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Fashion and Fun after Fifty
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The Delaware Blogger was on MadHouseTV
Most of you know that I host a weekly Podcast, Social Media Sunday with the Delaware Blogger, which is live every Sunday at 6 PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for AAU Teen Talk Radio/TV/Magazine. The last live broadcast for the year was on Sunday and the topic was Social Media and the Church, it was my 15th Podcast and I must admit that when I first started I was unbelievably nervous. The shows on the 26th of December and 1st of January will be encore programs so if you missed them, make sure to log on to listen.
The show’s Executive Producers are Roger and Chevrona Johnson and they are also the CEO’s of the Whitney E. Johnson Foundation. I am very appreciative to both of them for giving me an opportunity to host my own Podcast, but was even more so when offered the opportunity to take the show on the road and host it live on cable at Madhouse TV Studio in Long Island, NY.
With everything scheduled for last Thursday, hubby and I drove from Middletown, DE to Long Island, NY which by the way was definitely not an easy trip, but that’s another story for a different day. However, I was able to drive the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate AWD which I was reviewing for Hyundai via Drive Shop USA so it wasn’t a bad ride.
Arriving at the studio a little past noon, my guest, Nikki Valentine, owner of N.V.Me Designs and her models were already inside busy preparing for the 2:00 show. Check out my Instagram page to see pictures of everyone getting ready as well as some great memorabilia inside the studio owned by Tommy Maher, aka The Woodstock Guru on Facebook.
Nikki and I were able to run through our script which we had previously written when she came to “shop my closet” the week before which you can see on my YouTube Channel. The topic of our segment was “Balling on a Budget – Outfits from the Office to Party Fab” and she and her models did a great job in featuring these outfits.
The link to the broadcast is below, so check it out and then come back and leave a comment as I am anxious to know how you liked the show. I hope Chevrona liked it as well as I would love to go back for another segment.
This is also going to be the last blog post of the year as I shut down DeDivahDeals and transfer it to DelBlogger and when I come back in the New Year, there will be great reviews and giveaways – so enjoy the holidays and be safe!!!
Don’t forget to leave a comment with your review of the show and let me know if you would like to see me back on Cable TV!
How to Make Your Blog’s Design More Enticing
By: Maurine Anderson
The overall look of your blog has a significant impact on whether visitors read your content, on whether they navigate to other pages, and ultimately on how long they spend on your website. In short, your blog’s design truly can make or break the popularity of your blog. So how do you make sure that your blog’s design is truly enticing? Here are some tips to keep in mind as you create a blog design that is sure to draw visitors into your site.
Use high quality photos.
This can’t be stressed enough. Instead of taking slapdash photos on your phone’s camera and uploading them to your blog without making any adjustments, you’re going to need to pay some attention to detail. This means using well exposed, well balanced photos—and resizing those photos to fit the width of your blog post area exactly. Making it a habit to use correctly sized, high quality photos will give your blog a much more professional feel, which is sure to draw in more visitors.
Feature easy navigation.
As this article details, your site’s navigation should make your site as user friendly as possible. Easy navigation has the power to carry users through your website very quickly, and can can really influence how much time a user spends on your site. Keep your navigation prominent, such as just below the header of your website. More sophisticated websites will even include a feature that adds a horizontal navigation to the top of the window when the user scrolls down below the main navigation at the top of the page.
Navigation should also give visitors an instant, broad overview of what’s on your site. When visitors can get a quick overview of your site, they are less likely to become confused and more likely to stick around on your site. A good way to approach your navigation is to first ask yourself: “which major categories would I use to organize all of my content?”
If you run a lifestyle blog, for example, and you tend to share cake recipes, playlists, and photography, then “recipes,” “music,” and “photography” might become three different options that you’ll be able to select from your navigation menu (along with the usual “about me,” “contact,” and “FAQ” pages). Each navigation option would then lead you to either a static page or to an archive page that organizes older posts.
Make it cohesive.
Instead of filling your site with standard social media buttons, plain links to other pages on your site, etc., customize these elements to suit the overall design of your site. Your design needs to be cohesive. If your site has a primarily geometric design and feel to it, for example, you might use triangle-shaped social media buttons in various colors that match your palette.
If your blog is rich in pastels, then maybe you’ll make the “about me,” “contact,” “sponsor,” and “FAQ” buttons in your sidebar various pastel colors. If you’re going for a clean, minimalist look that favors lots of white, then maybe you’ll make several of the “featured post” images in your sidebar circular in order to incorporate more white. Defining a color palette and list of one or two fonts are great ways to really tie things together in your site’s design.
Make elements continuous throughout your site.
Remember: when looking to improve your blog’s design, you need to take into account the fact that not everyone is going to see your home page first. In fact, if you have blog post links scattered all around the Internet (and chances are you do if you’re a blogger), then visitors to your site likely aren’t going to see your home page first. So it isn’t just about your home page here. Your blog design needs to feature stunning elements that are continuous throughout your entire site. This includes things like a bold header, a footer, navigation elements, social media buttons, and a sidebar if there is one.
Put your all into every post.
With this in mind, you really need to consider the overall look of every blog post that you publish, because every post has the potential to serve as a landing page for visitors to your site. Some elements of an eye-catching blog post: a clear and attention-grabbing headline; an image at the top of every post; a healthy balance between text and images; and text that is organized with line breaks, subheadings, and bullet points as needed (and therefore easy to skim).
Two years ago I attended my first From Purses to Portfolios Conference at the Chase Center on the Riverfront sponsored by The Money School of Delaware. I was so totally impressed with this free event that when I got home I immediately sat down and wrote a blog post (click here). Ronni Cohen, Executive Director of DFLI, read that post and contacted me asking if I would consider blogging other events for The Money School.
That post also lead to me teaching blogging classes at local libraries and then last Saturday not only did I attend the 10th Anniversary From Purses to Portfolios conference, but I also presented “From Passion to Profit with a Personal Blog” and was the recipient of the “2014 Sandra A. Varano Golden Purse Award’. God is good and I am truly thankful for being afforded these wonderful opportunities.
Purses to Portfolios is Delaware’s premier money conference and this year’s sessions included “Zero Debt” presented by award winning author and The Money Coach, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox; “Handling College Costs”, presented by CCCS of MD & DE, where I sat front row center because you know that I need all the information I can get with two sons in college.
The other sessions included: “Never Too Early; Never Too Late”, “Carpe Diem-Brewing Up Your Business”, “Passport to Prosperity”, “A Man is Not a Financial Plan”, “Kiss Your Landlord Goodbye”, “Not Your Grandmother’s Library”, “Credit Crackdown” and my session “From Passion to Profit”.
The doors opened at 8:30 a.m. and at registration everyone received a free personalized tote bag, pen and a large glossy program. A light breakfast was available and there were exhibitor displays throughout the Riverfront Ballroom. In addition to the speaker sessions there were also breakout areas for the Delaware Library and a Credit Clinic, sponsored by TD Bank. The program was emceed by Tina Betz and both U.S. Senator Chris Coons and Governor Jack Markell spoke briefly welcoming us all to the 10th Anniversary of Purses to Portfolios.
A mid-day break gave participants an opportunity to grab a free bag lunch, gather information or make purchases from the exhibibtors, visit the Money Club House and meet the WIFE.ORG founders, Candice Bahr and Ginita Wall.
The day ended with a closing session, award presentations and fantastic Door Prizes which were donated by several sponsors including Barnes and Noble, Men’s Wearhouse, Target and Wawa.
For me this was by far the most exciting and well attended Purses to Portfolios Conference and next year look for a name change: Passport to Prosperity: Design you own financial journey, I hope to see you there!
A Green Tie Event is the fundraiser that precedes the From Purses to Portfolios conference, it too was held at the Chase Center on the 16th. Hubby and I both attended and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The Welcome Greetings were presented by Ronni and Cher Przeomski, DFLI Board member; a testimonial by Tyreese Green, GTech Commercial & Construction Cleaning Services and awards were the highlights of the evening. A light dinner, a Silent Auction and entertainment provided by Atiba Music made for a very relaxing evening.
Thank you Louida, it was a fun way to learn a bit more about you and to share a bit more about myself.
Cindy, Dawn, Pam and Sarah, whenever you get a chance to respond that is fine, as there is no need to rush!
Please click on the name of each lovely lady to read their blog!
Have a wonderfully blessed Sunday!