Lately, I’ve been neglecting my #FridayFinds series where I highlight some of the blog posts that I have found to be interesting throughout the week. (Actually, it’s been closer to a month since I’ve written an article in this series.) So, even though it’s a Monday, without further ado, I bring to you some articles that I think may be of interest to you. My topics this week include sharing on Social Media, the WordPress page-theme plugin and an example of a website redesign for an interior designer.
Are You Over-Sharing on Social Media?
Should you republish your content multiple times on social media sites? Well, that’s a controversial topic and while some people advocate against it, many people strongly believe that it’s an important part of their internet marketing strategy.
Belle Beth Cooper (@bellebethcooper) from BufferApp.com takes a closer look at this topic and supports it with some interesting graphics/stats in her article Why you should share your blog post more than once on Social Media: The case for reposting content. With almost 1,500 tweets and close to 600 Google pluses already, I think you’re likely to enjoy this post as well.
Beth’s top 3 reasons are:
- More Traffic
- Hit Multiple Time Zones
- Reach New Followers
Beth also includes examples of how Buffer increases social engagement by republishing content. (If you’re not already using BufferApp to help manage your social media, check out Why Buffer App rocks – Tips, Tricks and Features by Ashley Faulkes (@madLemmingz) MadLemmingz.com.)
Is There a Quick Way to Switch Your WordPress Template for a Post?
Have you ever been blogging and wished there was a quick and easy way to use a different layout for a page or blog post without having to modify a template? Well thanks to Kimberly Castleberry (@AskKim), you can learn how to use More Than One Theme On The Same Blog on Just-Ask-Kim.com. Not only does Kim tell you which plugin she uses as a solution but she also found and shared a great tutorial video by Tarek Alaaddin (@tarekalaaddin).
As Kim points out, the page-theme WordPress plugin may not be well suited to newbie bloggers but if you’re ready to get creative, it’s worth a look.
Do You Enjoy Before & After Website Re-Designs?
If you’re like me, you can find inspiration in examples of websites that have undergone total redesigns. This week, I go back to WebsiteMagazine.com, to share examples of Designing for a Designer [A Before & After Look] by Amberly Dressler (@amberlydressler).
Rather than show you several examples, this article features the work of IdeaWork.com for luxury interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield. I think you’ll be impressed by the three pages that they showcase.
Over to You:
What are your thoughts? How often do you share your content? Are you using BufferApp or another social media management tool to help? Do you see a use for the page-theme plugin that Kim blogged about? Were you impressed by the website redesign that Amberly shared with us?
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and for sharing your thoughts, ideas and opinions with us. I hope everyone is taking time to celebrate life throughout this holiday season as we look forward to the beginning of a new year.
About Sherryl PerryWelcome! If you're looking for help building an Internet presence that fits your needs and works for you, you're in the right place. I blog common sense articles about WordPress, social media and SEO. My goal is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs understand their core business. Together, we can develop and implement business strategies that make sense to you.
I will sometimes share something more than once. If I do I tend to wait a while before doing so though. It might be several days later, or it could be a week or more later. I don’t do this all the time or that often though.
For design I don’t mind a new look as long as it is still easy to navigate. I am not a fan of frequent changes though. A while back there were a couple of sites that I visit fairly regularly and I swear every time I would visit something was changed. It was like OK where is this or that now. After 3 or 4 times of this in less than a month I stopped visiting.
I guess I am not a fan of big or frequent changes, but if there happens to be one I prefer that they try to get it right the first time or within a short time span.
Ray recently posted..Is Social Bookmarking Dead?
Hi Ray,
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to weigh in on this.
I don’t share more than once on any site other than Twitter. I do tweet new posts at different times (like morning, early evening and late evening) just to try to hit the different time zones. I think the chances of anyone person seeing all three is slim and I’m hoping that they’d forgive me. After a few days, I’ll RT a tweet (sharing my post) from a few fellow bloggers who I know are well respected as authorities on the topic. (I try to mix up who I’m RTing for.) I’ll also favorite a couple of RTs from other bloggers. – (I’d appreciate feedback from you and others if you have noticed my doing this and think that it’s excessive.)
I really think my site is looking dated. So, I want to brighten it up a little and make it more professional looking. I have to eliminate the Iframes to make it more responsive but at t he same time, I don’t want people to think they’re on the wrong site. I promise, I would not change it 3 or 4 times in less than a month though! 🙂
Happy Holidays Ray! I wish you and all a happy and healthy 2014.
I use both Buffer and HootSuite to schedule posts, but with Facebook’s algorithm changes, it seems like automated posts are way down in the number of users who see a given post in their stream. It can be annoying when someone shares the same thing over and over on Facebook or G+, but Twitter is another matter. I share each blog post multiple times there and try different hashtags and titles. Happy Holidays!
Jeri recently posted..Author Interview: Lita Burke
That’s a good idea to try different titles Jeri. I don’t do that but I will definitely try it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Happy Holidays to you too!
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Friday Finds – Enhancing your Online Customer Experience & Logo Designs
I really like the site redesign – it’s bold and straightforward. I like the use of bigger pictures on the white background. I’ve been working on a site redesign for my own site, and it’s going rrrreeeeallly slowly.
Leora Wenger recently posted..Post Highlights of 2013
I really liked the redesign too Leora. It looks fresher. I’ve been thinking of a new look for my blog too but I was concerned that if I went from the dark background to white that regular readers wouldn’t recognize my site. Now that I’ve seen this redesign by Idea Work Studios, I think I may go for it. I’ve been blogging long enough that it’s really time for a change!
BTW – I love your new profile pic. (It was the one that I voted for when you posted it on Facebook.) It’s time for me to change mine too!
Thanks for the mention Sherryl, hope your xmas was awesome and new years even better!
Snowing nearly 5ft in the south of Switzerland if you can believe that, very unusual.
Thinking of a serious blog redesign myself in the new year, inline with me trying to make a go off selling my skills – as a web dev.
Keep up the great blogging and great connecting with you in 2013!
ashley
Ashley @ madlemmings recently posted..Market Samurai Review – Get on page one of Google
Ashley,
I didn’t realize that you lived in Switzerland. I would love to go there someday – maybe around Christmas.
I’m thinking of a serious blog redesign myself. It’s time for some changes
Thanks for the feedback. It was great connecting with you too this year. As you can tell, I find your blog interesting and it’s great content to share!
Hi Sherryl,
I thought you gave up the idea to continue the Friday finds series. 🙂 I am glad you didn’t.
When I share a post, I use to share it on as many social networks as I can. It depends on the content, of course but I usually share it on Twitter, Googleplus, Facebook and LinkedIn. I do this not only for my content but for any other post I share.
So I am a fan of sharing a post on as many social networks as possible.
I know that WordPress template and I know that article. I think it is really important to be able to control the layout for a particular page or post so I will try that solution.
Have a wonderful Christmas
silviu recently posted..Newbie Guide. How to Check the Pagerank of Your Site
Thanks Silviu. I’m glad that you like this series. I haven’t abandoned it but I don’t believe I’ll go back to it being a weekly series either.
I tend to share content on multiple networks too. Some posts are better suited for some networks than others. For example, I tend to keep my shares on Facebook lighter than the what I share on LinkedIn.
I did have a wonderful Christmas Silviu. I hope you (and everyone here who celebrates it) did as well.
Hi Sherryl,
I had a wonderful Christmas, indeed. Thank you. I am very glad that I have met you during this tough 2013. I learned a lot from you, from your will power and constancy, and from all those excellent and well researched articles you have created.
May you enjoy a good, prosperous and happy 2014
Sherryl — excellent tips, as usual. I use the Buffer app a lot to post interesting articles, blogs, etc. But I’ve been neglectful about scheduling my own posts more than once. I know I should do it. Needed a kick in the butt to start doing it in the New Year. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones.
Jeannette Paladino recently posted..Best Wishes for a Bright Holiday Season for Everyone in the World
Jeannette,
I use Buffer app to schedule re-shares of my posts but I admit that I don’t have a regular routine for the times that I re-share my posts. It’s sort of hit-or-miss. I usually publish my posts in the morning and then I schedule them to re-tweet about 12-hours later. Then, I just sprinkle random RTs of older posts when I feel like it. I think it’s also a good idea to re-share shares (of my posts) from other people.
Happy holidays to you and your loved ones too!