The best part of this blogging mystique is the flow of conversation and thoughts among readers on the blog. The pleasure you afford the writer by sharing your thoughts or spreading the word on a good article is immense. It matters very little if there is complete agreement or a bit of challenge or a few questions in these responses. To me, it matters only that I have shared something worthwhile and someone has found value in it. In Part 1 of this post, I shared 5 of my top 10 pillars of blogging excellence and you, my dear readers, added dozens of ideas and thoughts to enrich the original 5! A heart-felt thank you!
Now that formalities, however sincere, are out of the way, let’s get on with the next 5. This second half appeals more to your sense of style and art, to your creativity and imagination, and focuses mainly on the parts of blogging that I think set you apart and help you find your authentic voice.
This is Part 2 of 2 where I share the next 5 of Top 10 indispensable Pillars of Blogging Excellence. Part 1 of this topic in the previous post reveals the first 5.
6 Evernote for Ideas, Drafts and Remembering Everything
Evernote is the poster child of all note-taking, idea-capturing applications; it surpasses them all. It remembers everything you tell it to remember! It is the brilliant yet simple notion of capturing notes in any medium, be it in writing, in voice recording, in photos or any combination. The notes then are synchronized to a bunch of servers somewhere safe, or to “the magical cloud of elephants“, according to Evernote, ready for instant retrieval at your heart’s command! When (not if!) you have a brilliant blog post idea, a stream of thoughts you want to capture, a few things you must recall to do, a shopping list out of the blue, or anything else to remember in your fast frenzy of a world, Evernote is there for all of it, seamlessly from your phone to your computer to the cloud servers.
The screen shot below is from the Mac where I can write some ideas on a note at night, shut down and go to bed, but after a surge of energy (usually after washing my face with cold water or brushing those teeth) continue on the updated version of the same note in bed from my iPhone before calling it the night. My stream of consciousness never interrupted, thank you Evernote!
What I love most about EverNote:
Free (although I may upgrade to the paid version just to support these guys!)
Reliable. It just works.
Captures ideas fast! Works fast. It’s just fast!
Tagging system and multiple notebooks to keep you super organized
Layout is intuitive and inviting to use.
Helps me not just to think but also to organize my thoughts.
Empowering to a blogger’s need for self-expression.
Gives me free uninterrupted flow of writing.
Love using it as my writing stage for a blog post before transferring to WordPress.
An App for both the Mac and the iPhone.
Super cool Firefox plugin which, at a click of a button, lets you save an entire webpage (I do this for an entire blog post + comments just to have yet another archive of the blog!)
Most of all, having the same files on the Mac and on the iPhone, at the same time (Much like a super woman, being in two places at once)!
7 Dropbox for Data Backup and Accessibility
Dropbox is the super efficient way to have your files in servers online to access from any PC or your Smart phone anywhere anytime. Think about that! Dropbox stores all files online as well as on your Mac (or PC)’s hard drive and also on your phone’s hard drive only when you favorite a file. All the files accessible from anywhere!
Applications these days do not need to be complicated to be extremely powerful and essential to your day’s productivity. Dropbox, much like Evernote, lives up to its reputation in the user community and of course I have my own reasons to love this essential app for my blogging productivity. Though it goes without saying, you should be conscientious of the sensitivity of files you store, and if you plan to store super sensitive data, encryption first may not be a bad idea.
Why I love this Dropbox thing:
Super fast like its buddy, EverNote.
Easy system to backup files in an instant.
Multiple people can use the same file system in a family or a group (File sharing at an instant).
Fast and efficient way to sync files to your home PC when on vacation or away (When you turn on your PC, it syncs to the servers and updates everything).
Accessing files on your iPhone when on vacation.
Accessing the same files online if problems with your phone on vacation.
Storing travel documents for super quick access on the go.
Having access to docs and photos and videos on the iPhone without taking up my phone’s hard drive space.
The peace of mind that your data is not only organized and accessible but also backed-up (Do not ever underestimate the importance of data backups in your life!).
8 Social Media Choices for Communication and Distribution
Blogging without using social media is like having a relationship without emotions or a romance without a heart. It just doesn’t work! But much like the relationship and the romance, you need the right type of emotions and right heart-set (!) to be successful and happy! Balance and smartness is key in your social media approach so that you always, always stay in control rather than be sucked into the endless tunnels of information overflow!
When it’s done right, social media can be the channel to help you discover amazing blogs, connect you with your blogging buddies, allow you to show your support and sense of community for co-bloggers and other people, companies, products, groups in which you believe, and it can be the news feed into your world. Social media makes the world a smaller (if not a bit busier) place and it’s an essential to blogging and so long as I am in charge, I’ll never give it up! My top four choices for social media love and reasons behind each:
I still remember how I mocked my husband for telling me to get on Twitter. “But it’s so impersonal and the messages are in such short bursts?” - Yes, the latter it may be but the former is an illusion! I love Twitter to bits and pieces for all the amazing friends and blogging buddies I have discovered through it, not to mention the sea of information I would otherwise not come across. Speaking of blogging, Twitter brings respectable recognition and traffic to your site even with moderate but genuine use. Please always use it with etiquette, consideration, tact and smarts! Lisa’s Twitter 101 is a great reference if you are a beginner.
Exactly a year ago, I wrote a Tribute to Facebook for all the joys it has afforded me through reconnecting me with some old friends and enabling me to keep tabs on my family and relatives in Iran and all over the world. I can certainly use a dozen other ways to accomplish the same but the point is that Facebook, despite all its privacy issues and its silly games and other security risks, does do one thing well: Connect people. That matters to me. Balance and self-discipline are naturally keys to enjoying all things in moderation. As far as Facebook and blogging go, I used to only share my posts on my personal Facebook page until I started getting Friend Requests from readers and fans. To keep my personal page for family and friends, I created a very simple Prolific Living fan page, despite my initial reservations (And I’ve never had issues with modesty so go figure!?!). I think it’s important to give the option of a Facebook fan page to potential readers and followers who do not turn to Twitter or other mediums; you’d be surprised how many are exclusive with Facebook. What a shame it would be if people could not find your fantastic content! Now go and create that fan page and be sure to tell me about it!
Flickr
I Love Flickr. I have been a pro member of Flickr community for over 5 years now and find it to be, hands down, the best photo sharing application on the planet. There are some amazing amateur and a good handful of extremely professional photographers and no matter where you lie on the scale, you will come across countless photos to make you feel rather humble. Insofar as the blog, I created an exclusive set for Prolific Living photos and I use the same blog post photos on Flickr, then I submit the photo to the appropriate and relevant forums in which I participate and link back to the post. I happen to enjoy the Flickr community and the interactions with other avid photo lovers but I also happen to receive traffic and even subscribers from Flickr. Either way, did I mention I love Flickr!!
LinkedIn is for connecting with your professional network. I was using my profile exclusively as a rather static place for my online career resume. Because professionals in just about any field (including blogging) use it, it makes sense to keep a profile especially if you work at a company or are interested in networking with those who do. With the LinkedIn feeds for blogs, I started to display my most recent 5 fields with a status update to promote the latest and greatest news. I may update the status twice a month and the feeds are automatic. LinkedIn traffic varies but I think hitting up that audience can only be a win for you with very little upkeep on your part.
9 Media Processing Apps for Audio and Video Blogs
Using mediums of audio and video stimulates your readers and engages them on a level beyond words and prose. It also stimulates your (the writer’s) creativity juices. Finding the best media for the topic at hand is no easy task but who isn’t up for a little challenge in this life?
With both video and audio, I would say the authentic quality of content is of most importance, followed by consistent and clear quality on the media. This would be the result of technology used to create it. Here are my current top picks:
Video
I used my point & shoot Canon’s video capability before I committed to becoming the videographer for our Toastmasters club. That’s when I splurged on the Canon VIXIA (See the first video shot for the blog with it compressed at 90% from the high digital quality)! The type of video camera is up to you but manageable video processing is key. I use the brilliant, handy and free Handbrake application. You can process raw video files into any compressed format including exclusively for the iPhone, iPod Touch, or AppleTV. After Handbrakes outputs a clean and compressed video file, I upload it to Viddler (also free) and then link to it from WordPress! Viddler spits out the exact code you need to embed video so you don’t really even need a plugin! I admit I stopped using YouTube – I don’t find the user interface very sophisticated – that and YouTube limits you to 10 minute long videos. I also regret that I bought Final Cut Express, an Apple product it may be but I find it too cumbersome and complicated at least with my novice stage as a videographer.
Audio
I have wanted to start an audio podcast for a long time now. For recording audio, years ago I used a fabulous free application called Audacity. I have also used it to edit music files for ring tones and I have no doubt I could use it for a quick and dirty way to record podcasts. Then I started playing with Garage Band and I knew it is definitely the way to go for me. It is feature rich, powerful, intuitive and fun after the learning curve and is set up beautifully for audio podcasting! I am in the learning and exploring stages and so far, I love it. Barring any unforeseen disobedience from it in my audio podcast creation, I highly recommend it. Now all I need is heaps of luck for that first recording!
10 Photography Tools for Image Editing and Design
I have yet to publish a post without a photo! Alright, there may be a single one in the archives but I am sure I have a good excuse for it! I love the use of a photograph in every article. All the photography is my own (unless otherwise stated) so you can imagine the type of effort put in this endeavor. For camera, it has been point & shoot Canons and the iPhone so far but if all goes as dreamt and planned, that will be changing to a mini-pro Cannon soon! As to my approach to image editing and artistic design, it consists of these fabulous four:
Picnik
Picnik is the ridiculously fun photo editing program, free for a lot of features and well worth the small yearly fee for additional pro membership. While it may look like child’s play, I have created some professional-looking photos (most of the editing on the site) in minutes and it’s super easy to figure out. In fact, I dedicated an entire post to my attachment to Picnik and the Picnik team in turn loved the post so much that they kindly offered me to give away 3 Picnik pro memberships and that is how the first successful Prolific Living contest came about! I enjoy Picnik a great deal and highly recommend it to spruce up a photo in minutes.
Adobe Photoshop
This most popular photo-editing power app intimidates and entices me at the same time and I have yet to peel even the top layers of this ingeniously rich program. I invested in Photoshop to cure my insatiable desire to learn about photo editing but time hasn’t been too kind in affording me nearly enough hours by her side. No matter, I use the very basics right now to clean up my photos for the blog and intend to delve deeper and deeper. A must-have for the photo-addict spirited one among you!
Adobe Bridge
On the PC, I was in love with Picasa (#4 below) but when my photographer Pascal showed me his photo organization and viewing capability in Adobe Bridge, I was hooked on the user interface and ease of integration into Photoshop. Most of all, I love Bridge over Picasa because it does not import all my photos by creating a new copy for itself first; it simply reads off the same existing directories. Photo organization is my biggest recommendation to anyone who deals with photos on any scale. Being organized means saving time (super important!) and working fast! My 50,000 growing photo collection is a compelling reason to stay organized and I urge you to do the same, regardless of your photo gallery size!
Picasa
Picasa was my one and only tool for photo organization and editing when I was on the PC and before I turned to the other 3 (above) so I wanted to make mention of it. If you are on the PC, I highly recommend it. The PC version is far more stable and efficient; the Mac version is still not as reliable. Both are free, thanks to Google! Picasa still holds some appeal to me even on the Mac. I can make some creative photo collages for the blog and I can pull together an online photo album to share with friends or family in minutes (on occasions that I wish to bypass Flickr).
Summary and your Thoughts
My goodness! We are finally done with the Top 10 Pillars but I had not anticipated going into details on all my sub-pillars!!! If you are here with me and have read this far, bravissimo for your heaps of patience. Part 2 turned out to be far more comprehensive so the next short may be an exercise in brevity (for me!). What can I say? I devour and delight in technology! Now over to you:
What are your favorite applications, tools or services?
Is there any area here that you like me to go more in-depth (believe me, no one topic was explored in depth!)?
How do you exercise your artistic abilities during blogging?
Do you use marketing photos or create your own photos for your blogs?
Anything else you care to comment about. I love to hear your reactions!
As always, thank you for reading!
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{ 41 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }
Great post Farnoosh! I loved the detail, the direct language and the analogies! Really diverse topics from social media to “regular” media (if that’s what you call things) like audio and video. And about a facebook fan page. HUGE. A ton of people use facebook exclusively as their social medium. I could go on and on about the reason to get a facebook fan page as a blogger, but Ill leave it as they are just fricken sweet, and there’s no reason not to have one. Anyways, great post!
Mark, so happy you think so! I was wiped out when it was done and yet I felt compelled to publish it altogether. Glad you see the point on Facebook Fan page too. Thank you thank you for being here and for reading!
Hi Farnoosh!
Thank you for this article. I use some of these programs like picnik, picasa, twitter, and facebook, and I really like them. The fact that you like them too makes me want to check out the others, the ones I *don’t* currently use, because I think you have great ideas!
I’m so glad to have met you.
Hi Jay, you are most welcome! I see we have some common loves among these little guys – and I am here if you want to praise or yell at me about the rest
! Cheers and likewise!
Wow Farnoosh!
This is an extensive list. Thank you for taking the time to write this post.
I use Evernote for blog ideas. I tried to use it for other stuff but my brain cannot function with tags. So it is exclusively for writing ideas. It works really well.
I haven’t used Dropbox. I use Microsoft Sky Drive for online backup and Live Mesh for files that I’m working with. Sky Drive has a generous free 25 GB and Mesh 5 GB. So it works great.
I’m going to check out GarageBand I’ve been wanting to test it –on the Mac
I have used Audacity before and liked it a lot.
I’m quite a novice with video so your advice will come in handy.
Photography: tried Picasa didn’t like it. I use Flickr creative commons for images. I tried Picnik before. Don’t remember why I don’t use it now. I use Corel Paintshop pro for image editing. I am starting to get into Photoshop.
I do need to work on my photos organization. Any advice on how you organize your images with Adobe Bridge will be appreciated.
I love your idea of romancing the blog with social media. I do use twitter, facebook not so much and no LinkdIn. So there is room for improvement there.
Thanks again, this is very useful.
Dear Manal, hello hello!! Gosh I love learning what others are using and what they may use or not…..I did not now about some of the apps you mention! Hold me to that audio podcast so I can finish using Garage Band! I know of Corel Paintshop and when it comes to those photography editing tools, most have similar features (with Photoshop being the Princess of them all (to me
)! so our creativity and artistic side then has to take over….the apps are just a tool! Twitter and Facebook are more than enough – I had LinkedIn before I started blogging so I did not have to go out of my way to create it …..
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Farnoosh,
Oh my, I am on your “bad” list, I am not on any social media right now
That is on purpose as I hardly get a time to write blog posts, read cool blogs and comment with 2 kid under age of 5, volunteer teaching position and more stuff happening at home. Has it hurt my blog? May be, I am not sure.
In future things may change for time being I am surviving without it. Although my blog friends are more than welcome to tweet about my post
Zengirl, you are not being bad at all – you are being very smart by doing the #1 thing a successful blogger needs to do: Write good content! The rest is icing on the cake and yes of course we can Tweet on your behalf! Count me in….I’ll help you until your kids take over and do all your computer work for you, I am guessing in this day and age, that would be in a few short years!
So happy to have you here!
i really love posts that have so much information , its very clear that you have done a great effort compiling that, keep it up
Good, I hope not too much information then, Farouk…..thank you!!!
Hi Farnoosh, whoa this is a lot of information at once. Um, I’m not really sure I use as many applications as you. Reading your top 10 pillars kind of made images swirl around my head, haha. But I still appreciate the work you have spent writing this post and the stuff you have been able to create for us. I just blog and use Twitter? Those are my only applications basically.
Great stuff Farnoosh. Thanks for another delightful post!
Hulbert, what? You don’t use every single one of my 10 pillars and sub-pillars!?!??
Ah simplicity, there is nothing like it – I may return to it someday and look at all the amazing growth and attention at From Bottom Up with your brilliant approach. You must be doing something (if not everything) right after all!
This is great info and some is very overwhelming. I think it’s my age. LOL
I put the type of camera into google and there are numbers and letters as well. Exactly what kind of Canon VIXIA do you have?
Thanks,
Tess
Tess, I refuse to believe such rubbish. You are a dynamite and age is nothing to you! I have Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder….And I love it but Canon makes great products and so many do many other Japanese (Must be Japanese when it comes to Electronics, as much as possible!) brands of camera/video equipment. Thanks for reading!
Farnoosh, what a wealth of information! It will take me some time to compeltely soak it all in. I’m allergic to technology, but reading your recommendations encourages me to wade into some waters at least. I would love to heard more about your social media “strategy”, how you get followers, how you deal with large amounts of information coming through your timeline and so on. Thanks so much for this excellent, in-depth article bringing so much together in one place.
Hey Sandy, it got a little out of hand, as you can see!! I think there is a cure for every allergy
! Thank you for sticking through it with me, let me know if I can help you with anything at all…..You are most welcome! And one small bite at a time is how we can handle everything, right?
Wow Farnoosh, these two posts have really opened up my eyes to a bunch of great tools. I need to be careful of developing “shiny object syndrome” because I will spend all my time playing with them instead of blogging!
Thanks so much!
Hi Joshua, I am ever so glad to hear it – once you start using them and get used to bells and whistles, then it becomes just part of your work routine not so much play…..in either case, it takes tremendous focus to produce content, no disagreement there. You are most welcome!
Farnoosh: You are the best. Thanks for sharing all this valuable information. In the beginning, I was trying to make mental notes of the things I wanted to check out, and then I realized there are soooooo many great recommendations I would never be able to remember them all. I am officially bookmarking this one
Evernote sounds really helpful. There is nothing like catching those good thoughts that just come to you at the most unexpected times. Thanks again for this info.
Sibyl, you are so welcome. I did get a little bit carried away, I admit and what a privilege to be bookmarked. The posts aren’t going anywhere – take all your time and remember to ask me if I can help you with anything at all. Thank you for being such a loyal reader and supporter here. (Evernote is my favorite and the easiest one to get into your routine, do let me know if you start using that one!)
Farnoosh, I am so behind technically, your post puts me to shame. But shame is good in this case because you’ve inspired a whole, new me. I’m going to bookmark this incredible resource, and slowly, one suggestion at a time, get my shit together. You are an inspiration and I can’t thank you enough for making me feel so inadequate that I just have to take action. Love, love, love this post. I’m exhausted just thinking about all I have to do. Can you just come over to my house and do it for me. Damn, guess not since we don’t even live in the same country and likely the only way to learn is doing it myself, but if you wanna….?
Where in this world do you live? And who needs to be physically present (while it is nice) when we can be virtual! No shame is permitted on prolific living or on blogosphere so dispel it now, Katie! And remember, all of this took me months, weeks, many many many hours. And I am seriously here to help and you know where to find me. One at a time is key to staying in charge. I am proud of you for what you have built in just a few short months! Go Katie!
I’m in Canada’s capital city. Thanks for the support Farnoosh and you’ll be hearing from me.
I’m late arriving to this party
My newest favorite is Skype. Yes, I know everyone in the world has been using it for nearly forever, but yesterday I had my first Skype chat with some blogging friends and it was so much fun. It’s so easy to use and so rewarding to connect with people all over the world. I’m hooked 
Jean, where have you been? We are incomplete without you.
You know, I kid you not, I had Skype (with logo and all) on there, esp. after Hulbert interviewed me. I really love Skype too. I have a Russian friend who talks to her Mom via Skype and she even partakes in parties over here from Skype video. Skype is a brilliant idea. Thanks for suggesting it!
Evernote……no match for it.
Very well-said. My most fave most days of the week. Sometimes I get moody and need variety but Evernote still rocks!
This really is a great resource. Most of the time I just get more confused when I read about this stuff. The Drop Box tip will be particularly useful — sound so easy!
Rob, it can be complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Learning curves for Evernote and Dropbox are super quick! For that and/or anything else, I am at your service.
Farnoosh -
I love it when amazing bloggers share their secrets. You are clearly hugely tech savvy and using it to your best advantage. I’m an Evernote lover too – amazing way to keep and capture ideas. I need to figure out social media – although it’s there I’m not using it well yet so will study your ideas. Thanks as always for a great post.
Phil
Phil, amazing blogger back at ya. Thank you – Yes, another vote of confidence for Evernote! Social media can be a monster.. Think of it as a friend, find some strong buddies to support you (such as me and probably everyone here on this list) and do only what feels right….I think following your own path and staying authentic in all of this is key! Thanks for being here and you are most welcome!
Nice post Farnoosh. Thanks to part 1 of this post I have subscribed to Scribe and I have now installed Evernote and Dropbox! I have just started using Facebook after years of avoiding it and, as you said in your post, I’ve found it connecting me to lost friends. Still haven’t mastered Twitter though!
Holy cow, Ian! All of this because of my advice! I had better be careful what I recommend
! Good for you and feel free to share your thoughts on those 2 gems of applications (Evernote & Dropbox)! I am so very happy to have been of some use here and hope to see you soon and on Twitter too!
Farnoosh!
Thank you for the recommendation of Evernote. I’ve signed up and begun using it. Writing and collecting info the old fashion way seems prehistoric! (I’ll get to the other items on your list shortly.) Again a really big thanks for solving a problem I didn’t ever know I had!
Wow! (!!! can you see I’m excited?)
Have Fun,
Jim
Jim, I am so glad you are using (and hopefully enjoying) EverNote! I am happy to be answering those questions you did not even know you had –
!
Seriously, you are welcome and thanks for the smiles! I am still excited about this stuff and I use them all the time! I totally understand!!!!
Hi Farnoosh.
Your EverNote usage there is quite wonderful. I don’t think I have seen a usage of a note-taking program that looked as functional as yours. I used Google Notebook for a while to keep record of thoughts I had, but Evernote is probably better for this purpose in the way that you use it. I tried EverNote once but didn’t continue using it for that much longer(maybe a week or two).
I like that your usage of all these services is very organized and functional. We are able to see the solid foundation of your creations.
Hello Armen, you don’t use Evernote I guess…..I use Google spreadsheets, Google groups, Gmail of course and Google chat, list goes on but not Google Notebook! I am willing to say it’s no match for Evernote in this department.
Glad you enjoyed the post. Solid foundation – well said, that would’ve made a good title too!
Evernote is a powerful friend. It’s verys similar to a product I designed circa 2004 (customers called it “ITunes for knowledge.”)
I always wondered what magical tools you used to create your fantastical works of photo art — thanks for a look behind the scenes.
J.D., glad you enjoyed my vote of confidence on Evernote. And thank you for sharing your similar product….Thanks for your stop over!
Hi Farnoosh
Lots of great info – particularly interested in your image editing tools.
I struggled with Adobe Photoshop for a couple of years but never really mastered it.
Then I found Macromedia Fireworks (now Adobe Fireworks) and have not used Photoshop since.
I found Fireworks easy to use and for the things I wanted to do, just as powerful as Photoshop.
There are also some great tutorials on the web for Fireworks.
I’d be interested to know which image editing software your readers use.
Every day I tell myself to go through my thick book and learn more about Photoshop and Picnik always gets in the way because it’s so easy but also very limited. I have not used Macromedia Fireworks, Keith – and I hope readers share more with us on what preferred app they use. Thanks for sharing this info!
{ 5 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }