Anyone here maintain a blog? Is it for fun or are you hoping to use it for marketing? Do you have regular readers? Has a following grown?

I recently started blogging and I'm really enjoying it! I've been thinking about it for a while but wasn't sure what to focus on. There are a lot of baking and decorating blogs by people so much better than I am! I decided to focus on my experiences in competitions. I've entered several so far and love it. I've been posting back and forth in time...posts about past competitions interspersed with updates on what I'm doing currently.

For me, the blog is another creative outlet and just for fun. I don't use it for marketing or business since I don't have a business . I have some followers and regular readers. I've made a couple of "email pals" as a result of it. I check my stats every few days and I get anywhere from 3 to 14 page hits a day. I would like more followers but I am satisfied with what I have. Based on my feedback, I know people are reading who aren't official followers (that's what I used to do, too) and comment in person or via email instead of on my blog and that's OK.

If you do decide to blog, post it here...I always check out fellow CCer's blogs!

elcee- what is the name of your blog? I would love to check it out.

Yes i Blog - (some may call it rambling)

Customers check for what i have written about their cake/treats - pass it on to other people to view - it does generate more customers.

Family Interstate click on so as to see what i have been doing.

Will throw my hand up at this point and say that i have followed Elcee's Blog for a while now - its always informative and makes for very interesting reading

Bluehue

I started playing with pastillage and modeling chocolate in December of 2009. I decided to give myself a year of practice before starting a blog. I started my blog in December 2010. The slide show at the top of my blog includes all the cakes I made prior to beginning the blog. My aim with the blog was to post a minimum of one cake a week. Of course, we all know about the "best laid plans". . . . I will be taking a hiatus beginning March 21 due to by-pass surgery, and I don't know how long it will be before I am able to roll out fondant after the surgery.

Because of where I live, my blog is in French, but I think the pictures speak for themselves, and I usually post the photos here on CC four or five days after I post them to my blog. The post titled "The Artist's Tools" is my 50th cake since I started in December of 2009.

My blog address is http://lamaisondesgateaux.blogspot.com/ .

I started a blog last April because people were asking how I created my cakes and after sending email after email a friend suggested I blog about it. Not being much of a blog reader, I immersed myself into finding out about it and now follow and subscribe to many here on cc including Bluehue =).

It's been really nice to see the traffic generated and following grow as well as get additional feedback and comments. Also, I'e made some new friends along the way. I use the blog to show what I've learned and hopefully help another, more of a resource.

I debated for quite a while before I began blogging. And I'll admit... I still have days when I ask myself, "Why are you doing this?"

I thought maybe I'd get a few followers from people I already knew, but I've been amazed at how quickly it spread. Before long I was even getting hits from different countries! Totally shocking !!! I've met several bloggers from my own area and have made new friends from all over the world. (Thank heavens for Google translate! hahaha)

I still have so much to learn about blogging and how to make it successful. Thinking of it as an adventure helps me appreciate every little success and hurdle I cross as it grows. My blogs not "big and famous" by any means, but I'm happy with the success I've had so far. Hopefully, my blog helps "unmask the mystery" of cake decorating and I can teach people to enjoy the process along the way. Not to mention... I've really had a lot of fun doing it.

I just started a few weeks back and its so much fun, I dont have any followers yet but hopefully when I start making more and more cakes I could get the interest of others. www.ambarbaking.blogspot.com I'm blogging about cakes and other baked goods... so hopefully.

I'm loving this thread! My Saturday plans have now just included visiting all your awesome blogs and reading through them all, lol!

VentureSister, thanks, my blog is http://beautifullyembellishedcakes.blogspot.com/ and is linked to my profile at the bottom of my posts.

Thanks, Blue ...I've been following yours, too and I learn something from each of your posts and am GREEN with envy over your skills, both in cake and photography!

Ambar2, I just signed up to follow your blog (I'm Linda); cakeyouverymuch, yours is lovely, and even though I can't read it I did add it to my favorites so I can look at it sometimes .

I enjoy blogging too. It started off as a place to write about my Gluten-Free experiences and has transitioned to include other things. I have a few followers but I mainly do it to keep recipes, ideas and reminders in one location. I have had people ask for a recipe and I can direct them to my blog. OR, if I am at work and I know I need to go to the store to pick-up supplies, I can view my blog to make a list.

It's just kinda fun

http://lemiecosefavorites.blogspot.com
(Italian for "My Favorite Things)

I started a blog last Fall and it's growing slowly but surely. I enjoy it!!

Elcee,

Thank you for your kind words. If you have a google account there should be a translation bar above my blog. The translation isn't all that great though. Of course that could be a problem with my French, since its not my first language. I use it because the community here is mainly French and my eventual customer base will come from that community. I'm still looking for a widget that will allow anyone at all to translate my blog from French to their language of choice. All the widgets I can find are ones that will translate English to another language.

MadameRaz...thankyou for your kind words re my Blog - and yes, they are jelly cups - but no vodka or alcohol as you thought because they are children.
The parents like them for childrens parties... and if the truth be known its probably easier for them to ask me to fiddle around and make them... lollll
I just get th little spoons at the local supermarket....put them in the cups and then pour the jelly in.
I do them to colour match the cakes.

Blue.

I have been blogging now for almost 2 years. I started it out so I could reach more brides and grow my business, but I slowly began to build a following of fellow decorators. So I just went with it and it still satisfies my need to talk about my work and get things off my chest.

I love your blog Jenniffer.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I had a new website built that launched last May. I had a blog put in it, but never took the time to figure it out. This month I finally got to it. I have only put in two entries, but I enjoy it and hope to keep it fresh and current.

I was just curious what other decorators were doing and if they found it worthwhile. It sounds like you are all enjoying it!

I need to let our customers in the store know about it. So far, I have only put posts about it on Facebook.

Here is my site:
http://www.classiccakescarmel.com/2011/02/welcome-to-the-classic-cakes-blog-page-this-is-a-new-venture-for-us-and-we-are-very/

OMG this topic is so interesting just looking at all the blogs...lol I prob followed each & every one of them. Its like your going shopping & you dont know which dress to pick..alll beautifull!!

I also started blogging a month ago or so, but dated my posts to the date I actually made my cupcakes. Its very interesting, I did it for the fun of it not for advertising at all. I think its cool & it motivates me to bake more & more.

Yep! I maintain a blog it's really fun (I enjoy telling the 'story' behind my cakes! Inspiration etc..)!
It's mainly for my customers or caking pals to catch up on what I have been doing recently not too much on the marketing side..
I do get quite a lot of regular readers and the comments make blogging all the more worth while!

My blog address is: http://karencuppycake.blogspot.com/

Beautiful blogs all. Some I had already seen as I surfed the net for all things cake, some were already in my favorites. All are lovely. They set the mind in motion and make the fingers want to follow to put new ideas into practice.

Thank you Jennifer for leaving a comment on my blog.

My husband actually set up my blog. He and I are techie and he thought I would enjoy it. I use WordPress which I highly recommend for people considering a blog. I am a teacher at a heart so I try and make all of my post some type of tutorial or recipe. When I started I thought about who I wanted my audience to be and I realized I wanted it to be for people like me. Hobby bakers who are getting into cake decorating. There are some amazingly beautiful blogs out there by and for professional bakers but I wanted something a little more down to earth.

I don't really have much of a following yet (just a couple of friends and a couple of new internet friend but I enjoy it. WordPress allows me to publish my blog directly to facebook and pics from facebook get uploaded to my blog so I'm not maintaining 2 sets of information and photos. Wordpress also allows people to follow you on twitter and other social media so it's really easy to get your name out there without a lot of work. I would really like to make some changes to the blog as far as galleries etc. nut for now it's a good start.

www.keeponcaking.com

I LOVE looking at new blogs! You all have beautiful ones. My blog is mostly to keep track of my own progress, so I don't usually write much. I also use it to save links to tutorials, recipes, and cool blogs I've found.

***Karencuppycake, are you really 13 years old?! Wow! You are so creative and very talented! I'd say you've got a great future ahead of you!

I have a blog that I started a few months back and I love having it! I love to share what I know and to hear peoples feedback when they leave me comments. I am totally hooked.

My blog is www.sweeteatscakes.blogspot.com

I am always in awe at people who are able to maintain a blog. I do love reading various blogs and I am a big follower of Cake Journal and Sweetopia (among other people!) I am trying to get organized and get You Tube videos instead. For me, I chat a lot yet when it comes to a blog, I wouldn't know what to say. I figure, in a You Tube video, I just start with "Today we are doing ..." and go from there

All the blogs are absolutely amazing
OMG karencuppycake you're 13, I tell you you have a bright future
Thanks for following me & for the lovely comments some of you left, it sure gives me a boost

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalini1

I am always in awe at people who are able to maintain a blog. I do love reading various blogs and I am a big follower of Cake Journal and Sweetopia (among other people!) I am trying to get organized and get You Tube videos instead. For me, I chat a lot yet when it comes to a blog, I wouldn't know what to say. I figure, in a You Tube video, I just start with "Today we are doing ..." and go from there

Do you have your own channel? I would love to check out your work

I used to blog a lot when I first started 2 years ago. I was a part of TWD and The Daring Kitchen, so I was in the kitchen a lot more. I started a new one just to post cakes that I do, but I haven't decorated that much lately.

Wow! You all have such wonderful blogs and I will have to bookmark this thread so I can take the time to check them out! I just started a blog...as in a few hours ago so there's nothing on it...LOL! I just have to say that it took me FOREVER...weeks...to come up with a name. Every name I could think of was taken. I guess there are no original ideas...LOL! Hopefully when I have some actual info on mine, I will share it too