Feb 17, 2017 / First Friday

First Friday

New blogger? Welcome! Share a link to your first post, say hello to other new faces, and find your first few readers.

Image by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolebeaulac/14523302989/in/photolist-o8nHZF-8rm4S3-4qSDKZ-59PhPN-oehCvG-6L4biF-o8oMhZ-59K5dR-6L4j72-okR4Ln-5PiY9A-59K4UX-52g3dU-27Nf81-2ZYhE3-oL2VyZ-dGfrZn-6L8rvj-8hS4H5-6BcEmP-5Gx2tR-ocxbCS-8WLdjF-6BcGne-7e1ndv-oL2syE-oXdQbM-8KcZem-oiNrGn-6L4cEi-bjKZne-8g3bLG-bgykmz-6L8mio-8WLdjV-8WLdjv-aL4fMr-9X1RoC-boow88-oBYMUV-esxgv1-525zPK-duqKvE-pHSTmW-eewW8e-o92SFa-aL4fSV-2LvJoi-7e5gij-6L4az8">Nicole Beaulac</a>.

For other help:
If you’re not new and are looking for support or feedback, the Community Pool is the place for you!

For technical questions, visit the WordPress.com Support Forums.

To learn more about blogging, take a Blogging U. course.

To find, copy, and paste your link:
Head to your blog’s home page — not your dashboard, your blog itself. Click on the title of your post to open the individual post.

Highlight and copy the URL you see in your browser’s address bar, and paste the entire URL into a comment here.

Welcome to First Friday, a weekly open thread where any new blogger can share a link to his or her very first post with the larger WordPress.com community. To share your first post with us, copy and paste the link right into a comment here. If you’re not new, you can still be a part of First Fridays: visit a link or two, and leave the blogger a like or comment.

Please don’t use this as a space to share your first post…. that you published three years ago; ditto for simply sharing your latest post. Posts should have been published within the last month, and should be your first post. We’ll remove other posts to keep this space focused for new bloggers.

We ask that you help us keep this space focused by following a few additional guidelines:

  • We encourage anyone who shares a link to visit a few other bloggers. New readers for all!
  • When commenting, the third time is not the charm: don’t share the same link repeatedly, or in multiple First Friday threads. We’ll remove repeat posts.
  • Link directly to your new post, rather than to your blog generally — it makes it that much easier for folks to like the post or leave you comments.
  • Avoid repeated “Follow for a follow!” comments. (Tip: if you’re trying to build a readership, it’s much more effective to visit and comment on individual bloggers.)
  • To keep from losing your place while you visit others’ blogs, right-click on links to open them in a new tab or window.
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      4. I usually end my posts with a question 🙂 for example, I often ask my readers to recommend their favourite beauty products 🙂 xxx

        Liked by 4 people

      5. Wow…I never thought of that!! Will implement this soon. I’m always curious to know what my writing makes someone think and feel.
        A question at the end of the post is definitely the way to go!
        Thanks!

        Liked by 3 people

      5. Network with other bloggers. This will really help you to increase your following. It also a great idea to research search engine optimisation. Good luck 🙂 xxx

        Liked by 3 people

    8. I’ve just started blogging and I’ve got 3 posts so far. Can you give me an advice how to make them better or appeal to my followers ? (Altough I have like 1 follower 😀 ) thank you. potterandbeyond.wordpress.com

      Liked by 8 people

      5. I love your blog! Your use of colour is wonderful! My top tip is to read other bloggers’ material. This will help you to perfect your blogging style xx

        Like

    9. Question which came to me after writing a 2000-word post: at what point is a post too long and causes a reader’s attention to dwindle? Obviously, if it is captivating, it will hold, but I feel like regardless of the post’s quality, attention is hard to be had these days… comments?

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Well personally telling I don’t read long posts until & unless I find them attractive from the Title, 1st para or pictures within the post… Nobody gives 15-20 minutes to read your post, but there’s no harm in writing long posts. But make sure your post is interesting and has a lot of pictures. Feel free to contact on my site for more queries.

        Like

      4. For links in comments, here’s a template; replace the bits in caps with your info:

        <a href="http://YOURLINKHERE.COM">TEXT YOU WANT TO SHOW HERE</a>

        So, for example, this:

        <a href="https://wordpress.com/dailypost">The Daily Post is awesome!</a>

        Will appear as this:

        The Daily Post is awesome!

        (There’s also a shortcut — open a draft post, and create your text there. Then, go into the “text editor” view. The HTML will be there, and you can copy and paste it. Then trash the post.)

        Like

    7. Just read your first post and am excited to see where it goes. Struggle is interesting and it is through struggle, in my opinion, that we really find who we are/want to be. I will also say that instead of purely writing about yourself, try and take it a step further and include the community. There are many people with struggles, stories, and getting people involved in an active way (as opposed to passive reading) would help the blog and yourself (and others!).

      Liked by 2 people

    8. Hey! I read your first post. I love your theme. It sounds like you’ll be posting some very personal and valuable content. I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂 xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      3. I definitely agree — and please pardon me for being blunt, but Trump-following and Trump-bashing have filled thousands of blog posts for months now and likely will continue. But not everyone is an irate Yank. I’d say if you want to have long-term followers, don’t keep echoing political sentiments. Trump will be gone someday; you can’t let your whole internet life revolve around him.

        Liked by 5 people

  5. Hello fellow bloggers!!! I just wanna say quickly how much your blogs touch people in such diverse and beautiful ways! Sharing information, experiences,art,etc. goes a long way to encourage us all and teach us about the world we live in. This is just a thumbs-up sincere encouragement from me!! xoxo.

    Liked by 12 people

    5. Yes I was looking for your comment section on your blog post as well! Organized/organization was a great subject to touch on!

      Liked by 2 people

  8. Good morning. I’ve been here a while and talk to myself a lot, but I go on read sprees and do a lot of commenting on those evenings.

    Liked by 3 people

  12. Hi all – first post here:

    the first

    Things I like to write about include some basic financial education for all our futures, and some personal coaching stuff. My personal mental health and learning disability battles will also figure quite prominently and my current struggles towards a happy and healthy future.

    And some funny stuff too :).

    So that’s what my blog is about – ways to be happier in a world that can sometimes be overwhelming.

    Karen x

    Liked by 14 people

    1. Your blog has a great look. As I mentioned to someone else you might want to add a “like” button so that you know when readers “like” what you’ve written. Under “your site”, you’ll find it under configure and sharing. I think it’s a nice way for people to show they support you. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    2. When I started blogging, my situation was somewhat similar to yours. I had a vague idea that I want to show my photography and some crafts. I did experiment with a number of things. And, by time it started to narrow down. So basically try everything and it will all start to make sense. As long as you have a goal. Even a vague one. Also, I hope your mental health gets better.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you. I sort of have a goal in mind but it’s a bit fluid and open to change! 🙂 as for my health – I’m very hopeful I am getting stronger – and I really think blogging is already helping.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. I loved your blog! What you write is very true and your pictures are really cool. I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂 xx

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Welcome 🙂

      I noticed that you still have some placeholder text in your blog’s sidebar, on the right side — you can remove or edit that by going to My Site > Customize > Widgets. Look for the Text Widget!

      Liked by 1 person

    4. I note none of your blogs so far have any photos or features any of your work. Personally I like to add some to my blogs to give it another dimension and to break up the reading. But that’s just my preference. Good luck!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Welcome! It is great to start new things. For the look of your blog, you might want to personalize all of the default settings. Play with the menus and widgets, etc. so they become personal to your blog. Have fun!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Welcome 🙂

      A small comment — I noticed that you still have some placeholder text in your blog’s left sidebar. You can remove or edit that by going to My Site > Customize > Widgets. Look for the Text Widget!

      Like

    1. Hey Cari! I just read your blog post and you write in an incredibly engaging way. I look forward to hearing more from you. xxx

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Hello fellow bloggers! I am a nutritionist and I just started my blog about healthy and affordable eating! I will be posting healthy recipes and tips on how to save on your weekly shopping, but I will also be writing about many nutritional topics. This is the link:
    One-Way to Health | A budget friendly journey to a healthier and happier you.

    https://onewaytohealth.com/

    I also have a Facebook page where I post even more Healthy Tips:
    https://m.facebook.com/1waytohealth/

    Comment with the link to your blog and I will surely check it out!! 🙂 Monica x

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Welcome!

      One thing I noticed — you’re using a lot of tags and categories on some of your posts. The WordPress.com Reader actually filters out posts that use more than 15 tags and categories (combined) as an anti-spam measure, so using this many tags actually makes it harder for folks to find your posts, which is sad! If you cut your tags down to the most relevant, you’ll actually draw more readers.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I absolutely love the look of your blog. It doesn’t look like you have just started. Your photos are neat and easy to understand. Many brand new members don’t concentrate on the visual content. But I see you make sure your photos are clear and pleasing. 🙂

      Like

      2. Oh I phones are perfect. In January I went outside country and left my camera behind. Basically, I captured mist photos with my simple Lenovo. Else, I borrowed s7edge from.my sister whne necessary. Even now, I just use my phone sometimes. My point is, you can do a lot with just an iPhone. I

        Liked by 1 person

      1. I am planning to blog about why I did want to skateboard, and it will be a long post 😀 To put is shorty: I’ve been a long time admirer of skateboarding, especially the concept of freedom that comes with it appeals me. I was often saying to my friends, I would like to try that out, and then realized there’s nothing that stops me trying. Then came a chanche to try it out in girls only skate session (my advice is, ask someone to help you, it makes it much safer as there are many things that makes it safer, that you might not know…), and liked it more than even anticipated. And rest is history 😀 Please follow my blog, if you’d like to learn more 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

    5. You are making me want to dig out my old longboard and go for a cruise… but I’ll have to wait for warmer weather where I am. Can’t wait to read more about your journey!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. a) Your post was knowledgeable. b) you have done a very good job by incorporating pictures. Seriously that adds so much substance in an article. It kept me scrolling. c) I love short but insight ful descriptions.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Welcome!

      One thing I noticed — you’re using a lot of tags and categories on some of your posts. The WordPress.com Reader actually filters out posts that use more than 15 tags and categories (combined) as an anti-spam measure, so using this many tags actually makes it harder for folks to find your posts, which is sad! If you cut your tags down to the most relevant, you’ll actually draw more readers.

      Like

    3. Your blog looks very professional. Well done being sent products to review so early on! That’s a huge achievement. xx

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I love the layout of your blog and you write very well. Your last post was very inspiring. Keep it up 🙂 xxx

      Liked by 2 people

    2. One thing I noticed — you’re using a lot of tags and categories on some of your posts. The WordPress.com Reader actually filters out posts that use more than 15 tags and categories (combined) as an anti-spam measure, so using this many tags actually makes it harder for folks to find your posts, which is sad! If you cut your tags down to the most relevant, you’ll actually draw more readers.

      Tags like “blog” and “site” are so general that they won’t really be useful — try to use tags that speak specifically to the topic of your blog and posts.

      Cheers!

      Like

    3. Hi Grandma. I love being one, too. 🙂 I also really enjoy blogging and hope you do, too.
      Here are a few thoughts:

      I looked for your LIKE button so I could LIKE your first post and didn’t find it. There must be a way to enable yours — I know a few folks deliberately disable their because they want comments, not just simple LIKES. Word Press Support is great and can help you enable yours on the theme you’ve chosen.

      Do you know about categories and tags? They are your blog’s “filing system” to help readers find the subjects you’ve covered. Check out what others have done for their posts and you’ll get more ideas.

      To get an idea about tags, check this out: https://wordpress.com/tags/
      In most cases Categories are the larger groups (Education); tags are the lesser subjects (like science, children, students, sports, etc).
      Warning: when you see all the interesting subjects others have blogged about, you’ll spend hours checking them all out.

      One last comment: when I started blogging my son-in-law requested that I not use their children’s names, esp last names, or anything that could identify their family to would-be predators or general pests. Also, do post on various topics. In general, most of us are far more interested in our wonderful grand-children than other people are. 😉

      Happy blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. This might help:

        Tags help readers find your blog.
        Categories help people already on your blog find specific things on your blog.

        If you wrote a post about your favorite movies, you might give it the tag “movies” so people searching for posts about movies in the Reader can find you. Then, you might give it categories like “Comedy” and “Action” so the people already on your blog who are looking for specific kinds of posts can find it.

        Some folks use both, some only use one or the other — it’s up to you.

        Like

    1. I am so happy you are getting out and doing something instead of making excuses like most people! I am leaving a more detailed comment on your website.

      Also, I recommend that you add a “Subscribe” widget to your page.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you! Someone just pointed out that they couldn’t follow me, so I think I fixed it. Thank you so much for the feedback!
        I used to make excuses all the time, but after a while I got tired of not feeling proud of myself. I read this quote that said, “I know what it feels like to fail. I want to know what it feels like to succeed.” And it really resonated with me.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Funny thing about failure is, it goes hand-in-hand with success. You can not succeed without failing.

        “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
        -Arnold Schwarzenegger

        Liked by 4 people

    2. One thing I noticed — you’re using a lot of tags and categories on some of your posts. The WordPress.com Reader actually filters out posts that use more than 15 tags and categories (combined) as an anti-spam measure, so using this many tags actually makes it harder for folks to find your posts, which is sad! If you cut your tags down to the most relevant, you’ll actually draw more readers.

      Welcome!

      Like

  30. How often do you read nonfiction?

    I really enjoy it because it allows me to learn the lessons that successful people learned the hard way, from the comfort of where ever I might be reading.

    If you are interested in the nonfiction I have been reading, or if you want to know what the benefits are from reading this genre in specific, please stop by my page. I post book reviews over biographies, classics, and inspiring nonfiction.

    https://thewrightread.com/

    Also, I just published a post that I am really excited about. It is about finding more time and using it more effectively!

    https://thewrightread.com/2017/02/17/finding-more-time/

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I have a goal to read 12 non-fiction books this year! Hopefully eventually I can work my way up to one every two weeks like you said in your first post. Excited to get new recommendations 🙂 thanks!!

      Liked by 2 people