Because my Husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I thought I'd share it here and call it the Bloggers Ultimate Wish List. These are the 10 items that every professional or part time blogger should want to have in her arsenal. This list applies in particular to fashion, lifestyle, celebrity or political blogger like I fancy myself to be.
1. A Nikon Camera (or any semi-professional looking camera). I like the Nikon COOLPIX P510 16.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 42x Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and GPS Record Location (Black)
Many times, bloggers are offered to attend events and cover them alongside professional journalists who tote along their own professional cameramen. You want to blend in and take good photos. You will need a camera with a good lens that allows you to zoom in just in case you are given a distant location. Also, it's always a great idea to look the part when you arrive an event professing to be on the "media list"
Many times, bloggers are offered to attend events and cover them alongside professional journalists who tote along their own professional cameramen. You want to blend in and take good photos. You will need a camera with a good lens that allows you to zoom in just in case you are given a distant location. Also, it's always a great idea to look the part when you arrive an event professing to be on the "media list"
2.Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black) 3rd Generation
or an iPad Mini - Occasionally, you may need to do an event and have to quickly draft a post that needs to go up immediately to beat your competitors! Having a small portable device like an iPad would be ideal! If you just want to upload your photos rapidly and include a quick blurb to be edited, there's no better way to do it than with a tablet. Pulling out a bulky laptop may be too much.
or an iPad Mini - Occasionally, you may need to do an event and have to quickly draft a post that needs to go up immediately to beat your competitors! Having a small portable device like an iPad would be ideal! If you just want to upload your photos rapidly and include a quick blurb to be edited, there's no better way to do it than with a tablet. Pulling out a bulky laptop may be too much.
3. Eye-Fi 4 GB Connect X2 SDHC Class 6 Wireless Flash Memory Card (EYE-FI-4CN-FF)
For lifestyle bloggers who cover live events,
sometimes you have anxious readers and social media followers waiting on baited breath for those exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos that
only you have. I think of my friend Saucy of the Trinidad Carnival Diary who
every year has thousands of fans on the edge of their seats waiting for her to
update her blog on the latest carnival band costumes as they are unveiled to
the consuming public for the first time at band launches. With an eye fi, you
can take a photo and then instantly send it up via wi-fi to a Facebook, Twitter
or other social media account.
For lifestyle bloggers who cover live events,
sometimes you have anxious readers and social media followers waiting on baited breath for those exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos that
only you have. I think of my friend Saucy of the Trinidad Carnival Diary who
every year has thousands of fans on the edge of their seats waiting for her to
update her blog on the latest carnival band costumes as they are unveiled to
the consuming public for the first time at band launches. With an eye fi, you
can take a photo and then instantly send it up via wi-fi to a Facebook, Twitter
or other social media account. 
4. A Virtual Assistant - Whether you are a solo blogger, a blogger with an intern or a blogger with a small staff of volunteer or paid staffers, you will need a virtual assistant to handle some basic data processing tasks, make phone calls to publicists, PR agencies and gather research and other information for future posts. They can tweet and reply to social media replies so you can stay engaged with your audience, edit blog posts before they are published, book travel, mail out giveaway prizes and do loads of mundane tasks a busy part time blogger may not be able to do when she is at work. Here is where a gift of one year virtual assistant services would come in as a handy gift. You can get one for as little as $4 to $8 per hour and a gift of 80 hours could cost as little as $320. Jon Rognerud has a great list of virtual assistant locators.
5.Flip UltraHD Video Camera - White, 4 GB, 1 Hour
Flip phones haven't gone anywhere and have become a staple of even established news sites that also include blogs. They are portable and easy to manipulate while holding a pad and trying to squeeze in a rope line and get a celebrity or political candidate to answer your question among a sea of other members of the media.
Flip phones haven't gone anywhere and have become a staple of even established news sites that also include blogs. They are portable and easy to manipulate while holding a pad and trying to squeeze in a rope line and get a celebrity or political candidate to answer your question among a sea of other members of the media.
6. Pyle-Pro PDMIC58 Professional Moving Coil Dynamic Handheld Microphone
- For
entertainment industry bloggers who sometimes attend red carpet events, you’re
going to need a good quality mic that you can plug into that flip video camera. What good is a 2 minute sound bite with that
celebrity giving you THE scoop about her pregnancy if you cannot hear it at the
end of the day. Also, interview subjects gravitate to real mics. Having one is key!
- For
entertainment industry bloggers who sometimes attend red carpet events, you’re
going to need a good quality mic that you can plug into that flip video camera. What good is a 2 minute sound bite with that
celebrity giving you THE scoop about her pregnancy if you cannot hear it at the
end of the day. Also, interview subjects gravitate to real mics. Having one is key!
7. Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION)
This is certainly a super splurge gift and very pricey for a computer but the weight, quality of program, operating system is perfect for bloggers and anyone who already uses Apple interface, operating system and programs. If you have a blog where you post loads of pics, a MacBook Pro has tons of memory and you can store some in the cloud to keep them safe if you need them again.
This is certainly a super splurge gift and very pricey for a computer but the weight, quality of program, operating system is perfect for bloggers and anyone who already uses Apple interface, operating system and programs. If you have a blog where you post loads of pics, a MacBook Pro has tons of memory and you can store some in the cloud to keep them safe if you need them again.
8. Verizon USB760 3G Prepaid USB Broadband Device
Having an aircard would enable a blogger with a blog she updates regularly all day to do so remotely, from vacation, from a business trip, at an airport or at any location that doesn't have wi-fi access.
Having an aircard would enable a blogger with a blog she updates regularly all day to do so remotely, from vacation, from a business trip, at an airport or at any location that doesn't have wi-fi access.
9. Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical Trainer
Being a blogger can require a person to be physically fit if
she has to stand for long periods of time at a press conference, in a rope line
or red carpet or chasing down a subject. A portable elliptical that can be set up even
in a small apartment would help her stay fit and trim. Also, she can pass time
on the elliptical catching up on reality TV shows she has to review or watching
DVDs she’s been asked to screen. An alternative to an elliptical or in addition to one, for purposes of looking good and staying fit and trim, a gift certificate for a boot camp, kickboxing classes or a gym membership would suffice.
Being a blogger can require a person to be physically fit if
she has to stand for long periods of time at a press conference, in a rope line
or red carpet or chasing down a subject. A portable elliptical that can be set up even
in a small apartment would help her stay fit and trim. Also, she can pass time
on the elliptical catching up on reality TV shows she has to review or watching
DVDs she’s been asked to screen. An alternative to an elliptical or in addition to one, for purposes of looking good and staying fit and trim, a gift certificate for a boot camp, kickboxing classes or a gym membership would suffice.
10. Finally, one has to blend in and look decent and get let into events. Therefore, gifting a gift certificate to her favorite clothes stores for a few items would be a wonderful gift!
There you have it! The Ultimate Fashion or Lifestyle or Celebrity or Political blogger must have list for the holidays!
Hope I get at least one of these and you too!
