About five months ago, I shared with you how I was offered to work for food…literally. In exchange for seven blog posts for a brand (in one week), I was offered $200 worth of their food products. Promoting a brand for free – on that scale – was not something I could agree to do.

In those five months, I’ve seen many more paid campaigns and sponsored content become available – both to me and blogging friends. We’ve seen more brand ambassador campaigns that value the work required and partner with a blogger over the course of a month or more in a variety of ways, including sponsored posts, advertising, and hosting twitter parties.

Progress. Yet, with all that progress and change towards more respect for bloggers’ work, there are some campaigns out there still being pitched to bloggers that take advantage. Just last week, I received an offer to be part of a community that will be relaunching soon and is geared for moms. Without naming names again, the site is a fairly new community backed by a high-profile TV personality and network. The idea being pitched to me was as follows:

• We want to build a community and educate moms on money matters.
• We’re looking for a group of 15 moms who will be highlighted on the site.
• Requirement from each of the 15 moms: write 3-4 articles per month (250-300 words each) on micro-site and moderate comments on each post
• Benefits for each of the 15 moms:
  • profile with bio
  • 2 sentence by-line on each article
  • site will be promoted on TV show of said personality and on sponsor’s site

As soon as the person pitching me asked, “So, what do you think? Are you interested?” I answered with “So, it’s not a compensated project?” I could not wrap my head around the fact that they wanted me to create content for their site on a weekly basis, with no compensation. What’s more, these 15 moms were really being brought on to build a community that thus far had not succeeded with the TV personality alone. They needed the help of these 15 moms to bring a community to the site. The allure of my bio being on this high-profile TV personality’s site and the promise of the site being promoted on the TV show was somehow supposed to be enough compensation.

What surprised me even more was that I was told they already had the majority of the 15 moms on board and were in the process of finalizing the team, so they need my answer ASAP. Really? There was already a set of 10+ moms out there that had agreed to this? Why?

Ladies, why are you agreeing to work for free? Writing 3-4 articles per month takes time. It may only take you an hour per article, but that’s still time taken away from your already-busy lives. Plus, you are contributing to the success of the overall site, which has sponsors and advertisements – all money that you’re never going to see, but instead is going into the pocket of an already high-profile TV personality. Does that seem fair?

Why is it that they could not budget out a specific amount to pay the 15 moms that will be building the community for them? And if the budget did not allow for fair pay for 15 moms, then perhaps the amount of moms brought onto the team could have been less in order to meet the budget constraints. I know of blogs/communities owned by fellow moms and bloggers that pay their contributors. How is it that a site backed by a TV personality and network could not afford to do so?

On the other hand, perhaps the community owners were ill-advised. Maybe it was never suggested to them that they should pay for such work and were going along with what the social media consultant was proposing. It could very well be that this particular consultant was advising them to gather a group of moms to write free content for them in exchange for the exposure. And why wouldn’t they think it to be fine? After all, there is a group of 15 moms out there that did agree to do just that!

And, so the cycle continues. If bloggers continue to work for free, then consultants, brands, and companies, will continue to think that it’s the way to conduct business.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts. How would you have handled such a pitch had it been offered to you? Why do you think that bloggers continue to accept non-compensated projects and work for free?

I’ve come across quite a few blog posts the past few days. I always seem to be sharing interesting articles with various people I think will like them, so I figured I’d share with everyone this time.

Here are some posts I’ve either bookmarked or stumbled this week. For more, take a look at my StumbleUpon or Delicious pages.

Social Media

How to Create a FaceBook Landing Page for Your Blog

5 Ways I’m Using Facebook to Drive Traffic, Build Brand and Increase Reader Engagement

10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics

Blogging

A Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images

Comment on other blogs!

The Number One Way to Flip Your Blog into a Business

Personal

Our Pre-Motherhood Self

Retroacculturation. Retroacculturated. That’s me. Is it You?

I’m still not White, but am I American Indian?

What posts did you come across this week that you think I should read? It’s ok if it’s your own.

By the way, if you’re Latina and a blogger, please complete this survey. We will be presenting some of the results during our BlogHer Latinas in Social Media panel and of course, the survey report will have a much larger impact as it will help many learn about the Latina blogging community.

Blogging without readers is about as much fun as throwing a party and having no one show up. Whether you’re blogging professionally or casually, it’s nice to get a comment and know that you’ve connected with others.

When building a loyal readership, it’s important to keep in mind that not all your readers are bloggers. In fact, readers who aren’t bloggers themselves are very valuable. Non-blogging readers aren’t busy tending to their own blogs and thus will have more time to visit and comment on yours. But how do you attract non-blogging readers? Where do you find them and how do you keep them? Here are 15 tips for building your non-blogging readership.

15 Tips for Attracting Non-blogging Readers to Your Blog

1. Make sure your blog is non-blogger friendly. Some non-bloggers are not technically inclined. Is the layout easy to follow for them? To test this, ask your grandmother or another older relative to visit your blog and give her opinion. You might be surprised by some very good suggestions for making your blog or website easier to navigate.
2. Don’t make commenting a challenge. Make sure that when people leave a comment, the only information they need to fill out is their name and possibly E-mail address. (URL should be optional not mandatory.) Also re-consider using captchas. A lot of people find them very frustrating.
3. Make it easy for them to return. Can they subscribe by E-mail and RSS? Do you have a distinct favicon so you’re easy to identify?
4. Don’t underestimate word of mouth. Do you include your blog link in the signature of your E-mails? Is it on your business card? How about in your yearly Christmas letter? Don’t forget to share your blog URL with your parents, siblings, relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors so that they can pass it on to their friends. Some of my most loyal readers were friends of my sister, and I didn’t even know it until I met them and they told me they loved my blog.
5. You gotta give some to get some. Leave meaningful comments on blogs that are similar in content to yours. You’ll attract the blog owner and their readers. (It isn’t stealing – it’s widening the community.) Guest blogging is another great option. Invite someone to guest post on your blog, and consider accepting the offer if someone asks you to guest post on their blog.
6. Leave a trail. Do you have a Facebook page? Twitter profile? Photos on Flickr? YouTube videos? Sell stuff on Etsy or Ebay? Review books on Amazon.com?… Make sure your URL is somewhere on all of your user pages around the internet.
7. Ride the buzz. Once in awhile, write about something that is a “hot topic” in the headlines or in the blogosphere. Of course, don’t do it unless it’s something of interest to you and your readers. If it doesn’t fit your regular content, then the readers you attract won’t stick around.
8. Write about something obscure. Is there something you’re an expert on that few people are informed about? Is there something you really love but you’ve noticed it’s hard to find information about it? When you search online for it, are there almost no results? Write about that and then when others go searching, you’ll be at the top of the results. (Again make sure it fits your content.)
9. Go find them. Non-bloggers hang out in forums, message boards, social networks and chat rooms. Join a conversation on a message board that is relevant to your blog, and make sure your URL is in your signature.
10. Study SEO and apply the knowledge. Knowing a little about search engine optimization will help you blog effectively so that you’re easy to find through internet searches. There are a lot of free tutorials online. You don’t have to get into anything complicated. Even applying a few basic SEO principles will help you.
11. Make yourself approachable. Your E-mail address should be easy to find on your blog in case someone wants to contact you privately. Also, try your best to respond to each and every comment left on your blog, whether they’ve asked you a question, shared something about themselves, given you a compliment or even disagreed with you.
12. Be compatible with social news websites. Consider adding buttons to your blog posts so they can easily be submitted to social news and sharing websites like Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, etc. (But make sure you don’t add so many buttons that it looks cluttered.)
13. Have a Giveaway. Honestly, most of the people that are attracted by giveaways are coming for the free stuff and they won’t be back, but you might grab a reader here and there. Besides, giveaways are fun. Everyone likes to play Santa Claus once in awhile, don’t they?
14. Watch your statistics. Some blog platforms come with built in “stats” that you can check, or you can use a third party stat counting website to track how people are finding you, where they’re coming from, and where they hang out on your blog. Keep an eye on this information so you know what’s working and what’s not. This will determine what you spend more time doing, and what you stop wasting your time on.
15. “Content is King”. It’s been said again and again, but maybe it can’t be said too often. The biggest rule to remember is that you need to make consistently good content and be dependable with how frequently you update your blog.

Happy blogging, and I wish you many comments!

I was recently asked by Jai of Mami’s Time Out about sponsored blogger events. She is going to be attending her first brand-sponsored event next month and wondered what she should expect. Just like attending a conference for the first time, attending a brand’s event can bring about many questions. I asked around and gathered a few more questions about sponsored events from bloggers like Carrie of the Tiki Tiki. While I’m not an expert, here I give you my personal opinion and experience from having attended brand events in the past.

Dos and Don’ts

Photo from Chromatic

• Do bring business cards. You never know who you will run into at such events. Other bloggers you meet and share your time with during the event, will more than likely want to keep in touch. Various brand/company representatives will probably meet with you at various times during the event and you’ll want to connect with each as they may work for different departments than the folks who initially contacted you about the event.
• Do bring a camera and video camera. You’ll find yourself wanting to document the entire event and of course, there will be plenty of photo opportunities with your new friends. You will also probably have the chance to interview different representatives of the brand or fellow bloggers.
• Do ask questions. Since you’ll be meeting with brand representatives, you have the chance to ask questions about the company, products, services, practices, etc. You can even bring questions that your friends, family, and blog readers might have.
• Don’t act as a company representative. Though you may be asking questions and will probably share information with your readers, you are not a company employee or contractor. They have PR people who can properly spread the message of the brand. You are not their PR person. Unless you have been hired to be a spokesperson or consultant, in which case, then perhaps you are their PR person.
• Don’t be shy. Get comfortable with the other bloggers and get to know them. You’ll be together for quite a bit of time while attending the event. It’ll be more fun if you interact with each other.
• Don’t get caught up in drama. Sometimes sponsored blogger events can bring about drama, especially on twitter. Many reasons can incite the drama: non-supporters of the brand, general objections of sponsored events, and even disagreements about who was invited to the event. Ignore it. Don’t get caught up in it and waste time and energy.

Photo by Lawrence Peregrine-Trousers

Other Questions

Can you hustle your own product or service at a sponsored event?

While I think that blatantly pushing your own products and services might be frowned upon, I don’t see anything wrong with the information being on your business cards and you talking about it. For example, as you network and talk with various people, it’s natural to exchange business cards. This may lead to a conversation about what you do, projects you’re working on, or products you sell. However, if you were to approach people with the sole intent of giving them your elevator pitch, then that’s probably not going to work at such an event.

What if you disliked the event/product? Should you write about it? Is it an obligation?

When you attend a sponsored event, there is no obligation to write about your experience, the products, or the brand. Not for the events I’ve attended, at least. Of course, the brand and PR company hope that you do, since that is one of the reasons they’re bringing you and the other bloggers to the event. However, they’re also bringing you so that you can get to know the brand, what they’re about, and build a relationship for future collaboration.

If you end up disliking the event and/or the brand/product, consider providing feedback directly to the PR and brand representatives. You can tell them in-person even, what it was you think they could have done better.

Do you tell other bloggers you’re talking to that they may be quoted or their experiences referenced? (Ex: When you talk to a reporter, you’re always on the record, but are you with a blogger at an event?)

Honestly, I had never thought about this. I know that I’ve had conversations with other bloggers and phrases like, “Is it ok if I blog about this?” have come up. I think it’s expected that any pictures and video taken during the event may end up on various blogs, Flickr, or YouTube. And, of course people tend to mention the names and blogs of other bloggers they met at the event. But, I’ve found that generally people ask if they can directly quote something you said. Maybe some of you can share your thoughts on this – especially if you have a journalism background.

My best tip? Have fun. The agendas for such events are normally jam-packed and you’ll be bombarded with tons of information about the brand, their latest campaigns, and products. You’ll meet lots of people – from the brand as well as bloggers – and you’ll be trying to take it all in while also thinking of any family you’re away from for the duration of the event.

Pace yourself, get to know others, and have fun. You’ll probably bond well with the other bloggers at the event, and come back home with new friends and new ideas.

If you’ve attended sponsored events, what suggestions or tips can you share for those attending their first event? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.

[top photo source]

Photo by Suzanne Edge

Facebook. Twitter. MySpace. Plurk. Identi.ca? With so many social media tools and networks out there, it’s hard not to get overwhelmed. How do you choose which to use? How do you keep up with them all? How much time will it take out of your already busy life?

Through trial and error, I’ve developed a daily routine to keep up with the various social media accounts I use. When I was working full-time outside the home, I had to really use my time wisely since I could not be engaged in social medial all day, but still wanted to maintain a social media presence. As you know, it’s not enough to just have an account, you have to actually use it and be “present” for your social media efforts to work.

Let me share a sample schedule of how I used social media when I was working full-time. In the mornings, I had the benefit of an empty home after my husband left for work and dropped off my daughter at day-care. Since I started work a little later than him, this meant that I had about an hour each morning to do my social media/blog work before I had to get myself ready. In this hour, I created the following social media routine and would do most (and sometimes all) of the following.

Image from webtreats on Flickr

Sample Social Media Routine

• Open up my browser and open a tab for each of these sites: ping.fm, myspace, facebook, plurk, twitter, gmail, google reader, and delicious. As I completed my tasks for each site, I would close the tab and move on to the next.
• Post a status update using ping.fm.
• MySpace: Even then, MySpace was slowly being phased out of my social media routine, but since I (still) have some real-life friends and family that use it, I would check in every morning. It was a very quick check of messages, comments, and friends’ status updates.
• Facebook: I would login and respond to any comments or messages sent to me. I would post a “Happy Birthday!” message for those with birthdays that day and possibly leave a comment or two on others’ profiles. If I had something to promote – a contest or my latest post – I would do so via my fan page and/or group. Of course, I’d also take care of any requests that were waiting for action – friend requests, even invites, page suggestions, etc.
• Plurk: Though not a common microblogging platform, it’s one I was exploring at the time and continue to participate in since I’ve made some connections that are not elsewhere. Again, I would quickly check in on any replies to my updates and try to comment on one or two people’s updates.
• Twitter: Similar to the rest, I would login to Twitter and be sure to respond to any @ replies or DMs I received overnight. I would also review new followers and follow-back appropriately (or not). I would then leave this tab open since I would often interact with various other folks that were up early like me.
• E-mail: I use gmail for my e-mail, which has the ability to star items you need to come back to and label your messages for finding later. Simple Mom has a nice system she uses for managing her inbox that I try to follow. I would definitely take about 10 minutes each morning to check urgent items and clear out the “junk” so that it didn’t clutter up my inbox.
• Google Reader: I didn’t always have time to get to reading some blog posts – it just depended on how much time I spent on the other tabs. But, some days, I’d be able to read a few posts from those blogs you “must” read each day.
• Delicious: Since I have the delicious plugin installed on Firefox, I’d only need to open this up if I saw there was new activity in my network or if anyone had sent me a link. But, in browsing resources bookmarked by those in my network, I’d often find a great article or tip or even a blog post idea.

Photo by Jen R

Each morning I’d go through my routine and get a great head start on my day – social media wise, anyway. Then, during the day while I was at work, I would monitor twitter, facebook, and e-mail using my smart phone. Of course, I wasn’t always on it. But if I took a quick break from my desk and especially during lunch time, I’d be able to update my status (again using ping.fm) and check in on comments.

In the evenings, after dinner and the nightly bed-time/bath routine for baby girl, I’d take another hour (sometimes two depending on how busy the husband was) to go through the same routine. However, I would focus less on checking comments/messages and more so on clearing out e-mail and writing a blog post.

Wondering what I do now that I’m not working full-time? The same. Though I don’t always have the house to myself in the mornings anymore, I still take a half-hour to an hour each morning and use the same social media routine. The days that baby girl goes to preschool, I do this routine after I’ve dropped her off. The days she’s home with me, I use the time when she’s eating breakfast and watching her morning cartoons. If I’m lucky and she’s overslept, I go through my routine before she wakes up.

Through the rest of the day, I periodically check in on social media and e-mail. As I mentioned in a previous post, I tend to login again mid-day and in the evening. I try to follow my social media routine each time, but depending on other projects/tasks I have to get done, I may cut my routine in half during those times.

Seem like a lot to-do? Keep in mind that you don’t have to have accounts for all the sites that I do. You will find those that serve your needs the best. Truthfully, though, once you get into a routine, it will become habit and not be so overwhelming.

Additional tips:

• Always answer @ replies, DMs, comments, etc. for the various networks you belong to. It’s so frustrating when you’re trying to talk to someone and they ignore you, isn’t it? Don’t ignore.
• Catch what you can while logged on. You won’t be able to read every single status update for every single network you belong to.
• Retweet interesting statuses, share good information, and useful links/resources. Your readers will appreciate it and will come to know that you have valuable information.

Have you already created your social media routine?

Image from Anne Helmond on Flickr

Every once in a while someone will make a comment about how they “see me everywhere” online. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plurk, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Friendfeed, and various Ning communities. There’s actually more places to find me, but those are the most commonly known ones. Naturally, I’m also asked how I can keep up with multiple social media accounts. Typical questions include:

• Do you log on to all the different sites to update them?
• How often do you update your status/account?
• Are you always on your computer?

I’d like to say I’m just that talented, but the reality is that there are tools out there that help me keep up and make it “seem” like I’m everywhere. Some are web-based, and others are self-created, but all help me stay on top of my social media presence. I’m going to give you three simple ideas for helping you be more present in your social media efforts without going crazy.

3 Tips To Help You Manage Your Social Media Presence

1. Use Online Tools

Using tools like Ping.fm can help you update multiple social media accounts with one step. You create one account on Ping.fm, link it to all your other accounts, and update your status for all of them from one place. I use this to update Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plurk, BrightKite, Identi.ca, and a few other sites all by sending one message. The even better part is that you can link your Ping.fm account to your cell phone, Skype, AIM, and other instant messaging platforms to update your status on the go. That is, you don’t have to go to the Ping.fm site to update all of your accounts – you can do it by simply sending a text from your phone or an instant message.

Something else I often do is pre-schedule updates using sites like SocialOomph, ObjectiveMarketer, or HootSuite. With these sites, you can create a message and publish it at a later time. Some even allow you to set the message on a repeat schedule, if it’s something you want to be seen at different times of the day or for multiple days at a time. This is great because it means you can go to work all day, run some errands, spend some time with the family, or have some fun and your social media presence doesn’t suffer.

Image from Aaron Coyle on Flickr

2. Schedule Your Social Media Time

This is one of those self-created tools that has helped me. I try to have set times in my day that I dedicate to managing my social media accounts. I use those times to update my status, respond to comments/replies I received, and manage requests (i.e., followers, friend requests, group/page suggestions). This works better for me than constantly having the windows open on my computer. I can continue to work on other things and know that I won’t be tempted to keep clicking over to check for the latest comment. Taking breaks throughout the day from social media doesn’t greatly affect your presence. People know that you have a life that just may take you away from your computer. It’s ok to have chunks of the day where you’re more interactive than others.

For me, what seems to work the best is to check in on social media about three times throughout the day – on average. Some days I only check in once or twice, but generally speaking, I log on in the morning, mid-day, and evening. I find that this keeps me up to date, present, and coincides with the majority of people’s schedules. There are those who work early in the morning before the kids are up or before heading out to their “day job.” There are also those that take a lunch break and those that work after the kids go to sleep. By checking in on my social media accounts during each set period, I can interact with a variety of people and those in different time zones from me.

I don’t spend a large chunk of time during any of those three periods, either. I log on to each site, respond or manage requests, and move on to the next. Unless something extremely interesting caught my eye or required me to spend more time managing the situation, I typically complete my social media rounds within 30 minutes, if that.

Image from Volker on Mobile

3. Use a Smart Phone

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about how I use a smart phone to increase productivity. I included ideas for managing home tasks and personal calendars, as well as blogging and social media tasks. Like I mentioned in that post, it helps to fill in some gaps throughout the day where you may find yourself with some time, but you’re not near a computer. You can update your status – use that text feature from Ping.fm – or check in on a few comments you may have received. Either way, you can easily be present while on the go.

I know you’ll find these tools to be useful and will eventually find the right combination that works for you. If you’re already familiar with these tools, you know what a great help they can be for managing your social media presence. What do you find works for you? Let’s hear your tips in the comments below.

If you’re a blogger and user of other social media applications, you know that it can sometimes be hard to keep up with everything. You’ve got blog posts to write, PR emails to answer, comments to keep up with, and a social media presence that needs to be constantly updated. Add all that to your day job or freelance/client work, plus your family and household responsibilities, and it’s a wonder you’re able to do anything!

In order to try to alleviate some aspects of this busy life, I use my smart phone. Of course, my phone can’t clean the house or cook dinner, but it can help me organize some details of our household and allows me to stay up to date with various social media accounts. Let’s dive right into how this works for me.

Image from Volker on Mobile

How to Use your Smart Phone to Increase Productivity

Using the Memos or Notes Feature

I use this feature to jot down quick notes as I’m out and about. For example, I could be in the store or in the car and get an idea for a blog post, so I’ll quickly note it in my “blog post ideas” memo. Some other memos that I constantly have in my phone and update as needed:

• Grocery List – If I notice we’re out of something, I add it to the list so I can later reference it when planning a weekly dinner menu or preparing to go to the store.
• Music to Download – Sometimes I hear a new song on the radio that I like, but know that I won’t remember it later. I write down the name and artist for downloading on iTunes later.

Calendar

Unfortunately, my Palm Treo does not have the capability of syncing its calendar with the Google calendar. However, if I’m not in front of my computer or not at home, I can quickly add an item to my phone’s calendar and later add it to my Google calendar. I also use the reminder feature on my Google calendar to send myself text message reminders of important events.

Those of you who have phones that allow for syncing these calendars, can constantly keep up to date with your agendas since you’ll always have your calendar on either your phone or on the computer. I’m a little jealous. {ahem} Moving on…

Tasks/To-do List

There are actual to-do list applications for some phones; others simply call it a task list. You can add an item you remembered you have to do and even assign a due date and set a reminder. Sometimes, though, I just use my memos function to write up a quick list of things I want to achieve on a particular day. It’s a bit old-school, but it works for me.

Image from Artillery Unit Blog

Email on your Mobile Phone

Of course, email is one of those features that allows you to easily stay connected. You can quickly send out an email to a friend if you’re at the doctor’s office or waiting in the car. Or you can easily respond to a PR email to let them know you’re interested in the opportunity – or not. Sometimes, I just go through and clear out the “junk” type emails so that when I sit down at a computer to actually answer my emails, there are less to go through in my inbox.

Social Media Maintenance

This is probably what I use my smart phone for the most. I’ve found that I can keep up with my social media presence much better by using the phone throughout the day to fill in those gaps when I’m not near a computer. I’ve often received comments from others about how I manage to “be everywhere” and regularly update my social media profiles. How do I do this?

• Text Messages – I can easily send a text message to update my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn status. I use other tools as well to update multiple accounts at the same time – all via one text message. It keeps my profiles up to date and maintains a live social media presence.

• Web Browser – I check in on Twitter and Facebook by using their mobile sites. This is another area where my Palm Treo lacks in functionality, since I cannot easily respond to replies on Twitter. It’s not impossible, but it’s a little annoying as there are a few steps I have to take. That said, I can still respond to comments on both sites if I feel it’s time-sensitive and can’t wait until later.

If you don’t already have a smart phone, I suggest you buy one. Some people feel it complicates their lives even more. But, I think if you use it effectively and in moderation, it can actually enhance some aspects of your life and help keep you organized.

If you have one, what are some of your favorite ways to use your smart phone? Do you use one feature more than others?

They say an electrical storm is going to change our lives forever. I keep hearing it on the news – over and over again they repeat it, “An electrical storm is going to wipe out the Internet…forever.” It’s like 1999 all over again when everybody was freaking out about the year 2000 coming and breaking down all computer systems. Of course, all was fine in the end, but we sure were paranoid for an entire year.

Now, the Internet itself is in danger and we only have one day left to tweet, email, and be called “mommy bloggers.” Only one more day of hearing that one phrase that will either make moms stand up taller with pride or cover their face with shame – depending on who you ask.

Where the heck is Al Gore anyway? If he invented the damn thing, can’t he save it? Pffttt…a lot of good he turned out to be.

Since I only have one day left to share with you – well, everything – I’ve decided to leave you with these “last words.”

• Go have fun with your families.
• Turn up the radio real loud and dance like crazy with your kids.
• And the husband.
• Keep a journal. One day the Internet might be back and you’ll have hundreds of blog posts just waiting to be posted.
• On that note, maybe you should print out your entire blog for memory’s sake.
• Learn how to use a phone book again since we can’t just look it up on Google anymore. We’ll at least still have our phones, right?
• Kiss your k….

Wait. Forget this. I’m going to go.crazy without the Internet! No more wasting time…quick…everybody leave your phone number in the comments so we can text each other with twitter-like updates!

This post was written as an entry for the Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’10 Contest. The Internet is not really going to be wiped out by an electrical storm. Not today anyway.

Disclosure: My trip to Blissdom was provided courtesy of Fleishman-Hillard and the U.S. Potato Board as part of participating in the TasteMaker Challenge.

This past weekend I attended the Blissdom 2010 conference and was able to get together with many other women to learn about various blogging topics, network, and have fun. There were many great points during the conference, like the live Potato #Tastemaker Challenge, a very fun dinner out with Carrie, Jennifer, Yolanda, Stacey, and Lizzie, and of course, the motivational opening keynote by Kevin Caroll (@kckatalyst). But, one session in particular, was very useful and provided some practical tips for bloggers. I took some notes and decided to share since they’re important points we should keep in mind.

Note: Keep in mind that these are my notes from listening to the panel and is not my personal knowledge. I still have to research this information more in-depth, and suggest you do the same. Of course, it’s always a good idea to consult a lawyer, accountant, or adviser if you have specific questions.

You Should Know Better: A Blogger’s Guide to Legal, Accounting and FTC Guidelines

Speakers: Susan Getgood (Marketing Roadmaps), Liza Barry-Kessler (Privacy Counsel LLC), Kristen Berman (Intuit)

• If you make any money from your blog, then you’re a small business. Consider your blog a small business.
• You can’t wait until you’re rolling in the money to start tracking it.
  • The government doesn’t like it.
  • Knowing what you make is the 1st step towards increasing it.
• Think about the last 5 expenses you had for your business. What were they?
• Use a balance sheet! Remember the formula: Assets = Liabilities + Equity
• Do you need a business banking account if you only make a little money?
  • It depends – How serious are you about your business? It’s important to separate business money from personal.
  • The speaker suggests that you do open a business banking account.
• How do you pay yourself?
  • Give yourself an actual salary or wage.
• Do you need an accountant? Do you need an accountant to use accounting software?
  • Again, it depends. How comfortable are you at keeping your own records/books?
  • You don’t need an accountant to use software.
• At what point do you have to start reporting blogging income to the government?
  • The government likes it if you report any income made – even if just $1.
  • Definitely after $600 as an independent contractor, it has to be reported.
  • For self employment taxes (social security, etc.), after $400.
• What do you need a tax ID number for?
  • If your business is serious, then yes, you should have a tax ID number.
  • Can apply for one online very easily.
• Sales tax
  • Some states collect sales tax on consulting services.
  • Need to collect on sales of goods.
• 1099 Form
  • If you made more than $600, you have to file one as an independent contractor.
• Schedule C
  • Use schedule C-EZ if expenses are less than $5,000.
  • It was suggested that we look up the details of this and acquaint ourselves with it.
• Business Write-offs – You can write off:
  • dinners for business meetings
  • business gifts up to $25
  • gas expenses if going to/from a business event
  • travel expenses
• Ask yourself: Is this expense both ordinary & necessary to the business?
• Is your blog a hobby or a business?
  • It’s a business if there’s a reasonable expectation of earning a profit.
  • The IRS considers it a business if an activity is carried on for profit and makes profit during at least 3 of the last 5 tax years, including the current year.
• If someone takes your work, fight it – if you don’t, you could lose your copyright.
• Registering your blog as a business:
  • Incorporation
    • Can be DIY
    • Secretary of State websites are a great resource
    • Cost varies
  • Blogging Alone: Sole Propietorship
    • If something goes wrong, you’re personally liable.
    • You may want to consult an accountant to make sure you understand business expenses.
  • Partnerships: LLP
    • Good for small groups.
    • If something goes wrong, the entity is liable, not the individual partners.
    • Have operating agreement
      • A written understanding of who owns how much/what, who invests how much/what, plans for business development, what happens if someone wants out.
      • Hire a lawyer to review the agreement, but can write up on your own to begin with.
  • Traditional companies: LLC
    • Have operating agreement
    • If something goes wrong, the entity is liable, not the owners.
    • Highly flexible way of controlling money
    • Profits “pass through” to owners’ individual tax returns
• Hiring People, even volunteers
  • Additional bloggers/writers need writer’s agreements.
    • Who owns the written material?
    • What happens if the site shuts down?
  • For other services (web design, accountant, etc.), need written contracts/proposals.
• Employees
  • If you make money on your blog, you’re engaged in “interstate commerce” – minimum wage laws apply to you, even if you’re a small business.
  • Overtime laws apply also, unless the person is salaried & is a business manager.
  • Unless you reach 15 employees, federal employment discrimination laws do not apply; your state may have different rules, though.
• Blog policies
  • It’s best practice to have blog policies so that your readers & potential advertisers know how you do business.
  • It’s not required legally, but if you do write policies and don’t follow them, you could be liable to the fair-trade agreement.
  • FTC considers it “deceptive trade practice” if you don’t follow policies you’ve established.
  • Types of blog policies: privacy, disclosure, advertising, comment deletion, point of view
    • First 3 highly recommended, others as they fit your blog.
  • Can change policies at any time; try to inform readers of change.
• Privacy policy
  • What information do you collect from your readers?
  • What do you do with it?
• Disclosure policy
  • How can readers know if a link to a product is part of an affiliate marketing program?
  • How can readers tell if a post is your opinion, compensated, came from donated product/service, etc?
  • Do you have current or former relationships that might influence your opinions?
• Ethical best practice (disclosure)
  • You don’t need disclosure if you bought the product yourself.
• Ways to disclose:
  • Blanket site policy
  • Statement within post
  • Statement before post
    • Not at end of post
  • Category or tag for post (ie, sponsored)
  • Easily identifiable hashtag for tweets (ie, #spon)
• For swag bags given to many people, then you don’t have to disclose. If product/goods are given to you personally, and you write about it, then you have to disclose.
• You should ask a company for value statement when sent on a trip or given lots of products. We need to know monetary value.
• Prizes won or products received that are high in value are considered income that you have to report. (If over $600.)

I hope that in sharing my notes, you find this information useful. I know that I learned a lot from this session and still have some follow-up research to do on a few of the tips provided to learn more. If you were at Blissdom and attended this session, feel free to add your notes or link to your recap post.

I cannot believe it’s already the middle of October. And here in Florida, it’s still in the mid-90s most days! It definitely doesn’t feel like fall. Yet, many stores around here already have their Christmas sections up. Unbelievable.

Anyway, I wanted to take the time to share with you some recent and upcoming events going on in the blogging community.

Article Republished

• My post on Latino terms of endearment and cultural differences has been republished at MyBrownBaby. Denene has shared my post with her readers and I’m so glad that there’s so many out there that can relate.

ModernMami part of Community Site Warming Party

• This Friday, there will be a #community site warming twitter party hosted by the queen of twitter parties, Amy from Resourceful Mommy. You can RSVP for the party here and join us on Friday night as my site is one of the blogs featured!

Tastemaker Challenge

• The U.S. Potato Board has partnered with nine bloggers, who have officially been deemed the “Tastemaker” Challengers. And guess what? I’m one of them! You can read all the details here, but just know that I’ll be playing Iron Chef a bit. Only thing is, we already know the secret ingredient…potatoes! Follow the conversation on twitter with hashtag #tastemaker.

Got any news to share yourself? Go ahead and let us know in the comments. I’d love to hear about it.

And don’t forget to join the twitter party this Friday! See you there.