Got Blog! Serena Snowfield

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What is Got Blog?

A few weeks ago, Sasy Scarborough issued a challenge called “Got Blog!” to the SL blogging community. She asked some interesting and thought-provoking questions, so I decided to jump in and participate (late as usual, lol).

You can find out more about the Got Blog! challenge RIGHT HERE. In the meantime, my answers (that turned out to be much wordier than I originally expected) are below.

Oh! And I would like to tag Love Trill to participate!

Got Blog! Questions

When did you start your Second Life Blog?

In December of 2012, the wonderful people of Fabulously Free in SL put out a notice recruiting new bloggers, and on a lark, I decided to apply. To my complete and total surprise, I was asked to join the team! You can still read my very first Fab Free post right here, but I encourage you to manage your expectations because SL in 2012 was quite a bit different than SL of 2024!

I started my own blog shortly after joining Fab Free, but I really just cross-posted my Fab Free posts so I could have a backup. I blogged for Fab Free until mid-2014, when RL work got too busy for me to continue, and then again from 2017 until 2018 (silly RL work again). I’ve continued blogging on my own blog as RL work allowed ever since.

Why did you start Blogging in Second Life?

My RL work is very academic and left-brain-y. Don’t get me wrong; I love what I do, but I lean more toward being a right-brained artistic person (I was a musician in my younger days). So, I started taking SL photos – and eventually blogging them – as a creative outlet to “even out” my brain when I was feeling overloaded with work.

Do you feel the Blogging community in Second Life has changed since you started Blogging, and if so, in what ways?

Yes, I do. But perhaps this is because I began blogging as part of a team and enjoyed the camaraderie and support of teamwork. As a solo blogger, I miss that.

I also feel that the blogging community as a whole is less of a “community” now. Back in the day, creators would often reach out to bloggers personally because they liked our blogs and our style. Bloggers encouraged each other by leaving supportive comments on each others’ blogs. Readers even said hello if they saw us in-world.

Unfortunately, this change in “community” isn’t just an SL blogging phenomenon. Blogging, in general, has become much less social than it used to be, with so many blogs and websites vying for eyeballs. And comments are few and far between these days. I miss the friendlier days of blogging, but… it is what it is.

Are you approachable as a Blogger by content creators that may have interest in you as a Blogger for their Brand/Store?

I hope so! I’m an introvert, though, and I’m not always very social. But I do appreciate being contacted by content creators if they like my style.

Do you have any tips or tricks that help you with the Blogging process that you would like to share?

In RL, I’m a small business owner, and my RL blog/website is a primary component of my business. So, as a professional blogger, I’m sure I could come up with lots of blogging tips!

But I’ll just share one tip here: To keep my RL blog organized, I use a Trello board to keep track of my ideas, posts in progress, upcoming posts, etc. Each card contains a list of all the things I have to do before I publish a post, such as researching the SEO keyword, writing a blog post outline, choosing an affiliate, creating and optimizing images, sharing the post to social channels, etc., etc. A lot goes into each post, and I would never be able to keep track without my Trello board!

I realize that SL blogging isn’t as intense as all that (for me, at least), but if you’re having trouble keeping track of what you want to post, who you need to blog for, which events are coming up, etc., Trello is a great tool for organizing. And it’s free to use! There is a Premium option that includes more features, but I’ve used the free version for many years, and it has been sufficient.

Have you yourself ever benefited from another Blogger’s post, such as learning a new skill for Blogging, or Second Life functions that you may not have known about?

Yes, definitely! I used to eagerly follow Strawberry Singh’s blog, not only for her beautiful images but also for her tutorials. I learned how to use Photoshop by watching her videos (a skill I was able to transfer to my RL business), as well as video recording/streaming, and just generally how to use Second Life. Sadly, her blog is gone now, and I really miss her posts.

Other blogs that I’ve found helpful and still read today are Gogo’s Juicy Bomb (I enjoy her tutorials and sometimes brutally honest opinions), and for news I read Daniel Voyager’s blog, Wagner James Au’s New World Notes, and Inara Pey’s Living in a Modem World. And let’s not forget Fabulously Free in SL – I still love me some freebies!

BTW, I’ve been adding the bloggers who participated in this challenge to my blog reader, and I’m happy to have more to follow now!

What kind of Blogs appeal to you as a reader, and what would you like to see more of in the Second Life Blogging world?

Blogs that tell stories are my favorites.

Some blogs tell stories with pictures; others tell stories with pictures and words. I always enjoy learning something about the person behind the blog or even a story about what’s happening in the picture(s). Or teach me something. Blogs that share something meaningful will keep me coming back.

Do you Blog content that you yourself would wear/use always, or do you blog content that is expected of you to blog due to commitments to stores/events?

I don’t blog for any stores or events at the moment, so I only blog content that I wear or use. In fact, the office set up in the pics for this post is from the office in my SL house, and I’ve been wearing this outfit for a week!

But that’s not to say that I wouldn’t blog items that I might not wear or use as long as they fit my style. I still enjoy doing creative fantasy-type images, but I probably wouldn’t go about my SL business dressed as a fantasy creature. Though I did spend some time as a pink hamster several years ago…

Click for the full-resolution version.

Do you use Social Media, and/or other platforms outside of your Blog/Website to promote the content you have shared?

• Flickr
• Primfeed
• X (Twitter)
• Instagram
• Threads

My social links can also be found at the top left of my website.

Do you pay for any aspect of your blogging other than the clothing or items in your images, such as Website Hosting, Photoshop, etc?

Yes, I do. However, I already pay/paid for many of these items for my RL business and am able to also use them for SL blogging.

• A self-hosted WordPress site
• Domain Registration
• A professional WordPress template
• Adobe Creative Cloud (includes Photoshop and all apps)
• Canva Pro
• A high-end desktop computer with three large monitors
• A laptop computer
• Buffer (social media scheduler)
• Grammarly Premium (spelling & grammar checker)
• SL Premium
• SL land for my house and photo studio
• Flickr Pro
• Primfeed Pro

Do you think that Stores/Content Creators should have a Website/Blog for their Brand?

Well, in my RL business community, there’s been a lot of talk about “Would you hire someone who doesn’t have a website,” and many people say no, they wouldn’t. A website makes you appear more professional, and consumers have come to expect that a “real” business will have a website.

Also, a website is convenient for the consumer, even in SL. For example, I can’t always keep track of at which event a creator’s latest item is being sold. I appreciate it when they have a website that lists which items are for sale at which events.

But I also understand that not every SL content creator has the time, skills, or interest to develop a website for their in-world business. And they may not make enough money to hire someone to build and maintain a website. The lack of a website isn’t a deterrent for me. If I want to buy something badly enough, I’ll figure out where it’s for sale… eventually!

Do you have any advice that you can give other Bloggers that may be new to the experience, or even advice/wisdom that you want to share with the Blogging community as a whole, new or old?

My college freshman daughter learned an unfortunate lesson last week, one that I’ve learned myself more than once: If you’re writing text to post online, write it offline first so you have a backup. Too many times, I’ve written a blog post in WordPress, clicked the Publish button… and had my content go POOF. If you have a backup in Microsoft Word or some other program, you can just copy and paste to publish again. Trust me, starting over from scratch is the worst. My daughter lost a 900-word essay for her English class, and there were tears involved.

Also, write your SL blog because it makes you happy, not because you have to do it. My RL blog is WORK. I earn RL money from it, and it helps pay my RL bills. I don’t want SL blogging to be WORK. It’s my creative outlet. I don’t get paid for doing it (except maybe a minuscule amount from ads). I do it because it makes me happy.

So… make your SL blogging experience something that you enjoy. If it’s fun for you, your readers will see and feel that in your images and your text.

Do you have suggestions for which Blogging Platform to use, and why you chose it over others? – WordPress, Blogspot, Wix, Tumblr, etc.

I have used each of the above-named platforms at one time or another. My advice to new bloggers is to try them all and decide which platform meets their needs.

Personally, the only platform I use now is self-hosted WordPress. It can be expensive, but new and/or hobby bloggers can use WordPress.com for free. It isn’t as flexible or customizable as self-hosted WordPress, but you can still do a lot with it. If you decide that you like WordPress.com and want more, it’s often more cost-effective to go self-hosted than to purchase the WordPress upgrade packages, so be sure to shop around before you buy.

What do you enjoy and are most passionate about when it comes to Blogging?

I enjoy being creative after a long day of left brain research and writing. And I like making pretty pictures and telling stories. 💕

THE LOOK

Hair: TRUTH Collective Beach Vibes
Skin: Glam Affair Soraia
Eyeshadow: Glam Affair Soraia
Lipstick: Glam Affair Soraia Lips Toner
Body Blush: Izzie’s Body Summer Blush Apricot
Tan Lines: Izzie’s Thong & Bikini Top Tan Lines
Armpit Creases: Izzie’s Armpit Creases Double
Earrings: Vibing Millie Earrings
Necklace: Kibitz Jenni’s Necklace
Shorts & Top: Just Because Juliana
Rings: Kibitz Vivian’s Rings
EEP: Specter Skies EEP Gift (free gift)

THE SCENE

Onsu Rochester House
Dust Bunny Flora Office Desk
Dust Bunny Flora Office Chair
Dust Bunny Flora Office Computer
Dust Bunny Flora Office Keyboard
Dust Bunny Flora Office Mouse Mat
Dust Bunny Flora Office Pencil Holder
Dust Bunny Flora Office Desk Lamp
Dust Bunny Flora Office Bookcase
{what next} Draped Curtains (SILK)
Rezz Room Chihuahua Princess

For store SLurls, please visit the Store Links page.