Splendicity.com is a group of beauty blogs done through b5media, a global media network that features more than 300 blogs. The blog was launched in 2008, and press releases from November of 2008 highlight its launch. The blog covers topics such as beauty, fashion, and accessories, and also provides reviews of the latest beauty and style products. Its purpose is basically to inform women about the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and style. Splendicity is obviously not a new idea—many blogs aim to inform and educate, but Splendicity targets the specific audience of women, and this makes them unique. Women of all ages (hopefully 13 and above) can enjoy the blog. The blog doesn’t even appear to be a blog; it feels like a website! However, there are hundreds and hundreds of posts on the home page, all discussing featured stories and “what’s hot now.” Splendicity is refreshing, and it is very appropriate for its audience. The blog uses the expert knowledge of many bloggers to inform and entertain its audience, and it does it in a very effective way.
The blog’s home page has 10 tabs to choose from that direct the reader to topic specific blogs: accessories, bath & body, fragrances, gifts, hair care, indie, luxury, plus size, skin care, and wedding. All of these tabs are topics that would most likely interest every woman. The creators of this blog clearly had every woman in mind—they include a plus size tab so that no woman is left out. Once the reader clicks one of these tabs, she is redirected to another page, which contains many posts that contain the tags of the tab she just chose. When the reader clicks the “indie” tab, the page she is directed to is immediately appealing. The posts contain pictures of new designers that design specifically for the indie (independent) genre. It is a fairly fast-growing genre, at that. The reader, assuming she is interested in indie fashion, can find anything she wants about the latest indie fashion news: designers, pictures of runway shows, and pictures of hippie clothing. The tabs are very helpful because they are very specific to the interests of the reader.
The blog allows anyone to pitch ideas for submissions to Splendicity; they do not guarantee acceptance, but they do allow idea submissions. Many bloggers contribute to Splendicity. Some of the most popular bloggers are: Beth Bender, Aly Walansky, and Tracy Hopkins. Splendicity also has a list of featured blogs on its home page. These blogs are often spin-off blogs written by the authors who started blogging for Splendicity. Some of the featured blogs are: Pretty by Nature, She Knows Best, and Aging Fabulous. All of the featured blogs center around the topics of beauty, fashion, style and trends; however, one blog’s subject is directed towards men. Its title is Metro Style Men. This blog’s subjects remain true to Splendicity—fashion, style and trends.
The blog makes its money by allowing advertisements to be bought on their pages. The majority of the advertisements (obviously) have something to do with fashion and women. Redtagcrazy.com and GlamTV advertise on Splendicity, but CapitalOne and ancestry.com also have advertisements on the blog. The blog receives very high views, and it’s clearly very wise to advertise on such a blog. Splendicity is growing very quickly since its launch in 2008. It is number eight on the Truth Laid Bear’s top 100 most popular blogs list. Its popularity will only continue to grow because women enjoy visiting a blog that is directed specifically at them. Women can find the best and latest lip gloss, tips on how to effectively wax eye brows, and the hottest designers all on the same website! Readers are allowed to interact with the authors through commenting on their blogs. Splendicity allows readers to post pictures with their comments, as well, so readers feel like they are truly interacting with the authors through comments and pictures. Splendicity also includes a tab entitled, “contact” on their home page. This tab displays the names of all the senior editors, managers, and coordinators. An e-mail address and a mailing address for b5media are included under this tab, as well. Readers are encouraged to contact b5media, and also to submit pitches for blogs and stories.
One of the most interesting this about Splendicity is that it hosts contests. Readers are encouraged to enter to win many things: handbags, the newest mascara, couture jewelry. This is another form of interaction on the blog. Readers enter their information, and are registered to win. One of the blog’s most popular posts is one that featured the winner of an Eenamaria handbag through Splendicity. Some of Splendicity’s other most popular posts include posts about Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden, and Anthropologie. Readers enjoy reading about celebs and what they’re wearing, and this is why the post about Jessica Simpson is so popular—she’s wearing square Dior sunglasses in the picture on this particular post.
Splendicity is updated everyday. The bloggers that have been allowed by b5media to blog on Splendicity take their “jobs” very seriously and blog frequently. Every tab on Splendicity’s home page is updated everyday. Meieli Detoni is one of the most frequent bloggers under the plus size category. She blogs almost everyday about something new and fashion forward for plus size women. Her blogs include pictures of her recent finds in clothing for plus size women, and stories on giveaways for plus size women readers. Readers find Splendicity a very helpful blog, especially when shopping for a particular item. The blog provides expert reviews on many items, including shampoo, jewelry, and underwear. Readers feel comfortable trusting the reviews because most of the bloggers are women who are experienced in fashion.
Currently, Splendicity is in the middle of “March Madness,” a contest that features 31 days of giveaways to readers who enter. This week’s giveaways include couture jewelry, a Remington electric razor, makeup, and skin care items. Readers can enter and leave comments under this tab on the home page. Splendicity differs from other blogs in these contests. The blog provides the reader with the experience of a website much like a magazine. The tab, “gifts” on Splendicity’s home page features a post regarding the month of March, as well. It features gifts that are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day—they are all green! Green jewelry, green candles, and green perfume are all included in this post.
Splendicity is a blog that provides its readers with content specific posts, which is one of the reasons it has been so wildly popular. Since its launch in 2008, it has gained a substantial readership. The blog has not changed much in its topics because women refer to this website for so many of their needs regarding fashion, style, and beauty. b5media began this blog so it could reach a specific audience with its specific subject matter. It is user-friendly and easy to understand. Splendicity is an interactive blog that provides expert knowledge to women (and the occasional man) who are looking for expert advice.
