Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Social Media Image Cheat Sheet—What Size Does that Image Need to Be?

by Edie Melson

There's not a lot as frustrating as trying to look at an image on Facebook that's the wrong size. By the time I blow it up big enough to see it, it's too blurry. Here are some exact dimensions to help you avoid that trap, and not just for Facebook.


It's my Social Media Image Cheat Sheet
This list will give you the specific information you need to upload photos to various social media sites.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Social Media Monday—Linking Your Social Media Accounts and Other Major Blogging and Social Media No-Nos

by Edie Melson

Successful social media is something of an art form—with lots of gray areas. Building a successful online presence takes a good amount of flexibility and a little bit of experimentation. But even though I encourage people to find their sweet spots, there are a few things you want to avoid. Today I’d to weigh in on linking your social media accounts and other major blogging and social media no-nos.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Social Media Image—The Courage of Others

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago when our youngest son, John, was home from college. He spent the day with us in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm constantly challenged and inspired by all three of our sons. Their courage has given me the strength to accomplish much more than I ever thought possible.

So, I'd love to know, who has shared some courage with you?


Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Share your stories in the comment section below. 

I also invite you to use this image any way you like online. Post it to your blog, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, anywhere you'd like. All I ask is that you keep it intact, with my website watermark visible.

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

Friday, October 25, 2013

Genre Talk—The Difference Between Science Fiction and Fantasy


We interrupt the usual Life Lessons Friday post. Reba is en route to Salt Lake City and will resume posting next Friday. (Don’t worry, I’m not letting her leave us!)

The Difference Between Science Fiction and Fantasy
During our last Genre Talk discussion, I gave you the basics on the general category of Speculative Fiction. Today I’m going to deliver on my promise to give you some insight into the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Often times readers and writers will lump science fiction and fantasy together without realizing the difference. And in an attempt to differentiate, they’ll often come up with arbitrary rules about what makes something fantasy or scifi. Truthfully, there are very few books that mix the two.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Don't Miss Writers Advance! Boot Camp


It seems like three quarters of the advice we hear as writers has to do with marketing, sales and platform. The reasons for this are myriad, but the biggest is that most of us struggle in this area. It tends to be way outside our comfort zone. But all this focus on social networking can also lead us astray, in time management and priorities.

It’s critical that we recognize the need to grow in our craft…to learn to write better!

So how do we do that? One of the best ways is to attend a writing conference. But with all the choices out there, how do we choose the one that best fits our circumstances?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Google’s New Hummingbird Algorithm Update—Good News or Bad?


Is Google's Hummingbird Update Good News or Bad?
It's happened again, Google has rolled out yet another SEO update. People are wary when Google announces a new change in their search engine algorithm. Many have gotten caught in the Panda and Penguin updates with disastrous results. But with Google’s new hummingbird algorithm update we get some good news for a change!

If you’re a little behind and not sure what I’m talking about, here’s a blog post that explains SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and What Google Has Done. 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Social Media Monday—Find Your Blog’s Subscriber List and Schedule Email Notifications with Feedburner


This post is a recap on how to find your blog's subscriber list and schedule email notifications. The instructions here ONLY apply if you have a Feedburner account. If you have a Blogger blog (blogspot) you have Feedburner. You may have it if you have a WordPress blog, but probably not.

A lot of people don’t realize they have a valuable service attached to their blogs. It’s Feedburner and it’s most commonly used feature is as a gadget to let people sign up to follow your blog through email. But there’s so much more to Feedburner and today I want to give you a guided tour.