blogging Archives - Page 3 of 4 -

This Could Be So Much More Awesome

June 30, 2016 By Carol Stephen 8 Comments

This Could Be So Much More Awesome

Lately, I’ve been thinking about perfectionism and how big a problem it is to many of us. Getting started is the worst problem for me, and maybe for you as well. How do you avoid perfectionism, though? Is there any way to get out there without being so worried about every little thing you say online? Of course there is! Being less of a perfectionist can also be something improving your productivity.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

It’s such a cliché, isn’t it? Just be happy. And don’t worry! It’s one thing to think that, and another to truly believe it. Not caring about what people think is a tough one. If you only compete with yourself, though, then you can stop worrying about what others think. Oddly, this is a branding question. If you’re really yourself, the people who are attracted to you will really like the real you. Everybody else can go fly a kite!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-T30WZKo8

Shooting Granny Style

Once upon a time way back before 1980, there was a basketball player named Rick Barry. Rick Barry played for the Golden State Warriors who recently choked and let Cleveland kill them in the finals. But I digress. Barry threw underhanded free throws, getting an amazing 90% of them in the basket. Although at the time, Barry was laughed at, his stats prove that he was right. He never cared what others thought. However, not until recently did his style catch on. The point is do what works for YOU.

Photo by Rodolphe Pollet

Not Every Hit Flies out of the Park

To borrow a baseball analogy, sometimes you need a hit that merely connects with the ball. A bunt, if you will. When I’m writing, I’m not always “in the zone,” and being in the zone doesn’t always matter. The important thing is to write consistently. By the way, if you like baseball, you might like: Social Media Managers: How the San Francisco Giants Can Improve Your Game.

It Could Always Be Better

Isn’t that always the case? Not everything I do is going to be perfect. Not every post will go viral. Keep writing anyway. Keep going anyway. Eventually, you will hit your stride, and be “in the zone.” The stars will be in alignment, and you’ll hit it out of the ballpark. I really like this article: The One Thing You Need to Know to Avoid Perfectionism.

Photo by bambe1964

Perfectionist Much?

Let me know in the comments if you struggle with perfectionism. I’d appreciate if you made a spelling error or two, too! Thanks!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: blogging, perfectionism, writing

Why Friday is the Worst Time to Publish a Blog Post

March 24, 2016 By Carol Stephen 12 Comments

Why Friday is the Worst Time to Publish a Blog Post

You want the most eyes possible on your blog post, right? So you’d like to know when to post, the same as all of us. I’ve been posting on Thursday mornings at 7 a.m., Pacific Time. But others may like the beginning of the week, or the weekend. Why not Friday, you say? After all, that way you have the whole week to write your article.

The News Dump

Friday is known as a “news dump day.” that is, bad news or news that media outlets don’t want to be noticed goes out on Fridays. Yes, it’s a thing, and you can read about it in the Political Dictionary. If you must publish something, but don’t want anyone to notice, send it on Friday.

The Zombie Apocalypse That No One Knew About

If you want to keep the zombie apocalypse quiet, or want no one to know about that affair the President is having, you could quietly release it on Friday. By the way, here’s an article about how a zombie apocalypse would be better than having an old school social media manager that you might like.

So if Friday is a bad time, when is a good time?

Photo by NCinDC

Thursday and Saturday Mornings Rank High

Thursday and Saturday mornings, according to this article in Kissmetrics, The Science of Social Timing, are both good times to post, depending upon your audiences. Men are more likely to read an article at night, and women in the morning. Additionally, Coschedule has a nifty long article, When is the Best Time to Publish a Blog Post that again emphasizes that mornings are the best.

Photo by nerissa’s ring

Fridays Are Pre-Weekend Days

Think about it. Mondays everyone keeps their head down, is trying to get over the weekend, and is focused on themselves and getting the work done. And on Fridays, people are looking forward to the weekend. Isn’t that how you are? Then why would your audience be any different? Some people don’t even work a full day on Friday, instead keeping their eye on the clock and how much time they have left before they leave.

Photo by leemueller

It Depends on Your Audience

Of course if your audience is around on Fridays because your audience consists of pescatarians looking for fish recipes, then Friday would be the perfect time to publish. So keep in mind that you should take these recommendations with a huge grain of salt and test, test, test. Speaking of audiences, you might like this article, Audience: Use Their Language.

Photo by jurvetson

What’s Your Favorite Day to Publish?

If you’re a blogger, when do you like to publish your article? Have you done any testing? Let me know in the comments! Thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, good days to publish

Silent But Deadly: The Passion of The Authentic Pen

January 7, 2016 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

Silent But Deadly: The Passion of The Authentic Pen

Some days we all struggle with writing. The words don’t flow, thoughts get stuck, and even our best efforts and tricks don’t create new ideas. Other days, writing is effortless. Words emerge in complete sentences, and all of them make sense. Why is this? More and more, I believe the answer lies in silence.

Escaping the Noise

I live in the middle of a forest. My little house is surrounded by redwood trees. I always thought it would be quiet here, but there is a lot of noise: chain saws, trucks, and leaf blowers are among the contraptions people use daily. And also: motorcycles.

Music

Loud music, or even music with words is distracting. People with their constant chatter is distracting. More and more, I hear both: people talking, loud music, which equals the inability to focus.

Habit Forming

So on those easy writing days when words flow, what happens? What is the difference? For me, writing is more effortless when I write every day, and when that writing is done in silence.

Silence

Sometimes white noise in the background works. But mostly silence. Maybe this has to do with being an introvert.

By the way, I’ve been reading a great book about noise and the lack of silence: One Square Inch of Silence. ”

“SILENCE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING,
BUT THE PRESENCE OF EVERYTHING.”

~Gordon Hempton

Bagpipes, Synchronicity

Gordon Hempton, author of One Square Inch, writes about Jay Salter, bagpipe player, who lives in Santa Cruz. The two of them hiked together and visited some quiet spots. The next time I went to the Homeless Garden Center (a local CSA in Santa Cruz), there happened to be a bagpipe player, playing in the fields. Although I did not stop his playing to ask his name, I’d never heard a bagpipe player there before, and suspect it was him. Coincidence?

Inspiration

Some of my sources of inspiration are:

CopyBlogger
Twitter (tweets about technology and art)
Nature
Reading
Silence, again

Fear or Silence?

Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I’ve noticed that many dislike silence and will fill it with any nearby noise. White noise generators, steady hip hop, or t.v. Have you noticed this, too, or is it just me?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: blogging, inspiration, introversion, silence, writing

Finding Your Next Social Media Manager

May 14, 2015 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

Finding Your Next Social Media Manager

Wikipedia is not going to help you much with finding your next Social Media Manager (“SMM”). In fact, Wikipedia can’t tell you anything about how to choose an SMM. Google can help to some extent, if you get your search terms correct, and focus on a good headline. (By the way, if you’d like to know about writing headlines, those can be a pain in the asterisk!) So what can help you? Here are some ideas.

1. Don’t look under a rock. Hint: Those are worms!

If you want to find a good SMM, you might want to look around on social media. Check on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or wherever you’d like to be posting. See if the person you’d like to hire is posting there, too. Their posts don’t have to be perfect (because, after all, they’re busy with clients), but they should have some posts of substance.

2. Check out their websites and social platforms.

Most SMMs have a website, although I know some fab ones who don’t. Check out their testimonials and what other people are saying about them. If you can’t find anything, you could ask for testimonials directly. See whether their website has been updated in, say, the last two months. It should be active. And of course, check out their social platforms.

Check out websites and social platforms

3. Read their blog.

Does your SMM have a blog and do they post about social media? That would be a good thing, especially if you need help with blogging. Is their writing clear? Do you like their style? If they’re writing about Twitter, for instance, do they include particulars that you like?

When you read a SMM’s blog, do you like the particulars?

4. Look at their writing skills.

These days, many SMMs have degrees in writing or related fields. If you want your SMM to do a bit of writing for you, a degree in English could be beneficial. Or perhaps experience writing. Some SMMs, myself included, have a background in technical writing. If you have a particular grammatical mistake that bugs you, such as the abuse of commas, check their work for that. Here’s a list of 10 Common Grammar Mistakes (“lose” and “loose” are often confused).

5. Ensure that they embrace “social.”

Broadcasting your message over and over (and over!) is old-school marketing. Make sure that your SMM enjoys interacting with others. Saying hello, while it sounds simple, usually causes others to say “hello” back! Engaging with others on social media is the fastest way to an engaged and engaging account on any platform.

Ensure that your SMM embraces “social.”

6. Ask them some questions.

For instance, ask about their least favorite platform. That should help you get some idea of what their favorite platform is and isn’t. Also, ask which subjects to avoid. There are many more questions you can ask.

Ask about their least favorite platform

7. Your SMM should be excited at your success!

When you make sales, or when your posts are shared with lots of people, your SMM should be happy for you! They should have in mind a vision for you and for your success. After all, it’s in both your interests that you should succeed.

Finding a good social media manager shouldn’t be this hard, right?

With overpriced agencies and undervalued CMOs, it’s a serious challenge to find that juggernaut to pave the way for your future marketing strategy. Do you have a successful story where your SMM has developed your online presence into what you wanted? We would truly like to hear about your experience(s).

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, Content, Engagement, Facebook, Pinterest, posting, SMM, Social Media, social media manager, Twitter, Wikipedia, writing

Secrets to Great Content You Forgot You Knew

April 2, 2015 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

Secrets to Great Content You Forgot You Knew

Maybe you’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog. You’re getting ready to get started thinking about it. That is, right after you finish that new business plan for next year. And waxing the car. And don’t you also need to balance your checkbook again?

The secret to great content is to begin creating it. Maybe your writing isn’t perfect. Whose is? If you never start writing, you’ll never know. And great, original content on your blog helps your SEO with Google. Here are a few ideas that helped me get started with blogging.

Don’t procrastinate.

“Procrastination, quite frankly, is an epidemic,” declares Jeffery Combs, the author of “The Procrastination Cure,” says in an article “How to Stop Time,” via the New York Times. Don’t add to that epidemic.

An unfinished blog post

Glue the seat of your pants to the seat of the chair.

Sit and start writing the first thing that pops into your head, and do that for 15 minutes. Can you do that? Sure you can! Now, you’ll probably go back and delete 90% of it, but there will be the glimmer of a good idea in there.

Write every day

Write every day.

Write whether you feel like writing or not. Often you will not. That monkey brain of yours will want to do other things. Pinning banana recipes on Pinterest comes to mind. You will procrastinate on this important job. So get it over with. Once you get past that first 15 minutes, the rest will get easier. Jeff Goins, in his article “Why You Need To Write Every Day,” says: “If you want to get this writing thing down, you need to start writing every day.”

Talk, then write.

Speak your ideas, then write them down. Or have them written down by someone else. Or use Dragon Naturally. Whatever. Just get the words down. You can change them later. Because everyone can talk.

Don’t expect perfection.

Perfection will never happen. Just make sure to get something in writing. You can come back and insert some long, impressive-sounding words later.

Let it simmer

Let it simmer.

Here’s the fun part. Go away. Get in your car and drive around. Go for a walk. Come back and everything will look different. When you return from your sojourn you can wear a different hat and edit your words.

Create five topics in your blog.

Today’s topic was one that I began months ago. It languished in my blog, along with some other unfinished work. But one day, you may not know what to write about. You’ll go to your website, and that half-written piece will start to take shape. By the way, here’s a post with some tips for blogging for startups.

Don’t wait to get going

Don’t wait to get going.

It’s going to be work, but once you ‘re done, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. Your competition is already done. Don’t get left in the dust. And when you’re done, make sure to promote that blog, too.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, Content, Google, how to, Pinterest, procrastination, secrets, SEO, time management, writing

How to Promote Your Blog Like a Pro!

March 26, 2015 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

How to Promote Your Blog Like a Pro

If you’ve just started blogging, or even if you’ve been blogging for a while, you might not realize how many ways there are to promote your own post. These ideas are divided into beginning and advanced ideas. If you’re more advanced in the ways of social media promotion, you can skip to the more “Pro” ideas.

Pinning your blog post (you did create a board for your own blog posts, right?) is something everyone can do, and is a fairly simple way to get more traffic to a post. You could have your own blog board, where you pin all your posts. If you need a beginner’s guide, you might read my Top Ten Tasks for Pinterest.

Invite Others to Your Group Blog Board on Pinterest

Pro

Repin that post, especially if the first time you pinned it, it didn’t get any repins. Delete the old post and pin it again.
Create a group board for your blog posts, like the example below, and invite lots of people to pin. You can invite anyone who follows your board. You could invite other bloggers who aren’t on Pinterest, too, and they might be motivated to be on Pinterest more often.
Repin the blog post using a different picture and onto a different board. For instance, my post about Introverts and Social Media could be repinned on a Social Media board, my blog board, my Pinterest board, etc. But I’d space them out, time wise.

Facebook

Post your wonderful writing on Facebook, with a good call to action and a big picture or two.

Schedule Your Facebook Post When Your Fans Are Online

To find your Facebook analytics, go to your business page==>Insights (at the top of the page). Examine when your fans are online and use the native Facebook scheduler. For instance, my analytics show that most of my fans are online at 8:30 am pst. Another good time would be around 2:00 pm.

Note: my top three posts above were all boosted.

Pro

Promote your post for as little as $5 per post. You can choose who sees it and get more eyes on your post that way. Most people can afford $20/month for promotion.
Tag people who might be interested in seeing your words of wisdom (but do this carefully–nobody likes to be tagged too many times).
To see what your post will look like, schedule it 10 minutes or more in the future, so you can edit it if you need to.
Check your business page’s analytics to see when the best time is to post.

Can You Schedule Like a Pro?

Twitter

Of course you’ll want to tweet about your newest creation. And you can schedule it one or more times. Guy Kawasaki retweets his posts about four times a day, but you may want to wait days between posts! Of course, use a scheduler like HootSuite to get the word out.

Pro

Pin your tweet to the top of your Twitter feed. Upload a picture (tweets with images are much more likely to be retweeted), as in the image below.
Repeat your tweet, but use a different picture and headline.
Ask for a retweet (again, don’t ask very often unless you’ve been giving to others as well). Tag others who might be interested.
If you mention others in your blog post, call them out in your tweet.

Pin Your Tweet to the Top of Your Twitter Feed

Post your wonderful writing after you’ve created it on your blog. You can upload a picture, too.

Pro

Don’t just post your writing, but republish it. LinkedIn’s new publisher is called Pulse, and anyone can now be a publisher on LinkedIn.
Focus on entertaining, motivating, or educating people. As Jeff Haden suggests, write your piece as though you’re writing to one person.

Get Syndicated!

If you’re a regular blogger, you might consider getting syndicated. My blog posts are syndicated at Business 2 Community. There are lots of reasons to be syndicated; here are a few.

Are You a Blogger?

Try a few of these ideas and let me know how they work for you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: analytics, Blog, blogging, Facebook, Google, Google Plus, group boards, LinkedIn, Pinterest, promoting, promotion, repin, repinning, Social Media, syndicate, syndication, Twitter

The 9-1/2 Best Places to Find Inspiration

February 5, 2015 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

The 9-1/2 Best Places to Find Inspiration

You’ve been wracking your brain trying to figure out what to write about on your next article or blogpost, but have come up with nothing. Zero. Zilch. When you’re at your wit’s end, here are a few places to go for inspiration.

Go Into Nature for Inspiration

Go Into Nature

There’s something about the sight of trees, the sound of rain, the smell of the ocean, and the feel of sand and rocks that help you to refocus and rediscover what’s important. Here’s an interesting article about sounds: Why Buffalos and Crickets Help Us Relax. A field trip to a nearby park can really get the inspirational juices going.

Take a Shower if you want inspiration

Take a Shower

A warm shower is one of the most relaxing places there is. You don’t have to take one with your dog to get the benefits, but that could help as well. Look at how happy that dog looks!

Get Enough Sleep for Better Inspiration

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep has been touted lately as important to alertness and health. And if you don’t believe me, take a look at these articles:

Go for a Drive

A drive forces your mind to focus on something other than your work (unless you’re a taxi driver). Hopefully, there’s a place to drive nearby with trees and that doesn’t involve sitting in traffic. Rolling the windows down and feeling the wind can help clear the cobwebs out of your mind and help inspire you.

Get inspired: Go Drive

Explore Other Blogs–Or Your Own

Other blogs may give you ideas that you hadn’t thought about. You could even search Google for “Inspiration,” and see where that takes you. Another idea is to go back through your own blog and see if you could take off or expand upon an idea that you had.

Explore Blogs

Spend Time with Pets to Be Inspired

Spend Time with Pets

Your pet cat, your pet iguana, and your dogs would all like you to inspire you. And it turns out that you can get a lot of great ideas from man’s (and woman’s) best friends. Being more curious is but one of the things you can learn from your pets.

Go Somewhere with No Internet

Better still, go there without any way to record those new ideas. Then you’ll be forced to remember that idea. Many of us who are online all day find being offline a welcome relief.

Answer the Questions Your Clients Ask You

Clients will often ask you the best questions, questions that you didn’t know that anyone had! Last week, someone asked me how to have a conversation on Twitter, and seemed surprised that a conversation was even possible. That could turn into a blog post, or a series of tweets.

Talk to Your Friends

I’ve talked about having a blogging buddy before. That is someone who supports your crazy, crazy ideas, and inspires you to have more of them. Bridget Willard is mine. You could also have coffee or lunch with someone, especially if, like many entrepreneurs you often eat lunch alone.

Let Tweetchats Inspire You

Sometimes I’ll get inspiration from others on the #DigiBlogChat Tweetchat (Tuesdays at 1 pm pst if you’d like to join!). Recently, someone asked about Twitter best practices, so that became a blogpost and it also turned into chat questions, too. Yes, the tweetchat idea was the 1/2, but really it’s more like one and one-half. That chat always invigorates me!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, DigiBlogChat, drive, inspiration, Internet, nap, nature, pets, shower, Tweetchat, Twitter

Headline Writing: 10 Reasons it’s a Pain in the Asterisk*

January 22, 2015 By Carol Stephen 9 Comments

Headline Writing: 10 Reasons it’s a Pain in the Asterisk

You have a perfect topic for your next blog post. You go out and take a million beautiful photos, all photoshopped and sized just right for Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest cross-posting. Then you suddenly realize: you don’t have a headline! Has this ever happened to you? Here’s why headline writing is so tough!

Everybody Says to Spend More Time on Headlines

Your headline is the first thing people see. In fact, some people will retweet or report that snazzy article of yours without even reading it. Not convinced by me? Read these articles, then (Copyblogger says to spend 50% of your time writing the headline):

So there’s a lot of pressure to come up with something grand.

A Good Headline Can Help Your Post Go Viral

A Good Headline Can Create a Viral Post

If you haven’t read my When Posts Go Viral: Four Lessons, you might want to take a look. A controversial headline (for instance, Is it Time to Quit Facebook?) can spark people’s emotions and cause a small or large furor. Again, no pressure (just kidding!).

Headline Writing: Your Words Need to Be Perfect

Your Words Need to Be Perfect

Like a good tweet, a good headline needs to have all the right elements. It can’t be too short or too long. The important words need to be near the beginning of the headline. And you need to include “power words,” like “secret” and “magic.” And so on. Is that not a pain in the asterisk?

Because Traffic Blah Blah Blah

Every blogger wants traffic, right? When that post you wrote explodes all over the Interwebs, your blog gets a boost, you get more followers, and that 15 minutes of fame will follow you from platform to platform. So that’s another reason you have to get it right.

You Can’t Outsource It

Everybody has outsourced everything. I’m surprised we don’t remove our own hair and ship it to the Philippines (no disrespect to anyone in the Philippines–it’s just something I’d prefer to do myself). But if you want your post to be in your own words, then you have to do the work yourself.

Pain Points: Sisyphus, via Beth Scupham

Pain Points

Your audience experiences pain, just as you experience pain when you try to write a headline. So you want that headline to draw your reader in. The headline has to be magnetic enough so people will want to read it. It might be fun to write, but if it’s not fun to read? Fuhgetaboutit!

I’m Trying to Think But Nothing Happens!

You Thought You Were Done

You outlined that article, got your topic sentences down, have all kinds of good images, and now you have to come up with a headline? Are you kidding?

The World is A Noisy Place

The world is getting noisier, and more crowded. The Internet has more people competing for the same space. So your headline has to be the juicy, juicy hamburger, and not the bun! It has to stand out.

Headline Writing: Your Headline is the Juicy Meat, Not the Bun

When You Try to Think, Nothing Happens

You can only come up with one-word headlines, or headlines that don’t make sense. If you think they’re boring, what will your readers think?

Always keep one eye open. You never know who’s lurking.

You Come Up with a Perfect Headline and Someone Steals it

It’s not a very good feeling, is it? But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then is stealing even more flattering? I don’t think so.

*And you know what that asterisk really stands for, right?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blog topics, blogging, Facebook, going viral, Headline, headlines, outsource, outsourcing, pain points, photos, photoshop, traffic, Twitter, viral post, writing

10 Ways to Avoid Social Media Perfectionism

November 20, 2014 By Carol Stephen 2 Comments

10 Ways to Avoid Social Media Perfectionism

Lately I’ve been running into a few people who are such perfectionists about their social media that they believe everything has to be perfect before they can make a single tweet. They listen in on conversations, don’t participate in tweetchats, and endlessly wring their hands over posts. Meantime, their social media is noticeably quiet. I’d really like to encourage you, if you’re one of these people, to get out there and start making some mistakes. Nobody’s going to like you any more or respect you if you wait around until everything is perfect.

Life Isn’t All Black or White

If your tweet, post, or pin has to be perfect in order for you to be worthy, then you need to knock it off. Get out there and do your best, but don’t spend ten times as long as everyone else getting it perfect. Simply adopting the mantra that you’re willing to be less than perfect goes a long way towards avoiding perfectionism.

Choose Your Social Media Battles

So maybe that tweet isn’t worth getting your undies all in a knot. Maybe spend more time writing that blog post. Or picking the right image for that post you’ll share.

In Ten Years, Will Anyone Care About That Tweet?

The point is to get some distance by using the filter of time. Even if you make a terrible mistake, will anyone remember in a year? Five years? Ten? Probably not.

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

You’ve heard this slogan, or read it in bumper sticker format on the back of a car. And like everyone else, it’s one thing to have the bumper sticker, and another thing to live by it.

You Can’t Please Everyone

Sometimes aphorisms are aphorisms because many people have the same issue. This is another one. Please yourself first and let the ones who disapprove fall away like autumn leaves.

Stop “One More Thingitis”

This is my personal one. When you have five minutes before you head out the door, do you start another project so you don’t waste that five minutes? That’s something I do. Then five minutes turns into ten. One more thingitis is part of perfectionism. It’s also rolled up into time management. It’s ok to do nothing (or just breathe) for that five minutes.

Don’t Tie Your Self-Worth to Your Work

10 Ways to Avoid Social Media Perfectionism

This one is a little tougher to implement. Social media is part of your life, but there’s more to you. A lot more. Maybe deciding not to care comes with age, or having a few failures under your belt.

Ask Friends to Give You a Reality Check

I am blessed to have other social media managers as friends. Having a core group of people who can tell you when you’re too close to something can help you.

Be Kind to Yourself

Maybe you can be kind to other people, but how about being kind to yourself? Treat yourself like your own best friend and tell yourself what a best friend would say.

Laugh

Laugh at yourself, kindly. I love this article from Tiny Buddy, The One Thing You Need to Overcome Perfectionism.

If you’re a perfectionist, is it hurting you or helping you?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, Facebook, failure, perfectionism, Pinterest, Social Media, Twitter

WordCamp San Francisco: Why A Blogger Should Go

October 30, 2014 By Carol Stephen 3 Comments

WordCamp San Francisco: Why Bloggers Should Go

This isn’t the first WordCamp I’ve attended, and it won’t be my last one, either. There are so many reasons to go, I can’t even begin to list them all. Here are a few highlights. If you haven’t read any of my other posts about WordCamps, here are a couple of my faves: WordCamp Orange County 2014: Awesome Moments and WordCamp San Francisco: Favorite Things.

The Bill Was Fabutab

Frankly, I was more than a little excited that WordCampSF had so many women speakers this year. You could practically spend the entire two days and not listen to one single man, which is unusual at a technical conference, and even more unusual in San Francisco, where even Pinterest events are filled with men. This is awesome in so many ways. More on the particulars below.

The Bloggess

One of the biggest draws for me at the 2014 WordCamp was getting to see and hear The Bloggess. If you’ve never read her blog, you should. Come back here after two and a half years, when you’re done laughing. Yes, she’s that funny. If you don’t come back, I don’t blame you. Whatever. I was a little bit afraid to hear her speak because she has reached that stage of awesome in my mind, but she did not disappoint. In fact, my favorite moment came from her talk.

Listening to the awesome @thebloggess at #wcsf14 pic.twitter.com/Byr8vWIG9S

— Carol Stephen (@Carol_Stephen) October 27, 2014

She was talking about trolls, which we all get as bloggers, especially on the more successful posts. And she said “It’s my house, so if you’re going to comment, entertain me. And if you don’t, look out!” Since her blog is curated, she can change the comments of trolls, which she does. Simple, but brilliant, right? Then when the troll returns (they always do!), she can again change their comment from the extremely negative to the extremely positive.

WordCamp San Francisco: Buttons Are Everywhere

WordCamp San Francisco: MailChimp Cat Apparel

The Freebies

Yes, this might seem trivial, but deep in our hearts we all love the cheesy t-shirts, mugs, and free things we get at conferences. Even the stickers help make a lackluster conference better. This year’s winner was clearly MailChimp’s cute knitted cat hat. They had full-sized hats for people, too. I’m not sure how much my cat loved the hat, but she’s fussy that way. Anyway, she put up with it long enough to get a picture.

Meeting People

Hobnobbing with the other WordPress nerds is always a highlight, and this year’s WordCamp participants were no exception. I got to hang out with my buddy Peter Woolvett, too.

Crafty Chica was a huge and welcome surprise as well. She’s @CraftyChica on Twitter, by the way. You’ll love all her glitter and positivity.

Getting Retweeted. By Matt Mullenweg. Twice.

Standing room only for Matt Mullenwegs State of the Word talk! #wcsf14 pic.twitter.com/jRNMZ5MJHf

— Carol Stephen (@Carol_Stephen) October 26, 2014

If you don’t know who Matt Mullenweg is, Google him!

Giants. Fans.

As in the “Orange Tide” was right outside the door. When we wandered outside, we’d see planes with banners, people dressed in orange, tailgating parties, etc. Did I mention dogs wearing orange and black shoes? As thousands poured through SOMA, up King Street and over to the stadium, it was impossible to ignore. Walking out of WordCamp and into the insane orange-and-blackness that engulfed San Francisco was incredible.

Will You Go? Have You Been?

I’d love to hear from you! If you’re planning to go next year, let’s meet up for coffee!

WordCamp San Francisco: Giants Fans

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, hashtag, highlights, San Francisco, Social Media, Startups, trolls, WordCamp, Wordpress, writers, writing

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Shooting Granny Style

Not Every Hit Flies out of the Park

It Could Always Be Better

Perfectionist Much?

The News Dump

The Zombie Apocalypse That No One Knew About

Thursday and Saturday Mornings Rank High

Fridays Are Pre-Weekend Days

It Depends on Your Audience

What’s Your Favorite Day to Publish?

Escaping the Noise

Music

Habit Forming

Silence

“SILENCE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING, BUT THE PRESENCE OF EVERYTHING.”

Bagpipes, Synchronicity

Inspiration

Fear or Silence?

1. Don’t look under a rock. Hint: Those are worms!

2. Check out their websites and social platforms.

3. Read their blog.

4. Look at their writing skills.

5. Ensure that they embrace “social.”

6. Ask them some questions.

7. Your SMM should be excited at your success!

Finding a good social media manager shouldn’t be this hard, right?

Don’t procrastinate.

Glue the seat of your pants to the seat of the chair.

Write every day.

Talk, then write.

Don’t expect perfection.

Let it simmer.

Create five topics in your blog.

Don’t wait to get going.

Pinterest

Pro

Facebook

Pro

Twitter

Pro

LinkedIn

Pro

Get Syndicated!

Are You a Blogger?

Go Into Nature

Take a Shower

Get Enough Sleep

Go for a Drive

Explore Other Blogs–Or Your Own

Spend Time with Pets

Go Somewhere with No Internet

Answer the Questions Your Clients Ask You

Talk to Your Friends

Let Tweetchats Inspire You

Everybody Says to Spend More Time on Headlines

A Good Headline Can Create a Viral Post

Your Words Need to Be Perfect

Because Traffic Blah Blah Blah

You Can’t Outsource It

Pain Points

You Thought You Were Done

The World is A Noisy Place

When You Try to Think, Nothing Happens

You Come Up with a Perfect Headline and Someone Steals it

Life Isn’t All Black or White

Choose Your Social Media Battles

In Ten Years, Will Anyone Care About That Tweet?

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

You Can’t Please Everyone

Stop “One More Thingitis”

Don’t Tie Your Self-Worth to Your Work

Ask Friends to Give You a Reality Check

Be Kind to Yourself

Laugh

The Bill Was Fabutab

The Bloggess

The Freebies

Meeting People

Getting Retweeted. By Matt Mullenweg. Twice.

“SILENCE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING,
BUT THE PRESENCE OF EVERYTHING.”