Practically speaking, I have a combination of programs that have been integrated for me that save me tremendous amounts of time. Before I tell you what they are, let me say that saving me time is paramount in the blogging experience. Many blogging pastors are ridiculed for spending so much time blogging that they couldn’t be capable of successfully pastoring their church. I have had people accuse me of this on this blog. they question how I could read all of the blogs on my blogroll and do anything else. I saw someone question another pastor about how long it took for him to write such long posts. I will answer the blogroll question in my next installment, but it doesn’t take as much time as you might think to write articles.
Frankly, I average an hour to an hour and a half a day blogging. Sometimes it is more because I can and I am inclined to do so. Other times, I will go for days without spending more than fifteen minutes on the internet. The previous four days have been like that for me. I wasn’t inclined to do it and my schedule wasn’t conducive, so I didn’t.
So why spend the time in the first place? Because it is important. I think that I am saying some things that need to be said. If you haven’t read “The World is Flat” yet, you might need to check it out. Information technology, of which blogging is a part, has created a level ground for the free marketplace of ideas. This is true on a global level. Ideas are tested, embraced or rejected based on their merits. If you have something significant to say, then your ideas are embraced. If you are screaming into the wind, then you are, typically, ignored.
Also, it is cathartic. I have an itch to write and I enjoy crafting words. It fills a personal need for me. As I mentioned before, I have had various experiences with this well before the blogosphere or the SBC issues melded together to create an amazing confluence of events over the last year.
So then, it is important, but time is of the essence. How do I make the most of it?
Here are the three programs that I use to my benefit: Firefox, Wordpress and Bloglines.
The benefits of Wordpress are many. You should get the exhaustive run down on Cory Miller’s blog, Church Communications Pro. That link will take you to a search results page for “Wordpress” at CCP. It is an extensive list.
Four things I use the most with Wordpress are the plugins that allow you to customize your software, the ability to write at home or in off times and have it release later, the post slugs that let you put key words in your title and the “press it” link that I can click when on any website that allows me to blog something quickly and easily.
The plugins that I use help me accomplish my goals quickly, so that I don’t have to spend a lot of time maintaining my blog. For those who already use Wordpress, here are the plugins I have installed:
Akismet (anti-spam filter)
Anti Spam Image (this is the number thing by the comments, and the plugin’s home page disappeared, but the program is still working even after an update of Wordpress software. Here is a link to a similar plugin, though there are so many, no one would have a problem finding one: AuthImage)
Break Out of Frames (If your blog is being read in a third party reader, this helps you to break out of the frames and allow you blog to fill the whole page, as it was meant to be read.)
Easy Ban (restrict IP addresses - never had to use it, but have threatened once)
Google Sitmaps (This plugin generates a sitemap of your blog which you can then submit to Google. Google will then have a better understanding of your site and search it for content more accurately. The end result is that your site content, if related specifically to a given search, will rise to the top of Google’s results. Submit your sitemap at Google’s Webmaster Tools.)
Maintenance Mode (For tweaking code without having readers log in to your blog while your code is not set.)
Move Comments (Allows you to take a comment that would be better on a different thread and move it there intact without having to delete it, etc.)
ToDo List (Gives you a “to do” list in your Wordpress dashboard that you can use to keep notes about posts you would like to do or changes in your blog)
Database Backup (Allows you to easily backup everything, as opposed to trying to zip files with an ftp program)
Wordpress allows for you to define a post time when you write a post. If you choose a time later than when you are writing, it will hold the post and release it when the time arrives. This post is being written that way. I am timing it to release Wednesday morning, but writing it during my free time on Tuesday. The stats my hosting service provide tell me that I pick up my readership about 6 am and it tapers out about 10 pm, with some peaks and valleys in between. I know that an article that posts just before 6 am will get the most readership and discussion it could possibly garner than if I release it later in the day. This way, I write when I am free - not taking time from either my ministry or my family, and still publish it when it is most advantageous.
The “Post Slug” box in Wordpress allows you to insert key words into the title of your post. Ideally, these are things that relate specifically to the article and are words that are most likely to be entered into search engines. You may note the address of this post, for instance. It is not the title of the article, nor is it the archive position. When you watch which keywords bring people to your site, you begin to understand what people enter into search engines in hopes of finding what you are talking about. Certain things attract a lot of attention, and certain things don’t. Having certain keywords in your title will increase the likelihood of your article being found by someone who doesn’t read your blog regularly. This has the potential, obviously, of increasing your readership and conversation. Right now, about 50% of my readership is first time, and most of that is coming from search engines. Some of that, obviously, is from referral, but there was a definite spike in search engine traffic when I submitted a sitemap to Google and then started using post slugs.
At the bottom of the page when writing a post on Wordpress, there is a link called, “Press It .” If you copy the link to your bookmarks, you will be able to create a post on whatever you happen to be surfing. For instance, I have run across a few news stories in the last month that I wanted to write about. Rather than open another window and copy title, address, etc., I just click the “Press It” link and it automatically creates the beginnings of a post with the title and link to the webpage on which the article was originally found. It saves a ton of time. When you are done, it takes you back to the page you were surfing.
Finally, Wordpress automatically integrates with Technorati and generates RSS feeds for those who wish to use them. More on Technorati, RSS feeds, Bloglines and Firefox on the next post.