Last up on the "Talk Shop" series was blogger networks. I was very impressed with the amount of data I gathered and the opinions I got. I'm hoping to get the same amount this time! So, what's next for my number-crunching laboratory? "Dee Dee, get OUT of my LABORATORYYY"

No, not Dexters's Laboratory, but it's sponsored posts! I want to find out what us bloggers are getting paid or if, how their relationships with brands are, and more. I asked how often they do sponsored posts, if they only do monetary compensations, how their experience with brands has been and what their favorite brands to work with were.

I've been paid to do sidebar advertisements and social media posts (instagram/pinterest), but not a blog post. I have two other jobs, so my main income isn't blogging. However, If I could make blogging my main income one day that would be absolutely fabulous. I'm very happy, and blessed, to have been granted the gift of receiving product compensation. I've received clothes, makeup, a Keurig, and more. I've also gotten to try two teatoxes. 

My goal is to get a big fan base so I can create a big-time media kit with prices. Maybe I should just make one so it looks legit, right? That's for another talk shop.

For a reference for these results, my small but sturdy sample was 6 bloggers.

Three bloggers do sponsored posts every two months, three of them do them more than twice a month. This could average out to once a month. This can depend on many things including how often bloggers reach out to brands, how often brands reach out to bloggers, and how picky bloggers are. As for me, I'm definitely on the every two months scale. It;s safe to say that bloggers with bigger fan bases do more sponsored posts, simply because there's more people to be exposed to the product and that's what outreach employees like to see.

I dream of the day that I only do paid opportunities. However, you have to do some freebies here and there to build trust and relationships. It seems here that the majority of the bloggers surveyed only did paid sponsorships.

It looks like there aren't any bad experiences here!

Thanks to all my lovely participants!

Adriana Renee http://alaskarenee.com

Lena www.lenatalksbeauty.com

Brittany www.southernsoulblog.com

http://thewhisperbox.com

Becky Winkler http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/

Morgan Timm http://www.mostlymorgan.com

It's time for another series! I don't have many blog-help based posts, because although I've been around for quite a few years, I'm still learning myself. I thought, who better to learn from than my peers and colleagues? Through this experience, we can learn and grow together.

What exactly is this experience? In this series, I put out surveys on several blogger networks and kindly ask them to give their opinions about several behind-the-scenes facets of the blogosphere. My Research Methods in Communications professor would be so happy with me conducting field research on my own. If you're reading this Mia, heyyyyyy.

My first topic is blogger networks! Blogger networks are like men, there are soooo many out there, you have to know what you want and sift through the muck to find the good ones. I wanted to know exactly what people looked for in a blogger network. So, I'll share my results with you all, after I share my own opinions first!

What do I look for in a blogger network? The main component I look for in blogger networks is post shares, obviously. Second comes sponsorship opportunities, then of course networking and friendship-making. In my survey, I asked if people like daily post threads or category threads. I personally like daily post threads, because they require less thinking for me, however, I appreciate networks that do category threads. It can be very useful. Through networks I have had amazing opportunities - event appearances, sponsorship opportunities, collaborations, and more. If anyone asks me how to get started blogging, I tell them to join a network.

What did my peers say?

Most bloggers are in the 1-3 range. 22.2% are in the moderate 3-5 range, and 22.2% are in the 8-12% range. This may be bias considering what you consider "being part of" a blogger network. There are many Facebook groups I am inactive on, however I'm still a part of. I am definitely active on at least 3, it seems like a good number.

This graph is scarcely skewed left, by 11.1%. (I think I just used some stats terms, wow! If I got it wrong, don't harp on me too bad, math nerds). My sample was small, however they seem split. Yes, blogger networks definitely do help them. However, it's almost a tie between 3-5 and 7-9. 

I also asked my participants two open response questions: