Ultimate Coffee Date – July 2015

Happy Independence Day!  I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend.  Living in Philadelphia, there’s always a ton of activity around here for the Fourth, but we still don’t know what we plan to do for the day!

Since it’s the first Saturday of July, I’m joining in the Ultimate Coffee Date linkup, hosted by Coco, Deborah, and Lynda!  Go to any of their sites to see what everyone’s posting, it’s a great way to get to know other bloggers!

[bctt tweet=”Time for the Ultimate Coffee Date with @deborahbrooks14 @got2run4me and @fitnessmom1! “]

Ultimate Coffee Date

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you…that I can’t believe it’s July and that the summer seems to be moving so quickly!  This is my favorite time of year and it’s already moving too fast!  I’m looking forward to a couple of vacations this summer, the first up in Miami later this month.  I never get to go to the beach so it’s going to be a blast!  Are you doing anything special this weekend?

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you…work is going pretty well right now.  I started a new position a couple of months ago (yay for promotions!), and it’s been a pretty interesting transition for me.  I still have a lot to learn but now that things are starting to pick up I’m really looking forward to getting in the action for this next big project.  Pretty soon I should finally be moving into my new office, and finally be able to start wearing my new professional clothing!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you…I’ve been continuing to work really hard on the blog.  I’ve been really focused on writing quality posts that are useful to you as a reader. Thankfully I never have a shortage of things to write about!  Specifically, here are some of the bloggy things I’ve been doing:

• I’ve written guest posts!  I love doing this, but I learned that it’s not the best idea to volunteer for 3 posts that are due around the same time!  But I seem to enjoy challenging myself, haha.  I’ve created a new page called “As Seen In…” with all of my features and guest posts.  Here are the latest:
  • What to Eat Before and After a Workout at Sorey Fitness
  • How to Start Running:  The Ultimate Guide at Almas Days
  • Why All Runners Should Volunteer for a Race at Miles to Go
• I’m getting more organized with scheduling my posts on social media.  As I mentioned last month, I’ve been struggling with time management. Sometimes in order to be productive, you have to make some investments:
  • I’ve signed up for Coschedule for my editorial calendar and social sharing.  After using the 14-day free trial, I had to sign up for the $10/month plan!  I can monitor how many shares my posts are getting, make sure I keep my Twitter and Facebook pages active, and organize my tasks for each post. I’m loving it!   Disclaimer – I’m sharing my affiliate link for Coschedule.
  • I’m using the free trial of Tailwind for Pinterest scheduling.  I did a lot of research to decide which app to use, but Tailwind was a no-brainer for me. Affordable, easy to use and Pinterest-approved.  Sharing my posts on group boards has always been a great way for me to get traffic, so scheduling them really takes things to the next level.  Once my first 100 pins are used, I’m going to get the blogger plan that’s about $10/month as well. Update:  I signed up for the PLUS membership!  Check out my review for Tailwind! Please note that I’m sharing my affiliate link.
• Last, I’m trying to figure out this monetization stuff.  Because blogging takes up so much of my time, I’m realizing that being compensated here and there would really be a good idea.  I’m still not really interested in running ads on the site, but I’m trying to find ways to promote products that would be beneficial to you, while picking up a dollar or two on the way!  I will always let you know if I am an affiliate or whether I’m writing a sponsored post.
  • I am a new Amazon Associate, so I will be promoting more products that way.  I’ll only be sharing products that I trust and use.
  • I’m looking into Shareasale to see if I can find some affiliate opportunities there.
  • Please check out my new Disclosure and Privacy Policy under my Contact Me page.
  • What monetization tools have worked for you?  As a small blogger, I’m open to suggestions!  

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you…I wasn’t expecting it, but I have really enjoyed watching the Women’s World Cup the past couple of weeks.  Go Team USA!  Did I ever mention I was on the soccer team my senior year of high school?  I was a goalie, but my team was so good that they didn’t require me to do much during most of our games.  Still, I had a few good saves and a lot of fun!  I hope that we beat Japan this Sunday, we’ll definitely be watching!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you…I’ve reached out to Coach Kristy and we’ll be working together again very soon!  I can’t wait to finally be back on a regimented training schedule.  I’ll be focusing on the Philly 10K for the time being, but I still need to decide on those fall races, argh!  I mentioned I bought new ASICS, but I’m also going to buy a second pair of running shoes – Nike!  I can’t wait to share my thoughts on them once I order them!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  What would you tell me if we were having coffee?  

Let’s stay connected! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin‘!