I have a brand new hobby guys and gals...

... it's finding new and exciting content.

Not only discovering new blogs but falling in love with them. Ever since I shared my post about how to use social media to support bloggers, I have made it my mission to put in a lot more effort when it comes to fellow bloggers and helping grow the community. We all haven't had the same experience when it comes to being part of the community, but I feel like I've been pretty lucky. I say this time and time again, but I honestly wouldn't have my blog in the position it is today without all the support. I have such a great supportive network who will always be the first ones to comment or share my posts, and it's honestly the best feeling.

But what if you're looking for new content to read? I always used to struggle with this. I'd scroll down my timeline and see if anything grabbed my attention. Now, that can seem like the "lazy" way of doing things, but those posts are being shared in that method for you to find them. If you are willing to put in a little more effort, you can find a whole world of new blogs. Finding new content is a great way to constantly feel inspired and motivated, support the growth of bloggers, evidently growing the community, and you could even get a new network of friends.

TWITTER

The most obvious way is, of course, Twitter. It's the place I constantly share my content too, and how I get a majority of my referrals. There are endless methods of finding something new; checking retweeting accounts, sharing a tweet asking for recommendations, participating in a train, searching for hashtags, checking out the 'who to follow' section... the possibilities are endless. If you have a quick 15 minutes, you'll be able to find at least one new blog.

EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA

Pinterest is more of a visual way, along with Instagram, to find new content. I check boards that are dedicated to sharing blogger content and fix my eyes towards beautiful imagery and a great title. (Don't judge me, it's what Pinterest is for). It's a little harder on Instagram, but searching through hashtags does result in new blogs too. Don't forget good old Facebook groups. Though most don't advocate link dumping, some groups are devoted to sharing your latest posts, resulting in you having lots of new content to read.

A GOOGLE SEARCH

I honestly can't remember the last time I searched on Google to find a blog... well until just now when I checked to see if it actually works. Great news, it does, but you have to be very specific. Instead of 'beauty blogs' I searched for 'blogs about vegan beauty UK' and the results are a mix of blogs and directories filled with hundreds of blogs. If you've got a spare evening, I'd go with this option. It also goes to show how important SEO is to being discovered, but that's a whole new post coming in the future.

BLOGLOVIN'

I'm not sure if this is still a popular method as it was back in the day (oldie blogger here), but I definitely still use it. Not only do I get to keep up with my already discovered blogs, but I get to find some brand new ones too, and there are many ways you can go about that. The most obvious way is to click the headers of the topics you want to read. This is usually filled with the most popular content from the website, which is great, but if you want to find something new, you've got to dig a little deeper. Find a blog you already love, (even if it's your own), and check the 'Similar Blog' section, or check out the profile of a blogger you like (personal profile, not blog page), and check out their 'collections' to see what they've been liking. You can also search for specific hashtags too.

CHECK COMMENTS

If you've ever read a post you love, or are a regular reader of a blog, check the comments section for links to new content. Sometimes they will leave a link to their blog, or you'll have to click their profile picture/username. Either way, if someone is commenting on a post, it's more than likely they are commenting for a reason; they discuss similar topics on their blog too. Make sure you're checking your own comments feed too. You can find some truly dedicated gems in there.

JOIN A COMMENT POD

I know commenting pods can get a mix reaction, but hear me out. Yes, you can get bloggers who are doing the bare minimum just to get a comment, but you can also find true and genuine bloggers who are actually reading your content, which is how I discovered some of my new favourite blogs. I look forward to reading their next posts each and every time, and it would only be fair for me to share my new favourites and that's Laura at Laura Has A Blog, and Alice at Black Tulip Beauty. They're very easy to join, I found mine once someone had tweeted asking for people to join, or you could even create your own. (Let me know, as I'm looking for more to join).

CHECK BEYOND THE FIRST PAGE

Are you a lazy online surfer? I am, well, I was. (I slightly sound like I am about to sell you a quick fix on a 3am advertising infomercial). I find a blog that I feel would interest me, and have a quick scroll, and if there is nothing that catches my eye, I leave the page. I stopped doing this because I shouldn't define a person's hard work on just a quick scan. Their best content might be on the second page or a page after that.

WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU'VE DISCOVERED A NEW BLOG, AND A FEW OTHER TIPS.

• You let them know. Tell them you've just found their content and you can't wait to read more.
• Share it on social media so other people can find them as well.
• Share a blog post about the new blogs you've found.
• Use an organised way of keeping your favourite blogs together, whether it's bookmarking them, grouping them in a Twitter list, or on bloglovin'.

Let me know in the comments below how you like to discover new content, and also link us to your favourite bloggers. If you can remember, let me know how you discovered my blog too. It's always something I wonder.