Put my all into everything

Straight to it, what's the point in doing anything half-assed? I want to be proud of everything I produce, I want to be content with my content. How I'm gonna do that is abolish a strict schedule, which the plan-oholic in me fights the idea of but I think it's the best way and I'm excited to embrace it. That, and I won't be letting any emails promising 'great exposure' sway me into working for free. Hopefully a happy writer will mean a happy reader. That's you!

Vlog more

Finally starting my Youtube channel was something I loved doing last year and a huge bonus for me was reaching 100 subscribers before the end of it! I want to continue making videos but maybe expand on the kind of videos I make. Y'know the way I do Weekly Reflect blog posts every Sunday? Well I'd quite like to make weekly vlogs from time to time and incorporate them in those!


Create a more interactive space

Hand on heart, it's not numbers that mean most to me. Interacting with people does. That's why I blog! Sure, I feel good when I reach milestones but getting '1 new comment' emails fills me with way more joy. Whether it's here, on Instagram or Twitter or wherever, I'm gonna do my best to inspire and invoke engagement with whoever wants to read. I'm also gonna comment on other blogs a lot more too!

Learn more

I love learning. This year I want to absorb as much information as I possibly can, be it photography, html, video editing - whatever it is, I'm gonna learn it! If I need to do that by reading everything ever written, asking someone for their advice or taking a class, I'm up for it. You can bet your life I'll be writing blog posts sharing what I learn if I can!

And that's what I'll be working towards in 2016! I wanna know if there's anything you'd like to see from me this year, get involved in the comments below and let me know!

Do you have any blogging resolutions?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x 

Getting the balance right is tricky. If you only post once in a blue moon, the chances are people will unfollow. Equally, if you're posting every five minutes it's going to have the same effect. Aiming to post something daily is something I've found to be effective. 3 photos is usually my maximum, spread over the course of the day. Of course there are going to be some days you don't feel like posting anything - you just have to figure out what works for you! I also think it's nice to upload frequently even just to have a nice little record of events for yourself if nothing else.


Utilise the caption! If you want to bring followers to your blog/website, tell them they can click the link in your bio to go there directly. If it's comments you want, trying asking a question. It's not guaranteed you'll get responses but it certainly increases the chance!



This is the big one. Are you commenting on other people's photos? Do you look through the 'explore' page? Up until recently I very rarely did either but since making the effort to, I've noticed a huge difference in the interactions on my own profile. Simply expressing a similar interest in something they've featured in a photo will mean people will be more likely to visit your account but commenting to add a useful insight or question can do incredible things for your interactions. Plus, I've found this is what has made me actually enjoy the app far more!

Again, similar interests = interaction so make sure you're using hashtags to your advantage! For example, if you've uploaded a photo of a lipstick, it makes sense to use hashtags such as #lipstick (obviously), #makeup & #beauty. If you have a blog, get using all of the blogger hashtags that are relevant to you, for example #bbloggers, #fbloggers, #fdbloggers etc. It's cool to support others too so once you've uploaded something, go through the hashtags and comment on/like a few photos - you might be pleased with what you get in return!

If you want things to look less cluttered, put your hashtags in a comment under the caption. Once you've got a few comments on a photo, the first comment with your hashtags in it won't be immediately visible so everything just looks tidier!


Try different things. At the end of the day, it's a matter of trial & error with everything you post - there are no real guarantees or mistakes you can make with timing but posting at certain times of the day can result in more/fewer likes. Ask yourself, when do you check Instagram? If you're anything like me, you'll for sure scroll through first thing in the morning so try adding one of your own photos to the mix. Food tends to do well anytime of the day or night but generally, meal times are optimum because that's when other people will be uploading and therefore using/checking out the 'food' hashtag.

This is such a valuable step you might be forgetting about! Before you upload a photo, tag any relevant people/brands in the photo itself. That will mean your photo will show up in the tagged photo section on their accounts which people will look through, including that person themselves. For example, I tagged Real Techniques in my photo of their Miracle Complexion Sponge, they saw it & liked it which resulted in that photo getting almost 5 times the amount of likes I usually get (and counting)!

Well I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful! Ultimately I've learnt that what you give is what you get. Instagram wants you to use it to it's full capacity and if you do, you'll see results. 
Get involved in the comments below and let me know if you have any Instagram tips - let's help each other out!

What's your Instagram username?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x 

It's kinda funny going back and reading that post cus at the time I wrote my resolutions, I had no idea I was developing a chronic illness. Here are the things I wanted to do blog-wise in 2015!

PHOTOGRAPHY

I started to really enjoy photography last year and with practice, I've only found myself loving it more this year! Instagram is a fun outlet and I've found that trying to update it daily pushes me to take more photos & improve. I can say I definitely put a lot more effort in now but obviously it's still a work in progress!

POST SCHEDULE

I wanted to try posting 2-4 times a week, which at the time was pretty ambitious for me so I can't believe I've found myself putting up 4-6 posts some weeks! I still don't have a set schedule but that's something I'm trying to figure out. How often do you think is best?

I'm also pretty proud of the fact I've kept up with my Weekly Reflect series every Sunday this year!

FAVOURITES

I've also kept to my aim of doing monthly favourites - I've also recently started filming them for my channel too! It's interesting to look back on them because it instantly takes you back to the memory of that month. Keeping a whiteboard and jotting things down on it throughout the month definitely makes it easier to keep a track of favourites!

YOUTUBE

Youtube! I've wanted to do it for years and finally bit the bullet at the end of last year. Having a channel and making videos is a really fun process but I have to admit, it can be difficult to juggle it as well as a blog at times. Add my chronic fatigue syndrome into the mix and consistency is a struggle! For now this blog remains my priority but making a video every now and then is cool. I'd like to be able to say I have a proper upload schedule by the end of the year though!


OUTFITS

My OOTD posts are few and far between at the minute - woops! Truth be told, it's because I'm in pyjama's most of the time . . . and when hen I do get dressed, I don't really feel like my outfits are anything worth sharing. Maybe doing this update is the kick up the bum I needed to make more of an effort with my outfits!

MEET UPS/EVENTS

I went to my first blogger event in May! It was an evening with some lovely local bloggers & The Publicity Loft to chat about lots of different beauty brands (see post here) and it was brilliant. I have been invited to a couple of other events before and after but I've had to turn them down because of my illness or due the fact they're in London! Hopefully by the time 2015 is over I'll be able to say I attended some more meet ups/events!


COMMENT/SHARE

I love supporting other bloggers and think it's such an important thing to do. I'm definitely commenting a lot more on blogs these days rather than just leaving a page once I've read it! By way of sharing, I do like to retweet other blogger's posts on Twitter but I could always try doing that more often. My Bloggers I Love post & Youtubers I Love video were two things I loved creating and I hope to do more of those in the future!


It's still a possibility and who knows, I might even do Vlogtober/Vlogmas!

Well I hope you enjoyed this post - I can't wait to look back on this post in 6 months time and see what's changed! Get involved in the comments below and let me know if you made any blogging resolutions this year and how you're getting on with them. It's never too late in the year to make some if you'd like to!

What are your blogging achievements so far this year?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x

PERSONAL PLANNER

Remember when I was sent this planner to review last year? Well I suppose the true test of how good it really is if I'm still using it. The answer is yes, it's proved to be absolutely vital in blog planning! I'm a bit of a planaholic so I like keeping this filled in with upcoming posts - it sets my mind at rest knowing I have my content sorted! Plus I love actual pen to paper writing. I don't know about you but I just don't feel truly organised until I've written something down! I also jot down a lot of to do lists in my planner.

TWEETDECK

Ah, Tweetdeck. For one thing, I love having all the Twitter functions onscreen at once (home feed, mentions, activity etc.) but also being able to schedule tweets is such a good feature and time saver! It really helps to tweet out blog post links as well as various social media ones throughout the day & night so lots of different people can see them.

PICMONKEY

A great (and free!) photo editing website that allows me to enhance the look of my photography. Sometimes, what with the notoriously bad weather in the UK, pictures can turn out a little dull so I like to turn up the brightness on them and a little highlight. I also love it for cropping, adding text or collaging - it's something I'd struggle to blog without!

BLOGGERS

Since discovering the absolutely wonderful community of bloggers, I've been inspired to blog more and more and improve what I share. Being able to make friends from any shared interest is a great thing and the bloggers I've got to know sure are a lovely bunch. I love that if I ever need help with something I can just hop over to Twitter and ask my fellow bloggers!

TEA

. . . and last but certainly not least, tea. It's dual purpose for me; sitting down at my laptop with tea gets me into the working mindset but also always keeps me calm. #bloggingessentials

So there you have it, 5 things that make blogging that little bit easier! Get involved in the comments below and let me know what you think!

What makes blogging easier for you?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x

Try new things

If you continue to do the same thing day in, day out, you're going to get bored. 

Set yourself challenges! I've tried to incorporate some new themes and types of post to this blog lately, for example my monthly playlist feature. I have a huge passion for music and I absolutely love writing those! I'm not saying to blog about something totally alien to you, just add in some of your other interests and and it'll help you keep things fresh, especially your enthusiasm.

Stop comparing, start working

We've all been there.
"Oh, look at x blogger and how well their blog is doing and how wonderful their life is! Damn, mine is crap." 

Stop! Jealousy is a negative emotion that only leads to a negative outcome! It's difficult but entirely possible to nip that mindset in the bud by changing it to a more positive one.
"Oh, x blogger is doing really well, they've put in work so deserve their happiness!" 

The key phrase there is put in work. Take little steps to develop your photography, writing style, individuality etc. and you'll gradually become more and more proud of it.

Be happy about what you have

Fretting about the follower count that won't budge isn't gonna make it grow. 

Instead of thinking, "I have so little followers!" think, "Woah, look how far I've come since I started!" The you who started your blog never thought they'd get past 10 so take a second to appreciate your blogs growth! Don't get so bogged down in everything else that you forget to pat yourself on the back once in a while!

Go for a design refresh

You know that feeling when you get a new outfit and you feel great in it? It's that same feeling when you get a new blog design! It can really spur you on and get you motivated - it definitely did when I revamped mine!

Engage

When bloggers are asked what they love most about blogging, they always seem to say it's the interaction between their readers and other bloggers! Encourage comments, reply to them & get your Twitter in check. Twitter chats are great thought provokers too so taking part in one of those once in a while helps!

Stay true to you

Sounds very cheesy but it's true!

Sometimes I have it in my head that I'd like to do certain types of posts but when it actually comes to writing them, I realise have no enthusiasm. They are the posts to stay away from because when you're indifferent & uninvolved, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Don't follow the crowd, inject a little bit of your personality - you're wonderful!

So those are just a few ideas to help you get back on track & feeling more positive when you might be a little down about your blog! I want you to get involved and tell me in the comments a bit about your blogging story - why you started, what you're about and why you love it!

What do you love about blogging?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x

Hello everyone!

As the year is closing in and we all gather round to welcome in 2015, a lot of us have resolutions on our minds. Now if you're anything like me, you'll make the same ones every year, go in with the best intentions but give them up mid-January. 

This time around, I have a bunch of resolutions of the blogging kind and am determined to stick to them!

Here goes!

PHOTOGRAPHY

Before I started blogging, I never really had any interest in taking photos but recently it's become a big thing for me to try and make them the best they can be. I'd really like to improve my photos and make them more creative, whether that be on this blog, my Instagram or wherever. I'm also hoping to save up and invest in a DSLR!

POST SCHEDULE

I want to keep my creativity up and post 2-4 times a week. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with Sundays being Weekly Reflect posts. I'd really love your input on this - how often do you think is best?

FAVOURITES

Y'know, I never really do favourites posts but I'd like to. I'm going to aim to do them every month alongside a video, which leads me onto my next resolution . . .

YOUTUBE

The big one! I finally bit the bullet and started my channel at the start of December and I want 2015 to be the year I really start and stick to it. As I said, I'm gonna ease myself in my doing a favourites video each month but you never know, you might see the odd tag or get ready with me on there so I'd be very grateful if you subscribed!

OUTFITS

Despite starting this blog as a fashion one and having a huge love for all things fashion, I've noticed Thrift O'Clock has taken a definite turn in the beauty direction. I'm hoping to bring out the thrift hauls and outfit posts in full force in the new year. I've loved seeing other bloggers 'year in outfits' posts so fingers crossed I can do that at the end of 2015!

MEET UPS/EVENTS

One thing I feel like I miss out on with regards to blogging is actually meeting up with bloggers! I'm very lucky to have got to know quite a few on Twitter but I hope in 2015, especially once I've left school I'll go to events to meet up with some offline! I actually set up an account on Twitter for Northern Irish bloggers to connect & network this month and I'm determined to get some meet ups organised for us #nibloggers!

COMMENT/SHARE

Recently I've made a conscious effort to comment more on other blogs. I think it's important to give credit where it's due, especially when people work really hard on a post. I'm gonna try and share a lot of other blogger's posts on Twitter too if I really like them!

BLOGTOBER/BLOGMAS
Okay, I have to admit I watched a lot of Vlogtober & Vlogmas videos and read a lot of their blog counterparts this year and couldn't help but wish I'd organised myself earlier to be able to do them! Fingers crossed for 2015!

Thank you so much for all your support in 2014, I hope you'll come join me in 2015 and see these resolutions be carried out!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Thanks for reading,
Maeve
x

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P.S. I took these photos of the snow around my garden the other day!