Here’s the honest to goodness truth… Some of us bloggers make money and/or receive product in exchange for a review. It sounds all glamorous, but it’s not as much so as you’d think. I’m not going to blather on about how much work blogging is, because I genuinely enjoy it (most of the time).
We don’t HAVE to have ads on our blog, and truthfully I don’t love how cluttered it makes our site look. But it helps us cover the cost of some of our creative endeavors… so the ads stay. With regard to product review, we’re very selective with the products/companies we choose to review, because our integrity is important to us and we want to put our name behind products that we actually love. We turn down more companies than we actually work with.
Here’s how the majority of advertisements work… we get paid from ad networks based on how many pageviews OUR site receives everyday (not how many clicks our ads get). This means our site traffic is important to us! If our readers aren’t enjoying the content, feeling engaged, and sharing with their friends… the blog doesn’t grow. If you think a project is cute, or love an innovative idea you see (on any blog), pin it or share it with your FB friends! Such a simple thing can help the bloggers you’ve grown to love!
On the flip side… if you see a project that’s featured by someone else, go to the original website to pin it. SURE, it’s one more click. But it’s good etiquette, and that blogger deserves the pageviews for his/her hard work and great picture-taking! You might not think that little-old-you would make a difference… and think ‘this one time won’t matter’ but check this out:
This one pinner (who doesn’t have much of a Pinterest following) pinned my Kitchen Glossy Swirls project… and it was repinned TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND times. Just from this ONE PERSON! Those pins translate into site traffic. We received thousands of pagviews because this one person decided to pin.
Now imagine if that person pinned this project from somebody else’s site who was ‘featuring’ my kitchen project. I could just cry thinking about it. But it happens all the time! ALL THAT TRAFFIC goes to somebody else’s site. Somebody who didn’t spend all those hours tediously painting glossy swirls on the top of a ladder. Granted, being featured on bigger blogs is an honor and brings some traffic… there are always pros and cons. But there are those that take photos without linking back, and worse… take credit for your project as if it were their own.
But even if you put these reasons aside… as a fellow ‘pinner’, isn’t it just annoying to click on a project on Pinterest to see the full tutorial, and be directed to a site that didn’t complete this project themselves, and there’s NO TUTORIAL? You don’t know how the original person achieved the final look, or where they bought their supplies. I’ve spent hours on the internet before trying to find the source of a certain project. It’s infuriating.
Pinterest is a blessing and a curse. It’s helped bloggers build traffic over the years… but all this miss-pinning is enough to make some bloggers throw in the towel. It’s painful to see other sites being applauded for YOUR IDEA. I could go on and on.
For me, growing the blog isn’t the number one thing on my mind. It’s been fun and mind-blowing watching it grow… but if I focused on growth and numbers, it would suck all the fun right out of it. I blog because it’s fun to document my life, and I love being creative and sharing my projects!
Before we wrap this up… let’s talk about COMMENTING. Commenting on a blog doesn’t help the blog grow in any way whatsoever. BUT! It just simply feels good for the blogger who spent time building a project, photographing it, editing pics, composing a gripping post, etc.
This is a public service announcement for all bloggers everywhere:
Dear Blog Reader… taking a moment to pin, share, or leave a comment ACTUALLY does have a profound effect on the bloggers you’ve grown to love.
That’s all! Virtual group hug?
And amen.
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Wow that was unusual. I jus wrote an very long
comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t suow up.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway,
just wanted to say wonderful blog!
I am obsessed with your site and all your work! I have repinned many of your projects, saved a shortcut to your blog on my phone-iPad-laptop-and all my Mom’s devices 🙂
I also have been known to physically force people to look at this blog right in front of me so I KNOW for sure they look and can’t just say “oh I will take a look later…” Haha!
I also LOVE the fact that when I have an idea or feel I need some helpful and creative advice, you have always responded to emails!
You do your thang gurl!!!!
HAHA! You’re so sweet! I love that you make people look at it right in front of you… made me literally laugh out loud!! 🙂
YEs! My biggest issue with Pinterest is that I see this GREAT picture of something I want to recreate and it goes to a jpeg somewhere. And then I scream and bash my head on my keyboard in frustration. I do my very best to pin correctly, why can't everyone else? It would save me so much time to know that I can just repin others' pins and not have to check every single one!!! <-- see there I am THREE exclamation points frustrated about this 😉
I stumbled across your blog thanks to a friend of mine on IG. After reading this post I decided I would give it a shot and ask for advice. I have a blog too. How did you get started? I find it hard to post everyday because my life is boring and then one day turns into a week then two… how do you find so much in your day to day life to blog about…what could help someone starting out. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Karen, I'm sorry that you've had to experience that too. It's such an awful/helpless feeling.
I agree about etiquette lacking on the interwebs. I think some people genuinely don't realize that images are intellectual property. Other know full-well and take them anyway. FRUSTRATING! 🙂
Hi Amy! We definitely don't know it all when it comes to blogging… and never expected our blog to grow like this! We feel far to inferior to write posts educating other on how to grow a successful blog… but if you have any specific questions, feel free to email us!
Jenn, THANK YOU for taking the time to pin properly! I wish more people would see the value. 🙂
Awww, thanks Carol! We're so glad to have you as a new reader!!
My blog is a little nothing of a blog so I am not really concerned about traffic. BUT I still appreciate this. I appreciate pointing out the whole pinning the wrong blog thing. It annoys the heck out me having to try to chase down a tutorial because the person who pinned didn't bother to do anything other than repin. One example is the balloon one that has been going around for a year or two. Everyone leaves the comment that says that helium is no longer necessary for parties if you use this trick but if you read the original blog she never makes that claim, and in fact, states that it WILL NOT work that way. Yet it continues to circle around the internet. People should take the time to look at the sites instead of just pinning or make a note that they want to come back to it. To be honest I am rarely on the site anymore because of it. And now when I google something I get some random person's pinterest board as the top suggestion. So annoying. I wish we would all work together to make pinterest a more effective website as it has great potential!
Wonderful post! =)
Im new to your blog! I totally agree with you, sharing is a great thing that bloggers can do to support our favorite sites!
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for taking the time to convey how important it is to share, share, share!
I comment on almost EVERY post I read. I feel it's like someone talking to me. I would never close the door and not respond to what they're saying. I would acknowledge the conversation in some way… it's just the proper thing to do.
Thank you (and I'll be sharing).
xoxo
Kristen mentioned to me how much fun she had with you at Haven and I just saw her post this link on FB. Can I just say AMEN! You hit the nail on the head! Thanks for posting this.
This is a great post – thank you for writing it. I've been on the receiving end of someone taking my photo and pinning it then linking it to THEIR site – it's so frustrating! I love the pictures in your post – especially the face palm!
Comment…
Sorry, I couldn't help it. I did pin this post though. 🙂
Well said! It's frustrating when you come across a pin you like and find that it does not lead to the original source and then you have to dig to find it. Usually I repin from the website anyway because I want to see what I'm pinning first.
And as for your own post being featured on another blogger's site, I feel that the blogger should maybe let you know they are doing so (and have clear link-backs) for so many reasons…including Pinterest etiquette. It seems that etiquette is lacking online as well as the real world. Thank you for bringing attention to this.
I read this on my phone the first time around, and it was tricky to comment. I only want to add that if you see a post or a picture from a blogger on facebook that you love, click SHARE, comment, or LIKE it! It helps us with our REACH, which helps us get more clicks, which helps sustain us enough to share! Facebook has been frustrating for bloggers! I hope this better educates readers!
Now that was some love;)
I love your Blog! You 2 have so many amazing ideas and it is so wonderful that you work so well together as a husband and wife team. The patience that it takes for some of the projects that you take on is unreal. I hope that you receive ALL of the credit that you deserve. and know that you inspire.
I am a new blogger and would love to see some posts on how to have a successful blog?
Blissfulblonde.com
As a Pinner, it drives me bananas when I click through on a link and it doesn't direct me to the original blog. I've found a trick through Google where I can search for the original picture and 9 times out of 10 I'm able to find the proper blog. Because I TOTALLY agree with you, I take the time to change the link on my Pinterest in case someone else pins it. Unfortunately, the majority of people don't get it.
Thank you for this info for us non-blogger people who don't know how it all works, but want to do the right thing by the blogs we read and love!
Great post. I will definitely be more conscientious about pinning from the original source. Also found the info about comments interesting. I assumed it helped the blogger because bloggers often hint/beg for comments. But, I will probably still comment just cuz it's nice to tell someone they are appreciated. (btw I found your blog today because it was featured in IC. But I added you to my feedly. Looking forward to reading more!)
Yay! Iowa girls unite! What part are you from?? We're near Marshalltown.
Stacy, I don't mind if you share a link to this post on your blog or FB page. Thanks for spreading the love!
Thanks for ranting right along with me Pam! More people need to be Pinterest snobs!
That's an EXCELLENT point! I hadn't even thought about that, but I'm sure companies and ad networks do look for 'reader interaction'.
We've kinda put the idea of doing workshops on the back burner for now. Life just got really crazy all of a sudden!! When things start slowing down again, we'll talk more!
Awwww Renee… we LOVE you!
Donna, thank you for saying that! Having ads on our blog makes me feel a little icky… but we just simply couldn't do it otherwise. 🙂 You make me feel better about all of it!!
Thank you for sharing it Angela!
HAHA! Love that Mary! We're so lucky to have amazing loyal readers like yourself. Thanks for sticking around!!!
Mindy, the part about commenting on blogs opposed to FB makes total sense. And commenting on FB feels good too! Either way! The thing about commenting on blogs is that many bloggers (like myself) have had to add the 'word verification' before commenting because we were getting SO MUCH inappropriate (and icky) spam comments. It's just disgusting. Some people have WAY too much time on their hands! I wish there was another way to combat these things, because I feel like it should be simple and quick for our readers to leave a quick comment. I'm so sorry about that! Feel free to stick to FB… we love comments wherever we get them! Makes us feel like we ain't talkin' to ourselves! 🙂
I'm so sorry Danielle… that's the WORST feeling. You send me the link to that post, and I'll pin it myself so we can get it going on Pinterest with the correct link!! 🙂
Liz, that's a GREAT question. If I'm posting someone else's pic on my blog to show as an example of something, if they don't have a watermark on their photo… I ADD A WATERMARK FOR THEM! Because I absolutely don't want anyone to think that it was my own work. Because some people just scroll through without reading and might think it was I project I actually did myself.
Additionally, when I occasionally do round-up feature posts, I always write a short paragraph asking my readers to click through to the original website to pin those specific images, instead of pinning from my blog. People don't always listen, but I feel like I've done all I can do.
Angelique, that's a really great strategy to make sure you're pinning from the right source! Sometimes we don't always have time right in that moment to hunt down the proper website, but we don't want to forget! I'm going to start implementing the 'likes' myself! THANKS!
Donna… that is SO sweet! Thank you for the encouraging words!
Hehe… thanks Kate!
Thank you for sharing Caz!
I've followed your blog, come across so much of your stuff re pinned and now like your fb page! I'm an avid reader and enjoy your projects so much 🙂
Thanks for being such an awesome blogger 🙂
– Caitlin
Wonderful blog post! Thank you! As I try to extend my readership, I appreciate hearing how others have been affected and what works/doesn't work.
Great post and very informative! I pinned that 'kitchen glossy swirls' a LONG time ago just for the picture and then just recently found your blog and made the connection that it was you guys the whole time that ha such an awesome tutorial! I'm really glad I found your blog and it means so much more that you are from Iowa (since I am too!) thanks! I will keep all of this in mind when I am developing my blog
WOW! You definitely have a way with words, I couldn't have said it better myself!
Being a fellow DIY Blogger Mom (my blog is still in its infancy) I get it! Although as I get more of my projects posted I am sure I will fully grasp the "sharing frustration".
Do you mind if I repost your post on my blog? I will of course give you the credit you deserve for your "tell it like it is" writing. (my blog is malibuninja.blogspot.com)
Thanks & keep up the good work (despite the sharing frustrations, please don't throw in the towel. I enjoy reading your posts!)
Oh my gosh! I do not pin anything on my board unless I check to see it it leads right to the original pin. So annoying when I have to hunt around for it. I also make sure that the pin leads directly to that post on the blog and not to the blog itself. I don't want to pin a recipe and then hunt around for the blog post it came from because the pinner I got it from didn't isolate that particular post before pinning.
Also what it the repinit, or whatever it is called, crap? So many times Pinterest has it blocked. How are you suppose to find the original pin? I guess I am a Pinterest snob. I rarely automatically repin from someone. I go thru the channels and just pin it myself from the original source so I can go right to it.
Enough of my ranting for the day! pam
i agree with you 100%. I always go to the original site to pin because i like to find the original source for tutorials. it is so frustrating to go to a pinned site and not find the tutorial! Thank you for a great blog!
Let me just say that I think it's pretty flippin amazing that you have so many thousands of pins on so many projects! That's pretty fabulous, friend;) I would think that even if people pin wrong, they will eventually get to the tutorial! As annoying as it is….
not all comments may be positive but even negative comments show that the post had an impact!
🙂 Well said! I do think that companies (big and small) may actually look at reader involvement (i.e. blog comments) to measure whether a blogger would be a good fit! So I think commenting could help in that regard too! It's also kind of like a "like" right there on the blog post for new readers to see.
Did you decide on the 'workshop'idea you had thrown around a while back? Maybe blogging, pinning, tech-no stuff make-a-girl (or guy) go crazy-er might be a good workshop?
Can you 'make' a pin on 'pinning'…that pin could (should) surely get repinned ALOT 😉
Preach it girl!!! I hate clicking on a pin and it leading to a dead end……with people still pinning it over and over!
And I love that last picture of the girls chillin' at the base of the stairs.
You know how I feel your blog and your tutorials. You are, by far, the best source of information on the internet. You projects are unbelievable, your kids are adorable and your husband is hilarious! And Beth, you have such a gift for words! I am so very happy that you are not wasting your talents by not sharing them with the rest of the world! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!
I love this post. You wrote it so well. I used to be worried that when I was commenting on posts of blogs I love that I was being annoying or stalkerish. But I've come to realize that the interaction with readers means more than any amount of page views or traffic. It's so great to know that blogging is a community and not a competition. You have set a great example of the balance of compensation and integrity. You're doing a great job!
Thank you for the time you devote to your blog. I love following your creativity (and baby photos.) I am energized and encouraged by the blogs of the young women I follow by email daily.
also —
Profit is not a four letter word. Please never apologize for being compensated for your efforts.
Definitely educated me, I had no idea whatsoever how it worked I am a blog reader not a blogger and just recently got into the blog-adiction and Pinterest just over a year ago. So thank you for throwing that bit of knowledge in my mailbox I now want to go through my pins and make sure they link back to the awesome bloggers who continue to inspire like yourself.
Applause!! Wonderfully written, and full of information! Sharing this post and hoping everyone that reads it will do the same!
Ha. I actually found you guys from that pin!
I'm not a blogger, but I do read about 25 bloggers daily. Whenever I see Sawdustandembryos in my email, that is the 1st blog I open. I love your honesty, your stories, your pictures, and your tutorials. Yikes, I hope that doesn't qualify my as a stalker! Heck, I almost feel related. Anyway, just wanted you to know you're appreciaed.
Mary
That was a nice post.
A few thoughts:
1) I don't look down on bloggers for using ads or featuring products. Y'all spend hours, time, effort, and thought in providing us with excellent entertainment and ideas- and we pay nothing! You deserve to have some compensation. It's only natural. It's like any job.
2) I only use Pinterest to enter giveaways, but if I ever start using it, I'll make sure to link back to the original page.
3) That picture of your daughter is adorable.
4) I know that commenting makes you feel good. It takes more time, but I do try to comment on posts. One thing, though- if commenting on blogs were as easy as commenting on Facebook, without having to go to a separate page, waiting for it to load, and going down to the comment section, I think more people would comment. It's ridiculously silly that we won't spend a few extra seconds to communicate when once upon a time a letter would take months to get to its destination, but that's the world we live in.
Anyway, I love your blog. Reading blogs for me is my down-time. I read them almost every day and they are a HUGE source of pleasure in my life. So thank you so much!
Thanks for the post. I should comment more because I love most everything on your page! Your projects are inspiring and your honesty is refreshing!
Lorena Gleason
This is why I always check links before pinning now. If I get misdirected to one of those middle man sites, I will then pin from the original site. I really should go back to some of my first pins and see if I need to fix those.
I want the bloggers that I read to be able to at least benefit from my pins.
Love this post! I'm a new blogger and recently had a post pinned incorrectly and keep seeing it being repinned on Pinterest but it doesn't lead back to my blog. Frustrating.
Nice job Beth. Keep up the good work.
Bob
Good thoughts and I completely agree. It IS infuriating to click through and try to find the original source of a project for hours. Unfortunately, when I first started on Pinterest I didn't quite get the hang of it for just a short time, so now when I click on those pins they just go right to the home page instead of the specific post. Where possible, I always try to edit my pins to make them accurate. If you posted a picture on your blog, gave credit where it's due, but had someone pin the picture to YOUR blog, what would you do? Leave a comment with the original address?
Oh my darling Beth, thank you! Yet again, for the millionth time sharing your knowledge base helps me learn more about this blogging world.
Great post! I too get frustrated when I can't find the source for tutorials! I usually "like" the ones that I want to read later before just repinning. I go through my "likes" about once a week or so and read the actual blog before I pin it. I use my pins as references when I'm ready to start a project that I've seen–and the best way is to have the actual source pinned. If I find a dead end pin that I is in my "likes" I unlike it and google the title. Sometimes I can actually find the real source and then I pin from there. I also have a small/newish blog where I post my projects, and I will pin my own stuff. I would hate for someone to see it repinned only to be unable to find my actual page with the tutorial. I put a lot of time into my blogs.
Yes, great post!!! I absolutely love your site and I think you are one of the most talented bloggers out here, thanks for all the great work you do and most of all, sharing it with us.
Great post!!! A huge THANK YOU for always sharing and inspiring!!!
Interesting…I'm happy to make one extra click knowing that it will benefit the blogs I love.
And…I LOVE the photo of your little ones at the bottom of the stairs. They're adorable!
I completely agree. It drives me nuts when I pin something and then click over to find that I need to click over to another site just to find the tutorial or recipe. Or worse that it is just the image and nobody mentions where to find the item or how-to. I've edited many a pin on my board with the original link. And yes it feels really awesome when somebody comments on a blog post. I remember being so excited when I got my first comment from a non-family member or friend.
Well said – I will be sharing this with my followers!
Fantastic blog post, I'll be sharing it! This has happened to me so many times and is very frustrating.
Thank you for the education! I will be sure to share with my Pinterest followers. And stop it with the cuteness in the last picture!! Absolutely adorable and just the image I needed to start my Friday with a smile:)