Most Useful Tools to Me, A Blogger

Honestly, I don’t think of myself as a wise person. I have zero common sense, but I am pretty book smart.

I know how to do research, and I enjoy doing research. I’ve almost been a blogger for one year, January 31, and I’ve discovered quite a few useful tools along my way. Today, I’ve decided to share them with you. These might not apply just to blogging, but other things as well.

Google- The most useful thing to me as a blogger is Google.

Let me explain. I use Google for everything. When I have no ideas for a post, I Google interesting posts. Googling that actually helped me get this idea for a post. When I need to find important stuff about an author or book whether it be for a review or just an everyday post, I use Google. It is a great tool. I can find links, pictures, websites, all kinds of stuff. I discover new stuff everyday by typing a few words into Google. Also, Google owns Blogger so without Google, Kayl’s Krazy Obsession wouldn’t be here today. Just Google a few words, you never know what you can find.
Library- This is a very powerful tool that I recommend only for those who want to commit to book blogging. HAha! But this is one of the best places out there. You get free books! Yeah, they might only be for a little bit. But look at all of the options that you have and you don’t have to spend money on a book that you might not like. Just by browsing the shelves, you’ll discover great reads. This is where I get most of the books I review from.
Book Blogs- You never know what you can find by visiting other book blogs! They offer a wide variety of interesting post ideas, fun memes, and just posts about books! I really like other book blogs because they speak my language. They understand what it’s like to fangirl/fanboy over books. Other blogs can be your greatest inspiration. I can actually only name two book blogs off of the top of my head that I love, Parajunkee and Apocalypse Booked. Just check other blogs out. You can make some great friends.
Info/Tip Blogs- These types of blogs are fabulous. I’ve learned so much about blogging by them. One of my favorites is Parajunkee. Parajunkee has taught me so many things. Just go check it out.
Email- Email helps you get connected with others in the book field. Everyone uses email. I created an email for Kayl’s Krazy Obsession and I get over a hundred emails a day. Some of them are social media stuff, others are tour offers, and some are just from contacts. Email will get you everywhere in the world of book blogging because you’ll need an email for everything. I use mine for social media, Goodreads, signing up for tours, contests, etc. I recommend creating a new email for blogging and stick with it. You’ll be posting it everywhere.
Tour Sites- I’ve signed up for I think 3 tour sites. I love tour sites because they send you emails of all of the books going on tour and you can sign up for any of them. This is how I get most of my ARCs. Also, by using book tours they generate a lot of visitors towards your blog. It’s kind of like free advertising because all you have to do is read a book and write a review, and boom there’s visitors. Or they have Guest Posts or Interviews which are great to mix things up a bit.
Bloglovin- This has introduced me to many giveaways. Lots of bloggers use it, and it’s a great way to get connected. I don’t use it very much because I don’t have a lot of time, but I find it useful.
Apps- I love the Blogger app. It’s great on the go to write a quick update or reply to comments. That’s all I use it for. Oh, and it’s also great to see a mobile view of your blog. You always need to check on that to make sure the design shows up and such. Wattpad is my love. I read so much on there. They have books by actually authors, and then they have books by teen authors and stuff. It’s a really great app that lets you show off your work.
Binders, Folders, and Agendas- When you have pages or paper related to your blog, binders and folders are your greatest friend. I keep everything related to Kayl’s Krazy Obsession in a binder and folder. Once everything is finalized, I put it in the binder. It’s a great way to keep track of how your blog has grown. I keep Book Review Cheat Sheets, Books I’ve Read that month, and Stats in my binder. It’s a great way to keep track of everything you’ve read. Agendas are so very useful because you can plan out when to publish posts. It’s great for tours too so you don’t forget to post something. I like using a paper agenda better than a calendar because I can pull it out at any time. Also, I don’t have to worry about it erasing everything. It’s more trusted than technology.
Google Docs- This is the best tool ever made. I can share any document and access it on any computer. I’m actually writing this post on my school computer now, so when I connect to Internet it’ll be on my Blog account. I find Google Docs so great because I can share the link on anything. For TDA, I have to have a credit list. So I write all of my credits in a Google Doc and post the link at the end of my gallery. That way I don’t have to go back and make sure it’s updated and such. Google Docs are my best friend.
Stat Trackers- So I use this thing called a Stat Tracker. It’s a piece of paper that I write down all of my stats for the month, and it keeps track for the whole year. It makes it easy to compare stats and see growth. I have so many notes on it and stuff. Just by looking at it now, I can compare how many Unique Visitors I had in February 2014 to December 2014. In February I had 20 unique visitors. In October 2014, it went up 117. But in December 2014, it went back down to 57 Unique Visitors because I wasn’t posting regularly. Throughout the beginning of the year, I had zero blog subscribers. But in June I started getting some. At the end of the year I had 15 blog subscribers which might not seem like a lot, but that’s 15 more than I had at the beginning of the year. See, Stat Trackers are great to show growth. It shows that you actually accomplished something.
Social Media- Social media is amazing. It’s a great way to get your blog out there. I am signed up for this thing, I have no idea what it’s called, but it connects my Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin, and blog all together. They post there automatically so I don’t have to do it which I probably wouldn’t because I have more important things to do. Twitter is amazing. I have 505 followers on there, and I’m hardly ever on it. I won a contest on Twitter from Parajunkee and I won a free blog design. So instead of paying the actual price, I believe it was $30, I got it for free. And all I had to do was RT a Tweet. I did it as I was leaving in two seconds. That is amazing. I don’t ever get on Facebook, but I have 50 million friends and friend requests, not really I like to exaggerate. With all of those friends I can invite them to like my page. I just have to get on there and do it. Social Media is great for a blog.
StatCounter- StatCounter keeps track of page views and unique page views. It’s kind of accurate, but I recommend to add it to your site as soon as you start it. I did mine like three months later, so it doesn’t count all of the ones I had before then. It’s really useful though because it keeps track of so much stuff. I can see how many new visitors I have versus returning visitors. It’s really cool because it also shows what country someone is in. I’ve had people from Australia and Venezuela and places I can’t even pronounce visit my blog. That’s amazing and mind-blowing. I’m just a girl from Indiana and people from all over the world have seen my blog.

So all of these tools are very useful to me. There are many more, but I have to go and get ready. I might make another list of useful tools if you guys want.

EXTRA ENTRY ALERT: First commenter gets an extra chance in the giveaway! 11th commenter gets a special surprise for the giveaway!!