Most fashion and style bloggers are familiar with the online world and social media–after all, we’re posting our looks and our lives on the web on a regular basis. One way to complement your main blog is to use microblogging service Twitter, which offers an easy way to connect with online friends, network with people who have similar interests, broadcast to your audience, and keep up with events happening around the world–all in real time.

So how do you get people to actually follow you on Twitter?

The most important way is by engaging with other people and organizations using the service. If you’re new to the game or just want to increase the number of people following you, try a few of the following techniques:

1. Follow more people

This sounds simple, but when I first started using Twitter a few years ago, I just posted random stuff and wasn’t really following anyone. That’s not the point of the service. Making connections is a two-way street, so go forth and follow! Research shows that most people have a roughly equal number of follows and followers.

If you’re not sure who to follow, try these fashion lists:

• Twibes
• Listorious
• Mashable

You should also check out who other people are following–it takes a bit of time, but it’s a great way to find less well-known individuals who have a fun and interesting perspective.

2. Connect and respond

One of the great things about Twitter is the fact that two-way (and often three- and four-way) communication is so easy. If you see a tweet asking a question relevant to you, respond. Ask for help and give help when asked. Use Search.Twitter.com to find people talking about the subjects that interest you, and respond to them. Interaction is the most genuine, organic way to grow your following.

3. Be visible

Make sure your Twitter profile is part of your email address, your message board signature, on your business cards, linked to your Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts, and prominent on your blog’s homepage. Include your Twitter handle (ie @StyleSample) so people can immediately see what you’re called, and link it to your Twitter page so people can easily find and follow you.

Add yourself to Twitter directories so people who are interested in similar topics can find you. Try:

• WeFollow
• Twellow
• Just Tweet It
• TweetFind
• TwitDir
• GeoFollow

4. Re-tweet

Use Search.Twitter.com or an application like HootSuite to see which of your tweets are the most popular, and then re-tweet them at various times during the day. This increases the possibility that different people–and new people, see your best tweets. Those people will then either re-tweet those posts, or start to follow you.

and, last yet most important:

5. Create and post good content

Even though it’s limited to 140 characters, Twitter is still considered blogging. Do what you do to keep your long-form blog fresh–create and post interesting content. Share article links, retweet quality posts, ask insightful questions, and don’t be afraid to include a bit of humor!

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

Sites we just can’t seem to stay away from:

Gary Pepper Vintage

Nicole of Gary Pepper Vintage is a hard-working entrepreneur who just happens to be gorgeous. Fair? No. Worth the read? Absolutely.

What I Saw Today

Designerman – aka Richard Haines – creates deceptively simple-looking pencil sketches of New York street style on his blog  What I Saw Today. You start to think “Hey, I could do that” until you realize it takes massive talent. Which we don’t have.

Couturious

Who doesn’t like styling models with designer clothing? Couturious is like old school paper dolls crossed with Cher’s computer wardrobe stylist in Clueless–completely addictive.

What are you lovin’ right now?

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

This is a guest post by Tiffany of I’m a Shoe Whore. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.

When I first started blogging I quickly found out the importance of great/fun photos. Photos are the key to your blog, they help pull viewers in and keep them entertained for the time they spend on your site. Sometimes your photos keep readers coming back to see more fun and sometimes inspiring pictures!

After being bored by my own pictures I went on the hunt for some great free online photo editing sites that would help me dress my photos up! Here are three of my favorites:

Photoshop

I use Photoshop whenever I edit my photos. Its interface is so easy that it makes editing photos incredibly simple. You do have to sign up for an account, but it’s free and your images can be stored online for family and friends to view. I love that you can preview how the image will look just by scrolling over the edit options. I also love the pop color feature on this site. Make sure you have a fast connection–it sometimes takes a while to load the photos.

DrPic

DrPic is a great site if you need to do a quick edit or crop your photos. There are some fun options you can use to add frames or a Polaroid effect to your images, and I love the grayscale feature on this site. You don’t need an account–just load a picture, edit, and then save to your computer. Simple! One minor annoyance: the Google ad bar at the top of the picture while you edit photos.

FlauntR

FlauntR has some great editing features and frames you can add. The main reason I use this site is for the text feature–I love that there are so many fonts available. I have never seen so many different fonts offered on a free editing site, and you can move and rotate the text anyway you choose. You do have to create an account to use this site-but it’s free!

Get animated

I remember the first time I saw an animated graphic. I was awe-struck, then jealous because I wanted my own! Soon I was off on an internet hunt for sites to help me create animated graphics. There are a few sites out there, but I always turn to one site to help me create my own animated images.

Gickr

Gickr is free and easy to use–no account needed. You can select up to 10 images at once, the size of the image, how fast the image will move, then hit create. That’s it! Wait for your image to load and you should see the animated image. (I often hit create a few times trying out different image speeds to get the right one.) There are many ways to save it, but I always right click on the image and click “Save Image As”.

Now, loading the image on your blog can be tricky. You first have to upload your animated image to a hosting site like tinypic.com (it’s free). Once you’ve uploaded it to the site you can select the “HTML code for Websites” or “Direct Link for Layouts” code. You’ll then have to put the code into your post via the html/edit page. I’d be happy to help if you ever have any questions!

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

Informative fashion fodder, just in case you missed it:

• “Has our quest for convenience forever altered fashion?” Dumbing down American design (Part 1)

• Singapore’s Next Fashion Superblogger Contest: Cute bloggers, great style. And it’s sponsored by a mall! When will America catch on to this?

• Suddenly Print is taking the blog challenge seriously: Interesting perspective from a fashion journalist about the so-called showdown between print and online.

• We’re always interested in seeing what bloggers ’round the world are doing: Hong Kong’s hottest fashion blogger Cindiddy

• Gilt Groupe brings flash sales to the iPad: Online flash sale giant Gilt Groupe is keeping up with technology by introducing an iPad app. Tech-geek fashionistas rejoice!

• Speaking of technology, Go Try It On Will Be Your Wardrobe Consultant And Personal Stylist In One

• Interview with 15-year-old Danish fashion blogger, teen insider Nicklas Skovgaard. Way to make us feel old.

• Sure, you love fashion, but will you invest in it? New website allows anyone to invest $50 in young labels.

What were your favorite fashion stories this week?

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

In the current issue of Style Sample, Fajr of Stylish Thought wrote a great article about hosting your blog on your own domain. She recommends using WordPress (so do I–both this site and my personal blog run on WordPress), but it can be confusing if you’ve never purchased a hosting account or registered your own domain name. Here’s a great video tutorial series to show you the basics:

How to install WordPress from scratch (Part 1)

How to install WordPress from scratch (Part 2)

This video is a few years old, so make sure you download the most current version of WordPress. As of today, it’s version 2.9.1.

This guy uses Host Gator, but there are multiple site hosting companies to choose from. Some of the most popular are:
BlueHost
GoDaddy
Host Gator
1&1
DreamHost

Let me know if you have questions or need help!

~Tamia

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

With the proliferation of fashion 2.0 came the explosion of style sharing sites, communities where internet-savvy fashionistas post their photos and inspiration and bond over mutual sartorial longing. I fondly remember when MyStyleDiary started as a post in the old LuxuryFashion forums back in the proverbial day. I think most style bloggers are a part of at least one of these communities–which one is your favorite?

 Loading ...

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

With over 300 million active users, most people have some sort of presence on Facebook. It’s one of the most popular social networking sites in the world, and can be used for everything from keeping up with your best friend from kindergarten to making business contacts.

Most of us have a personal Profile, but if you want to take promoting your blog a step further, you may also want to create a Fan Page for your site. Before you do that, though, think about the purpose of your page: Would it be to drive readers back to your blog? A place to post extra content? A way to reach friends/family who may not visit your blog regularly?

Setting up a fan page means you’ll need to regularly post content there in addition to your blog/MySpace/Twitter account/wherever else you may be, so think about what works best for you. If you’ve considered the pros and cons and are ready for a fan page, here’s what to do:

Setup Your Page

Log into Facebook and click on Advertising at the bottom of the page. Go to Pages> Create a Page, and start adding your information. Most blogs will fall under the category “Brand, Product, or Organization.”

Add Content

Add some applications: the most useful ones integrate your blog’s RSS feed and your Twitter feed into your page, like SocialRSS. It’s a good idea to link your online presences in order to cross-promote. Try adding extra tabs with Involver.

Now, based on the purpose of your page (which you determined above), add some introductory content so people will have something to look at when you invite them to become fans. Don’t send folks to a blank page!

Here are some ideas:

• Post your best photos or images and links to popular blog posts

• Post a summary of the comments on one of your blog posts if you’ve got a really juicy discussion going on. Encourage your fans to respond on Facebook or your blog.

• Create a contest where the winner will be determined based on a comment posted on your Page, or post a link to a contest taking place on your blog.

• Post some “behind-the-scenes” information or images from your blog. You know the pictures you like but didn’t have room for on the blog? Put ‘em here!

• Post a link to an interview or guest post on another site, or another blog/brand/item you like. Promoting others is good karma!

Try to add something to your Facebook page at least once per week.

Promote Your Page

Invite your personal contacts to be fans of your page. Since they already know you, they’re likely to become your first fans. Try to get some activity going on your page before inviting the general public. Then, you can:

• Embed a “Join our Facebook Page” widget in your sidebar

• Include a link to your Fan Page in your email signature

• Invite your Twitter followers to become Fans

Make sure people know what’s in it for them: Additional content, regular updates, special contests, whatever your purpose. Continue to promote your page to new contacts, readers, and followers on a regular basis to build your fan base.

Interact!

Encourage discussion by asking questions or sponsoring contests that require a comment. Remember, not everything has to be strictly business or blog-related all the time.

Note that setting up a Fan page requires additional work and may not be for everyone, so consider your needs and limitations before taking the plunge. However, it can be a great way to reach your readers where they are!

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

In issue #4 of Style Sample magazine, Valerie of Beauty and the Budget explained how to use Google Analytics to keep track of your blog stats. Tracking is extremely important as it’s important to know how many readers you have, what they’re looking at, how they’re finding your site, especially if you plan on advertising on your blog. While Google Analytics is one of the best known and most in-depth tracking applications, there are plenty of others, too!

StatCounter.com: Shows your most popular pages, the search terms visitors use to find your site, and the number of new vs. returning visitors.

GoStats.com:
Shows information about unique sessions, sessions per visitor, time spent on each page, and the path visitors take on your site.

SiteMeter.com: Provides detailed information about last 100 visitors to your site including which browser they used and their screen resolution, and visits by hour to see busy/slow periods each day.

AddFreeStats.com: Graphs search engine estimates, visits per visitor, and which Adsense links people click while on your site.

Most are as simple as signing up and registering your site, at which point you’re given a snippet of code to insert into your HTML. It’s easy and free and full of valuable information, so if you haven’t already, start tracking your blog stats!

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

MOD TV lets you live the glamorous life…at least for as long as the episode (and your imagination) allows. This podcast brings the exciting drama of the fashion world up close and personal. If you haven’t been so lucky as to sit front row at the hottest shows and mingle with supermodels (and let’s face it, most of us haven’t) then escape to the world where those dreams can become a reality.

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

Dear fellow fashion techies,

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post

While roaming the ‘net, we came across a few high-tech(ish) sites that we thought would be of interest to fellow fashion bloggers. Here’s what we found:

Style
StyleRays is a site dedicated to creating an online community for users to share their sense of style for the world to see. It’s basically the Facebook picture function but instead of tagging your friends’ faces you tag what you’re wearing with a brief description. This is a great site to share your sense of style with other users, get feedback or look at other contributors. What I found most convenient about StyleRays is their sort functions in which you can search through photos by brand, style type, and genres and contributors. I will definitely start posting some pics of my own. ~David

Beauty
Daily Makeover offers fashion and beauty advice and lets you upload your picture to the site for a “virtual makeover” (free membership required). They also feature product reviews, beauty blogs (from the “Beauty Bloggerati” no less), and picks from their own editors. ~Tamia

Shopping
Sense of Fashion is a one-stop shop for those who are already well-acquainted with their personal sense of style and still want more.  It provides all the tools that are essential to evolving your look and elaborating upon your fashion knowledge in one pretty little well-dressed package.  Fashion blogs and trendy links aren’t all this fab site has to offer; “Fashion” ‘s sense surpasses others in that it’s like Ebay gone hipster.  A site for the true and eclectic fashionista, it eliminates the hours you would log on scrolling through possible junk dressed up as treasures, and just offers up the real treasures instead. ~Hayley

Who says geeks can’t be chic?

Tweet This Post Post to Facebook Stumble This Post