The BritMums Blog

Guest post: Using @PeerIndex to increase your influence

Your blog stats page or perhaps analytics software will tell you which of your entries are the most popular and your comments page shows which posts get the best responses - but how do you know the more subtle effects of your online behaviour? 

Amy Gardner is a communities specialist at PeerIndex. She has a background in television and journalism, and has a particular interest in using online platforms to build and connect with niche communities. Here she explains how PeerIndex can help you understand your online status and impact across social media. 

Guest post: Tips for talking to celebrities on Twitter

Before it was being blamed for spreading riots or praised for bringing down regimes (neither of which strictly accurate), Twitter was known for the place to get up close and personal with celebrities.

From naysayers who moaned they didn’t care what Lily Allen has for breakfast, to those that are gripped on every 140 character missive from Jonathan Ross, Twitter has certainly redefined the way celebrities can be reached, watched and, in some cases, befriended.

But, says Kate Crostan from www.internetservice.net there is some etiquette to bear in mind...

Is it ever okay to use pictures of kids without consent?

A BritMums blogger found herself at the centre of a hotly-debated topic over the last couple of days, and has documented the discussion on her blog, scottishmum.com. After seeing a fellow Twitter user sharing images of a stranger’s overweight children in a supermarket, Scottish Mum asked if this was really acceptable, and stirred a range of conflicting and often emotive arguments... 

“It’s simple for me, but not for all,” she says.

Is Twitter really turning children off books?

When former MI5 director and current Man Booker Prize judge, Dame Stella Rimington claimed that Twitter and mobile phones were diminishing reading, an age old debate was brought to the fore. 

Speaking to the Telegraph, Rimington said: “I think much of the Twittering and emailing and texting and all that sort of stuff that children go in for now may be taking their eyes off reading fiction. When I was young we read more than the average child reads now.”

Rimington was clearly sharing an opinion, rather than a robust piece of research, but various studies do back up her basic assertion that fewer children are picking up books for pleasure. 

Like me on Facebook-- not in France!

The French love to be different, even when it comes to Facebook and Twitter.

Read this article by Jamey Keaten of the AP to enlighten yourself.

Apparently, broadcast advertisers can't ask viewers and listeners to "follow us on Twitter" or "like us on Facebook". It breaks a 1992 ruling for secret and unfair advertising. France's guiding authority, The Superior Audiovisual Council, or CSA, said instead they can use a generic term like "social media".

It just rolls off the tongue, non?  

Follow me on my social media, darling!

You go France! I was going to say something snarky about having their head in the clouds, but, never mind!

-Susanna (A Modern Mother)

Photo credit: Slava Baransky

Twitter loopholes and the bulging male crotch: How safe IS your account?

According to ABC News, a US congressman was suprised when this photo (right) appeared in his Twitter stream.

The theory is that someone hacked into his yfrog account and posted the photo without the account holder's knowledge. To do this all someone would need is the email address associated with the account. 

Yfrog's email posting service is currently down, one can guess because they have detected this security threat. But with all the cool Twitter apps around, it poses the question: How safe is your Twitter account?

-Susanna (A Modern Mother)

 

 

 

Blogger of the Week + #passiton

This week's Blogger of the Week is a bit of an extension from last week's glorious Christine Mosler of Thinly Spread. As we all know, Christine is, as I type, in Mozambique doing very important work for Save the Children and the #passiton campaign. We've also had some very important bloggers on the ground here in the UK who are so admirably working for and supporting the #passiton campaign.

One such blogger is this week's BritMums Blogger of the Week: Maggy Woodley of Red Ted Art! Over the last year or so, Maggy's brilliantly crafty and creative blog has grown by leaps and bounds. Inspiring all of us to get "down and dirty" with our children is but one of her accomplishments. Maggy is a wonderful voice in the BritMums blogging community and has leant her support to the #passiton campaign as well.

7 easy tips for pumping up your Twitter account

There are loads of different philosophies on how to grow a Twitter account. Here are some tips I got from a fellow journalist a while back. They may sound a little clinical - there's no mention of "having loads of great conversations and sharing jokes", but they do give a basic roadmap for helping to get your name out there.

What do you think about these 7 steps for finding more Twitter followers? Too basic? Wonderfully simplistic? What's your best Twitter tip?

1. Make 1,000 friends

2. Post friendly comments introducing blog links "wrote this because..." etc

Join our #savvyfetes Twitter party on 11 May!

Bring out the bunting and ice the fairy cakes; tis the season for school fetes. Fetes are important not only for the fun they provide but for the essential funds they raise for the schools themselves. But what makes a good fete? What's the best way to organise a tombola? How do you get people involved?

How to taste wine #bmbwinetasting

For all of you joining us this evening for our first BMB Twitter Wine Tasting here are some tips from our host @knackeredmutha, aka Helen who blogs at Knackered Mother's Wine Club.

You have to watch the vid -- it is short and very useful. And it's worth it to see Helen wink at us.

The tasting starts tonight at 8 on Twitter, please use the hashtag#bmbwinetasting. Get the official wines, or just bring whatever you have on hand. See you soon!

 

 

Join our #bmbwinetasting on 31 March!

Got that wineoclock feeling but not sure what to have? Fed up with drinking the same old thing? We’re here to help! We are really excited to announce our first ever BMB wine twitter tasting, taking place on the 31st March from 8 - 9 pm.

The format is simple. Starting at 8pm, we will taste through a selection of three wines including a sparkling, a white and a red wine. All of the wines have been selected by fellow BMB member and wine expert Helen McGinn (@knackeredmutha). She’ll guide us through the wines answering any questions you might have as we go whilst we swirl, sip, slurp and swap notes.

Celeb Twitter dad: Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens @thatdanstevens

We love dads that tweet and we love Downton Abbey!

Celeb Twitter dad Dan Stevens (@thatdanstevens) just kicked off filming the new series of period drama Downton Abbey, which, BTW apparently has a HUGE mum following.

He is just finding his feet on twitter and is endeavoring to tweet more about daddyhood. His daughter Willow just turned 17-months-old and he says he's often on nappy duty.

Dan would love some new mummy followers (he'll follow you back). So go on make his day and tweet hello @thatdanstevens and while you are at it "like" his facebook page.

-Susanna

Twitter party March 10: your best #springclean tips!

Mark your calendars!

10 March 2011

13:00 - 14:00

The #springclean Twitter party - tweet your tips, get advice and maybe win a prize!

The daffodils are blooming, half term has arrived, the weather’s increasingly mild (where it’s not snowing, that is) - there’s no doubt that other sign of spring will soon be here: spring cleaning.

It’s not just Fifties housewives who enjoy sitting down in an orderly environment with a fresh frame of mind. There’s something refreshing about the whole family knuckling down and shaking off the cobwebs of winter.

And it’s not just about pulling on the Marigolds and wiping round all the way around the cooker. Besides that good old standby dust, you need to take precautions to avoid pests that even the cleanest households can suffer from - bedbugs, moths, rodents – all of which are on the increase in the UK.

What are your tips for getting organised and making a clean sweep in the house? Come share your tricks at our #springcleaning Twitter party on Thursday March 10 at 13:00. We want to know everything from your special tap-descaling tactics to what you use to keep the unwanted furry friends away!

Sponsoring our party is Rentokil Pest Control, a pest control global leader, operating in 50 international markets with 650 pest control technicians across the UK. They know how to get to rid of everything from fleas, wasps and bees to ants and (shudder) cockroaches.

Plus, there are prizes!

Tweet your tip with the #springcleaning hashtag and you are eligible to win:

* A Grand Prize of an intensive spring clean for your home by professional cleaners

* Second and third prizes of a basket of cleaning and pest control products - everything you need for a spic-and-span home - worth at least £50 each.

Read on for terms and conditions

Mark your diaries now and see you on Twitter on 10 March!

 

Guest post: How to increase your #Klout score in 11 easy steps

Want to work with brands? Then you need to raise your Klout score and get on our new British Mum Bloggers have Klout index. Liz Jarvis, who blogs at The Mum Blog, shares her top 11 tips for upping your online influence.

I was very excited to see BMB’s new British Mum Bloggers Have Klout index and not just because I’m on it *cough*.

In my day job, and as a blogger, I work with a lot of big brands who use social media campaigns. When they’re trying to decide which blogs to work with, they rely on different independently-sourced criteria to establish reach, including wikio, but Klout is becoming increasingly important as a measure of online influence, including Twitter and Facebook.

5 essential Facebook tools for bloggers

Do you have a Facebook fan page? You should! Facebook fan pages are among the most effective ways of connecting with your audience, and of gaining new readers for your blog. Janis Curry, founder of Really Kid Friendly has put together these practical tips on how to use Facebook fan page tools for bloggers, brands and businesses.

 1. Automatically post blog updates to your Fan Page wall

RSS Graffitiis a popular and easy to use application which allows you to automatically post your latest blog updates on your Facebook Fan Page wall. This is an excellent way of gaining new readers from outside the blogosphere and outside of Twitter. One of the best aspects of RSS Graffiti that you don’t see with similar applications is that you can update your wall with content from multiplesources for free. That means you can promote content from your partners or sponsors, your favourite blogs, or other RSS feeds that you feel will strike a chord with your audience.

Join the February #BMB Blog Hop!

Love is in the air! There's a touch of spring in the air as well. Some of us have even been lucky enough to witness the first signs of spring with snow drops and wee bits of green poking through the earth. It's such a welcome change to the dreary cold and blowing winds!

In honour of Spring knocking on the door and Valentine's Day, we here at the BMB Blog thought we'd open our doors to the February BMB Blog Hop.

You know the drill...add your blog url to the linky below and if you're feeling technical enough, add the code to keep the hopping going forward. Then come back and check out the new and not-so-new blogs on the block. You're sure to find some fabulous new reads. Share the love by commenting on other's blogs and tweeting about all the brilliant finds you make. 

-Karin

 

Your 50 top tips for getting secret goodness into kids’ diets

  Ask a bunch of parents about how to get secret goodness into children’s meals and you get not only recipes and cooking tips. You also get down-to-earth strategies and philosophies that go way beyond the kitchen.

At our  Twitter party Thursday, sponsored by Kingsmill to announce their new Seeded range, the tweets were flying thick and fast. The hashtag #secretgoodness trended in the UK!

Some bloggers even used the party as inspiration for posts as well. Angels&Urchins wrote about foodie strategies she uses.  Mummysquared has a great picture of her little one trying loads of food. (Awww.) If you wrote about it, let us know!

Register for Kingsmill news and offers, and see food writer Jo Pratt's recipe for a Chicken Delight sandwich.

Blogger of the Week and 10 Must-Tweets

Another week, another brilliant blogger to draw your attention to. This blogger is a London based Magazine Features Writer in her OFFICIAL capacity who combines her talent in writing Children's Product reviews, running a busy household and being an outstanding Mummy to an energetic toddler and delightful new tiddler! She's wondering if there are more hours in the day and I'm wondering how she manages to do it all and still look so fab. This week's Blogger of the Week...Mummy's Little Monkey author Jacqui or @Jax2000 as many of you know her.

Thursday's Twitter party: Getting kids to eat right #secretgoodness

Join our #secretgoodness Twitter Party this Thursday!

Are you fed up with having arguments with your kids at meal times? Would you like to share ideas and tips on how to get more nutritious food in your children’s diet?

Bread brand Kingsmill understands that as parents, we all want our kids to eat more healthily. That’s why they’re sponsoring our next BMB Twitter discussion about how to get more nutritious ingredients into food that appeals to kids. .

There are some great prizes up for grabs including a Wild in Style family “glamping” trip in the Lake District and 3 Kids Secret Agents Days!

All you need to do to be eligible to win these great prizes is join us on Twitter on Thursday 3rd February from 1 – 2 pm, making sure you use the hashtag #secretgoodness when tweeting your own tips or questions.

We look forward to partying with you on Thursday! Tweet #secretgoodness now!

Update on #5minMax Twitter party: the grand prize and the expert!

Update: The party was a great success, with almost 200 Twitters taking part! There were loads of great tips, which we'll post soon. The Kiss and Makeup fashionista blogazine even mentioned the party on their site. Thanks to everyone for coming!

Tomorrow at this time we'll be tweeting our quickie makeup tips, listening to yours and getting advice from Caroline Barnes, a professional makeup artist and Max Factor ambassador who's worked with celebrities like Kylie, Cheryl Cole and Prince. (Check out pictures of celebrities she's done.) We'll be talking about 5-minute makeup tips that fit into your busy schedule but still leave you looking fabulous.

Want to renovate your morning routine?

Sick of the same old look?

Need to know the essential items to keep stashed in your handbag so you can freshen up in minutes?

Come along to ask Caroline your questions and pass along your morning or pre-party tips and tricks.