Group Blog Posting Tips

I'm involved in a group blog, Writers on the Move, and have accumulated a few tips over the past couple of years or so to help you be a better blogger. A lot of these are common sense and common courtesy.

The saying is that the group is only as strong as its weakest link and when you have many weak links, the chain is no good. So when working with a large group on one blog where you have scheduled days to post, some rules of thumb to follow would be:

1. Preschedule your posts as much as possible, if on a blog that allows preposting. What this means is basically prepare your articles in advance so that you aren't scrambling at the last minute to post something. Be professional.

2. If you preschedule your posts to go up on your posting date, make sure you "publish" your post. Also, make sure you go to the dashboard and edit posts (if you aren't already taken there when you post the blog posting) and check to see that your post says "scheduled" and not "draft" by it. If it says "draft", you just need to click on edit and open the post back and republish. It should read scheduled and show the date it is scheduled to go up. If it posts immediately, then you didn't schedule the post correctly. The fix for this is to edit the post, do a copy of the whole posting, then delete that posting from post listings and do a new post.

3. Once your post is up, it is a good idea to stop by the blog and leave the first comment or as close to the beginning as possible, and follow the comments by email. Basically, this allows you to know when new comments are up and if they need a response. Also, it is just polite to respond to folks who have commented on something you have written. This is traffic for you as well as visibility and hopefully more sales of what it is you have to offer. The readers obviously liked what you had to say and if you don't make an appearance on your own posting, it comes across as if you are blowing them off.

4. If you can't follow the comments or forgot on your original comment, you can go back in and leave another short comment and click on the "subscribe" button on the postings. If you can't follow the comments, then you should check the blog several times throughout your posting day to see what folks are saying so you can answer any questions or respond to your readers and fans. (See my comment above about blowing off readers.)

5. Use tags or labels so that the search engines help keep you seen.

Remember common courtesy goes a long way. See you all in the postings - E :)

Good News - I won (another book - yay!!!!)

A few weeks ago, I stopped by Helen Ginger's blog to leave a comment on Sylvia Dickey Smith's interview and had forgotten about it and this morning when I opened my email, there was a notice saying I had won Deadly Sins Deadly Secrets. I had totally forgotten about that drawing.

I had entered in another drawing but didn't win that one but hey, I love getting surprise emails saying I had won something. You can find Sylvia's books on amazon.com and here if interested in purchasing a copy. I love mysteries andthis sounds like so much fun. Check them out and see what piques your interest - see you all in the postings - E :)

Behind on postings and reading blogs

I've been in a funk lately and have not really been keeping up with my blogs and my postings and reading other people's blogs. I apologize and if you have left a comment recently and I've not responded to you, again I apologize for not getting back to you. I'm trying to work out of this funk.

Just letting you all know I am sort of back and have some things coming up soon - see postings to follow - E :)

Second Time Around (Butterfly Halves is officially published - lol)

I've posted this blog on my Book space area - an ning networking group - I'm not sure how I signed up with ning - but I believe it started with Maverick Marketers (another of Karen's sites - but I'm glad I did - book place is for authors, editors, readers, publishers - anyone who likes books - so if you would like to sign up - make sure you add me to your friends' list - the weblink is above in the title but here it is again - http://morganmandelbooks.ning.com/profile/elysabeth42 --- I also belong to a crime space on ning and a publishers site (besides Karen) and maybe one other group - so check out the ning networking things and see where you belong - http://www.ning.com/ - there are many out there and everyone should belong somewhere - lol

I don't know about most of you but when you get your first publishing contract, it is very exciting - can't sit still, must shout it from the rooftops and do the happy dance. How about when you get the second one? or the third? or the 100th? Are you still excited when you get acceptance and receive the contract, even if the contract is basically the same as the first?


I know I am. I received my first contract in January from the Fast and Frigid contest for Echelon Press. That was very exciting. Well, I've entered two more monthly contests since then (forgot to or was too busy to enter the April contest) and didn't win either of them but my March entry (one of my friends did win that so she was published in March), a young adult fantasy story received a contract. Butterfly Halves is officially published now and all I can do is the happy dance, and the announcements and everything. Of course when I got the request to contract the story, I was doing all those things too. So the last two months have been promoting Butterfly Halves and The Tulip Kiss, but in different manners.


So I leave the question to all you published authors - is the second time around just as exciting and good as the first one or not? - E :)

BLOG MILESTONE

I'd been so busy the last couple of days I'd forgotten to check to see how many hits I've had on my blog - well when I just checked it from the last posting I put up - I have hit over 1000 hits (although there is no telling how many are my own from the counter I have there because it adds in when I post a new entry as well as when I just view my blog - and considering I've made over 60 something postings, maybe it is closer to 900 hits I've had altogether - but it is a still great to see my counter ticked off at 1004 hits - lol - so for all intents and purposes, I have just had over 1000 hits on my blog.

Thank you my readers and fans - keep on blogging and keep on checking back for updates - see you all in the postings - E :)

Welcome

Greetings. I hope you like my page and hope you will provide some feedback on my stories (as they are posted) and my site in general. E :)