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author platform
Is Medium a Step Towards Solving the Collaboration Conundrum?
by, Claire Webber
April 13, 2013
Medium, the new platform from Ev Williams, is meant for collaborative curation and creation.

Writing is primarily a solitary activity. But, as Stephen King wrote in On Writing, “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open”. At some point you will share your work with someone for editing – and that’s where the art of writing gets technologically tricky. Microsoft Word has a well-documented compatibility issue between versions of the software; Google Docs doesn’t have an easy… [Read More]

Filed Under: author platform, internet, Medium, Social Media networks, technology
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Connecting your Facebook Business Page with your Personal Profile Timeline
by, Claire Webber
July 14, 2012

If you’re an author on Facebook, you’ve certainly noticed that your personal timeline and your page exist as two seperate entities – at least on Facebook, your ‘Author-Self’ and ‘Everything-Else-Self’ are as divided as the North and South Poles. It’s not even possible to write on your own personal timeline; you can only communicate with other business pages directly. What’s a well-connected and sociable author to… [Read More]

Filed Under: agents, audience, author platform, Authors, blogging, Blogs, Facebook, internet, marketing strategy, Social Media, social media metrics, Social Media networks, widgets, WordPress
1 Comment
Using Google Alerts: a How-To for Instant Access to Security and Content
by, Claire Webber
July 7, 2012

If you really distill the many difficulties of blogging, there are two issues that are the most arduous to contend with on the regular: monitoring who’s talking about you, and coming up with fresh and fantastic ideas. Luckily, Google already has you covered. Google Alerts is a free online tool that can alert you anytime it finds a new page on the ‘net that’s related… [Read More]

Filed Under: author platform, Authors, blogging, Blogs, Google, google alert, google alert how to, google alert tutorial, how to use google alert, internet
1 Comment
Social Media for Authors: Baby Step 3
by, Jill Swenson
December 10, 2011

Baby Step 3: Build your author online presence by making executive decisions in answer to the following three questions. Who will provide you with internet service? Who will provide webhosting service for your website/blog? What content management system is right for you as an author? Internet service providers are those who bring the internet into your home or office. This may be your phone company,… [Read More]

Filed Under: author platform, BlueHost.com, CMS, cpanel, domain name, email, HTML, Internet Service Provider, online presence, SEO, Webhosting, WordPress.com, WordPress.org
1 Comment
Social Media for Authors: Baby Step Two
by, Jill Swenson
December 3, 2011

So you’ve searched Google and Go.Daddy to determine that your author name is available as a domain name. Great. But before you buy a domain name and begin building the foundation for your electronic home, open a Google account and set up an administrative email address through Gmail, using your author name. This is the name you will use consistently across all communication formats—print and… [Read More]

Filed Under: API Key, author platform, domain name, electronic persona, Gmail, GoDaddy, Google, research tools, using Google services, website administration
1 Comment
Content is King: the value of “new” social media for writers
by, Danielle Sherwood
September 10, 2011

If you have been following our social media series and keeping abreast of the free advice Swenson Book Development LLC has to offer, please take note: this post trumps its predecessors. Search engine optimization, metadata, plugins, widgets, and pretty blogs all can improve web traffic and generate sales conversions. Nothing, however, is as important as the content on your website. Presentation and formatting makes a… [Read More]

Filed Under: audience engagement, author platform, blogging, business and sales, consumerism, creating content, Facebook, Google Plus, industry gatekeepers, new social media, self-publishing, the reader market, Twitter, writing practice
1 Comment
6 WordPress Tools Worth Installing
by, Danielle Sherwood
September 3, 2011

If you’ve read my last post on the difference between plugins and widgets and why every author platform should take advantage of these user-friendly tools, you will be happy to read this follow-up guide. I present to you, savvy WordPress user, plugins and widgets for a successful author platform. These are just a few of the basic plugins and widgets we recommend (and use ourselves)… [Read More]

Filed Under: audience engagement, author platform, Facebook, Marketing, plugins and widgets, RSS Feed, search engine optimization, Social Media, Social Networks, Twitter, word-of-mouth sales, WordPress, WPTouch
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Plugin or Widget? Two enhancements your platform needs – now!
by, Danielle Sherwood
August 27, 2011

Last week I explained the importance of using metadata to optimize your website or blog for search engines. Metadata, as you will remember, helps drive the right traffic to your page and makes your content more accessible. Brilliant! Your web traffic is growing and you are expanding your author platform. But now that visitors arrive on your homepage and take a first look, how do you… [Read More]

Filed Under: author platform, free resources, helpful tools, navigation features, plugin, Social Media, terms and definitions, user interaction, visitor experience, web optimization, widget, WordPress, writers writing
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