Week #4: GIVEAWAY WINNER // 20 TIPS + ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS // THANK YOU!

Hiya everyone! Today is the last Wednesday in February, which means today is the LAST post in celebration of Showers of Blessings' one year anniversary! I have had a lot of fun over this last month with the giveaway's and I hope you have had fun too! Today I will be announcing the third and final winner of last week's giveaway! 

If you missed out on any of Showers of Blessings first birthday posts this month, here are the links to the first three weeks: week 1, week 2, week 3!

~Giveaway~ 

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The winner is...

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*cue confetti showers*

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Congratulations, Beth, for winning two (2) Goat's Milk Soap bars of your choice! Since I don't know if I have your email or not, please email me using my contact form on the sidebar and we can work out the details for getting your prize shipped to you! Also, you get to pick out two scents (I seriously typed out flavors again!!!) that you would like! If I don't hear from you within a week, I will draw a new name from the hat.

And that, folks, is the last of the giveaways! I had so much fun putting these together! Thank you all for participating and congratulations to the winners of the three giveaway prizes: Rakayle, Julia, and Beth!!!  

I will have to do more giveaways in the future! ;)

~Advice For Bloggers~ 

Whether you have been blogging for 5 minutes or you've been blogging for 5+ years, I have compiled a list of twenty tips and advice that I have found to be true in my one year of blogging! Note: this advice is for me just as much as it is for you all... :D 

<<<TWENTY TIPS FOR BLOGGERS>>>

• Keep writing: Never let discouragement or bloggers block (is that a thing?) keep you from fulfilling what God has placed on your heart to do- Blog. 
• Alway's remember why you started: Why did you first start to write? Is it because you love it? Or because you want to make a difference? Is it because you have given your writing to God and He has led you to blog (or just write in general...) If you answered affirmatively to these, then keep reminding yourself "why" whenever you are having one of those bad blogging days.
• Stay true to who you are: You are unique. God made you special, and you are your own. Only you can fulfill the purpose God has for your blog. Be original. Be yourself.
• Don't compare: As I said above, God made you special, don't compare yourself to what you see in other blogs. Sure, they might seem perfect, but their not. No one is. So don't bog yourself down with comparison. Let me just say, it is so easy to look at others blogs and feel like yours isn't as "successful" or as "aesthetic." But I was told once by a very wise blogger friend: "There will always be supposedly 'more successful' bloggers out there, and it's easy to get discouraged and feel inadequate. But God gave you a voice that is yours alone, and what you write might be just what someone needs to hear." 
• Don't worry about the stats: You know, those little numbers that grow as your following gets larger? Yes, those stats. Don't care about them. (Unless of course, that is your goal.) But if you are blogging for the joy of it and for sharing God's word, then don't worry about those numbers. I'm not telling you to create a blog and wait for people to come across it, by all means, go out and network and comment on other blogs. Tell other bloggers that your out there, but when you start getting followers, don't worry about how many you have. Instead, look at the page views because that is going to tell you whether or not you have readers. Your blog readers are real people, don't turn them into numbers measuring success.
• Always stay humble and kind: This one is pretty self explanatory. (Anyone singing the song now?) 
• Get to know others: Comment on other's blogs. Especially when you first start your blog, it is really important to get your name out there. You'll be so so surprised to find that you might have a lot in common with someone. Let God lead you, because if you let Him orchestrate your blogging journey, you will be AMAZED! I was truly blown away when I first found out a major commonality I had with someone. It was a "Wow, God" moment for sure! I am so blessed to have met the blogger friends I have!
• Post what you love: Whatever your interests are, post about it! If you like fashion, makeup, books, self-publishing, devotions, poems, pictures, whatever your niche in life is... blog it! Nothing you post should feel forced. When you post what you love, your blog will last a lot longer! 
• Don't be afraid to ask: It never hurt to ask! Got a question about layout or formatting for your blog? Find another blogger who you really like their design, and ask them some of your questions! 
• Take a leap of faith: Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and do it. For me, it's every time I punch that "publish" button! Literally. every. time. I am the kind of person that second guesses everything. I worry what people will think or say. I worry about if I will step on someone's toes. I write what's close to my heart, but then I fret about how it looks or how it will come across. But God asks me to take a step of faith, and so far, I have hit that publish button around 60 times now! 
• Trust your instincts: Listen to your gut. This is such a good blogging community, but please don't trust everyone you "meet" online. There will be scam comments, there will be those scam email chains that pull at your heart strings just to get a long list of emails. Nowadays, it is so hard to decipher between what is real and what is fraud. Pray about it, and trust your instincts. Some tips I have come across: (1) Don't publish your email address. (2) If the photo's you take are from your iPhone, screenshot them before posting. (3) When necessary delete rude or scam comments to keep a clean place for your readers.
• Try it: You won't know unless you try it... If there is something that you are thinking about participating in around the blogosphere, try it. The worst thing that could happen would be that it doesn't work out. Obviously, pray about your decision first, but if there aren't any red flags, give it a shot, you never know what might come of it. ;) 
• Give notice before major changes: Your readers will get accustomed to your blogs design, layout, posting schedule, etc. It's always nice (and more professional) when you give a notice before you make major changes on your blog. Write a little post telling your readers that you will be on hiatus or that you are changing your blog's look, just to give them a heads up. Also, it makes them feel included on what's changing! 
• Reply to comments on your blog: People like to know they have been heard! Tell them thank you for commenting or engage in conversation. Giving and taking feedback is so important in the blogging world! 
• Use the drafts when planning posts: When you have all these blog post ideas, it's hard to remember them all. That's why it makes it a lot easier when you write them down. On Blogger, you can write your post as usual, but instead of posting, you can just "Save" it and it will keep it ready for when you want to publish it. Another way it to keep a separate file no your computer to store all your posts that you are preparing in advance. Note: I normally don't schedule my posts, but this is always another good option to have!
• Find a balance: Find a balance between your social media accounts. At times, it can be easy to let your blog (or Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, you name it) take over and consume your every waking moment. It's important to remember what truly matters in your life. Family is more important staying caught up on your social media accounts. Find a balance that works for you. Something that gives you enough time to be online, but also enough time to be in real life. I am still trying to find what works for me... it's a struggle.
• Be real: Be real with your readers. Life is not all about Pinterest worthy pictures or quotable sentences. Nail polish is going to chip, sentences are going to sometimes be run-ons or maybe they won't even make sense. You will look back on posts and cringe at typos. This is real. And it's ok, keep on going. 
• Stay Consistent: This is truly the key to blogging! When you are dependable with your posting, people start expecting your posts. Staying consistent is hard at times, but it is so worth it! Writing words that flow and have cohesion won't happen over night. Writing and blogging takes a lot of time and effort, but as long as you can stay consistent, you will most definitely see your writing skills change for the better! 
• Find your style: Blogging styles are entitled to change, but the way your blog looks is really important! From the background or the header to the graphics or pictures throughout the post. Your style could be a color scheme, or flowers, arrows, etc. When you find a style that is your favorite, stick to it for a while. Like I was saying above, your readers will get used to the way it looks. Plus, its a lot funner for us bloggers to have a nice looking space on the internet! ;) Us bloggers/writers must also find our writing style...
• Pray through it all: Whenever you publish a post, comment on a blog, plan a post, etc., it is so important to pray through it all! Give God your blog and He will in return, give you such a blessing from it!

Oh, and always remember that blogging should be fun and enjoyable! If your not having fun with it, try a new blogging strategy. That might entail posting less, or just whenever you feel like it. That might entail adding more pictures or doing tags or hosting contests. Blogs are flexible and custom to you, so have fun with it! ;) 

One year ago, before I even had a name picked out for Showers of Blessings, I decided to email three of the blogs I had been reading. I asked them five questions and today, I will answer them for you guys!

1. Do you like blogging?
Yes! I love blogging!

2. What are your highs and lows to having a blog?
Some of my highs: Writing, Graphic design, Connecting with others, Being able to share Jesus's with people all over the world, Making friends, etc. 
Some of my Lows: Sometimes staying "on top of things" can get stressful, Trying not to worry what people will think, and the Technical difficulties that sometimes pop up.

3. What blogging site do you use to power your blog?
I use Blogger... To me, Blogger is pretty easy to get things set up. ;) If you are wondering what blogging site to use, I would suggest either Blogger or Wordpress.

4. Was your blog free to start?
Yes, starting a blog with Blogger.com is completely free! Now, you will have to pay for a custom domain name, if you are interested in one of those.

5. Is there anything you’d do differently if you were to start a new blog?
I can't think of anything big. I think it was a good idea to reach out to other bloggers and ask some of the questions I had before jumping in headfirst. So that is why, if you are a new blogger or thinking about starting a blog, feel free to shoot me a email and ask me your questions! I might not have all the answers, but I will certainly try to answer them with the best of my ability! ;)

~Thank You~

Thank YOU! Yes, you over there on the other side of this screen, maybe even across the world. Thank you for reading my blog whether it be for a split second or all throughout my first year of blogging! This community I have found has been outstanding! I'm so glad to be apart of it! 

I want to say a huge thank you to my family who supports me in all my blogging endeavors! I love you guys! <3 

Thank you, Mrs. Marlow for answering my questions and helping me get started with my blog! Thank you for the amazing books you write that actually first made me like reading so much! I am a bookworm because of you! *smiles* 

Thank you, Jessica for answering my questions before I even had a name for this blog! All of your help with my layout and design was crucial. Your insight and encouragement means more than you know to me! 

Thank you, Faith for replying to my first email asking questions! I love your blog and the books you write! Thanks for sticking with me, your comments always brighten my day!

Thank you, Rachel for being such a good blogging friend! Thanks for reading through my very-long emails and for reading/commenting on my blog posts! 

Thank you, Rebekah for your sweet comments and emails! I have loved getting to know you through emailing, and I am so glad you have put up with my sometimes-crazy asterisks. *throws confetti in your direction* 

Thank you, all my followers! I am so glad you have decided to follow along on this journey of mine! :) 

Thank you, all my readathon friends! I have only participated in the readathons (that Faith puts on) twice, but you girls are such a fun bunch! *throws lots more confetti* *winks* 

Thank you, all my faithful commenters! Every new comment makes me smile! Seriously. Each and every comment means a lot to me! I would mention all of you, but the list would be very long, so just know that you are appreciated! <3

I am so excited to see where God is going to take Showers of Blessings in the coming years! Showers of Blessings has truly been a blessing for me. I have grown so much since first starting this little spot on the internet, but most importantly, I have grown closer to my Savior. I have a lot of new and exciting posts coming up in this new year, and I can't wait! 

What was your favorite part about these posts this month? Can you believe that this year of blogging went by so fast?! How did your February go? (I miss doing my wrap up posts!) What has God been teaching you lately? 

I'll see ya in the comments below!