Ever thought about becoming a mum blogger? Download our free Blogging 101 eBook from www.kleenexmums.com.au It's full of goodies that'll help you learn how to start blogging!

2. 3. Introduction:
Want to be a top mum blogger?
4. Why do you blog?
6. What makes a great mum blogger?
8. The newbie’s guide to starting a blog
14. Four ways to make blogging a
sustainable part of your life
16. Five tips to help mum-bloggers
make money
18. Keep the ideas coming
21. How to become part of the
mum-blogger community
24. How to get traffic and measure it
26. Six steps to law-proof your blog
28. How to make a blog your own:
branding and design basics
31. Jargon busters
33. “What I learned at ABC 2011”
35. Useful resources and free stuff

3. Blogging. What better way to express yourself, share
your stories, your ideas, your frustrations and connect
with other like-minded people? But where do you
start? Read our eBook and you should be a little wiser.
When you start blogging, there’s just so much to take in: Analytics, measurement, design,
search-engine optimisation, monetisation (is that even a word?!), traffic, personal branding,
Twitter, Facebook pages, avatars… The list of things you need to know about seems endless.
And the truth is, mastering all the elements required to become a top blogger can take
a long time. Some people will take to it faster than others, but it often depends how much
‘me time’ you can regularly set aside and commit to it. And that level of commitment can
be enough to stop people before they’ve even started.
How often do you hear someone say: “I’d love to start my own blog, but I just can’t seem
to get around to it.” Or: “I wouldn’t know where to start.” Well hopefully it’ll seem a little bit
easier for any parent to start a blog of their own once they’ve read our Kleenex Mums guide
to starting a blog.
We’ve pulled together what we think are the essential bits of knowledge any parent whose
ever contemplated starting a blog will need to get themselves up and running. And for those
who do take the leap into the blogosphere, we’ve also included as many links as we could
to great resources that will help you keep delivering top-quality content over and over again.
Whether you want to blog about family, share your favourite meal ideas, or anything else
you’re passionate about, we’re sure this eBook will give you a great head start.
This eBook is authored by a number of authors. The thoughts or opinions expressed are those of Melissa Gassman and other credited
authors and sources, and are not those of Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty. Limited nor the medical profession. All material here is for
informational purposes only and should in no way replace or be used as a substitute for professional or medical advice. Copyright
in this eBook vests in Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty. Limited. ®Registered Trademark Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. © 2011 KCWW. 3.

4. We asked some of Australia’s top mum-bloggers
why they put in the hard yards and what they get
out of the blogging experience.
Lucy Mulvany,
Dimishinglucy
I love to write, and keep a journal.
Melissa Klemke,
I always have, even as a child.
Frills In The Hills
I love to read the memories of others.
Bianca Wordley, I have the diaries and photo scrap
Primarily I blog for me. I blog to albums of all of the women in my
Bigwords
express, connect and preserve. family. These stories bring these
Blogging is a wonderful way to people closer to me. I have blogged
I blog because as an ex-journalist
have a creative outlet whilst since 2002. It started as a journal.
I found I had a driving desire to keep Megan Blanford,
connecting with others and creating Then as a place to display photos.
writing after I’d stopped working to Writing Out Loud
a record of your thoughts and Then as a record of my weight loss
look after my three children. Blogging
experiences – and in my case – attempts. And then I realised that
gives me the opportunity to write
recipes! I think the secret to having Why do I blog? I started blogging others, just like me, liked to share in
whatever I want, whenever I want.
a great blog is to write something purely as a way to write. But I’ve words and stories and photos too.
It’s an amazing creative outlet. The
you’d want to read that provides kept blogging to connect with And so I blog.
blogging community is so supportive
something useful to the reader. others, to feel part of a community,
and inspiring and I’ve been able to
connect with people throughout the to reflect on life, and yet escape
world. It’s kick started my career in reality at the same time. I blog
a whole new direction, opened my because it’s an exciting time to
eyes up to the world of Twitter, taught be a blogger in Australia and
me new skills and I’ve met so many there are so many opportunities.
new friends. It’s so much fun!
4.

5. Jodie Ansted,
Mummy Mayhem
Louisa Claire,
A couple of years ago, I rediscovered
Everything Is Edible
my early love of writing by
contributing to my sons’ school
Kathrine Holland,
I started blogging as a way to stay newsletter each week. I started
Mummy Diaries
in touch with family and friends Mummy Mayhem after a friend
living interstate, and after becoming suggested I do so. I feel complete
a Mum my blog became a way I am one of those soulless bloggers now that I write, and I love it when
to record all the changes and that got into the game for the money my writing connects with others.
milestones that we went through – not those meaningful connections Especially if the post I’ve written
as a family, as well as the early that you so often hear mummy- helps people in some way.
years of my daughters life. bloggers waffle on about. I often refer to my blog as my
Christie Burnett, I found parenting incredibly But three months into blogging ‘hobby’, but I think it’s more than
Childhood101 isolating and so I decided to write an and without a penny earned, I had that. Blogging is a part of me now.
uncensored version of motherhood. an epiphany that perhaps my blog It’s escapism. Joy. Expression. I feel
As a new Mum, I found that I missed I decided that if I could encourage wasn’t destined to be the second I’ve found my ‘thing’.
having something for me as my or reassure even one Mum who coming of Dooce. Predictably
work had always been such an was feeling like I was then it would though, I had started to develop
important part of my life. My blog be worth it. “meaningful connections” with
became what I did for me, an What I didn’t expect was that I other women – women that would
outlet for my thoughts and ideas would discover an online community comment and tell me to “keep my
and feelings. I love that whatever who would in turn encourage and chin up” when my 6 month old would
your parenting style or philosophy is, reassure me; relationships that would keep me up ALL NIGHT and other
there are others around the world spill over into real life. bloggers that would email just to
feeling, thinking and sometimes tell me they thought I was the bees
even enjoying a similar journey. knees... It’s a cliché I know, but
that’s why I blog!
5.

6. What makes a Mum blogger and avid
mum-blog-reader Sharon
great mum-blogger? from Hear Mum Roar shares
what she thinks sets great
bloggers apart.
Reading a great blog is like watching your favourite TV show.
You anxiously wait for the next installment, desperate to know
what’s going to happen.
I could talk all day about getting traffic and followers. If you want
to be a great blogger, the best thing you can do is write gripping
content. Guilty pleasure content. The kind that sees housework
neglected, because the reader must get their fix. Do this and,
over time, the traffic and followers will come.
Although I’m obsessed with writing my own blog, my other
obsession is reading blogs. Each mum blog I read is vastly
different from the next. But the great blogs all have things in
common that make them special:
They have a different point of view
Isn’t this why we watch TV? Read books? We love journeying,
experiencing something different to our own everyday lives.
We enjoy some escapism. Great bloggers aren’t a generic
model, trying to fit in with everyone else.
They give us their unique, fresh perspective on life.
They share their own experience as they see it.
6.

7. You feel an affinity with the blogger They’re great writers
I enjoy reading blogs from mums in a different situation to It’s important to write with correct grammar and
mine, but the great bloggers make me feel connected to spelling. Great bloggers do this, but they also have
them. They’re relatable. They aren’t constantly telling me their own unique writing ‘voice’. Don’t panic if you
how wonderful or perfect they are. haven’t found yours yet. Just start writing!
They willingly share their own imperfection and vulnerability. Your voice develops the more you write. Great
I see the perfection in their imperfection. I feel like I personally bloggers write well, but more importantly, they write
know this blogger and that, if we met, we’d be close friends. as though they are having a direct conversation with
you. This is another way we come to ‘know’ them.
It’s like when I’m watching Mad Men; I see Betty Draper
slumped on her couch from boredom and exhaustion, If you close your eyes during your favourite TV show,
and I relate to her as a mother. Although we’re both in you can guess which character is speaking. Not just
different eras and countries, in that very real moment, because you recognise their voice. You know them
I can identify with her. by their speaking style, the types of words they use,
their tone and nuances. Think about your friends and
family. How many times have you heard someone in
your life say: ‘it’s so like her to say that!’ What’s it like
Great bloggers inspire you when you talk?
Great bloggers make me want more from life. It may be Try writing in a notebook. It doesn’t matter what you
the cute craft project or the mind-blowing time-saving write about, but scribble your thoughts down as if
tip. Or perhaps a fresh perspective on how a mum handled you were speaking out loud. Do you see how unique
a problem with her child. your writing is, compared to trying to write like every
other blogger you’ve read and liked?
Other times, it’s watching a mum grow in strength as she
keeps getting out of bed to face another day of adversity. Great bloggers are willing to be themselves. Do you
Some bloggers are just so cool, I wish for a moment I could have the courage to show your uniqueness to the
be them. world? Can you let your differences shine? Are you
willing to let your voice be heard for what it is? My
This inspiration makes me want to be a better person, best advice to any mum thinking about starting her
do amazing things and to live my best possible life. The own blog, is go for it! Read lots of blogs too, you’ll
great mum bloggers make me strive to be kinder to others, soon see for yourself what makes a great blogger.
nurture my creative side, do a better job at this mummy gig
and think outside my own parameters.
7.

8. The newbie’s guide
to starting a blog
Fancy yourself as 1. What will your blog be called?
Some people name their blogs after the content (eg
a top mum-blogger “Craft Ideas for Crafty Mums”) while others choose a
nonsensical name (eg “Bubbly Boo”). However, there
but aren’t sure are no rules – you can even go for something simple
like “Jane Smith’s Blog.” 4. What are the paid hosting options?
where to start? There are a range of options for paid hosting.
Run a search on “web hosting” and then choose
Here’s a step-by-step 2. Will you host the site? the one that best suits you. Standard hosting prices
vary from $3-17 per month, while the more expensive
guide to get you up A hosting service gives you a place to store all your
blog’s data on the internet. You can either pay to services generally offer better customer support and
faster speeds.
and posting. have your own host, or you can use a free hosting
service such as Blogger or WordPress. However, if
you choose a free service, you won’t be able to
Hold on for just a minute have your own domain. To use the above example, 5. Which blog platform is best for you?
it would instead be something like A blog platform is the software that you will need to
though, here are five things www.janesmith.blogspot.com use to manage your blog’s content and presentation.
you’ll need to decide There are various blog platforms you can use, but
services like WordPress and Blogger both offer easy-
before you start blogging. 3. What domain will you use? to-use free blogging platforms with a customisable
A domain is part of the URL address that you type into layout. Signing up is simple and you can be posting
your browser to visit a particular site. You can register within minutes. For the purpose of our newbie’s guide,
your own domain and name it after yourself or your we have written our walk-through using Blogger.
site (eg www.janesmith.com) for as little as $12 per
year, if you wish. Plenty of bloggers start with the free
option first and then move over to a paid domain, –
some would say it’s not worth creating that extra step
for yourself, so if you can easily afford it think hard
about paying for your own domain from the get-go.
8.

9. 1.
Log in to Blogger.com using your Google account (set
one up if you haven’t already – it’s as easy as Hotmail).
2.
Choose a display name for yourself – this is the identifier that
will appear on your blog posts, on your blogger profile and
when you comment on other blogs. It might be your real
name, or a nickname you like to use.
Once you’ve got those
five things sorted, it’s 3.
time to sit down in front Next you will be taken to your Blogger dashboard; this is the control panel
for your blog. Here, you can access any of your blogs or your profile.
Start by properly setting up your profile. Click “Edit profile” and fill in the
of your computer and requested details – select your preferred privacy settings, upload a profile
photo, and complete your country settings. You can also add information
get your blog started. about your interests, occupation and birthday – it’s up to you to decide
how much you are comfortable sharing, be sure to pay it some thought.
Here’s how to set up a
blog using Blogger: 4.
Then it’s time to set up the blog itself. Click “Create your blog” from
the dashboard and choose a blog title and URL. The URL will act as the
address for your blog so people know where to find it, and it will contain
the domain name. If you have purchased your own domain, then the URL
address will just be the same as your domain. However, if you are using the
Blogger domain, the URL will be www.yourblogname.blogspot.com (in this
example, the “blogspot.com” part of the URL is the domain).
9.

10. 5.
Select one of Blogger’s ready-made templates – a template
is like a theme, and it dictates how your content will be
presented (background colour, header, fonts, etc.) Once
you’ve chosen a template, you can change the background
of your blog by clicking “Background” and choosing a
different colour or background image. You can even upload
a photo of your own to use as the background.
6. You can customise the layout – where each element of your page
will be displayed – by clicking “Layout” and selecting from one of
Blogger’s pre-set options. A two-column layout will load faster for
visitors to your blog and puts more emphasis on your content, as you’ll
have more room to work with. However, if you have a lot of widgets
in your sidebar, or you want to offer ad space, a three-column layout
might work better for you, as this will look less cluttered. Once you’ve
chosen a layout, you can then adjust the widths of your page to suit
your preference.
7.
Advanced customisation options allow you to tweak your text by
playing with fonts, link colours and more. Choose something that will
be easy to read on either a desktop or a smartphone. Top tip: over
the years, research has shown that white text on a black background
is hard to read for a lot of people.
Once you’re happy with the look and feel of your blog, you can start
8. posting. You can also make changes to your template and layout at
any time later on if you wish to do so.
10.

11. How to post
1.
To add a post, click “New Post” from your dashboard.
Then simply type in your post title and body text. To
format your post, use the icons above the post box –
these are similar to those used in Microsoft Word. You can
also add Labels to your post – these are like tags that will
help categorise your content and make it easy for visitors
to find things on your site.
To add a link, highlight the text you would like to link,
then click “Link” and type in the URL.
2. To add an image, click the image icon (next to “Link”)
and then choose a file from your desktop, or type in
the URL of the image you wish to add, then click “Add
Selected”. Once the image appears in your post box,
click on it to add a caption or change its size or position.
To add a video, click the video icon (next to the image
icon) and then upload your own video, or search for one
on YouTube. When you’ve found the right video, click
“Select” and it will automatically be added to your post.
Now click “Preview” to see what your post will look like.
Then, if you are happy to publish it, click “Publish Post.”
3. If you do not want to publish your post immediately,
you can click “Save as Draft” and come back when
4. you want to publish it. If you want to schedule your post
to be published at a set time in the future, click “Post
Options” (just above the “Publish Post” button), check
the “Scheduled at” box, and then type in the date
and time when you would like your post to go live.
To delete a post, click “Edit Posts” from the posting
menu, then check the post you wish to delete and
click “Delete Selected.”
11.

12. How to create a new page
In addition to your main page, you might like to have
a page with your contact details, or an “About Me”
section. Doing a good job on the latter is particularly
important if you want to build a loyal following and
help anyone who visits your blog – including potential
advertisers – understand what you’re about.
To add a page, click “New Post” from your dashboard,
and choose “Edit Pages”. Then click “New Page”, name
your page and add in the text you want to appear on
that page. When you are ready to publish, click “Publish
Page” and select where you would like the page to
appear. Then click “Save and publish” and your new
page will appear on your blog.
12.

13. How to add gadgets
Gadgets (or widgets) are like mini-applications that add extra functions or
content to your blog. Some basic gadgets that you might like to start with
include: Popular Posts, Followers, Search Box, Subscription Links and Label
Sphere. These will help highlight your best posts and allow readers to find
information more easily.
To add a gadget to your blog, select “Design” from your Dashboard, and
then click “Add a Gadget” in your element-layout. You can browse the
gadgets by most popular or basics, or search for one using the search bar
in the top right-hand corner of the pop-up gadget menu. Select the gadget
you want and then add it to your element layout. You can then click and
drag it to arrange your page elements in order of importance.
Now what?
Once you have set up your blog it will take some time to build an audience,
but it’s important to keep up your blogging momentum. Try to update
regularly and include unique posts that people will find useful, entertaining,
educational or interesting. If you continue to post good content, the readers
will come. As well as working on the blog itself, you need to take your
blogging-self to where your audience already are online. So if you aren’t
already, get yourself set up in other social media, like Facebook and Twitter.
Read the rest of the eBook and you’ll find a ton of useful articles all written
to help you on your way to mum-blogging success.
13.

14. Four ways to Once you’re up and
running, beware,
make blogging blogging could take
over your life! Nicole from
a sustainable Planning With Kids gives
part of your life her advice on how to
sustainably incorporate
blogging into family life.
If you are just starting out blogging, here are four
ways you can incorporate blogging into your life
that will help make it sustainable:
If you have done any reading of ‘how to blog’
blogs, you will often come across the advice
that to build your blog, you need to be blogging
every day. When I first started blogging I aimed
to post Monday to Friday. It was exhausting and
unsustainable for me – it took too much time
away from my family. After a while I set myself
a more realistic schedule of three times a week.
My blog may have grown slightly faster if I had
kept up posting five days a week, but it would
have burned me out. Work out what is your
realistic posting schedule for the time you want
to spend blogging and stick to it.
14.

15. Batch writing is the process I use each
week to schedule my posts. I will set
aside time where all I do is write blog
posts. I turn off all other distractions I have a content plan for my blog
and focus purely on the content for that goes forward at least six months.
my blog. Once you find your writing As with any plan I can change it as
rhythm it can be very easy to keep the mood sees fit, but having a plan
going and write all your posts for the allows me to continue blogging when
upcoming week. my home life hits its busy peaks.
Try spending a couple of hours
I batch write on weekends when planning-out your posts for at least
my husband is home and he is a month. Start by defining the style
available for the kids. Having the posts of your posts: for example, Mondays
scheduled throughout the week takes will be a craft post, Wednesdays will
the pressure off me when family life be a anecdote and Fridays will be a
is at its busiest. Prior to batch writing, book review – this will help you think of
I would write posts the night before topics that fit the scope of your blog.
they were to be published. But if the
kids were sick or I had meetings to go The real beauty of the plan is how I
to, I used to find I was feeling under can look forward and see what I will
pressure to get a post out on time. be writing about next. I then have the
topics rattling around in my head and
over the week I start to almost write
the blog posts in my head. By the time
I sit down to write them, they take
much less time to write than if I had
sat in front of the computer with
a blank slate.
Blogging isn’t just about writing posts;
it’s about interacting with an online
community. Commenting on other Blogging can have a fantastic impact
blogs, adding to discussions on forums on your life when you allow it to fit in
and using social media can very and not take over your family life.
quickly eat up your blogging time.
Try using a tool like focus booster and
limiting your time with these activities.
There will always be more you could
contribute, but to keep the number of
hours you are online to a manageable
level, setting limits is vital.
15.

16. There are dozens of ways to make money from
your blog, but where do you start? Here are
five things you can put in place straight away.
Want to soar off into the stratosphere as a six-figure salaried mum-blogger?
First you’ll need to find your own distinct voice, your niche, and a subject so
important to you that you’ll happily write about it for years to come. On top
of that you’ll also need to have a clear strategy and be prepared to work at
it consistently – take a look at our free resources page for help with the latter.
For now, here are five things you can do straight away that will help your
quest for dollars:
1. Remember, it’s all ‘about me’
The ‘about me’ section of a blog is often overlooked. While it should be written
for your readers first – especially as it’s one of the most read pages by first-time
visitors – keep in mind it will also be scrutinised by those who may be willing to
pay for your expertise.
Your ‘about me’ should be well-written and clearly explain who you are
and what you’re all about. If possible, try to demonstrate how far and wide
your word has the potential to spread, by providing links to your Facebook
and Twitter accounts. Doing this will help anyone interested in working with
you quickly understand how many people are gathered around you and
your content.
16.

17. 2. Make your own ‘media kit’ and know your numbers 4. Let people know you are PR friendly
As a reference point for promoting the value of your blog to advertisers, After spending the past 50 years creating advertising messages they could control and
familiarise yourself with the ‘media kits’ online publishers put together then broadcast to whomever was watching, the world has now changed for brands –
– these are often found in links at the foot of well-known websites. and it makes some of them very nervous about involvement with bloggers. If someone
Once you’ve got your blog ticking along nicely, it’s a good time to representing a brand wants to approach you about something, it can be encouraging
create a media kit of your own. for them to know you’re open to listening and are discreet about such things. In Australia
there is a growing list of ‘PR Friendly’ bloggers, and it can’t do any harm to sign up to it
Doing this basically means providing all the juicy details on how many if you want to boost your chances of being approached by brands that reach out to
unique visitors your blog attracts, the number of pages they view, mum-bloggers from time to time.
bounce rates, and so on. And when you talk numbers, make sure you’re
confident about each stat and what it means; to make money from
blogging you’ll have to become a wizz at understanding your data. 5. Don’t under-estimate the power of mum-bloggers
Your own media kit is a useful document to have up your sleeve should
Did you know that, according to research, 85% of brand purchases are made by
any interesting opportunities arise – it’ll also save you time replying at
women? Those working in the marketing industry certainly do, and they also know that
length to every email request you receive for this sort of information.
more and more women are spending time online – doing things like reading this eBook!
It means that right now, if you’re a successful mum-blogger who can communicate well
and command an audience, plenty of brands could be interested in you. One challenge
3. Sign-up to Google Adsense or Nuffnang
for mum-bloggers is that no benchmark costs have emerged for the different types of
You can start to make a few dollars by signing up to Google Adsense, paid work available beyond advertising – be it consultancy, writing paid-for guest posts,
a program that embeds ads and sponsored links into your blog. It’s pretty reviews, whatever. Events like the Aussie Bloggers Conference help bring together mum
straight-forward to do using Blogger or Wordpress, so try it out. There’s bloggers and fuel the debate about how to make money. So where possible, be a part
also the blogger-specific ad-network Nuffnang to consider. Once you’ve of the mum-blogging community and share any thoughts and advice you might have
signed up, Nuffnang basically finds advertisers it thinks are relevant to your with other mum bloggers out there.
blog and serves those ads onto your blog. Nuffnang use statistics such as
your visitor numbers, and the number of people who click on the ads it has As you develop your skills as a mum-blogger you’ll come
running on your blog, to work out how much you’ll be paid for displaying across literally dozens of ways to make money from your
those ads. Nuffnang can also help get you involved with sponsored posts blog. So many that you could dedicate an enormous
and giveaways. and successful blog to that one subject alone – just as
quite a few people we’ve linked to on our
When you sign up with anyone to have ads placed on your blog, keep resources page have.
a close eye on – and seek clarity on – what is served up. For example,
if you’re a mum-blogger who specialises in vegetarian recipes, it might
not be ideal to have ads for lamb served to your blog.
17.

18. Keep the
ideas
Blogs are always hungry for
coming
more content, but how do you
feed their insatiable appetite
and keep the quality up?
Kelly from Be a Fun Mum
shares some helpful secrets.
Monotony. It’s what every blogger
dreads and yet is something most (if not
all) will experience at some point in the
blogging journey. Successful blogging
needs to be interesting, widely applicable
and consistent. So, how do bloggers
keep churning out interesting pieces
of content week after week?
First: you need to blog about what you like.
Second: you need to develop a wide
range of tactics to bring interesting
posts to readers.
18.

19. Ideas for posts are everywhere but sometimes it helps to
know where to look. Here are seven tips to help get the
creative juices flowing:
1. Follow your passion
Blogging without passion is like bread without butter.
If you’re looking for topic ideas, the best place to start is you:
What are you passionate about? What motivates you?
What is your expertise?
2. Think like a blogger
Look for blogging opportunities as you live life and don’t
underestimate the power of personal experiences.
3. Read blogs
Other blogs are a wonderful source of inspiration. However,
make sure the content has your own unique spin.
4. Ask questions
Blogging is less about the blogger and more about the
reader. Ask your readers what topics they want you to
cover or put the question out to Twitter.
5. Use the media
Explore hot topics in the media (television, magazines,
newspapers, internet) and flesh out your opinion on them.
6. Events and holidays
Stay one step ahead of holidays and events like Christmas.
7. Brainstorming
Get away from the computer with pencil and paper
and jot things down as they pop into your head.
19.

20. • Think about the posts you love most and why.
• Look at your statistics and comments for popular posts.
• Visit blog forums.
• Check featured posts in your niche on social
bookmarking sites.
• Participate in blogging challenges, blog hogs and link-ups.
• Take a small break to gain perspective.
Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to put them into posts.
Single posts are always great, but mixing it up can keep things
interesting. Here are four tactics for putting posts together:
1) Write a series
1. Highlight 10 of your best posts.
Decide on a topic and write a number of posts covering the
subject. The subject may be something like “Back to School”. 2. Feature an inspirational picture and quote.
3. List five of your favourite blogs from around the internet.
2) Lean on lists 4. Write a ‘quick tip’. This could be anything from
Formulating posts into a list is generally well received by where to keep clothes pegs to styling frizzy hair.
readers, as they’re easy to digest.
5. Do a recipe post.
6. List 10 things you’re grateful for.
3) Build suspense
It can be fun to build interest in a post or event. This could 7. Interview someone.
be something like a new blog design, a trip or surprise post. 8. Record a Vlog (video blog).
9. Invite a guest poster.
4) Put a fresh spin on familiar topics
10. Blog about a great “find”.
Topics that have been covered before are still blogging gold.
Here’s a few ways to put a fresh spin on familiar topics:
• Make a video to compliment the post. Post ideas are everywhere! Be creative and capture
your passion to share it with the world. That’s what
• Seek out a professional to give an opinion.
blogging is all about.
• Do a poll and add a graph to your post.
• Be controversial.
• Weave a personal story into a post applicable
to a wide audience.
20.

21. Zoey from Good Goog gives advice
on becoming an active member of the
Australian mum-blogger community.
Starting a blog can be a daunting exercise. Especially when it’s just
you, a blank page and zero readers. And although the Australian mum
blogging community is as dynamic as it is varied, in the beginning it
can seem like you’re looking at it from the outside in. But luckily you
only really need one thing to become part of this warm, generous
community – yourself.
Does your blog really exist if there’s nobody
there to read it?
To start off with it can seem like you might be writing into the great void.
You have a blog but no followers, only the occasional family member
who might throw you a bone and comment. To help put your blog on
the map, there are a few places where you can list your blog and there
are forums where you can connect with people of similar interests that
will display your blog on your profile and in your signature.
But really, the number one way to get your blog noticed is to comment
on other blogs. When you comment, you usually have the option of
including your own blog address and your comment links back to your
blog. In the beginning, it’s all about comment, comment, comment!
21.

22. g you
en givin
“...ev g or
u al hu n
a virt e whe
ak d it.”
cupc y nee
eall
you r
Procrastination isn’t really a waste of time
Where do all the Aussie mum bloggers live? On Twitter. Twitter is your new
best friend. It might take a while to get used to. It’s not really status updates
as much as it is micro-blogging. And unlike Facebook, it’s allows you to build
a network that’s not just based on friends, but on common interests.
But how do you actually find the people you want to find on Twitter? It is
after all a very big pond. Most blogs will provide a link to their Twitter page
Cross over into the real world and meet some
and you can follow them from there. In addition, a lot of people create
some fantastic lists which are a great jumping off point. great people
The tribe isn’t limited to online either. There are tweet ups, bloggers’
Don’t abandon Facebook either. A good approach is to use a combination
meet ups and even a bloggers’ conference. Although all of the above
of Twitter, Facebook, forums and social bookmarking sites like Digg or
do present some challenges if you plan on being anonymous online.
StumbleUpon. This is because the bloggers might live on Twitter, but many of
But who are we kidding? No one is really anonymous online!
your potential readers will not.
Nuffnang (a blogging advertising community) will often provide
information on meet ups and you can keep your eyes peeled on
Twitter for tweet ups as well.
Find your tribe and your online home
And the conference? A whole day of unadulterated blogging goodness
Once you’ve had a chance to explore for a bit you’ll find your niche within
and more bloggers than you can poke a stick at. This year’s has just
a niche – your tribe. You’ll find people who you really connect with, people
taken place, but if you start blogging soon, who knows, next year you
you look up to, people who inspire you and people who support you.
could even be up on stage at Aussie Blogger’s Conference 2012.
The community can provide the answers to those questions you might be
just a little bit embarrassed to ask and even some questions that you didn’t
realise you should be asking. And support will come in many forms; from an
encouraging comment, to good advice, to promoting your posts and even
giving you a virtual hug or cupcake when you really need it.
22.

23. When in doubt, bribe readers
and do it shamelessly
A great way to build your readership is to run a blog giveaway. PR
companies will begin to contact you with press releases or potential
giveaways and you have the option of running them on your site.
While your readers are busy entering your giveaway to win whatever
it is on offer, make sure that your entry guidelines promote as much
sharing and following as possible. So typical requirements are that to
enter readers follow your blog, follow you on Twitter, like your Facebook
page, tweet about the competition or anything else you can think of.
Don’t be shy. As far as blog promotion goes, you can be mercenary.
No one will hold it against you.
Remember to have fun
Comments are as irresistible as babies and The Australian mum blogger community has so many advantages for
need just as much attention blog promotion, getting a handle on the rather steep learning curve
and having a ready support network. But really, the community is its
Bloggers live and die by the comments. Well, not quite, but pretty close. own reward; finding your tribe online – the people who hold your hand
But they don’t exactly look after themselves. You have to do that. You’ll on a bad day and cheer for you on a good one or are just able to
need to decide how you plan on filtering out spam. If you’re in Wordpress, understand – well, it’s icing on a pretty awesome cupcake.
Akismet does a pretty good job of screening out spam and you also have
the option of needing to approve all comments, or only needing to
approve a commenter the first time a person leaves a comment. If you’re
in Blogger you have the option of comment moderation similar to Wordpress
or using Captcha.
But it doesn’t end there. You’ll also need to figure out what your comment
policy is. What kind of comments will you not allow on your blog? What kind
of comments will you delete? How will you respond to comments – not at all,
only on your blog, or via email?
There is no right way. It doesn’t matter what kind of plan you have,
just as long as you have one!
23.

24. Whilst logic might suggest other bloggers who blog
about similar things to you are ‘competitors’, the
scale of the blogging world actually means they
can be some of your most useful allies. Finding other
bloggers like you and making friends with them is the
best way to introduce yourself to the community, so
do a bit of research and most importantly, do some
reading. Zoey’s article on page 21 should also be
a great help with that.
Once you’ve established who your peers are,
observe the sort of networking they already do.
Dad-blogger and social media Are they members of blog networks that you could
join? Do they have a ‘blogroll’ (a list of sites they
expert Henry Elliss gives you the like) you could get on to eventually, or use to find
other similar blogs? How often do they post? Finding
low-down on how to attract traffic out how your peers market their blog can be a real
and measure your audience. head-start.
Once you’ve got your blog set up, one of the first things
you’ll find yourself thinking is: “Right, I’ve done my part, when
do all the visitors arrive?” Hoping to attract readers on your Aside from just reading your posts, you’ll want
content alone is a nice thought, but until you’ve established people to comment on your posts too – as well as
yourself as a writer that people will come back to, you’ve being a great way of knowing they are reading,
got to market your wares like everybody else. it’s a good way of getting feedback. When people
DO comment on your posts, you’ll most likely find
There are over 200 million blogs on the internet, but don’t yourself clicking on their usernames and finding out
let that put you off. Standing out from the noise is not as more about them – maybe reading their own blog
tough as it might seem. Here are my top tips on attracting if they have one. Take that science and apply it to
visitors to your blog. Then we’ll look at measurement – after other blogs, and you’ve got yourself a great way
all, you won’t know whether or not you’ve increased your of attracting other bloggers to your blog. Don’t get
traffic if you’re not measuring it! spammy, just read their posts and write insightful
comments. You’ll soon find yourself getting traffic
from these comments back to your own blog…
24.

25. With search engines like Google and Bing increasingly Whilst increasing your readers is an important job, you won’t know whether you’ve
returning content from blogs and ‘social’ sites in regular been successful or not unless you’ve got some sort of measurement tool installed.
searches, blogging about topical subjects increases the There are absolutely LOADS of ways you could go about this, and most of them are
likelihood that your posts will come up in search results far too dull to write paragraphs and paragraphs about. Needless to say, you need
for people researching those topics. It’s not really rocket to find a way of doing this quick sharp.
science, but it definitely works.
There are two ways to approach measurement that I’d personally recommend:
1. Most blog platforms will come with functionality to add ‘widgets’ or ‘plugins’ to your
site. Wordpress, for instance, let’s you install a number of third-party stats packages,
though I personally use the ‘Wordpress.com Stats’ plugin. A simple Google search will
Giving readers the ability to share your content on sites like
turn up dozens to choose from, so shop around before committing. Blogger (which is
Facebook and Twitter is a great way to get the word out
owned by Google) comes with its own analytics package already installed, inside
about your site. Assuming you’re using an “off the shelf”
the “stats” section of your dashboard – you can get more than enough info in here,
blog platform like Wordpress or LiveJournal, it should be very
in my opinion.
easy to find a widget or a plugin to add “share this” buttons
and options like the Facebook ‘Like’ button to your posts. If 2. The second option I’d recommend, especially for those of you who want a little
you’re not, doing a little Google research should give you more detail with your stats, is to install a more robust analytics package on your site.
a reasonably good idea in how to go about this with only Whether it’s a free service like Google Analytics, or a paid-for service, these packages
a minimum of ‘coding’ knowledge. – once installed – will tell you a wide variety of things about your site. From the
keywords people used to find you, the posts they read and what they did once they
leave, to things like how long readers spent on your post, right down to the second!
If this is the sort of insight you require, take the time to set-up and customise an
analytics package on your site.
If you’ve made friends and connections with other bloggers,
see if you can get the opportunity to do a ‘guest post’ on However you choose to ‘market’ and monitor your site, I should reassure you that
their site. You’ll almost certainly get to post a little bio and a the whole process is a lot easier than you might think. Once you get in to the swing
link to your blog at the end of your post, so guest posts can of commenting and networking with other bloggers, it’ll become second nature.
be a great way to open yourself up to a new audience. Before you know it, you won’t even NEED to market it that much, as you will have
built up a network of friends and a regular readership. A little bit of effort at the
start can bring you big rewards in the long run!
Henry Elliss is a seasoned blogger, a fast-learning father, and the Associate Director of Social Media
at Tamar. Read his musings about fatherhood on his personal blog Henry’s Blog v2.0 .
25.

26. Have a comments policy
Six steps to
Bloggers have been sued not for just for the content of
their posts but for comments that have been made by
other people on their blogs. Draft a simple, plain English
law-proof
comments policy and have it as a sticky post or separate
page on your blog with guidelines that comments:
a. Be no longer than 200 words and relevant to the
your blog
topic under discussion.
b. Can be closed or removed on a post or
conversation thread at any time.
c. Written in any language other than English
may be deleted.
d. That contain links to other websites may be deleted.
Mum, legal expert and blogger
Megan Macgregor shares some
advice to help keep your blog free Monitor and / or moderate all comments
from any brushes with the law. If you receive a lot of heated comments on your blog,
adjust your settings to allow you to moderate comments
before posting. This can be a nuisance for contributors, so
“Most people wouldn’t decide to start publishing a print
another option is to review comments daily and deleting
magazine or newsletter without finding out what you were
these if these appear to:
legally allowed to publish. For some reason people seem to
think that online publishing is exempt from the law.” – be defamatory or likely to damage the reputation
– Amber McNaught, pro-blogger and owner of Midas Media of another person
As soon as you set up your blog, you are classified by law – contain obscene, offensive or blasphemous language
as a publisher. Publishers are bound by a complex web of
laws including intellectual property law, defamation law, – constitute a personal attack on anyone
contempt of court and equal opportunities legislation. That – discriminate against others on the basis of their race,
means, for example, that if you post a video of yourself gender, sexual preference or religion
singing a karaoke version of an INXS song complete with
in-video lyrics, you are likely at some point to get a nasty – describe conduct or activities that could endanger
letter from a lawyer like me. the safety or wellbeing of others
To avoid this, here are my six top tips for making sure that – contain spam or links to sites that host harmful
your blog is as lawyer-proof as possible. virus programs.
26.

27. Play nice with other people’s trademarks
Trade marks are distinctive signs, used to differentiate
Don’t use other people’s copyright work between identical or similar goods and services offered
without permission by different manufacturers or service providers. Trade
marks are a type of intellectual property distinct from
Don’t make a habit of copying and pasting into copyright.
your blog:
Famous Australian trade marks include:
– Photographs that you haven’t taken yourself, unless
the copyright owner has expressly given you consent Vegemite®
via a creative commons licence otherwise R.M Williams®
– Chunks of text from other online sources, Weet-Bix®
e.g. online newspapers and blogs The Wiggles®
If in doubt, it’s usually safe to post a link to the material You cannot use someone else’s trade marks to sell
that you want to include rather than reproducing it on products or services on your website either in your blog
your blog. name, URL or in posts. It is usually allowed for you to
refer to trade marks provided you comply with any
Don’t post links that circumvent a password usage guidelines that the trade mark owner sets out,
protected gateway. usually on a corporate web page
Attributing the owner of the work is a nice polite
thing to do, but it won’t protect you from a claim
of copyright infringement.
Educate yourself
Publishing and intellectual property laws are
complex. Educate yourself by reading up on
Protect your copyright images and materials the subject. See the resources page for links to
Use copyright notices and watermark your Australian websites that offer useful information:
photographs ensuring that the watermark covers If in doubt, speak to a lawyer about your rights.
as much of your photograph as possible.
Make it easy for people to contact you to
request permission to use your blog posts, artwork
and photographs or to link to your site. In your
‘About Me’ page have an email link that allows
visitors to contact you about copyright content Megan Macgregor is a mum of two and a senior associate
(theirs or yours). Alternatively, think about using at Axis Legal.
a creative commons licence.
27.

28. How to make
a blog your own:
branding and
design basics
How people feel about you
when they read your blog –
as well as the way it is designed
– are important considerations
when starting out.
28.

29. Your logo
Not every blog needs a logo, but if you’re planning
to use a lot of your own photos and videos, or
release eBooks, a logo can be a good way to brand
your material. When designing a logo, ensure that
it all works with your blog’s colour scheme and
the type of fonts you use. If you’re not familiar with
Photoshop or other design programs, there are
several online tools you can use to design your own
logo. Simply search for “design your own logo.”
Developing a personal brand
As well as identifying a theme or topic for your blog,
Your blog design you should create a loose idea of how you want to
Choose 2-3 colours for your blog that complement portray yourself online. How do you want people
each other and base your design around these to feel about you when they read your posts and
colours. Make sure there is enough contrast scan your ‘About Me’ page? People love a bit of
between your colours to make the text easy to read information about the writers of books they read,
(for example, dark text on a light background). As a and blogging is no different. Keep your privacy in
general rule of thumb, less is more when it comes to mind whenever you set up a blog, but try to give
design and colours – you don’t want to confuse your people enough information about yourself that they
readers by having a blog design that is overly busy can pick up on key elements of your character. If
or crowded. When it comes to menu items and your you’re having trouble nailing this down, try writing
sidebar, order your page elements by importance. your personal brand out as a mission statement.
Remember that most people – especially first-time Then carry your personal brand through to the way
visitors – simply won’t scroll down on a website, so you write, your blog design and related social media
put the things you really want your visitors to see profiles. You might also consider creating a display
closer to the top of your layout. name for yourself based on your personal brand,
or even an avatar.
29.

30. Formatting posts
When people read online, they tend
to scan content rather than reading
a whole page. Research shows that
people tend to follow an
‘F Pattern’ when they read pages
as well; imagine a giant letter ‘F’
superimposed on your computer
screen, the areas it covers are the
areas people’s eyes are often drawn
to when they view web pages.
Dividing your posts into short, punchy
paragraphs, and using sub-headings
to introduce each section will help
your readers absorb the meaning of
your posts quickly and more efficiently.
While lists and bullet points are also Using Images
helpful and easy for the eye to scan. When you start your blog, think about how you
Position your key points towards the left want to display images within posts. For example,
and at the start of each paragraph, will you use your own images and put a watermark
and bold important phrases or on them, or will you use free stock image sites? Are
sentences. Always align your text to you going to put a border around images or include
the left, as centring paragraphs makes captions? Whatever you decide, remember to keep
them difficult for people to read. it consistent across all the images you use on your
blog. Keep in mind that having a very image-heavy
page will take longer to load, so it’s best to resize
photos or reduce your file sizes before adding a lot
of images.
There are a number of websites that offer free stock
photos and allow them to be used copyright free.
You can find free image links on the resources page.
30.

31. Common online acronyms: LO Little one
BRB Be right back LOL Laugh out loud
BBS Be back soon LMAO Laughing my a** off
BIL Brother in-law LMK Let me know
BTW By the way MIL Mother in-law
Jargon
DD Dear daughter ML Maternity leave
DH Dear husband MYOB Mind your own business
DS Dear son OMG Oh my gosh
Buster
FB Facebook OP Original poster
FIL Father in-law PM Private message
FTM First time mum PP Previous poster
FYI For your information ROFL Rolling on floor laughing
When you start your
JJ Just joking ROFLMAO Rolling on floor laughing my a** off
first blog you’ll suddenly
be thrust into a world JK Just kidding SAHM Stay-at-home mum
full of funny acronyms HTH Hope this helps SIL Sister in-law
and technical-sounding GTG Got to go SO Significant other
jargon. Use this list to IMO In my opinion TIA Thanks in advance
familiarise yourself during IMHO In my humble opinion TMI Too much information
your early blogging days. IRL In real life TTYL Talk to you later
JMO Just my opinion WAHM Work-at-home mum
WDYT What do you think?
31.

32. General blogger jargon: CPA Cost Per Action; an online advertising Plugins Add-ons for a program that add
pricing model, where the advertiser pays functionality to it
After the jump The continuation of an article for each specified action (a purchase, a
on an inside page form submission, and so on) linked to the Post An entry written and published to a blog
advertisement; also known as PPA or
Aggregator Software Pulls information from Pay Per Action PR Google Page Rank; a number assigned by
various web feeds that you have selected Google to represents to relative importance
and displays any updates made to them CPC Cost Per Click; an online advertising of a web page
pricing model, where advertisers pay their
Affiliate marketing A method of promoting host only when the ad is clicked; also known RSS Really Simple Syndication; used to publish
a website, in which an affiliate is rewarded as PPC or Pay Per Click frequently updated works, such as blog
for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer entries, in a standardized format
provided through his/her efforts CPM Cost Per Thousand Impressions; used for
measuring the worth and cost of a specific RSS feed A web feed that allows the user to
Blog client Software used to manage blogs online advertising campaign have new content delivered to a computer
without the need to launch a web browser; or mobile device as soon as it is published
a typical blog client has an editor, a spell- CTR Click-Through Rate; a way of measuring
checker and a few more options that simplify the success of an online advertising SEO Search Engine Optimisation; the process
content creation and editing campaign, obtained by dividing the number of improving the visibility of a website or web
of users who clicked on an ad by the number page in search engines via search results
Blogroll A list of other blogs that a blogger of times the ad was delivered (impressions)
might recommend by providing links to them, SEM Search Engine Marketing; a form of
usually in a sidebar list EPC Earnings Per 100 Clicks; the total amount online marketing that seeks to promote
paid to all of an advertiser’s publishers, websites by increasing their visibility in
Blogosphere All blogs, or the blogging divided by the total number of clicks in the search engine result pages
community same period
SERP Search Engine Results Pages
CMS Content Management System; these Flipping Creating and then selling a blog in
are designed to simplify the publication order to generate profit Vlog Video blog
of web content without needing to be
concerned with technical details Lead generation The creation or generation
of prospective consumer interest or inquiry
Comment spam Comments left on a blog into a business’ products or services online;
entry with the sole purpose of promoting a a lead is a sign-up for an advertiser offer that
commercial service; usually has nothing to includes contact information and in some
do with the content of the blog entry cases, demographic information
Permalink Permanent link; the unique URL
of a single post

33. When the dust settled on the inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference,
Kleenex Mums asked anyone who attended what they took away
from the event. Here’s what they said – we hope it helps inspire you
to join the mum-blogger community. Toushka
Toushka Lee
I learned that there are no hard and fast
Kirrily
rules for blogging. The different ways of
Didyabringyablogalong
blogging in relation to content, regularity,
commenting styles, time management,
My greatest learning was on a personal
privacy levels and relationship with readers
level. I learned not to hide my writing
are as varied as the bloggers themselves.
light under a bushel (so to speak) and
to be proud and confident with it. It was
hugely confronting yet so rewarding, in
equal parts, to meet people who knew
me because of reading my blog. It was
also incredibly beneficial to understand
that as bloggers, we all started
somewhere, we all have a voice and
we are as unique and worthy in the
Eden Riley blogosphere as we are in life offline.
Edenland
Susan Whelan
I learned that when you take the Read Upside Down
laptops and phones away ...
we’re all left looking at each other. I learned that I’m not on my own;
And laughing. And loving. Bloggers I’m part of a large, involved, dynamic
seemed to climb out of the screen and diverse community. While many
and into the real world. (Exactly like of my ‘real-life’ friends are dismissive
that scene from the The Ring with of the value of social networking,
that freaky chick with hair on her blogging and the online community,
face ... except completely different.) #AusBlogCon2011 reminded me of
the power of words and the value of
Well done to Kleenex Mums for
connecting with others, and the fact
supporting this from the beginning!
these things can be just as powerful
online as they are face to face.
33.

34. Lucy
Diminishing Lucy
Where do I start?! I’m buzzing with
the whole vibe of the conference.
The main thing that I took away was
all of the wisdom, experience and Annie
stories that I listened to; blogging has Annieb25
become the equivalent of a village
– and with that comes support, I learned that I was in the company
friendship and acceptance and of some amazing bloggers. I
sharing. learned that we all share similar
insecurities. I learned that the
There seems to be not one foolproof people I have met online via
way to blog or not to blog - there is blogging and Twitter translate
no right or wrong. Content is vital, but seamlessly into real life; I was
apart from that, the way your blog not disappointed. I learned that
Donna
then evolves can and should be a blogging has, can and will change
Nappydaze
reflection of our true selves – that is lives and I’m so grateful to be a
such a liberating thought. part of that.
It’s almost a case of ‘what DIDN’T I
learn?’! Besides the fact I now have
full permission to indulge in a social
media addiction – all in the name
of building my blog community, of
course – I took away the resounding
lesson that no two bloggers are the
same... and nor should they be. Corrie Serbie
We each have an individual voice – Retromummy
even if many of us are still struggling
to define it. And that bloggers are I came away from the day realising that
indeed writers (bless you Mummy what I think makes for a successful blog is
Mayhem for that massive injection not what someone else thinks and does.
of confidence for someone who has Mummy blogging is growing but there
always labelled herself a “wannabe really is room for everyone and readers
writer” merely because I blog). will gravitate towards the blogs and
I also never imagined I would have people they relate to.
so much fun laughing and learning
with 170 veritable “strangers” in real
life – no matter how well I liked to
think I knew them via their blog.
34.

35. There’s a mountain of free stuff
available online that can help
you promote your blog, improve
your ability to understand your
audience, and enhance your
readers’ experience. Here’s a
rundown of free stuff that has
been mention elsewhere in this
eBook, or that we just happen to
think could prove really useful.
35.

36. Places you can list your blog If you’re stuck for ideas or Free images
can’t find the time to post
PR Friendly Blog Directory www.sxc.hu/
Australian Blog Search BlogThis Challenges Dreamstime
Australian Women Bloggers Directory StumbleUpon Stockvault
Aussie Mummy Bloggers Directory Aussie Mummy Bloggers Openphoto
Technorati Focus Booster
Alexa Technical assistance
Become a better blogger,
write great content, Blogging Girl
Parenting forums and make money
that will display your Blogger Help
blog on your profile Problogger Blogger Unofficial FAQ blog
Copyblogger Blogger Tips and Tricks
Kidspot
Essentialbaby Mummybloggersblog
Blogmastermind Legal help and information
Huggies
Bubhub Freebloghelp IP Australia
Aussie Mummy Bloggers The Arts Law Centre
Kleenex Mums Free tools for your blog The Australian Copyright Council
Feedburner by Google Creative Commons Australia
Via Planning Queen Google Analytics Axis Legal
List of Mum bloggers on Twitter Google Insights
36.

37. Kleenex Mums is a proud supporter of the Australian blogging community,
and all parents who are online across the country.
We put together this eBook in the hope that it will make things a little easier for any mum (or dad)
who wants to start a blog; by asking other bloggers to share their knowledge we’ve created
a resource based on collective wisdom for everyone out there to use and build on.
The philosophy of making things a little easier (and a little lovelier) is one that’s in keeping with the three brands
Kleenex Mums represents: VIVA Paper Towel, Kleenex Facial Tissue, and Kleenex Cottonelle Toilet Paper .
Do remember to look to us, and the wider mum-blogosphere, when you need any advice or support.
There’s always something interesting to read, share and comment on at Kleenex Mums.
You can follow us on Twitter and join in the conversation via Facebook.
We hope you found this eBook both inspiring and informative, as well as something that will help you make
a little more of your precious me time . And who knows, if this eBook can help you start a blog of your own,
you might even end up writing for us one day soon, too.
®Registered Trademark Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. © 2011 KCWW.