During a brand development/blog consult with a client today, she asked: “Should I start a group blog in which several people contribute articles?” I’d read a post on that very topic (on Daily Blog Tips) earlier in the day. With thanks to Kyle Judkins for providing inspiration, here are my thoughts about multi-author blogging: PROs […]
[ Read more ]Enjoy these bloopers from book manuscripts I’ve edited: The buzzard sounded and the basketball game commenced. If the game gets out of hand, the buzzard can referee, too! Standing at her kitchen sink, Lisa’s idle hands rested in the warm sudsy water. Those hands just can’t decide whether to stand or sit. Scott noticed the […]
[ Read more ]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 ]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 […]
[ Read more ]
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.
[ 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 […]
[ Read more ]