Sunday 14th July #pbloggers chat - Update, Social Media & Coming soon

Little Update from Me

Hi all, Its me, Mum in a Hurry. I'm sorry there hasn't been a new blog post since May. It really is rather rubbish, isn't it. Well, the truth of the matter is that its just me doing it now - we used to be 5, but now we are just one. Just like the Spice Girls (did once), we have all gone our separate ways - although in this case there really wasn't any big falling out. The others all decided that they didn't have time along with family and work commitments. But I'm still here, do not fret! I'm definitely not Posh Spice... too fat. Definitely not sporty spice. For obvious reasons. And I'm not a read head so I think I'll have to be Baby Spice. Sweet (hopefully), friendly and down to earth! AND I can sing! Yay!

I'm not as good at sticking to a routine and my posts may not be as organised and with as many pretty pictures as before (I'm not good at that stuff, if you get a post at all, it'll be whatever I can throw together in a short time and good enough will have to be good enough). But hey, I'm hoping you don't mind. The main thing is that the #pbloggers chat goes on every Sunday night between 9 and 10pm. Which it seems to do even when I'm not here. So thank you all of you for being so brilliant!

Social Media

Last night's chat was about Social Media - what you use, what you like, what you don't like.... I missed the end of the chat due to going outside to spend some time with hubby on the decking and my data had run out and so O2 were throttling my connection and I can't get wifi on the decking, so I caught up after I was in bed. However, the gist of the conversation was that the main social media platforms used are Twitter and Facebook. Some people preferred one over the other. Some were concerned about Facebook's new algorithms (not sure what that means....) which results in not all of your posts being viewed by all of your fans (or likers). I personally have found it very hard to get Facebook likes, while I have 2000+ followers on Twitter. Not saying that all of those followers hang on my every word or anything, but it is quite a difference. I think Twitter is generally more of an "arms wide open" forum, whereas most people I know (including myself) see Twitter as a personal social management tool - where you communicate with friends and family. Many people found it hard to get their heads around Google+ and Pinterest, but it was mentioned by some that using these media can help you increase hits on your blog.

Coming soon.... a new #pbloggers

A few of us from the group are having discussions about where to go forward with #pbloggers. Its great as just a Sunday night chat, but I (and the others in the group) see so much potential for it as a parent blogger network - not just mums, but dads too! Something maybe aimed at us newbies (as most of us setting it up are fairly new to blogging) but definitely with something to offer for everyone. We had a discussion about how to move forward with this on Sunday before #pbloggers started and we will continue to work together to get this project moving. Hoping to be inviting you to join us on a new website in the not so distant future.

So what do YOU do on rainy days...?

I don't know about you,
but this is just how I look in this situation...

This week, we PBloggers talked about rainy day activities. The weather across the United Kingdom (from where I sit behind ye olde laptoppe, Dear Reader) had been dreadful over the days leading up to the discussion.  This included, what is known in our house as, PROPER RAIN.  This seemed to top-off the seemingly long, dark winter making things feel a little bleak ... but, ironically, Sunday saw a bright and toasty warm day with not a cloud in the sky for many across these great shores.

Who says we Brits like nothing more than to talk about the weather..?

Now don't be rude please, this is actually relevant to the topic in hand. Tsk Tsk.

So.  How do YOU keep your kids entertained when it's throwing stair-rods outside?  Well it seems that the PBloggers community are rather good at this topic and there were plenty of ideas banded around the place.  Here's just a few and please add any others you have in the comments at the bottom!

Snuggle up in front of the box
Once they're old enough, there's nothing nicer than settling down to watch a film with your little one snuggled up to you.

But this won't last all day and soon everyone gets itchy...

...so there's nothing like a bit of indoor acrobatics to lighten up a manky day!

Many of you get creative and crafty:

Pass the cheese please dear... 
Another great idea is to have an indoor picnic!  I think this is such a lovely thing to do on a rainy day...especially as it means there might be a bit of cake in there...

Or you could get on with a bit of gardening...

Come on!  Let's boot up and get on out there!
One of the most popular rainy day activities was to just get out there and charge around in it!!

 

But to leave you with a light-hearted alternative...

Source: jennsthreegraces.blogspot.com via Jocelyn on Pinterest

Results of our #pbloggers survey

 Due to a collective lack of time and having our focus on our families and our own blogs, the #pbloggers team have been wondering about the value to all you #pbloggers out there of continuing with the weekly write-up.

So we created a survey for you to fill out. Here I will share with you the results:

It is really great to get such good feedback and I think in light of this we will endeavour to continue doing the write up. Thank you so much for joining in with #pbloggers every week!

I (Mum in a Hurry) will be away for a few weeks from next week so will miss a couple of #pbloggers parties - will be there at the next one but will miss the 2 after that.

How do you decide what to blog about? - #pbloggers Party 12th May 2013

This week's #pbloggers Party was on the subject of blog content: how do you decide what to write about? Are there any topics you steer clear of? Do you worry about upsetting people with your opinions or are you anonymous in order to be able to be more free with your opinions in your blog posts?

How do you decide what to write about?

Many of you mentioned keeping a notebook in your bag/desk/by the bed in order to note down ideas as and when they come to you. Others used their phones and some mentioned (when at their computers) that they created a new draft post as a way to keep a note of new post ideas. 

What happens when you run out of ideas?

Some of you felt restricted in what you could write in case someone you know got offended/didn't like it/judged you:

Britmums Live (Blogging Conference in London) was mentioned. Some nerves about going but hopes that we will get inspiration from it

 

Blogging Confidence - #pbloggers Party 5th May 2013

Hi. Abi here from Mum in a Hurry. Apologies for the lateness of this party summary. I'm playing catchup as its been a busy few weeks.

The party on the 5th May was about Blogging Confidence. How do you keep yours? Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of other experienced bloggers out there?

Issues some of you expressed

Some new bloggers found it hard not to focus on your site stats - how many views and comments you have each day - perhaps feeling disheartened if the numbers were not as high as hoped.







Others, just found blogging and the whole world that is the Blogosphere overwhelming.







Some wondered if anyone was interested in reading their blogs.

What helps us with our confidence?

 Recognition helps:

In Summary

We are all in the same Blogging boat. New or more experienced, all of us experience self-doubt and wonder if we are doing it right.

All we can do is support eachother by reading and commenting on each others blogs and blog what we love.

Pbloggers Linky

Have you written a post on this topic?

If you have, share your links here. Or just share a post you have written that you want other pbloggers to look at.