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Q & A: Photo Hosting Options

By Nicole · Comments (1)

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Thanks to all who entered my Q & A Twitter design giveaway a few weeks ago. You all gave me some great material, and helped me learn what people really want to know when it comes to blogging.

The first question comes from Liz at Goddess In Progress (who has a fabulous blog about raising twins!). Liz asked:

What do you think are the pros and cons to using a photo hosting service like Flickr or Photobucket, versus just uploading them to your hosting provider, be it your own domain or something like Blogger?

Well Liz, that’s a great question and I had to do some Googling because my first thought would be to say there’s no difference. Let me share with you what I found out.

There are several good options for free photo hosting services. PhotoBucket, Flickr, Webshots, SnapFish and ShutterFly are just a few of the many options on the web today. There are several advantages to using a photo sharing service.

1. They’re free. This may be a mute point, because if you have a blog, you already have free hosting or paid hosting. However, if for some reason you had a limited amount of space and a lot of photos, it might be helpful to host them elsewhere.

2. Editing features. A lot of people don’t own the latest, costly, version of PhotoShop. One great feature of these services is the photo editing capabilities that come with them. You are able to make some simple changes to your photos after uploading…for free! You can crop, change contrast/brightness, etc. This is a great option for bloggers.

3. Extra exposure. If your photos are a big part of your blogging practices, its probably beneficial to have them on a photo sharing service that will increase your exposure and traffic. You can add tags to your photos and gain that much more visible for yourself and your blog.

4. Sharing. This is somewhat related to the above point, but its handy to have your photos already hosted on a sharing/hosting site so you can share them with family, order prints or design photo gifts. I’ve used SnapFish for years for this very reason.

Now, two Cons…that aren’t really cons. I initially was going to caution you about the fact that most services are open to anyone and your photos can be copied and used without your permission. But as any blogger knows, you take on this risk the minute you add your first photo to a post. The best bet for protecting yourself and your photos is to add a personal watermark. A great example of this is what Beth at I Should be Folding Laundry does with hers. She has a photography business and obviously doesn’t want her beautiful pictures used without her permission. She adds a tasteful watermark to her photos in a non-distracting way.

Lastly, one may think that there is risk of a photo hosting server going down and your photos not being available when needed. But again, its a mute point. Servers are servers and they all have the potential to go down at some point.

Liz, hope that somewhat answers your question…in a long winded sort of way!

So what are your thought on photo hosting services? Have a favorite? Something to add?

Comments (1)

Q & A and a Giveaway…{that rhymes}.

By Nicole

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

**Update: Winner of the Twitter background design is Kris!**

Today I’m kicking off another round of Q & A on this here blog of mine…but with a little twist.

Here’s the skinny: Ask any question related to the mechanics or technical aspects of blogging in the form of a comment. It can be anything from how to add a custom banner, uploading a photo, adding a WordPress plugin, domain names, hosting…whatever. I’ll be back in the following weeks to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

And the best part? Your comment will enter you to win a Twitter background design…like this one or this one, or even this one. If you aren’t on Twitter (say what??), we’ll come up with something (maybe a mommy/business card or blog badge?)

Please submit your entries before Wednesday, March 4th at midnight.

So…ask away.

BlissDom Q & A: Your Burning Questions Answered!

By Nicole · Comments (5)

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Last week I asked you if you wanted to know anything about my experience at BlissDom ’09. A few of you chirped up…so here goes!

Nicole Feliciano asked:

Did you come away with ideas that will REALISTICALLY and DRAMATICALLY increase readership?

My Answer:

Yes, definitely. But dramatically? That may be hard to measure. Though readership/stats are not an exact science, I know that the right people were on the job when it came to sharing great tips for increasing readership. Some of those tips were:

Use social media, like Twitter and Facebook, to your advantage. Build community, promote your blog and find new opportunities in that way.

Comment, comment, comment. Nothing builds community like commenting on others’ blogs. Being part of carnivals (my own tip) is a great way to increase your exposure and find some great blogs.

Respond to comments. As much as it is possible, especially in the beginning, respond to your commenters. Visit their blogs and make a point to say something about their blog. Find a way to connect, even if its something small.

Label your photos. In a very practical way, you can increase your Google search results by naming the images you use in your post something meaningful. Don’t just leave it as “img_20744″. Name it “BlissDom 09 tips and tricks to increase readership”. Google likes that…and so might you.

And finally, write good content. People will come back, and spread the word, if you offer something they like. This may be the hardest of all, in my opinion. But it makes the most sense, wouldn’t you agree?

Nicole also asked:

Can you compare it to Blogher?

My answer:

Gosh, that’s hard. It was different in so many way. Here’s my personal take (so don’t throw me under the bus!):

BlogHer was in San Fransisco…BlissDom in Nashville.

BlogHer had over 1,000 attendees…BlissDom had 250.

BlogHer appealed to a wider variety of bloggers (political, entertainment, etc.)…BlissDom seemed to appeal more to mommy, craft, tip bloggers.

BlogHer focused a lot on being free to express yourself however you wish because its your blog…BlissDom focused more on finding your niche and writing good, appealing content.

BlogHer didn’t emphasis social media *as much* as BlissDom did (and perhaps that was the difference that 8 months makes).

BlogHer did a good job (as much as I hated it) of making you meet new people with mixers, little games, etc….BlissDom left that up to the person, in a way.

The panels at BlogHer seemed to get off topic with so many questions from the attendees…BlissDom had success in staying on topic with good information while still taking questions from people.

Andrea McMann asked:

Have they released the time and venue for next year’s Blissdom? What’s your best tip (or best tips) for getting the most out of a blog conference experience?

My Answer:

Just this morning I got an email asking for my feedback on the conference. There was “talk” about having it twice a year, in October and February, most likely in Nashville. They also asked our opinion on if they were to increase the attendance, what a good cap would be. This year they kept the attendance at 250 people. That made it such a nice size…big enough that it was worthwhile but small enough that it was still somewhat intimate.

So…they may be opening it up to more people next year, and I’ll be it will go fast. You can sign up for the ’10 conference updates here. That way, you’ll be in the know for next year!

As for getting the most out of the experience, I would have to say to attend every session, ask questions, walk up to people you want to meet (something I need to be better at) and just be involved with what’s going on. Honestly, there were a few things I skipped out on because I was just plain tired and needed some down time. That’s probably one thing I would do differently for next year.

And last but not least, Mrs. Fussypants herself (um, hello????) asked:

What do we need to concentrate on for next year?

My answer:

{Gulp}

I think keeping the venue small, like this year, really lends itself to a better conference experience. As the popularity and “buzz” about BlissDom grows, I hope that the dedication to the intimate setting remains. And if you can come up with some fun, creative, non-dorky mixer games, that would be icing on the cake… (if they even exist).

She also asks:

What *one* thing stood out to make the weekend special for you

My answer:

It was obvious the amount of time and planning that went into the planning of this conference. The logistics, Hotel Preston (minus the possessed elevators…), was just right for the amount of people; the session topics and panelists were right on, the special guests were a definite plus, the sponsors and “swag” was over the top. Everything down to the smallest detail was obviously planned with the attendee in mind, and that made the experience as a whole very positive.

I hope this was helpful. If you want more, you can now download the transcripts from the sessions and the key note speech from Jen Lancaster! Check it out…