Georgia-based blogger, Jennifer Watkins-Jones, lives an active life with her husband and children. The self-described “country girl stuck in the city” loved to share her travel adventures, decorating and fitness journey on Instagram and her blog. Jennifer is one of the newest members of our influencer community. She also has an amazing weight loss story. Keep reading to see what’s ahead for her in 2020.
Name: Jennifer Watkins-Jones
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Blog name: http://www.OhFiddleDeeDee.com
What inspired you to start a blog? How would you describe your blog niche?
I originally started my blog about 10 years ago (wow!) as a hobby because so many of my friends were constantly asking me for recipes and tips in the kitchen. As I got into posting some it became a bit of a journal since we live away from our family. As my kids turned into teenagers I focused more on balancing life, food, weight loss (I’ve lost 100 pounds), decorating and travel. As a new empty-nester, it’s evolved more into a full lifestyle blog without so much focus on family things.
Tell us about a typical workday as a blogger. What time do you stop/start your workday? How do you balance family and blogging?
I’ve been slowly moving from hobby blogger to more in-depth blogging. Right now, I try to write once a week (more if I have something to say or really want to share) and post on social media daily. For the most part, I’m a mid-day kind of girl; not a morning person at all and struggle at night. After several cups of coffee, My afternoons can be super productive! I keep a notebook in my purse and a lot of times I’ll jot down ideas as they come to me when I am out. If we happen to be traveling, I try to keep a pretty detailed diary of what our itinerary consisted of so I can write later. There have been instances of an idea or starter running through my mind as I’m trying to sleep, so I grab a pad from my nightstand and jot it down quickly because I know it’ll be gone by morning. The brain fog is real after raising four kids!! My husband works out of town Monday through Friday right now, and my kiddos are grown (at least they think so) so balancing family is fairly easy.
Why did you join The Network Niche?
I was invited to join The Network Niche by Joyce Brewer from Mommy Talk Show after we met at WSB-TV studios back to school event. I was so thankful for the opportunity as I’m hoping I can make connections and grow through the Network. I have not done a campaign yet, but very much looking forward to seeing what 2020 holds!
Describe your “dream” brand partnership.
My dream partnership would definitely be travel related! If I could partner with Hilton Brand Hotels or an all-inclusive resort somewhere exotic or historical it would be amazing!
More realistically we are moving from the east side of Atlanta to the west side, so partnering with a moving company would be more practical and worthwhile for me and my readers.
What’s the next big project you’re working on? What do you want to accomplish with your blog in 2020?
I plan to attend a travel bloggers conference in October which I hope will open a few doors. I have a few photography classes booked at the Atlanta School of Photography to elevate my photo skills, as well. For 2020, I really want to be more consistent with my writing and fully move from hobby blogger to a full-time blogger! I also want to grow my social media numbers. Who knew what a struggle that could be?!
What is your must-use or favorite social media app?
I love Instagram. Photography is another hobby of mine, so besides sharing things I write about, I also share photos I’ve taken.
Where do you see yourself and your blog in 5-10 years?
I would love to travel and experience more culture and food of course. I also hope to have a reliable space people can visit for inspiration in their kitchens, homes, and vacation plans. I feel like people get stuck in a rut and see the world from their boxes and I want to inspire them to venture out in so many aspects of their life!
If there’s a stereotype about bloggers that you don’t like, what is it? How can we, as a community, improve that stereotype?
A stereotype about bloggers that drives me nuts is how some people just don’t take bloggers seriously. While I’ve been a hobby blogger, I do have a very faithful following (albeit small) who responds to my posts. Bloggers are underestimated when it comes to influence. People need to realize we have power to sway the public; more so than TV & radio advertisements.
Bloggers also work hard and spend a lot of time writing, editing and publishing. It’s not as easy as some outsiders claim. As a community, I think we just keep on doing what we do and ignore the naysayers the best we can. We have to support, not compete with each other to keep outsiders from drawing even more unrealistic conclusions.
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