The Green and Chic blog has been though a variety of changes since I started it almost two years ago.  During the first several months of its existence, it no ads – just a bunch of  links. Eventually I added a long list of affiliate links and banners to jazz things up a bit. A few weeks later, I took most of the affiliate banners out to cut down on the clutter, and added several AdSense banners and links.  Months later, I took most of the AdSense ads out and added more Green and Chic related links and banners.

Though the AdSense ads are a minimum now, I wonder if its even a good idea to even have third party ads on the blog.  I wonder if it would distract from the blog it self and Green and Chic, since this is an extension of the web store.

I know its ultimately up to me, but I am curious as to what you think.

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This is my first “link love” post of 2010 and I admit, I haven’t been doing many of these posts over the past…six months.  I recently found a few ‘must read and save’ links to start the new year off on the right foot.

Blogging (what else?)

If you have a blog, what are your blogging goals for 2010? Barbara Swafford with Blogging Without a Blog poses the question in her post: Looking Forward

If you have an eCommerce business, do you really need to blog?  This article: Do I Really Need a Blog For an eCommerce Business by Nate Moller of Thou Shall Blog gives you the answer you’re looking for.

Are you having a hard time just getting started with writing/blogging? Joanna with Confident Writing gave us a list of resources to help us get started (or continue) in 10 Posts to Help with Getting Started.

Fashion, crafts and green living

Though I try to avoid buying anything, if possible, I still love browsing online stores and boutiques. Top 10 Online Eco-Boutiques by Ecosalon kept me occupied for a while.

I’m currently on a sewing binge and Fab Fabrics: 2009 Retrospective by Crafting a Green World gave me additional ideas and inspiration for 2010.

Just Say No to Plastic - We all know just how toxic and destructive plastic is.  The problem its everywhere and its sometimes easy to forget that we should avoid it.  Lisa Sharp asks, “what are you doing to reduce plastic this year?” and offers a few suggestions.

Happy Hump Day!

Its hard for me to believe that we are already at the end of the year! Green and Chic has seen many changes in 2009.  Since the store is only fifteen months old now, major changes are typical and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.  To not evolve is to parish or fail.

The year started out pretty slow which is common for online stores just starting out.  There were times when I though about giving up and focusing on my full-time day job.  Running Green and Chic and working was kicking my butt to say the least, and I had a tough time managing both.

Around the same time, personal health challenges forced me to slow down a bit.  I could no longer ‘do it all’ as I initially planned.  It felt like the blog and store was coming to a screeching halt at that point.  As time went by and I was able to manage my time better, and business slowly started to pick up.  I found out what changes I needed to make on my website and marketing efforts.  Executing these changes is not easy to say the least, but change is always exciting. Relocating this past September brought on a whole new set of challenges, but I am so glad I made the move from the Bay Area (where I was born and raised) to Portland, OR.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who supported me this past year, and I’m looking forward to what 2010 will bring.

Happy New Year!

From what I’ve read, “post scrapping” is when someone steals your blog post or web content, put it on their website and try to pass it off as their own work.  Vered of MomGrind brought this issue to our attention a few months ago when she wrote about her experience.  A few other bloggers I follow also have had similar experiences.

I didn’t think the issue stealing content off a blog or website can get more pathetic until I realized that someone started scrapping my blog comments!  Yes, the comments you write when you read blogs, and take time to write thoughtful responses to what’s written.  How did I find out my comments were being swiped?  I found out when I was on the road in the process of moving up north.  It was my turn to be a passenger, so between knitting, reading and writing, I checked my emails and browsed the web on my Blackberry. When I write blog comments, I generally subscribe to comments if the blog is a Wordpress blog and the owner utilizes the Subscribe to Comments Plugin. Sometimes the best part of a blog post is reading the comments other people have written.

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