Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Rules of Engagement

Like Katy said in her introduction to this week, there's a lot of trial and error when dealing with other bloggers. What should you do or not do? It seems like there's so many options for how to behave that the standards can get a little fuzzy sometimes.

credit: puttingonthefoil.com

1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?
I've never even thought of trying to get a guest post on a blog. Honestly, I think it should be the blog-owner who gives the option first. Asking someone to post your words on their blog can have many consequences, good and bad. I think it has to be someone that fits in with your overall feel, or has some similar attributes to make the most seem like it belongs. I would love to do guest posts on many blogs, but I wouldn't feel right asking someone to let me post.

2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?
It can be difficult, because I'm always trying to get people to visit my blog. But again, I don't want to be pushy. Mainly I just leave my blog address in the comment, and hope that the blog owner will take the time to have a look. I always try to comment back on the blogs of people who write on mine, it's a reciprocal loop for me. I leave comments on many blogs, and many of them go unnoticed which I can understand. If I see a person has not commented back or replied continually if I have left multiple comments on multiple posts, I will consider unfollowing. It's a big thing to appreciate the people who read your blog, no matter how long it takes. 

3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?
This one I'm still working on. I haven't tried emailing any blog owners, I stick to trying to spread the word through comments. Don't even know how I would send a mass email, it seems like it would be so time consuming!

4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure?
I will not beg. I will leave my blog address for them to look at, I will comment and follow their blog if it's something that appeals to me, but I don't see any point in begging for people to look at my blog. It's something that seems desperate, the way that giveaways can sometimes be. If there's a genuine reason for hosting a giveaway for your readers, then that's great! But if you're just trying to get more followers it seems a little hopeless. That's just my opinion, I know not everyone will agree.

5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that? I thought that just because someone commented they would follow my blog, or that by leaving my URL I would get a million more hits. I'm realizing how much work it takes to really grow a blog. For now I'm fine being small, but if the time ever comes when I want to expand I'm starting to understand the work I'll have to put in.

So those are my answers! Anything you agree or disagree on, or think I should reconsider my views on things? Let me know!

Til next time!