Part 4 of 4 One of the best ways to run the blogging marathon (see Part 1 of this series), is to adhere to a training schedule. Call it what you want: editorial calendar, blogging calendar, posting schedule. Your editorial calendar lists topics you plan to blog about and plugs them into specific dates or […]
[ Read more ]Part 3 of 4 If you’re like me, you’re passionate about the topic(s) you blog about, and you’ll never lack for material. I have file folders and binders stuffed with ideas for blog posts. Sometimes, the sheer amount of ideas I have overwhelms me, and I panic at the enormity of sifting through it all […]
[ Read more ]Part 2 of 4 In Part 1 of this series, you learned that in order to be a successful blogger, you must develop a marathon mentality. Hopefully, you’ve completed your goal-setting homework assignment (if not, go back and read How to Train for the Blogging Marathon. Deciding how often you’ll publish new content is a […]
[ Read more ]Part 1 of 4 Blogging is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Problem is, most people mentally approach blogging as if it’s a sprint. They view a blog as a temporary outlet to spout their opinions on a topic. After a few days, they run out of intriguing things to say. So they stop blogging, […]
[ Read more ]After reading literary agent, Rachelle Gardner’s post, “The Dreaded Author Platform,” I immediately tweeted her and asked permission to reprint it. Rachelle brings up some excellent points about the importance of using social media to build a readership – before you ever pitch your project to an agent or editor. Here’s her column, in its […]
[ Read more ]Whenever people learn that I’ve written three books, they respond: “Oh, I’ve always wanted to write a book about ________.” (fill in the blank with the topic you’ve dreamed of writing a book about) I’ve heard that: 81 percent of Americans feel they have a book in them. 10 percent of that 81 percent actually […]
[ Read more ]Meet Susan Boyle. She’s 47, single, and unemployed. She lives in a village in rural Scotland. Never been on a date. Never been kissed. Most people would describe Susan’s looks as average; some would call her frumpy. When Susan walked onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent (Britain’s version of American Idol), the judges and […]
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What is a gravatar and why do I need one?
A gravatar is a Globally Recognized Avatar – your avatar is the thumbnail image that appears when you comment on someone’s blog.
If you have a Blogger profile, the image that accompanies your profile is posted whenever you comment on blogspot.com blogs. But that avatar works only for blogs hosted by Blogger. To make your avatar show up on WordPress (and other) systems, you’ll need to create a gravatar… a universal avatar.
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Have you heard about Derrie-Air, the new “green” luxury airline? They tout themselves as “the only airline that plants trees to offset every pound of carbon that our planes release into the atmosphere.”
They expect their passengers to help protect the environment, too. Because it takes more fuel (i.e., more carbon emissions) to haul heavy planes from point A to point B, Derrie-Air has developed unique, sliding scale ticket prices:
The more you weigh, the more you pay.
A ticket from Philly to L.A. costs $2.25/lb. So, for instance, if you (and your luggage) weigh a total of 150 pounds, you’ll pay $337.50 for a ticket.
[ Read more ]John asks: What are the pros and cons of integrating a blog into a website versus hosting your website and blog separately? John, You obviously recognize the value of having both a blog and a website, and I’m glad of that! I’ve tried both methods you suggest: I’ve created a mega website/blog combo I’ve created […]
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