they do ;))</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6127271141_3e82e51af9_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 289px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6127271141_3e82e51af9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>5. <b>Incorporate your brand into your blog design!</b> Try to take those <i>little things</i> we thought about and put them into your design. Think colors, typography, anything that will make you stand out. You want to take the brand you've created for yourself and throw it into every element of your blog. You want to carry it over to every platform you have - Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, etc. Take tips from Elizabeth's 'telling a story with your photos' to really showcase more of <i>you</i> in your posts.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. Most importantly... <i>every single panelist</i> kept repeating it... <b>be yourself</b>. Never lose sight of yourself and what makes you happy! If one day you are realizing you don't like blogging anymore, think about why? Why are you feeling uninspired? It's probably because you lost sight of why you started blogging in the first place. I'm constantly reading my old posts from the past and taking note of what I did back then! The reason I'm where I'm at right now is because I worked so hard back then! Don't lose sight of yourself... and if you do, take some time out and think about why you love blogging so much and why you started in the first place.</div><div><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6127270949_166caf14ce_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 435px; height: 654px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6127270949_166caf14ce_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div>Tieka, Selective Potentialhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02129400809310869590noreply@blogger.com