Develop an Editorial Calendar for your Blog
Today’s topic is about maintaining a calendar and list of topics for your blog in order to provide a minimum of a week’s worth of posts at your fingertips.
Questions:
- How do you keep track of ideas for blog topics or do you just brainstorm on the fly? Learning to do this better
- Have you considered a schedule like the one Darren describes, for your blog before? Will you try it? Yes need to plan on doing this
Also…if you are on WordPress, check out this editorial calendar plugin Lynda sent my way. It’s an easy to use editorial calendar that can be viewed and edited right in your dashboard! Although having something local to my computer in excel would be a good alternative.
Get eBook and begin 31 Days to Build a Better Blog
As I read Problogger words on this topic, I was reminded of his topic idea for days of the week. Topics vary the blog and adds consistency for the reader. Other ideas can be slipped into the schedule too. The idea is to have ideas at the ready so there isn’t that blank piece of paper that freezes everyone.
Planning is similar to features and stories run by magazines or newspapers. Planning helps to structure your writing and stop flying by the seat of your pants. Since it is in the plan, your mind and eye can be finding information long before you have to write on the topic. Plans can mean a stronger post. Scheduling content will allow my mind to focus and see it when it appears.
Niche Authority
My aversion to writing down a plan will be overcome with Blogging . I finally see the advantage of having a plan to work. It isn’t made of concrete but something to jumpstart. Since the plan is with myself, I can change it to suit the day or the week or the current events in niche for each of my blogs.
Writing a series is one idea I am toying with for my Photography Blog. I have a guest blog post coming up that is a combination of a video done by the guest and the blog post will be done by me. Writing regularly gives the reader something to look forward to each week.
Ideas for Posts
Other ideas Darren Rowse mentioned are very much part of this 31 day challenge.
- Doing link round ups either of your own posts or others
- Interviews with others in my niche or maybe in their niche
- Reviews of products/services/websites
- Tutorials and How-to articles are good for each week
- Ask me days – what do people want to know
- Blog carnivals – I need to find out more about what this actually is, maybe someone can comment on this post and inform me
- Tips for the day
- News for a day
- Opinions day
- Discussion day
- Archives – work from your prior posts
- Features and small post need to be varied
- Be ahead and schedule your posts.
- Having a backup of lots of articles ready to go where they can be changed up at the last minute if something else of interest comes in
Problogger listed these links for further information on today’s tasks
- Editorial Calendars and Professional Blogging
- Having a Constant Stream of Blogging Ideas
- How to Develop a Niche Blog Content Plan
- 7 Ways to Keep Fresh Content Flowing On Your Blog
Paper or digital folders
Using RSS Feeds and alerts on topics I am interested in can help me save the information for future use. I could use a paper folder or create some online and make pdf‘s of what I find. Having somewhere to store ideas is a good thing.
Task to be completed
Downloaded and installed the WordPress Editorial Calendar
- Found it under posts
- Plan on using it
Resources
- Andy Wibbels editorial calendar is available for explanation and download
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Eileen Ludwig of Social Media School brings to the world decades of computer experience with a desire to learn and share current technology multimedia tools for communication. She is owner of four sites: FreelanceTourist , Digital Photography, Web Design School, and Social Media School Each are in different stages of development and evolution.
I’m definitely going to add that plugin
Twitter: eileenludwig
says:
On second thought I think I am going to go to excel so I can put all four blogs in one place
Twitter: eileenludwig
says:
Found out where the editing for the calendar is located http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/editorial-calendar/installation/ Click posts on the left column and now it is an option, click the calendar. Ok I am going back there to finish this.
Eileen