by D'Arcy Norman www.flickr.com
If any of you have started a blog for your children’s books, your classroom, your homeschool, or your mommy world, then you may be interested in the following REPRINTED interview on blogging and blogging tips I did with WOW! Women On Writing. It appeared on their blog, The Muffin, in July. I am teaching a course for them about blogging; and even if you don’t have a writing blog, this course helps you take your blog to the next level. So, here’s the interview full of tips. If you like what you read, consider signing up for the course, which starts October 4 and is perfect for people who need a flexible schedule when taking a class. Now, on to the blogging tips interview. . .
WOW: Hi Margo, it is so nice to be chatting with you today. Let’s start with the basics; one of the first places a person can get bogged down is in deciding which type of website to use. What are the differences between a free WordPress.com or Blogger site and a hosted website as far as our ability to publicize and monetize our sites?
Margo: There shouldn’t be any difference, really, except that when you have a free site, all the profit is yours! As far as publicizing goes, you would do the same things on a free WordPress or Blogger site as you would for a hosted website. You would use social networking sites, comments on other blogs, your bio on articles, SEO Keywords, and so on to publicize your blog. As for monetizing, as long as you have the capability to put widgets or links on your “free” blog, you can monetize. Sometimes, it will depend on what template you choose as to what you can fit on your blog, and those are the kinds of questions we’ll tackle in class.
WOW: Ah, there is more to a template than pretty colors (smile). With the question of functionality addressed, my next one is how to build readership. You have mentioned in your course description that for a blog to be successful the content should be unique and focused. Can you elaborate on that for us? How unique is “unique”?
Margo: There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of blogs out there about a writer and her journey. “Here’s my blog about how I am going to write a novel.”Or “Here’s my blog about being a stay-at-home mom while I write children’s books.” I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s blog, and many of these are successful. But these topics have been done and done again. When I started my site, I knew there were already many children’s book review blogs. So I decided that whenever I featured a book, I would make my post different by including three take-away activities for parents, teachers, and librarians. I haven’t found many blogs that review a book, provide a summary, and tell you how to use it with kids and teens. So, I made my blog unique.
WOW: So, having each post provide take-away or usable information the reader can apply to her own life is one way to stand out and build readership. You also mentioned guest blogging. What is “guest blogging” and how does it serve us?
Margo: Guest blogging is when you write a post for another blog or when someone else writes a post for you. You are a “guest” writer on the blog. Both ways benefit a blogger. When you guest blog on another blog, you’re exposed to
I teach a class through WOW! Women On Writing about social networking for writers–but it could actually be for any small business owner or blogger. As I said last Wednesday, I know many of you, who read my blog to get ideas for the classroom, library, and home school, are also writers and bloggers. Here’s an interview that I did with WOW! Women On Writing executive editor, Angela, about social networking. (Reprinted from The Muffin, February 2010)
Angela: This was the first year WOW! branched out into social networking by creating Twitter and Facebook profiles, and it’s already done so much for our site. We get to interact with our readers, really get to know them, and obtain feedback instantly. Our traffic has increased from links coming from the networks as well, and it’s also a lot of fun!
At the head of our social media campaign is WOW! contributing editor, columnist, and instructor Margo L. Dill, who launched our campaign from scratch. She knows a great deal about using these sites to your advantage, so I caught up with her to ask her a few questions about her upcoming e-course “Social Networking for Authors: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more!” If you want to learn how to effectively use social networking platforms for self-promotion, there’s still time to sign up for her course, which starts next Monday (August 23).
Welcome, Margo! Who should take your social networking class? Is it only for authors?
Margo: My social networking class can help anyone who has something to promote–a blog, a website, a book, a magazine, or a newsletter. The class will give tips on how to find other writers on social networks; find clients, customers, or readers; and how to interact on these sites so people get to know the “real” you. This means, you are a real person with a personality sending out tweets or promoting your Facebook profile or fan page–not a marketer or a spambot!
Angela: That’s great to know. It sounds like it would be useful for freelance writers and small businesses as well. You teach your students how to use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Why is it important to use all three platforms? What are the major differences?
Margo: In my opinion, each social networking site offers writers, or anyone really, a different audience, format, and way to connect with others. On Twitter, you can follow almost anyone who has similar interests as you, provides useful information, or makes you smile and laugh. In turn, anyone can follow you. People expect you to share information on Twitter about yourself and your work as well as share other useful tidbits you come across on the Internet and on Twitter itself.
On Facebook, you can connect with people whom you once knew, that you met at a conference, or through an online group as well as your family and friends. You can belong to writing groups on Facebook that provide information and allow you to network with other writers such as on the WOW! Women On Writing Facebook Fan Page. On your Facebook wall, you can promote your latest blog post or book just like you can on Twitter, but you do it with posts on your wall or status updates or fan pages. I get a lot of response from my family and friends on my blog from my Facebook page. These people wouldn’t know what I was up to if I didn’t have Facebook to tell them. I am reaching a different audience here and on an even more personal level than on Twitter.
LinkedIn is a completely different network all together. It is for professional connections more than personal ones. You can connect with others and find free
If you are a teacher, librarian, parent, or anyone really, you might be interested in taking some online classes about writing and social networking this spring and summer. I am teaching three classes through WOW! Women on Writing’s classroom and workshop program, and I am super excited!
The first class I am teaching starts on Wednesday, April 21 and is called: Writing For Children: Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers. This is for anyone who has ever thought–hey, I’d like to write for children, but you’re not sure where to start or how to get some publishing credits. Here’s an interview I did with Angela from WOW! about writing for children in these areas and about my class. This class meets for seven weeks–online using a Google group. We do not meet at a certain time online–it’s all done at each student’s own schedule. I am running a special this spring–it usually costs $200, but I’m offering it for $175. Click here to view the syllabus and to sign up for the class. (This is the third time I’m offering this course.)
The next class I am teaching was really popular this winter. It’s called: SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS: TWITTER, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN AND MORE! This course is actually for anyone who wants to learn how to use these social networks–for personal and business reasons, although we focus mostly on businesses such as freelance writing, authors who want to promote a book, freelance editors, writing coaches, etc. The class starts on Monday, May 24 and lasts for four weeks for $100. We use a Google group, and students don’t have to be online at a certain time–we work around all schedules. I also did an interview with Angela for this class and tips for using social networking as a writer. For more information on the syllabus and how to sign up for the class, click here.
The last class is brand new, and I am super excited to teach it–especially since I love blogging so much. The class is all about blogging and is called: BLOGGING 101 AND MORE: Start a Blog, Make it Unique, and Keep it Going. This course will help new and experienced bloggers start and/or improve a blog in either Wordpress or Blogger. We will use a Google group as our virtual classroom. It starts on Monday, July 12, runs for five weeks, and is $125. We’ll discuss keeping up with your blog, making it unique, driving traffic to it, and even monetizing it. Go here for more information on the syllabus and to sign up. This class can be for anyone who wants to start a blog about anything. Also, please feel free to leave any comments or questions below and pass on the information to your friends and family with the SHARE THIS button.
Thanks for your support as always! 
If you are interested in all the cl
