Category: Blogging

Hey all. I know I don’t normally post on Saturdays, but…

I’ve got a confession. I’m not a huge fan of the name “Killer Harmony.” I chose the name almost two years ago now, but I don’t really feel like it fits the blog. I was a college junior; I had just thought I lost my entire blog. It was time for a change.

I don’t regret the name Killer Harmony. It’s a cool name. But it’s not the best. So, I think it’s time for a change. I want to share it with you before I actually make the change, so you know it’s coming.

I have a few names in mind, and I want to share them, and my thoughts, with all of you.

Change is natural

I have grown and changed a lot in the last two years. I finished college and moved back home. And I found a “big girl” day job. Over the past two years, I have come to realize that Killer Harmony is not a very professional name. It’s cute and spunky, but it’s not professional.

I care about music and blogging, and I want to take it seriously. It’s hard to take a blog with a cute, spunky name seriously.

I know the change will be hard. I’ll have to make sure everything transfers correctly, and that you can continue to find my blog and all its content.

Looking forward

My blog has grown. It’s still very small, but it has grown and changed just as much as I have. I need a name that reflects that change and that can work for me for years to come.

Killer Harmony is a great name for a hobby blog, but I want this to be more than that. I want to create a community of flutists and other musicians. I want to share tips and tricks and to advocate for music education…for all ages.

There’s a lot I want to do with this blog, and I need a name that can handle that.

A new name?

I have narrowed the options down to two different names.

The first one is my full name: Hannah Haefele.

It’s clear that it’s my website, and it allows me to do what I want.

It’s also hard to spell and pronounce.

The second option I’m considering is Hannah B Flute.

B is my middle initial, so it represents me and what I write about. As long as I write about flute or music.

But it’s catchier and easier to spell than my full name.

My Thoughts

I’m really leaning toward Hannah B Flute. I love the flow of the name, and I don’t see myself drifting from writing about music anytime soon.

So…

I have been thinking about changing the blog name for awhile now, and I really think it’s time. The name Killer Harmony just doesn’t do it for me. Though, the name will still be found on older posts, and I plan on making sure all of the current links will work with the new domain!

So be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter (@HannahHaefele)! I really want this to be a community, so I want your input!

For this part of my “On an iPad” series, I decided to write about social media. Most of the time I spend on social media is on my iPad. The wide variety of apps make it easy to keep up with different social networks on the go.

I have the same method for social media on an iPad as on my iPhone, and so I am going to be referencing both devices throughout this post. Social media is great to view/use on an iPad, and I actually prefer it to my laptop.

Apps

There is an app for almost every social media platform. I use Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest each day. If you follow blogs with Bloglovin (which I don’t recommend), they have an app.

You can use the Instagram app for iPhone on an iPad, but it will show some blank parts on the screen since the iPhone and iPad have different dimensions. Another app that I like to use, though it’s not really a social network, is YouTube. I follow vloggers on there, and I like to watch videos on my iPad.

I also like to use my iPad and iPhone to manage my social media. For this, I use apps like Hootsuite and Buffer to schedule posts. I also have the app version of Canva, a graphic design website. That way, I can create graphics for social media posts on the go.

If you are looking for apps to help manage or use your social media, a simple search in the app store is a great way to find cool apps. There are apps that will allow you to do just about anything.

Some people use the Crowdfire app to track followers and unfollowers. I know that you can have different apps to manage Facebook groups and pages, too.

How I Work

I like to schedule tweets, usually the night before they go out live. I use either Hootsuite or Buffer. Depending on my goals for the next day, I will chose one or the other. Buffer comes with a set schedule, whereas Hootsuite (the app version) saves hashtags I use in scheduled posts.

If you want me to do a full comparison, let me know!

For Facebook, I just use the main app. They do have separate apps for pages and groups, but I only have so much space for apps.

I like to use main apps, like Facebook or Twitter, to reply to people in real time. Scheduling retweets works for some, but I like to do it as I go. It makes me seem more human and less machine.

Does it Work?

YES! Using a phone or tablet for social media is amazing. A lot of social media networks have better mobile interfaces than their website counterparts.

Social media is always changing and being updated, and it is super important to stay up to date. Having access to your favorite social networks on the go is a necessity, and it is easy with the different apps out there.

Of course, you don’t want to get too sidetracked with social media. If you need to get some “real” work done, you need to keep yourself off of Twitter and Instagram. You can always check in during a work break.

Should You Get Social?

Unless you have no space left on your device for new apps (and you can’t bear the thought of deleting anything), you should definitely have at least a couple of your social media accounts ready to go. Social media apps make staying connected super easy.

If you spend a lot of time on your phone, it can be easy to get distracted with social media. You just have to make sure that you are not sacrificing your work in the process.

Keeping it to one or two social networks on your iPad or iPhone is a great way to still keep up with friends and family while also not giving you too much of an excuse to not do your work.

So…

What do you use to stay connected on the go? What are your favorite social media apps? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@HannahHaefele)!

Thanks for reading!

What a year it has been. A lot happened during 2016, and this blog was no exception. Since this will be the last post of 2016, I thought it would be perfect to reflect back on the year and to share some of my goals for the new year.

I made some big changes to this blog last year, and I know that I will also be making some other (somewhat big) changes in 2017, so I want to also update you guys today so that you can have an idea of what’s to come.

2016 Reflection

January

In January, I changed blog names from It’s Mixed Arts to Killer Harmony, and I bought a domain name to prove it. I also moved back from WordPress.com to Blogger so that I could use the domain without having to pay extra.

Another cool thing that happened was that I was published on the Huffington Post. While I did not get paid for the post nor did it get a ton of views, I am happy I did it. I had a post that I wanted to share but it wouldn’t quite fit this blog, so I thought of Huffington Post. I am grateful for the experience, and I can now put it on a resume.

February

In February, I blogged about blogging for the first time. It was a little out of my comfort zone, because I had only ever blogged about college. But, I thought it could be cool for me and my readers (that’s you) to see something a little different.

I also liked getting to put a spin on blogging that college students could relate to. Since that first post about blogging, I have managed to include blogging related posts more often and include blogging as part of my niche.

March – April – May

These next few months, I didn’t really have much going on. I went to blogging once a week instead of two, which had its pros and cons. Other than that, it was blogging as usual.

June

At the end of June, I finally made the jump to self-hosted WordPress! I had just finished my two online summer classes and thought it would be the perfect time. I could use my extra free time to learn the ins and outs of how WordPress works, figure out plugins and themes, etc.

I am so happy I switched, I only wish I didn’t put it off so long.

July – August

I spent a lot of time learning about WordPress and working on making my blog look like my own. I also had to prepare to move back into a dorm for my last year of college. In July, I celebrated my 21st birthday…no alcohol, though.

September – October – November

With school as my main focus, I didn’t really do much out of the ordinary. I continued blogging once a week, and I got a little better at promoting my blog and posts on social media.

At the end of November, I finally worked up the courage to reopen my Etsy shop with downloads. I opened on Black Friday with ten listings and have added a few more. I plan to add more listings soon, which I will talk about more in the section on my goals.

December

I decided, literally the day before December, that I was gonna do Blogmas. I didn’t post about it on the blog or social media until December 1. One might think I was a crazy person for posting every day on my blog, and I wouldn’t disagree.

I wanted to do Blogmas, because once a week was getting a little boring, and I wanted to challenge myself. This semester, I lucked into only one final, so I didn’t have as much work to do at the end of the semester.

Related: What I Learned from Blogging Every Day

Goals for 2017

I haven’t broken my goals down monthly yet, because I want to do that on a per month basis. That way, I can change my goals each month based on the progress I make. In this post, I am going to share some goals that I want to accomplish in 2017 in general.

College Goals

I graduate in May, and I do not plan on attending graduate school this year. So the only goals related to school are to finish strong and to keep up with my friends from college (and from childhood).

I have a feeling that if I don’t keep up with those friendships now, it will be harder later. Also, I want to finish college strong so that I leave with a better sense of accomplishment.

Career Goals

Since I will be able to work full time come the middle of May, that definitely made the list. Specifically, I want to make a full time income from home online. I want to work with bloggers and businesses to improve their blogs and social media.

I might have to take a job at first, but I would love to eventually work for myself and to take on clients that I choose.

Personal Goals

This year, I really want to cut out certain junk foods entirely. I have a bad habit of eating a whole bag of chips in two days, so I don’t want to ever have chips, unless they are in a portioned bag. For snacks, I want to stick to fruit and pretzels as well as the occasional popcorn.

I also want to move back in with my parents (yeah, I know what you’re thinking). I plan to move back home for awhile so that I can save money while I am just starting my career. At home, I can live rent free in a nice area, and I can save more of the money I do make for when I am ready to move out.

So…

Those were some of my memorable moments from 2016 and my goals for 2017. I will keep you guys updated as I achieve these goals, and I hope that this post will help keep me accountable.

What are your goals for 2017? Let me know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out my latest post and follow me on Twitter (@HannahHaefele) so you don’t miss future posts!

Lastly…