Newbie Tuesday: New bloggers, new starts and a new face

The lovely Annie at Mammasaurus has done an incredible job of highlighting new bloggers over the last few months, but has found that all of her time has been swallowed up by her own exciting new site, Love All Blogs. So I am delighted and honoured that BritMums have handed over the flag-bearing duties to me! I have been blogging at Actually Mummy for 9 months, and have received tremendous support from bloggers in the BritMums community, as well as mind-boggling amounts of advice, so I know how important it is to feel like someone has got your back, so to speak.

Starting a new blog can be bewildering, especially in the first few weeks, before you start to gain a following. But resources like BritMums can make you feel less isolated. One of the biggest concerns to a new blogger is commenting, and that first comment to hit your blog feels like you’ve struck gold. Over on the forum there is a discussion going on about the secret rules of commenting, with lots of good tips for securing more comments, and for maximising the impact of the comments you make on other blogs. My favourite, and a new one to me, is to visit the blogs of those who are commenting alongside you on another blogger’s post. Chances are you will enjoy them too, and add them to your list of regular reads. This is how you grow your community, which is ultimately how you get comments back.

Anyway, on to the main point. I’m guessing, since you’re reading this post, that you are interested in finding some new bloggers! Visit them, let them know you’ve stopped by, and just maybe you will find a new firm favourite:

If you have children, especially of school-age, a subscription to Science Sparks is an absolute must. Two lovely mums with science degrees post unbelievably simple science crafts that just make me gasp. They even do a crafty linky where you can add your own posts aimed at getting children making cool stuff. This week they have me itching to construct a home-made lava lamp out of things I have in my cupboards – GG and the Bug will be awestruck at my new talent!

Some bloggers joining in with a 366 or 52 Photography project include A Mummy Too, who has managed to get her delicious boy out into the fresh air despite the season and experiment with light and shade, with stunning results. From Fun To Mum has already made quite an impact in Blogland despite being only a couple of months in. Sadly she is going through the battle with asthma that many of us with young babies are all too familiar with. I suspect she could do with a little cyber-crutch in the form of nice comments this week 🙁

New Year often brings changes, and An Ordinary Parent is getting a name change! No longer ordinary, Chez Mummy is sounding very chic, and kicking off the year with a promise to her children. She finishes this post with a rather intriguing segue into her future plans, but try as I might I cannot get her to reveal them on Twitter. Can you help?

Now, I’m breaking the rules here already by featuring a Dad blogger so I’m hoping I don’t get kicked off this gig after my début post. If I do, I am sure Musodad will be able to facilitate my rise to fame instead. He has big plans for his young daughter, who is a whizz with lyrics. I am planning to add GG’s dance moves and together we will market the smash hit group, Tiny Mix!

As it happens, young daughters have been the cause of many palpitations in our house when it comes to birthday parties. Have you ever looked forward to your child’s big day, only to have it fly by in a sweat of stress, then collapse into a chair with a bottle of wine at the end of it all? If the thought of going through it all again next year has your foot twitching, you need to visit Kids Love Parties. Their top tips for a stress-free party pointed out to me that kids don’t want perfection, but they do want you at their party – and preferably they want you happy!

And finally, one of my favourite bloggers, Melksham Mum has something this New Year that we all long for. A place of her own – a haven from the mayhem of the house and children (and the husband, sorry Musodad). Somewhere to arrange to her own liking without the risk of others breaking/relocating/covering in paint (delete as appropriate) her treasured trinkets. A place to blog, read blogs, and maybe to begin the nurturing of a new community…

Do you know a new blogger who needs some exposure? If you do please tweet their url to me @ActuallyMummy or share on my Facebook page. Get them to join the New to Blogging group where they can meet others in the same boat.  And of course @Britmums is always a great place to find support. See you next week – unless I’m banished to the music scene with my new girlband 😉

About Helen Wills

Helen Wills is a mum of 2 children in primary school and blogs at Actually Mummy on parenting issues, school, travel, and life according to the kids. Since starting her blog in 2011, Helen has won 2 national awards, and puts a lot of her success down to the amazing online community of bloggers at BritMums. As her children grow older, her writing is increasingly influenced by their opinions, and her blog reflects this drive to get the most out of family life. Helen works from home in copywriting and social media. She is on Twitter @actuallymummy.

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