Sooo, if you follow me on Twitter you might have caught my tweet about #thingsblogginghastaughtme. For a moment I was tempted to dust off my Twitter soapbox and go in about all the craziness I’ve noticed since I started blogging, but then I realized at the end of the day who would really give a “you know what” about my rant.

Well clearly I was wrong, because I received several tweets telling me to go right on in. Being the lady my momma raised me to be, I declined, but it did get me to thinking….. clearly common sense isn’t always common in the blogging world.

With that being said, I give to you my “Common Sense Guide to Blogging, Because Common Sense Isn’t Common!”

Common Sense #1: Please follow-up.

If someone contacts you, follow-up. Expecting a return email, tweet, DM, FB mention, text, BBM (wait nobody has those anymore), and/or a pigeon delivered note shouldn’t be unexpected. Now by all means I know people have 9-5′s, kids, etc. that keep them busy, but a return reply in a timely fashion doesn’t hurt anyone.

Common Sense #2: A thank you goes a long way.

Blogging is a community and more often than not if you have a blogging related question, another blogger has the answer for you. If you ask for tips, advice, counseling, etc. and someone provides the information to you….please please please say thank you. Again, people have lives outside of blogging. So if someone takes the time to help you in any shape or fashion, no matter how small, it’s only courteous to thank them for it because next time they may not be so quick to help.

Common Sense 3: Watch how you treat people. 

People don’t know this but the blogging community is very small in certain areas of the world. You will meet someone who knows someone who knows someone you want to know. All it takes is one snide remark, side eye, eye roll, teeth suck, brush off, need I go on, for you to quickly miss a blessing. That person that you are throwing shade to might be the key to your destiny. P.S. Shout out to my pastor, he recently preached on that. (Yes I gave a shout out to my pastor, you know how we do, say something!)

Common Sense 4: Don’t hate, appreciate. 

Look, I’ma need you to stop all that laughing. No, really. Y’all know I had to bring it back. You done yet?! Can we move on now? K, thanks. Seriously, don’t spend your time worrying about someone’s else blogging success. Congratulate them and focus on how you can get where they are at. Heck, better yet try reaching out to them and see how you can help and learn from them. Blessing or helping someone else does not dull your shine. A candle doesn’t lose any of its light by lighting another candle, trust me on that.

Common Sense 5: Before you ask someone a question, Google it! 

Okay, this is a personal pet peeve of mine so please allow me to be selfish and add this in: Google is your friend, and Pinterest is too. They have this thing called the internet, and it’s truly remarkable. I hear you can type in a question, word, etc. and find information on it. I know, shocking right?! But seriously, all kidding aside no question is a dumb question. However, it is in my opinion very lazy to ask a question you could have easily found yourself (especially if you were asking said question on the internet that you could have used to research the answer to your question). *nosedives off soapbox and kicks it to the side*

Like I said, this is pure common sense. This isn’t brain surgery or trigonometry. Oh, and before you do the eye and head roll talking bout, “She just started blogging, whatever!” I kindly suggest you go back to #3. Pleasantries.

Please let me know what common sense advice you would give to a blogger.

XOXO, Miss Foodie Fab!