09 Aug 2009, Posted by christie in Blogging Bytes, 35 Comments
Your chance to tell us your blogging tricks and tips!
At the end of April ’09, I bought the domain MiscBytes.com, but I spent a month trying to decide what to do with it. Finally, during the last weekend in May, I put a few old posts from previous blogs here and started posting regularly. The way I’m doing it may be the slowest, most manual way, so I would like your help. Teach me your favorite tips!
Currently I am putting little ideas here and there into Evernote, then when I get time after work and especially on weekends I look through EverNote and type my posts directly into WordPress New Post area. I get photos from Flickr with the Creative Commons Attribution License or once in a while I have started finding them using the advanced search in Google images, with the filter that they are Labeled for Reuse. I had been trying to write several posts early on Saturday and Sunday mornings and schedule them to be published on weekdays at around 6 am Central Daylight Time, but lately I have had poor impulse control 
and have just published them as soon as I write them. I use TwitterFeed to automatically send a link to my posts to Twitter, but I also log into Twitter manually at least first thing in the morning and last thing at night to answer my DMs and some @ mentions. I get up eagerly each morning to see Twitter and email, read comments, and look at Google Analytics, but I know I’m probably not writing as many posts as I could if I were somehow streamlining it all.
How are you doing it? In the comments, please tell me whatever you are comfortable telling. I’d love to know:
- How many blogs do you have?
- How do you write posts – in WordPress, or another text editor, or where?
- Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
- When are you finding time to blog?
Please don’t tell anything you wouldn’t want publicly known, but I’ll be grateful to learn from any and all of you, and everyone who reads your comments will learn a thing or two too! Thanks!
Photo credit: Capitan Giona
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35 Comments
August 9, 2009 7:29 pm
Greg Ellison
I have couple of websites. I write my blog posts in WordPress. I don’t use software like Windows Live writer. I will usually blog during the morning when I get up during the weekend and on the weekdays I will blog after I am done getting ready for work. I will check Twitter, Google adsense, analytics through out the day.
Once you start a schedule like posting stick to it.
Thanks Greg Ellison
Greg Ellison´s last blog ..Do you need an announcement card?
August 09 2009 21:02 pm
Christie
Thanks Greg! That's exactly the sort of thing I wondered about. I had considered writing a little during lunch time in Windows Live writer or something but I guess the main thing is just to write, and write on a schedule the readers can rely on a bit. Thanks again -
August 9, 2009 10:17 pm
A Vecchioni
I have one blog. I usually start posts in Word, then copy & paste into notepad. I’ll write there for a while, then transfer material to WordPress, add photos and finish article. I take all my own photos (including header and sidebars). Tips?–Conditional tags are useful to have certain (say sidebar) items appear on some pages and not others. What else?–I think good visuals go a long way to enhance readers’ experience (I like how you always start your articles with a photo, and how the photos appear as thumbshots on your home page). Lastly, I would advise anyone to avoid flashy ads/ auto-music, or anything else that gives the reader the feeling they’re being objectified. Readers are there for the content, so focus on that.
A Vecchioni´s last blog ..More Games to Play with Cotton Balls
August 10 2009 17:54 pm
christie
Anthony, your site is so lovely and is just a pleasure to look at - even those who don't have kids (yet?) should head over to your blog and see it. The sidebar conditional tags are something I've been meaning to tackle soon, because it would indeed be great to have just a page sometime without the sidebar. Thank you for your comment!
August 9, 2009 11:24 pm
Deneil Merritt
How many blogs do you have?
I own and run about 4 or 5 blogs.
How do you write posts – in WordPress, or another text editor, or where?
I write my posts in wordpress.
Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
I don’t think anything I do is special. I just work hard and work smart.
When are you finding time to blog?
Whenever I am not focus on promotion or my other projects.
Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..Girlfriend Went Crazy With Logo And eBook Cover
August 10 2009 18:02 pm
christie
Deneil, Thanks for sharing what you do - and yep, there's no magic bullet - all that hard (and smart) work you have put in over time are paying off now! I plan to learn a lot from your site - am checking it out this evening. Thanks for commenting here, and please come back soon!
August 10, 2009 2:37 am
Sire
Christie, I have 9 blogs, but I’m more active on some than others. Almost all my posts are written directly into WordPress.
Time has always been an issue, but when it’s available I put together a post or two.
One tip I have is when looking for pictures, try the Zemanta Plugin, the suggestions are usually pretty accurate.
Sire´s last blog ..Why I Am Not Such A Social Person
August 10 2009 18:05 pm
christie
Hi Sire, Wow, I just can't imagine keeping 9 blogs active at all, especially as much as you do with WassupBlog - writing posts, responding to comments, commenting on other blogs, etc.. Now I do have 9 sites "out there," but I consider them just little trials and errors. Mostly errors. :) Thanks for your comment - I'll definitely check out the Zemanta plugin!
August 10, 2009 11:21 am
Klaus @ TechPatio
I have just one blog, but also a few minor websites that doesn’t really require any maintenance as they are on auto-pilot basically.
I tend to just write new posts directly within WordPress, but if I’m away I use Evernote to write.
Like you, I also put ideas and such into Evernote and then I do a “tag search” within Evernote to see what ideas I have, that I have yet to write a post about.
If I’m lazy, I just e-mail myself the idea, so I always have 20+ unread emails in my inbox … which is bad for the overview, I know
Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Movie Review: Knowing (2009) – Nicolas Cage
August 10 2009 18:10 pm
christie
Hi Klaus, Well that makes me feel better about what I've been doing if you're writing directly into WordPress. I thought for sure you'd have some cool app I'd never heard of. :) Emailing to self is certainly a way to make sure an idea doesn't get away - but I guess since Evernote is your second brain it might be better to tweet them and add @myEN, huh. :)
August 11, 2009 12:40 am
George Serradinho
Hi Christie,
How many blogs do you have?
I only have one and it’s a handful, but I enjoy it.
How do you write posts?
I sometimes write my posts a normal text editor or directly in WordPress.
Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
No special tricks, just normal procedure for me.
When are you finding time to blog?
I write when ever I can, but it mainly early morning or late evening.
BTW, this would of been nice if it was a poll.
George Serradinho´s last blog ..Essential Blogging Tips – Part 1
August 11 2009 10:27 am
Christie
Hi George,
That site of yours must be a handful indeed - it is packed with all sorts of stuff we all need to learn and is so active with comments! I'm glad to see I'm not alone in the getting up extra early or working on it after the family settles down. I did think first about making this a poll, but I wanted to let it be free form so the bloggers could tell any special things they wanted to tell - like plugins, techniques, etc. Thanks for sharing what you do!
August 11, 2009 2:19 am
Klaus @ TechPatio
Actually, I just remembered… you can e-mail directly into Evernote too, in case you didn’t know that. I don’t know about tags and selecting notebook though, I think e-mailed-in-notes just appear in the default notebook. But it might be easier/faster to email a note/document rather than tweeting max 140 chars, if you do it from a mobile or somtehing.
Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Telia Closed The Infamous Botnet “Zeus”
August 11 2009 10:31 am
Christie
YES! I may have seen that when I first got the account but I certainly forgot. Thanks for reminding me! I had to log into Evernote and get the email address to send to, but I have added that to my contacts now so I can email notes into my default notebook anytime. I tried one just for fun and it worked flawlessly.
August 11, 2009 5:34 pm
Harsh Agrawal
Hi
Well probably my first comment here. So A small Intro. I’m Harsh a pro blogger from India.
Well It’s good that you have started blogging and you are picking up things right..
Though I will add few things here…which I do and probably you and others might like..
1. If you use WordPress post scheduling feature, you should use maxblogpress ping optimizer plugin to stop blog ping spam.
2. Use Windows Live writer if you have not ever, I’m sure you will love it.
3. Use Easy comment firefox extension to fill up comment form with one click.
4. use a feed reader to read your friends blog, I prefer Feed demon.
5. If you active and love Twitter , try Tweetdeck.
Best of luck..
Harsh Agrawal´s last blog ..Friendfeed Acquired by Facebook
August 11 2009 20:50 pm
christie
I had never heard of maxblogpress ping optimizer at all! Many great tips here - thank you so much for taking the time to share all these things Harsh!
August 12, 2009 8:00 am
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach
How many blogs do you have?
Right now I’m updating 2 (barbaraling.com and virtual-coach.com ) but will be adding a blog to IncomeFitness.com .
How do you write posts – in WordPress, or another text editor, or where?
WordPress…and I make certain to save every post every few minutes.
Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
Coffee. Coffee powers the universe and coffee is the foundation of greatness. Also remember that breaking down tasks into 10 minute chunks means you can get a little bit done of everything you need, every day.
I’m still trying to master that, btw.
When are you finding time to blog?
4am? Whenever I’m at a down time.
Hope that helps!
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..The Ultimate, MUST HAVE Tip For Your Website
August 12 2009 18:04 pm
Christie
Thanks for sharing what you do! That ten minute chunks thing is a good idea, and I use that on Saturdays for things I WANT to do vs. things I HAVE to do. At least by the end of the day I don't have a big thing that hasn't been touched.
August 12, 2009 2:31 pm
Jason
I usually start typing on my BlackBerry and then email it to myself and copy/paste it in WordPress.
One thing I do when it comes to images is I email people from Flickr and ask for their permission to use the image and by the time I post they respond so it’s all ready. In the same process I may get a new visitors or two…
Jason´s last blog ..I hate people…
August 12 2009 19:37 pm
Christie
Emailing to self is a good idea. I have a Blackberry, so when I'm stuck waiting in the car for my kids or some other reason I could make better use of that time and email myself a few ideas for later! Nice idea on the Flickr images. I know the people find it interesting to see how you have used their photos!
August 12, 2009 7:24 pm
Mitch
I have three blogs on my own, but write for other blogs as well. I just sit down and write; that’s pretty easy. I always seem to be able to come up with a topic, but something I do on a regular basis is, while I’m reading stuff on the internet, if I come across something that fits a blog topic I save it and then refer back to it as an inspiration later on.
Mitch´s last blog ..Visitors Love “Lists” Posts
August 12, 2009 7:39 pm
Christie
Hi Mitch! Great tip – we see so many things all over the internet, and we could put that to good use if we could just remind ourselves what it was and where it was. Thanks for your comment, and please come back soon!
August 13, 2009 7:09 am
Extreme John
You know until reading the comments here for whatever reason it never crossed my mind to write my posts on my Blackberry when Im bored or waiting at the airport.
Add this to the list of things to start doing!
As for me I have probably 20 blogs, maybe only about four that I actually do anything with.
Extreme John´s last blog ..10 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Newbie Bloggers
August 13 2009 20:08 pm
Christie
Yes it is cool how we're all able to pick up some ideas in these comments. I had a feeling everyone had at least one nice little trick that would be nice to know!
August 13, 2009 8:28 am
BlogrPro
This is Karthik from India.
* How many blogs do you have?
Have 2 blogs. InkAPoint.Com and BlogrPro.com
* How do you write posts – in WordPress, or another text editor, or where?
I use the inbuilt editor in WordPress only. It’s much better and comfortable for me.
* Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
Just concentrate on what you are making and what you are achieving. Then, automatically you will make and achieve. Blogging is not just posting info. It’s making an info.
* When are you finding time to blog?
First thing I will see after getting into my PC is my blog. So have more time to concentrate on it.
BlogrPro´s last blog ..Uniqueness in Blogging! How to do? – Part 2
August 13, 2009 8:10 pm
Christie
Hi Karthik! That is great advice – so often I am more worried about *what else* is on the internet to read about blogging or about WordPress, but your ability to focus and concentrate on your blog makes it great. Thanks for your comment, and please come back soon!
August 14, 2009 1:04 pm
Jacob Yap
Hi Christie, I currently have only 1 blog, after I gave up my dog blog haha. Normally I blog at late night (I know it’s a bad habit), and I write posts with WordPress panel. Special tricks? Erm..I always blog with Yahoo Dictionary ready in my browser
. Well I think you don’t need it.
Jacob Yap´s last blog ..Proxy Pro 6 – Ultimate Remote Access Software
August 14 2009 19:49 pm
MiscBytes
Hi Jacob, Well I have to jump on this - what was your dog blog? I had started a cat blog but decided to go for a much narrower niche (to be launched in a few months). Just too much competition and it's not like I'm a big cat authority! Yahoo Dictionary! I'll use Dictionary.com sometimes when I just can't remember - either spelling or what I think I remember is a meaning. :)
August 14, 2009 7:55 pm
Hesham
This is a very nice post, I have 4 blogs, and I have a small trick to share with you, which is using Twitter Tools on producing posts to my blogs depending on my weekly tweets, I do this by editing the weekly tweets post and turn it to something else!
Thanks a lot!
Hesham´s last blog ..Win A Custom Logo/Header Image For Your Blog contest by Techgenuine
August 15 2009 21:15 pm
Christie
Hi Hesham, Thank you! And that is really cool - Twitter Tools plugin for WordPress - I did not know about it before - thanks!! I can see where that would be a great weekly summary type of post.
August 26, 2009 7:22 am
Ana
First of all, I’d like to say that you are doing a wonderful job here, putting your time into something that you have created. Miscbytes is flourishing beautifully, and I wish you the very best within your journey in whatever you do.
How many blogs do you have?
One
How do you write posts – in WordPress, or another text editor, or where?
Straight into WordPress
Do you have any special tricks you’d like to share?
Being in experience, and Inspiration, but I wouldn’t quite call that a special trick.
When are you finding time to blog?
When I am driven to share. Can be any time.
Regards
Ana´s last blog ..23:23
August 26 2009 19:28 pm
Christie
Thank you so much Ana! It is such a pleasure to have you here. Thanks for sharing with us how you do things!
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