Guest Post Friday - D.A.R.

FINALLY Guest Post Friday is BACK!  I just love asking some of my favorite bloggers to post for me on Friday (hey - it's a free post a week and my readers get to experience other bloggers!)  This week I have asked the incredibly talented D.A.R. to share with us.  She has an incredibly large following of devoted readers who share in her life and comment often.  And she has agreed to share some of her best kept secrets with us.  ENJOY!

Hello all! The lovely Amber asked me to fill in this Friday! I have to admit that I am a little nervous. This is my first time guest blogging! So, please don't throw tomatoes or email Amber and tell her that I am awful and ugly and smell. Kay? Thanks!

When Amber asked me to do this last weekend, I squealed with excitement and then immediately began panicking. What on earth was I going to write about? I mean, I can't live up to her fabulous posts! Thankfully she gave me a few ideas. One of them being a kind of "blogger how-to" post. Since I could think of nothing more exciting than talking about blogging, I thought I would share some of the things I have learned the hard way about the blog world.

Plus, I like rules.

And lists.

So, here you go.

d.a.r.'s list of bloggy tips and secrets:

1. Have fun with it and be yourself. Seriously, unless you are teaching rocket science on your blog, you should have fun. Well, unless you find rocket science fun, and in that case, rock on!Write about things that you love. I love running, my dogs, reading, cooking, and shopping. So that's what I blog about. People will love you for this because it is genuine and authentic. I don't post tons of artsy pictures because, quite frankly, I suck at photography. I am lucky if I can get a picture that is centered and not blurry. I don't blog about arts and crafts and DIY stuff because I am the antithesis of Martha Stewart.

2. Find your own voice. We are all unique, we shouldn't try to conform. I am snarky, sarcastic and just plain spazzy, and that is what you get on my blog. Not everyone is the same way. But, again, it is genuine and authentically me. Whatcha see is whatcha get. I have my own voice and I think that is part of the charm of my blog. Or any blog.

3. Expand your horizons. I kid you not, I actually read a post by a girl who said she just had too many followers and not enough time to read their blogs or comment back. Seriously? Now, I am not superwoman and I certainly do not comment on each and every blog I read every day. But, I do comment, and I reply to emails, and if you have your email enabled on comments, I oftentimes email your back. I think it is a courtesy thing, actually. You get what you give, right? And the "perk" to this is that a lot of my followers have become followers because they saw my comment on someone else's blog, clicked on my link, and started reading. What better way to advertise your blog and find new and different readers?

4. Know your limits. While I feel that honesty is the best policy and my bloggy friends who know me in real life can attest that what you see on my blog is pretty much how I am in real life, I have limits. My husband is military and doesn't want his rank, unit, military post, our real names on my blog.He has also informed me that he would feel very uncomfortable with me talking about our sex life {which is unfortunate because I have some hil-ar-ious stories..let's just say that we have very curious dogs who don't like being left out or ignored...}. A lot of people stay totally anonymous and don't even put pictures up--which is fine! Just know your own limits.

5. Write what you want to read. I know that a lot of bloggers use their blog as an outlet. Which it should be! But, I tend to shy away from negative crap on my blog. Sure, my life isn't always rainbows and sunshine. But those days aren't exactly something I want preserved on the Internet for ever and ever. As it turns out, I've found out the hard way that most people don't want to read about how my husband and I got into a fight over the dishes...again. I occasionally blog about the bad stuff, like when my husband drove over and detonated several IEDs {bombs, basically} while in Iraq this summer, or when my grandfather died, but for the most part, I keep things fairly upbeat.

6. You are not perfect and neither are they. As you are blogging about your fabulous new house, your gorgeous baby, your fantastic wedding, and your perfect marriage, keep in mind that not everyone is going to agree. It's what makes the world go 'round--we are all different! So, bear that in mind when you open your life up to the inter-webs and the anonymous crazies who have nothing better to do than leave rude comments. Just don't take it personally, kay?

This blog world is crazy, weird, fabulous and amazing. It is crazy to me--there is a niche for everyone! Girls trying to conceive, mommies, military wives, law students, attorneys, wives of medical students, newlyweds, amateur decorators, crafty ladies, cooks and bakers, photographers, girls planning weddings, runners...if you haven't found a blog you completely click with, you aren't looking hard enough!

Thanks for listening to my rambling today, I know I cannot live up to the lovely Amber, but I hope I at least didn't put you to sleep!

love, d.a.r.

Some pretty good stuff, huh?  Thank you so much for sharing D.A.R.  I super puffy heart your blog and I'm so happy you were willing to stop by my place and share with my amazing readers.  HAPPY FRIDAY YA'LL!!!