Guide to Tea Blogging: Ethics, Reviews, and Sampling
I kicked off a series called Guide to Tea Blogging back in December but haven’t had a chance to revisit it. New bloggers often reach out to me asking for advice so it will helpful to have blog posts on different topics to direct them to. The ethics of sampling come up pretty often so it seemed like a logical next installment. Ethics and Sampling One of the obvious perks of writing a tea blog is indeed receiving free samples. However, getting free samples should not be the reason that your blog exists. The same rule applies for press passes to World Tea Expo and other events. Unscrupulously greedy bloggers give the good ones a bad…
Guide to Tea Blogging: The Importance of Accurate Analytics
I get a lot of questions about the ins and outs of tea blogging, especially from those who are very new to this crazy thing we do. This post is the first of what will likely be a bit of a new mini-series. I thought I would start with the issue of analytics because it can be one of the most complicated aspects of tea blogging. Those of you who are retailers might also benefit from this kind of information. Regardless of the platform that you use to blog, it’s important to know that the native analytics are unlikely to be accurate. I use Blogger and it took me a while to figure out…
The Hazards of Tea Blogging
The other day I stumbled upon a VERY old article about the hazards of blogging. They recommended staying anonymous, avoiding making public profiles and advised bloggers to never, ever use their pictures online. My how things have changed! Most of the tidbits they offered were the opposite of the way things are done now but it got me thinking, what are the hazards of tea blogging? This is all meant to be a bit tongue in cheek of course! Carpal Tunnel Hours spent in front of the computer writing blog posts can definitely take a toll on the body. I’ve only noticed this cropping up recently but I’ve definitely got some carpal tunnel…
Is It Possible to Make Money with a Tea Blog?
When I first started my blog way back in 2008, it was a very casual thing that I didn’t really have any plans or intention for. As tea became a bigger part of my life, so has the blog along with it. I still don’t really know what I’m doing or where I’m going but the blog has truly taken on a life of its own. Lately I’ve had a lot of friends, especially those outside of the tea world, asking about whether or not it is possible to make a viable income with a tea blog. I’m sure they have visions of celebrity fashion, food and lifestyle bloggers in their heads. I’m…
Reader Questions: How Did I Become a Tea Blogger?
A reader recently asked if I had ever written about how I transitioned from casual sipper to the crazy life of a tea blogger. I was fairly surprised to find that I never had. Hard to believe, isn’t it? This post might be a lengthy one but I don’t want to leave anything out. I’d love to hear about some your tea journeys in the comments! I grew up in a family of tea drinkers although things were quite a bit different from the way that I approach tea now. Red Rose was the brand of choice and I took mine with milk and two sugars. My mother and I avidly collected (and…
Five Annoying Things About Being A Tea Blogger
As you probably saw after reading yesterday’s list, I think being a tea blogger is awesome. I wouldn’t trade what I do for the world! That being said, there are downsides to everything. Here are a few of the things that I find annoying about being a tea blogger. 1. People who think that they “get it”. When I tell people that I’m a tea blogger inevitably the response that I get is, “Oh, that’s cool. I LOVE tea. I drink Sleepy Time every night and I love going to Tea-a-vana (pronounced how I spelled it).”. While there’s nothing wrong with anyone loving either of those things, this is the kind of person…
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