“Write your own blog post everyday, but spend twice as much time reading other people’s blogs — and comment”
We had Sleepy Blogger, aka Robyn Tippins, come to PR class at San Francisco State, Tuesday, May 12, on the second last day of our exciting adventure into the World of All Things Social Media.
In addition to being a very popular and influential blogger and mother of four children, Robyn is Community Manager for Yahoo Developer Network. I read about her in a chapter of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging by Ted Demopoulos.
Since she lives in the Bay Area AND a student group planned to tell the class about blogging, Sara Peterson (student in the group) and I Tweeted and Emailed. It worked for Jack Dorsey — and it worked for Robyn Tippins.
WOW, did it work!
The students loved her “down home” story — at 21, Robyn started a cloth diaper business from her home in Georgia, and the rest is history for another post. But what impressed Sara and so many of the students is how Robyn decided to make things happen, and she made them happen!
Here are some of the comments students wrote after her presentation:
“It was cool to learn how Robyn created a business on the Internet at such a young age, and now she works for Yahoo.” — Stephanie Mereau
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“Once you get out there, people start to refer to you and this is how you become influential.” — Mita Mahida
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“No job is Too Small!” — Alice Ng
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“It’s important for your blog to create a niche so that the right people can read the right blogs and leave the right comments for the benefit of the overall conversation.” — Stephen Giusti
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“Word of mouth has a lot to do with success in the blogging world as it is for business in general.” — Rafael Silla
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“Paid advertising on your blog can hurt you rather than help you because of all the clutter and distraction.” — Ann Marie Pawlicki
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“Research is essential — it makes you credible and relevant.” — Marie Belhomme
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“Key words and meta tags make it easier to find your blog.” — Gabriela Acevedo
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“Spend more time visiting other blog than writing your own.” — Theresa Rix
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“Moderate comments: know what your strategy will be.” — Brian McGuinn
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“Get your ideas out there and personalize some of your posts to keep yourself real.” — Orly Macabi
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“All in all: One of those classes that makes it all worthwhile.” — Shari Weiss
What works for your blog?
Next post: Personal Branding using Social Media
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I truly enjoyed Robyn’s visit! She is such an inspiration because she proves that if you do something you love and take chances, an ordinary stay at home mom can turn into one of the most influential bloggers out in the blogosphere. Her story is the epitome of the power of social media and the way it can change your life. She mentioned that it is acceptable to incorporate personal stories with professional information. This is great advice because I think that is what makes blogging so effective.
Robyn’s story puts everything into perspective. She makes everything that we want for ourselves in the future seem plausible. I wish we had more time to talk to her and learn more about what we need to do in the future.
Robyn was so inspiring. When she started to tell her story I didn’t think she was going to say she started a cloth diaper business. It was just so impressing to hear her talk about starting up her own business without any business experience. All she needed was the desire to succeed and she did. I also couldn’t believe that she has never had to pay for marketing. She has been referred by word of mouth and that is how she gets all of her business. It just goes to show how powerful “word of mouth” really is. I could have listened to her speak for at least another hour!
Hey, I want to add mine too: “Do not be hesitant about working toward new opportunities as they present themselves. You never know where they will take you.” It sure led Robyn to Yahoo! from a homemade diaper business. Amazing to say the least!