This is starting to look like just a photo blog around here with all these “photo of the day” posts. It’s not just a photo blog. It’s also a blog where I share links to my other writing around the web and a blog where I recently started posting book reviews. However, I’m on vacation through August 1st. It’s a laptop-free vacation that includes camping and unplugged activities! Until then you’ll mostly just see a “photo of the day”. I’ll be back on the 1st with my usually multiple-times-daily posts.

Tags: photo blog, Photos, update

I recently hosted my first giveaway on this blog. It was for a decorative pillow offered by a bedding company. I want to say thanks to everyone who participate and to let you know that a winner was randomly selected.

The winner was Gypsies Thread who has a really cool Etsy store that sells fine yarns and threads. Check it out if you’re the kind of person who does crafty things with yarn!

Thanks goes out to Lyz, @ShunkyDave, Sarah, Clarissa, and Lisette for your participation. Maybe next time!!

Tags: giveaway, pillow, winner

I love the work that I do as a writer and blogger for businesses. I think it allows me the chance to research many different interesting topics while working from the comfort of my own home. However, I also sometimes feel like I need a break.

You see, I don’t know if I want to be a full-time writer forever. Sometimes I think I do. Sometimes I think I’d like to write part-time and then do something else part-time (consulting, art, something else). On rare occasions, I think I’d like to do something else altogether.

The problem is that I can’t seem to figure out exactly what I want when I have to work all day every day. I feel like I need the space of not writing to just breathe into. In that space, I hope to hear myself echo back to me what it is that I specifically want to do with my writing.

So I’m planning for a sabbatical. I want to take a year off of writing professionally in order to just engage in some deep self-reflection. I won’t be doing this anytime soon. My goal is to write full-time for at least three more years. I’m working on some new writing goals to accomplish during that time. But then I want a full year sabbatical to just figure things out.

I think sabbaticals are important. They give you the chance to get to know yourself again. You can assess what you’re doing and how to do it better. Why don’t more people take them?

Tags: career, freelance writing, kathryn vercillo, sabbatical, writer, writing

I’m super excited to have the chance to offer a giveaway to the readers of my blog. I’m partnering up with BeddingSets.com to give a free decorative throw pillow to a lucky winner. This site offers a wide variety of bedding for both kids and adults. A lot of their stuff is really pretty but it was their decorative pillows that got my attention.

What I love is that they offer a variety of different styles so it’s easy to find something that you like. The winner of this giveaway will have their choice between a really cool modern throw pillow by Sin in Linen (which would be my personal pick) or the feminine and pretty butterfly/dragonfly pillow by Fine Art Tapestries. (Each one has a retail value around $50.)

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

Leave a comment at the end of this post. State which of these two pillows you would choose and why. Entries will be accepted until Friday, July 17th. All names will be entered into a random selection. The winner will be selected and notified on Saturday, July 18th.

Additional entry options:

You can be entered into this giveaway multiple times by doing any or all of the following things:

• Tweet about the giveaway. Follow me on Twitter. Tweet the giveaway information with link back to this post. Additional entry if you also include a link to BeddingSets.com. Leave a comment here letting me know about this and include your Twitter username.
• Follow my blog. Sign up for my RSS feed and let me know in the comments that you did it.
• Post about the giveaway on your site. Write whatever you want but include the following text (with two links in it): For a chance to win free bedding, visit Diary of a Smart Chick. Include a link to the URL of your post in the comments here. Get two extra entries for this.
• Review my blog on your site. If you like Diary of a Smart Chick, review the blog on your site. Leave me the URL link in the comments. Get two extra entries for this!!
• Do something creative to support the giveaway. I really love creative stuff. If you can come up with a creative way to promote this giveaway then I’ll give you three extra entries. It has to promote the giveaway, link to this blog and be different from what I’ve listed here. Let me know what you did in the comments!

I’m looking forward to your entries!

Tags: bedding giveaway, giveaway, pillow giveaway, win free bedding, win free pillows

As you know if you have been following this blog, I’ve been on vacation and haven’t had a chance to post regularly. However, I’m still doing some work here and there while I’m away.

If you’re interested in what I’ve been researching and writing about, check out some of the following links:

ON INTERIOR DESIGN:

• Making Books a Part of your Home’s Design
• How to Add a Jacuzzi to your Home
• Pool Furniture

ON BUSINESS, MARKETING and PRODUCTIVITY:

• MySpace for Marketing
• Innerpreneurs are Changing Business
• Go Offline to Get Online Links
• Why Employers Should Block some File Downloads
• How to Streamline Social Networking
• Use Time Tracking to Create a Productivity Plan
• Monitoring Company Printers
• When 9-5 Isn’t Working for Your Business
• Professional Employee Surveys

ON SAVING MONEY:

• Getting Food Fresh from the Farm
• Cheap Summer Activities for Kids
• Organize your Online Coupons
• And lots more!

Tags: articles, blog links, kathryn vercillo, links, writing

Just a quick note to let you know that Diary of a Smart Chick hasn’t gone anywhere in spite of it being a bit quiet around the blog recently. I’ve been gearing up to go on a short trip and it’s gotten a little bit too hectic to stay on top of updating all of the blogs. I’ll be getting started again right away when I return from the trip so come back to check up soon!

Earlier today I wrote about the HubPages articles of mine that haven’t been getting much attention in the past 30 days. That’s not to say that people aren’t seeing what I write there, though. Several of my hubs did really well in terms of traffic.

Here’s a look at my top ten most popular HubPages articles for April:

1. How to Delete a Browser Cookie.
2. How to Build a Treehouse.
3. Calorie Burners – Swimming vs. Running.
4. Indoor Activities that Bring Couples Closer Together.
5. Tips for Getting Rid of a Caffeine Headache.
6. How to Tell When Mushrooms Go Bad.
7. Olive Oil vs. Canola Oil – Fat Profiles.
8. Where to Buy Alli Online at the Lowest Cost.
9. How to Open a RAR File.
10. Top 10 American Fashion Designers.

There are a few reasons why these hubs might have been popular. First of all, they’re on popular topics – technology, health, weight loss, relationships … Secondly, they mostly provide concise and clear tips for getting things done. And finally, these are articles I’ve worked hard to promote around the web in the past and I think that’s continuing to benefit them now.

Are there any other HubPages writers out there? Which articles did best for you in April? Do you know why?

Tags: articles, hubpages, hubs, kathryn vercillo, popular blogs, web traffic, writing

I write various articles over at HubPages on a regular basis. This allows me to write about many different topics and to stretch my writing beyond that which I’m assigned to write for different clients. But not all of my hubs get attention on the web.

Here’s a look at the ten hubs that did the worst in terms of traffic for the month of April and why I think that was the case:

1. Free Online Resources for Marketing your Business.
2. Choosing a Restaurant for Valentine’s Day.
3. 23 Simple Ways to Save Money During the Holidays.
4. 3 Important Ways to Deal with High Gas Prices.
5. 10 Celebrities Who Don’t Bother with Cell Phones.
6. The Daily Caffeine Fix on Limited Funds.
7. Benefits of Blogging with HubPages.
8. Evaluating Student Credit Card Offers.
9. Tips for Dealing with the Frightening Economy.
10. What we Learned from Low Fat and Low Carb Diet Crazes.

Some of these didn’t get traffic because they were time sensitive. Nobody is interested in Valentine’s Day or holiday savings right now. Students are getting ready to get out of school and don’t care about new credit cards. And the gas prices aren’t so high any more so that article isn’t currently relevant.

The others probably didn’t get traffic because they are older posts and I haven’t been working to promote them recently. I’m a little sad to see the lack of traffic to “tips for dealing with a frightening economy” since that still seems relevant but it’s been overshadowed by another post of mine on the positive things that have come out of the bad economy.

I’m also a little sad to see that no one’s been reading about the benefits of blogging with HubPages since it’s such a great site to write articles on!

Any other hubbers out there? What topics didn’t do so well for you this month? Do you know why?

Tags: articles, hubpages, hubs, kathryn vercillo, web traffic, writing

As mentioned earlier today, I think that it’s useful for me as a HubPages writer to take a look at how my hubs fare traffic-wise each month.

Here’s a look at my lowest-traffic Hubs for March and why I think they didn’t get much attention online:

1. Choosing a Restaurant for Valentine’s Day. How to pick a romantic restaurant.
2. The Perfect Valentine’s Gifts. Which romantic gifts are best?
3. Everyone’s Favorite Holiday Gifts. What do you want at Christmas time?
4. Tips for a Healthier Super Bowl Party. Great low-fat snacks for sports parties.
5. Great Wine Without a Great Cost. Good wine doesn’t have to be pricey.
6. Evaluating Credit Card Offers for College Students. Which deals are best?
7. Why to Improve Your Credit Score. There’s a reason that you really want to.
8. Job Trends for Real Estate Agents. What was going on with real estate jobs when this was written?
9. Small Business Marketing Guide. How to network and market for your small business (and small budget!)
10. Tips for Dealing with Frightening Changes in the Economy. How to cope.

It totally makes sense that the first four articles here weren’t getting traffic in March since they are seasonal articles that aren’t so appropriate right now (although some of the tips really aren’t time-sensitive). Several of the other articles are just old (older than a year) so that’s probably why they aren’t getting attention although I’m sad to see that no one is reading about how to deal with the economy’s changes since that’s important right now.

Tags: articles, hub pages, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, tips, web traffic, worst hubs, writing

I have been writing articles over at HubPages for two years as of this month. I’m always interested to see which articles stand the test of time and which ones fade away after their original publication. One of the best ways to do this is to look at the best and worth hubs each month.

Here is a look at the top ten articles for amount of traffic in March:

1. How to Delete a Browser Cookie. Tips for deleting browser cookies for Internet Explorer users.
2. How to Tell a Close Friend that You’re In Love with Him or Her. Thoughts on whether or not to tell a friend that you want more and how to do that.
3. Top 10 American Fashion Designers. A look at some of the great fashion designers that work from the U.S.
4. How to Open a RAR File. In case you need to open a RAR file and don’t know how.
5. How do you Know When Mushrooms Go Bad? You wouldn’t want to eat bad mushrooms.
6. Fat Profiles of Olive Oil vs. Canola Oil. Information on whether there’s more fat in olive oil or canola oil and what kind of fat it is.
7. Tips for Getting Rid of a Caffeine Headache. Many people want to give up caffeeine but they end up with headaches. Here’s how to get rid of them.
8. Indoor Activities that Bring Couples Closer Together. People who want to stay indoors together should figure out how to have fun there.
9. How to Build a Treehouse. Thoughts on how to start building a tree house and where to get more info to complete the project.
10. Swimming vs. Running – Calorie Burners. Which one burns more calories – running or swimming?

So the articles that people were interested in this month were a decent mixture of topics but the focus seems to be on food and exercise, tips for tech tricks and “how to” type articles. What do you think made people most interested in these articles in March?

Tags: articles, best articles, how to, hub pages, hubs, kathryn vercillo, top hubs