There is much more to being a blogger than writing a new blog everyday or sharing it across social media. There's a lot more planning and organization involved in that.

It's making sure you're not just sharing your own posts but others as well. It's keeping an editorial calendar, keeping files on hand, media kits and constantly brainstorming. It's taking a thousand photos to get the right one, blog conferences and friends.

There is a lot more to blogging than just writing a draft. I've realized that recently and I kind of love it. I love how there is a whole other side to blogging that I'm coming in touch with.

One of the best and most important tools I've learned about blogging is the importance of analytics. It wasn't until a few months ago when I started to pay a little more attention to my blog analytics and how many page views and monthly visitors I was wracking up.

That stuff was always important to me but I just started to see how freaking cool it was!!

I think it's the coolest thing to be able to see who is looking at your posts, what time they read them and where their located. Seeing the "real time" users is sick--being able to know that at that very moment someone is reading your blog.

Maybe I'm just a complete tech junkie and nerd but I think tracking your analytics is pretty cool but essentially, it's one of the most vital parts of taking your blog to the next level.

Knowing how many people visit your blog each day, how long they stay active and how many pages they view is really important. It's important to your audience, to brands and companies you want to work with, and to you as an owner.

Having a better understanding of analytics will help you become a better blogger.

Analytics is confusing, don't get me wrong. I'm by no means an expert but after playing around with it, I've become a little more knowledgable and it makes things a little easier.

Google Analytics is the platform I use and most bloggers I've spoken with use this one as well. It's easy to hook up to your blog if you have Blogger and a Gmail account. I've been playing around with this baby really well for the past few weeks but have had it installed for months.

Google Analytics as a whole is really useful and beneficial, once you get the hang of it. There are definitely some highlights that I think are the most useful to bloggers who are just starting out or want to take their blog to the next level.

1. Audience Overview: This is probably the most basic part of Google Analytics and the part that is most simple to understand. Basically it shows your page views and other statistics for any given date. Initially it'll start off as a monthly view but you could alter it for any day.

Here it tells you your page views which is how many times your blog was viewed; users, which is how many physical people clicked on your blog, and sessions, which is the period of time a user was actively engaged in your blog.

Aside from those statistics, it's also reported how many pages were viewed during a session, how long the average session lasted, locations and the number of new and returning visitors. 

I don't think I have my analytics installed correctly because it won't let me view the next categories such as age, gender, and basic demographics such as that.

2. Behavior: Behavior is useful for a variety of reasons; it shows you the flow of your readers (what pages they went to first, second, third) which is something I discovered while researching this blog post. Another great, useful part of 'behavior' is that you can see which pages and posts were most viewed during a certain period. 

It also shows how long it takes your site to load (woah, eyeopener) which can help you in the long run.

3. Technology: (Under Audience) This is pretty straight forward and simple. It shows you which browsers and operating systems people are viewing your blog under. I think this is super cool #nerdalert

4. Acquisition: This might be the most important part of analytics in my opinion. This shows how readers get to your site, whether it was a direct search, social media or a referral. It also shows which keywords they used to find your site(the coolest part). This is the most important to me because it's something you can control (sort of).

It breaks these different platforms down to really give you an inside look as to where your most traffic is coming from, showing which areas are pretty good and where you need improvement.

Like I said before, there are a lot of parts that don't work for me, for some strange reason (I need to look into that). Those parts that don't work would be really useful because you'll know exactly who you're targeting and whose reading.

I'm going to do another post on how to apply all these useful analytic tips because this post will be super long and confusing if I put it all together.

These definitely aren't the only parts of Google Analytics but the parts I focus on and find the most useful. Like I said, I'll do another post on how to apply all of this information but I hoped this helped or you found it interesting!!

Do you fellow bloggers have any tips and tricks when it comes to analytics? Please tell me in the comments !!

It's now 24 hours until me and 14 of my closest friends are on a plane to the Dominican Republic. My excitement is truly unreal and I've been a stressed out mess all week. Between finishing up midterms, sorority initiation, tanning, packing, and running around to get everything I need, it's been a rough one. I need a vacation just from preparing for vacation!

Packing is such a process because you never know what you are going to need once you get there. I love having options for outfits and I overpack when I'm going somewhere for one night so for me, it was all about prioritizing.

I made check lists on check lists to try to remember everything I need. It's crazy and if you've ever gone on a trip like this, you understand my pain. It's also my first actual vacation without my parents so I don't have my mom breathing down my neck to make sure I remembered everything.

Here are some tips for packing lightly but efficiently for Spring Break:

1. Only the essentials: DO NOT OVERPACK. Do you really want to pay the extra money to go over the 50 pound limit? I don't. Plan accordingly and ahead of time. If you're going to a beach vacation for five days, don't bring 10 bathing suits. Think about it, you'll only be wearing a bathing suit and cover up during the day and dressy clothes at night. Don't bring too many pairs of shorts or too many dresses. Bring at most, three extra outfit options so you have a choice in what you'd like to wear.

2. Plan with your friends/roomies: If you're going away with your best friends, pitch in on stuff. Instead of everyone bringing a blow dryer or straightener, bring one or two per room. There's no need for everyone to bring shampoo and conditioner, buy a large one at Target and spilt the price. It'll free up some space in your suitcases and it'll be cheaper for everyone in the long run.

3. Roll your clothes: Instead of folding your clothes or laying them flat, roll them. Yes, they will be wrinkled but there will be so much room in your suitcase. You can stack the clothes on top of each other and pair them side by side, tuck them into the nooks and crannies of your suitcase. It'll take a little more time rather than just dumping everything into your suitcase at once but it'll save you space which is all what packing is about.

4. Pack in compartments: Utilize the compartments in your suitcase; pack your undergarments and bathing suits in those zippered parts to allow more room for shoes and actual clothing in the main part of your suitcase. As for toiletries and makeup, buy little pouch bags or makeup bags to keep everything together and save space. Also, if everything liquid is together, it'll be harder for them to spill out all over your clothes. #Nightmare

A few other traveling tips:

-Pack your carryon last so you don't forget anything!

-Keep your passport, drivers license, tickets, and money together in a separate little bag so everything is altogether.

-Don't forget to pack your chargers and wires for your electronic devices!

-Even if you're on a beach vacay, bring a pair of sneakers because there might be some outdoor excursions you want to go on that require sneakers.

-Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane to save space and weight in your suitcase.

-Don't bring expensive jewelry, you don't really need it and God forbid it gets lost.

-Pack your shoes on the bottom so you can stack clothes on top and they won't get dirty.

-Download new music and update your iPod before you get on the plane.

-Look up the weight and other travel restrictions before you get to the airport.

Whenever I have traveled in the past, my carryon is my favorite bag to pack! That's where all the good stuff is and the most important because it'll keep you occupied on the plane. Here are my Carry On Essentials:

-Ipad, iPod, and cell phone: they'll all keep you occupied and a lot of airlines now have WiFi on the planes

-A book or magazine: If you're not the e-book type, bring a book or magazine to keep you occupied and entertained.

-Motion Sickness Medicine: I get ridiculously motion sickness and nervous on planes (as you can imagine, (#TypeA) so my Dramamine medication is a must whenever I fly

-Ear plugs and gum: No one enjoys the feeling of having your ears pop as the plane takes off and lands. Be prepared!

-Sunglasses: You'll want/need/beg for them as soon as you get off the plane!

-Change of Clothes: Some hotels and flights don't line up correctly so you might not be able to check in as soon as you get to the hotel. To get every bit of time in on your first day, pack a bathing suit, cover up and pair of sandals to change into quickly so you can hit the beach ASAP.

Point of Interest: Put ALL liquids in your suitcase; if you have them in your carryon, it's sure to be a disaster at the airport. 

What are your travel and packing tips for any type of vacation? Tell me in the comments! 

Happy Spring Break everyone!!!

  

The end of the semester is drawing nearer and I'm beginning to get scared because I can't believe how fast time has flown. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my house and now I'll be packing up to head home for a month.

I've also been putting off the dreaded internship search. I usually love applying for internships and organizing myself to score a dream internship but this semester, I was seriously slacking. It's December and I still do not have an internship secured. I blame it on my subconscious because I know that this internship is do or die, it's the last one I'll have before accepting a job offer and it's truly scary.

That's not the point of this post though, so back on track.

I've come to realize that I do not need to find an internship right away. A lot of companies are always looking for interns once the semester begins because they realize they didn't hire enough. I have time but I'm still actively applying for any internship I see that interests me.

I have three internships under my belt so I'm pretty experienced when it comes to looking for available internships; I've actually started to help my friends and sorority sisters with their internship hunt, resume and cover letter writing, etc.

If you're an underclassmen looking for the right internship or don't really know where to start, here are a few tips and tricks to get you there:

1. Organize Yourself

Grab an empty notebook or binder and write down every company you want to intern for. No company is too big or too small, just write them down. Have this little book be your internship search book where you record all your contacts, companies, and the dates you apply to the internship. Write down what materials are needed for each company, when you should follow up, and the coordinator's contact information. 

Give each company their own page in the book so you can easily keep track of what is needed for each application.

2. Search EVERYWHERE

There are a few sites you can go on to easily search for internships: InternQueen.com, Ed2010.com, Indeed.com but step outside the box. Go on companies websites, Linkedin pages, and just randomly google the term "internships" attached with your dream company. There are internship postings everywhere, you just need to pay attention.

3. Utilize Your Career Center

Your college or university probably has a career center that specializes in internship and job searches. You may even have a page that has internship listings to apply for. Aside from using them to find an internship, set up an appointment to have them look at your resume and cover letter. 

I was completely clueless on how to write a resume and cover letter before I went to my career center and they saved me. They made my resume and cover letter look and sound perfect to any employer. It was a life saver. 

4. Apply for ANYTHING

You never know where your dream job is going to come from. You may think you want one thing but after working at a particular company or doing that particular job, you'll find out that you actually hate it. For example, I thought I wanted to work in entertainment news but after one of my internships, I figured out that it definitely wasn't for me. If you stay close minded and only go on one track, you may miss out on your dream job.

There are so many other tips and tricks over on InternQueen.com. I've blogged about Lauren and InternQueen Inc quite a few times since I am an Intern Queen Campus Ambassador but she truly does know everything and anything relating to internships. It's definitely worth checking out!

What are you favorite internship search tips and tricks?