That's What I'm Talking About...: BBAW Day 5: Blogging

Friday, September 16, 2011

BBAW Day 5: Blogging

Friday September 16th: Blogging
Welcome to the final day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Today we are discussing Blogging. The world of blogging is continually changing. Share 3 things you are essential tried and true practices for every blogger and 1-3 new trends or tools you’ve adapted recently or would like to in the future.

This post is a bit harder for me. Although my blog is over a year and a half now, I still am very new to the game. I don’t know what works for every blogger, but I can tell you things that work for me. I also don’t really follow trends or use tools, so I’m going to skip that part of the discussion. With that here are some of my “essential practices.”

1) Use a word-processing and/or blogger editing program to compose your posts.

I can’t tell you how many times I lost part or all of a post when I first started. I would compose my reviews and posts directly in the blogger window. Something would happen and BAM! the post was gone. So now I write all of my posts in Pages (the Mac version of Word) before I post. Generally, the formatting carries over and I’m go to go!

2) Use the scheduling tool.

Image by Kristina B (flickr)

I try to write my posts ahead of time, and then I schedule the post for the next day, next week, etc. Most bloggers already do this, but when I first started, I didn’t know I could do that - or how to do it. And if you are like me - be sure to set the post date and time first thing so that you don’t accidentally publish the post.

3) Keep your information and links up to date and active.

First of all... I am guilty of not following through on this tip myself. HOWEVER, it is important. You all know how frustrating it can be when you click a link and it’s a dead end, or goes someplace outdated.

And my final tip for today is...

4) Ask questions.

If you see something you like on someone else’s website... Ask them how they did that. If you enjoy a feature you see, ask that blogger where they found it. Most bloggers are willing to share their “secrets” and give you a hand.

What are practices and/or tips for blogging that work for you?

I hope you have enjoyed Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2011. It has been a fun experience for me.

Happy Reading!

Labels: BBAW, blogging, reading

9 comments:

kk4booksnlighthouses said...: I am new to all the book blogging trends too but I love the ideas you are going to try out.; September 16, 2011 at 8:08 AM
PoisonRose79 said...: Great tips for keeping your blog going and properly maintained. I'm looking forward to learning more. :)

Thanks!
~Sara; September 16, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Angela Brown said...: My blog is a this-summer infant, so I'm very new to this.

I use the scheduling tool and that is really great. Makes you look consistent when your posts publish at the regular time for your blogging schedule.

I also try to hyperlink as much as possible. That takes up less space, which is really important when you've got a lot on your mind.

I think your tip of using a word doc first is really good. I haven't experienced a "vanishing post-in-progress" but I can bet it's NOT a good feeling.; September 16, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Erin said...: I like the advice you offer here. Some of it I follow already, and some I'll think about implementing. I have never had a post destroyed like that, but now I'm a bit concerned! I really dislike composing posts not in Wordpress, for whatever reason, but perhaps I'll explore other options based on your experience. Scary!; September 16, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Anonymous said...: I totally agree with you on #1 - you gotta save your work somewhere else because Blogger likes to eat things. I personally use Windows Live Writer and LOVE it. I highly recommend people who use a PC to use it.

#2 is a great tip. I just wished I scheduled more posts in advanced but honestly, I just get lazy. I'm a big time procrastinator.; September 16, 2011 at 12:03 PM
Paige Prince said...: When I first started blogging, I wrote all my posts on Word, saved them to my hard drive, my external hard drive, and then posted them to WordPress. Now? I just write them on WordPress. Sigh. I've gotten lazy in my old age. And I just realized that my 2 year Blogoversary was 15 days ago. I'm also slipping in my old age. D'oh.; September 16, 2011 at 6:44 PM
Twimom227 said...: Mama K - Happy Blogiversary!!

For those using Windows Live Writer - Mandi had that in Philly and it looks awesome... does anyone know if they make something like that for Macs?; September 16, 2011 at 7:01 PM
Kailana said...: Yes, scheduling is my friend. Sometimes I am on a roll, so it is very easy to write a bunch of posts and schedule them in the future. :); September 16, 2011 at 9:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Fantastic tips! I definitely agree with them all and have to constantly remember to check links and makesure everythings working the way it's supposed to. I also agree with the scheduling tool, it REALLY helps destress your life. :-D I'm still pretty new and I don't have many other tips to share. :-(; September 19, 2011 at 8:31 PM

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About our reviews: The reviews posted here are the writer's own honest opinion of the book, not a judgement on the subject matter or author. We read for pleasure and at the request of authors and publishers. We do not receive compensation for our reviews, other than the copy of the book to read for the review.

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