Writing help. Words,words, words. 15 Best Places for Designers to Get Free Stock Photos Online. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had a look at the prices on some non-stock photography sites (pictures of Gummy bears for $769.00 anyone?) , but they reach far beyond the budget of the typical designer/developer. However, many places online allow you to obtain high-quality stock photos for free, giving the average starving artist a chance to create wonderful works of art/design without having to use next month’s rent on stock photos. In this article, we review the 15 best places to free stock photos online for designers. Note: Although these sites feature free stock photos, you should read the terms, limitations, and licensing of each work that you use; read the fine print! Dedicated free stock photo sites 1. stock.xchng stock.xchng is all free, all the time. One of the most popular paid stock photo sites – iStockphoto, sponsors them.
Aimed at: Web designers and web developers, illustrators, print designers 2. A small team of in-house professional photographers supplies the photos in the site. How to Write Better: 7 Instant Fixes. Does your writing stand out? Do you worry whether your writing is good enough?
I can see you nodding your head. You are not alone. Every writer has doubts about his or her writing. The good thing is that writing is a journey. Every sentence you write is a step along the road and makes you a better writer. On this journey, you can either travel the long road – or use shortcuts. Using shortcuts means learning to spot and fix mistakes in order to write better. Here are seven instant fixes that will improve your writing. But … what is good writing? Inexperienced writers think that ‘good’ writing is elaborate. No, good writing is simple. 1: The art of natural Check out an example of elaborate writing below (I’ve sourced examples of writing from free Kindle books chosen at random).
This is from a story about a young girl who is at home with her young brother when a thunderstorm strikes. An ebony abyss claimed the den. I take this to mean, “The room went dark.” Your words should sound natural. Careful! 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes. I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes.
But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie Moot Nor. Shelfster - The best online platform for writers. Shelfster - The best online platform for writers. Bloggers: 23 Ways to Counter Writer’s Block. All of a sudden, your blog seems like a dog biting your heel cap and refusing to let go. You do not have time for yourself, all your research zeal has been exhausted and the topics you want to write on are all water down. They have no juice anymore. You have no juice anymore. Welcome to the world of writer’s block!
(Image source: Fotolia) All bloggers reach their writing limits at one time or the other. After blogging for some time, ideas just seem to vanish into thin air. When this happens, do not tear your short point notebook. Related: Designers: 5 Tips to Get Back Your Creativity 1. Surprise your readers with a review of a book by a foreign writer. 2. Every day, products are launched across the Internet; from coaching programs to physical products, services to magazines. Follow up on a product that was launched a few years ago and track its performance. 3.
Your niche may have its unique propositions but the essence of business is the same across all industries. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How to Write Great Blog Content. Multi-Author WordPress.com Blogs. To create an effective and successful blog the blogger must become a prolific writer of quality content.
Fresh and interesting content is what readers come to our blogs to read and discuss. Provided your writing is engaging the enthusiasm you have for your topic makes your blog worth reading. Enthusiasm plus even more content and a wider range of viewpoints for readers to consider makes multi-author blogs worth reading. Does your blog need more content? Does your blog need more exposure? Would you like some support to reach your goals? Without doubt multiple authors can publish more content than one blogger can, but little things make a big difference in small groups and teamwork comes with challenges. Despite the challenges that we have looked at here, multi-author blogs still bring great opportunities. Successful groups have a clearly defined purpose and committed members. Preparation Recruit additional enthusiastic authors for your WordPress.com multi-author blog.
Evaluate the theme. 20 Ideas for Social Media Content That Engages. The cry of “Content is King” has been a rallying call for bloggers and on-line publishers for years. Creating and marketing your content is now as easy as typing text and uploading images and videos and then hitting the publishing button. This has been facilitated by the advent of social networks and blogging software that facilitate fast efficient multi-media publishing. The reality is that everyone is now a publisher as social media has provided easy to use tools which has put a personal printing press in everyone’s hand. We are not only creating but sharing this content on desktops, laptops, ipads and smart phones to our Facebook and Twitter streams. The more engaging the content whether it be video or text the more likely it is to be shared.
The “Content” Explosion To put some perspective on the scale of this on-line publishing phenomenon here are some facts and figures Content is what drives people to subscribe to blogs, search on YouTube and play on Facebook. The Thirst for Knowledge 2. About | 5 Added Minutes. 12 Most Common Blogging Mistakes.
Starting a site is easy, but creating a site full of irresistible content takes skill, experience, time and effort. One way to become a better content creator is to look at reasons other sites fail. Study failure, learn from the negative and turn this into clear instructions on how to do things right. These are the common habits that you should avoid to give yourself a better chance of succeeding. 1. Working hard is not the same as working smart. 2.
It is easy to keep planning, keep researching and endlessly refining your idea. 3. If you don’t have a deadline your tasks may end up expanding so as to fill the time available for their completion. 4. Part of the appeal of visiting a site is knowing that when you get there, it will offer something new to make it worth your while. 5. If someone who knew nothing about your site was to visit it for the first time, would that person understand – within a few seconds – what the site is about or what it can help them achieve? 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. How To Design A Blog And Make It Look Pretty. “How do I design my blog?” Is one of the most frequently asked questions from new bloggers. Design of your blog is very important as the better looking your site is, the more memorable it will be for your visitors. More of them will stick to it, subscribe, return back and share it with their friends in social media.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the important design elements you will have to consider during the design process. Having a great header section is important as that is the first thing people see when entering your site. An increasing number of visitors browse the web from their tablets and mobile devices so having a design that looks great on smaller screens or touch based screens is another key consideration.
First step in designing your blog First step is to pick the right content publishing platform that allows you a wide range of design possibilities. WordPress needs a domain name and a web server space to work. 5 most impressive free WordPress themes Responsive: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What Is The Difference? WordPress is free open-source content publishing platform. WordPress.org is the home of the platform while WordPress.com is the commercial hosted version. This difference causes some confusion for newbie bloggers when choosing which one to use for their site. This comparison between .com and .org has all the facts you need to make an informed choice.
It should help guide you to the correct decision for your own blogging adventure. It is best to get off on the right foot and not need to make drastic changes later on when your site is more established as that could negatively impact the work you have done with regards to search engine rankings and audience. Starting your WordPress.org adventure I love WordPress.org and definitely recommend it for new and more advanced bloggers alike. For the simplest possible install, I recommend using Bluehost as you install WordPress with no tech knowledge needed plus get a free domain name and affordable hosting account.
That’s it. That’s it. WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What Is The Difference? How to Start A Blog Using Bluehost and Wordpress in 10 Minutes (or less)! In this post I review what a hosting server is, why you need one and how to install a WordPress blog on it. If you learn better with a play-by-play video, checkout the screencast below. If you would rather read through the steps, skip to the steps below the video. Step One: What is a hosting server and why do I need one? A hosting server is where the files that make up your website live. I like to use the analogy of a book. A book holds pages which then hold words. Step Two: Purchase your Hosting with Bluehost.
In order to put your files up on a hosting server you have to purchase the space. When you choose to sign up with Bluehost you will see two options. Step Three: Choose a Plan The next screen is going to ask you for your address, offer you a “pro” package (not necessary to get started) and require you choose a price package. Step Four: Going Through the Up-Sale(If you bought a domain name read below, if not, go to Step Five) Upcoming Dates. Blogging 101. There are millions of bloggers out there and even more blogs.
Don’t be just another unread blogger! Find your niche, create your community, and blog to the masses. If you want to write an interesting blog that people want to read and keep coming back for more, Blogging 101 can help you. This eight-week**, fully-automated, comprehensive course will guide you through all the basics of creating and establishing your new blog. The units covered in the Blogging 101 curriculum include: When you have completed the Blogging 101 course, you will have not only learned the basics of blogging, but you will have your VERY OWN BLOG, several quality posts, and very possibly a growing following of readers! If you follow through with each of the course assignments, you will start out WAY ahead of the average blogger who tries to start a blog on their own.
Sign up today to get started on the blog you have dreamed about!! Still not sure?? About Us & Our Blogging Course. BlogWritingCourse.com is designed to get you started writing your own blog. We have two courses: a free PreCourse (you can register and take it online whenever you want to) and an eight week paid Blogging101 course. We also have a blog about learning to write a blog, written by Topsy-Techie - You can subscribe to the blog, it’s free. Course History – From the point of view of the First Student I was looking around the internet, wondering why my blog wasn’t attracting traffic. I had blogged faithfully for months. Her answer rang true. Since I’ve always been a sucker for a good kick in the backside, I tried to hired her as my tutor/editor but that structure seemed wrong.
More History - The initial course as developed in 2007-08 by BBM & John & Kris was named BlackBeltBlogger.com. With new blogging teacher (and Blogging 101 alumnus) Topsy-Techie at the helm, the course began to evolve and grow even more. We are now offering it to you. Lessons. New To WordPress - Where to Start. WordPress.org Codex Codex tools: Log in Interested in functions, hooks, classes, or methods? Check out the new WordPress Code Reference! New To WordPress - Where to Start This page was moved to except above language locator. Retrieved from " Codex Resources Code is Poetry. How to Start a Blog - A Complete Guide to Setting up a Blog. How to: Set up and run a successful blog | Freelance news. <b>Graham Holliday</b> demystifies blogging for busy journalists You know about blogs, you read a few and you have heard that maybe one day all journalists will blog, but you do not have one yet.
Where do you start? It depends on how much you want to spend and how much you know about coding. Which blog? Blogger is a popular free service owned by Google. Wordpress and Movable Type are two downloadable options for the more code savvy. Both WordPress and Movable Type require webspace. Guardian Technology reporter Bobbie Johnson switched from Movable Type to WordPress at the end of 2005 for his personal blog bobbiejohnson.org. Of the paid routes to blogdom, Typepad is the best known. Mr Jackson recently switched to Typepad for his blog Our Man in Hanoi. " Once you have added your blog to the 40 million blogs out there you need to optimise your posts if you want to be heard. Tweak your blog Create an 'About' page.
Subscription-based blogs like Typepad come with bare bones statistics packages.