As I sit writing this, I'm currently in jail. Twitter jail. I've exceeded my daily limit of tweets, due to retweeting the sheer awesomeness that was #CraftBlogClub this evening!
Well, week 2 was another storming success over on #CraftBlogClub and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who joins, reads, retweets and takes part in our Twitter chat. I have a list of blogs to read and follow on Bloglovin (and while you're reading this, why not give mine a follow too)! I just need a nice quiet few hours to go through them all - there are so many fantastic and creative blogs out there, I can't wait to get stuck in! I'm so excited about this chat and I've got so many ideas (which I shall keep under wraps - but just for now) for #CraftBlogClub and where we can take this! Keep it here for more updates and information!
So, this week we started off our discussions with 'What Makes A Good Craft Blog'? We have had a few newbie bloggers join our discussion, plus I never think it hurts to rethink and rejig mine every once in a while! The general consensus seemed to be felt by most of our twitterati this evening. The main points of a 'Good Craft Blog' were:
1. A good mix of projects and tutorials - tried and tested methods alongside the blogger's own creativity.
2. Decent Photographs - Whilst nobody expects mini-David Baileys, decent photographs to accompany your blog posts really help.
3. Be passionate about what you are doing - I could almost write another blog post about the importance of personality and honesty in your posts; but we decided a lack of passion or belief in your craft was visible and off putting on a blog.
4. Share your mistakes - Nobody wants to read about perfection ALL the time! Look at the backlash A Beautiful Mess are getting for blogging their 'perfect, showhome' existence! We love nothing more than a behind-the-scenes look at where things may not have worked out so well! Don't be afraid to show your human side!
5. Be prepared to let others copy you - We are brilliant at what we do, we want to inspire others. This will occasionally mean a little bit of copying - hey, if we get a mention and we've inspired someone, let's make that a good thing!
The one interesting sticking point that came up was a rift between those of us who liked to view blogs as a 'lifestyle' and others who just wanted to see crafts. The jury is out on that one - I'm a lifestyle blogger so I talk about outfits, recipes and other such ramblings and that's the sort of blog I like to read! I'll leave that one open for another debate, another time.
Finally, tonight, we also launched our first #CraftBlogClub Challenge. I had some amazing ideas sent to me and I've made a note of all of them for future challenges - but tonight I thought I would set a very simple one that could encompass any range of craft activity, the idea came courtesy of the lovely Amanda over at Gift Frippery. The challenge is to Cover A Notebook. A simple task to upcycle and 'pretty-fy' a notebook using your creative skills! At the end of September - anyone who takes part can do a post and link it to my blog with their finished piece. I hope everyone wants to take part - it's a bit of fun to really get our creativity flowing and get crafty! I look forward to seeing the finished pieces! Though I'm a bit of a technophobe - I shall look into setting up a linky or hop for this challenge (if you're good with this, please get in touch!), as I am hoping we will be able to do one every month.
So far the feedback on the challenge has been great - I think it will challenge each person to either use their skills or try a new one! I really hope you enjoy the creative process and, if you post any 'WIPs', make sure you use the hashtag #CraftBlogClub and I'll try and Retweet for you!
I think that's it for tonight, I'm off to read a few blogs and plan for next week! I hope this evening was as fun for everyone else as it was for me - until next Tuesday*! x
*If you have any ideas on topics you would like to discuss or challenges you think we could set, please email me at missemmaberry@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! Join in the #CraftBlogClub every Tuesday on Twitter 7-8pm
15 comments:
I hadn't even heard of Twitter jail. Masses of congrats on the success of the second week of #craftblocking! X
Grr autocorrect! #craftblogclub
Thank you so much for hosting tonight's craft blog club, it was really good to meet lots of folk. And I'd been wanting to find some other blogs for a while to have this sort of interaction. Am looking forward to the craft challenge! And would be up for linky blog thing in the future - had always wondered how this worked. I will look into this if you like, as once upon a time, I actually graduated in computer science. Which is incredible, given my lack of mental agility these days....Anyway, I'll have a look, and I'll aim for the end Sept, same as the notebook challenge, if that's ok.
Thanks again, Vicki from ChlorisBoris x
I read a lot of blogs about writing and they all counsel that you should blog about whatever is important to you, and if it doesn't interest a reader then they just won't read it, but at least they've had the choice. I'm a bit like that, I want to read crafty posts, but I also want to see what books people are reading or what films they're watching! If they suddenly blog about The X Factor then I'll just skip that post!
Ha ha! Autocorrect! Thank you so much I'm.so pleased people are enjoying it xx
Hi Vicki no worries! I really enjoy hosting it. I felt craft blogging needed a platform without the pressure of selling, luckily people seem to be in agreement! If you could help with the Linky that would be amazing! I'll have a read too and see if I can work this out! X
I'm in complete agreement with you, which is why my blog is like it is. Sometimes a prescribed blog can be a bit like reading a magazine and I like blogs that really show a personality through the many facets of one person! I love getting snippets of people's lives in the same way that I hope my readers get from mine!! X
I feel very excited about the challenge Emma. I love making but sometimes it's nice to have a brief to work too. I'm delighted to be discovering more crafty blogs too, I don't feel I quite fit in as a mummy blogger but crafty bloggers feel like 'my people' :)
Thank you for hosting #craftblogclub I had a great time =) Also very excited about the challenge x
Personally I am rubbish at just sticking to craft stuff on my blog and if I try to do it I just feel like craft becomes a chore that I feel obliged to do. This is possibly why I do not have a book deal yet ;o) Have already been out and bought a notebook so I can take part, it's totally useless for the craft project I was planning on doing with it but it's a proper lurid pink so I couldn't resist!
I missed the #craftblogclub and i'm gutted!! I have technical issues atm. Not impressed! I have been thinking about covering a note book for a while and now I have the perfect excuse!
Many thanks and until next tuesday
@girlinknits
Thanks Caroline and thanks for your comment. I feel exactly the same as you, which is one of the reasons I set this twitter chat up. Looking forward to seeing how it develops and I'm so glad you're joining in the challenge! X
No worries Hayley thanks for joining! So excited to see everyone's notebooks! X
I think your blog is great and I know what you mean about crafting being a chore! Hopefully your pink notebook will be nothing short of brilliant to cover!!! X
Ah shame you missed it but hopefully you can join next week! Yay to the challenge too! I can't wait to see these results!! X
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