Category: Miscellany

Blog posts that fits nowhere else

Learn the basics of social media and blogging!

I’m running a workshop…

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In the Stamford Arts Centre(South Lincolnshire), next Sunday, June 11th. 

Numbers are limited and the event is pitched for beginners, the worried, and those wanting to build their own blog from scratch.

Excellent value for money. A full day of fun and practical demonstrations for only £35.

Topics covered:

  • Facebook – pros and cons, posts that get noticed, difference between personal profile and public pages, joining groups.
  • Twitter – welcome to the madhouse – setting up a Twitter profile, understanding hashtags, and the 4 basic rules of Twitter.
  • Blogging for Beginners – how to set up and populate a blog, using the free WordPress site. What makes a successful blog… and much more.

A few places left. BOOK NOW on the Stamford Arts Centre website.

Brickbats and Bouquets…

Sometimes good things happen when you least expect them.

Let’s start with the bouquets

Recently I received two lovely compliments.

winfields-best-blogs

Firstly, Winfields Outdoors contacted me. They’ve listed my coastal walking blog (coastalwalker.co.uk)  as one of the best outdoor blogs of 2017. They even gave me a nifty little badge to display.

You can see the full listing on Winfields’ website. Continue reading “Brickbats and Bouquets…”

FOUR things a Twitter beginner MUST do.

Get off to a great start on Twitter with my 4 simple tips.

(1) Get rid of the egg

Seriously.  Who wants to interact with an unborn chicken?

Keeping the Twitter egg as your profile photo will make you look like a complete beginner or, even worse, give the impression you are a scammer or a troll.

Replace the egg with a personal profile picture. It’s simple to do and will make a huge difference to the number of followers you collect.

What photo should you upload?  If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of having your face on Twitter, you could choose your pet, a favourite view, a flower, or something that represents you. I give some examples below: Continue reading “FOUR things a Twitter beginner MUST do.”

Copy-editing: more difficult than it looks…

One thing I’ve learnt during this process is that spelling is fluid, despite what we were taught at school.

dictionary and copyeditingWhat’s so difficult about copy-editing? All you need is a dictionary, a style guide, and a red pen.

I’m working with a group of fellow Birkbeck students on our final assignment before graduation. Our task is to put together and publish a journal: 46 Square, an anthology of non-fiction pieces.

We are currently at the copy editing stage.
Copy editing? Or, is it copy-editing? Or even, copyediting? Continue reading “Copy-editing: more difficult than it looks…”