Bloggers, #Blogging, and Canadian #Taxes: #WorthTheRead #BloggerIssues

There are many challenges and learning curves when it comes to blogging. One such area is understanding the tax implications your blog and blogging may have.

I love reading interesting and informative posts and articles about business, social media, marketing and blogging. My Worth the Read posts are my way of sharing my take on a given topic, and at the same time linking a few related posts or articles I think are worth taking the time to read and ponder.

This week's topic is Blogs, Bloggers, Blogging and Canadian Taxes.

Free isn't really free, or so says the tax man
Yes I know tax season just ended but I realized while doing my taxes there are many things to I need to learn. After almost 3 years into my blogging adventure I still feel like a newbie when it comes to so many aspects of blogging, including the related taxes. I don't generate much income from my blog, but what I do make has the potential to impact not only my taxes, but also my spouse's taxes. So no time like the present to start to understand what I can and cannot claim as an expenses, what it considered taxable income, the tax implications of accepting sponsored posts or product for review, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I'm guessing there are many atceteras involved.  

My journey for tax knowledge and enlightenment...
Where does a blogger start on their journey for knowledge and enlightenment? With other bloggers of course, especially bloggers with a background in Canadian finance and accounting. Turns out what I thought would be an hour or so of leisurely tax reading, turned into an entire day of reading, note taking, bookmarking and clinking through to related posts. Although I'm hardly an expert, I definitely feel I have a better handle on blogging, income, expenses, deductions, taxes and filing a Canadian tax return with blog income. 

8 things I have learned about blogging and taxes from the posts I've linked below:

• READ THE POSTS BELOW! Well finish reading my post first, but then go directly to the posts. Do Not Pass Go and Do Not Collect $200. And if you do, claim it as income!
• Get yourself a system ... Now! Don't wait and try to backtrack a year's worth of invoices and receipts at tax time. It doesn't need to be complicated, but it needs to be complete and consistent. Track, document, copy and organize everything as you go. 
• Read the posts below so you understand what is considered income AND report it all.
• Read the posts below so you understand what are expenses, what you can claim, and how they need to be claimed. There are categories people! 
• The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for bloggers is 711513
• Get to know the Canada Revenue Agency - T4002  Business and Professional Income Guide & T2125 Statement of Business or Professional Activities.
• Don't assume you understand terms and classifications. If you're not sure check in the posts, guides or call CRA. (I'm working on putting together a basic glossary of terms I came across related to blogs and taxes ... stay tuned) 
• There are lots of tools and resources out there to help track and organize your bookkeeping, records, and understand the ins and outs of taxes and your blog. So you really have no excuse. 

Below are some excellent posts about Blogging and Canadian Taxes that are definitely worth the read:

• Tax Time: Book Keeping for the Canadian Blogger via Food Bloggers of Canada
• How to declare your income and expenses as a blogger (Canada) via Save, Spend, Splurge
• Accounting for Bloggers: Filing Your Taxes (Sole Proprietorship) via Cowgirl Run
• Hey Blogger, did you declare that free soup on your tax return? via Postcards from the Mothership
• Here A Blog, There a Blog, Everywhere a Blog-Blog via Shoebox Be Gone 
• Blogging as a Hobby or Business? Claiming Blog Income via Ottawa Mommy Club

Other Links: 

CRA - Canada Revenue Agency - T4002 Business and Professional Income Guide 2015

CRA - Canada Revenue Agency - T2125 Statement of Business or Professional Activities

Because in my world nothing can be said to be certain except, blogging, death and taxes.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about what I think is worth the read. 

 Note: I have not been compensated for this post (yippy - no tax implications here!). All opinions are my own and the purpose of this post is merely to share with my readers posts and articles I find interesting. 

Thought We Had A Thing?! #BrandsandBloggers Expectations & Disappointment

Brands and Blogger Relationships: Dealing With My Disappointment 

Hey! Over Here! Remember Me?! I thought we had a thing.

It's not often I question a brand's choices when it comes to who they pick as influencers, ambassadors or to work on a given campaign. Each brand has a vision for their overall branding, specific campaigns, and targets they want to reach. I understand that many factors go into each campaign, and there is no shortage of great bloggers who bring impressive skills to the table. But every now and then I feel disappointment in a brand which I find hard to brush off. 

This post is not about a single brand or campaign. I can count on one hand the number of times I have felt this way about a brand in relation to my blog and blogging. It is not a rant, but rather a personal reflection and a statement that "it's just business, and not personal" isn't true for me. It is personal for me with each post, or decision to share content. 

I find it hard not to feel snubbed, if after willingly supporting a brand, sharing their content, and working with them more than once on a specific campaign I discover by way of social media I have now been overlooked for that campaign. It could be that the brand is looking to a whole new group of bloggers, or influencers in a specific niche. But Nope, that was not the situation in these cases. It could be they didn't think I was a good fit, but I have had nothing but positive feedback about my participation in the past. It could be that a different PR team is handling the campaign, but it's the brand that hires the PR team., surely there is some conversation about who has participated in the past. So I can only assume they have simply failed to see me, or my value. While for the brand this choice may be for a single campaign, my feelings about being included or excluded last much longer. 

Realistically the bloggers participating in these campaigns or ambassadorships are successful, with a proven track record, and numbers I only aspire to have, but even so I think my long-term value makes it worth including me in select and specific campaigns. I don't begrudge those chosen to participate. I'm at the same time both happy for the bloggers' success, and disappointed in the brands short sightedness. I'm small but not invisible or insignificant, and besides I thought we had a thing.Wait! Did I just get the brand equivalent of being dumped by text message?! 

So I respond in the only way I can. I simply stop sharing or engaging with that brand. They won't notice, nor will the PR firm for the brand that has made the decision not to see me. It's unlikely that the brand or the PR firm will ever read this, or know I feel this way, and that's okay. The posts I write aren't about getting something or getting back. Writing it down helps me to take a critical look at what I'm feeling, and gives me a place to file those feelings, and move on. Plus it helps me to better manage expectations for future brand relationships, and these are all good things.

Blogging is similar to being a stay-at-home mom, in that it rarely comes with the clear and easy to interpret feedback regular performance appraisal provide. I do wonder if others feel this way, or am I just being too sensitive. I try not to think out loud about this type of thing because I don't want my expressing these feelings to be misinterpreted as whining or having entitlement issues. Although I'm quite capable of both of those it's not the case today. Well enough of that, time to file this under Blogger Issues and move on, because tomorrow is another day filled with possibility.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about my #BloggerIssues

Please Read My Post: A Day in the Life of a Needy Blogger #BloggerIssues

I Write, I Publish, Then the little voice inside my head says "please please please read my post", and then the cycle repeats itself. 

It's a bit like the instructions on the shampoo bottle:
Wash, Rinse, Repeat, but instead for me it's:
Write, Reader Requisition, Repeat

Yes, I get that it's a wee bit (okay more like infinitely) needy, but I can't help it. 

OMG ... I just realized I 'm a high maintenance blogger!

(Putting on the cone of shame as I type)

 

I have absolutely no idea why one day 100 people visit and another day I'm lucky to get 25 visits, even if I have new posts up and I'm actively sharing links on social media. I just know I like the 100 better than the 25 visits. Maybe on the 25 days you didn't hear my telepathic calls summoning you to a new post. (I'll summon louder in the future).

One of my goals for 2016 is post more consistently and increase the number of visitors and length of visits to my blog. My goal for the first half of 2016 is to consistently get 5o+ visitors a day, or 1500 visitors and 4000 page views per month, and double that number for the second half of 2016. Seemed like an achievable goal at the time, but time will tell.

Giveaways are fun and increase traffic to the blog, but also skew the numbers since they tend to result in quick one page visit, so I'm not including those in my monthly count. The length of visit is a pretty good indicator whether the post is actually being read. 

So far I haven't hit my 50 everyday, but I have had other days with more than 50 so over all I am on target to hit my numbers for the month of January. So to all those who have and continue to visit, thank you for taking the time to do so, and please please please keep reading my posts. If you're not visiting ... maybe it's you who needs the cone of shame.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about being a insecure and needy blogger.

Finding My Blogging Groove, #Blogger Burnout & Other #BloggerIssues

Is this blogger burnout? And if so how the heck do I get my blogging groove back?

Lately I've struggling to find the energy or the will to engage on social media and publish on Cathy Thinking Out Loud. Where these used to energize and excite me now they suck the energy out of me, which is further compounded by the stress of not posting with any consistency. I have ideas, numerous outlines, drafts and partially written posts; I just can't seem to motivate myself to complete, edit, add images and finally hit publish on any of them. 

Could it be I'm experiencing blogger burnout? Or worse a combination of blogger and social media burnout? The thing I like best about social media and blogging is the platform it gives me to share ideas, engage and interact with others. But lately it all seems like a chore or a one way conversation with myself, leaving me feeling alone and lonely in a crowd.

The above paragraphs were actually written in April of 2015; the beginning of a post I started in response to how I had been feeling. 

They were part of that large pile of partially written posts waiting to be finished. These feelings continued until very recently and as a result I was down to completing only posts I was committed to write and What to Watch Wednesday posts. Each time I looked at my blog I'd cringe at the post stream and how little I was offering my readers, but still I couldn't manage to motivate myself to do more. I've always known my Hubby doesn't read all my posts, in particular sponsored posts, but over the holidays he revealed he rarely finds ones he's interested in reading anymore, further confirmation (like I needed any) the content I've been offering my readers is at best lacking. I think an examination of the reasons I'm in this rut and how I might get my blogging groove back is far overdue. 

Apathy Begets Apathy

The Blog: I knew it would take time to grow readership and my numbers, but after 2 1/2 years my blog hasn't seemed to grow; month after month the numbers stay the same. Unless I'm running a giveaway visits and page views remain low. I want Miracle Grow for blogs that I can sprinkle on my posts then watch my readership grow. So if any of you know where I can my hands on some, let me know. The thing is, when people read what I write it inspires me to write more, but apathy begets apathy squashing my inspiration to write. Lack of inspiration leads to inconsistency in my posting, and for readers out of sight is out of mind resulting in fewer blog visits, and round and round the vicious cycle goes. But it's a new year and with that I'm determined to push myself to consistently press publish, and more importantly dig deeper to produce more interesting and diverse content, regardless of how many actually read it. 
Having said that but please visit me I get lonely!

Social Engagement When You Feel Anti-Social:

Twitter: As my twitter numbers increased I've found it harder to see people in my tweeter stream. Lists help but even so my experience has been the bigger the numbers the smaller the number of meaningful connections and interactions. Twitter parties once so fun and interactive are a challenge to engage and participate in because of their ever growing size and loss of the beloved tweetgrid. Over the past few years I've noticed a shift on twitter by many brands from 2-way conversational engagement to more 1-way promotional content. It's great to see brands embrace social media but I'm really interested in what the brand stands for and the people behind the brand. Even brands once outstanding at connecting with followers seem less likely to engage, retweet and have conversations on twitter. This may be a result of outsourcing promotions and social media, but I kinda miss the type engagement that inspired this best brands list. The end result is social media often leaves me feeling anti-social. 

We should all strive for the kind of daily agenda-free and personal engagement I see from my friend Todd (@tgreenc). Time to reinstate my daily ritual of  looking at 10 different twitter friends' feed to see what they've been up to and comment, engage or just say hello. Who knows, this type of social might just leave me feeling less anti-social.

Facebook & Other Social Media: Although I like other social media platforms time management of them is a puzzle I've yet to solve. I could spend every waking minute reading and responding to friends on the handful of platforms I'm active on and still miss the majority of updates and wonderful content shared. Add to that, sharing content on the CTOL facebook page, and my continued efforts to understand the ins and outs of the various social media platforms and I'll need to clone myself soon. Juggling life's obligations, the Blog and engaging on twitter, facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram can definitely trigger my my anti-social tendencies, followed by burying my head in the sand (aka marathon steaming sessions on Netflix). I truly have no idea how others do it. 

The Pressing Issue of Word Press

In my head I know exactly how I want my blog posts to look, and the design style and feel I want for my blog, headers, logo, and business cards. It's not a cluttered patchwork of what I've managed to add, edit, or customize on my own. I spend more hours fussing with positioning and sizing text and images for a post trying to get something remotely resembling the aesthetic I want than actually writing it. I really want more control over image and font sizing,  placement and editing options. I would love to figure out how to add a PDF with print option to a post. I want pull down tabs, and a user friendly browsing experience for all those who visit; so basically the polar opposite of what I have now. I want to switch from Blogger to Word Press but thinking about the learning curve involved to switch, maintain and trouble shoot issues for Cathy Thinking Out Loud triggers a flight rather than fight response in me. Plug-ins, hacks, hosting, self-hosting, domains and HTML code; all just synonyms for fear. I'm an advocate of outsourcing to the professionals and would be happy to hire someone to redesign and switch Cathy Thinking Out Loud to Word Press, AND give me one-on-one WP tutorials, AND be available for emergency IT and tech support, preventing me from having a complete mental meltdown. 

To that end I've started a list of potential blog-whispers referred by fellow bloggers.

I'm just not sure anyone truly understands just how blog-tech-code challenged I am. Assuming reliable, patient, knowledgeable, professionals who can tolerate my neurotic personality and whose services fit my budget exist; how do I find and recognize the one that is a good fit for me? Many blog-whispers are also bloggers or closely connected to the blogging community thereby increasing the threat level to DEFCON1 that I'll be exposed as the bat-s@%& crazy person I actually am. Cause that's been such a well kept highly classified secret up till now. Can you imagine the size of the cone of shame required if I was fired as a client due to my inability to grasp concepts and being too clingy-needy. So one my goals for 2016 is to find this superhero blog-whisper who can help me turn my blog vision into a reality.

Getting My Blogging Groove Back

I can't figure out how others pitch and post so often and consistently, it takes me hours to write each post. Not to sound pessimistic but my To Do Lists are pages long and my current rate of posts, pitches, blog maintenance, and social media engagement already seems unsustainable and overwhelming. So baby steps starting with: 

 Strategies to Feelin' Groovy: 

• Create and add a really great About Me page to the blog.
• Write everyday. Whether it gets posted or not it keeps the creative juices flowing and may inspire a really great post.
• Take at least one random picture a day. Not only are they fun to share on social media, a collection of images to use for posts makes getting from draft to published that much easier.
• Schedule time once a week to experiment and try a new photography technique or hack.
• Write and publish at least one non-sponsored post per week in addition to the What 2 Watch posts. Dig deeper to create more interesting and diverse content. 
• Read and comment on at least 1 fellow blogger's non-giveaway post each day. The comment lets them know I have read their post. No apathy here! 
• Tweet a hello to 10 people each day, just to say hello. 
• Research a different social media platform each month. By year end I'll be an expert.
• Reach out and get a few more names of blog-whispers who might be a good fit to help me redesign and switch my blog to WP.
• Find ways to better schedule blog and blog related activities, including an editorial calendar, and improve my time management skills. 
• Pitch an idea to a brand once a week, and don't be discouraged if pitches are rejected. 
• Examine goals and long To Do Lists once a month to track my progress and edit as required to ensure I continue moving forward without the burnout. 

Doot-in doo-doo, feelin' groovy!

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about blogger issues and getting my blogging groove back.

Honoured for Cathy Thinking Out Loud to be Featured on @HobbytoHot - #Bloggers & #Balance

In March this year while trying to get some sort of control and balance in both my blogging and family life I wrote a post called Blogger Issues: Finding to find that oh so elusive balance. 

This post caught the attention of Hobby to Hot.com which was quite exciting since I have reading and sharing posts from there for some time. 

In May I had the privilege of being featured on Hobby to Hot and answer a few questions about my blogging experience. The questions really got me to thinking about my blogging journey, what I have learned, and how it has impacted my life. 

If you would like see my answers, and maybe get to know me just a little bit better take a look.

I would love your feedback, and to hear what you thought! 

 Bloggers & Balance: Come See How this Blogger Makes it All Happen via Cathy Canton - Hobby to Hot

Thank you so much Hobby to Hot for this opportunity, 

and to my readers for taking the time to read my posts.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about balance.

It's My Job! If you won't work for free don't ask me to! #Blogging #BloggerIssues #WorthTheRead

I feel like a Blogger Sandwich:
Stuck Between Two Sets of Assumptions About Fair Compensation.

(And by assumptions I really mean judgy, entitled and misinformed by choice. STOP! Before you get offended I concede, not everyone makes these assumptions, but a surprisingly large number do.)

I love reading interesting and informative posts and articles about business, social media, marketing and blogging. My Worth the Read posts are my way of sharing my take on a given topic, with a few related links I think are worth taking the time to read, and ponder. 

Myth Busters ...
For this post let's pretend we're on the show Myth Busters and attempt to bust the myth on one hand that bloggers just sit around waiting for tons of free stuff to be delivered to their door, and on the other hand some (not all) brands and PR firms believing blogger content isn't worthy of the same compensation as other work and forms of brand engagement and promotion. Time after time we are asked to use our voice, reach and blog to create content for free, or in exchange for products which total value equates to compensation far below minimum wage. As my friend Paula from Thrifty Mommas Tips says "On What Planet is Toothpaste Compensation for Work?"

Blogs, Blogging, Bloggers and the topic of fair compensation ...
It's a Saturday and I'm working. Yes writing blog posts is work, and hard work. I have yet to complete a post in under an hour, and most take several hours to write. If there is an event to attend, research, food preparation, crafts, photographs, templates and or instructions to accompany the post, then it can take many hours. The majority of Bloggers I know put a great deal of time into planning well written, interesting and informative posts for their readers. They often bring to their blog years of relevant education and work experience, not to mention continually striving to improve their skills and craft. 

Things I do when I'm not sitting around waiting for free stuff ... 
Let me assure you I know of no blogger who just sits there waiting for things to drop into their lap, mailbox, or inbox. I challenge those who judge, assume, are misinformed to walk a mile in my shoes, but be warned, you're gonna need comfy ones! And just an FYI, there are actual out of pocket expenses related to blogging. Certainly for the first several years it's a full time job hunting down contacts, opportunities and growing your reach enough to even be considered for sponsored content. That means engaging and pitching ideas, or the digital equivalent of cold calling. It's time consuming and takes it's toll on your ego and self confidence. Add time required for blog administration and up keep, emails, invoicing, and social media sharing so people know you exist. Blogging isn't a matter of if you write it they will come, there is no field of dreams here. Juggling those responsibilities and the time required to create blog posts is a constant challenge. Even if opportunities and brands are coming to you, many are offer "toothpaste" or no compensation at all, spun to read as a favour for providing brand specific sales pitch information they're sure my readers want to know about. 

What and Why I Write...
As bloggers, we all must make decisions about what to write, which paid opportunities are a good fit for our blog, and what is fair compensation for the content we create. The majority of my post are not paid or sponsored. There are a number of reasons why I might write a post: to inform, to entertainment, support a person, place or thing, or share an experience, and sometimes if it's a good fit for money. Occasionally I'll write a non-compensated post about a personal experience (both good and bad) with a product or a brand, for which I'm under no obligation to include specific content or messaging. That is a very different thing than being asked to create content around a specific campaign or message, and that type of post I will not write for free. Even if paid minimum wage for my work, most of my posts, would require compensation of at least $100.00 to cover my time investment. This amount doesn't take into account intangibles, or out of pocket expenses associated with the post or blogging. Brands and even larger charities have far deeper pockets than I. They have a marketing and campaign budgets. If they can afford to pay a marketing team or PR firm they can afford to compensate me for my work. 

"Bottom" line - it's free my ass!
So four things: 1) I will not work for free unless the brand, marketing team, and/or PR firm are also working for free. So safe to say unlikely I'll be working for free any time soon. 2) I support brands by buying their products, which I think is a big deal. If they want more than that they'll need to support me by buying my product ... as in my blog and content I create. 3) You get what you pay for. You get far better blog for your buck if you offer fair compensation and relationship building. 4) It's my job people! I'm always confused when people judge assume bloggers get tons of "free" stuff. We're required to claim both the value of product or payment as taxable income. Yep, even the toothpaste has to be claimed as income, so not free, and as far as I know toothpaste still is not an accepted form of currency in which to pay one's mortgage or orthodontist bills. 

"Look I got another "freebie" pay cheque!" ... said by no one ever! 
Just in case further clarification is needed; No one considers a pay cheque a "freebie", and neither should a Blogger's income, regardless of the form in which it's paid. Opportunities for paid work don't magically appear, they are the end result of hard work, and relationship building. Like those seeking potential employment in other fields, bloggers must present their resume or Media Kit with relevant education, experience, skills, and reach, to potential clients. Their blog is a portfolio of their work. 

Blogging is not contesting ...
Although both require time and effort, one is about odds and chance, and the other is a job with deadlines, and commitments, and leaves very little to chance if one hopes to have a successful business, and a blog people want to read. 

Worth the Read ...
On that note below are a few posts I think make this point and are worth the read. Although not necessarily directed at an average reader, they do give some excellent insight into what a Blogger does, for what, why they're being compensated and some of the challenges encountered all in a day of blogging. Hopefully these posts will have you looking at the job of blogging, and bloggers differently, and with new insight and understanding.

• Before You Ask Bloggers to Blog for Free via Thrift Mommas Tips
• Five Reasons Your Outreach Program Failed via Thrifty Mommas TipsGiving me FREE stuff? This is NOT a Review via Tales of a Ranting Ginger
• Stop Undervaluing other Bloggers via Tales of a Ranting Ginger
• Dear Social Business and Brand Leaders Value My Time and I Will Value Your Brand via Pam Moore - The Marketing Nut

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about Friday Feature: Worth the Read.

Note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own, and the purpose of this post is merely to share with my readers information and posts I find interesting.