5 Snapchat Tips For Bloggers

My Snapchat: sindianable

Prejšnjič smo »instagramali«, danes se bomo pa posvetili najnovejšemu članu popularnih socialnih omrežij: kralju Snapchatu. Dejstvo je, da Snapchat »raste« in postaja vse bolj popularen tudi med zvezdniki in nenazadnje (zakaj pa ne!), blogerji. Sama ne ločujem zasebnega življenja od »blogerskega« (nimam dveh Instagram računov npr) in z bralci rada delim delčke svojega življenja, saj se mi zdi prav, da me spoznajo takšno, kot sem, in se ne želim definirati samo skozi fotografije kozmetičnih izdelkov na blogu (karikirano).

In my previous post we analyzed Instagram on this blog and today we'll focus on the newest member of the popular social networks: king Snapchat. The fact is that Snapchat is growing and becoming more and more popular not only among celebrities but also bloggers (why not!). For myself, I do not separate my  private life from my "blogger" life (e.g. I don't have two Instagram accounts) so I like to share snippets of my private life with  readers, because I want them to know the real me and I do not want to define myself only through photos of cosmetic products I put on my blog (I know I am not funny, why I am even trying).

My Snapchat is 80% food!

Presenečena ugotavljam, da moje Snapchat številke vztrajno rastejo. Vesela sem, kajti obožujem Snapchat, saj imam na ta način pristen (khm) stik s sledilci in zato veliko objavljam, včasih pa pogledam tudi vse objave svojih sledilcev (najraje na tekalni stezi, saj sedaj ni potrebno več »klikati« skozi MyStory, ampak Snapchat kar sam predvaja fotografije/klipe).

I noticed that my Snapchat numbers are  growing steadily. I'm glad, because I like to have genuine (rofl) contact with my followers. I love posting a lot and sometimes I click through all my followers' stories (preferably on the treadmill, because now you no longer need "to click" through MyStory; Snapchat will automatically play the pics/clips for you).

S tabo bom delila svojih 5 nasvetov, ki se jih kot »blogerka-snapchaterka« držim:

Today I want to share  my five Snapchat tips for bloggers with you:

1)      Komuniciraj s svojimi sledilci

Sprašuj, odgovarjaj, komentiraj. Sama svoje sledilce rada vprašam za kakšen nasvet, nekoč se mi je celo zgodilo, da sem kar med šopingom vprašala, katere hlače so po njihovem mnenju boljše in sem upoštevala njihov nasvetJ. Vprašam jih tudi recimo, kaj bi brali, če jih kaj določenega zanima; moji sledilci vedo, da sem jim na voljo 24/7.

1) Communicate with your followers

Ask, answer, comment. I like to ask my followers for some advice (once they helped me pick an item during shopping!). Ask them say what they'd like to read abiut or if they are interested in something specific; my followers know that I am available 24/7.

2)      Govori v kamero

Vem, da je za ene to zelo velik in težek korak, ampak sama nimam zadržkov pred tem. Velikokrat priredim Snapchat Q&A, kjer me sledilci sprašujejo določene stvari (mi napišejo vprašanje), jaz pa jim »v živo« odgovarjam. Včasih z njimi delim kakšno smešno stvar ki se mi je pripetila ali naredim hitro oceno knjige, ki jo trenutno berem.

2) Talk into the camera

I know that this is one might be a big and difficult step, but I like to do this so much. I often do Snapchat Q & A's, where my followers ask certain things (they write me their question), and I answer them "live". Sometimes I share some funny things that happened to me, or do a quick review of abook I am  reading at the time.

3)      Deli svoje nove blog objave

Te točke ne bom posebej komentirala. Blogerke vemo, kako pomembno je, da se na novo spisana objava deli med sledilce in doseže čim več bralcev. Snapchat je še en čudovit pripomoček za promocijo bloga.

3) Share your new blog posts

This point doesn't require much explaining. Bloggers know how important it is that their newest blog post reaches the readers. Snapchat is another wonderful tool for promoting your blog.

4)      »Ne objavi, kar te lahko gnjavi«

Bodi premišljen/a pri tem, kaj deliš s sledilci. Sama ne maram, ko  naletim na 10 minut dolge posnetke »pijanih« in predvsem GLASNIH zabav. Tudi sama večkrat objavim kakšen »snap« ali dva, ko grem ven s prijateljicami, vendar je to bolj izjema kot pravilo. Nikoli ne bi pod vplivom alkohola govorila ali pela (še dobro!:D) v kamero. Minister za Snapchat opozarja... ;)

4) "Don't drink and snap"

Be careful what you are sharing with followers. For example, I do not like when I see drunken 10-minute clips from loud parties. Of course I share a snap or two whilst going out with my friends but that is an exception, not a rule. I would never drunk-talk or sing (for your sake: D) into the camera. 

5)      Sprosti se in uživaj

Lepota in prednost Snapchata je v tem, da ni potrebno veliko načrtovanja za fotografije/videje. Je takoj pri roki in v sekundi lahko deliš nekaj kar te navdušuje s svojimi bralci, pa vendar ne bo uničilo tvojega čudovitega »feeda« na Instagramu, saj se objava po enem dnevu za vedno izbriše (razen, če kdo naredi »screenshot« ;)).

5) Relax and enjoy

The beauty and advantage of Snapchat lays in that you do not have to plan in advance what you are going to post. You can snap something interesting in an instance and it won't ruin your beautiful "insta-feed" since your snaps delete in 24 hours (unless someone takes a screenshot;)),

Uporabljaš Snapchat? Se ti zdi priročen? V komentar zapiši svoje Snapchat uporabniško ime, da ti lahko sledim! Moje uporabniško ime je: sindianable.

Do you use Snapchat? Do you find it convenient? Let me know your Snapchat username in the comments below so I can follow you!:) Mine is: sindianable

Love,

How I Edit My Instagram Photos

Kako urejam fotografije na socialnem omrežju Instagram je zadnje čase najpogostejše vprašanje v mojem inboxu. Danes se bom potrudila in ti korak za korakom poskusila prikazati »proceduro« urejanja fotografij. Ker zame Instagram pač JE pomemben in moram priznati, da večino svojega časa »online« posvetim prav temu omrežju. Zakaj? Ker obožujem fotografije, ki inspirirajo. Vedno več uporabnikov ustvarja estetsko dovršene profile oz. »feede«. Nekaj različnih bom prikazala tudi v nadaljevanju.

How do I edit photos on my Instagram profile has recently been the most common question in my Inbox. Today, I will try to present a step by step explaination about the "procedure" of editing photos. Because for me Instagram is an important blogging tool and I must admit that most of my time spent "online" is dedicated to this network. Why? Because I love photos that inspire. More and more users are creating aesthetic profiles or so called feeds. Some of them will be shown later.

@sindianajonesblog

1.     Najprej, kako sploh ustvarim fotografijo. Vse moje »insta fotke« so ustvarjene s kamero na telefonu Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Jaz sem s kamero zaenkrat zelo zadovoljna in tudi telefon ponavadi izberem na podlagi kamere. Na profilu blogerke Ajde Sitar  sem videla, da bi tudi Huawei, ki ga ona uporablja, zelo ustrezal mojim željam glede fotografij in je vreden razmisleka. Vedno pazim tudi, da je  svetloba "tista ta prava" za fotografiranje, na Instagramu nikoli ne bi objavila temne, motne ali (kako drugače za moje pojme) nekvalitetne fotografije. Včasih svetlobo tudi umetno poustvarim z namizno svetilko (ko fotografiram hrano npr).

1.     Let's begin with how do I create an image. All my insta photos are created with the camera on the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. I am very satisfied with the camera so far and my phone is usually chosen on the basis of the camera. I came across the Huawei phone on Ajda Sitar's profile and I think that this one is also suitable for my »photography needs«. I always make sure that the lightning is perfect for taking a picture because I would never publish a dark or a dull photo. Sometimes I artificially recreate some light with  a lamp (e.g. when taking pictures of food).

@sindianajonesblog

1.      Gremo sedaj k aplikacijam, ki jih uporabljam. Sama za eno samo fotografijo včasih uporabim tudi do 5 aplikacij:

       Let's proceed to the actual apps I use. For a single photograph I sometimes use up  to 5 applications:

SNAPSEED ali AFTERLIGHT: ti brezplačni aplikaciji uporabim, če želim prilagoditi svetlobo. Imata tudi veliko drugih nastavitev, vendar jih uporabljam v drugem programu.

FACETUNE: ta program je sicer plačljiv, vendar moj daleč najljubši. Ima funkcijo »beljenja« in ker je moja tema na Instagramu večinoma »belina«, mi prav pride, ko moram spremeniti kako rumeno oziroma sivo barvo v belo/svetlejšo. Uporabljam tudi funkciji smooth in details. Funkcija smooth zgladi vse neenakomerne površine, details pa, kot že ime pove, poudari razne detajle (npr. oči).

VSCO: nisem ljubiteljica filtrov, razen če kdo uporablja enak filter konstantno. Sama uporabljam brezplačni filter A5 v aplikaciji VSCO. To aplikacijo pa uporabljam tudi kot predogled svojega Instagram feeda. Vedno imam shranjene 2-3 slike vnaprej, da ugotovim, ali se bodo skladale z mojo splošno tematiko na Instagramu.

LAYOUT: to brezplačno aplikacijo uporabim, če želim uporabiti efekt »ogledala« ali samo podvojiti eno fotografijo. To naredim ponavadi, ko mi je všeč motiv fotografije, ne pa tudi ozadje/«okolica«.

INSTAGRAM: na koncu uporabim še sam Instagram. Fotografij nikoli ne posnamem s to aplikacijo, čeprav je to mogoče. Uporabim jo le za prilagajanje kontrasta in »temperature«. Ko je fotografija za moje pojme dodelana, jo pripravim za objavo in uporabim nekaj relevantnih »hashtagov«. 

@sindianajonesblog

SNAPSEED or AFTERLIGHT: I use these free apps mainly to adjust the light. They also have many other settings, but I use those  in another app.

FACETUNE: This app isn't free, but it is my favorite by far. It has the function of "bleaching" and because my topic on Instagram is mostly "whiteness" I use it when I have to change some yellow or gray tones to white or to brighten my photos. I also use the smooth  and details options. The first one smooths out any uneven surface and the other one, details, as the name suggests, highlights various details (e.g.  eyes).

VSCO: I'm not a huge fan of filters, unless someone uses the same filter all the time. I personally use the free filter A5 in the VSCO app. This application is also used as a preview of my Instagram feed. I always save 2-3 images in advance to find out whether they match my general theme on Instagram.

LAYOUT: I use this free app I use if I want to use the "mirror effect" or just to double one photo. I do this often when I like the motif of my pictures, but not the »background« section.

INSTAGRAM:  at the end use Instagram itself. I never actually take photos with this application, altough it is possible. I use it only for adjusting the contrast and the temperature of photos.

Tako! To so moje skrivnosti, ki so sedaj razkrite. Moj profil lahko obiščeš tukajà @sindiana.jones.

Prilagam pa še nekaj Instagram feedov, ki so meni osebno zelo pri srcu in me vedno inspirirajo:

So! These are my secrets which are now revealed. You can visit my profile here: @sindiana.jones.

I also want to show you some Instagram feeds  that inspire me:

@sabrinavidovic

Moja prijateljica Sabrina je oseba, ki me je navdušila za "beli" Instagram. Je make-up artistka in večinoma fotografira bližnje posnetke make-upa, pa vendar mi je všeč kako so njeni motivi razporejeni, kakor tudi ona kot oseba in njen osebni stil. /This is my friend, Sabrina, who inspired me to focus on the "whiteness". She is a make-up artist and mostly takes close-up photos of make-up. I also like her style in general.

@karinartistic

 Ta profil je popoln kontrast mojega. Slike so temne, skrivnostne pa vendar estetsko popolnoma dovršene. Je dokaz, da se da tudi s temnimi fotografijami ustvarit vrhunski "feed", ki je, ironično, prava osvežitev v morju belih, minimalističnih fotografij.  Jaz sem zaljubljena v ta profil! /This profile is the perfect contrast to my own. The images are dark, mysterious and yet aesthetically perfect. This feed is the proof that a perfect feed can be created also with dark photos. This is, ironically, a real refreshment in the sea of white, minimalist pictures. I'm in love with this profile!

@ajdasitar

Ajdin profil je vrhunski. Rekla bi, da je zelo premišljen, vsaka stvar je tam, kjer je, z razlogom. Včasih objavi tudi temne fotografije, vendar nikoli 2 zaporedoma. Vsaka njena tretja slika se hkrati sklada s prvo, kar v mreži 3x3 nato izpade popolno. /Ajdas' profile is excellent. I would say that it is very aforethought, everything is positioned the way it is for a reason. Sometimes she also posts a dark picture, but never two in a row. Her  third picture is always consistent with the first, so in the "3x3 grid" everything looks perfect.

@ninnieboo

Njen profil sem odkrila pred kratkim. Neverjetno všeč mi je, kako "živo" izgleda vse skupaj. Večina profilov, ki jih imam rada, so bolj monotoni in umirjeni, ta pa prinaša veliko svežine in barve v moje "insta-novičke". / Her profile, I discovered recently. Amazingly I like how "live" it looks all together. Most of the profiles, which I love, are more monotonous and calm, but this brings a lot of freshness and color into my news feed.

@skopljak

Punca iz Bosne in Hercegovine, ki živi na Švedskem. / No further comments needed. #instagoals

Kakšna je pa tvoja Instagram tematika, tehnika? Prilepi mi link do svojega Instagrama pod komentarje, z veseljem ga pogledam, saj kot vidiš, sem "insta-obsedenka". Ti je všeč moj izbor? Bi še katerega dodal/a?

What is your Instagram theme or technique? Send me a link to your Instagram in the comments section below, I will happy to look at it, because as you can see, I am truly an insta-addict. Do you like my selection of other profiles? Which ones would you have added?

Love,