Changes are a’comin. I need to make some changes to the blog and well, I just can’t decide what to do. I’m hoping you guys can help.
Google ranking is pretty darn important to a lot of businesses and being in a new market, with a new business name, etc, well, to improve my rank, I need (notice I said need and not want) to make some changes around here. I’ve known this for awhile but it’s really, really hard for me to face possibly giving up all my archives here on this blog (uhm yeah, I love to hyperlink). My memories, my babies, my family, my days, are right here, so it’s kind of hard to let go of. My dilemma though….
Awhile back I purchased a new fancy smanshy blog for Life in Motion Photography. It’s pretty, it’s new and it allows for BIG images. I loooooove big images! But here is the thing, it’s through a different blog company. This blog was originally set up for Giggles-n-Grins Photography when we were in Louisiana. So each hit helps that google ranking, and well, since that business no longer exists, it’s pretty pointless. Typepad is a paid blogging service. Not only that, which isn’t really a big deal, I love Typepad, but all the images I’ve posted to the blog are embedded within Typepad and not hosted elsewhere and then linked. This means if I stop paying for Typepad, all those posts and images are gone. If I transfer the blog over, the images won’t follow without manually saving and reposting every last one.
So while I’m faced with what to do about that, I’m wondering if it would be a good time to separate out my business and personal blogging. I could have the new business blog be the big pretty one and keep my little old personal stuff over here. I’ve always felt that my work is intertwined, one depends on the other and vice versa. The two sides are only complete together as I grow and learn on this photography journey. I still feel that way, but from a client perspective, do you think my clients want to hear, read and see that Teagan was attacked by squash yesterday? Hmmmm, I just don’t know. I’m so indecisive about this….I change my mind daily. But a decision needs to be made because I just have this other fabulous blog sitting here ready to be put to good use and well, my google ranking isn’t getting any better by having the hits to this blog bump the old Giggles-n-Grins business.
I know that I can’t let go of my archives, it would be A LOT of work to transfer all the posts and reload every photograph from the last few years. So much work that I’d probably want to hire someone to help me with it. And that’s ok, but I need to make the best decision first, and I guess I’m wondering if blog visitors really want to hit two blogs for just one little old me. Is it a good idea to keep everything in one spot, or separate it out? I thought maybe with all the lurkers coming out of hiding here lately, that you guys could help me decide??
I’d love it if you’d post a vote in the poll below and even leave a comment letting me know why you voted the way you did. I can’t wait to hear what you guys think….
Thanks!!!!
I do believe you should keep them together. Jasmine Star wrote once an article about that (http://prophotoresource.com/index.php/Really-personal.html) and I think she is totally right.
You gotta keep em together. It wouldn’t be right!
Keep them together.
hmmm… I too am a bit compulsive, so I understand where you’re coming from with keeping everything together and being all in one place. The only thing that bothers me a bit about the photogs with 2 blog sites is that the business blogs tend to sound a bit boring and impersonal, although I doubt that yours would be that way. π
Bottom Line: I love that it’s all together now, but I would keep up with both if you split them up. I use Google Reader, and it’s easy peasy to add a new blog to my list though.
I voted for 2 separate business and personal blogs, for the simple reason of you pointing out the google ranking. I love coming here reading about your personal life as well as your photography, but I mainly come to read about the personal stuff, however a link to your new business blog, would certainly be a great thing, and I would visit there just as often, I still visit your 3T’s & Me site even though you haven’t updated in ages! π
Also I would hate for you to move and lose all the archives because I still visit old post looking for ideas, such as old birthday parties, holidays, house decorating…please stay here at least for the personal stuff!!! Hope that helps!!! π
Like the previous poster, I come to read the personal stuff, and yes i looooove your business work, i’m the biggest fan of stories of Little T and crew. And i bet alot of people do. Just my opinion but i think that your business blog would have a lot less hits than your personal blog if you separate them. For example I read Erin’s personal blog ALL THE TIME, but i rarely click on her business blog. Just my opinion.
I’m not sure how much you pay for typepad right now, but what about continuing to pay for this one just for the memories/archives and then start the new blog w/business and personal from here on out? I figured you could import it over but I just checked and apparently it would take you forever to do. Just my thoughts.
I am struggling with the same question myself. Do I want to keep up with 2 blogs? I had them separate before but then joined them….but now thinking about separating again. Because really do clients want to here about personal life of mine. I dont’ know…I keep trying to think what would be easiest for me. Big decision to make. I know I was no help. But I love your blog and I like them both together. Maybe I should take my own advice. lol
I just voted to keep them together…Like another reader said, I check in on Erin’s personal blog way more than her photography blog and I am even studying photography!! Not that I wouldn’t follow your professional blog, because I would, but my vote is to keep them together. I would guess that your clients would enjoy reading about your personal life so they felt a connection when you met with them (we just had family pics taken and our photographer just has one blog and because I have followed it for months I felt like I “knew” her and her sweet little family). Or they’ll just scroll through until they find what they want.
Was I ANY help whatsoever or did I totally add to the confusion!! Good luck and keep us posted!!
I struggle with this as well. I do have two separate ones, but I have a hard time maintaining two blogs. So I sometimes post the personal stuff on the business blog. I do want my clients to know a little bit about me, but at the same time I don’t think they really want to know everything that I might post about my family.
As a blog reader, I like that you currently have everything together as I love your photography and writing style. However, if I were a potential client, I would want to see more of your client stuff and maybe not so much of the day to day family stuff. But maybe that’s just me.
I’m sure I’m not much help. If you use add another blog, I’ll just add it to Google Reader and if you keep them together, I’ll still be reading everyday like I am now.
de-lurking for a moment to say:
NOOOO!! I love that you have both together, and I think that’s why so many people read your blog, and are interested in your photography! I think that’s what makes you unique as a photographer!
it’s a huge dilemma. i own a stationery store and only started a blog on it a few months ago. i also keep a website and blog through iweb, so virtually the only ones reading that are my friends and family.
with writing my business blog, it was very hard to keep some of the personal stuff out of it and i really struggled with it. it’s a long{ie}, but i wrote about it here http://broadwaypaper.blogspot.com/2008/07/papers-gotta-brand-new-mag.html
bottom line, as you can probably tell from the love you’re getting … people want to hear about the personal too … that’s what blogs are all about, good blogs anyway … the ones that keep people coming back. we like to see into other people’s lives, don’t we?
and i’ve come to realize the blogs that are able to stay strictly business/professional … are being paid to blog. the rest of us are doing it as a hobby.
my suggestion is to use blurb http://www.blurb.com/ to have a book made of your current blog … then you have all your sweet photos, words and memories for life. close down this one and start up fresh.
and … if i could be so bold … i’d love to see some recipes with your photos! π i’d love, in particular, to know how you get your photos so beautifully ‘bright’ and white … π
I agree with Tracie: your clients like to see that you’re a “real” person with a life. The business is great to be able to view but they feel like they “know” you when you blog. Good luck with your decision!
Please, please keep them together! I love being able to read about T’s new pink shoes, her body “art”, Ty’s budding interest in the ladies (tee hee), and watching Teagan grow. It’s the added bonus for us to see parts of your most recent sessions.
I also agree that having your personal and business combined gives your clients a feeling for who you are- that you’re funny, you love your family and you love your job.
I said Keep em together! I love seeing all the awesome work you do, and seeing about your personal life!
I agree with Sheena. I voted for 2 blogs just to help your business ranking. I would still visit both. Either way you choose you’re going to have to give up something/give yourself a lot of extra work. I do love how smoothly you intertwine the business with the personal, and I don’t think the type of client you seek would mind that….but you surely don’t want to lose all the archives eitehr. Good luck with your decision!
Is their an option for both!! haha I understand your point on clients viewing your pics of Teagan and the family, however it’s good to see pictures that you take. Especially if people are on the fence about hiring you. My best friend is a photog also and I understand the whole ranking system for the search engines. What if you did a site like this: http://emilyjacksonphotography.com/site/
where the home page can link you to both your blog and/or blogs and your actual photog website. You can have a fam blog and/or business blog. Either way you decide I will still blog stalk!
I voted to keep them together, but really, you should do whatever you feel would be easiest for you.
I voted for keeping them together and moving it all over. I think if you separate out the two, you will end up getting more hits on your personal blog than your business blog and it won’t build your ranking like you want it to. I am interested in seeing your photographs, but more interested in seeing how you photograph your own kids and hearing your stories. I probably wouldn’t click on both links because I have limited time and I live in PA so wouldn’t be able to hire you as a photographer. And though it would be initially a lot more work to make the switch, in the long run you would have to keep up two blogs, which seems like more work to me.
Together!
Lurker here coming out to stay keep them together.
I voted to keep them both together. I don’t read very many blogs (because who really has that kind of time?) but one thing I’ve always loved about yours is that it’s all there in one place, and regardless of whether you are busy doing sessions, there is always something going on here. I agree that your business blog wouldn’t be as popular if you separated them. I have two blogs now, and struggle with keeping up with them both since you are so right that our personal lives and business lives are so intertwined! I’m going to be combining mine into one blog and moving from blogger to wordpress very soon, so I totally feel your pain in having to move everything. But in the end having one with big pictures would be so worth it. Good luck Lyndsay!
I would keep them together, I always enjoy photo blogs more when the photog has a personality, and sometimes posts get so dry otherwise…
Just a note, I stopped paying for typepad this year due to a credit card glitch (couldn’t get one sent over here from NZ). I didn’t lose anything. I just couldn’t post anymore. But the blog was still there and viewable. So it may be worth checking, maybe you can have a link to the old blog on the new blog?
I downloaded blurb to slurp my blog earlier this year. But I haven’t worked out how to do it yet…
Well, it’s tough, but I’d vote to keep them together. The only thing that sends me the other way is the Google ranking issue.
I really like hearing your stories about your kids, and the pictures to go with them are priceless. I like the way you “show” a story:) There is another photographer I follow (we graduated together) and I *rarely* check her blog because… well, it’s boring. It’s all client work/talk with no “feel” to the pictures because you’re not hearing what those pictures are about. And while her site is awesome and I know that’s she nice, it’s hard to see that when there’s no “personality” to it.
If you lived in our area (MN) I’d *love* to have you photograph our kids/family. Like your hairstylist, it’s nice to develop a relationship with the one who does your pictures. Through your blog you really get a feel for your passion for photography and for your clients. That’s neat:)
I vote keep them together, simply for the reason of the google ranking. I would still follow your personal blog and your business blog, but many wouldn’t.
I voted to keep them together, just because I like to read both and it’s easier for me. That being said… if it is easier for you or makes sense in business terms, I think it would be fine to separate them. I like to read both, so I would probably still visit both regularly.
Hey Lyndsay, I vote to keep them together. I think its easier to keep it interesting and to keep fresh content up that way. I would just use your labels (which you do anyway)to make it easy for clients to find session examples. Plus, they can always look at the website for examples of your work.
I vote to keep them together. I like learning about your personal life and seeing all the additional pictures you share of your family that just aren’t available on your business website. I think it’s a great way to share who you are with potential clients. π Other than The Nest, your blog is how I saw your great package deal and knew that I wanted you to be my photographer.
keep it together! Makes me feel better that I have a combo blog, LOL.
I said seperate them, just to help your business with the google ranking. I would most definately check both everyday… Love your stuff.
I said seperate them, just to help your business with the google ranking. I would most definately check both everyday… Love your stuff.
wow, this is crazy but i was just pondering this same thing and even posted on a message board asking how others handle their blogs. i’m not at the level you are nor have the following you have but am trying to decide whether to merge the biz and personal blogs (they’re separate right now) as i’m purely in the beginning stages. i find myself posting more on the biz blog, and my personal photos are ending up on it too. and i’ve noticed i tend to gravitate towards photog blogs that cater to both audiences. so… for me, i would say keep them together. if you decide to split the two, at least you can strategically place a link to your personal blog on your business blog.
sorry for the rambling. good luck.