(this post was originally posted on MySpecialKs blog 08/02/09)
click image
Well, first of all THANK YOU, Renee! I'm honoured to be one of your Guest Bloggers! You already know this (from your blog stats lol) but I check your blog every day - more than
The idea of what to write about on Renee's blog is more panic ensuing than what I go through when I blog on my own ha ha but don't worry, I won't bore you with my facebook list of '25 Random Things About Me'. (erm because it was such a hit on my facebook page, yawn). Just so you know, I did offer to make the sacrifice for you, her loyal readers, to 'Guest Disney' for her instead so she could stay and blog but well... here I am guest blogging...
So, I thought about what to write and decided that THAT is what I should write about! Guest Blogging. I mean let's face it, unless you are a celebrity (and even then only if you are one of the 'A list' celebrities), you are the 'understudy' of blogging. It is not too dissimilar to when one of the presenters of your favourite chat show is off on holiday and they put the weather girl in to take her place. The interviews are awkward and all the usual funny 'in jokes' are lost on 'interim' person. What makes it even worse is if they run a pre-recorded clip of an interview with the real presenter only to cut back to the 'fake' presenter.
With this thought ever present in my mind, I thought I'd make a list, a guide if you will, of how to be a good Guest Blogger. I'm sure you'll want to print it out to hang on your bathroom mirror to read aloud every morning as you brush your teeth and fix your hair (I hope you do these things each morning - but as a Mum I know from experience that perhaps a better placement for such a list would be above the changing table or on the refrigerator door as these are the only two guaranteed places you'll go each day).
um...no
yeah more like that.
So, here we go.
1. Topic. Choose a topic that is not offensive. Avoid politics. Avoid controversial topics. This could significantly limit your subject matter if you have every computer or phone wallpapered with Obama or you are the founder and 
If you are a mum, write about your kids. If all your children do is sit in front of the telly, throwing toys everywhere and spitting cheerios behind the sofa,
2. Causes... okay so you have a passion for something. I, personally, do all I can (in my own limited way) to help Reece's Rainbow raise awareness and to assist families adopting children (mostly with DS) internationally. In my case, Renee also shares my passion for this cause (hello? Kellsey!!) But, as a guest blogger you may want to stay away from promoting your causes, unless you are certain the blog owner also shares this.
click image
So, whilst I'm happy to mention Reece's Rainbow on Renee's blog, I don't think she would enjoy my attempting to enlist people as citizens of the land of Lovely
(yes, it is a real country - in a loose sense of the word...
actually located IN London.
This is its National Anthem and I believe it is the only
country in the world to be fully double glazed)
The film 'Yes Men' was based upon this chap...
don't say you don't learn anything from me!
click image
or if I were to share my reasons why houses made of straw are not the way forward.
3. Your Blog. Okay, yes, I'm assuming that most people who are chosen to guest blog have their own blogs. Guest blogging is probably NOT the time to write a post with every other word linking to every single one of the posts from your own blog. Shameless self promotion is highly discouraged from the subject matter of being a Guest Blogger. Though I'll admit the temptation IS there... this must be avoided at all costs.
4. Medicine/Health. This may seem like a very helpful thing to blog about but no one but the blog owner has the right to
No, whilst medical topics are wildly interesting and sometimes bloggers who post on such subjects even have some of the facts correct, they don't suit the Guest Blogger. I'm guessing Animal topics may possibly fall into this category if you are considering writing about the mating habits of the water flea.
5. How To Guides/Lists. Well, no one likes a know-it-all.
