YouTube Subs for Subs

God this train journey has been blog post mad, I'm on my second one!

So I've been sat here thinking, in between trying to phone my sister (thanks English countryside service real appreciate u) and eating Katsu curry- mah crack, about the whole YouTube sub for sub thing.

It irks me, like it really bloody irks me. I don't get it, I don't get where the benefit of someone subscribing to you just cos they want you to subscribe back gets you or them. They're subscribing to try and boost their own shiz, yet once you subscribe rarely do they ever watch anything in return, or do you?

When I subscribe to people, I subscribe because I really enjoy their videos, whether it is makeup or first class plane videos (don't judge they're so addictive) not because they're threatening me that they won't subscribe to me if I don't subscribe to them. 

I'm not massively arsed if one person or one million people watched my video, I would want them to be watching it because they actually wanted to. I want them to watch because they thought my shoddily edited video looked like something right up their street, not because they think they can get something out of it. I would want them to watch and subscribe to my videos because they liked what they saw during my shameless Twitter self promotion or because it came up on their YouTube suggestions and they were curious or wanted a laugh. I would want them to because they think my terrible accent is listenable and what shit I'm chatting is useful for them.

I think I would rather stay with my current 10 subscribers than 1,000,000 if that 1,000,000 weren't actually bothered on the first place.

What's your opinion on this?

Lots of love,

Hev

xoxox

Thing's That Have Helped Me to Improve My Blog

In the real world, I like to think of myself as quite tech savvy (unless you're giving me a sat nav and then there is no hope), but in the blogging world I feel really quite useless.

Coding and picture editing is really hard when you're a complete novice about everything like I am. There are many blog posts floating around the internet with how to's and stuff like that which will probably be way more helpful, but this is a post dedicated to the programmes and tools that even I can get my head around.

Fonts.
Until this month I had no idea you could actually download fonts to use like your regular Arial or Times New Roman. These fonts are actually really simple to install (follow the instructions on the website) and you can get a wealth of really pretty fonts for free. I downloaded all of mine from DaFont.com and they have worked really well so far. My blog header font was downloaded from there and I just love it.


Picture Editors/ Creators
For this category I use 3 different programmes. I did alot of googling and trial and error before I came to these being my faves! I use the Moldiv app on my phone for on the go editing of instagram photos. It's quite easy to use and has lots of different features. VSCO cam is similar to this. Pic Monkey I tend to use for YouTube headers and any general blog designs I need (I created my header with it). Its a simple to use programme (if I can use it you can) with lots of different customisable features. Finally, I also good old fashioned photo editor on windows. I tend to use this programme to brighten my photos if I've taken said photos on my camera and not my iPhone. You don't need to use all of these, but all of them have really solid free features to make your pictures pretty much how you want them, instead of having to fork out for programmes like Photo Shop.

Tweet Schedulers
I use Hootsuite on my phone and TweetDeck on my laptop. I like them both, they're quite simple to use and work. Tweet Scheduling is useful forgetting your content out there regularly but it can be really boring and time consuming for about 20 minutes, which means I don't tend to use them often because I can't ever be arsed. My laziness aside, they are good programmes for getting your head around scheduling with lots of options.

Free Blog Templates
If you're an amateur with no disposable income and no coding ability, free blog templates are brilliant for making your blog look classy and sassy and just how you want it to be. A simple google search of free blogger templates will bring up countless different free templates to suit your tastes. When you download them, most will come with instructions on how to add all the bits and pieces you want to make your blog your own. I have used a few over time and they have all been fairly simple to use. However, sometimes adding features (like a bloody instagram widget) can be nigh on impossible using free templates like mine now. Sigh.

Anyway, I hope this post has been useful for the complete novices out there like me!

Lots of Love,

Hev

xoxox

I Think I've Become One of Them...

With personal posts like this, I'm always very wary of promoting them. It's one thing to write about your life and click post, and it's another to want to actively distribute it and say 'I'm here!'. This post might be one of the first personal posts to ever make it to my 'promote to the hilt list'. Over the past couple of weeks, I think I have actually started to understand the allure of the blogging world.

Now don't get me wrong, I've been following blogs for years and I am well aware of all the perks that seem to come with getting a lot of followers, but I never really saw what was in it for the little guys. You know, the ones like me, who aren't in it to become 'famous' or to get free stuff, but blog as a vent and a hobby. I never really saw what sporadic bloggers like me could gain from actually having a 'schedule', but it has dawned on me that there is quite a bit.

Over the past week I have been investing quite a sizeable amount of my time in my blog. I don't have a monkeys whether it is just because I actually have time, or whether it is because I am starting to see more that I can get out of it. I've even given myself a schedule *gulps* (Tuesday, Thursday and a video Sunday, personal posts whenever, if you were curious which I just know you were).

I have seen quite the change in me. I have been active on my blogs social media (hit me up on Instagram or Twitter if you're so inclined), something I never do because I am so lazy to the point where it is actually pathetic; to taking my own bloody stock photos. Stock photos!!! So that my post like these aren't so god-damn boring and are more eye-catching for people to look at. I've even finally figured out how to use Google Analytics and how to use internet recipes.

I keep wanting to eye roll at myself constantly; but at the same time, I actually feel proud of myself *sicks in mouth*. I'm proud of myself for actually sticking to something for at least a week, for actually bothering to record and edit videos, and for bothering to pull out the nice camera to do stuff instead of just my iPhone. Maybe it's because I found out my other sister Caitlin reads my blog too, Maybe it's because I've sort of learnt how to use semi colons. Who knows? But weirdly I'm enjoying it, and I totally get why people get so sucked into this life.

I'm quite sure I will never be one of those sugar coated bloggers with the perfect feed and the perfect content because well ain't nobody got time for that, but I do hope I continue to interact with other bloggers of my size and a little bit bigger, to help each other and support each other.

I may look back on this post next week or next year and laugh at myself, I might have fallen out of love with blogging, I might be a multi millionaire blogger (we can always dream of the millions can't we?) but I do hope this little period of enthusiasm keeps up, because I really am enjoying myself.

Now I am off to go edit the stock photo for this post. I hate myself.

Lots of Love,

Hev

xoxox