I’m no longer blogging here. If you want to keep up with me check one of two places:
or
Archives of the podcast will remain and the URL will be maintained.
Some mistakes will be made along the way. That’s good. That means some decisions are being made. -Steve Jobs
Preparing Your Podcast for Pinterest
If you haven’t already started using Pinterest chances are you’ve at least seen people “pinning” posts in Facebook or Twitter. Pinterest is a virtual pin board that allows you to pin and share interesting photos and articles with your followers. The nice thing about it is that there’s usually a eye-catching photo that draws you to the article.
So what should bloggers and podcasters consider doing to make their articles Pinterest-friendly? Ideally, there are three things you’ll want to do so that your posts are ready to be pinned: add a Pinterest button to your sharing options, have a large (at least 250×250) featured image in your post, and use a descriptive title.
The easiest way to make your article “pinable” is to have a “Pin It” button available among your social media sharing options. If you’re using WordPress there are plug-ins available that can help you with that. I’m using Standard Theme and I’ve added the “Pin It” button to the native share bar.
Make sure you have a stand-out image for your article
When a person wants to pin your article to their pin board the very first thing they’ll need to do is choose an image to associate with your post. It’s important that you have a large, relevant image associated with your post so that it’s easily identifiable among all the other items pinned on board. If you use the featured image option in WordPress then that image is the one that will appear by default when using the “Pin It” button so you want to make sure it’s a great one.
A descriptive title is important too. When someone comes across your blog post and they use the “Pin It” button, having a descriptive title will go a long way in getting your post pinned and re-pinned. “Episode 263″ is not a descriptive title for your podcast episode but “Flying Space Monkeys Invade the Studio” is one that will grab everyone’s attention. Just make sure the title is relevant to the blog or podcast.
Pinning a Post
For many SEO-savvy bloggers and podcasters this is all second-nature. You’re probably already doing this. If you’re not, then this should help you along in your SEO journey. Oh, and don’t forget to pin this to your pin board and share with your friends.
Listen to X Marks the Spot
Click to hear the story at scottroche.com
X Marks the Spot is a story I had previously reviewed. I’d compared it to Goonies at the time, not knowing it would eventually become part of a larger universe.
I think the comparison still holds up for this particular story and I hope you’ll give it a listen. The podcast is free but I’d encourage you to support Scott by buying this or other short stories he’s written.
I’ll be reading more stories for Scott in the near future so be sure to subscribe to Scott’s podcast if you want to hear those stories as well.
X Marks the Spot is also available at Smashwords.com for 99 cents. Buy it today, read it over your lunch break and enjoy the memories that flood into your mind from an age of innocence and wonder.
X Marks the Spot
Ebook By Scott Roche
Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: April 16, 2010
Category: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Sci-Fi & fantasy
Words: 2205 (approximate)
Language: English
Time Management is the Bloggers Greatest Tool
The one thing I’m learning on this blogging experiment is that time management is crucial. In fact, it’s probably the most powerful tool a blogger has in their arsenal.
I’ve found that when I blog is just as important as what I blog about. I’m not talking about timing the release of my blog articles, I’m talking about when I sit down to do my writing.
Content and timing are very important, especially if you’re not generating any “evergreen content” but writing when your brain is firing on all cylinders is crucial to staying motivated and writing great articles.
When I first started this little adventure I thought I’d sit down in the evenings and write articles for 30-45 minutes every day. Well, that hasn’t worked out. Why? I’m a morning person. I like getting up early because my brain seems to be more creative in the wee hours of the morning. Some of my best ideas come to me before 8 am. If you’re a night owl you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy and I think people who stay up till 2 a.m. are crazy.
Here’s my problem: I also like to stay up late and those two things don’t go together well. When I stay up late I’m generally doing thoughtless activities like watching t.v. or playing video games. I’m not doing anything creative. My brain just doesn’t work that way. Morning comes and I’m punching the snooze button like my life depends on it. I get up late (for me) rush out the door to work and my brain catches up with me.
Now I have a dilemma. Do I start writing down ideas with the hope of getting to it later or write a blog post while at work?
“I can do it on my break,” I often say to myself. 15 minutes turns to 30 and the next thing I know I’ve been blogging instead of working. I can’t expect my writing to succeed if I’m stealing from my employer.
So what’s the solution? Early to bed and early to rise, at least for me. I need to make sure I’m giving my employer 100% even if I feel like there are more important things I could be doing with my time. I’ll say it another way: Stop stealing from your employer. Ooh! That hurts. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.
What about you? Do you struggle with using your employers time for personal endeavors. If so, do you take that as a sign you need to find a new job or do you justify it. Leave your comments below.