My youngest showed me a bookmark that listed the 20 Texas Bluebonnet nominated books. “Mom, I’m going to read all 20 of these books,” he said. Needless to say, I did cartwheels and back flips in my mind. (The only place it can happen as I haven’t done a decent cartwheel since the ’80s.) A … Read more
Most blogs allow readers to add a link to their own websites. This gives the blog’s owner and other readers a way to connect with that reader. However, most content management systems (CMS) and blog apps like WordPress add “no follow” in the code. This prevents search engines from rewarding commenters’ link back to their … Read more
Before reading Margie Clayman’s Avoid the temptation to write something popular, I saw articles on how to get ideas for blogging and how to write a bunch of blog posts quickly. These tired topics introduce nothing new. Same outfit, different color and style. Blog there, done that. I’d rather not blog than rehash something that … Read more
Although I wrote Is a Blog Right for Your Business? in 2007, people still mention the article or contact me with questions after reading it. Blogging has changed a lot since then, but one paragraph remains true. Some people like to read blogs, others like to read newsletters, still others like to rely on feeds … Read more
In 2005, the fair organizers came up with the bright marketing idea to take its food theme to another level when it started the Big Tex Choice Awards. The fried food games began. Eventually, the organizers added the slogan of “Fried Food Capital of Texas” and now people associate the fair with fried food. How does the fried food awards help a writer?
I’m sure you haven’t been keeping tabs on how often I blog or noticed fewer blog entries lately. Most people don’t for most blogs, email updates and websites. We get so much information that we don’t stand by wondering where the latest update is from so ‘n so. It pangs me not to keep this … Read more
If you do or plan to accept guest posts, it helps to have guidelines before you start reviewing requests. Too many folks have abused guest posting privileges. Besides that, guidelines help you ensure your blog has high quality, integrity and relevancy also known as “keer” or QIR. OK, I made that up 🙂 These guidelines … Read more
I don’t update my blog as often as I’d like. So I happily accept guest posts when people offer, right? Eh. Almost daily, I receive an email asking if someone can write a guest post for this here blog. 95 percent of the time, I don’t bother responding to these messages just like they don’t … Read more
I Be One Decade Old Goodness gracious! This blog’s 10th birthday passed and I never noticed until today. My first blog post went up on June 1, 2000. This place is a decade old. What does that translate into Internet years? Anyway, thank you to every single pair of eyes for reading in the last … Read more
I avoid in-person events as much as possible. It’s not because I’m an introvert. It’s not because I look hideous. (Although we should know better than to let our looks get in the way of meetings.) It’s because I’m deaf. Most people understand me when I speak. It’s the other side — the more important … Read more