In some of my previous About Blog posts, I mention getting
on a schedule for blogging. That in combination with Elise's post about herposting process, lead me to wanting to dedicate my next About Blog post to just
that!
Blogging for most is a job, or a platform that helps to
connect readers to other creative ventures. Being present and posting regularly
is key to the blog game. Being a young college student, just tapping away at a
lonely little laptop, it's obvious that I'm not doing this for job-like purposes.
I hope to grow my blog and my readership with due time, that is true so this
summer I've been trying to dedicate myself to posting each and every day. For
most of the summer, this has worked out pretty well! I've been inspired and
I've had a lot of time to get creative bursts/ventures down on paper
(or...blog). Lately, I've been slowing down. I've been trying to ease slowly
back in to college mode, trying to give my readers more of the posting
experience they'll receive once I'm back hitting the books full time. In
college, I have a lot less free time. My goal is to post regularly, but less
frequently. There certainly won't be a new post up each and every morning, but
I hope to post a minimum of 3-4 times a week on regular days with a good amount
of content. There's nothing that kills me more than little updates and filler
posts, but sometimes these are a necessity.
I've never actually considered myself much of a blog-post
planner. I thought this step was highly unnecessary. I liked the thrill of
posting whatever I wanted at the spur of the moment, whenever inspiration struck me. It was exhilarating and it
kept me wildly present on my blog. However, as I embarked on my summer mission to post
daily, I realized that my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants method wasn't going to
work. If I only ever posted whenever I had a wave of overwhelming inspiration, well, this place would be a whole lot quieter! It doesn't make for very regular/consistent postings that work together. So, I thought I'd give the planning process the good ole college try.
Initially, I tried using good ole fashion pen and paper to
map out a month's worth of posts. This just didn't jive too well. Too many holes
remained unfilled and I wasn't able to move around posts easily. Enter, Evernote.
Evernote is this amazing note taking software (similar to Microsoft One Note in
a way). Evernote allows you to create journals, new notes, and save notes from
the internet. It saves automatically and I can access my Evernote from just
about everywhere (computer, phone, etc).
I simply created a new note entitled,
"Blog Schedule" and began to type out the upcoming month. Next to
each day I put the title of a blog post that is supposed to debut on that day.
Under all the days I have an 'Ideas' column for potential posts. If a post has
a (?) by it, it means the date is not entirely set and the post is subject to change. Italicized post titles means I've begun to
work on this post and bolded post titles means that the post successfully debuted on
the blog. Example:
Blog Post Schedule
- · July 26th --> N/A
- · July 27th --> About Blog: Regarding My Posting Process
- · July 28th --> Mom & Dad (?)
- · July 29th --> Life Lately
- · July 30th --> Fill Up Entire Sketchbook. Done. (?)
- · July 31st --> Brother + Sister Style Week 11 (Final Week)
Ideas
-Evolution of the wall (August)
-Photo an hour
-Night Circus Review
This, by all means, is not the best or the easiest method
for post planning I'm sure. It's just what happens to be what I like and am
comfortable with at the moment! I can easily edit my note from anywhere and
seamlessly add and move ideas around in a way that's basic and straightforward.
It's a method I can respond to. Also, writing down ideas is quick and easy.
I attempt to plan for the entire month ahead of where I'm
currently at. Right now my post schedule goes through August 25th and I'll add
days as I go. Certainly not every spot is filled up, but filling up the list is
one of the most fun parts I think! I start by adding all my features in to their
appropriate days. For example, every Sunday I post 'Life Lately' and every
Tuesday 'Brother + Sister Style.' It's my goal to post at least one 'Currently
Listening To' and 'Apartment Inspiration' post once a month, plus a new 'About
Blog' every week or two. Once those dates are filled in, I attempt to fill up
the rest.
Sometimes a good idea can replace a planned post in an
instant, but I don't mind. The better post should win out. If I have a strike
of inspiration, I'm not afraid to just go with it. It's that element of being
wildly present on my blog space that makes this option not only valid, but fun
for me. Posts usually go live around 5am central time, if they've been prepared beforehand.
If not, they go live at the earliest time in the day I can manage. I'm not too
strict about posting times, I just try to keep it relatively early.
So, I beg the question do you plan your posts or are you a
spur-of-the-moment poster? If you do plan, how do you do it...post-it's like
Elise? Hand written journals? Dry-erase boards? A Word document? Please share with me your blog
posting process! I'd really love to know!
♥
