Your Social Media Use Can Cost You Your Job

It’s scary, but true. More and more, companies are enacting policies that prohibit employees from mentioning the name of the company they work for online. Teachers have been fired for what has been perceived as inappropriate content on their MySpace or Facebook accounts.

I find this to be a serious problem. We should have the freedom to post or say what we want to in the social media arena. A teacher should be able to post a picture of her drinking. An employee, of any company, should be able to post the name of the company that he/she works for.

What right does an employer have to dictate what someone does in their private life? If it is legal, then there should be no problem. What will be next? Will companies be able to outline policies that prevent you from stating your political beliefs on the internet? Will they be able to enact policies about moral behavior?

Schools are already demonstrating that they care about employees moral behavior. Employees have been fired over it. This is a judgment call. What one person feels is immoral, another may not. An example would be 39-year-old Jarretta Hamiliton, who was fired from Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, Florida. The reason, she had premarital sex.

“Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was disregarded, namely fornication, sex outside of marriage. The employment application, which she filled out, clearly states that as a leader before our students we require all teachers to maintain and communicate the values and purpose of our school.” Principal Jon Ennis

From CBS Atlanta:
“A former high school teacher is suing a north Georgia school district, alleging she was forced to resign over photos and expletives on her Facebook page.Ashley Payne, 24, claimed the Barrow County school district violated state labor law because she was never told she was entitled to a hearing…Payne resigned Aug. 27 after her principal questioned her about her Facebook page, which included photos of her holding wine and beer and an expletive. She had worked at the school for two years.”

Is this right? Do they have the right? In my opinion, NO.

Another question to consider: If you are a blogger, can your spouse be fired for something you put on your blog?

Why People Enter or Don't Enter Promotional Giveaways On Blogs

I hold giveaways on my blog. Some receive a lot of entries, while others don't. I've noticed a pattern with which ones receive high entries vs. those that don't. But there are still some that surprise me.

On my blog, I've noticed that my entries are higher if the main entry is simply to comment as to why they want to win. The ones that make you go to another site and come back tend to have less entries. If the main entry requires multiple things to be done, then the entries are really low.

There are exceptions to these observations. High dollar giveaway items seem to motivate people to work a little harder to enter. A $75 or higher value item seems to attract more people and they are more willing to go to another site and then come back and enter.

Sponsors want to draw attention to their brand and their website. The giveaway draws attention to the brand. The more giveaways the sponsor holds on blogs, the more attention the brand receives. This creates a buzz among consumers. If a sponsor is serious about wanting to generate traffic to their site, immediately, than a higher priced item should be offered as a giveaway prize.

It is my personal opinion that doing one giveaway, on one blog, is not enough to generate interest or website traffic. The average person may see something and think "interesting." Then next time that person sees the item or hears about a brand, "I remember." The third time, "I need to check that out."

Of course, that is just an opinion. I would like to know what you think. How many times do you need to see something, before you want to investigate more? Why do you enter giveaways, and what determines which ones you do or don't enter?

BloGHer 2010 Preliminary Schedule to Include Autism

If you think the BlogHer 2010 will be all fun and games, think again. The conference organizers have put up the preliminary schedule for the conference and it is full of great sessions designed to help bloggers improve their blog. Here are some of the classes scheduled for the 2010 conference:

“Change Agents: Feeding the Conversation: How to Build A Community Around Your Cause
Passions: Reserved for Room of Your Own
Personal: Blogging Autism: Shattering Myths, Opening Eyes and Finding Your Tribe
Professional: The FTC Guidelines: After A Year, Has Anything Changed?
Geek Lab: Usability for Beginning Bloggers (Beginning Level)
Writing Lab: Writing Inspiration: Stoke Your Creativity
Job Lab: Self-Marketing: Resume and Social Network Profile Writing Clinic”

Did you notice the one on Autism? Here is the description for the Autism session:

“Personal: Blogging Autism: Shattering Myths, Opening Eyes and Finding Your Tribe
Autism is both more out in the open than it has ever been before and more shrouded in myths and mystery. Come learn and share your stories about how blogging contributes to the autism community as a source of support and outlet for parents, as a way for those not dealing directly with autism to gain more insight and sensitivity and as a tool for advocacy and activism.”

The description of this session describes what I aim to do with my blog. I am looking forward to sitting in on this session, learning how I can approve my particular blog niche, and interact with others that blog about autism. I am excited that BlogHer has scheduled an Autism blogger session and I applaud them for doing so.

If you plan on attending this year’s conference, I suggest that you go read the new conference guidelines. Last year, there were a lot of bloggers attending the conference and having sponsors pick up the cost. This is something that I am doing this year. Jones Dairy Farm is one of my partial sponsors, and I am looking for more to cover the rest of my conference expenses.

BlogHer has made changes to their conference guidelines as they pertain to bloggers handing out their sponsor’s promotional materials. You can read the exact details on their website. Basically, it means that you can not hand out a sponsor’s promotional materials within the conference space. You can still wear clothing with your sponsor’s information on it and you can have your sponsors listed on your blog’s promotional materials, i.e. business cards.

Businesses that want to have their promotional materials distributed at the conference can contact the organizers and arrange to become a BlogHer Conference sponsor. Businesses that sponsor bloggers to attend can still benefit with advertising space on your bloggers site, posts written that include a mention of your business (like I did in this one with Jones Dairy Farm), and having the blogger wear a shirt with your companies information on it. Bloggers with sponsorship can devote their time to attending the sessions offered at the conference, instead of trying to hand out boxes of swag. I consider this a win/win situation for everyone involved. I look forward to attending this year’s conference, and if you are a company looking to sponsor a blogger, please consider me.

How To Increase Traffic to Your Blog

There is no big secret to attracting readers to your blog. Consistent posting and good content. These are the two things that you need to bring readers to your site. If you are expecting a huge following after a week of blogging, you will be disappointed. It takes time to build up your blog followers. They find your blog, read a couple of your posts, enjoy what they are reading and come back.

That is why good content and consistent posting is important. Try to post everyday. Schedule posts to publish automatically on the weekend. If a reader goes to your site and sees that you haven’t posted anything in a couple of days, he or she may decide not to return again.

What kind of content should you have? Well, that depends on you. Write about what interests you. Write about things you are knowledgeable with. Another thing that is important is to take time to check your spelling. I’ve come across a lot of blogs that I have not returned to because I didn’t like reading words that were spelled wrong in every sentence.

The big question “How do I get people to find my blog?” is the key to a blogs success or failure. No one is going to just discover your blog unless you promote it. Promoting your blog is easy. You can put your blog URL in your email signature. This draws in your friends and family. Use a Share This widget on the bottom of each post. After you publish your post, you can go in and use the Share This to share on Twitter, Facebook, and many other social websites. Your readers can use it to share your posts with their friends and family.

One final thing you can do to promote your blog is by visiting other blogs and leaving comments. When I tell you this, you should realize that it is extremely important that you do not spam other bloggers. We hate that. Read their post and leave a comment that relates to the topic. Many blogs are set up so that you put in your name, email and website URL. People read comments and click to learn more about who posted it. This leads them to your site. Plus, as an extra bonus, you get a link back to your website. The more links back you get to your site, the better search engines like you.

If your writing is interesting and consistent, people will come back to read what you are writing. They will recommend your blog to friends and family. In time, traffic increases and people start following your blog. Make sure you have a widget for Google Friends Connect and for RSS feed subscription. These will help people to find you and follow your blog. That’s it. No big mystery to getting readers for your blog. It just takes time and hard work.

What is Your Blog Worth?

I decided to have a little fun and check out the value of my website. I found two free sites that you can use to instantly calculate the value. Here are the results:


Site Value Calculator $3,072


Your Website Value $8,557



Not bad, huh? Of course, when you use sites like these, I don’t recommend taking them too seriously. It’s like taking a collectible to the auction house. The auctioneer can estimate the value, but what actually matters is what someone is willing to pay for it.

Do I think my blog is worth either of the estimates? To me it is and more. I say this because I highly value my blog. I have invested a lot of time and emotion into it. Do I think someone else will agree with the value? Probably not. Why would someone want to buy a blog that is tied to my personality the way mine is?

Does that mean that I wouldn’t sell my blog if I was offered good money for it? Absolutely not. As much as I love it, I’m no fool. My family, especially my son, would benefit from it. I’m happy that I won’t have to make that decision. Logically, realistically, the only real monetary value of my blog is $0. I’m the only one that would be interested in owning it, because it is centered around me.

Best Special Needs Blogs for 2009

I thought that it would be nice to show my appreciation for some of the best special needs blogs that I have discovered online. I have come up with a list of some of my favorites. You may notice that most of them are geared towards autism. I will admit that I am biased. I enjoy reading other blogs that are geared towards the same niche as mine.

1. AutismLearningFelt - What can I say? I love my blog.

2. Super Mommy to the Rescue - Mom of two kids, a boy and a girl (like me). Her son is autistic and I enjoy reading about all their triumphs and can totally relate to their struggles. She also does a few reviews and giveaways on her site.

3. Warden4Pack - This one is also a blog by an autism mom. Her son and mine have a lot of similarities. I really enjoy her writing and love sharing our thoughts via comments.

4. Chris Stonecipher and Friends - This is a new one that I have just discovered. Written by an autism parent, but the blog itself covers everything.

5. Autism Family Adventures - Most bloggers that write about autism know this blog. If not, you at least know the name of the author, Bonnie Sayer. She's been my mentor since I started blogging.

6. DotComKari - I love this blog. I'm not just saying that because I just won a free blog makeover from her. Wait 'til you see it. It's going to be great. Her son and mine, although a big difference in ages, are similar. I like keeping up with everything that is going on at her blog and joining in whenever I can.

7. Pediatric Safety - Technically, this is more of a community site. I contribute whenever I can, but with the holidays, I have been a little too busy. Shame on me. This site covers a wide range of topics and they have their own forum.

8. The Bon Bon Gazette - No list would be complete without including this site. She's been blogging for several years and covers just about anything related to autism. She also has a cute sense of humor.

9. Eamon's Journey Thru Autism - This one is special to me because we both homeschool our autistic child. No easy thing, let me tell you. You will love her site.

10. 1-2-3 Autism Free - I like this one because the posts are filled with humor. I couldn't get through a day without looking at the funny side of things.

There you have it. My Top Ten Autism, I mean Special Needs blogs. If your favorite is not on the list, I'm sorry. There are so many good ones out there, but these are my favorites. Please feel free to leave a comment telling me your favorite and why.

Pitching Your Product to a Niche Blog

I have a very niche specific blog. I gear my posts towards the autism community and when I review a product, it is from that viewpoint. I have noticed that there are a lot of opportunities to review products for blogs that are general mom blogs. Opportunities to review items for my blog niche are slim. I believe that this is because there are a lot of companies that do not believe that their product can be autism related.

That is a shame. I have used things with my son that are not “autism related” and they have been great. For an example: the Tasty Baker from Pop Art Toaster. It is a great kitchen gadget that allows you to bake brownies, pancakes, muffins and more into shapes. This product is not geared specifically for the autism community, but I have found that it has been great for my son. I use it to work on cooking skills, fine motor skills, and communication. The motivation for doing the work is the end result of our task. He gets to eat a yummy treat.

If you are a company that thinks that their product is not suited for a blog that is niche specific, like this blog, think again. Break down the skills needed to use your product. Does it require good fine motor skills? Is it educational? Can it be used in a different way than what the directions call for? Games can be a great item for families with a child that requires fun and unique ways to work one on one. We don’t have to follow the rules of the game. Most of us develop a new set of rules that are geared towards our child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Also, parents of an autistic child have similar interests as any other parent. You can pitch a product that a mom or dad would like. Parents that read our niche blogs like to read about things that will make their lives easier. Household items like kitchen gadgets and home décor are a big hit with us. Home spa or clothing items are also popular items of interest.

The key to pitching any products to a niche blog is to do your homework. Read the blog that you wish to pitch. Knowing what interests the blogger is a good way to stream line your pitch. Always keep in mind that bloggers are like you, they don’t like to have their time wasted. If you have a product that is geared towards kids, break down the skills that are needed to use the product. Include this information in your pitch along with additional ways it can be used to improve important developmental skills.

If your product is geared towards adults, say so in your pitch. Offer to sponsor a giveaway. For niche’s like mine (autism related), you would be supporting the autism community by helping parents. You would be helping us by offering a giveaway for a product that we may not normally go out and buy. I have always believed that parents need to take time to take care of themselves in order to be able to give the best of themselves to their child. Unfortunately, we can not always afford to. You can be sure that the participants that do not win a giveaway that you sponsor will remember that your company cared enough about the autism community to do something for it’s parents. They will remember your name, be more inclined to talk about you and be more inclined to buy from you when their wallets allow.

My final tip, don’t push. If the blogger absolutely does not think your product will work on their site, accept their decision. I have had to turn down a few items that I really thought were not appropriate, and the representative would not accept my decision. That’s when I started getting used to using the delete button. On the other hand, you can always request that we pass the opportunity on to other bloggers. Chances are, we know a few that would love to review your product.

Don’t be afraid to pitch a niche blog. Give it a little more thought about how you could work together, before assuming the two of you won’t be a fit. If you need some help or advice, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help.

PR

I love to do product reviews of al types of products that can be related to children with autism or moms. If you have a product that you would like me to review, please email me (tammy@learningfelt.com) with the following information:

Your Name:
Company Name:
Email address:
Do you wish me to share this opportunity with other bloggers?
Review and/or Giveaway?
Your Product Pitch:

I require a non- returnable product sent to me in order to review it. I also do giveaways. Giveaway items are to be held by the company sponsoring the giveaway and mailed directly to the winner. I do not have to review a product to hold a giveaway. However, I will not post my opinion of a product that I have not personally reviewed. I will only provide the product information, company it is manufactured by, and purchasing information. I provide a link to the sponsor's site for both giveaways and reviews. If I do not like an item that I am reviewing, I will contact the company that sent it and let them decide if they wish me to post my unfavorable review.



I am also available to plan campaigns that are geared towards the autism community, as well as other blog niches. I can put together bloggers from different niches to meet your promotional needs. I charge for this service based on the number of blogs you want involved in the campaign. I gear each campaign towards the needs of my clients. A basic giveaway campaign that involves 5 - 10 blogs is $250.



Some of my articles have been picked up and posted on online news sites. Here are some links to articles taken from my blog and posted on top PR ranked news sites:

Epson Artisan 810 Review

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store News Sun

Carcker Barrel Old Country Store Post-Tribune

Starting Back to School Soon

Bake Me a Wish!

Leverage on TNT



If you are interested in having your product reviewed, and/or sponsoring a giveaway, contact me at tammy@learningfelt.com or use
and we can make the arrangements. If you would like my site statistics (visitors,ranking,followers), I will be happy to provide them to you.

What I am working on trying to get in for review: camping equipment (I have a tent), home improvement items (especially organizational items for a child's bedroom), Christmas themed items.

Powered By Invesp

Powered By Invesp

Thank you.

I also have advertising space available on my site. The prices depend on what size you want and the location.