Blog Tip

5 New Things About RonovanWrites Blog and Why. #Blog #Tips

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It’s time to take a look around the blog. I know those of you who regularly visit have noticed the changes, but here is the official unveiling, and shame to those who peeked.

First, why the change?

Everyone needs a fresh start at some point and it was about time. I could get into some marketing and even managerial reasons, and I might as we go, but for now, let’s leave it as I just needed a change. Maybe as I talk about each change I’ll mention the why.

The Header

I have a header finally. What? Ronovan Writes didn’t have a header before? Nope, it was all in the header image. Now I have the image from my Haiku Challenge that I like so much gracing the abode on a grander scale. Well…at least until I get to learning how to be artistic with my new laptop!!! Why did I change? I decided it was time to be less me centric in the look and I wanted a brighter feel to things. My purpose for this blog isn’t such that it requires anything specific. I’m going to have fun.

No sidebars here.

But all the old information is still here to find, just scroll to the bottom and it’s all in the footers now. Did you really think I would do away with talking about myself and advertising ME completely? Shame on you. No sidebars gives a larger feel to the reading area, cleaner appearance, and simply has that inviting look as far as I am concerned. But then again, to each their own.

Blog Tip

One thing to think about if you change locations of your Widgets and that is the  width of any of your Widgets that have images related to them. If they are too wide then they throw everything off. If you don’t see your Widgets when you change, check that width and reduces to a small size for the moment. Then check your main page again.

Only 5 Posts on Main Page

With the Footers added I decided to limit the number of posts appearing on the landing page to 5. This allows for quicker loading time for the blog and isn’t too much to look at. Also, a reader can get to the Footers a bit faster.

I’ll be doing some other changes slowly to move to as professional and peaceful appearance as I can. That’s what I am going for. I want peace. With a dash of explosions and excitement at the same time. Kind of like Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot. Hey, I saw what I saw in that movie, you see what you want to see. Agreed? Good.

Want to read my best Blog Tip article lately, How to Hashtag Blog Tweets? Click here to visit my guest post on Hugh’s Views & News where you can also check out some great tips of his own while you’re there.

Much Respect-Much Love

Ronovan

Ron_LWIRonovan is an author, and blogger who shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer though his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.WordPress.com.

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How to Survive the Blog Life.

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I think we need to get a few things straight about blogging. Blogging isn’t what it started out to be. There are very few blogs in the true sense of the word any longer. We have become a world of almost websites. But we are called bloggers because we don’t have a company or whatever.

I’m cool with that. I’m a blogger. I’m a blogger in the 21st Century definition. Why did I explain all of that? Because I want to talk about . . .

How to Survive the Blog Life.

There are some people that don’t realize what goes into a lot of our blogs. The hours of writing, researching, networking, formatting, web layout designs and much more. I don’t really know of anyone that just throws out some words and that’s that.

I’ll make this simple:

  • Write what you like-If you are trying to write in a style you don’t like or are not comfortable in, then you’re likely to feel that eating at you. Maybe it’s just me, but when I am writing, I will just stop even at the end of a 1000 word article if I am not feeling it and trash it.
  • Only write when you want to-Don’t force yourself to write just because you feel responsible for it. Or you want to have content because you are afraid people won’t come back if you miss a day or two. If that’s true then they really weren’t into your site in the first place. Not to sound negative there, but it’s the truth.
  • Be nice to people-There is no reason to be mean to anyone. If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it. If you don’t want to interact with people, don’t have comment boxes on your posts where people might ask you something. You don’t have to respond to every person, but you can some at least.
  • Set your boundaries-Make your life easy by setting some rules for yourself about interacting with other bloggers or readers. They are your friends and co-workers of sorts. Keep it that way. Makes for an easier life for you and keeps you a  lot happier in the long run.
  • If you like it you like it-Only click like on things you like, and if you really like it then reblog it. Some don’t like to reblog because it doesn’t look good on their blog or reblogs don’t work that great for views and traffic on average. So what?

There is something that I didn’t mention. It’s the most important thing to remember in order to Survive the Blog Life.

Don’t worry about success.

If you ever start worrying about success go to one of those 5 things and see which one you are missing out on. You see, being you, just being yourself is enough. You don’t have to do gimmicks.

I give tips about how to increase traffic to blog sites, but I don’t use them all. You see, I just like giving the tips because I know that a) some people are after success and b) some people just like to use different types of things, okay and c) I just like to share/teach. Sorry, it’s in the blood thing. Once a teacher always a teacher.

You now I added the star rating to my posts a while back and no one really uses it. But yesterday for some reason someone decided to put a 1 on two of my posts. One was my Autumn post and the other was my Haiku Prompt Challenge post. You see if it had been just the Autumn post then fine, but then when it was the Haiku Prompt as well I realized it was someone just being mean.  But I’m good with it. I’ll take down the star rating eventually anyway because it was just for a change and no one was using it anyway and it doesn’t really go with my new theme and layout.

But don’t add things like ratings to your posts if you are sensitive and care what people think. Just sayin’. Oh, and no worries. I know the deal, so I’m good.

So everyone, remember, forget about success, write honest, and take some breaks.

 As a companion to this article you may wish to read Blogging Personality: The Key to Success.

Ronovan

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A New Look

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Well,  it finally happened. Out with the old and in with the new . . . theme that is. I mentioned not long ago that a change was coming. In truth I had no idea what it would be. I had come up with the header but had no theme or anything else in mind.

So Saturday night I sat down and decided it was time. I went through several themes on a practice site, trashed them all. Then I picked this one and after a few hours here we are.

There are still some things that will need to be done, but I think overall I am pleased with the results.

Over on the right side you will see I have added the Tag Cloud. Now if there is a topic you might like to check out, go for it. Who knows what you might end up with though. I have slowed down on my number of tags these days for the most part. But when I started I was a bit tag happy. As I recently told a couple of friends, think of Categories as your subject/noun and your tags as your adjectives.  I actually get rid of some tags from old posts as I revisit them at times.

For those of you that don’t know, that’s a typewriter up there in the header photo. And I actually taught myself to type on one older than that and that’s probably why I’ve had to replace my laptop keyboard. (You had to hit them bad boys back then.) I was bored one summer and decided why not. I had a typing book and a typewriter so by the end of the summer I was flying away. The last time I was timed in typing I was over  100 words per minute. That was some time ago. But you can ask those who chat with me and they will tell you that I do type fast.

 

See Y’all Next Time

Ronovan

2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com

Blog Tip: How to do a ping back. It’s more than you think.

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WordPress has changed a few things on the tech side since I first wrote this about 2 years ago, so here’s an updated take on things.

Ping backs.

A lot of blogs talk about ‘put a ping back to my blog’.

All a ping back is, is you copy the URL of an actual post into your post. I know that sounds simple, and once you’ve done it a time or two it really is. But let’s talk about how you do it and the different ways to do it.

First let’s talk about the word Ping. What a blogger is asking you to do is to have your blog speak to their blog post. That’s called a Ping. By using the URL of the blogger’s Post within your own Post, you create that first step to a Ping.

Now, to make the link active and carry out the actual Ping Back, you need to do the following in WordPress:

  1. Decide if you are going to have the URL visible on your post or if you would rather it be hidden within a word. Some people like to say “Click HERE to see the rest of the entries for the contest.” You can actually hide the URL within the word HERE in the previous sentence. You can even hide it within an image.
  2. You’ve decided on the type of Ping Back you want to do. If you want it within a word like ‘HERE’, or perhaps using the URL just as it appears in the address bar, highlight the word or URL, then click on the Insert/edit link icon in your Toolbar. The icon looks kind of like a paperclip.
  3. After clicking the icon you will get a pop up on your screen where you place the URL within. Do that and then click the Blue Box with the White Arrow in it. You’re done.
  4. If you are placing the URL within an Image, click the Image and then Click the Insert/edit link icon in your Toolbar and repeat #3.

It can be a link in the words you type, you know like a hyperlink thing where it says click HERE to go to something. Well HERE is not the actual URL. HERE is just the word the URL is hiding behind so to speak. An example of a page you could do a ping back for is an About Me. (To learn how to put a link so it is in a word instead of that long ugly URL format, click HERE for a step-by-step with images and you will leave this page. Thanks to Wendy Kate in comments for giving me the idea of noting this putting the link to my article here.)

An example would be like when I suggest putting a ping back to my Haiku Prompt Challenge.

The URL not to use as a Ping Back because it is to a page not a post: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/

The URL not to use as a Ping Back because it is to a category page not a post: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/

For the week of this article the challenge post URL to use is: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-prompt-challenge-13/

Notice the date and the challenge number included for the one to use. Also note the word category in the second one not to use.

Well that’s about it. I hope that ugly little thing that tech people try to make sound kind of difficult is a little easier now.

 

Much Respect

ron_ballgame_blackandwhite

 

 

 

Ronovanfollowmeonbloglovin

 

2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com

 

Blog Tips: Collaborating-The Pros, The Cons, and the Cautions.

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There are different types of Blog Tips. Some are simply how to tag your posts better, or how to advertise, so to speak. But one Blog Tip takes a bit more effort, time, and really a gamble on your part to make work.

They Can Work

collaborationgood

They Can Stall

collaborationstall

And

They

Can

Epically

FAIL

collabtwerkfail

Collaborating with another writer on their blog or your blog can be beneficial to both of you for many reasons.

  • For some they might do it for a sharing of each others audience.
  • Others might do it to experiment with style.
  • Still others might just do it to work with a friend.

 

It’s not something to jump into without a lot of thought. Are you protective of your work, your words? Do you get hurt when things are changed or another person doesn’t agree with your ideas?

If you answered yes, then do you think you should collaborate with a blogger you consider a friend?

 

I  have collaborated a few times, unbeknowst to all but a very few, I asked my name not be mentioned. Why?

  • There are people out there that want to collaborate simply to use another blogger for increasing their Followers/Views.
  • I didn’t want to open the flood gates to their having to possibly say no to others asking for a collaboration, when a collaboration just happens for myself and another. Intentional collaborations for me don’t seem to flow well. Those that are inspired by a conversation are the best.
  • And to be honest, I just don’t like the attention that much. Which sounds odd because I like to have Followers for my site and Twitter and the ‘likes’ of my work and everything. It is a fantastic feeling, it really is. I won’t lie about that. But for some reason I prefer to stay in the background a bit and just do my little thing. I like to see the success of something I had a hand in. That’s been enough for me.Some might say it’s the Gemini in me and the intellectual and emotional aspects at war.

 

The Pros of Collaborations

  1. You get to work with a good friend and learn from one another about what and how we do things differently
  2. Your work is shared with a different viewing audience and you can see how it works
  3. (I get to take credit for another person’s talent.)

 

The Cons of Collaborations

  1. Hurt feelings might happen over creative differences
  2. One person seems to think their opinion is more important the others and changes work without thinking how it makes one feel
  3. (You end up wanting to kick the other persons butt because you find out they are really the biggest lame jerk that every graced the page tabs of a blog site.) Your friendship suffers because your differences over each others work that you normally love are just too different together.

 

How to Make a Collaboration Work

  1. You should PERSONALLY keep in mind what you like about the other persons work and try to make sure that is included in the piece you are collaborating on
  2. Chose a battle. Not every single point is worth a fight in an article. Unless it is just a matter of your personal beliefs or something, look at it for what is best for the piece over all and the message.
  3. And seriously, be honest and recognize that the site you will be posting on expects THEIR blogger’s work. We know what our readers like to see. Just make sure your ideas get included and some of your writing as well. It really depends on the piece being written. Whose style does the piece fit best?

 

How to Determine Who to Collaborate With

  1. Do you click-This means do you have a rapport and an underlying sense of respect for one another
  2. Do you agree-If you are writing certain pieces and you don’t agree, like politics or religion and its about a sensitive topic, you may wan to stay away. You can like a persons work and respect their views but once you delve into the behind the scenes and deeper into their thoughts you may not really enjoy things as much.
  3. Frankly, do you like the work of the other person-That sound simple but you might have a friend but it’s the person you like and your two styles just won’t click. Stay away. Friends are more important forcing something.

 

The Cautions of Collaborating

  1. Friendships end over unimportant things
  2. You end up having the other persons reputation be associated with yours. This is a caution in case you don’t overly agree with their views or really their style
  3. You might end up getting asked by friends for collaborations and you have to say no and hurt their feelings, or you say yes and neglect your own work

 

There are a lot of benefits from a collaboration from expanding your blog reach.

  1. Two or more people can end up sharing some of each others followers and find new viewers because of it. You get that new audience.
  2. It allows you to learn some tricks you may not have known before about blogging.
  3. You earn a reputation as a person that works with others which to some means being nice and sacrificing.

 

I can collaborate with anyone, but I choose not to jump into that pool much. It does take time from my own work. I did one recently that I enjoyed and was not something I felt took away from my work at all. Why? Because we click, we shared ideas, and we recognized who could do what. I know my strengths and weaknesses and had no problem expressing that. I also felt I could express my opinions without any problems. Why? Because we click and respect each other. Neither of us really benefits in regards to followers from the work. We share a lot of the same people.

The main reason I even allowed my name mentioned was the subject really required both of our names to be included for there to be a balance. Not specifically our names, but our genders.

Finding a collaboration partner that really works well is difficult. I don’t seek them out, they just happen. I don’t ask, they just happen. Do I get asked? Yes, I have.

 

Do I encourage you to collaborate? That is up to you. To me it is not something I go out and look for unless the idea pops to mind, I am already clicking with the person, I know we agree on things and we can mesh well. You need to know that first.

 

Much Respect

Ronovan

 

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