Blog Hops and Link Parties

Blog Hops and Link Parties are an excellent way to connect and share with other bloggers, as well as get exposure. Back when I first started blogging in 2008-2009, there was no such thing as a link party or blog hop. I mainly blogged in the fashion and beauty niche back then, and even dabbled in the food/baking niche. I found it very difficult to connect with others in those niches and share and connect. Twitter had just started up, Facebook Fan Page were new as well, and there was no Instagram, Google +, or Pinterest. I mainly connected with those in my niches via Flickr, ning networks, and Youtube. Since I’ve returned to blogging about 5 months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see the many ways in which bloggers now connect. Bloggers have maximum exposure giving platforms to utilize such as Pinterest and super quick ways of connecting and sharing through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They also have Google +, which is a great resource for SEO and exposure as well. Additionally, we have these great things called link parties (memes, blog hops, etc…). I think they are a great idea, but a few months back I came across a very negative post them, and blogged about it here. I was enthralled with this link party idea and didn’t understand why the blogger was so negative toward them. Apparently, I was out of the loop, not having blogged for several years, in knowing that these things were not new. I’m not sure when the idea of a link party was originated or who did it, but they were definitely on to something. Continue reading →