When I was growing up, my Mom always told me that she could tell when I had a new friend…I would soak up their accent and various words they would say in their home.
As a Mom, I can see how my own children are influenced by their friends and family.
I had no idea that I was beginning an adventure, not only for me, but also for my entire family when I began writing in the blogosphere. An adventure of relationships with people across the world…and many whom we have met face to face.
It is beautiful when you surround yourself with people enjoying this amazing journey – life.
Influence does not stop or start with individual people though, it travels through all parts of life – business, religion, sports – you name it…Influence is the name of the game.
What type of influence you desire to have will drive your activities on a daily basis. It drives me – in my home with my children, with my friends (both those I see daily and those I have met online). I truly never imagined making friends online – I never considered the type of influence, especially positive influence the friends I could, would and have met online would have on my life.
Yet, they have. I have grown into more of the person I have desired all of my life. Unafraid to share my knowledge about topics and products I love….
Three people who have truly influenced me…have done so both online and in real life, as well!
A couple of year ago, I stumbled upon The Homeschool Lounge..and i never could quite figure out who the power house behind that amazing community was – until a few months ago, when I began working with Leslie from Teach Them Diligently. Through that amazing adventure, I have had the opportunity to speak with Tiany from Social Savvy Mom. The name of her blog says it all…..she is definitely one savvy mom. She is involved in many different projects (i.e. One Million Moms), and she does that while maintaining a central focus and love for her family. I admire that and I the way she works so well with companies. In addition to that, I love her heart for helping others. She has spent a lot of time on the phone with me…helping me with Blog Frog (insert grin) and The Homeschool lounge, as well as some pretty amazing brain storming ideas. Her influence in my life has helped me gain some focus I never knew I needed and she pushes me to learn and grow as an individual, a writer and even in technology (which is not one of my strengths)!
I never would have thought that someone in this world of online communities and individuals would not only work together to help grow a business or a community…really until I met Jenn from Daze of Adventure. Through twitter, we began conversing and a few phone calls here and there. Through our calls, I could tell something amazing was going on. I was growing as a person, stretching and desiring to truly embrace this amazing world and reaching out to help others. That is what drew me to Jenn. Her desire to work with companies to help them with their brands, but also to reach out to families in need. Her heart is truly worn on her sleeve when she is passionate about something – and she is a blessing to me and my family. I have had the beautiful opportunity to meet Jenn in life. Last summer, while visiting in Florida, we spent a few days at the beach and in her home. Our families have meshed and grown a beautiful relationship that truly goes beyond online. Jenn has helped me in ways I never imagined anyone could. Most of all, she has a keen eye on the one true way companies should be working with bloggers and/or writers – and that is through developing relationships. A good working relationship that goes beyond ONE review or opportunity truly builds a trust between the readers and the company. A good writer/blogger knows that and desires a relationship with companies. That is Jenn’s heart and one of the reasons she started BEECH Retreat. I personally, can not wait to go and well, I just know that this new conference is going to set a new tone that many will have to regroup and work towards! (The picture above is of me and Jenn at her favorite Cupcake hang out in Fla….That’s her on the left – yep, she’s pretty amazing!)
Last…and I say that ONLY because I can only list three…and I hate writing only three because I have so many friends who influence me online…but, this one has my heart. Sweet Kimberly from Not Consumed. Like Jenn, I have met Kimberly in person. Through that meeting we were able to really talk about our goals and our lives. Recent events in her life have brought her to a place where many people would quit blogging and writing…they would give up the dream of being a writer and go out into the world for a different type of job. Not Kimberly! Her faith, passion and desire to truly grow and build relationships with company is found in her writing. Her ability to write her heart, while also drawing readers in as she shares about companies she works with…warms my heart. She pushes me to stay up late, writer better…and by golly to get on board with Pinterest.
What can I say except this….companies need to truly grab hold of the amazing writers who are willing to work with them, especially long term relationships that will help grow their brand. There are some amazing writers/bloggers ready to rock this world with this influence…and any company not willing to jump on board risks – truly risks not taking their company to the next level.
As a part of the BlogFrog Influencer Circle, I have the chance to create meaningful, authentic content for brands I love. If you’re a blogger interested in new opportunities, join BlogFrog’s Influencer Circle and check out some of the top brands already working with BlogFrog.
If you’re a brand looking to work with online influencers, learn more about BlogFrog’s Brand Solutions here. Now, I’m curious. What do you love most about blogs and blogging?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogFrog. The opinions and text are all mine.
