The Blog Lowdown – Family Fever

Today on The Blog Lowdown, I’m really pleased to be bringing you the lovely Kate from Family Fever…

Please Introduce yourself:
Hi, I am Kate and I blog over at Family Fever. I am a mum to Gemma (8), Jacob (6) and Max (1) and we live in Devon.

When did you start blogging?
I started blogging about 18 months ago, when I was pregnant with my 3rd baby. I used it as an online memory bank, recording all the things we got up to, what my pregnancy was like and little things the children got up to.

Tell us a little about your blog
Family Fever is first and foremost a record of our lives. I try to think carefully about what I write, as I know that I want the children to be able to look back on it when they are older. There are lots of photos, days out and little personal things that have happened. That said, it is also MY corner of the web, so it has also become a place for me to write about things that are important to me, such as premature birth, postnatal depression, eczema and education.

Who designed your blog?
The idea came from me, and the whole design was put together by Zoe Corkhill from Mama Geek (who also helped me make the move from Blogger to self hosted WordPress), and the header was designed by Magic Feather Designs.

Which of your posts have been the most popular? Are there certain types that get more interest?
There are a few that get continual high hits:
Prematurity
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Postnatal Depression
Personal posts seem to get the highest readership – ones that other people can relate to.

How do you promote your blog posts, and which methods do you find to be most successful?
I use Facebook and Twitter, and have recently started venturing into Google+. Pinterest and Instagram are great for sharing pictures and drawing people on to the blog too.

Which linkys do you most enjoy joining in with/reading?
I run Tried & Tested every Tuesday, which is a linky for sharing reviews. I also love joining in with Country Kids as we nearly always have an outdoor fun type post to share, as well as Magic Moments and Project 365, which I am really proud that I have managed to keep up with! I also take part in Silent Sunday and My Sunday photo every week, and have just come across the Black and White Photography project which I am enjoying too.

When are your busiest days on the blog, and why? (if you know why!)
Weekdays are much busier than weekends – I assume it is because most of my readers are parents, and weekends are family time.

Can you name 3 things that blogging has brought you?
Blogging has given me the chance to earn a small income and be able to stay at home with the children.
Blogging has brought me a whole new circle of friends.
Blogging has given me a place to be me – to talk openly and honestly about things such as postnatal depression without the fear of being judged.

My Top Tips for Bloggers:
1. Use Instagram, and include a link to your blog in your profile. If people like your photos, they are likely to visit your page.5 great tips for bloggers
2. Forget the stats and blog for you – rankings are just a number, what matters is that you are enjoying it, and are blogging about the things that matter to you.
3. Make an effort with linkys – I run my own, and I spend a lot of time visiting every site that links up, leaving a comment and tweeting their post. People really appreciate it, and not only do they keep coming back, but they spread the word too.
4. If you can afford to, invest in a good camera. A lot of my posts are quite photo heavy, and taking a good picture is important to me. I have had a lot of comments on pictures, and it seems that readers enjoy them. Not only that, they add life to your reviews, and they can also capture some priceless family memories much better than words can.
5. Find your niche. Have a purpose to your blog. Dont try and be everything – if you can find a voice for your blog, you will stand out a lot more. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

My Social Media Links:
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram

FamilyFeverBadge

Thanks very much, Kate. I can relate to so much of your blog journey and tips, even down to investing in a good camera, as blogging got me interested in photography, too.

If you’ve any questions for Kate, feel free to comment on this post, and she’ll pop by and check in. Next week, we will be hearing from Jeanette from AutismMumma so be sure to pop by for that on Tuesday morning. You can catch up the previous posts from other bloggers here, too, if you’ve missed them.

If you’d like to feature on The Blog Lowdown, just email me at [email protected] to get involved.

To ensure you don’t miss any blogger posts, you can now sign up for my newsletter, and I’ll always include The Blog Lowdown round up in those.

Other posts you might like:

My 20 Top Tips for Bloggers

A Blogger’s Guide to Pinterest

10 Tips to Get your Blogging Mojo Back

Follow on Bloglovin

Visit The Reading Residence’s profile on Pinterest.

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6 thoughts on “The Blog Lowdown – Family Fever”

  1. Hello Kate, i’ve had contact with you on facebook a few times in recent months and it’s wonderful to see your blogging going from strength to strength. I continue to have thoughts about starting my own blog but I can’t seem to decide between free hosting and self hosting. In your experience, what would you recommend and why? Also, with self hosting, is it possible to manage all the technical parts easily or would one have to pay someone else to do this?
    Thanks
    Mo

  2. I have used both in the past – I started on a free blogger platform and then moved to self hosted wordpress. I think both options have plus and minus points. Blogger if free, but the design options are more limited. Self hosted WordPress is much more adaptable but you pay a fee. At the stage I am now, I much prefer self hosted, and that’s probably what I would recommend. It depends what you want from your blog really. If it’s purely for personal memories, then a free platform is fine.
    With a self hosted site you have complete editorial control and I can manage all the technical parts myself – there is no need to pay someone for this.
    Hope that helps!

  3. Thanks Kate, it does help. The self hosting really appeals to me, but I would want it to pay for itself. However, i don’t want to go into blogging with the expectation to make money from it. I would like to blog out of enjoyment and the desire to give back via net like i’ve been given to me by so many via the net. Herein lies my dilemma. Perhaps i’ll take you up on your offer from a while ago via facebook to PM you some further questions as i try to make a decision. There seems to be so much to learn about this but i suppose i don’t have to learn it all at once. I can go at my own pace :-). Thanks for the time and thought, i really appreciate it.

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