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3 great facebook pages for writers & bloggers

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Everyone has one.  (Have you liked ours yet?)  But not everyone uses them well.

Facebook Pages.

Love it or hate it, Facebook is essentially required social media for writers and bloggers.   What makes a Facebook page great?  We’ve gathered up  three of our favorites that illustrate key components of a great page.

great facebook pages www.designbyinsight.net

1. Interacts with readers.  We love Amy Lynn Andrews’ page.  Not only does she provide excellent information beyond what is on her blog, she also engages with her readers and answers questions.   Just last week our friend Myra asked her a question about a Pinterest plug-in on Facebook.  Amy found the answer and was willing to help others understand how the plug-in worked.  Bloggers, you need to like Amy’s page!

2.  Shares relevant information.  Sandra of Next Step Editing routinely shares grammar tips, writing resources, and other articles that will help writers and bloggers.  We appreciate that her Facebook content is not simply a listing of her blog posts.

3.  Asks great questions.  Author Media’s Facebook page is a great blend of information, encouragement, and humor.  Daily they ask a question designed to encourage or inspire writers to keep going.

What do you think makes a great Facebook page?  Share some of your favorite pages with us in the comments.  We’re always looking for new pages to follow.

 

P.S. If you haven’t already, please like the Design by Insight page.  As we get closer to launching our book, we’ll be sharing excerpts and sneak peeks there first!

 

3 Comments Filed Under: blogging, tips, writing Tagged With: , ,
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plugging in your blog: information about wordpress plug-ins

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plugging in your blog - information on wordpress plugins

In 2010 when I moved to WordPress.org, one of the most baffling aspects of that transition was plug-ins.  Questions swirled around me:

Which plug-ins did I need?

How many plug-ins should I have?

What plug-ins would have an adverse effect on my blog?

Which plug-in was the best for so many different things?

Some days, I still have many of those same questions.  When Erin does design and set-up on a new blog, she carefully chooses plug-ins that will increase the blog’s functionality without compromising its speed and security.

Here are a few great posts we’ve read recently on the issue of plug-ins.

First off, Amy Lynn Andrews introduced her readers to her new favorite SEO plug-in, WordPress SEO by Yoast.   For those of you who are working to improve your SEO and build traffic to your blog, this post is part of an excellent series about SEO Amy has written.

A couple of other bloggers have offered insight about plug-ins lately.  As with most topics, there seems to be no right answer about the number of plug-ins you should have.

Michael Hyatt shares his favorite plug-ins.  He is currently using 24 which he admits in the post is probably too many.

Which brings us to Tentblogger’s plug-in post where he encourages bloggers to use 10 or less plug-ins.

How many plug-ins do you have on your blog?   And why does that number matter?

Plug-ins can slow your site dramatically and can become a security hazard if you fail to keep them updated.  We recommend that you update all plug-ins regularly (monthly is good) and, while you are at it, go ahead and backup your blog as well.  Many times “broken blogs” can be eliminated by making sure you perform routine maintenance on your site.  Updating plug-ins and backing up content are two biggies. Remember to run the WordPress update first (if one is available), your theme update (if available), and then update your plugins after that. Your blog will be happier that way.

So tell us, how many plug-ins do you have?  And when was the last time you updated and backed up?

1 Comment Filed Under: blogging, tips Tagged With: , , , ,
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