This summer, I was one of the featured bloggers at my employer Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect Blogging Boot Camp, a superduper round-up of information from key bloggers providing tips for helping your blog ROCK. The contributors were online stars such as the Blogging Boot Camp Host ScaryMommy, Jennifer of Hip As I Wanna Be, Amanda of Parenting by Dummies, Matt of DC Urban Dad and others. They all  had fabulous insights on why blogging is such a fab creative outlet, and how it can even morph into a semi-pro venture.

My topic in the Blogging Boot camp was Guest Posting 101, an article on the ins, outs and art of guest posting. You can read the whole article here.

When I began blogging, I offered to guest post and contribute to lots of other online publications. I joined the now-closed DC Metro Moms Blog and contributed personal essays twice a month. I wrote about cool products I dug at We Covet about five times at week for six months in 2008. I wrote a few beauty articles at Blissfully Domestic.com in 2008 when it first launched, and a couple times at Tech Savvy Mama.  I love to guest post for the homepage of DC Urban Moms and Dads when I have the time.

I find guest posting a great way to hone my skills as a writer and learn more about the online writing world. Guest posting is different than formal freelance writing assignments in that there is no payment to the guest poster (and when I provide professional freelance content for payment, usually there is no mention of or link to my personal website in my byline or tagline).  When I began blogging and promoting A Parent in Silver Spring, the payment was that my posts got my name and my website’s name “out there” to new readers.

OK, I’ll be honest and gauche: Sometimes it totally drove traffic to my site.

If you want to get the word out for your own venture and drive traffic to your own site, I’d love to have you guest post on A Parent in Silver Spring! I’d love to help promote your own blog, website or service that you offer to families in exchange for help in providing new content to the readers.

However, there are some very important guidelines for guest posts, in order to give the readers the content they expect from A Parent in Silver Spring:

• The guest post should not read like a commercial for your awesomeness or sound super shilly for your business.

• The guest post should not link to a giveaway or contest you’re hosting on your own blog.

• The guest post should not blatantly try to convince readers to buy something from you or hire your services.

• If the guest post is not brand new content and is a re-post from your blog or another website, you or I will write a new title, intro paragraph and tweak it a bit so that the two pieces do not compete with each other in search engines.

• You own the rights to your own content, so if you’d like to use that guest post again somewhere else, be my “guest”.

Here are some great examples of previous guest posts on A Parent in Silver Spring.

If you’d like to guest post, just send me an email with the topic you’re thinking of writing about! If I reply that I like the idea too, then go forth and write it and submit the piece in the body of an email.

Great topic ideas:

• A first-person essay about a parenting topic important to your heart.

• A hilarious story from your experience as a parent.

• An interview you conduct with a local figure of relevance to families.

• Your first-person experience with a local attraction or outing that you recommend to other parents.
  

• A list of links to your family’s favorite things to do on the weekend.

• Professional tips from your area of expertise that are of help to families, referencing services in general. (Your business will of course receive a link and mention in your intro bio or in your tag line, as appropriate).

NOT good topic ideas:

• Information on how to buy your snake-oil dietary supplements.

• Why parents should purchase an online degree (from that unaccredited “university” in yo’ basement).

• How to make a million dollars from home!  For just $29.99!

• A long, crazy rant about your religious or political beliefs.

• A libelous negative piece about a local business for which you have a vendetta.

• Something you have copied and pasted from somewhere else.

• Anything that even hints of hatred or derogatory language towards any racial, ethnic, gender, religious, parenting choices, sexual orientation, age or other group or individuals.

• A piece that uses profanity. (Only I’m allowed to invoke the infrequent rated PG-13 bad words for dramatic effect.  Total double standard. Sorry.)

I’m sure you get the drift.

Tech Savvy Mama Leticia started out guest posting on A Parent in Silver Spring. And now she’s bigger than BIG in the blogosphere. Like seriously famous and a leader in the field. Now, that’s all due to HER of course!

But if you’re thinking of starting a blog but haven’t yet begun your own personal URL, I’d love to be your gateway or a place for you to dip your toe in this awesome world.