Social Media

A little round up – upcycling IKEA furniture, simple makeup routine and more

| thetwodarlings

I feel like this website is sorely neglected and to be honest I should be pumping more time into it. I feel lately like all my social media or online time is directed solely at Instagram and sure if that were to vanish in the morning where would I be! And I started blogging as a way to channel my creativity and writing is one of the best ways to do that so from time to time I might throw up a quick blog post covering a few bits and pieces that I’ve been up to over the last while. Continue reading →

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Social media for small businesses and working with bloggers

| thetwodarlings

I get asked quite a lot by small companies and start ups is advice on their current social media strategy and for advice on working with bloggers. It is wonderful see so many people setting up businesses now, but the very nature of that venture is that you need to wear a lot of hats and be proficent in so many areas of expertise from the finacnes to the marketing. And social media is a wonderful thing for small businesses, it means that they can access a huge audience of people for a relatively small spend but there is more to social media than meets the eye. I want to go through some of the most common questions I get and the most common suggestions I give so that it may help another small business owner to perhaps step back from it all if they are lost in the fog. Continue reading →

Bloggers and #ad – what does it all mean? Put down your phone and read a book!

10 tips for protecting our kids online and ensuring internet safety in the home

| thetwodarlings

I went to a talk recently given in my daughters primary school which was all about internet safety and primary school kids. There is no doubt that technology will play a huge part in our kids lives going forward but there is a huge difference between educating kids in how to use a computer versus giving them free reign with a phone or tablet and fooling ourselves into thinking they are learning. Continue reading →

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Meet the Makers – Chiara Hayes Jewellery

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| thetwodarlings

So it’s safe to say the small Irish directory of businesses has been a huge success. The businesses are still rolling in and it’s becoming a wonderful resource for people especially now in the lead up to Christmas. To compliment the directory I’m going to do a Meet the Maker series – a short questionnaire that gives some insight to the people behind the brands and businesses listed. That’s half the point of buying from a small business, you are not only investing in a beautiful, quality product you are investing in real people who use that money to pay their bills, or pay for dance classes for their kids, it’s a win win for everyone involved.  Continue reading →

Bloggers and #ad – what does it all mean? Baba Box – quirky gifts for Mums and babies alike

Bloggers and #ad – what does it all mean?

| thetwodarlings

When people ask me what I do of course the first thing I say is I parent, I am first and foremost Mother and Mammy to my three darlings and lets face it that in itself takes up a fair chunk of my time both day and night. But lately I’ve started to wave my hand flippantly around in the air and with the hint of a red face I mutter something about doing something online with social media. The title blogger seems to have Continue reading →

Put down your phone and read a book! 10 tips for protecting our kids online and ensuring internet safety in the home

Bloggers guide to working with brands

| thetwodarlings

I attended a Blogging Event at the weekend and one of the topics was about bloggers working with brands or PR companies and with brands. I thought it was a really good topic to touch on and felt, even though my experience is relatively limited to date, I might have something to add. The first thing I would have to point out when it comes to this step as a blogger is that patience is paramount. Continue reading →

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Tips for new bloggers

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| thetwodarlings

This post on tips for bloggers is specifically related to blogging so apologies to those who have zero interest. I get a lot of questions from bloggers new and old on various areas from social media management to website design. I’ve also worked on a number of websites, from helping them set up their blog initially to streamlining and redesigning existing blogs and business websites. So if it is something you want a bit more advice or help on drop me an email. I have shared some of my tips here previously and will continue to do that as I got lots of advice from seasoned bloggers when I started and (not that I’m seasoned by any stretch of the imagination) I have put a lot of effort into the technical aspects of blogging and social media. So here are some tips I either found useful when they were given to me or tips that I figured out along the way. Continue reading →

10 tips for protecting our kids online and ensuring internet safety in the home Bloggers and #ad – what does it all mean?

10 Instagram Tips and Tricks

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| thetwodarlings

I am no expert on Instagram, I find it like a steady burn, I’m never going to be one of those Instagrammers that has 60k followers in a couple of hundred pictures. That said, there is space for everyone there and even though I may have only just over 5k followers it’s increasing daily. So here are some Instagram tips and tricks that I’ve employed that appear to be working, slowly but surely! 

  • Be really REALLY picky about the pictures you put up. I don’t put anything up unless it’s been taken with a proper camera and it has to be extremely clear. I edit the pictures, Continue reading →

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Useful WordPress plugins for bloggers

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| thetwodarlings

I only moved my site to self hosted back in October so I’m a relative newbie to the world of plugins but I have to say they are so handy in terms of automating things and general time saving tips and tricks. Here are some of my favourites plugins to date that I think any blogger, novice of experienced will find useful. 

Calendar – if I ever become super organised and have posts written ages in advance I know this will be extremely handy. It makes it really easy to populate a calendar so you can see what is scheduled when. Continue reading →

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