What are spin-off ideas?
They're ideas you get from another blog posting you're writing or have already written!
Groovy! Talk about a way to do double duty!
This will happen a lot so you've gotta be quick with your sword! (your keyboard or pen if you're old school ;)
The second a "new" idea comes into your mind while you're writing a post quickly write it down! Phew! It comes fast so be ready to record it.
If you think "oh I'll write down that idea after I finish this post" because you're really focused on it and don't want to become distracted - think again!
It sounds practical but actually by the time you're done writing your post that idea may have flown the coop!
So cage it in now!
Sometimes cage-free is not the route to go! lol
Free-wheeling reigning-in thinker,
CB Webmaster
DISCLAIMER: No ideas were harmed in the making of this post.
Showing posts with label How to Stay Organized. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to Stay Organized. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Feeling Overwhelmed By Your Blog To Do List?
Well I have to say I'm feeling that way myself right now. My TO DO list seems endless and I'm constantly jumping back and forth between things and trying to determine while I'm doing it if it's the best possible action I can be doing for my blog right now.
Well I came across this blog posting yesterday (which I just read today! lol well that's pretty good considering it wasn't on the top of my priority list! haha)
Any ways this article is very helpful in helping you organize your blogging efforts so you can reach your goals effectively.
So definitely check it out!
4 Tips For Making 2008 Your Blog’s Best Year Yet
And remember blogging is supposed to be fun! Try and not get too bogged down with all the little details. I know it feels like no one is ever going to read your blog or even link to it. But they will, they will. Heck you may be the first person ever to read my blog and I've posted almost 60 posts. So I can related to feeling like no one's ever going to find your blog. Have faith.
Love,
CB Webmaster
P.S. Remember if there's anything I can do to help you get your blog into shape I'd be happy to help. And I'm even willing to look over your blog and give you feedback on how I as a reader perceive it. I know we all can use another perspective, blogging doesn't have to be so lonely. Just email me your blog url. Take care.
Well I came across this blog posting yesterday (which I just read today! lol well that's pretty good considering it wasn't on the top of my priority list! haha)
Any ways this article is very helpful in helping you organize your blogging efforts so you can reach your goals effectively.
So definitely check it out!
4 Tips For Making 2008 Your Blog’s Best Year Yet
And remember blogging is supposed to be fun! Try and not get too bogged down with all the little details. I know it feels like no one is ever going to read your blog or even link to it. But they will, they will. Heck you may be the first person ever to read my blog and I've posted almost 60 posts. So I can related to feeling like no one's ever going to find your blog. Have faith.
Love,
CB Webmaster
P.S. Remember if there's anything I can do to help you get your blog into shape I'd be happy to help. And I'm even willing to look over your blog and give you feedback on how I as a reader perceive it. I know we all can use another perspective, blogging doesn't have to be so lonely. Just email me your blog url. Take care.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Keep a To Do List
Anyone who's ever blogged knows it isn't as simple as just typing some thoughts into a post and voila that's it!
There's a lot that goes into it and your blogging life will be much happier if you stay organized!
To keep your sanity I suggest you create a "To Do List" text file on your computer.
If you have a Windows Computer just click on: Start, programs, accessories, and open: Notepad.
Then enter things you plan to do on your blog in the new text file.
And of course since this list will grow and grow - you may want to prioritize the tasks you want to do first at the top of the list.
The great thing is you can copy and paste and delete text to move it around to easiily arrange what you want to be priority tasks at the top of your text file.
Note: If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions (it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).
Things you may want to consider priority tasks:
1. Errors you come across on your site.
Especially broken links, improperly loading "widgets", etc.
People get flustered easily - and if your site doesn't "appear" in order they may not return.
Just remember every day your blog and blog postings have an oppotunity to appeal to new readers!
So basic upkeep like this will safeguard you against people's impulses to find another site that isn't "broken"
2. Optimizing your blog settings.
Don't delay doing this! You'll save a lot more time in the long run if you label your posts up front instead of doing it down the road.
Your blog probably has tons of features you're not even aware of!
At blogger.com you can subscribe to their Rss Feed of their New Features called: Blogger Buzz
And remember you can always check your blog's help files
Some blog sites even have forums where users exchange tips for improving the functionality of their blogs.
One of the most important features you want to display on your blog posts is an RSS feed.
3. Self-Promote
Once you have at least 5 or more quality blog posts you're going to want to get the word out to people about your blog!
Check this out:
The Importance of Linking Your Blog Posts!
4. Things you want to research
5. Things you need to finish
And the best way to avoid more tasks accumulating on your ever-to-do list is to prevent them from accumulating in the first place!
Also I keep a text file called Blogs to Post - where I write down any ideas I have for blog posts - even if it's just one line describing what I want to write about - that way I don't forget it. And if I don't have time to write the post right now I'll have something to trigger me to remember what I wanted to write about. I also like to make notes to myself about what labels I should add to the post - to make it easier for myself later when I'm posting it and selecting labels for it!
And to keep things really organized I even have a text file called Blog Posts to Edit. This is a list of posts I've already posted that I have something new to add to (either a new thought or a link). Because I usually don't remember the title of the post off the top of my head I just write down the thought/link for each post I want to update. Then I use a dotted line to distinguish that the information below each line is for a different post that needs to be edited. Can't decide if your new thought should go in a New Post or Add to Previous Post?
You can even create a seperate list just for URLS that you want to reference in your posts - remember you can go back anytime and edit your posts and add hyperlinks to relevant blog postings or articles you come across.
Phew,
CB Webmaster
There's a lot that goes into it and your blogging life will be much happier if you stay organized!
To keep your sanity I suggest you create a "To Do List" text file on your computer.
If you have a Windows Computer just click on: Start, programs, accessories, and open: Notepad.
Then enter things you plan to do on your blog in the new text file.
And of course since this list will grow and grow - you may want to prioritize the tasks you want to do first at the top of the list.
The great thing is you can copy and paste and delete text to move it around to easiily arrange what you want to be priority tasks at the top of your text file.
Note: If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions (it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).
Things you may want to consider priority tasks:
1. Errors you come across on your site.
Especially broken links, improperly loading "widgets", etc.
People get flustered easily - and if your site doesn't "appear" in order they may not return.
Just remember every day your blog and blog postings have an oppotunity to appeal to new readers!
So basic upkeep like this will safeguard you against people's impulses to find another site that isn't "broken"
2. Optimizing your blog settings.
Don't delay doing this! You'll save a lot more time in the long run if you label your posts up front instead of doing it down the road.
Your blog probably has tons of features you're not even aware of!
At blogger.com you can subscribe to their Rss Feed of their New Features called: Blogger Buzz
And remember you can always check your blog's help files
Some blog sites even have forums where users exchange tips for improving the functionality of their blogs.
One of the most important features you want to display on your blog posts is an RSS feed.
3. Self-Promote
Once you have at least 5 or more quality blog posts you're going to want to get the word out to people about your blog!
Check this out:
The Importance of Linking Your Blog Posts!
4. Things you want to research
5. Things you need to finish
And the best way to avoid more tasks accumulating on your ever-to-do list is to prevent them from accumulating in the first place!
Also I keep a text file called Blogs to Post - where I write down any ideas I have for blog posts - even if it's just one line describing what I want to write about - that way I don't forget it. And if I don't have time to write the post right now I'll have something to trigger me to remember what I wanted to write about. I also like to make notes to myself about what labels I should add to the post - to make it easier for myself later when I'm posting it and selecting labels for it!
And to keep things really organized I even have a text file called Blog Posts to Edit. This is a list of posts I've already posted that I have something new to add to (either a new thought or a link). Because I usually don't remember the title of the post off the top of my head I just write down the thought/link for each post I want to update. Then I use a dotted line to distinguish that the information below each line is for a different post that needs to be edited. Can't decide if your new thought should go in a New Post or Add to Previous Post?
You can even create a seperate list just for URLS that you want to reference in your posts - remember you can go back anytime and edit your posts and add hyperlinks to relevant blog postings or articles you come across.
Phew,
CB Webmaster
Save Yourself Time!
Menial tasks got that name for a reason - that's why it helps if you get them out of the way every time you post a blog posting.
Trust me if you don't they'll accumulate over time and you'll feel so overwhelmed it's unlikely you'll go back and do your essential housecleaning!
So here's some things you should do after you publish a post:
1. Label it - for the love of God do this please!
2. Title it - I cringe at the very thought that you aren't doing this!
3. Add hyperlinks - click here for my post on what to hyperlink.
4. Check your Hyperlinks - make sure they actually work!
5. Proofread - your and you're are not the same! Accuracy is a nice quality you can give to your readers for free!
6. Hyperlink your signature - I just have this code in a text file so I can copy it whenever I'm posting!
7. Backup your post. That means copying and pasting it in its entirety (hyperlinks HTML code and all!) to a text file on your computer! That way you won't end up flipping out in the event that your blog posting one day just ups and disappears! Just think if you do this now then you won't end up crying into your cheerios about how you've lost your baby! By the way blogger.com actually offers its bloggers a way to Backup their entire Blog! I haven't tried this yet but when I do I'll let you know if it works.
8. Ping Your Posts - well even I'm guilty of forgetting to do this one! But it's essential because it's basically how the search engines and RSS Feeds know that you've created new posts on your blog.
Think about how many thousands of blogs are out there that are outdated - well if you are keeping yours up to date you might as well get credit (and readers) to your blog! Here's a link to a site that submits the ping for your blogs
Personally I could really stand to find an excellent free automatic ping service because at Chatblog I have to ping over 50 blogs and that's just tooooooo much upkeep for me! But I guess if you have only one blog it's not that big of deal to enter your URL in a ping site every time you update your blog.
Though I have to think even you could stand from an automatic submission on your behalf - sign up once and bam it does the work for you! lol! Well I can dream, right? Heck, if you know of any free automatic ping services tell me about it so I can share it with all our bloggers! Thanks!
Well that's all I can think of right now, if I come up with any more I'll make a Part 2 for this post. Oh and if you can think of any I missed let me know!
Take care,
CB Webmaster
P.S. In case you're wondering - keeping it clean isn't only for your readers - it is for your ability to retain readers, gain new readers, keep your blog improving its rating, and increase your blog's success. Maintaining high quality is one of the best self-promoting things you can do for your blog!
Trust me if you don't they'll accumulate over time and you'll feel so overwhelmed it's unlikely you'll go back and do your essential housecleaning!
So here's some things you should do after you publish a post:
1. Label it - for the love of God do this please!
2. Title it - I cringe at the very thought that you aren't doing this!
3. Add hyperlinks - click here for my post on what to hyperlink.
4. Check your Hyperlinks - make sure they actually work!
5. Proofread - your and you're are not the same! Accuracy is a nice quality you can give to your readers for free!
6. Hyperlink your signature - I just have this code in a text file so I can copy it whenever I'm posting!
7. Backup your post. That means copying and pasting it in its entirety (hyperlinks HTML code and all!) to a text file on your computer! That way you won't end up flipping out in the event that your blog posting one day just ups and disappears! Just think if you do this now then you won't end up crying into your cheerios about how you've lost your baby! By the way blogger.com actually offers its bloggers a way to Backup their entire Blog! I haven't tried this yet but when I do I'll let you know if it works.
8. Ping Your Posts - well even I'm guilty of forgetting to do this one! But it's essential because it's basically how the search engines and RSS Feeds know that you've created new posts on your blog.
Think about how many thousands of blogs are out there that are outdated - well if you are keeping yours up to date you might as well get credit (and readers) to your blog! Here's a link to a site that submits the ping for your blogs
Personally I could really stand to find an excellent free automatic ping service because at Chatblog I have to ping over 50 blogs and that's just tooooooo much upkeep for me! But I guess if you have only one blog it's not that big of deal to enter your URL in a ping site every time you update your blog.
Though I have to think even you could stand from an automatic submission on your behalf - sign up once and bam it does the work for you! lol! Well I can dream, right? Heck, if you know of any free automatic ping services tell me about it so I can share it with all our bloggers! Thanks!
Well that's all I can think of right now, if I come up with any more I'll make a Part 2 for this post. Oh and if you can think of any I missed let me know!
Take care,
CB Webmaster
P.S. In case you're wondering - keeping it clean isn't only for your readers - it is for your ability to retain readers, gain new readers, keep your blog improving its rating, and increase your blog's success. Maintaining high quality is one of the best self-promoting things you can do for your blog!
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