Peridot Skies

Sharing your Knowledge

January 29, 2016

#Community over competition... those three words are important in the blogging world. Really it can apply to about any situation but we are gonna focus on blogging. I think this is a topic we need to discuss. Sharing your resources doesn't have to be treated like a national secret. I know a lot of bloggers who would guard their contacts as trade secrets. Then there are the other group of bloggers who will gladly share a contact with you to help you grow your own blog or business. Here's a little something to think on.... there is enough to go around for everyone. Sharing your contact isn't about cornering the market. It's more about fear of losing something you have placed value on. Sure, maybe you did a lot of leg work to find the right PR firm for your prospective collaboration, or it took you 6 months to finally get the company to respond to you. You worked hard for that contact. I'm not saying give every single contact you have away but I am saying it's okay to share.

Now lets talk about sharing. How do you chose who and how to share your information, and how much of it do you ultimately decide to share? You have probably been asked to share a contact with a fellow blogger. Learning from others along your path to success is important. Sometimes learning from their mistakes is your take away! It's a game of balance.

Don't hoard your contacts - I like to think there are enough collaborations to go around for everyone. Now I know not everyone thinks this way. In fact there are several bloggers I know who would not share a contact with you. Given the right, or actually wrong situation I wouldn't share my contacts either. What is a wrong situation? Glad you asked....

What if someone you hardly know reaches out to you and starts picking your brain? What do you do then? I suggest you set up a coffee date and get to know the other blogger. Build a relationship that will be mutually beneficial for both of you to share information. Who knows, it may turn into a fabulous partnership! Get to know the person and see if it's genuine or you're just being used. Send them packing if they are just using you! If she was only after your contacts and not interested in you .... then you could politely decline to share and set some boundaries for any future contact. Maybe tell her you charge a consultation fee for your expertise and guidance. If she is genuine she will pay your fee. I know many bloggers that are generous with their time and information. One of the reasons The Blog Guild is successful is because we love to share with our members. In the end, you want to manage your time to the best of your ability.

Comfort Zones - Step out of yours..... no seriously, step out! You will find there is so much outside of what seems easy comfortable and safe. Build relationships with others in your community and start sharing knowledge. It's literally that easy.

Write a Post - Write a post and answer your most frequently asked questions. I bet you are asking yourself how this apples to sharing knowledge? Say you took a great class on photoshop, or you attended a conference. Those are resources and information that you could mention and link to with your experience on this page. Then by creating a FAQ page to your commonly asked questions this will ultimately save you time. Refer to it in your post as needed and when you receive questions again you can politely direct them to your page. Talk about a time saver.

Generic Declines - Better know as canned responses, we have all received them so I suggest you at least personalize it to the brand you are declining. Have a few drafts lined up and then tailor it to fit your needs. Remember, you don't want to turn down a PR firm, you want to turn down the one particular brand the firm is wanting to collaborate on. Maintaining a relationship is important for future collaborations. I am a firm believer in building relationships.

Okay so now you spill the beans. Do you share your knowledge? How do you share your knowledge? Do you have any time saving tips to share on becoming more efficient?

There's enough to go around! Help build someone up because someday you just might need a little help!

January 29, 2016
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Valentines Day Outfit

January 28, 2016

Colors

Man these brutally cold days are torture on outfit pics! Good thing it's warmed up a bit! For me, putting together an outfit for Valentines Day is like riding a bike. If there's pink involved it's gonna be simple! The Blush Moto jacket is getting heavy rotation and for good reason. It goes with just about anything I pair it with. Adding camo to the Valentines Day outfit to roughen up all the pink gives this outfit a gold star in my book. I pulled out my trusty hot pink ray ban mirror sunnies too! How cute is this lips scarf? I snagged it at the end of last season but I linked to a few others.

Style tip ~ When mixing prints remember to use a larger print with a smaller print and leopard is always a neutral.

So I have to tell you guys I recently jumped on the snapchat train. I wasn't totally sure I wanted to add yet another social media to keep up with. You can follow me at lisa.murie anyway, I did and at first had not a clue as to what to do. Then my son (after laughing at me) gave me a brief tutorial and sent me on my way. I am sailing along trying to remember to snap things before it's over rather than when it's too late and I get a call from my son telling me to step up my snap game. He said we were lame! Lame!!!! So I am stepping up my game and let me tell ya... it's pretty fun! Now grant it, I am not snapping every minute of my day like some gals are doing but I at least feel good I am remembering to snap at all! Do you snapchat? follow me here >> lisa.murie

Blush Moto Jacket (Sold out) Identical in other color // Sandrine Leopard Bag // Pink Pumps (Similar) // Gem Phone Case // Sunnies // Lipstick // Lips Scarf (Option one, Two) // Bracelets c/o // Watch // Graphic Tee // Earrings c/o

January 28, 2016
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5 Tips from a seasoned blogger

January 26, 2016

Blogging

This month marked my 4-year anniversary as a fashion blogger. I use the word fashion loosely as I remember not wanting to be in front of the camera for the longest time. I can remember reading tons of blogs late at night on my computer. The inspiration I got from reading and following so many wonderful blogs ignited a fire in me to want to do just the same. Create and inspire. Funny thing is, the blogs I am talking about I no longer read. They were pivotal in inspiring me, but when I truly got into what I wanted my blog to look like it was far different from how they blogged. Better know as finding my own voice.

Right out of the gate I declared I was not the least bit interested in standing in front of the camera and sharing what I had on. Nope.. no way... it wasn't happening. Then somewhere along the way you meet a great group of other local bloggers and they are all taking photos for each other and next thing you know BAM... you are smack dab in front of the camera. I was hesitant, scared, and unsure I would even share them at first. I started out quite simple with only a few pictures of what I was wearing. But when the numbers started to grow, it was an intoxicating feeling and I loved that you all loved it as well.

I don't believe there is just one correct formula to becoming "successful" as a blogger. There are however a few lessons I have learned over the course of my time here at my little corner of the Internet that has helped make my brand the best it can be.

Don't give Up - I know that seems ridiculous to start with giving up as the first lesson but trust me... you will want to give up. You will become frustrated and feel defeated many times. Remember why you started blogging in the first place and continue to feed your passion. Don't fall into the trap of keeping up either which takes me to the next lesson.

Just Be You - Staying true to yourself is what makes your blog unique. You want to stand out not blend in. If you are always trying to keep up with others and thinking their grass is greener, stop it! Let your personality shine. If you're goofy let it show, and occasionally be a bit vulnerable with yourself you will garner a more genuine readership and it will all be because you were authentic. Discuss what you love and know and It will keep them coming back.

It's Time to Engage - (Bonus points if you know the movie that line is from) One of the most important lessons and forms of mutual relationships is communication. Answer questions, leave genuine comments on others post and pictures. Let your readers know you are really out there and care about their thoughts and comments.

Inspiration and Motivation - Have you ever sat down to write a post and come up empty? I have. It sucks. Hitting a creative roadblock and coming up with original content can be difficult sometimes. Stay fresh and pleasing to your readers is what keep them coming back. Research a topic, or browse pinterest or magazines for inspiration for what you want to share. Just remember... be original it pays off.

Tools of the Trade - Investing in the proper gear will help you take your blog serious. Now I am not saying go out and spend a fortune on a bunch of equipment, but do think about your composition and quality of pictures. Quality of quantity. Fine tune what you do have to work with and as you can afford it purchase a good camera, editing software, a background and anything else you need for your type of blogging.

Do you have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments.

January 26, 2016
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Cozy Cardigan

January 25, 2016

my closet

Happy Monday! While the East coast is being slammed with terrible winter weather I feel it would be ridiculous to complain about how cold it was last week. The snow has pretty much melted away and we expect above freezing temperatures this week. Yay!! This cozy sweater is perfect in so many ways. It is a thick heavy cotton with a drape front. The back is long.... really long for a cardigan. When you don't want to wear a coat this is perfect for those days you are in and out of your car and stores and don't want to lug a coat. You can expect to see this in heavy rotation. If you follow me on snapchat .... follow along to see what The Blog Guild is up to and for behind the scenes shenanigans; my snap name is >>(lisa.murie) you probably have already seen me wearing this a lot!