Keeping You In The Loop…

Hey everyone, hope this finds you well!

Just a quick update about how my week of blog transferring has gone…

Well, I tried tumblr out for a week and I absolutely loved it. The one drawback? The reblog button. Now, it has to be said that I think the reblog button is a good idea in terms of images / quotes and such like. It’s also fabulous for sharing information. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I didn’t want images of my soaps (when I put them up) being posted around tumblr. Would it drum up business? Perhaps. Still, not for me I’m afraid. Ultimately, I realize that anyone can right-click your images (unless you disallow it), but I just didn’t feel 100% about it.

Then I started playing around with blogger. Now, as many of you know, I started on blogger and loved it, until google+ messed it up for me

I checked all the google apps that go with it and it occurred to me that I can in fact start an e-shop on blogger too! This time I have been a little more clever though, as I’ve obtained my domain name through an independent domain server (so if anything ever does go wrong, I still have the domain name to transfer). I also haven’t connected to google +. I’m not 100% certain if I will need it to start the e-shop (this doesn’t seem too clear), however if I do have to, I just won’t google+ my posts as that’s where it all went wrong last time.

I realize that not everyone will be able to buy through Google checkout, so I am considering signing up with a marketplace such as etsy, ecomarket or folksy. Everyone seems to be with etsy, although I have a friend that uses it and says she doesn’t get much sales as it’s so American based, which leaves me wondering if it’s a good idea? Thoughts & opinions welcome! I do wonder if it is possible to install paypal on the e-shop too? Hmm…!

About the website… (livegreenbeauty.com)

Many people will wonder why I haven’t just created a self-hosted website. Well the reasons are simple. I want to create something that is free, so if it doesn’t work out I can just go back to blogging.  I don’t expect to set up shop and become a millionaire overnight. My Dad was self-employed and I know how hard it is. It can take two or three years just to break even, never mind make a profit! So, I will view it as a nice sideline small business where I simply share my green passion with you

If I make money, all the better, but I doubt that will happen for a long time.

The new website is a hybrid – part blog, part shop. I will continue to blog about everything I love such as green beauty and good eats. If I don’t plan on selling it, I most definitely plan on reviewing it! Although, I will soon start to post about the ingredients I use and more on DIY beauty. Then I will also post product & business updates too. I’m also considering doing monthly beauty boxes, although only 10 people in the UK would have the opportunity to buy one. Sound like a good idea? Opinions please!

I have kept the posts that are most relevant to the new site, including green beauty & good eats posts. I have only kept the reviews where I 100% liked the products. This is because, due to a change in blog direction, it makes sense to review items where I support other people. I hope this makes sense to you.

Unfortunately, I lost ALL of my comments when I moved, which is the only downside

I was slightly gutted, as I had over 1000, and I considered not using comments on the new site, but then I thought surely comments are meant for feedback? So, feel free to go back over my old posts and see if there are any that you have missed. The comments need some new love lol.

You can follow my new site via email, RSS and GFC (google friend connect), so if you have GFC, please sign up! Links to Facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram are also on the blog. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to transfer my 1000 plus email followers from my old blog to my new one, so I hope you will read this and redirect yourselves over to the new blog. Sorry for the inconvenience, but my technical ability just eludes me on that one.

In the next few weeks I will be adding more about my ingredients and my products. I’m also in the middle of gutting out my shed and shelving it (seriously) to have somewhere to keep all these soaps! They don’t fit in the cupboard anymore… So, you might see some funny photos at some point!