How I achieved my goal after a blog conference (and a cute printable for you!).

This week is #PBEvent - the annual Problogger conference! I am so excited! Blog conferences are SO inspiring. Every session I’ve been to has taught me something, and more often than not, the speakers’ stories have given me the incentive to do more. Write more, develop a product, create an event, be a better person. I leave blog conferences so energised and full of creativity (and also a little exhausted due to said energy and creativity!)

Being surrounded by people who just *get* me and being driven to do more at the conference makes it hard for re-entry into the ‘real world’ – where some people think blogging and social media is frivolous, or at worse, dangerous. (I’ve seen a lot of posts from my American friends about how hard re-entry has been post BlogHer. Arnebya, who I met at BlogHer’12 said when she returns to work after BlogHer, the things that hit her the hardest are “the lack of lanyards, tiny desserts, and howling laughter that make her stomach muscles scream”.)

So it’s important to keep the momentum from the blog conference going long after it ends. You can keep that momentum going by setting a goal.

Your goal might be just to write more each day. Or create a content schedule. Or connect with a new exciting person on social media once a week. Or to keep in contact with some of the awesome people you met at the conference. Or if you are like me (overly ambitious), your goal might be elephant sized. Like creating a real-life meet. Or writing a book. Or developing a blog course. (I don’t want to brag but I’ve done two of those since PBEvent14!)



I was inspired to create the Australian Ichthyosis Meet at last year’s conference. And so I did (with a lot of hard work and a few tears). Community and social good was a big theme of the 2014 Problogger Event.

Darren Rowse (Problogger) talked a lot about community at the event. I saw a video of Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim meeting with her blog readers and I wanted to do that. And Pat Flynn encouraged bloggers to create an opportunity for our community to meet with each other.

These messages were what kept me going from September 2014 to May 2015.

I planned my goal from the day I got home (hurrah for an annual leave day!). And here’s how I did it. (This isn’t about how I planned the event – that post will be coming soon!)

I wrote down my goal.

That kept me accountable. I wrote it in a notebook and on the internet – I was publicly accountable.

I told someone the intricacies of my goal.

I learnt to only tell someone who would nurture my idea as much as I did. I didn’t need anyone telling me that I couldn’t or shouldn’t make this happen. (The people who didn’t nurture my goal suggested I should stop being proud of creating this event. Hence why I learnt only to tell people who would nurture my goals in future.)

I set a timeline.

I consulted with people who were interested in attending the Australian Ichthyosis Meet and gave them a few options of when and where it would be held. And when consensus was provided, I worked to that date. The meet took nine months planning. My baby. 

I connected with people who could help me.

• I connected with brands at blogging events and via email and phone calls. It was so cool to work with Random House, Mad Man Entertainment, MooGoo, Olympus and more!
• I asked people who know how to do things that I didn't. Adam made the chalk board! (And for this post, I got someone awesome to make my printable - Robyna May!) 
• I asked some blogging friends to assist on the day – Nathalie from Easy Peasy Kids was the kids’ coordinator, and Nicole from Champagne and Chips helped with bag organisation and meeting and greeting guests.
• While I could have written my media release, a friend wrote it for me as I didn’t have time. 
• Years ago I met a lovely lady in the green room at No Limits. She and her partner were the event facilitators. 
• I crowd funded the event. 

I broke my big goal down into little goals.

There are lots of steps in achieving a goal. These are all little goals. Working on them and achieving each of these makes a big goal more manageable. My main little goals were booking a venue, raising funds, collecting donations for giveaways, promoting the event so people would come, developing an agenda, briefing the medical team and putting together the goodie bags for the day. Phew!

Do you want to write a book? Make your first goal to create an ebook so you get into the practice of writing and have something to pitch. Then get a literary agent. Then write 1000 words a day. Then organise your book into chapters. Although - what do I know?! I haven't written a book yet - but I'd like to!

I knew my weaknesses.

I’m no good at arty and numerical stuff, so I get others to help me. I am getting better at graphics but I still ask for help.

Maybe you need help with events planning or coding. You can ask others to do these things (DELEGATE!) or you can skill yourself up in them (if you have time!). Take a short course (or check out free ones on MOOC) or ask someone in this field if you can intern with them to learn stuff. 

I played on my strengths and used my networks.

I am really lucky to have been working as an events planner and communicator for many years in my day job, so these skills helped me plan my event.

I also collaborated with some brands for my events – brands who I’d met through blogging. I wrote them email pitches (explaining my event, asking for products, telling them how I would promote them) and showcased their donations on social media. I went outside of my comfort zone, attending a parenting-bloggers’ event, because my new audience for this event was parents.

You build so many skills as a blogger. Writing, photography, marketing, social media… use them! And connect with the people you meet along the way!

I was prepared for hurdles.

Fortunately not much went wrong with achieving this goal. There were a few hiccups but nothing that I couldn’t handle. I had my Mum and Adam to vent to. I couldn’t adjust the timeframe, but I could scale down the event if needed. 

And then  event happened! I remember thinking, I can't believe it's here! I can't believe people came and believed in me! 

Whether you go to #PBEvent or another conference, I know you'll be inspired to do something awesome. Whether it's a big event for lots of people like I organised, or a smaller personal event, I wish you luck! I hope my tips help!

Here’s a cute printable for you to use when creating your goal after a blog conference (or after it comes to you anywhere really – my goal to write this post about goals came to me while I was in the loo!)

And here is a link to the PDF. 

Have you got any tips for goal setting?

Bloggers with disabilities on No Limits.

You might remember that late last year I was invited back to produce and anchor an episode of No Limits on Channel 31. My dear friend Kath (director of the show) was interested in how blogging allows people with disabilities to have a voice, and she wanted me to discuss that.

I asked some other dear friends - who I've met through blogging of course - to chat with me. Hayley, Michelle and Leisa came to the studio and were complete SUPERSTARS! We could have chatted about this all day!

What's so awesome about blogging is that we are making our own media, controlling the way our stories are being told, and making meaningful connections and positive change.

You can watch our program here now! I received the DVD copy of the program and have finally had access to super fast internet to upload it.

I really enjoyed the discussion about how it can be a big responsibility to blog about illness and disability, and the expectation that readers can place on you.

How wonderful it is to be a part of a niche blogging community, and also the wider Australian blogging community. These conversations need to happen more!

Also, if you are an Australian blogger with a disability or chronic illness and would like to join a wonderfully supportive Facebook group, you can do so here. And if you want to contribute to my blog via a guest post, I wrote how you can do so here.

(The original post about the filming and screening was here.)

Using social media mindfully and for social good is not graffiti.

Saying social media has as much place as graffiti frightens and disappoints me no end.

I'm one of many, many people using social media for social good, and these words feel closed minded, insulting and callous.

I'm tired of people who don't use social media getting prickly at the thought of what might be happening online without even taking a look.

Social media fosters diverse, important discussion. It is also used to entertain, educate, connect and let a broad audience know how policies, prices and change impacts on individuals. It’s a public, current census, identifying the state of the world. And graffiti is not just ugly scrawl. Have you seen Hosier Lane?

I am tired of people who don’t use social media tell me that it’s dangerous, pointless and reputation ruining. I feel sad that such people will never open their minds to the connection and change that social media can bring.

They’ll never know how wonderful it is to form a friendship with a like-minded person from across the world. 

They'll never know the satisfaction of being offered writing and speaking work after a company discovers them on twitter. 

They'll never know how life affirming it is to connect with others who have a rare severe illness after half a lifetime of being alone.

They'll never know the relief of someone who has lost everything receiving support after a natural disaster - through generous, can-do people banding together online.

They’ll never know the chills experienced receiving an email to tell them their words have changed their life for the better - because until they came across a blog or a tweet, they thought they were all alone.

They’ll never understand how program we watch or listen to alone can be turned into a community event with the second screen.

They’ll never know how a blog’s following can raise $20 or $200,000 for people in need.

They’ll never be able to experience the pride of taking an online community into an offline community.

I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it is having to prove that I'm using social media for good - because attitudes against social media combined with inexperience set the standard. In a meeting with a superior, I was told that there are concerns that I am too passionate about social media, disability and appearance diversity, and this might be a problem. When I invited them to have a read of my blog and social media, I was told they don't use the medium. 

I am accountable for everything I write online, and I am happy for anybody to read what I’ve written. I use social media mindfully, at all times. And if it wasn’t for my positive work on social media, other leaders would not be asking me to work for them. It is confidence shattering hearing people tell you they don't believe in what you do because it involves social media.

Of course social media is used poorly. I’ve been on the receiving end of poor use. Hell, I’ve occasionally made some poor choices when on social media, I regret losing a few friendships through it. People are bullied online. Reputations are ruined. Information is leaked, or misinformation spread. I’ve seen some terrible hate speech. I see it every day. But I see - and experience - how the good outweighs this negativity thousandfold.

But these people - the ones who don’t use social media, who think it has no purpose, dangerous even - have got to start trusting those who use it well. Enough with encouraging employees to dob in their colleagues. Enough with the distrust yet lack of willingness to explore the positive options.

Base model behaviour on those who who using social media for social good, and not on those who aren’t using it well at all. I challenge whoever it is that alerts those in charge about bad things happening on social media, to alert them to the good things too. 

See that anteater up there? That photo was taken when I was walking through East London. There's a bit of scrawl around it, but the thing that stands out is the beautiful artwork. Look at the detail, the dedication to create and preserve it.  And that's the same as with social media. There's some negative talk, but it's overwhelmingly positive, if you just take the time to explore.

What I do through blogging and my social media channels to create social change is more than just illegal scrawl on an abandoned train.

Powerful friendships are made online.

I went to a blogging awards party on the weekend. It was so good to catch up with online friends in person. I took three photos the entire night - before the event. I sent one tweet. Connection in person took precedence.

There was hugs, air kissing, and some bloggers are lip kissers. It was a reunion with old friends. And a celebration of all bloggers involved in the Voices of 2014 program.

The hands-down most asked question for me was "how's the wedding planning going/when's the big day?". (Good, when we can afford it!)

A friend (Aleney from Boy Eats World) told me that her favourite thing on the Internet is seeing Adam and my romance blossom. How lovely is that?!

Also, I was SO impressed at how many people I talked to said the phrase 'appearance diversity'. people really get it. This passion of mine is really making a ripple.

Last week I had a fleeting visit to Canberra. The first person I bumped into when I arrived at the airport was the beautiful Connie Johnson from Love Your Sister. For those following the LYS journey, Connie is doing well, speaking and promoting the cause a lot. She recognised me, we had a great chat. It was the first time I've spoken to her outside of a LYS event. She couldn't wait to take a selfie.

I met Connie through this blog - just one of the amazing friendship and connection to a cause that's happened since I started writing here five years ago this month.

Putting our lives online through blogging and social media is a risk. But it's such a GOOD risk as it means we meet amazing, talented, likeminded and kind people who we probably wouldn't get to know this well if we passed them in the street.

And the level of kindness far outweighs the real and perceived level of nastiness through using social media. (Ironically I've been writing a piece on what it feels like to go viral, as well as preparing a thank you happy birthday giveaway for my blog. Such contrasts!)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get to know me and befriend me online. Even more hugs if it's extended to 'real life'.

What a wonderful thing blogging is.

 

These are the bloggers to watch. BUPA Health Influencer Awards 2014

I was so lucky to be involved in the BUPA Health Influencer Awards again this year. The team at BUPA few last year's winners up to Sydney to present this year's winners their awards. I love these awards - they support diversity, good writing and social good.

It is wonderful to see a diverse range of blogs - showcasing diversity - win the awards. A blog about autism, a blog about caring for elderly parents and a blog about animal welfare were among the winners.

And I was SO pleased I got to present Julie from the blog Have Wheelchair Will Travel with the award for best travel blog. When Julie accepted the award, she said she wants to give hope to all parents of children with disabilities - because when her son was born, she was given very discouraging 'advice'. DISABILITY REPRESENT.

Here are the winners - congratulations everyone!

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining - winner of Family Time

Edgar's Mission - winner of Animal Lovers and People's Choice

Lifestyle Fifty - winner of Healthy Lifestyle

Have Wheelchair Will Travel - winner of Best Travel Blog

About a Bugg - winner of Social Good and Best Overall Blog (Renee will donate half her winnings to Autism Victoria!)

The Mummy and The Minx - winner of Babies and Parents-to-be

Scoop Nutrition (not pictured) - winner of Healthy Eating

I love seeing these new (and not so new) bloggers coming into the limelight for achieving great things. Do bookmark their blogs - I've read them all and they're fantastic!

Blogging (and being noticed, making money) takes time and super hard work, whether it's a full time job or on top of your day job (like me) or a hobby. So many new bloggers ask when they will make money. I can't tell them a definitive answer. I make a little money now but not enough to quit my day job. Maybe they will make money from their blogs, maybe they won't make a cent. But to me, the biggest success factor and the most important thing is to be making a difference.

But it is the best job ever. Keep at it.

One blogger I have been reading since before I started this blog is Cate from All Cats Are Grey At Night. We met on the Vogue Forums (a definite reason for me starting this blog was the bloggers I'd read from Vogue). It's been over five years that we've known each other and Friday was the first time we met. So exciting! She's just as lovely, just as kind and smart (AND STYLISH!) as on the screen. I told her that most of my blog traffic comes from her blog roll - let's bring back the blog roll hey?!

I also spent some time with Lee from Supercharged Food - last year's overall winner. That woman can rock a play suit! And she is going great guns with her blogging and publishing career! Her generous advice was to be 'anti-strategy'. She blogs when she feels like it, when she has something to say. "Be honest, be real", she said. "Sometimes it's nice to give people a break from you", she said. She also doesn't see other bloggers as competition - and her candid revelation of earnings AND offers to mentor bloggers to reach monetary success is testament to that. She said "it takes five years to build a brand. Blogging success doesn't happen overnight." Lee and I are pictured with Matt from BUPA.

And the very lovely Sally Obermeder (Channel Seven presenter and blogger) was the keynote, talking about weight loss her career path, struggles with IVF and diagnosis of stage three breast cancer the day before her little girl was born. The ribbon that tied all of the elements of her life together was her here determination. "If I just put my mind to something, chipped away, didn't quit, I would get there", she revealed. Sally chipped away at losing weight. She got out of a job she hated. She worked many unpaid hours to get into TV. And she's in remission from breast cancer. She would say to her cancer "game on mole", handling it with humour, treating it as a challenge. She wondered "how do you raise a child if you've only got weeks to live? How do you tell them everything?" She also reminded the room that even when you've reached a level of success, "you've always got a slog of some kind". The hard work doesn't stop. She told us to "use other peoples 'can't do attitudes' to fuel your success" and encouraged us to "be your own cheerleader". Her talk was fantastic.

Here's what we ate. Prawns and artichoke, roast chicken and chocolate lava cake with mandarin sorbet.

And the day (almost ended) with wine time at the airport. God I was tired when I got home. I was (and still am) feeling under the weather with a chest infection, I was sore, plus it was a hundred billion degrees in Sydney, so I really didn't fancy travel, but the awards were so worth it!

 

 

Good blogging is all about love.

 

I've been hearing a few murmurs of worry amongst the new bloggers. 'Am I doing this right?' 'I don't want to compete, I just want to write for the love of it.' 'When will I be recognised?' 'I feel like I don't fit in.' 'I just can't get the engagement that others have.' A lot of this has stemmed since Problogger, and I think that understandable because there were so many passionate bloggers talking about it all at once, and there were so many messages of how to grow your blog, how to make money and how blogging has moved from solely writing to being on all the social media platforms. (I've encouraged bloggers to write for the love of it, and not to feel pressured by what others are doing. Bloggers blog for man reasons - to make money, to share knowledge. to write and to connect. Blogging can be anything you want it to be.)

The reality of bloggers feeling anxious because they don't feel like they fit in, or a part of a community, or even feeling like they're overlooked (for competitions, brand sponsorships or even just readership) makes meet sad. Because I've felt that way too - in blogging and in other aspects of my life. I wrote this on my Facebook page and wanted to share it here.

(I know I've had a high concentration of blogging posts lately, but I'm just so inspired by Problogger. I will space them out soon.)

Being a blogger is so rewarding. There is readership, friendship, the practice of writing, and some perks. As bloggers, we put our heart and soul into our work - writing, photographing, sharing and connecting. Putting yourself out there is brave and scary and should be noted. For many it costs money to blog - website design and hosting, education courses, travel and tools. These reasons make it hard. It's bloody tough. If can be isolating, competitive, cliquey, costly, overwhelming, pressured, hurtful, tiring and downright dead-ending. And it's constantly changing. I met a ghost blogger last week, who adopts different personas for blogs. What even is this?! I thought!

Sometimes bloggers just don't feel like they're a part of a community. They give and give with little reward - both in terms of community and remuneration. One of my favourite bloggers, Little Wolff, has decided to say goodby to blogging. She feels burnt out. This post made me cry.

I discovered her blog one night last year and devoured it - reading years of archives and commenting on almost each post I read. I love her writing, her view point and her creativity. Her photos are amazing. We've become online friends and I am so thankful for the advice she's given me recently.

While many bloggers (including me) are writing for the love of it, sometimes there is frustration and anxiety about a low readership, about missed opportunities and about not fitting in. I've felt this way.

Good blogging is about the love, as The Everywhereist says. And that love goes both ways as bloggers.

I urge you as bloggers and blog readers to tell your favourite bloggers what they mean to you, and to share your favourite blogs so they have a wider reach. It's easy to drop someone a quick email to tell them. I did this a couple of weeks ago; and the blogger said I made their whole month!!

Bloggers: include new bloggers in the community - if they write to you to tell you you're awesome, take the time to write back. Give them shout outs on your blogs. Recommend them to brands. If you guest blog, even if you're not a blogger, share that post with your online networks. (I admit to being pretty disappointed when someone who wrote a post for me - whose story I was so excited to share and put a lot of effort into doing so - didn't share their guest post on their highly subscribed network.)

And brands/publications: give these smaller bloggers a go. Look at engagement and passion, not just page visits. Take note of their commitment and skill. If they do well on their blog, chances are they'll do well for you. Blogging is more than a hobby now, it's an industry, and for many, it's their main income and creative outlet.

I'm always sad to see a blogger go - many cite giving up blogging is because of lack of time. But it makes me even sadder when it's because they don't feel part of a community.

Do you agree?

I challenge you to give a shoutout to the not so well known bloggers you love in the comments below. I will share each one on my Facebook soon. And let them know they're awesome by leaving them a comment. Let's bring back the community spirit.

 

 

Some things about the amazing Problogger event

I've returned from the Gold Coast where I spent three days in blogging heaven - two days at the Problogger event and socialising before and after. My mind is so thinky. I'm jumping about with ideas - ones I can implement now, in a month, in six months and in a year. I hope to do more posts about this event in the coming weeks - bear with me. There's just so much goodness.

There are such talented, generous, focused people doing great things. It was great to be among people who just get it - understanding the importance of blogs and telling our own story, affirming it's ok to believe in your dreams, write them down and achieve them, and being ok with a real life conversation simultaneously happening during an online conversation.

There was so much talk of community and making a difference. And that's what blogging is about, yeah. Using your blog to make a difference and to make friends.

 

 

I had so much fun meeting old friends and making new ones. Here's Foxy and Tamsin (my roomie for the weekend).

And I met Amber Melody - who is gorgeous inside and out.

And I finally saw Tash! Oh I have missed her! We hung out a lot, it was nice. (Also see my eyebrows?! Totally fake!)

Pip Lincolne introduced me to Lucy from The Design Files. Lucy and my sessions were on at the same time (and I really wanted to be at her session!). We had a quick chat and a photo and she was so wonderful.

I got back to my room and Tamsin said I was on Lucy's Instagram feed.

I cried at her kind words about me - so so lovely. And she's sent a heap of her dedicated followers over to see what I'm about.

Thanks so much Lucy! You're the epitome of what Problogger is about - sharing, kindness and love.

These were just a few of the wonderful people I spent time with over those three days. To be honest though I did feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people. Lots of people. I can see why people need to retreat. If I didn't have a long conversation with you or didn't get to say hello, I apologise.

I was lucky enough to speak on a panel about blogging for social good on Saturday with Eden Riley, Stephen Ellis from World Vision and Emma Stirling. It was so good!

(Pic via Lou from World Vision)

The room was engaged, asking questions in person and tweeting about the event. We were trending at one stage! Bloggers are doing amazing things for social good. Read Emma's post and linky here - add your social good to the linky! Emma said "If your blog is getting the better of you, use it to do social good". Eden said that "all the humans on the planet are your peers. What are you doing to help?"

We all suggested working with charities and causes like you would with brands. Find a charity that aligns with your niche and pitch yourself. I love that Nikki Parkinson from Styling You works with Dress for Success - to help disadvantaged women dress for job interviews. I love that Digella Bakes started Baked Relief - delivering baked goods to regions affected by natural disaster. I love that Smaggle is doing silly things for a bus for kids with special needs. I love that Jim Butcher from Mr and Mrs Romance had no idea how to get involved in doing social good before the session but has some inspiration now.

I shared some of the anecdotes from those who participated in the Ichthyosis Awareness Month Blog Project and testimonials from Sam and Connie from Love Your Sister. Their words about how sharing their stories in my blog made them feel empowered in awareness raising, confident in telling their stories and part of a community is the reason I blog.

Here's Eden's attendee selfie (nicked from this post).

And our awkward panel photo! Too funny! Too awkward! Here's the storify of our tweets.

The Problogger team is so very generous - three bloggers were invited on stage for Problogger to showcase their story - The Merry Maker Sisters and Jules from Zippy Zappy Life. These bloggers are the new superstars - and that was recognised when they received mentoring and pampering from the Problogger team. Jules has a huge family, is a foster mum and blogs about sensory issues. The MM Sisters have recently quit their jobs to blog full time. They are so enthusiastic and willing to learn. And SO lovely :)

The conference was well planned - I was in the green room for an hour and saw the amazing work that went into the social media. I also saw the team cuddling babies so their mums could get a massage. Us speakers had a wonderful dinner with the event team on Saturday night. And I'm still pinching myself that I was able to speak there!! Thank you to everyone who made the conference happen. Thanks especially to Darren Rowse - Problogger himself - for being so generous, so community minded and so knowledgeable.

Also thank you to you - my friends, family and readers for being so supportive and for giving me the confidence and drive to keep at it. There's a little giveaway happening on my Facebook and Instagram. Pop over to either one and tell me how you look and feel your best.

The conference spurred me on again to write down my dreams. I have many, and I will make them happen. Darren and many of speakers the other talked a lot about how when we wrote down our dreams, we are more likely to them happen. This is one of my dreams. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging tips: success doesn't always mean high page views and sponsored posts.

One day, during a ProBlogger Twitter Chat, I got into a debate with a blogger who placed all their worth on statistics. Small page views meant they did not feel successful. I tried to tell them that success is more than just page views, but it was hard to convince them in 140 characters.

One big ‘mistake’ I made with blogging was wanting to monetise and feeling left out when brands didn’t approach me or knocked me back when I asked them.

I was getting nowhere with sponsorship pitches. It seems no brand wants a chronic illness blogger. Even the brand who make products that save my life didn’t want to work with me. I’d hear bloggers talk about how easy it was to create a media kit and get flown around Australia to view product launches and receive beautiful jewellery in the mail. And I wasn’t getting those opportunities. I was despondent, measuring my worth on a lack of press releases. I’ve since learnt blogging success is so much more than monetizing. Comparison is the thief of joy and all that.

I was annoyed for a short time. But then I realised, I am successful without fully monetising my blog and getting millions of hits. While I wasn’t being inundated with offers to review products, I was getting offers from influential people that wanted to work with me. Editors, CEOs, teachers, charities, and causes. These offers of work – both paid and unpaid – have been more related to my blog niche and personal values that solely working with brands could ever be. Occasionally I will do a sponsored post for a brand that I value, but for the most part, I created my business plan to make money away from my blog.

Since I’ve started this blog (it’s one of many I’ve had since 2001) I’ve created a freelance writing and speaking career. I have written for The Guardian, DailyLife, Mamamia, ABC Ramp Up, News.com.au, BlogHer, The Daily Dot, Essential Baby, Kidspot, and Frankie Magazine. I’ve won numerous writing awards and been selected for The Guardian’s diverse writers workshop. I’ve spoken at conferences in Australia and the UK. I have also lectured in genetics and media at the University of Melbourne. I have recently run a number of sessions on writing and self advocacy at the Emerging Writers Festival. I’ve also competed my Masters thesis on the way blogging has helped me form a sense of identity.

Blogging success has also come from being asked my opinion on topics around disability advocacy and being invited to participate in events such as judging film festivals for organ donation and disability awareness. I reached out to Sam Johnson when he began Love Your Sister, asking him if I could blog his journey. He said yes!

One of the biggest things that has happened to me because of my blog was being asked to speak at a university conference in the UK after the university program found my blog. They tweeted a link to my blog, I thanked them, we formed a working relationship and they invited me to speak. My hospital helped fund my trip – I was their first academic patient that they sponsored to speak at an international conference!

Lastly, I receive messages from blog readers who are struggling with their appearance, or a new parent to a baby with Ichthyosis (the same skin condition as I have), telling me that my story has made a difference to them. Occassionally I receive an email from a reader telling me they felt alone until they found my blog and can now see some hope for themselves or their child, and have been encouraged to seek medical or psychological help. Through blogging I’ve come in contact with so many people from around the world, and I’ve personally met a few other people with Ichthyosis. Meeting these people on my overseas trip was my highlight. I have had so many people write to me saying they’re confident to tell their story about Ichthyosis to their families, friends or wider communities (or even online) now. Hearing about empowerment like that is better than huge numbers of page views.

I believe that statistics don’t necessarily equal success. Bloggers can look for other ways to reach success, form communities, and feel intrinsically rewarded through knowing their blog makes a difference to readers.

My Top Five Tips:

- Find your niche

- Don’t become focused on or despondent with page views

- If you want your business to be blogging, see how you can diversify to make money beyond your blog

- Value your readers and celebrate that you’re making a difference to them

- Keep at it!

This post was originally published on ProBlogger.

 

Blogging for social good

On Saturday I'm giving a talk on a panel at the Problogger conference. The panel is about blogging for social good - I will be in esteemed company with nutritionist Emma Stirling, World Vision's Stephen Ellis, and 2012's Best Australian Blogger Eden Riley. What a panel! I'm so honoured!

When I began blogging - way back in 2001 - I never did it for awareness raising, I did it because I loved writing. My previous blogs were more like diaries. The awareness raising just sort of happened when I started this blog. It's part of looking different and living with a disability. Education is incidental. One day in 2010 when I was very sore, I blogged about it. I posted a picture of my face when it was infected, and I wrote about it. My doctor freaked out, worried I'd opened myself up to ridicule. Only I wasn't ridiculed. The support was incredible people asked questions about my skin. I realised I could tell my story on my terms on my blog. The Internet was understanding, compassionate and kind - and it was only recently - after years of blogging and many photos posted - that my photo was ridiculed.

I see blogging for social good as using your blog space and time to raise awareness about a cause or charity. Kind of like volunteering at a hospital or taking part in a fun run. Only you can use your words and photos to spread the message, and there's a chance you'll have a far reach.

My own story

I blog about what it’s like to look different. I do this to normalise difference. I write about the social and sometimes medical experiences of life with a visibly difference chronic illness/disability – a rare severe skin condition called Ichthyosis. Telling my story has led to freelance writing and speaking and teaching opportunities (including Daily Life, The Guardian, the University of Melbourne, the University of Western England and Writers Victoria) and shaping social perceptions around facial difference and discrimination.

Last year I was abused by a taxi driver – he worried my face would ruin his cab. I blogged about it, tweeted about it, it made national news. I put in three complaints – to the taxi company, Victorian Taxi Commission and Human Rights Commission and one of the outcomes I requested was to improve disability training for taxi drivers – to let them know that disability discrimination is illegal, and disability is more than guide dogs and wheelchairs. I called for participants through my blog and worked with the taxi company to develop a training video. That video is here.

Sharing my story empowers others to share theirs.

I receive messages from readers who are struggling with their appearance, or a new parent to a baby with Ichthyosis, telling me that my story has made a difference to them. Readers tell me they felt alone until they found my blog and can now see some hope for themselves or their child. They have also told me that because of my story, they're confident to tell their story about Ichthyosis to their families, friends or wider communities.

This is a recent message from a blog reader:

"Thanks for sharing your struggles. My 5 yr old son has Ichthyosis and you help me understand him better. You help me be a better mom. I wish there was something I could to to repay you that blessing.

It's seriously such a joy to receive messages like this and I'm so grateful.

And I've been able to meet so many people affected by Ichthyosis around the world. The friendships I've made are beautiful. Here's Jack and I in London in May.

Ichthyosis Awareness Month

People affected by the condition (both patients and parents) have found my blog and used it as a source of information, and told me that my story offers them some hope. But my story is only one of many, and I wanted to open my blog for others to share their story.

I asked more than 40 of my online friends affected by Ichthyosis – patients ranging from seven years old to in their mid 50s, parents of children with the condition, grandparents, the leader of a support group, a dietician and my parents – to share their stories on my blog throughout May. I asked them to show a life well lived – to give hope to others in the Ichthyosis community and also to educate people about the condition (including how it varies), and to break down stigmas of living with a condition that can be so visually confronting. The symptoms, appearances and experiences differ between everyone who has shared their stories. Some people have written about a coming of age experience - working towards accepting their condition, and others have written about how their lives have changed since becoming a parent to a child with Ichthyosis.

I collated their posts, editing them and providing feedback to each contributor (some post required more editing than others – not all contributors were experienced writers). I scheduled blog posts for every day in May alternating types of Ichthyosis, age, and location. Finally, I promoted each post twice a day with a picture collage on Facebook, numerous times a day on Twitter and once on Instagram. Promoting the blog posts on social media had a huge reach – most pictures received over 2000 views on Facebook (from 900 followers). I emailed each contributor letting them know their post was published, encouraging them to share it with their networks. And at the end of each week, I summarised that week’s posts in a picture collage on Facebook and Twitter.

As the month went on, lots of people affected by Ichthyosis read the stories on my blog, and shared them with their families and friends. The response was incredible - throughout May my blog had over 93,000 views! I had people contact me to ask if they too could share their stories on my blog too, and so I added to the project.

The contributors have been thankful for giving them a chance to tell their story - for some this is the first time they've been so public about their Ichthyosis. They’ve been excited to see themselves in print, and have also taken the time to read, comment on and share all of the other stories in the project. I’ve been able to put families in touch. I am proud that these stories shared are providing hope.

On a personal note, I enjoyed learning about the various forms of Ichthyosis and getting to know these (mostly online friends) through their stories. I also featured my parents’ stories, and reading these gave me great insight into the struggles they faced when raising me. My awareness month blog project was picked up by Fairfax’s Essential Baby site and The Australian Writers Centre, plus shared by a huge number of social media users.
You can read all of the stories in my Ichthyosis Awareness Month blog project here: 2013 and 2014.

The Internet can be brutal to people with disabilities and visible differences like Ichthyosis. I see many nasty comments on pictures of people with disabilities circulated on Facebook. I created this blog project to create awareness and to foster a positive community. So much respect was shown to the contributors to my blog - not one negative comment was received - and so many readers commented that they wanted more stories. I am now opening my blog up to guest posts from people affected by Ichthyosis (and all types of disabilities and visible differences) year round.
Sam, who was very reserved to tell her story, wrote:

"I wrestled for weeks to get my story to Carly for her project for Ichthyosis Awareness Month, as I come from a generation where networking didn't exist & even now I feel as though some may frown upon my having shared my past as openly but Carly Findlay & her awareness campaign work & skills in presenting our stories is fantastic and I thank her for encouraging to me do the article despite my reservations & it coinciding with a roller coaster week of family events. Thanks for reading & commenting."

Education

I always marvel at how far my blog reaches, and what it's used for. I receive emails from teachers and academics telling me they've referred to my blog in a class about diversity or bullying, or in a paper they're writing. Last week I received an email from a dermatologist this morning, telling me of a newly diagnosed baby. He wants to pass on my blog to the family.

"I am asking firstly if you would be happy for me to direct the family to your blog. Also, your advice in managing Ichthyosis is likely to be more valuable than ours and it would be beneficial to have your input."

This is why I blog.

For a little while I doubted my ability to help families when I felt unsupported by the people I'd hoped would find value in what I do through my blog. But getting emails and messages like these make me know that sharing my story is worth it and I don't have to be a parent to help other parents.

>>Advice
While blogging for social good is different for each cause, one piece of advice I'd give you is to create content that can be used for education purposes - advice or videos. Make them shareable, create little memes or infographics that can go with links to your blog. I've got a resources page that I can direct people straight to when they ask me what creams I use or what support groups they can join.

Charity awareness through my blog

I promote charities and causes I believe in in my blog. I have worked with Donate Life, the Heart Foundation (via Brand Meets Blog), RUOK? Day, World Vision, Sun Smart, Positive Exposure the What I See Project, and Love Your Sister. I've also promoted the Layne Beachley Aim for the Stars Foundation through my blog after I received a funding grant from them (I am now an ambassador for the Foundation).

Before Love Your Sister was launched, I asked Samuel Johnson if he wanted alternative media to spread the word. He knew me, he trusted me and my blog content, he wanted bloggers to get behind this cause, and he said yes. I was the first blogger to cover his story (via a video chat), and covered it through his trip – sharing posts from the LYS FB page, interviewing him mid-way, seeing him at PBEVENT last year, and welcoming him home. 



Here's what Connie Johnson from Love Your Sister said:

"Love Your Sister has received overwhelming support from communities large and small all over Australia, but one of the most powerful voices on our side has been the bloggers. With their generous hearts and clever blog pieces, they’ve spread the Love Your Sister message through channels that traditional media cannot reach, and with a trusted voice that commercial media could only dream of.

Of all of these amazing bloggers, Carly Findlay has been our most staunch ally. From the moment Samuel rode off into the sunset on his epic adventure to his triumphant return home one year later, Carly has been with us every step of the way, promoting the mission and reminding women everywhere to check their lumps and bumps. She’s there for us on Facebook as well, liking and sharing and educating. A like from Carly gets you a lot more views than a like from most other people!

We’re incredibly grateful for her support. She has been so generous with her time and effort. If you want to be as hip as a world record-breaking long distance unicyclist then you’ll do what they do… and Tune Into Radio Carly!"

I have also taken a keen interest in Donate Life – because Camille, one of my best friends was on the transplant list. Though seeing her struggle with doing every day things – things like breathing and walking that we take for granted – I realised the need for organ donation for people to get a second chance at life. I blogged about Donate Life Week several times. When Camille was due to judge a blogging competition to promote Donate Life Week, she asked me to be her back up in case she got the call. She got the call, and was given new lungs from a generous donor. And I was the guest judge, working with Peta and Kerrie from The Ground Swell Project, and recruited Matt from Dad Down Under to help judge too. The Gotye parody by Brooke Huuskes won best film, and this blog post by Alysha Herman won the category I judged. I was so grateful Camille got a second chance at life, and honoured I could use my blog to promote a worthy cause.


And last year, after sharing Tina's story about life with Ichthyosis in India, my readers and I wanted to help her. When her mother (her lifelong carer) died I started a fundraiser to help Tina out - we raised $1200 and bought her a cooling vest and deposited the rest of the money into her bank account so she can afford to travel to her dermatologist and to buy creams and other medications. She was so grateful.

>>Advice
I recommend approaching a charity or cause (or person) you believe in, tell them how you can help, who your audience is, how your reach will benefit them. I did this with Love Your Sister, and I've also done this when inviting guest bloggers to write about appearance diversity - for example, Robert Hoge, Turia Pitt and Paul De Gelder.

Get some testimonials from charities you've worked with. Debra Cerasa, CEO of Multiple Sclerosis Australia (pictured below) wrote this testimonial for me after I delivered a blogging training session to a group of MS advocates last year (I was paid to deliver the training).

"It has been my pleasure to observe Carly Findlay in public speaking engagements numerous times. The overwhelming observation I am always struck by, is her ability to connect with an audience. She is real, articulate and genuine. Carly has a warmth and connectivity that many experienced speaker could learn from."

Maybe you can become an ambassador for a charity or cause you believe in - show an NFP your readership and social media reach, like you'd show a brand this info.

Don't forget the little charities - and make sure the charity you're supporting is legitimate. Check out the National Charity Register that's run by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission to confirm you're supporting a registered charity.

Obstacles

I've experienced a few obstacles - and it wouldn't be authentic if I didn't share these.
There can be criticism around disability – assumptions from strangers about work ethic, whether you’re disabled enough, hierarchy of disability. This can also apply to your cause. There will be some people who don't believe in what you do.


Criticism if you “sell out” after so long of telling my own story. I remember the first time I was published on the ABC - no payment received - after about a year of blogging here. A woman with Ichthyosis told me how much I've sold out, how disappointed she was in me. I was also told last week that it's disappointing I see my disability as a money spinner by getting paid to write and speak about it away from the blog.

Not enough brands working with bloggers who blog for social good – I enquired about blogging for Genes for Genes Day and my enquiry was not responded to – even though I am a blogger with a genetic illness.

And it can be hard to get people on board for a condition or cause that is quite unknown. To blog is to be your own promoter - and I spent so much time spreading the message about Ichthyosis Awareness Month through email, on twitter and on Facebook. While I was disappointed that some people and organisations that I expected to get behind the project didn't, many others did - including Australian media personalities, and others in the Ichthyosis community.

Making an income

Generally I view blogging for social good as blogging without payment. But there has been one campaign I've done for the Heart Foundation which I received payment for, and I know other bloggers have done similar.

I've been lucky enough to make a little money away from my blog - developing my skills and expertise to be used in freelance writing articles and at speaking events. I also see myself as a blogging consultant - I've taught emerging writers blogging and advocacy at the Emerging Writers Festival in May, and am currently putting together a niche blogging course. Soon I will be talking on two other panels - about beauty and about disability art. All of these opportunities have come my way because of blogging.

I believe it is so important for disabled writers - all writers, really - to get paid for their work and lived experience. It is empowering and shows that companies value disability advice. I wrote a rant about this here and here last week if you're interested.

Other ways bloggers could make money through blogging for social good are through creating ebooks, setting up a consultancy and copyrighting in a speciality area.

Overall though, if your using your blog for social good, I think it's good form not to expect payment for writing about a charity or cause on your blog.

Blogging for social good is wonderful. It can raise awareness and money, build communities and also show that you as a blogger are a trusted expert in a niche area. It's giving back, using your voice to create change. I never thought blogging for social good would give me the opportunities and connections it has, and every day I'm thankful.

So, if you're passionate about a cause or charity, why not use your blog to raise awareness about it?

I've seen that quote circulating a bit lately, in the wake of Robin Williams' death. These words are so very true when it comes to blogging for social good.

Where I want to be. Melbourne Writers Festival and Problogger.

It takes lots of hard work and a few years to 'make it' in blogging.

People new to the hobby/profession think it will be easy - bang out a few posts and bam! You'll have thousands of followers. It's not like that. It is a steep climb. After four years of having a Facebook page for my blog readers to connect with me, I finally reached 2000 likers last week! Some days I have 250 views, other days I have 2500 views. It's about making friends and professional contacts in the blogging and writing and appearance diversity worlds and nurturing these relationships. And it's about putting in the hours, on top of my day job.

Pleasingly, I have found my niche and am kicking off the little goals I've made for myself. These goals are all about being recognised for my writing and my commitment to appearance diversity. I feel like I'm where I want to be.

And today, I've got a few announcements that I want to share.

I am excited to announce that, after years of being an audience participant at the Melbourne Writers Festival, I am a presenter at this year's event!

I'm talking about modern memoir writing with four other writers. I love how blogging is seen as memoir writing and is taken seriously enough to be discussed on this panel.

Come to my panel - Oversharers Anonymous - at The Toff In Town on 26 August.

Secondly, I'm also excited to announce I'm speaking at the Problogger conference on 29 August. Problogger was so great last year - evangelical even.

It's sold out but there will live tweeting like last year (I think the hashtag will be #PBEvent, so keep an eye out. I'm talking about blogging for social good with Emma Stirling, Eden Riley and Stephen Ellis from World Vision Australia. Here's the session guide. What a panel! If there's anything you'd like me to cover on the day, just ask.

I am thankful to Lisa Dempster from MWF and Darren Rowse from Problogger for having me at their events. And thanks to Emma Stirling for choosing me on the panel. And I'm thankful to my amazing blogging community for helping me get there.

 

On activism and speaking up. Does it make me the fun police?

 

I'm pretty outspoken, saying what I think, telling people I don't agree, and reasoning why there's a different way of thinking. Just over the weekend I told a sales assistant who was glued to his phone while serving my Mum at the market that serving her is just as important as his phone call. Since I've been blogging here and using social media, I've been more vocal than ever in speaking up about the things that matter. These aren't just the things that matter to me, but the things that matter for equality, kindness, harmony and empathy.

Last week a friend made ableist remark on Facebook (no offence intended, of course). Another friend made a racist remark about women wearing burkas (or balaclavas, as they said). I called them both out on it, publicly. My responses were "wow" to the ableist remark, and "If you're referring to a burka, then it's not a balaclava. It's cultural dress. The woman probably isn't going to go skiing nor rob a bank. How lucky we are to have freedom to express and uphold our culture through our dress, without being discriminated against." (And then I saw a meme saying "counting peoples' sins doesn't make you a saint" - oh the irony!)

It got me thinking. Does calling out prejudice - like ableism, racism and homophobia make you seem superior or easily offended, or strong? Is it a way to influence people or lose friends?

As an activist, I constantly think about people see me as a victim or over sensitive for speaking up or blogging about ableism or discrimination issues. I wonder if people think I'm a whinger or the fun police? Am I a busy-body when I comment on things that aren't directed at me? Am I a sanctimonious bore? And then it's tiring having to explain why something is discriminatory or offensive when a person says "but language evolves, it's ok to use retard", or "I wasn't intending to offend". Or even having an opinion based on experience rather than viewing a program out of choice. I can no longer count the amount of arguments I've had due to my stance on Embarrassing Bodies. I have an opinion on it - based on my own experience and observations of how others react - but I won't watch it. And I think that's ok.

Some friends constantly advocate on social media for equality. Like, more than I do. They share articles, photos, rants and blogs. They're forever battling with peoples' prejudice beliefs - reasoning, providing evidence and experience and sometimes blocking. I wonder if they're tired?

I recently prefaced a conversation with 'I made international news for speaking up about discrimination, but I'm not a victim'. This was because I was involved in what became a heated discussion about discrimination towards people with disabilities by taxi drivers and someone suggested that there is a lot of victim playing happening. I added that while lots of things are said to me about how I look on a daily basis, I don't write about all of them. I don't apply the word discrimination lightly in my own circumstances.

I don't want to remain quiet when I see injustice. If something discriminatory happens to me or someone I know, I'm going to speak up about it. It's cathartic, raises awareness and creates results if I speak up on social media (I have had a difficult time getting what I need on my upcoming flights - even speaking to someone in the special handling departments has been doffiuclt, and social media seems the only way I get results.) It's standing up for what's right.

And there's this.

(Watch this speech. Just watch it.)

There are standards I won't accept. I will say something if a friend is racist. I will say something if the R word is used. I will politely speak up if it's a friend, family member, colleague, relative or, if it's safe to do so, a stranger. I will raise awareness about things that matter to reduce discrimination.

I do wonder (not worry) about what people think of me when I advocate for equality, call out prejudice or openly make a complaint about discrimination. But then I remember, it is making a difference in some way. It's showing strength and integrity.

And it might even lead to people talking about my activism.

(Julie McKay who is the director of UN Women Australia told me: "Carly - we are at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in NY. It's the UN's policy forum on gender issues. Your blog/ work was mentioned in a side event on media/ access to information. Really global!")

It's easier not to speak up on occasion. Reasoning can be tiring. But I'd always wish I had have said something in hindsight.

Do you speak up against injustice? How do people react? Is there a time you wish you hadn't?