Blogging 201: Day Six: Dig Deep into a Social Network

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Blogging 201: Day Six: Dig Deep into a Social Network

“The Internet destroyed most of the barriers to publication. The cost of being a publisher dropped to almost zero with two interesting immediate results: anybody can publish, and more importantly, you can publish whatever you want.” Dick Costolo

Blogging 201: Day Six: Dig Deep into a Social Network

Today’s Assignment: pick one social network you’ll use to help grow your blog. Then, outline a plan for how you’ll use it.

Why do this?

• Because blogging is about building a community, and other social networks have ready-made communities.

• Because social networks are a great place to continue tangential conversations and experiment with content. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn…where to start? A big brand might use every single one, but a big brand also has a social media department. You have the Department of You, so be selective.

I went “social media” the first day of my blog: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, 500px, LiveJournal, Tumbler, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

All the posts published are sub-posted on these sites. I am getting followers from all these sites and even feedback given through them or email. I don’t see a blog surviving without the social media, with the good and the bad which it contains. I have said it in the past and will say again: I have a love-hate relationship with the social media, but as the old adage goes: Better the Devil you know 😉

I have also reposted several bloggers’ posts, which I have found to be something to be shared to a wider audience and intend to continue doing so also in the future.

Oops!, or one Big Boo-boo! (Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Oops!

‘Tis the season to revel in photographic (and/or photogenic) disasters.

Last week, my fellow Daily Post contributor Robyn wrote about the liberating power of embarrassing stories. It got me thinking about our collective reluctance to show less-flattering sides of our lives and personalities.

The imperative to present a perfect facade is doubly strong when it comes to our photos. Here, it’s not just the subject matter we care about — the perfect day at the beach; smiling, well-dressed toddlers; a faux-nonchalant smirk at a party. The picture itself has to be Instagram- and/or blog-worthy. Our images are always photoshopped in spirit, even if we don’t use the actual software.

“Never say “Oops” in the operating room”

Oops!, or one Big Boo-boo!

The sounds of the beeping machines
The operating theatre in full fling
“Just don’t remove my spleen”
My last thoughts, as I felt the sting
The needle pushed into my spine
Soon, I will be feeling really fine
A long time this moment did I stall
Into a light slumber will I fall
But the sounds of the hammer in my skull
Echoing loudly, even though my body dull
Soon enough the voices are beckoning
I must wake up I am reckoning
The procedure now is done
Feelings on my body quite numb
But alas in a day or two
I finally manage to take a step or few

Related posts (Repost):
Invincible
Fixing It
Out of Order
Replaced by Metal
Ode to Bedpans

Ode to Bedpans (Repost for The Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

A homage to bedpans everywhere!

“A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running” Groucho Marx

Ode to Bedpans

When you are
Down and out
Then just give
A small shout
Soon enough
Before things get tough
The nice nurses
Will come a running
In their purses
Carrying the plumbing
And without a doubt
Ease your pout

Replaced by Metal (Repost for The Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“Life is short, fragile and does not wait for anyone. There will NEVER be a perfect time to pursue your dreams and goals”

Replaced by Metal

Today I saw it
The huge chunk of metal
Replacing my joint
I almost shifted gear
Just out of fear
Making my stomach churn
Pushing the pedal to the metal
And making u-turn
While running away
But wait, please stay
Easy as pie it would be
So at least they told me
While they operate
You get to lie in bed
Take a short nap
No mishap
While the pros
Do their chores
Unconscious, unaware
So, there really is no scare!

Out of Order (Repost for The Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“I’ll definitely be out of order for a few days!” Gun Roswell

Out of Order

Out of order
Flat on my face
Semiconscious
Feeling sorer
And out of place

For the next few days
Relying on others’ aid
Hoping not to faint
Ain’t that quaint
But I am hardly a saint

Almost felt jinxed
But now my six
Is getting fixed
Add into the mix
Out of order

For a few days at least

Fixing It (Repost for The Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“When I told my doctor I couldn’t afford an operation, he offered to touch-up my X-rays” Henny Youngman

Fixing It

The day has arrived
In three months’ time
Finally going under the knife
Oh what a life
Facing the surgeon
Guess it was urgent
After all
This time spent
In the end
Hasn’t been a ball
Not a fan of hospitals, needles or blood
It’s such a crud
But not being in control
Is the worst of all
Lying unconscious
Body and mind
Out of commission
Please be kind
Without condition
Wish me luck
Let’s hope the doctors
Won’t fuck it up!

Invincible (Repost for The Daily Post)

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“A lot of us think we’re invincible… but we have to start putting ourselves on the to-do list” Giuliana Rancic

Invincible

The name suggested
A battle maiden invested
Always the strong one
Getting everything done
Relying on strength
Taking great lengths
Never cheating
Always completing

Out of the blue
Without a clue
When least expected
The unthinkable was inflicted
The temple of strength failed
And came tumbling down
Feeling jailed
Oh treacherous one

Completely helpless
Not the fearless
Never been so afraid
Beginning to fade
Sometimes going insane
From all that pain

Going through stages
In quite the rages
Denial, anger, bargain, depression
With each session
Looking for that quick fix
Throwing in the mix
Ideas of the radical
Forgoing the medical
With a scoff
Thinking on just walking it off

Final stage at hand
Taking the stand
Waving the white flag
No more snags
Feeling revived
Acceptance had arrived

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Five: Make the Most of Your Archives, Part One

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Five: Make the Most of Your Archives

“I think I am about 5 for 500 when it comes to successful ideas vs flops” Jeremy Schoemaker

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Five: Make the Most of Your Archives, Part One

The internet is ephemeral — you publish a post, and it sinks to the bottom of your blog before you know it. You’re competing with breaking news and dealing with short attention spans.

Readers and search engines love seeing new content on your homepage, but you can keep things even fresher by highlighting your archives: your best posts, hidden gems, and timeless content. After all: if a reader just found you, it’s all new to them!

Today’s assignment: integrate a feature to draw traffic to your older content like a widget, related posts, or a “Best of” page.

Why do this?

* Because a go-to page compiling your best posts is the simplest way to get readers to your content — you never know which post will pique someone’s interest, so make the good ones easy to find.
* Because while your About page does a great job introducing you, a curated selection of posts further illustrates your perspectives.

* Customizer to promote older work in your sidebar and footer, including the Top Posts and Page Widget, Archives Widget, and Categories Widget. These widgets automatically pull in archival and popular content — they’re quick, easy additions to drive traffic to older work. Each widget has configuration options, so you can control how much real estate they take up.

* Activate the Related Posts feature, which analyzes the words in each post, searches your site for similar posts, and displays related content at the bottom of every post.

GO TO: Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind… (Blogging 201, Day Five)

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Blogging 201, Branding and Growth: Day Five: Make the Most of Your Archives

“Breathe. Know that the Internet has no eraser” Liz Strauss

Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

Previously on Rantings Of A Third Kind…

A page for Photography was designed
To be country specific was defined
And all the related posts to combine
Maybe what you seek, you here shall find

The page for Daily Poem briefly existed
To pending status it was soon listed
For more than one per day a poem coexisted
And to an overwhelming task insisted

Throwback Thursday was also introduced
Much more traffic it did produce
Not even that Bruce could reduce
And it did give the creator much more juice

Gidgets, gadgets, all types of widgets
On the pages already existed
To name but a few
And give them their due

Top posts, calendar, pages and archive
Better give me the high five!
Before going live
With another trial

A showcase for most favourite posts
As presented by the host
Could once more, be the thing of the week
Or maybe something else ya seek?

Looking for
Calendars, Challenges or Yesterday’s news
It is all in here
But with a click or a few

Before you’re leaving
A small reminder
Don’t forget tuning in
Againg tomorrow
To this world wide
Virtual binder

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