Archive | blogging

New Ezine Filled with Technical Writing Tips and Articles

May 17th, 2010View Comments

I wanted to let everyone know that I am going to launch my weekly e-newsletter starting next week. It will be filled with tips and articles on technical writing, proposal writing, and web content writing. Please contact me with any story ideas or questions you want discussed.

If you want to subscribe, please fill out your email in the form below:

Photo Credit: News, originally uploaded by Jerry Lindholm.

enewsletter, ezine, newsletterblogging, news, portfolio, proposal writing, random words, technical writing, tips

Using WordPress for Blackberry

Mar 25th, 2010View Comments

I’m typing this on WordPress for Blackberry. If you see any grammatical mistakes, you’ll have to excuse me. I really am glad that this app was developed. For someone who is always on the go, its a great way to blog while still runnin about.

Setup:

The setup wasn’t so bad. I installed it from the Blackberry App World. After I rebooted my phone, I added this blog, and my personal one. At first, I could see my blogs, but I couldn’t add any new posts. I refreshed them, and tada! There they were. As we speak, I’m downloading the new version.

Using It:

Using it is easy. Its like being on a miniature-sized computer that I have to type using its mini keyes. You can add video, photos, and audio. Of course, typing on a real computer is easier and more comfortable, but it’s better to have blogged than never to have blogged at all.

Be Warned:

I’m going to use WordPress for Blackberry more often. One thing people don’t tell you is that as a parent, you are constantly standing around. Now, Ill be standing around and blogging. I’m actually doind this at the airport while I wait to be boarded.

Happy Blogging Everyone!

blackberry, blogging, WordPressblogging

My Favorite Blog Posts I Wrote in 2009

Jan 3rd, 2010View Comments

These are my favorite blog posts that I wrote in 2009. Reading these, I realized that practice does make perfect. My blogging technique has definitely improved for the better. I plan on writing many more blog posts in 2010.

1. 6 Ways to Publish Your Own Book – Mashable
March 1, 2009

Online self-publishing services have given users the tools they need to create, publish and promote their work. These sites allow authors to bypass the process of finding an agent and pitching to publishing houses, a venture that can take months, if not years. I wrote about six self-publishing services that will help you publish your work, guaranteeing you a published book that can be sold via different outlets, such as Amazon.

2. 10 Social Media Tools To Help With Your Crowdsourcing Efforts - Techipedia
December 31, 2009

Crowdsourcing has become more and more popular with private companies, non-profit organizations, and even government agencies. It’s a model that is based on many people contributing to an idea, product, or service that would have usually been done by one person. Crowdsourcing has become increasingly more widely used because it helps cultivate creativity and innovation.

3. Ten Tips to Get the Most Out of Posterous – MakeTechEasier
July 17, 2009

Posterous is the newest way of lifestreaming. What is lifestreaming? Lifestreaming is a feed of a person’s daily activities. This is usually done by social aggregating and/or the person posting photos, videos, and statuses through his/her smartphone. Posterous provides the service for you to do this by posting using email or SMS. It simultaneously posts to various services (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.), so you don’t have to scramble around doing it yourself. Posterous is very flexible in that it allows you to pick-and-choose the services you want to post to, and it also allows you to have multiple Posterous sites. Ten tips to get the most out of Posterous.

4. 10 Social Media Plugins for Windows Live Writer - MakeTechEasier
October 9, 2009

Windows Live Writer is the best desktop-based blog editor for PC users. It allows you to manage different blogs and has rich functionality that makes it easy to create blog posts. Additionally, it provides a way for you to add social media features into your actual blog post, or notify services when you are publishing them. Here are ten plugins that will help your blog be social-media ready

5. The Yahoo-Facebook, Google-Twitter, OpenID Competition - Penn Olson
December 4, 2009

Yahoo announced that it has signed a five-year agreement with Facebook to allow its users to share content on its site using their Facebook account. Then, Google announces that it had partnered up with Twitter. What is OpenID to do?

6. LiveFye, the Better Twitter? - Penn Olson
December 18, 2009

After checking out new photos of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” I decided to tweet it to my followers. I received a reply right away from @LiveFyre, letting me know about a conversation that was occurring on the film. I clicked on the link that took me to a new site called LiveFyre. LiveFyre allows users to discuss whatever topic of their choice, and connect with people with the same interests. You are able to link your discussions, called “fyres,” to both your Twitter and Facebook accounts.

7. Top Ten Animes of All Time - PunchyDrunkCritics
June 21, 2009

Anime lovers all have their own variation of what they think are the ten best anime series of all time. One of the reasons is that animes comes in all different flavors, so it appeals to all kinds of tastes. These are the animes that have made me think about my life, the world, and the future. When the series finished, I felt a sense of loss when these characters who I had let into my life were leaving. Here I list my top-ten favorite anime series of all time.

8. Apple and Psystar Finally Strike a Deal - Macgasm
December 1, 2009

Apple and Psystar have finally strike a deal in the copyright case that has been going on for months. If you haven’t heard, Apple was suing Psystar for shipping out Intel-based systems with Mac OS X preinstalled on them. Apple finally got what they wanted because Psystar has agreed to stop selling these Mac clone computers.

9. RUMOR: Apple Creating iPhone for Verizon to Come Out in 2010 – Macgasm
November 8, 2009

Rumors are flying that Apple is working on a “world mode” iPhone that is compatible with Verizon Wireless” CDMA network

10. Quick Guide on Conducting a Business Impact Analysis - Chicwriter
November 16, 2009

I received a comment on my blog post, “Is a Disaster Recovery Plan Really Necessary?,” that asked an important question. How about a Business Impact Analysis? In order to write a successful disaster recovery plan, you need to conduct a business impact analysis (BIA). What is a BIA? A BIA is a thorough investigation of your entire company, including business processes and the resources (e.g. computer systems, personnel, etc.), to fully understand the impact on on your business if there were some sort of outage. It allows a company to know which business processes and resources are essential to continue to run with minimal impact.

11. GETTING TO KNOW SHEVONNE POLASTRE (@DCFEMELLA) - Bit Boss
February 11, 2009

Interview that I did with Craig Sutton, from The Bit Boss.

12. Research Before Starting Any Project - Chicwriter
November 24, 2009

Before starting any project or document, there is something that you must do. RESEARCH! I can’t stress that enough. There have been all kinds of projects that I have been on, and the one mistake that they usually make is not taking the time to research. It’s something that time should be allocated for during the project planning process. Reading the client’s documentation, interviewing them, and analyzing external resources, you will have a better understanding of the issues that your team and you are trying to solve.

13. Is a Disaster Recovery Plan Really Necessary? - Chicwriter
January 12, 2009

Hurricane Katrina and other disasters have made some of us wonder if our IT infrastructure is protected. What can be done to ensure that if there were a natural or man-made disaster, your company would keep running with no issues? The answer is an IT Disaster Recovery Plan.

14. Ten Geeky Quotes That Will Aid You in Business - Chicwriter
January 5, 2009

Every geek knows that geeky movies have quotes that can be used in every day life or business. I have compiled the ten best geeky quotes that can be used when you are developing products and/or services for clients.

15. Freelancers: Use Google Voice as a Virtual Assistant – Chicwriter
August 5, 2009

Google Voice can be a free, non-issue Virtual Assistant. It’s a great tool that freelancers can include as part of their business. After reading “The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich,” I decided to inquire about getting an actual assistant. When I saw the prices, I didn’t hire one. For someone who was starting out, I couldn’t afford it. I read about Evoice Receptionist, and subscribed. It was a good alternative to hiring an actual Virtual Assistant; however, it also got expensive pretty quickly. I cancelled the service and started using my actual mobile phone. This wasn’t a good idea because then I couldn’t have a different voicemail for my business. These are five reasons that Google Voice has solved my problem

2009, 2009 blog, 2009 posts, blog posts, bloggingblogging

Look Back on My Career in 2009; What’s Next in 2010

Dec 29th, 2009View Comments

I’ve had ups and downs this year regarding my career. One thing that I can say is that I’ve had more ups than downs. In 2009, I found myself being laid off and contemplating my next move. I came to realize that I had become complacent since I began with the company, so I decided to really get moving on my dream of becoming a full-time freelance writer.

I began applying to more writing gigs, and the most insane thing happened. After blogging for over ten years for pleasure and always wishing it could become something I could get paid for, it did. I have to thank MakeTechEasier for giving me a chance, and it’s something that I will never forget. I also want to thank Macgasm, PunchyCritics, and Penn Olson for also giving me helping me become a bonafide Blogger. Hurray!

This is something that I always say to people. Take something bad and turn it into something good. I finally started getting closer to my dreams. After waiting for the inevitable, I never got laid off. My manager told me that I wrote the proposal that got them this multi-million contract, so I became a Sr. Requirements Analyst on this project. It’s been hectic, strenuous, and sometimes frustrating. However, I have learned more about requirements gathering and kept my security clearance active.

What do I want next year? I want to continue on my quest to becoming a full-time freelance writer. I want to try to take a crack on writing an ebook or two, finishing my book draft, and possibly adding WordPress Consultant to my list of services. I’ve helped a few people on their WordPress, and I write about it. I realized that some people charge up to $100/hr to assist people with their WordPress, so why keep doing it for free? It’s something that I am not 100% about, so we shall see.

All I know is that writing has always been my first passion. I’m glad to say that it is my career, and I’m getting closer to doing the writing that I want to do.

Never give up on your dreams. You will see more of me next year.

2009, 2010, career, freelance writer, goals, Writing, writing career, year overview, yearly goalsblogging, proposal writing, random words, technical writing

The 30 WordPress Plugins that I Use on My Blog

Nov 30th, 2009View Comments

Every WordPress user probably has a couple of plugins that they use to enhance their blog/site, be it on the back-end or front-end. Here are the 30 WordPress plugins that I currently use on my blog. Are there any that you use that I didn’t list?

1. Akismet – Akismet is a must-have plugin if you want to have extra spam protection.

Version 2.2.6 | By Matt Mullenweg | Visit plugin site

2. All in One SEO Pack – The All In One SEO Pack plugin is a great way to add SEO to your blog/site without having to be a SEO expert.

Version 1.6.8.1 | By Michael Torbert | Visit plugin site

3. CommentLuv – CommentLuv provides a way for your blog commenters to show their last blog post. I’ve talked to some people who say that this is a way to have readers leave your blog, but I think it’s a great way to help your fellow bloggers out.

Version 2.7.63 | By Andy Bailey | Visit plugin site

4. Easy Contact – Easy Contact provides an easy way to add a comment form on your blog/site.

Version 0.1.2 β | By Scott Allan Wallick | Visit plugin site

5. FD Feedburner Plugin – The FD Feedburner plugin helps to redirect your feed to your Feedburner feed

Version 1.41 | By John Watson | Visit plugin site

6. flickrRSS – The flickrRSS plugin allows you to beautify your blog/site by adding Flickr images.

Version 5.1 | By Dave Kellam and Stefano Verna | Visit plugin site

7. Front-end Editor – I love this plugin. The Front-end Editor lets you edit your blog posts directly on the page without having to access the WordPress admin dashboard.

Version 1.5.1 | By scribu | Visit plugin site

8. Google Analytics for WordPress – For Google Analytics users, this plugin is a must have.

Version 3.2.4 | By Joost de Valk | Visit plugin site

9. JS-Kit Echo – I decided to use JS-Kit’s Echo commenting system after receiving no response from Disqus on issues I had after I changed domains. I must say that I love it. I plan on writing more about Echo in a future blog post.

Version 2.2.0 | By js-kit.com | Visit plugin site

10. MediaRSS – I use this so the image I use in my blog posts can show up on RSS readers.

Version 1.1.4 | By Andy Skelton | Visit plugin site

11. MobilePress – MobilePress is a great plugin so that your blog/site can be mobile-phone friendly.

Version 1.1 | By Aduity | Visit plugin site

12. Most Commented – Plugin to retrieve your posts with the most comments.

Version 1.6 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

13. Official StatCounter Plugin – I have been using StatCounter for years. This plugin allows you to enter your StatCounter information without having to mess with code.

Version 1.0 | By Aodhan Cullen | Visit plugin site

14. Recent Comments – Retrieves a list of the most recent comments.

Version 1.18 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

15. Recent Posts – Returns a list of the most recent posts.

Version 1.1.3 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

16. Redirection – Manages 301 redirects and monitors 404 errors

Version 2.1.24 | By John Godley | Visit plugin site

17. RSS Cloud – RSS Cloud plugin pings RSS Cloud servers

Version 0.4.1 | By Joseph Scott

18. SEO Friendly Images – Automatically adds alt and title attributes to all your images.

Version 2.4.4 | By Vladimir Prelovac | Visit plugin site

19. SEO Slugs – Removes common words like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘in’ from post slugs to improve SEO.

Version 1.0 | By Andrei Mikrukov | Visit plugin site

20. Shared Items Post – Plugin that works to show your Google Reader Shared Items. I only use it once a month, but you can change the frequency to whatever you like.

Version 1.3.0 | By Craig Fifield, Google Tutor | Visit plugin site

21. The WordPress Bar – This plugin adds a navigation bar to external links. Very similar to the DiggBar.

Version 0.6.2 | By Anthony Montalbano | Visit plugin site

22. TweetMeme Retweet Button – TweetMeme plugin to show your retweets and allow your readers to tweet your blog posts.

Version 1.7.2 | By TweetMeme | Visit plugin site

23. Tweet Stats – Plugin that allows you to show your most tweeted posts and your most recently tweeted posts.

Version 1.0 | By Improving The Web | Visit plugin site

24. WordPress Related Posts – Plugin that generates related posts at the bottom of each blog post.

Version 1.1.1 | By Denis | Visit plugin site

25. WP-PageNavi – Adds a more advanced paging navigation to your WordPress blog.

Version 2.50 | By Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan | Visit plugin site

26. WP SUP – Adds the SUP-ID HTTP header to your site’s feed and pings FriendFeed’s public SUP feed.