You see, the sad reality is that too many people have drunk the Twitter Kool-Aid and grossly overestimate its value when it comes to web design and conversions. Here’s why via 7 Reasons Having a Twitter Feed in Your Sidebar is a Really Dumb Idea. Continue reading
I’ve been surfing the internet to locate more free tools for bloggers and writers. Editing your writing can be difficult for professional writers, and it can be twice as hard for those whom English is a second language.
Granted that relying on the spelling and grammar checking programs included with most word processing programs is not the best choice, as automated spelling or grammar checkers are not as accurate as proofreading performed by a human they are becoming better tools.
This post contains brief descriptions of free grammar checkers you can use online to detect and correct errors in your draft posts, prior to publication.
inventionAfter the Deadline is an intelligent proofreader that checks spelling, misused words, style, and grammar. Besides English Language, it is available in Portuguese, Spanish, German and French languages.
If you have a WordPress.com blog you can activate After the Deadline by following the proofreading instructions provided in support documentation.
After the Deadline is also available as a Firefox add-on and a Google Chrome extension so you can use it wherever you go.
Spellchecker.net allows you copy and paste text into a free online tool to quickly identify spelling and grammar errors. An online thesaurus is also available for your convenience.
SpellCheckPlus is a free grammar checker that finds common spelling errors and grammatical mistakes in English. Simply type (or paste) your text into the window and hit the “check text” button. SpellCheckPlus features:
GrammarCheck.me uses an advanced, web-based grammar checking engine to power its free online spelling and grammar software. You can use this free online service as often as you would like for both personal and business purposes.
This advanced spell checker has built-in innovative spell check technology, which is able to detect and correct spelling errors with one simple mouse click. The technology behind this online tool not only detects spelling mistakes, but also run-on sentences, dangling modifiers, misplaced commas, and embarrassing typos.
I’ve been using After the Deadline as a Firefox add-on for a couple of years now and do recommend it. I’m wondering if my readers use grammar checkers and if so, I wondering which ones you use.
Related post:
Tips for Organized Blogging
Top 5 Informative Writing Tips for Bloggers
To blog effectively and create a successful blog the blogger must become a prolific writer of quality content that calls readers to action. Successful bloggers are organized and manage their time well. Scheduling enough time for creating original content, promoting it through social media and social networks, answering comments, locating similar blogs and reading and leaving comments on them, link building and relationship building requires strong organizational skills and commitment. — 6 Traits of Successful Bloggers
It’s important to set-up your work space, files and tools for what’s coming at you next. The more organized you are, the less time you waste looking for what you need.
The Five Golden Rules of Goal Setting
Set Goals that Motivate You
Set SMART Goals
Set Goals in Writing
Make an Action Plan
Stick With It!
Set your goals for the month. Determine what tasks are necessary to achieve your goals and set your priorities. Decide how frequently you intend to publish on a weekly basis.
Create a schedule allowing for the time you need for research and content creation. Include time for microbreaks to give your head a rest and to exercise your wrists and hands, take a walk, meditate, listen to music, etc.
I’m aiming to become a more organized blogger in 2011, and I’m wondering how my readers manage their blogging time. Would you care to share how you manage your blogging time?
It’s true that the best blogs are frequently updated. Publishing fresh content frequently helps a blogger to retain the readers/subscribers they have and to attract new readers/subscribers too.
It’s also true that publishing short “meaty” posts frequently and long posts occasionally is a successful blogging strategy.
According to Technorati’s index, a minority of bloggers are posting daily, or even weekly. When looking at average posts per month and per day by Technorati Authority, bloggers in the Top 100 generate 36 times more content than the average blogger. We also see a higher use of tags as part of their arsenal of strategies to bring audiences to their content, with 92% of the Top 100 bloggers using tags. – State of the Blogosphere 2011: Part 3
Readers today have little time and patience. When it comes to reading long, poorly constructed posts that wander all around the point without making it – forget it!
All writing is focused on clarity. If you can say what you aim to say in a few sentences, do so. If you need more sentences, write them. Regardless of post length, keep in mind these two points.
I’m eager to hear reader feedback on this post and would like to know what tips you have on the subject of becoming a more effective blogger.
Related reading:
Top 5 Informative Writing Tips for Bloggers
Better Blogging: Powerful, Persuasive Writing
What do you look for in a blog?
Better Blogging: Post Length
In November 15, 2010 Gallup reported poll results pointing to the average American household spending 12.9 percent more on Christmas gifts in 2010 than in 2009. Online shopping: Black Friday, Cyber Monday
According to NRF estimates, reported in the Wall Street Journal, “consumers spent an average of $398.62 on Black Friday weekend, up 9.1% from last year. Of that, $150.53, or 38%, came from online sales.” ShopperTrak, which monitors in-store visits, said that retail sales rose by almost 7 over last year to about $11.4 billion on Friday. Read about it here > Record-Breaking Black Friday Paves Way For $1 Billion Cyber-Monday.
