What a great time at WordCamp Seattle yesterday! I couldn’t help but feel fortunate to be surrounded by 350-ish people who are also excited about what’s happening with WordPress. Though I was happy to meet some new folks, I especially enjoyed meeting people face-to-face who I had only “met” online while working on projects together and referring clients back and forth. There’s a local Seattle WordPress Meetup that gets together once a month and I’ll be joining them when I can.

Though all the sessions were informative, the session I attended on WordPress SEO with Justin Briggs (of Distilled Consulting) was especially helpful — it was affirming to know I’m on the right track, but I also learned about some fantastic new SEO techniques that I’m antsy to implement for my clients. Seattle WordPress coach Bob Dunn also hit a home run with his presentation on attracting more readers by designing user-friendly WordPress sites.

If you were at WC Seattle, let me know what you found most helpful — I’m sure there was good information in the other tracks as well!

Check back soon — I’d love to share what I learned and have good conversations about some new WordPress plugins and tools.

The day after our return from Maui, I was elated to discover that a creative project of a very special kind was in the works. Our sweet son arrived in January! Being a new parent is magical and exhausting and I can’t look at my boy without my heart aching in all the good ways. With work I’m passionate about and a husband and son I’m crazy over, there’s only one way to say it: I’m blessed.

I worked on a number of fun and challenging client projects all the way through my pregnancy, from copywriting to several WordPress websites* — in fact, this past year was the busiest I’ve ever been — but during this season my blog couldn’t be a top priority. You might say it fell into, ahem, some disrepair.

No shoes, indeed.

After some special bonding time with my boy, I returned from maternity leave about a month ago. Being back feels fantastic and I look forward to having some interesting conversations here soon!

Many thanks to my clients who cheered me on so heartily throughout my pregnancy and since. Your support has been incredibly meaningful — working with such amazing people, I know I have it good.

*Please check out my latest batch of WordPress websites!

And I’m ready.  Delayed from a year ago, this trip has been a long time coming, and I’m grateful for some healthy R & R (on the beach, slathered in unholy amounts of sunscreen).

I doubt you stopped by to hear me wallow unabashedly in my joy, however, so I’ll leave you with this:

Meet one of my heroes.

Her name is Grammar Girl.

She does cool things like teach me when “Whom” is more appropriate than “Who“… bless her.

Her helpful website, full of quick grammar tips (as well as effective ways of remembering the rules) is well worth your time, especially if you’re stuck/confused/settling a bet on whether something is actually a word.

She’s kind of a genius-superhero type of person, and I’m in awe of her.

Check ‘er out!

…Congratulations to Erik, SEO smart guy and my dear friend’s new fiancé. He’s the proud winner of a $20 gift card to the coffee shop of his choice!

Not quite as exciting as getting a beautiful girl to marry you, but still… it looks like you have some extra cash for coffee dates while planning that wedding, E!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who stopped by and shared their favorite drinks last week.  I hope to do more drawings/giveaways in the future, so don’t be a stranger!

(Also, if you didn’t win, just blame Lawlis Creative’s Tech Support. He drew the name.)

Question: what’s the best thing you ever won in a drawing or giveaway? I’m looking for more ideas for future fun and would love your input!

(If you’re curious, the coolest thing I ever won was a Kung-Fu hamster.  It sang “Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting” a la Alvin and the Chipmunks while karate-chopping and slinging his mace around. It was truly something to behold. If you’ve got 35 seconds to burn, check out the video here.)

In many areas of life, what you say matters, but how you say it matters nearly as much.

<Insert your own tale of misunderstanding in a friendship, marriage, work team, etc.>

How you say things in a blog matters, too, but not really because you’re worried about being misunderstood or hurting someone’s feelings (though this may be worth considering whenever you post or comment. Ever sent an email you were sure was free of “tone,” only to find out you’ve created a big mess on the other end?).

How you present information in a blog post matters because your goal is to get read and start a conversation. And there are lots of ways well-meaning bloggers keep people from reading or responding. Here are some helpful do’s and don’ts.

DO stick with a schedule that’s sustainable.

I know people who blog every day, no exceptions, and I know people who blog once a month. More is usually better, but it’s far better to blog consistently once a week than to blog every day for a month and then drop off the face of the earth for the next 5 months. Nothing says “dead blog” more than your last post dated 4 months ago.

DO keep it brief.

Anyone who’s ever read an email of mine or gone to coffee with me will tell you: brevity is something I have to work at on a daily basis. But in the blog world, it’s especially important.

Unnecessarily long posts don’t get read. Call it busyness. Call it a short attention span. But in blog-world, it’s not changing anytime soon, so just keep it in mind. Don’t be scared to break a post up into multiple parts if it’s getting too lengthy.

DON’T miss a single opportunity to invite people to respond.

I’m a comment glutton. Loooove those comments, and I’m not above offering a giveaway (translation: bribe) to get the lurkers to come out from hiding.

Why? Well, other than the fact that it feels nice to know I’m not writing to a black hole of nothingness, it allows me to get to know people better. It helps me see their needs. It starts conversations that I wouldn’t have predicted.

Ask people to tell you what they think. As often as possible. Their answers might surprise you.

DO break up the text so people’s eyes don’t begin to bleed.

Use appropriately-sized pictures to create visual interest.

Hit return to break up paragraphs.

Enter a horizontal line by typing <hr /> into your HTML editor.

Use H1 and H2 subhead tags, like I’m doing on each DO and DON’T.

DON’T, under any circumstances, use yellow. Ever.

More seriously, try to take it easy on ALL CAPS and 5-exclamation-points-in-a-row.

A writer friend once told me that whenever she sees an exclamation point, she hears Jerry Seinfeld yelling in her head. It’s helped me use moderation since.

Emoticon usage is still an addiction, I’m sad to report.

DO link search engine phrases back to appropriate pages on your main website.

The how-to specifics are their own blog post, but linking keywords like Seattle copywriting back to the Copywriting page on your WordPress website helps Google rank your page higher for those keywords (meaning more people can find you). It’s pretty cool, and easy to get used to.

DON’T forget who your blog is about.

See yesterday’s post about finding good blog content. It’s about them, not about you or your business. Navelgazing doesn’t earn loyal readers (unless your navel happens to be extremely interesting — this is the exception).

Make sure everything you post has something to offer the kind people who take time out of their day to visit you.

They’ll usually keep coming back.

***

What are your favorite blogs? What keeps you coming back? I’m always adding to my list of favorite blogs, so please share in the comments section below!

Here are a few blogs I’m unabashedly in love with:

Seth Godin’s Blog

The Pioneer Woman

Simple Productivity

Don Miller Is

It seems like a daunting task, and I’ve known more than one person who breaks out into a sweat at the mere thought of writing a blog. They say very understandable things like:

1. “I have no idea what to say.”

2. “I’m REALLY (!) not a writer.”

3. “I’m kind of private — how personal do I have to get?”

To which my responses are usually:

1. You may not know what to say on a blog, but you definitely have something to say, or else you wouldn’t be starting your own business/serving a nonprofit/sharing your artistic talent/what-have-you. Let’s figure out ways to get what you have to say on the blog.

2. Good news! Blogs don’t have to be artsy-fartsy writerly to be good blogs. If you can type clear sentences more often than you type muddled-up strains of gobbledygook… if you can write an email… if you can start a conversation — you can write a blog. (If you don’t have time, consider my ghostwriting services).

3. You’re private, but your business or organization isn’t. So it’s not necessary (and not always advisable, frankly) to be uber-personal with your private life on the world-wide-web — they key is to write from a personal viewpoint about the business. Warmth and humor go a long way, and you can still let yourself be a mostly-private citizen.

Unless you’re on Facebook.  But we’ll talk about that later.

***t

FINDING GOOD GREAT CONTENT… RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Today’s tips are all about content.  Tomorrow’s post will focus more on how to be web-friendly (also important), so be sure to check back.

Tip 1: Check your “Sent” email folder.

Chances are, you’ve got some good posts lurking in there (this post is Exhibit A).

Anytime you send an email to one client/donor/prospect that could easily be clarifying or helpful for a number of people, it would likely make a great post. And for those who get nervous when faced with a big blank blog-post screen, this is good news: you’ve already written some of your bests posts without even knowing it. Yay.

Tip 2: Q & A

Ever feel like you answer the same question over and over and over about your work, or a certain process, or how people can get involved? It’s because a lot of people don’t know the answer.

Make a list of the 3 most common questions you get asked… those “if I had a nickel for every time” questions. Write down a clear, friendly explanation. You now have 3 blog posts. (Don’t forget to offer a place for people to ask more questions in the comments section… questions can become your own little Blog Post Factory).

Tip 3: Fill-in-the-Blank

If coming up with new content all the time freaks you out, you’re not alone. A simple post schedule based on days of the week (or if you post once a week, rotating topics each week) can help. A few ideas:

My photog friend Brook and I were brainstorming recently on how her photoblog could work — she’s very busy, and though she wants this added point of connection with clients and fans, it needs to be quick and easy if it’s going to work. My favorite idea of hers: One-Word Wednesdays. One word, followed by photos that reflect that word, followed by an invitation for visitors to chime in with their own words and reflections. Easy, and for a photoblog, it’s a great fit.

Another favorite, from my brilliant fundraising friends at Oneicity: Good-job Mondays. They take what can sometimes be a bear of a day and send out a virtual high-five to someone who’s out in the world doing good things. It never fails to start the week out on a positive note. Across the board, celebration makes for great blog posts.

If you’re writing a blog and need some help coming up with topics specific to your work, write me at stacey@lawliscreative.com and we’ll brainstorm together.

Tip 4: Share!

Share books. Share news. Share links. Share cool products that make your life easier. Share, share, share. If something was helpful to you, maybe it’ll help someone else, too. A link, a few of your comments, and an invitation for visitors to tell you what they think . . . you’ve got yourself a blog post.

Tip 5: What’s in it for them? (Also… it’s about them).

This might fall better under tomorrow’s post, but I can’t help mentioning it now, because it’s SO important. I may say it twice.

Each and every post should have something valuable in it for your readers. Vital information. Permission. Helpful insights. Encouragement. Ways people can be involved. Special offers. Conversation. A coffee card.

Your blog isn’t about your company. It’s about your readers and clients and fans. If there’s nothing in it for them, they won’t return. So make sure every post you write has a gift inside.

***

Got some other good ideas for blog posts? Spill ‘em. Questions about blogging content that I haven’t touched on? Leave a comment and I’ll try to help. Or, feel free to email me directly at stacey@lawliscreative.com.

Three big ol’ bookshelves full (which translates to roughly 20+ boxes full).

That last number is important. Three weeks ago, the Superhero and I moved to our new home near Seattle, and 6 of our most stalwart, dedicated friends helped us lug those 20+ boxes down three flights of stairs out of the old place . . . then up another stretch of steps into the new.

That’s true friendship, folks . . . though by the day’s end more than one person had suggested a Kindle purchase. (Sorry. It’s just not the same).

It stands to reason that this blog will be filled with books, too. One thing I’ve loved about LC is that it’s thrown me into regular conversations with creative, brilliant people who know more than I do, and they’re constantly saying, “Oh, and write down the name of this book, too . . . it’s amazing.”

Ah, readers. How I love thee.

Ignore Everybody — And 39 Other Keys to Creativity

This book was originally a great big post on a blog my friend Scott Kosman recommended to me back in 2005. Titled “How to Be Creative,” it blew my mind and sowed some seeds that would come in quite handy a few years later.

Why was/is this book life-changing? I’m so happy you asked.

A big reason is that Point Eight/now-Chapter 8 — “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” — explains what Hugh MacLeod calls “The Sex and Cash Theory,” which may be one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever read about tension between the creative life and work life. This is a blog post unto itself, and sure to arrive shortly.

But the biggest reason is probably this: the book is chock-full of permission. Permission to ask for your crayons back. Permission to sing in your own voice. Permission to leave the “starving artist” shtick to someone else and exist sustainably.

The book gives folks like you and me permission to create something, simply for the joy of having created it — without any need to have a “successful” label slapped on it at the end of the day. (Heck, it doesn’t even have to have a dramatic “I’m SO creative!” label slapped on it at the beginning of the day).

“By scuppering all hope of worldly or social betterment from the creative act, you are finally left with only one question to answer: Do you make this damn thing exist, or not?”

The lack of pressure was freeing. I had a day job with people I enjoyed, and spent most of the rest of my time writing and reading and geeking out on Photoshop and Illustrator and WordPress. It didn’t have to turn into anything.

So, naturally, it did.

McLeod isn’t saying that worldly or social betterment doesn’t eventually show up (or that it’s not important)… he’s just saying that it’s more likely to show up when your barometers for success aren’t extrinsic, but intrinsic.

—

The book didn’t have much that wasn’t there in the original blog, but I don’t regret buying it (in hardcover, I might add). Taking in the words again was like visiting an old friend.  Good words are like that.

Check out the book. Check out Hugh MacLeod’s blog, even if only for his cartoons drawn on business cards. I think his stuff would be helpful to anyone who’s doing this big-crazy-scary thing, whether it’s in business, the arts, whatever.

I’d love to know what you think. Any books out there that have given you permission to take big leaps? Join the conversation below!

Welcome to the new-and-improved website, everybody, and to (most exciting of all, at least to me) my new blog! In posts to come, you’ll be sure to find helpful information about copywriting & WordPress CMS, good books I’m reading and not reading, celebrations of the cool people I get to work with everyday, and reflections on the magical powers of coffee. I’m sure the occasional story concerning Mr. L. may find its way here as well, because I’m crazy about him like that.

Make yourself at home. My biggest hope is that this will be a conversation between friends and clients new and old.

Probably the first thing I should know about you is your favorite beverage. Warm or cold, Caf or Decaf? Starbucks? Tully’s? That hole-in-the-wall cafe down the street?

Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite beverage. I’ll choose a name from the proverbial hat on Monday and send you a coffee card just to say thanks for stopping by!