Logojoy Review

On Friday on the blog I was talking about how different we can become between our online and offline selves.  How much we share of ourselves online and how that can sometimes get problematic, especially if you talk a lot about current affairs; as I do!

I have always had my picture as my profile image for my social media accounts, but now, I feel like I want to pull back a little.  Many times, as I mentioned on my previous post, I have had conversations only to be derailed and ignored on the basis of what I look like.

On that basis, I decided to leave imagery of myself to my blog only, and have something simply blog related as my social media representation.  I wanted something simple and to the point, which would let my words do the talking and not my face.  What do you think?

I created my new logo through Logojoy. I confess that I am not talented when it comes to creating images and need some guidance and a simple application that takes me through the steps to create the perfect logo.

Logojoy was the perfect vehicle for me to be able to create my new logo.  Below are some of the steps that you go through in order to create your image.

The first thing you do is enter your blog name or the title of your business and then proceed through to choosing at least five images as below, to start the designing process and gives the site an indication of the styles that you like.

From there, you can choose up to five symbols to go with your text.  There are many to chose from simply be writing down what you are looking for in the search bar.  This step is optional.

Once your symbol has been chosen, this then takes you to a screen where you can fully customize your logo with different fonts, different colours and designs.  You can from having something simple like mine to something really unique, simply by clicking on the different options.

The process of choosing a new logo through Logojoy could not have been easier.  It was a simple, step by step process that even I could follow with ease and from there, there are different packages that you can chose from depending on what you want to use the logo for.  I chose the 65 dollar package, which includes a high resolution logo, different colour options and also the social media kit for an extra 9 dollars which gives you perfectly sized logos for all of your social media accounts.

Logojoy is free to try out so you can spend as much time as you want creating the perfect logo before committing to buy.  There are so many different combinations that you can try out that I really recommend that you spend some time on the site trying them out.

• Hope you like my new logo!

The App Map

I was twenty when I got my first mobile phone.  (Whispers) eighteen years ago now.  I remember that it was a Nokia 3210 and I thought that it was the best thing since sliced bread.  Back then, you had calls, texts and the now famous Snake game.

Over the years phones got smaller and smaller, then larger and larger.  The technology improved until we have reached the point now that there is more technology on our phones than what was used to send us to the moon. 

These days, our phones are our worlds, holding everything in them that we hold dear.

We have reached the point where you can do anything on your phone. You can run your business from it, you can blog from it, you use it to capture all the moments of your life and share your thoughts with the world.

When it comes to the apps that we use, there are some that are staple needs like your email and a good camera app whilst others are tailored specifically to your needs.  Here are my go tos, with my beautiful Simba as a backdrop.  

I have my social apps like Twitter and Facebook, my email apps and my banking apps in top place.  Pixabay for my blogging is an essential as well as my music and the clock which wakes me in the morning with Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols.

Carphone Warehouse recently did a study of what apps people used on their phones across Britain, looking at ages, genders, incomes and where you live in the country.  

It is quite interesting to note as the statistics for the tops five apps for women do not include anything that I have on my phone.  For men, the top apps include Wifi Analyzer and Steam which is a gaming app.

Breaking the stats down into my age range of 35-44, the most popular apps are Kodi and CBeebies, whilst looking at my income bracket, that changes again to Facebook and a mobile banking app which looks more like me.

What does this study tell us?  That we are a diverse nation that uses mobile phones to tailor our lives to the way that we want them.  Surprisingly, for the people earning over 100k, one of the most popular apps is Farmville which is something that they share with the lowest earners in the East of England.

Check out the study on the link above, it is really interesting to note.

*Collaborative piece

Are You PR Friendly?

I was recently speaking to Laura from Six Out of Ten when she offered to do a guest post for me about how to be PR friendly.

Here is a bit about her:

Laura works half in PR, half in marketing, and spends the rest of her free time writing about London and lifestyle in her online magazine. She has a cat, a boy, and loves Revels a little too much (don't we all!).

Here is what she had to say:

Although I think calling yourself PR Friendly is redundant (as most bloggers are lovely and wouldn't dream of being unfriendly) as well a waste of precious character space on your Twitter bio and blog, being PR friendly is another matter entirely.

You see, bloggers have seen a few people add it to their accounts, and everyone has followed suit. It's almost the same as adding clichéd phrases such as 'works well in a team' and 'hard-working' and 'works well under pressure' to your CV. They don't really mean anything until you see them in action.

To PRs, just saying you're PR Friendly isn't enough. So what can you do to demonstrate that you can be a PR's best friend? Here are four really easy ways to get PRs on side.

1. Remove PR Friendly from your blog and social channels 

As soon as you mention PR Friendly, you're immediately classified as a review blogger. As in, you only care about working with me and my client for what you can get out of it - a new lipstick here or a press trip there. 

I want to work with bloggers who love my brand and all that it stands for, regardless of whether I might be able to offer a comped meal or sample. I want them to be discerning and strict about who they feature, to not cheapen my client's name by lumping their brand in the middle of fifty others.

I'll avoid PR Friendly bloggers as the reputation behind the phrase, unfortunately, isn't a good one.

2. Have an up-to-date, well-written about page

The first think I look at when scoping out bloggers is their about page. I'll usually look at this before their posts. Why? Because this is where I find out about your story. Why you blog. How you started. Who you've worked with.

You should include the following:

a. Your name (use a blogger alias if you don't want to reveal your full name)

b. Where in the country you live

c. Why you started your blog and how it came about

d. Your perceived successes and a few brands you've worked with

e. Your future plans and targets

f. Your link to contact information and a media kit (if this isn't visible from the homepage)

3. Your contact information

It's amazing how many bloggers have a PR Friendly badge in their sidebar and then literally no contact information available. How can that be considered friendly? How am I mean to get in touch with you? Through an easily-missed public comment on one of your posts that'll head straight into your spam folder? 

No. Have a contact page set up, or be sure to include this in your about page, as above. If you want to include a number you can, but at the very least a text-based email address I can actually add to my address book. Include a contact form too, but your actual email address is the most valuable part.

4. Make your site easy to use

Nothing puts me off more than a cluttered site where I can't find anything. If you're not the best at HTML or CSS then hire a designer to install a clean, easy-to-use template. And make sure it's responsive and mobile-friendly. In case you don't know, Google will be penalising non-mobile-friendly sites from now on. There's no point spending time on SEO if there's no chance 40-50% of your mobile readers won't see it.

If your site is easy to use it means your readers will be able to find my client too. 

By following these really simple steps, you'll ensure you go from saying you're PR friendly, to being PR friendly. And I'll love you just a little bit too.

A Break For Christmas

I cannot believe how quickly Christmas has crept up upon on us this year.  It does not seem two seconds since I was bemoaning the fact that I had just seen my first Christmas tree on the 1st November and yet suddenly here we are already on Christmas Eve.

This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me to say the least.

I am very happy that my blog has continued in the same path, forever moving forwards.  I am still constantly surprised when I receive a nice comment on something I have written and when someone tells me that they read my blog, I still get a little warm fuzz in my heart.

This year also saw the start of my writing for the Huffington Post.  After seeing a couple of other bloggers submitting pieces, I decided to work up the courage to submit my own piece and now I happily am able to write on my own little "Huff Post" blog whenever I feel the urge to discuss, ponder or rant (which is quite often).

This year has had many highs, but unfortunately, with the high points, you also get the lows.  The first of these came when my step dad fractured his spine back in September.  Writing this today finds him still in hospital, having physiotherapy with a hope that he will walk again.  That journey has been a long and arduous one, not least for my mum who has made so many trips to the hospital that she jokes that she knows every blade of grass on the way.

I remain optimistic for his eventual recovery but am not making any predictions.  All you can do in these situations is take each day as it comes and hope.  To borrow a line from "A Knights Tale" which I find especially true:

Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially the night.

The second low came when my mum had a fall in the kitchen and split her head open.  Seeing her fall, seemingly in slow motion yet I was unable to get to her in time, hearing the loud crack as she hit her head on the corner of the wall and the masses of blood that followed is something that will not fade in my mind for a long time. 

I always look at my mum and think that she will live forever.  She is the youngest 74 year old I have ever met, but lying on that kitchen floor she looked so incredibly small and thinking that I might have lost her that night does nasty things to my insides.

This year has certainly been eventful in many ways and at this point, I am just wanting to see the end of it.  I have hope that the New Year will bring better things and as they say, onwards and upwards!

I finish work today and won't be back in until the 5th January.  In order to give myself a break I don't plan to be doing anything on the blog until after this time either.  I think I need a bit of time to myself for a while just to relax and have a stress free (crosses fingers) Christmas break.

I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  See you on the flip side xx

A Day for Charity

You may remember that I recently wrote A Charity Case on my blog further to the recent Facebook no makeup selfie thing on Facebook for Cancer.

The point in my post was that these Facebook games are always about the same charity and what I wanted to do was emphasis that although charities like Cancer Research are important; there are others out there too that need help and support.

Everyone has a charity that means something to them because a friend or relative is or has been affected or indeed themselves and those charities need support just as much.

The idea was that a date would be arranged for next month whereby we would all post on our blogs/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest accounts etc a picture of ourselves holding a sign with the name of a charity that you support, together with the link or text message number of how you can donate and the hashtag #IDonated.

I was excited to see that many of you contacted me and said that this was something that you wished to be involved in. I have decided to use Friday 11^thApril 2014 as the day for everyone to post and hope that you will become involved.

I thought that I would tell you a little about the charity that I have chosen, which is one that I have heard about recently.

Capes 4 Heroes is a non profit organisation that have a very simple, but very powerful idea. Here’s what they have to say:

“We make and personalize superhero capes for kids with disabilities, kids with life threatening illnesses and kids who just need to feel empowered. We hope our capes give these deserving kids an extra boost of strength and courage and make them feel like the superheroes they truly are!”

Sometimes it isn’t about trying to cure a disease, sometimes it is as simple as putting a smile on a child’s face when they really need to smile.

You can donate a cape to a child for $30 or alternatively whatever you can afford to via Paypal on this link You can also nominate a child who you think needs a superhero cape of their own on the website. They also send capes to the UK.

I look forward to seeing your posts on the 11^th!

Vicky x

Outtakes

Hey everyone!

I was raffling through my pictures the other day and was giggling at some of the pictures that I had not used in blog posts.  I have previously seen Leah and also Nikki do outtake blog posts so I thought that I would done one for myself.

What is that expression? I look like a bloody owl!!

I am a bitch robot sent from the year 3020 -  I have no emotions

Vacant expression and tits.  Great posing

I have no words, except wtf?

Whether to the apparent "Come hither" look challenged from the 1980's

You have to be able to laugh at yourself, right?

An EE of a Problem

Just a quick post today to say that I haven't fallen off the blogging world but I am having problems with my phone and internet connection so can't post properly at the moment.

Normal service should resume shortly, once I find out what the hell the shop who sold me my new contract has done to my account to mess it up so much.

I'm not able to read comments, respond or indeed read any other blogs at the moment but as Arnie says... I'll be back!

The Hidden Word

A new feature I am going to try out on the blog, check out the new section above called "The Hidden Word".

 

Writing Free

When I write these days it is usually for a specific post for the blog be it clothing related, a blogger challenge or an opinion piece.  What I can't remember is when I just wrote for the sake of it.

If you love to write then you know what I am talking about.  You just ramble away on a piece of paper or in this case on my laptop; not sure what you are writing but somehow it just flows out of you and eventually, starts to tie itself together and make sense.

I used to write like that quite a lot and a few pieces made it on to the blog.  I found it incredibly cathartic to use something that was rattling around in my head by putting it down on paper, seeing where my thoughts take me, never stopping typing, just letting it flow.

More than once I would stop typing, read back what I had written, and realised what I truly felt about something.  What Stephen King said is so completely true, I write to find out what I think.

Free Writing I think they call it.  It is something I would definitely recommend, whether you are just trying to find out what your opinion is on a particular subject, or you are dealing with an issue that you have been ignoring.

I call it my free counselling as whatever I am thinking about a lot, I write about it in one form or another and I am able to resolve the problem. 

There is no point in this post today, so sorry if you were expecting one ;) I just wanted to do a little of what I used to.  Ramble on, on this occasion it seems about how much I am missing writing, even though I am writing all the time.  Odd.  But then, I am.  That's me.

Maybe I need another blog in addition to this one.  Ramblings of a Crazy Lady or something.

Anyway. As you were.

A Belated Birthday

I've just realised that I have missed my blog's 200th post, so I have to wish it a belated happy birthday.

 

I'm not the same person who started writing this blog and in a lot of ways, that is as a direct result of creating the blog, putting myself out in the world and the people I have met and interacted with.

 

Along the way I have written about issues that I care about, had a good old rant when the mood has taken me and in the past six months have started posting about plus size fashion and shock horror, have even posted photographs of myself.  Me, the girl who untagged every photo on Facebook with the merest excuse.

 

They say that they get out of something what you put into it.  Well, I'll admit that there is a fair chunk of me in this blog but I have received so much more back.  I've grown in confidence, I am a happier person and all my old issues are falling away.

 

Co-incidentally I have just been contacted by my first high street brand to review a dress and I have also had my first guest post published!! I have never been happier in my life than I am right now.

 

Happy birthday blog!

 



Knocking Down Barriers

It's weird having a blog.  At least for me.  It's my baby and I have always guarded it like a mother tiger.  Not letting hardly anyone I know actually read it.

I have been writing posts on here, from the serious to silly, from clothes to items on the news for close to two years now.  Whilst I've let my mum read the odd post and I know that my sisters have read some, it isn't quite the same as letting my close friends read it who know me best.

With my family they know the "family version" of me, not the whole.  It is undoubtedly my close friends that know me best, but I have taken this blog further then I have ever told anyone.  I've poured myself onto these blogs without holding back.

This weekend past I let my two best friends read it.  I gave them the link and then went to hide in the corner. Neither of my friends are blogging type people so I didn't know whether they would read one or two posts, or the whole lot.  

I didn't care what they thought of my writing (well ok, a little bit ;) ).  I didn't mind if they thought the blog was good or rubbish.  That was never what I was scared about.  It is one thing letting strangers read your thoughts, chances are you will never meet them, it doesn't matter.  

But letting the closest people to now read your inner most thoughts, the things you think but don't say, the things you feel but hide, the honest to god "this is me yes I'm bat shit crazy really sorry about that" stuff that you typically don't share with anyone but a counsellor.  

Ironically my oldest friend is training to be a counsellor and she knows me best.  Poor girl.  She's had to put up with a lot ;)

Both of these girls have always been cheerleaders for my confidence, knowing how I could be before I knew myself.  They also knew me well enough to know that I work at my own pace, on everything.  Either supersonic when I make a decision and go with it or a slower more steady route when things are harder.

Both say that I am a different person today than I was a year ago, in a good way.  

True friends are the people who stick with you through thick and thin.  In my case, they knew me when I was unhappy (although I rarely admitted it), under confident, scared and insecure covered at all times in black.  It is good to be with them now when I am happy, confident, strong in my thoughts and with a wardrobe full of colour.

So thank you ladies, aka Lady Jebley and Wifey  I'd have to go a long way to find better friends than you.

Eaten by the Internet

When does social networking move from pleasurable to a pain?  When did it change from something that you nip onto in a spare five minutes, to being something that you constantly maintain and check?

I first entered the realm of social media with Myspace.  It is so long ago now I can't even remember what I did there, but it wasn't anything that was particularly addictive, or fun.  From Myspace I was encouraged by a friend to move to Facebook.  So it began.

Fast forward through to 2013 and I have Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and a blog.  How did that happen?  I'm not even sure myself but I know that a chunk of my time is taken maintaining or checking these sites.  How profitable is it to me however?

Looking at each one and the reasons I am there, it becomes easier to see how you can get caught up.

Facebook is used to catch up with friends.  It was the first of the social networks to go global and it is still the most popular, thereby being the one that you can still catch up with most people you know on.  It is however also massively irritating, although more down to the things people post as opposed to the site itself.  Baby pictures, quotes, it's just not interesting enough to hold my attention.

That took me to investing Twitter.  I joined Twitter to find like minded Formula One fans.  It has grown into an addition that I don't want to quash.  I love my Twitter and I'm keeping it.

 

Google Plus I was forced into having when I changed my email to a Gmail Account.  I ended up using it for blog purposes but don't use it for any other reason.  I see fail to see the point of it but somehow, I still end up having a look 2-3 times a week.

 

The last of my online addictions is of course this blog.  This is the place that I spend most time on and many many hours have been spent in maintaining and adding to the blog.  I don't regret these hours however as the blog gives back to me as much as I give it.

 

This is however how you end up with so many internet commitments.  I have managed to justify all of mine, quite easily.  I think that as long as it doesn't interfere with your working life, and you have a social life outside of cruising around Twitter, there isn't a problem.

 

This said, I have just got my claws into Tumblr.  Goodbye social life, it was fun xx

 

 

Split Personality? No it's just Social Networking

I think that this is going to be one of the posts where you either agree completely with me, or you think I’m crazy.

 

Have you noticed that each of the social network sites brings out a different side of you?  Most people tend to say for example that on Facebook, you tend to show the “ideal” version of yourself.  An inaccurate portrayal which shows the world you who want to be, how wonderful your life is, even if it isn’t.

You have the “look how many friends I have, how popular I am” types, the mothers with the countless baby updates and photos see Baby, Baby, Baby Nooo! just to show what a good mother they are, the woe is me types etc etc.

People say about my Facebook that I am too picky about the photos on it of me, and I always always make them laugh.  So basically, what that boils down to is bad self image and wanting people I know to like what I am saying.

With Twitter, it is different again.  

I only have three people I actually know on my follow list.  The rest I met through Twitter and have never met in real life, and I like that.  I can and do say what I want without the fear of being judged for what I think or say.  I talk to likeminded, fun people about things we love, or just have a banter with.

Twitter brings out my ranting side, my willingness to talk to new people and gain other’s perspectives on things, not just my own.  It has brought out my opinionated side more in my real life, which is a good thing.

Google+ brings out my techie side but with so few friends on there that have crossed over from Facebook, I don’t really bother with it much so won’t here either.

So that’s the social networks.  One is the “like me” side of me and one is the ranting, opinionated side of me.  Both are the twin halves of me, but they will never be joined together, not on a social network site.

Here however, on this blog, is truly me.  When I write, good or bad, it is always truly what I think and who I am.  You get the insecure side, the ranting side, the funny side, the opinionated side, every side I have.  I never thought when I started this blog that it would be anything more than just a bit of fun.  I never expected to post as much as I do or be as honest as I have.  The blog is the virtual me and I find myself quite possessive of it now I have it.

When I first started putting the links of my blog on Twitter I was truly terrified.  I don’t know what I expected people to say, but I know I expected a negative reaction.  That’s the good thing about Twitter though, you are sending it to strangers and if they don’t like it, what does it matter?

No friends have ever read this blog.  I’ve never given them the address.  Maybe that’s the next step.

Well this has been a bit of a disjointed post.  I knew what I wanted to say at the start and it kind of run away with me.  But there you go, that is me.  I ramble, a lot.