The 2012 WordCamp Fayetteville was a nice intersection of information and networking for bloggers, entrepreneurs, developers and content creators. I enjoyed getting to know the writers of the Belford Group, developers at Sharp Hue, working with my colleagues from University Relations and many more.
Below are just some tidbits that I found helpful from the Content Creator speakers. Hope they are helpful to you, too. Notes are separated by lecture title and speaker.
The Power of Your Story
by @KimanziC
Why do you want to be heard? Fame, money, impact?
Social media opens the door for the little guys, the ones without substantial money to get started. The good news is that you don't need a huge following just to be heard.
How active are your followers? Are they commenting, retweeting?
How do you make the connection, why people should read
You can create the work you love.
If you're miserable, (change it).
Guest posting is effective.
Tell your story: why do you write? Once people know, they will want to read the rest. People decide based on emotions. The best products connect you with a story
It's not about how big your audience is. It's about how active they are.
Network by using your story.
No matter what the subject, connect it to your experiences.
Keynote speaker @CoryMiller303 of iThemes
-What can you devote five years to?
Your work should make people's lives better.
-What does your perfect playground look like? Base your goals on getting there.
-How are you going to make money? Take care of those you love. Passion without profit is a hobby
-Who's your pirate crew? If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together (African proverb). Decide who your team is and how you can work together.
-What would you give up to get it? My secret motivating kick in the pants- fear of regret.
-What are you doing NOW to achieve your dream? Do one thing today that makes the biggest impact. Vision without execution is hallucination- Einstein
The How and Why of Multi-Author Blogging
by Kyle Judkins, of Lost in Technology
Main road: blogging about your interests
Pros: more content, expand topics, increased network, become an editor, become a manager
Cons: loss of control, loss of voice, share the wealth, become an editor, become a manager
Pitfalls: expectations
Don't be too nice. If your writers need help, teach them.
Models:
1. Partners
2. Revenue share: for larger blogs
3. Finding authors:
-post on your own blog
-job boards (like Problogger)
-guest blogging (like My Blog Guest or Blogger Link Up)
-look for passion
-turnover happens, expect it
4. Paying authors:
-start at $10/post
-reinvest your freelance revenue or your own money
-taxes 1099
-build a template for paying them
--create an onboarding letter and writing guidelines. It will save both of you time.
5. Collaboration
Google Docs, Facebook groups help this so that authors stay longer, but it takes work
Multi-author plugins, such as edit flow: calendar, editorial comments; user role editor: a little complicated; audit trail
Resources
bit.ly/multiauthor
This presentation
payroll example
new writer template
The King & Uncle Sam, Linkbuilding for WordPress,
by Rebecca Haden of Haden Interactive
All websites need linkbuilding
-Links are a vote of confidence for search engines.
-Links can send traffic.
-Links increase authority.
Everything should be as simple as possible. No simpler. -Einstein
Create something that people will want to link to.
Use your settings
-use permalinks to create easy URLs (or "pretty links")
-allow trackbacks and pingbacks
-check your privacy settings to make sure the box is unchecked, allow search engines to find you
Linkbuilding Plugins are for internal links
NRelate
Broken Link Checker
Internal Link Builder
Linkbox Inserter (Ultimate SEO)
Related Content by WordNik
Problems with H3 headings can be caused by your plugins. Plugins can make your widgets.
Widgets: create category feeds
When posting:
"Title Edit" to improve your title
"Link to existing content" for fast internal links
Use categories and tags
80% of web traffic in the world comes through Google
Put as much effort into your comments as you do your posts.
In the Eye of the Beholder: Imagery in WordPress by @DesertRoseJenne
She often doesn't write until she finds the image.
Some basics: Copyright protects art. Reproduction is making copies. Distribution is who uses and shares the photo. Broadcasting is public sharing of photo. Adaptation is changing, distorting or editing the work.
Disclaimers do not explain away copyright.
Fair use only applies to copy-written work; lack of copyright symbol does not indicate fair use; commercial and non-commercial use.
Factors determining fair use
purpose of use (for profit or not?)
percent of total material (you can use approximately three lines of material before you're infringing)
effect on fair-market value
transformative
Kelly vs. Arriba 2002 "thumbnails are ok"
Digital Millenium Copyright Act (1998) DMCA
Derivative Creations (originals repurposed)
-stock photo galleries, such as istock, Dreamstime, Jupiter, Getty
-Library of Congress Prints and photos
-Creative Commons
-MS Office Clip Art
-Flickr/Tumblr: give them credit
-Ads, Etsy
Use with care:
Bing Free Image
Google Images
other blogs
Models (get a release)
Greenlight:
non-profit
educational or personal use
When choosing an image look for: feeling words, action words, human, color, unique images, dimension, color, texture, theme, relevance
Google Advanced Settings: reuse- copy &/or modify images; commercial reuse/repurposes
Editing images: PowerPoint; faststone.org (full version 4.6)
Giving credit: creator's name, image title, description, website, publication date
or at least title, link to person's work & website where found
Expand your horizons:
-use watermarks & web addresses on your images
-put a copyright on your work
-set your own terms
-say "All Rights Reserved"
-Donate to Image Sharing Sites
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