Some of you may be thinking where do I start... this is hard? or I already have one now I need an adoption one? or You mean I have to put my feelings or thoughts or info out there on the net? Or I am not good at this kind of stuff! or Everyone else is soooo much better than me at that kind of stuff or theirs looks way better than mine... Well, I will tell you these are all very valid questions or thoughts and some of them may be totally true and some well may be all in your head!
I will say this as I have before in the Social Media post I wrote that YOU need to have a blog! No, its obviously not required...lol...and yes your birthmother may come to you in a totally different way but it is the best way to be able to share your thoughts, feelings and who you are with others that YOU ARE WANTING TO ADOPT with exception of Facebook but blog posts can be highly integrated into Facebook. And if you are not on Facebook at this point you need to read the social media post....
So where do you start?
For starters I would say user blogger.com (its linked to gmail). Wordpress is way harder...well not as user friendly if you don't have a clue what you are doing. When I started my blog I had never done anything like it... Blogger is really user friendly and even has simple templates you can use to get started and all you have to do it pick which one.
**I know many of you already have one of these but everyone starts somewhere!**
What should you have in it or on it?
Well for starters, I want you to look at the hoping to adopt blogs that are linked on LDS Adoption Connection and I really want you to look at them pretending you are an expectant mother looking to place the child you are carrying...Can you tell they even want to adopt? Can you find info about them that tells you who they are? Did they write a letter to you? Did you feel like you already know them without meeting them? Do they feel feel like old friends or do they seem stiff and uptight...or do you feel like they are your family? Do they say they want an open adoption and do they feel like they want one? There is a difference? Do they allow you to feel what they are going through? Do they inspire you? Do they make you want to know them more and that you can't wait to read their next post? Do they have Facebook? Can you learn more about them that way? Was it easy to navigate their blog? Was it boring? Was it ugly or attractive?
These are things you MUST think about when you create your blog! These blogs are to represent you yes, but they are for someone else to read!!! Would you want to read your blog? Seriously! You need to ask yourself that question... I know I am not a candy coater and with this kind of stuff no one wants one of those...
When I decided to create a blog I CREEPED everyone else's and looked for all the parts I liked and definitely notated the ones I didn't like!
Contact Us!
You must give a birthmother a way to reach you on your blog...Create an email just for your adoption and put that on everything (Facebook, parent profiles, and your blog). It would be the worst to have a birth mother want you and you never gave her a way to reach you...seriously its a duh! lol
Update Your Blog!
Some of you may not like what I say next but oh well! You really need to have a blog that you actually write on and update!!! Some of you out there have blogs that you call "adoption blogs" and all they are is another version of a parent profile or it's about love. Although many of these blogs are super cute they are somewhat stale...yes stale (don't be offended just hear me out)...they are stale because anyone can create that and they don't tell a potential birthmother that you are STILL in fact wanting to adopt.
They say nothing about what is happening in your life, nothing about if you did indeed get placed with, nothing about if you had a failed placement and how it felt, and it usually never says if you are indeed matched?
They say nothing...And worst yet is that when friends of people put them in their blog lists on their blogs they are at the bottom since they never are updated..thus a birthmother never clicks on them! No one really clicks on these since they are at the bottom...They click on updated blogs...seriously again think as if you are them:)
Allow your posts to be Shared!
On blogger you can allow in the footer for your posts to be shared on Facebook...you want to add this function ASAP! You have no idea how many times I wanted to share someones specific post and they didn't give this option...uhg! I love to share peoples stories so you want this on there...
This is also how YOU SHOULD share your newest posts on to your Facebook adoption page! From your adoption Facebook page "THEN" you share it to your Personal facebook page because then your post will show where it was shared from (your adoption Facebook page) and people go to your page and "like" it and then their "like" shows in the Facebook newsfeed of ALL the people that person knows! cool huh!
p.s. see how on this picture the "show shares" box is not selected...you want to make sure it's checked!!!
Lastly...facebook and blog buttons!
You need to get these...create an adoption page if you haven't see social media post....and post these on your blogs...many people blog and they are happy to post a blog button on their blog for you. You may say "Deanna how do I do that?" Well, I just googled it that is how I learned I had no clue! But I found you this link and it will walk you thru it:) I also hunted on others blogs and copied their html and added my links and picts. When you pick a picture for this you will want to make sure your picture shows your faces...make sure you are thinking "will someone want to click on my button?" Is it boring or attractive! Does it say I want to adopt? Hint: I used a picture of my wanting to adopt pass a long cards. I worked great!
These need to be on your blog for others to "like" your Facebook page and be aware that you have one and for them to help you...they could be big time bloggers and have lots of traffic come to their blogs and because you have a button and they "know" your story they post your button on their blog! Some of my coolest online friends came about because we were creeping each other's blogs and felt like we knew each other already!
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**I am hoping to maybe have a birthmother write a post as well regarding blogging and Facebook too...if you are one and are interested please comment below or email me at ldsadoptioconnection@yahoo.com:)
-Deanna
2 comments:
We just started our blog last month, so all of your networking posts have really helped us a lot! I totally agree with you though with you Wait vs. Find post because we were the "waiting" couple for over two years. Finally we've decided to put ourselves more out there and it has been great to be able to focus on such a positive thing and not just sit back and feel anxious or worried that we are going to get passed by again! We have more hope now!
I am so glad that these posts have helped you!!! I am excited to see what is in store for you and can't wait to see your blog get more attention!
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