Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
I like amplifying SL blogs I admire, and after doing Cajsa’s Choices for over three years now, I have discovered things I would do differently if I were actively blogging Second Life fashions today. I have seen some innovations by bloggers I really like -- and many things I don’t like.
So here are some tips I have accumulated over the past few years, along with some additional tips from Hamlet:
Provide information about how you can be contacted and links to your social media. This is usually an About Me page, though many people post a link to their Gravatar, a global avatar with links to all social media if you set it up. Your About Me should include your in-world/legacy name so readers can send you a message, or a creator can drop some samples your way. Some people also include their basic avatar information, the body, head, hands, and skin. If you wear the same in every picture, that makes sense.
Let your readers get to know you. Too many fashion posts only display the creator credits, which makes for dull reading. It is also a loss for you, because readers don’t really form an attachment to a product list. Instead of just blogging the type of collar or waistline a dress has, you can write about how the outfit makes you feel. Like you can conquer the world? Does it make you feel sexy? Playful? Tell us why you like it so we get to know you.
Include the creator’s SL name in your credits. That way, if they rebrand or move their in-world store, people can still find them. It also gives you a way for people to find items while complying with Flickr’s TOS for free accounts. I have never valued posting SLurls, because I really hate teleporting to a store that has moved and getting orbited by a hair trigger security device. But when the creator’s name is displayed, I can find their Marketplace and find their most up-to-date SLurls in their profile. (Unless they neglect their profile, and that’s on them.)
Many more below!
Use a consistent format in your credits. It’s so easy to just copy from the Outfit window, but while most creators put the store name first, some do not. You should decide on an order -- such as Type of Item followed by Store Name followed by Item, and Color. If it’s featured at an event, include details on that.
If an item is at an event, please provide a final day for the event. I learned this good idea from seeing other bloggers do it, not from my own practice in years past.
Credit everything, even things not given by sponsors. There’s nothing wrong with crediting your body, face, etc. on your About page if you don’t change it, but otherwise you really should credit everything you can. People might be reading your credits to see the skirt you’re wearing and not the hair you were given. Also, some creators might see you featuring their stuff and contact you about whether you want to blog their stuff. When you apply to blog for a new store and they see you have never credited them in the past, they are likely to reject your application. It is just good practice to credit all you can.
Consider creating a template so you don't forget items: Here is a sample, but your preferences may vary.
***SHOPPING LIST******
Clothing:
Shoes:
Jewelry:
Skin:
Hair:
Poses:
Appliers:
Mesh Attachments:
HUDS:
Landscaping:
Decor:
Location (if applicable):
Never use auto-play video/audio files. Not everyone reads your blog while relaxing at home. They might be on break at work or at the library. Even if they are at home, perhaps they are supposed to be studying. The music plays and they are busted. They will lose your URL forever.
Make the text easily visible. Hard to read text is my pet peeve. Colorful text may be pretty but for some people (me) it is very hard to read. For some reason, a lot of websites are still using gray instead of black. That is also hard to read. Let your pictures and your styling be the star. Black on white or pastels or white on black may be ordinary, but they are easy to read and they don’t take attention away from the point of the entire blog -- your style!
Additional tips from Hamlet:
Practice basic SEO habits. I can’t tell you how many blogs about Second Life do not even include the words “Second Life” in their post titles, images, or in the title of the blog itself. This effectively causes your blog to disappear from the Internet. Here’s a pretty good SEO guide for bloggers, and there are many more guides which you can easily find on Google… because the SEO guides themselves practice basic SEO habits.
Share all your posts on social media, including Twitter and Facebook. It’s a necessary evil of blogging in the current era: If you want to grow your readership, the best way to do that now, short of buying ads, is promoting posts on social media, where they can be reshared by others. Similarly, consider creating a Facebook page for your blog, to grow your base of regular readers.
Include details for sending direct messages both inside and outside SL, such as e-mail and Discord. Second Life has many unique advantages, but effective messaging is not one of them. If you actually want SL brands, fans, and fellow bloggers to get in touch with you, include as many non-SL communication options as possible in the About section of your blog.
Check how your site looks on a phone, not just on a computer screen. Because most Internet usage, even by most SLers, is via their smartphones. (Yes, I need to follow my own advice on this better: While New World Notes looks pretty decent on iPhones, I’m painfully aware it doesn’t load well for many Android users.)
Speaking of which…
Use WordPress. Or switch to it. Take this from a Typepad user who’s also used WordPress and wish I'd switched, oh, a decade ago: WordPress is the most powerful platform for blogging, full of features to make your posts polished, mobile-friendly, and socially shareable.
Cajsa and I aren’t the only bloggers out there, so if you are too and have other tips to share, please share in Comments!
Images courtesy of Cajsa's Flickr. Which is a bonus tip: Always always always credit image creators and link to them!
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