7 Re-branding Changes I Made For 2016

If you've been following Roots on Facebook or Twitter lately, you've probably seen this post pinned to the top of my social media pages and wondered what it means. 

"Last week I applied to graduate from Iowa State. It hardly seems possible that 4 years have flown by. I decided if I have to graduate, my blog should too. In the next month, there will be lots of changes around here. Thanks for your patience with Roots' growing pains!"

More details are coming soon, but for now there are some exciting things you should know about my re-branding progress...






1. I've stopped using my personal Twitter handle. If you've been following me at @AnySense035 and wondering why I dropped off the face of the earth, make sure you go follow me at @Roots_Journey instead. Now that Roots has many readers I haven't met in real life, it's much less confusing if I just use one account. 

2. Number one has really helped me accomplish change number two: Share more focused Tweets. Even though you may not be able to tell by looking at my timeline, there is a method to my madness. All my tweets are somehow related to my travel, agriculture, thrifting or entrepreneurial goals. This has helped me gain a more "adult" following and keeps me from getting too distracted on social media.

3. With that, I also want to be a more engaged community member with people who care about the same topics as me. To do this, I'm being more intentional about scheduling time to participate in Twitter discussions like #FoodieChats on Mondays and #AgChat on Tuesdays. These conversations have been the starting place for some great relationships and awesome projects I'm excited to tell you about later. Attending #AgChat conference in Nashville last month was just the beginning of travels to meet my online friends. 

This is my current profile picture everywhere.

4. I also switched all my social media accounts to use one consistent profile picture. Along the lines of number one, I haven't had the privilege of meeting all my online followers. I'm easier to keep track of across the different social media platforms if people are familiar with a certain picture. (My current picture is almost 4 years old and due for an update, but I'm all about baby steps around here!)

5. While I was making sure each of my social media accounts looked consistent, I went ahead and made as many of them @Roots_Journey as possible. Now, I'm @Roots_Journey on Instagram and Twitter, plus a few other channels I plan to use more in 2016 like Pinterest and YouTube.

6. I bought my domain! Domains are pretty cheap, but to me this was a really big deal, meaning I'm serious about developing Roots as I grow personally and professionally. Now you can find my blog by just typing in www.therootsjourney.com to your address bar!

7. If you're a regular Roots reader you may notice a few tweaks to the layout of my website. Nothing has changed too dramatically, but I've added some social buttons to the sidebar so I'm easier to connect with. Also, there are new tabs across the top so my most popular posts about travel and Ag Jobs A to Z are easy to find.

I hope these re-branding changes make Roots more fun for you to follow. As always, feel free to comment or email with any feedback about the new look! Thanks for reading!

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