Some useful blogging resources I've come across lately

I know, I know - I'm not blogging as often as I used to here - my apologies! Various real-life things have got in the way of my editorial calendar - in fact I think I need to go back and read my own book to remind myself!

On the subject of the book, I've had a few enquiries lately from folks being told they had to wait a couple of months for it - obviously I'm really pleased the first print run has sold out, but it's no fun to have to wait. Anyway, the publishers tell me that new stock is on its way and may even already have arrived. (If you're trying to order it online, the Book Depository still has copies I think.) So thanks for your patience, and a huge thank you to those who have reviewed and rated the book and generally helped support sales. You are stars!

Anyway - I thought I'd share a few links to some useful resources I've come across lately that I think you'll find interesting.

If you have a Facebook page, here are '7 little known tricks to make your Facebook page stand out' - little things like repositioning photos, highlighting fan posts and sometimes scheduling in advance. Useful stuff.

Ten Top Pinterest Boards - Jeff Bullas shows us how top Pinterest-ers do it - it's a visual treat, whether or not you are concerned with 'driving sales, leads and traffic' to your blog.

Are you confused about Google+? Then take the free, online Google+ Masterclass from the Britmums blogging community and get up to speed in no time. This is just one example of the great resources available at Britmums.

And finally for now, a most relevant piece on Why you need to keep on blogging by Sam McArthur at Savvy Marketers. It's true! If you need reminding of why it's worth working through those times when you're feeling uninspired or overwhelmed with other things,  then this is for you (and me!)

Image credit: Modern Life blogs

Roundup post: Blogging tools & tips, plus a Pinterest primer

I've been on holiday these last two weeks, staying well away from the London Olympics! Although I confess I watched some of it on TV...

Now I'm trying to do the traditional post-hols catchup, and thought I'd share with you some useful stuff for bloggers that I found in my inbox and Twitter stream, in case you missed it.

Blogging Tools
First off, how could I resist 22 Top Blogging Tools Loved by the Pros - great example of a title that's bound to get click throughs! This is an article by Cindy King at Social Media Examiner, a resource worth checking out. Subscribe to their emails or follow on Twitter (@smexaminer).

As it sounds, there's a lot to take in here - the thing with this kind of post is that you're probably not going to rush out and try everything on the list, but it brings to your attention some gems you might otherwise not know about. I particularly liked the look of Google's Content Idea Generator, and IFTTT (a social media tool - worth a play with). I'm already a fan of Storify, a tool to create and curate opinions and ideas around a topic (for example live blogging and tweets at an event.) Disqus (a community based around blog comments) is also great, I talk about the usefulness of this in my book... plus lots more good ideas in this article.

A From Me to You cinemagraph created by Jamie Beck

Photo tips
In the same vein is 15 Photo Blogging Tips from the Pros from Mashable - those pros just know it all, don't they?! This is actually a sponsored post, but as a compilation of comments from several high profile photo bloggers including Jamie Beck and Tom Robinson, it's an interesting read. Questions answered include 'What makes for a good picture' and 'Tricks of the trade'.

Pinterest primer
And thirdly, this is a post from earlier in the year but recently brought to my attention - Pinterest Basics for Bloggers, by Yang of Chillisauce on ProBlogger. If you haven't yet got stuck into Pinterest and want to know how to make the most of it, this is a really comprehensive and easy to follow article with lots of tips and screenshots.

Featured blogger: Tara Hogan

Illustrator, designer and yoga teacher Tara Hogan was expecting a baby when I was pestering her with emails about 'Blogging for Creatives' - sorry about that, Tara! Baby John was born in March this year and has already appeared on Tara's blog, Ink+Wit...

Ink+Wit is both a blog and a business, and Tara is a great example of how a blog doesn't exist in a vacuum - far from it! Take a look at the side bar of her blog and you will find links to dozens, if not hundreds of blogs: Illustration, Yoga, Vegan, Interior Spaces, Inspiration and more. This gal is well connected to the blogosphere, and has been featured and interviewed on many other sites about how she got into blogging, her motivations and inspirations. Read a 2008 interview with her here on Decor8.

Tara's main site is the shop at www.inkandwit.com. As well as the blog (which incidentally is a Blogger blog like this one), Ink+Wit can be found in many other social places including Pinterest (Tara has some gorgeous boards, take a look!) and various blog directories. Tara is also on Twitter.

Tara Hogan of Ink + Wit on Pinterest

Staying connected to other blogs and around the social web is important for getting your blog known and read. This blog is only a couple of weeks old, so I have plenty to do to get it better connected. Experienced bloggers like Tara can teach us all a lot about what it takes to create and maintain a great blog!

Beware if posting photos that are not your own

Pinterest is hugely popular - but be careful what you pin

Blogging might sometimes seem like a solitary activity, but of course it's not - in that you are part of the blogosphere, and also part of the wider social web.

Whatever social tools you use or communities you belong to, you are bound to come up against the inevitable nasty from time to time: trolls, viruses, spam, bots and other malicious stuff.

No need to panic though - on the web, as in life, MOST people aren't out to get you - however much it might seem like that when you're hit by something bad! The answer is to keep your cool and use common sense precautions.

Today I came across this article in Business Week about how spammers have moved out of email and are invading the social web.  It seems that people are unwittingly downloading viruses or falling prey to spammers by clicking on 'like' buttons or following links.

This came just as I was talking to a client about how one of his computers had been 'fatally' infected after clicking on a spammy image on a Pinterest page.

As regards images, this is something to be careful of - if you link to an image on the web from your blog or Pinterest page or whatever, just be aware that you're putting yourself and your readers at risk. I've been on the bad end of this with another blog, and it's not pretty.

Wherever possible, use your own images or those where you know the provenance, for example from a site selling royalty-free images, such as Dreamstime or iStockphoto. If you see a photo you like on a photo-sharing community such as Flickr, be sure to check with the photographer (who is the copyright owner) whether you can use it or not, and if so, make sure you give it the proper attribution.