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#THIS is why my pinterest is an absolute treasure trove to me
cozypups · 25 days
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i super duper wish i could go back to when i was first learning html and css and asking my mom to take me to the library to get those html coding books that were from 2004 or something
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johnlockskeezdump · 3 years
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I cannot believe pinterest was what really got me into johnlock. Like I remember rewatching bbc sherlock a few years back, and from there I started looking up sherlock on pinterest, which gave me tumblr johnlock screenshots, so I thought, why not just get on Tumblr? Go to the source. Tap into that vein.
Then I distinctly remember reading some johnlock ficlets, discovering ao3, reading as a guest, waiting anxiously for my own account invite.
Oh my God, finding the fic rec blogs, though, was absolutely life changing. I remember the potential, the bookmarks I've got coming out the wazoo. The mouth-watering stories upon stories. I spent days, weeks probably just on my own just reading, absorbing, devouring this new found treasure trove.
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onlinemarketinghelp · 5 years
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These are the Best Types of Social Media To Use for An Online Business https://ift.tt/34MBvgk
With so many types of social media platforms out there it’s difficult to know which would be most beneficial.
Sure, we all know having an understanding of social media is important when starting an online business. But with so many kinds of social media, it can be hard to figure out exactly how many of them can be helpful.
We all know Facebook is great for connecting with customers and Instagram is the perfect place to show off products, but have you ever considered how Reddit could be useful for your business? Or even Yelp?
It may sound far-fetched, but stick with me because these slightly off-the-wall social media categories can be treasure troves of information that can help elevate your business.
So, which social media is best? We believe there are seven types of social media categories that are worth considering as an online business owner:
Social networking sites
Image sharing sites
Video sharing sites
Microblogs
Discussion forums
Blogs
Review sites
But before you can start using these types of social media to improve your business, first it’s crucial to have an understanding of what they are, who uses them, and how they can benefit you
Let’s get started.
1. Types of Social Media: Social Networking Sites
When you think about the types of social media, it’s generally social networking sites that spring to mind first. Social networking sites connect users to people and information of all varieties, and obviously, Facebook and LinkedIn are the big examples.
Why Do People Use Social Networking Sites?
Social networking sites make users feel as though the platform is oriented around them. They are the sun in the social media solar system and the sites work to connect them with what they want to see: posts from friends and family, news and lifestyle content, or updates from brands.
On social networking sites, the spread of information is highly encouraged through users interacting with content and sharing it in their circles. People can also create their content through posts, statuses, and albums and all types of media are welcome, including video, text, and image posts.
How Can I Use Social Networking Sites for My Online Business?
This is the ideal place to grow a community and brand. Creating a page for your business is a great way to reach potential customers, giving them a place to connect with others who like the same things they do while getting familiar with your brand.
With so much data on its users, social networking sites are also fantastic places to advertise your products. Using this data, you can target very specific audiences and figure out who’s the most interested in what you’re selling.
2. Types of Social Media: Image-Sharing Sites
The saying goes that a picture’s worth a thousand words and image-sharing sites have certainly ceased on that notion. Platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Imgur allow people to quickly access visual content they’ve curated from various sources.
Why Do People Use Image-Sharing Sites?
Being so simple to use but so visually pleasing, image-sharing sites easily capture people’s attention and imagination. These sites give users insights into the lives of their friends and people they admire, as well as showing off brands, companies, destinations, and events.
Many image-sharing sites having an endless scrolling feature, as well as filters that make it easy to find more content on topics that interest users, basically providing infinite new content.
How Can I Use Image-Sharing Sites for My Online Business?
These kinds of social media sites can be a great way to showcase your products – or get others to showcase them for you. Influencers are a major part of image-sharing sites and those with dedicated, engaged followings can be extremely helpful in driving customers to your business.
Image-sharing platforms can also be a great way to both see and show off your customers using your product after they’ve purchased it, providing great social proof. Creating a specific hashtag for customers to use is an easy way to encourage this and you could even display the posts directly on your website.
Image-sharing sites can also be used to engage with potential customers, posting content relevant to your business, as well as the lifestyle of your audience. If you have a large following, image-sharing sites can be the perfect place to test new products as users give quick, honest feedback.
3. Types of Social Media: Video-Sharing Sites
Video-sharing sites have exploded in recent years and become thriving communities with millions of engaged users. Launched in 2007, YouTube still dominates as the most well-known video-sharing site, but TikTok, Periscope, and Vimeo are other big players.
Why Do People Use Video-Sharing Sites?
Naturally, people primarily use video-sharing sites to be entertained. Heck, there are even different sites depending on how long you’d like to be entertained for. Under 60 seconds? Head to TikTok. Long form content more your style? YouTube is where you want to be.
People also use video-sharing sites to be informed and learn new skills. This has given rise to formats such as review, tutorial, and unboxing videos. Users of video-sharing sites actively seek out knowledge from those they deem trustworthy and authoritative on certain topics or products.
How Can I Use Video-Sharing Sites for My Online Business?
Filming a demonstration or review video is a fantastic way to show off your products. This works particularly well if you have a hard-to-photograph item, something that requires instructions to use, or a feature that you want to highlight.
Alternatively, engaging with video influencers can be a great option. This can work particularly well if an influencer is trusted and well-liked by your target audience, as you can capitalize on their social proof.
Video-sharing sites also offer you the chance to learn about your audience, as well as build a community and good reputation using the comment system. Comments on videos can reveal a lot, including any questions or concerns about your product that potential customers have.
4. Types of Social Media: Microblogs
Where do you go when you want to express an opinion or thought, but don’t want to spend hours crafting a long editorial or journal entry? Microblogs, of course! Websites like Twitter and Tumblr let users quickly fire off short posts and connect with wider communities.
Why Do People Use Microblogs?
Microblogs not only allow users to express their opinions and thoughts, but also become part of conversations with other users – or simply observe it.
For websites like Tumblr, users particularly enjoy the ability to share and bond with various communities, as well as the creativity of other members. Its community is artistic and often have niche interests, making the platform the perfect place to meet like-minded folk.
Twitter users make the most of being able to interact with brands and celebrities with ease, as well as sharing and spreading pictures and videos. The site is also useful for discovering breaking news, as it’s easy to filter and search for updates.
How Can I Use Microblogs for My Online Business?
Microblogs can be a good place to engage with customers and gain a deeper understanding of your target audience. Many brands use microblogs to offer support and give updates.
Being genuine and not coming across as stiff and corporate is important to microblog users. People are generally happy to engage with brands and companies, but also want to be entertained and informed.
By cultivating a feed that shares useful and entertaining content that isn’t just self-promotion, users will be more inclined to like, share and engage with your account. You can also team up with influencers to make the most of their following to promote your product.
5. Types of Social Media: Discussion Forums
Discussion forums are one of the OG forms of social media, originating from bulletin boards and used to talk about very specific topics. Home to over a million different communities, Reddit is the most well-known discussion forum, with Quora and Digg also very popular.
Why Do People Use Discussion Forums?
Discussion forums are extremely community-based with people seeking information and discussions around specific topics, questions and ideas. Forums often offer a degree of anonymity, with people identified by usernames rather than real names.
Users embrace discussion forums because they offer a sense of community and can be a source of knowledge that a user may not have been able to find in their offline life.
How Can I Use Discussion Forums for My Online Business?
Discussion forums are the ideal place to learn more about your target audience as they can be an absolute wealth of information. They’re a space where you can easily discover your potential customers’ pain points so you can be sure your product will adequately solve them.
One example of this is the image-hosting website Imgur. After Reddit user Alan Schaaf noticed problems with other image hosting sites, he created Imgur as an alternative that solved the issues users had with the other services. It was an instant success.
There’s also room to advertise on discussion forums, though it requires a level of finesse to appear organic. Posting in relevant subreddits in a subtle manner or answering applicable questions on Quora could be ways to promote your business. However, forum users are the types of social media users who will quickly sniff out self-promotion over genuine participation, so tread carefully.
6. Types of Social Media: Blogs
Although it might not seem like a type of social media site on first thought, a blog can definitely function as a form of social media, particularly if it covers queries the community has, has a strong following, or encourages discussion in its comment section (and on that note, feel free to leave your own comments in the section below). Spaces such as WordPress, Blogger, and Medium all fit into the blog category.
Why Do People Use Blogs?
Blogs let people learn more or be entertained on a particular topic. People choose to follow specific blogs because they enjoy the author’s writing style, connect with an author’s situation, or because they know they provide useful and insight information.
Blogs can be a great place to discover likeminded people and comment sections offer a chance to discuss and clarify related topics.
Unlike social networking sites or microblogs, when people read blogs they generally expect a longer, more in-depth piece of writing.
Blogs also offer the chance for a series of posts to be written on a single topic that can then be easily categorised so newcomers can find them with ease. This is something that can be difficult to do on other kinds of social media.
How Can I Use Blogs for My Online Business?
Blogs are a smart way to market your business, build your brand, and connect with your target audience at the same time.
You can construct posts explaining decisions, new products, special features, or upcoming events that you feel are important for your audience to know about. You can also post articles related to your product, things your audience enjoys, or would be interested in knowing more about – like the Oberlo blog.
In addition to this, well-optimized blog posts are a fantastic way to reach potential customers who otherwise may not have found your store. Writing insightful and useful SEO posts can set your business apart from similar ones as your website then becomes a destination people visit for a reason other than purchasing an item.
7. Types of Social Media: Review Sites
Used to recommend and educate users on products, services, and experiences, review sites are something that might not immediately jump to mind when considering different types of social media platforms. However, the undeniable social element to sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Foursquare ensure they fall into the social media category.
Why Do People Use Review Sites?
First and foremost, people use review sites to gain information so they can make well-informed choices about where the choose to spend their time and money.
Review sites make it easier to get details that are otherwise hard to know without experiencing something first hand. This can be great for those who want or need to be sure of particular options – vegetarian cuisine, accessibility, ability to pay with a credit card, and so forth.
Review sites often have a community aspect and users enjoy the feeling of contributing something useful to the wider group. Many review sites have features where community members can engage with submitted reviews, indicating their helpfulness or asking follow-up questions.
How Can I Use Review Sites for My Online Business?
Although review sites like TripAdvisor or Foursquare might not be the perfect fit for an online business, on-site user reviews can be extremely powerful.
Asking customers to review items they’ve purchased and displaying these reviews on your website is great social proof, which can help sway future customers. Obviously positive reviews are the ideal outcome from, but negative reviews can also be helpful in building a trusted brand, as they highlight issues that need to be addressed, make the review section look genuine, and let you know what you should fix with your store.
Conclusion
Feeling more informed, or perhaps even a little overwhelmed?
Don’t worry! This social media categories business is a lot to take in. The good news is that you don’t need to become an expert on everything straight away.
As you’ve just read, each of these seven types of social media can benefit your business, but if you’re more familiar with constructing Facebook ads than tackling an entire blog post, make it something you work up to over time.
Setting up a content and social media strategy could be a good step to ensure that you properly investigate all of your social media options in due course.
The most important thing is being aware that there are many different types of social media and understanding how they can all help your business in their own way.
Want to Read More?
10 Social Media Statistics You Need to Know
Social Media Tools for Ecommerce Store Owners
How to Create a Killer Social Media Marketing Plan
Social Media Tips to Build an Audience for Your Store
The post These are the Best Types of Social Media To Use for An Online Business appeared first on Oberlo.
from Oberlo
With so many types of social media platforms out there it’s difficult to know which would be most beneficial.
Sure, we all know having an understanding of social media is important when starting an online business. But with so many kinds of social media, it can be hard to figure out exactly how many of them can be helpful.
We all know Facebook is great for connecting with customers and Instagram is the perfect place to show off products, but have you ever considered how Reddit could be useful for your business? Or even Yelp?
It may sound far-fetched, but stick with me because these slightly off-the-wall social media categories can be treasure troves of information that can help elevate your business.
So, which social media is best? We believe there are seven types of social media categories that are worth considering as an online business owner:
Social networking sites
Image sharing sites
Video sharing sites
Microblogs
Discussion forums
Blogs
Review sites
But before you can start using these types of social media to improve your business, first it’s crucial to have an understanding of what they are, who uses them, and how they can benefit you
Let’s get started.
1. Types of Social Media: Social Networking Sites
When you think about the types of social media, it’s generally social networking sites that spring to mind first. Social networking sites connect users to people and information of all varieties, and obviously, Facebook and LinkedIn are the big examples.
Why Do People Use Social Networking Sites?
Social networking sites make users feel as though the platform is oriented around them. They are the sun in the social media solar system and the sites work to connect them with what they want to see: posts from friends and family, news and lifestyle content, or updates from brands.
On social networking sites, the spread of information is highly encouraged through users interacting with content and sharing it in their circles. People can also create their content through posts, statuses, and albums and all types of media are welcome, including video, text, and image posts.
How Can I Use Social Networking Sites for My Online Business?
This is the ideal place to grow a community and brand. Creating a page for your business is a great way to reach potential customers, giving them a place to connect with others who like the same things they do while getting familiar with your brand.
With so much data on its users, social networking sites are also fantastic places to advertise your products. Using this data, you can target very specific audiences and figure out who’s the most interested in what you’re selling.
2. Types of Social Media: Image-Sharing Sites
The saying goes that a picture’s worth a thousand words and image-sharing sites have certainly ceased on that notion. Platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Imgur allow people to quickly access visual content they’ve curated from various sources.
Why Do People Use Image-Sharing Sites?
Being so simple to use but so visually pleasing, image-sharing sites easily capture people’s attention and imagination. These sites give users insights into the lives of their friends and people they admire, as well as showing off brands, companies, destinations, and events.
Many image-sharing sites having an endless scrolling feature, as well as filters that make it easy to find more content on topics that interest users, basically providing infinite new content.
How Can I Use Image-Sharing Sites for My Online Business?
These kinds of social media sites can be a great way to showcase your products – or get others to showcase them for you. Influencers are a major part of image-sharing sites and those with dedicated, engaged followings can be extremely helpful in driving customers to your business.
Image-sharing platforms can also be a great way to both see and show off your customers using your product after they’ve purchased it, providing great social proof. Creating a specific hashtag for customers to use is an easy way to encourage this and you could even display the posts directly on your website.
Image-sharing sites can also be used to engage with potential customers, posting content relevant to your business, as well as the lifestyle of your audience. If you have a large following, image-sharing sites can be the perfect place to test new products as users give quick, honest feedback.
3. Types of Social Media: Video-Sharing Sites
Video-sharing sites have exploded in recent years and become thriving communities with millions of engaged users. Launched in 2007, YouTube still dominates as the most well-known video-sharing site, but TikTok, Periscope, and Vimeo are other big players.
Why Do People Use Video-Sharing Sites?
Naturally, people primarily use video-sharing sites to be entertained. Heck, there are even different sites depending on how long you’d like to be entertained for. Under 60 seconds? Head to TikTok. Long form content more your style? YouTube is where you want to be.
People also use video-sharing sites to be informed and learn new skills. This has given rise to formats such as review, tutorial, and unboxing videos. Users of video-sharing sites actively seek out knowledge from those they deem trustworthy and authoritative on certain topics or products.
How Can I Use Video-Sharing Sites for My Online Business?
Filming a demonstration or review video is a fantastic way to show off your products. This works particularly well if you have a hard-to-photograph item, something that requires instructions to use, or a feature that you want to highlight.
Alternatively, engaging with video influencers can be a great option. This can work particularly well if an influencer is trusted and well-liked by your target audience, as you can capitalize on their social proof.
Video-sharing sites also offer you the chance to learn about your audience, as well as build a community and good reputation using the comment system. Comments on videos can reveal a lot, including any questions or concerns about your product that potential customers have.
4. Types of Social Media: Microblogs
Where do you go when you want to express an opinion or thought, but don’t want to spend hours crafting a long editorial or journal entry? Microblogs, of course! Websites like Twitter and Tumblr let users quickly fire off short posts and connect with wider communities.
Why Do People Use Microblogs?
Microblogs not only allow users to express their opinions and thoughts, but also become part of conversations with other users – or simply observe it.
For websites like Tumblr, users particularly enjoy the ability to share and bond with various communities, as well as the creativity of other members. Its community is artistic and often have niche interests, making the platform the perfect place to meet like-minded folk.
Twitter users make the most of being able to interact with brands and celebrities with ease, as well as sharing and spreading pictures and videos. The site is also useful for discovering breaking news, as it’s easy to filter and search for updates.
How Can I Use Microblogs for My Online Business?
Microblogs can be a good place to engage with customers and gain a deeper understanding of your target audience. Many brands use microblogs to offer support and give updates.
Being genuine and not coming across as stiff and corporate is important to microblog users. People are generally happy to engage with brands and companies, but also want to be entertained and informed.
By cultivating a feed that shares useful and entertaining content that isn’t just self-promotion, users will be more inclined to like, share and engage with your account. You can also team up with influencers to make the most of their following to promote your product.
5. Types of Social Media: Discussion Forums
Discussion forums are one of the OG forms of social media, originating from bulletin boards and used to talk about very specific topics. Home to over a million different communities, Reddit is the most well-known discussion forum, with Quora and Digg also very popular.
Why Do People Use Discussion Forums?
Discussion forums are extremely community-based with people seeking information and discussions around specific topics, questions and ideas. Forums often offer a degree of anonymity, with people identified by usernames rather than real names.
Users embrace discussion forums because they offer a sense of community and can be a source of knowledge that a user may not have been able to find in their offline life.
How Can I Use Discussion Forums for My Online Business?
Discussion forums are the ideal place to learn more about your target audience as they can be an absolute wealth of information. They’re a space where you can easily discover your potential customers’ pain points so you can be sure your product will adequately solve them.
One example of this is the image-hosting website Imgur. After Reddit user Alan Schaaf noticed problems with other image hosting sites, he created Imgur as an alternative that solved the issues users had with the other services. It was an instant success.
There’s also room to advertise on discussion forums, though it requires a level of finesse to appear organic. Posting in relevant subreddits in a subtle manner or answering applicable questions on Quora could be ways to promote your business. However, forum users are the types of social media users who will quickly sniff out self-promotion over genuine participation, so tread carefully.
6. Types of Social Media: Blogs
Although it might not seem like a type of social media site on first thought, a blog can definitely function as a form of social media, particularly if it covers queries the community has, has a strong following, or encourages discussion in its comment section (and on that note, feel free to leave your own comments in the section below). Spaces such as WordPress, Blogger, and Medium all fit into the blog category.
Why Do People Use Blogs?
Blogs let people learn more or be entertained on a particular topic. People choose to follow specific blogs because they enjoy the author’s writing style, connect with an author’s situation, or because they know they provide useful and insight information.
Blogs can be a great place to discover likeminded people and comment sections offer a chance to discuss and clarify related topics.
Unlike social networking sites or microblogs, when people read blogs they generally expect a longer, more in-depth piece of writing.
Blogs also offer the chance for a series of posts to be written on a single topic that can then be easily categorised so newcomers can find them with ease. This is something that can be difficult to do on other kinds of social media.
How Can I Use Blogs for My Online Business?
Blogs are a smart way to market your business, build your brand, and connect with your target audience at the same time.
You can construct posts explaining decisions, new products, special features, or upcoming events that you feel are important for your audience to know about. You can also post articles related to your product, things your audience enjoys, or would be interested in knowing more about – like the Oberlo blog.
In addition to this, well-optimized blog posts are a fantastic way to reach potential customers who otherwise may not have found your store. Writing insightful and useful SEO posts can set your business apart from similar ones as your website then becomes a destination people visit for a reason other than purchasing an item.
7. Types of Social Media: Review Sites
Used to recommend and educate users on products, services, and experiences, review sites are something that might not immediately jump to mind when considering different types of social media platforms. However, the undeniable social element to sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Foursquare ensure they fall into the social media category.
Why Do People Use Review Sites?
First and foremost, people use review sites to gain information so they can make well-informed choices about where the choose to spend their time and money.
Review sites make it easier to get details that are otherwise hard to know without experiencing something first hand. This can be great for those who want or need to be sure of particular options – vegetarian cuisine, accessibility, ability to pay with a credit card, and so forth.
Review sites often have a community aspect and users enjoy the feeling of contributing something useful to the wider group. Many review sites have features where community members can engage with submitted reviews, indicating their helpfulness or asking follow-up questions.
How Can I Use Review Sites for My Online Business?
Although review sites like TripAdvisor or Foursquare might not be the perfect fit for an online business, on-site user reviews can be extremely powerful.
Asking customers to review items they’ve purchased and displaying these reviews on your website is great social proof, which can help sway future customers. Obviously positive reviews are the ideal outcome from, but negative reviews can also be helpful in building a trusted brand, as they highlight issues that need to be addressed, make the review section look genuine, and let you know what you should fix with your store.
Conclusion
Feeling more informed, or perhaps even a little overwhelmed?
Don’t worry! This social media categories business is a lot to take in. The good news is that you don’t need to become an expert on everything straight away.
As you’ve just read, each of these seven types of social media can benefit your business, but if you’re more familiar with constructing Facebook ads than tackling an entire blog post, make it something you work up to over time.
Setting up a content and social media strategy could be a good step to ensure that you properly investigate all of your social media options in due course.
The most important thing is being aware that there are many different types of social media and understanding how they can all help your business in their own way.
Want to Read More?
10 Social Media Statistics You Need to Know
Social Media Tools for Ecommerce Store Owners
How to Create a Killer Social Media Marketing Plan
Social Media Tips to Build an Audience for Your Store
The post These are the Best Types of Social Media To Use for An Online Business appeared first on Oberlo.
https://ift.tt/2NkLIv7 September 17, 2019 at 07:20AM https://ift.tt/303TTTn
0 notes
anneedmonds · 6 years
Text
An Interiors Tizz and Two Helping Hands
All of this house-styling stuff, this current obsession with Instagram-perfect interiors, it’s driving me to distraction! I’m just so torn. On the one hand, I want to put some effort into doing up my house – I want to make it lovely and I want to do it justice. It’s rather handsome and grand and – quite honestly – our battered de Sede sofa (not to be confused with a de Sade sofa, which I’m not sure even exists but would be something very, very different) doesn’t quite cut the mustard. (I thought that it would look cool – an iconic mid-century piece juxtaposed with classic regency styling – but it just looks old and knackered.) The walls, of which there are many, are all painted in varying shades of white and very pale grey, which is fresh – and possibly handy in providing something of a blank canvas – but lacking personality.
But where do I start? There are so many options, so many different ways to arrange and frame and layer. And I’ve been scared to get going, if truth be known, because I feel a little bit overwhelmed by it all – both the scale of the project and the vast amount of choice that we now have when it comes to wallpaper patterns, paint colours, carpet weaves, sofa sizes, curtain fabrics, curtain tracks, lightbulb wattages, rug edgings, tap finishes, window catches… It’s a bloody minefield.
So on the one hand yes, I want to do the house justice and “get it right”, but on the other hand I have Mr AMR who is (I think) entirely sick of the whole thing and would just like some carpet down and some wall lights up and a bedside table to rest his radio on thank you very much indeed. And who is of the school of thought (probably quite rightly) that a house is for living in and that it should be comfortable and practical and warm. However, he also happens to be very opinionated about interior decorating, which makes him far less laid back about the whole thing than he might initially seem. He loves good furniture and wallpaper, hates painted walls and MDF and has an obsession with “inside outside spaces” (think huge, floor-to-ceiling glazing, a la our old house).
It’s clear, then, that things aren’t as straightforward as they could be with this whole house-decorating lark. An abundance of choice when it comes to decor materials, which is often not a helpful thing, an indecisive, often-in-disagreement couple (though we both adore the light we had made for the living room, pictured above) and a work life spent mostly on social media, where the interiors style du jour is “white wall + succulent + some kind of typography”. Which isn’t a diss, by any means – it’s a lovely, unfussy look –  it just makes things more difficult when there’s an avalanche of imagery that’s all quite similar. You start to wonder whether your own tastes are misguided or too eccentric or just plain wrong.
But last week my style doubts were dispelled and my interiors passions reignited thanks to two people. The first, Kate Watson-Smyth, has a book (and award-winning blog) called Mad About the House and I cannot recommend it enough. I’ll write a lengthier post about it, but it basically does away with the dubious Pinterest interiors “guidance” and tells it like it is, which is that you should be decorating your home for you and your needs but also choosing things that make your heart sing. Not just beige because it’s practical. One of the things I love about the book is that it has very little in the way of pictures, which is good, because it doesn’t cloud your thoughts with fluff and forces you to think about your own spaces and how you want to use them, rather than being led by images of other people’s houses. It’s filled with practical – brilliantly useful – advice and so, if you don’t know where to start with your home, whether it’s the dark hallway you want to revive or a whole house overhaul, this is the book for you. I bought mine on Amazon here*.
The second person to reignite my interiors spark was the wonderful Martin Waller, who founded the iconic interiors brand Andrew Martin in the 70s. The flagship Andrew Martin showroom is on Walton Street in London and I went there with Angelica on a very rainy Monday morning to take a look around. I had seen some rather splendid furniture for the living room on their website and wanted to see it “in real life” and I was so glad that I made the trip because it turned out to be an absolute treasure trove of beautiful, eclectic, sometimes-bizarre finds. Andrew Martin has quite the heritage when it comes to designing and building sets for films and making amazing, theatrical props. They do large-scale installations for shows (I saw photos of gargantuan wooden elephants, replica life-size space rockets, salvaged propellor planes) and often do the interiors for big, glitzy hotels and houses and this experience and interiors joie de vivre absolutely reveals itself in all of the things that are displayed in the showroom.
I was in my element. Quirky, unusual, slightly off-beat objects are my interiors catnip. Which is why I went away quite a lot lighter in the purse department after having bought an oversized Jeff Koons-inspired balloon dog statue. Haven’t got the foggiest where I’ll put it, but it has arrived in Somerset and is currently crated up in a mass of bubble wrap in a corner of the living room. Which will make for an interesting conversation when Mr AMR gets home… Ironically, I didn’t even get around to ordering any furniture because I didn’t want to choose it on my own – there were so many things that would have been perfect. So we’re going for a second trip, this time perhaps without Angelica, who spent an hour dancing over the top of a light installation that’s set into the floor at the entrance, and with Mr AMR.
The furniture range that I have my eye on is the “Rufus” range – the brass on these shelves goes perfectly with the brushed brass lights I have in the living room and the wood is walnut, which seems to be our familial wood of choice. Along with rosewood. Can’t seem to shift those mid century leanings! This sort of thing is my ideal style – a bit of low-key glitz from the satin-finish brass, a touch of warmth from the wood and those clean, elegant lines. There’s also a console table and a coffee table, I love them all.
Lots to feast your eyes on if you go to the Andrew Martin website, but I would absolutely say to drop in at the showroom if you’re in London – I left feeling very invigorated and inspired but also comforted by the fact that there are other people who like giant apples and OTT lighting and wallpaper with flocked penguins on it. Although what I did love about the place was that the more fantastical things were sort of anchored, or tempered, by the beautifully-made, timeless pieces of furniture. There was something for everyone. I’ll take better photos the next time I go!
More interiors stuff coming up – I’ve had lots of requests for a post on lighting, so I’ll round up my current favourites for you to peruse. Also I have a sofa positioning dilemma that I need you to help solve – I realise it’s not up there with the worst of the world’s problems, but if you like floorplans and mathematical quandaries then you might find it enjoyable.
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  Today we chat to Justine about her hometown Bristol in the UK. Bristol is the home of the International Balloon Fiesta and is also a shot hop skip and a jump from Bath, a Unesco heritage site. Justine keeps a blog Wanderer of the world  which she writes about her adventures around the world with her fiance Scott. Justine works full time as a content marketing executive and travels in her spare time. You will find articles about many places including Hawaii, Iceland and California on her blog and will soon be going to Tokyo for the Olympics! Check her blog out here.
Where are you living?
I’m living in Bristol – a cool little city in the South West of England.
Tell us about yourself?
Hi, I’m Justine! I’ve lived in Bristol for over 5 years, after moving here to work for a software company in the city centre. Initially I was living here on my own and in house shares, but I now live in a rented house with my fiance with the hope to settle our roots here together … at least for the next few years! Bristol is such a trendy city and I’m happy to call it home.
I was originally born in Germany (in a small town called Osnabruck), but we moved to the UK shortly after I was born. Growing up in Hampshire in the South of England, I became a true country bumpkin at heart. That might be why I chose the suburbs of Bristol rather than the city centre now that I live here.
Aside from travelling extensively, I love to bake (chocolate cheesecake is my specialty), I’m an avid reader (currently reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank after a humbling trip to Amsterdam) and I love visiting National Trust properties here in the UK.
What is your favourite thing about Bristol?
Bristol has got quite a bit of a hipster, trendy vibe to it. With so much to see and do and lots of free festivals throughout the summer months, it’s perfect for 20-somethings. Plus I absolutely love the graffiti art scene and Banksy really put Bristol on the map so to speak!
What is your favourite thing to do in Bristol with a day off?
It’s definitely to mooch around the independent shops along Gloucester Road, which is one of the longest streets of independent boutiques. You’ll be sure to find some vintage and unique pieces of clothing and home decor here, akin to Portobello Road Market in London.
This is also a great area to see some cool pieces of Banksy street art (Banksy originated in Bristol, don’t ya know?) There’s several pieces of Banksy art near this area and some of my favourites include:
The Three Cloaked Men
The Mousetrap
The Mild Mild West
What in your opinion is the one thing you can’t miss when you visit Bristol?
This may be a little cliche but you definitely have to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge whilst in Bristol. If you park up at Leigh Woods, and follow a trail through the woods, you’ll come out in a spot that has the perfect view of the bridge and Avon Gorge! For the history lovers out there, Clifton Suspension Bridge is an iconic work of art designed by Brunel and is actually now a Grade I listed building.
Also, whilst you’re in Bristol, you should make an effort to head to nearby city: Bath. It’s about 10 minutes on the train and is an amazing city to visit – the whole city is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site! In Bath, you should go to the Roman Baths (also known as the Pump Rooms), Bath Abbey, Jane Austen Museum and the Royal Botanical Gardens (which is actually free to visit)!
Any top tips where to go/ what to do on a rainy day? 
You should head to Cox and Baloney’s Tea Room along Cheltenham Road. With about 15 different types of tea on offer, this is a picture perfect place to come for tea and cake or splurge on their full afternoon tea! (You can even opt to add some bubbly)! In my opinion, this is the perfect rainy day activity! And if you really like their tea? They sell it in their shop or online!
Where is your go-to restaurant?
This is definitely Za Za Bazaar at the Harbourside. This place offers views over the harbour (if you sit on the right hand side) and allows you to pick foods from around the world. With each food island being a different travel destination – from India to China to Japan to USA, you really will find something for everyone. There’s even an entire island dedicated to desserts! Come during the lunchtime slot and the food will be cheaper although you won’t get a full selection of everything, but it’s still worth doing … and remember, it’s “all you can eat!” It’d be a shame not to!
And where do you suggest going for a drink in the evening?
Bristol is a treasure trove for amazing drinking spots, so I’m going to offer a few here:
Browns Brasserie Bar in Clifton: It looks like a mini Doges Palace from Venice and offers a vibrant atmosphere for both drinking and eating! Although this is a slightly more “upmarket” bar, you can still get away with keeping it casual if you want.
Cosies in Portland Square, St Pauls: Not many people know about this one as it’s hidden away downstairs in a cellar. But the clue is in the name — come here for a quiet drink in a cosy place, complete with caves outside and fairy lights inside. You’ll also spot a church pew or two that are over 100 years old!
Full Moon Backpacker Hostel and Attic Bar in Stokes Croft: The perfect place to spot backpackers and meet people from all over the world. Come here on warm evenings and take advantage of the large pub garden outside, complete with Shisha Bar. I recommend the apple flavoured one to share with a group of friends!
Is there one thing not many people know about Bristol?
Well, Bristol’s won a few awards over the years, such as:
Awarded European Green Capital in 2015 (the first city in the UK to win this award)
Voted the best place to live in the UK for 2017 by The Sunday Times
Declared European City of Sport in 2017 by The European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation
Basically, the above shows that it’s not just us locals who love Bristol!
Aside from that, you should also know that Bristol is home to the International Balloon Fiesta (the largest in the world), which is free to attend. And the Harbourside Festival in the summer is also pretty amazing (and big!) … and free!
Anything else you think we should know?
There’s so much more to say about Bristol, but I’ll leave it with a suggestion to see somewhere pretty damn cool here (which not many people know about).
If you Google an area called St Werberghs in Bristol, you’ll see a housing area and probably be asking why an earth I’m recommending this to you! But if quirky buildings are your thing, then a walk around the houses here is definitely for you! I’ve seen houses that look like boats, wonky houses like something out of a Disney movie and just plain strange looking houses. It’s also a good place to spot local graffiti artists and even come to a city farm! St Werberghs really is for the weird and wacky, but I’d definitely recommend it!
And last thing from me (an insider tip): Pick up a copy of the Visit Bristol guide in the Cabot Circus shopping centre or in a tourist information office to get money off coupons for bars, restaurants and top sights in the city!
If you enjoyed this interview then you may like to follow Justine on these links below. As always I’d love to hear your own opinions on Bristol and what to do and see. Living pretty close to Bristol, I’m excited to try out some of Justine’s suggestions soon!
Blog URL: www.wandereroftheworld.co.uk 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldwanderer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_World_Wanderer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_wanderer_of_the_world_/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/world_wanderer_/
A new interview with a local - this time Bristol! Where to eat, drink, & hang out! Today we chat to Justine about her hometown Bristol in the UK. Bristol is the home of the International Balloon Fiesta and is also a shot hop skip and a jump from Bath, a Unesco heritage site.
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