September 2009

  • September is Shameless Promotion Month

    By sarajean on 9/30/09 12:57pm
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    So shamelessly promote, I say!

    If you want to be read, you definitely have to promote your blog somehow. Here are some ways you can do that.

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  • Do you use twitter?

    By admin on 9/23/09 4:02pm
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    Well, do you?

  • Comment Spam

    By lisala on 9/13/09 7:18pm
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    Don't respond to spam comments. You validate the spam that way, and reward spammers.

    Blogging really is a conversation, and half the conversation is in the comments. You really do want comments, and you really do want to respond to them. It's not only rude to ignore a comment, it's downright foolish since good comments help create a community, and repeat readers. Plus of course, nobody likes a one-sided conversation.

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  • Blogging As Conversation

    By lisala on 9/11/09 12:40pm
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    Effective blogging is a combination of good personal writing and smart party hosting. A good blog post can be a sentence long, or three pages long; what matters is that it encourages further conversation.

    That quotation is from Patrick Nielsen Hayden, the Tor publishing editor responsible for editing some of my very favorite books, and a long term blogger at Making Light. The quotation is from this essay here at Tor.com about blogging. The entire piece is very much worth reading, but PNH's central point is in that pull-quote.

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  • Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Writers

    By sarajean on 9/8/09 9:38am
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    If you’ve got a good grasp of grammar but could still use some skills to brush up every now and then, Grammar Girl may be just what you’re looking for. Described as a “Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing,” this site, run by Mignon Fogarty, offers free daily tips to improve your grammar.

    Mignon’s advice is short and sweet, never boring, and covers word choice, grammar rules, style, punctuation, and even business tips. She also offers helpful tips and tricks to remember them all. Though very simple and straightforward, her advice is both memorable and entertaining.

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