Blogging

by

Today’s Accomplishments

It’s been 5+ years since my last blog post. Much has happened since then but I won’t try to catch up now. Today, I…

… Cleaned the gutters. To be truthful, I hired a recommended pro to clean them. I just wrote the check. The growing forest of tiny maple trees that yesterday clogged the front expanse and back corners of my gutters is now gone. Cleared away. During thunderstorms I can rest easy, at least until fall.

… Met with my dietician to review what I have been eating, should be eating, how much of it, along with a few helpful tips to keep me on track. Good motivation for the coming months, if only I can stick to it. I also learned she’s retiring next month. Good news for her, not so much for me. I’ll miss our meetings.

… Answered a couple emails to friends. I keep vowing to surprise folks and start sending handwritten letters with ink on real stationery, mailed in envelopes with stamps, as we once did. Just haven’t gotten there yet. I love old-fashioned, penned letters. If enough of us sent them, perhaps we’d keep the U.S. Post Office in business.

… Pulled more weeds from my backyard jungle. Yesterday I weeded for a few hours, until my back began to ache. My gutter guy gave me the name of someone who specializes in garden weeds and lawn care. The thing is, I’d really like to do it myself. I feel better than I have in years and it’s good exercise. Still, it’s nice to have an alternative. I’ll keep the man’s name handy. When I tired of pulling weeds today I…

… Sat on my deck. I savored the sun, breezes, and perfection of blue skies and a 78 degree temperature. While sunning I read more chapters of John Grisham’s CAMINO ISLAND. It’s an interesting book about the world of literary and art thievery, different from Grisham’s usual thrillers about lawyers but still a quick read, a page-turner.

… Opened my laptop and typed “WordPress.com”.  Back in June 2008, when blogs were all the rage, I started this one — Stringing Beads. It began as a journal about me and the things I love — writing, family, love, life. The posts lessened after Tom’s death. My last post was around Valentines Day 2014, a re-hash of my last Valentine to him.  I stopped blogging.  Facebook became an outlet. Today when I opened WordPress, I found I needed to figure it all out again. I’d forgotten to renew my domain name. It was subsequently sold to a Texan.  I got a new one through WP and began refreshing my mind about how to blog.

Stringing Beads is now at debmaher.net.  Whether blogs are still “hot” or not, I hope you’ll follow my new posts, and perhaps skim back through a few of the old (in Archives tag, above). Comments are always welcome.

by

Project: Blog Fix

Most bloggers crave readers.   They pounce on reader comments faster than a hot, homemade Toll House cookie just pulled from the oven.  Well, some of us do anyway.  😉

Two weeks ago in Successful Blogging I spoke of social media and ways to draw more readers.  But how does someone start?  How do we add flavor and substance to a bland blog?

Here’s a mini-primer in Blogging 101.  Yes, it is basic, but read through and see what you may have missed.

1. Custom Header – A header is the stationary picture at the top of a blog. A custom header helps identify a blog. Does your current template allow for one? If not, change the template to one that does. Then use it. In Dashboard, click Custom Header. Insert a photo you’ve taken, or one that works for your blog. Some bloggers change headers seasonally; others keep it consistent.

2. Custom background  – A whole new look is born by changing background margins.  Insert a soft picture or a new solid color every few months.  I love greens and blues. They go with my header so I vary those colors. Try seasonal colors. Or a photo of ocean waves, clouds, or something else appropriate to your blog’s theme. Experiment until you find what you like.  In WordPress go to Appearance; Background.

3. Tagline  – “Just another WordPress blog” is on a lot of new WordPress blogs, just below the title.  WordPress puts it in the template as a placeholder.  It is not meant to be permanent. You are promoting your blog. So, what is your tagline?  In a few simple words, what is the focus of your blog?  Go to Settings.

4. Categories – A category keeps related posts together. It quickly tells your reader what to expect. Is your post about blogging? Death? Baseball?  Halloween?  Never let your category read “Uncategorized” or it’ll look like you don’t know what you are writing about.  Add the category on the same page where you are typing your blog.

5. Tags  – Tags are more specific than categories. They are a string of words that hones in on your main topic.  In a search, especially in WP, they help readers find your blog. In my prior post on  Successful Blogging, my category was Blogging.  My tags were: Blog, Facebook, gaining readers, marketing for writers, social media, Twitter, success, and writer’s resources.

6. Share – I’m repeating this one from an earlier post, and I may repeat it at a later date; it’s that important!  Make it easy to pass your blog on to others. Post Share links to Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and others. Include an e-mail link so the reader can send it to a friend.  In WordPress, go to Dashboard, Settings, Sharing and follow directions. Be sure to check mark the boxes at the bottom so they show up on all pages. For an example, see my Share buttons below.  (Hint: If you liked this article, please pass it on!  🙂)

7.  Paragraphs – I’m still surprised how many bloggers write long, unbroken paragraphs. Blogging is like newspaper writing. Paragraphs should be short and easy to read.  Find a natural break and use it, even if your old English teacher might wince. Blogs are about readability, not perfect format.  After you write your post, review it and look for a way to condense or break up the paragraphs. White space makes easier reading.

8.  Links – Links are a bonus for your reader and can be on your sidebar or in the body of your post.  For more permanent sidebar links, search for other blogs/sites that complement yours then create a link.  Under Widgets, move Links to the sidebar.  Then on Dashboard go to Links.  Create new links and link categories. By default, link categories are in alpha order so play with your titles. Occasionally test your links to make sure they are still active.

You can also create links to sites within the body of your article, like this one to Lifehacker (no special significance here, just an interesting link I found).  In this case, highlight the word, then click the link icon above where you are first typing your post. Insert the URL and click add link.

9.  About – If you want readers to connect with your writing, tell them who you are.  Use a two-liner and a photo in the sidebar, or a few paragraphs on the “About” or “Bio” page.  Preferably both.

10.  Contact – Readers should also be able to contact you. Many bloggers shy away from putting an email address on their blog where anyone, including spammers, can see it.  Instead, add a contact form box on your blog.  A good place to do this is on the About page, where you’ve written your short bio.

Creating a blog is a methodical process.  Take it step by step.  Readership develops over time. You’re competing with a lot of other blogs. Make yours tasty, sweet and easy to digest and the readers will find you.

 How do you add life and professionalism to your blog? What advice would you give to someone new to blogging?  ♥

by

Successful Blogging (update)

Writers are often encouraged to enter the world of social media.  I was slow to open a FaceBook account. Then, prompted by the desire to see photos of distant family, I finally did. I found many writer friends on FB so I started adding them. I now have 356 FB “friends.”  Whenever I post a new blog, I create a link on my FaceBook page.  I don’t expect everyone to open the link but when the topic is intriguing enough, some will.

Twitter took me longer. The idea of tweeting confused me.  Birds tweet.  People talk.  Writers write.  Last month I opened an account.  With few exceptions I avoid adding FB Friends to Twitter. After a month, I have 86 followers; most have some shared interests. As with FaceBook, whenever I post a new blog, I tweet about it on Twitter.  Some posts are re-tweeted, which spreads the word.

I started this Stringing Beads blog three years ago. I’ve had long spells when I haven’t blogged regularly. Readership suffers when people can’t count on a regular column. A good blogger must post regularly and about topics a reader finds interesting.

Overall focus is important. Solo blogs written by a lone blogger especially need this focus. Define your purpose in writing the blog then find a niche and fill it.

Are you blogging about the craft or business of writing?  It may be mostly writers who read your blog. If that’s what you want and you’re good at it, fantastic! I’m grateful for blogs like J.A. Konrath’s Newbie Guide to Publishing and those wonderful writers at Writer Unboxed.

Some writers draw readers by focusing on something that complements their writing, either in style or content. In Casey Comments, Casey Clifford shares snippets of her life that could easily be found in her women’s fiction or suspense novels.  Mary Stella’s Postcards from Paradise goes well with her fun contemporary romances about the Florida Keys. Beth Ciotta’s Blog is providing perfect introductions to her upcoming Cupcake Lovers contemporary series as well as to the much anticipated steampunk series, the Glorious Victorious Darcys.

Frequent, meaningful blogging isn’t easy. Time is precious.  As a result many readers band together to write a blog with each writing every few weeks.  Two remarkably successful group blogs with high readership are The Goddess Blogs and Magical Musings.  Both have amazingly creative writers who write on a large variety of topics.

Successful bloggers always reply to comments left by their readers. Along with it being good etiquette, this helps create more interaction and reader interest. They also post interesting pictures. And they never delve too deeply into plot lines of their own works, but rather into life itself.

A successful blog also looks professional.  Bloggers must learn and understand the program they are using, whether WordPress (my favorite), Blogger, Live Journal or some other platform. Set up and regularly test links that add to the blog, little extras in the sidebar. As  your posts grow in number, occasionally link back to ones that were popular.  Proof-read incessantly.

Read and comment on other blogs but not in a way that screams “read my blog” or “read my book.”  Comments must be genuine and relate. Readers look for a connection.

Keep track of readership statistics.  While you can’t tell exactly who is reading your blog, you can track numbers.  WordPress has Site Stats on the dashboard that gives lots of data, including what search terms people are using to find you and what posts are most popular.  A useful tool to install in your sidebar is StatCounter.

In her blog Write to Publish, Robin Sullivan talks about the importance of connecting with readers.  You should make it easy to pass your blog on to others. Post Share links to Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and others.  Include an e-mail link so the reader can send it to a friend.  On WordPress, these links are found on Dashboard under Settings then Sharing.  See below for my Share buttons.  (Hint: If you liked this article, please pass it on! :smile:)

Click onto Blog Tips for a list of other helpful tips.  Finally, please share a comment on what has worked for you.  Thanks!  ♥

~      ~      ~

P. S.  See also this recent post in Savvy Self-Publishing for more helpful ideas.  Thank you, Lindsay!

P.P.S. – Another incredibly helpful post on this topic is Jim Murdoch’s guest column on Audacious Author called How to Get People to Read Your Blog. He mentions it in the comments below but I wanted to bring it up to the body of this post.  Thank you, Jim!