Hi! Thanks for subscribing and letting me drop by with some extra tips this week. Enjoy!
1. One thing I would do differently if I started blogging today
If I started blogging today, I would use use a fake name. This is true for several reasons. First, I could make it shorter (Amy Lynn Andrews is cumbersome). Second, I could maintain a little privacy. Lastly, I wouldn't worry if my preferred name was already being used by someone else. I think it's a great solution to the "my desired domain is already taken" problem. Writers have used pen names for centuries, why not bloggers? For additional tips, read How to Choose a Domain Name: 12 Tips.
2. With all the blogs, how can I stand out?
It's a question I get asked frequently. I've offered suggestions in the past like here and here, but I love the way Mark Schaefer said it in #1 of his post, 10 Maxims of Successful Blogging:
We live in an increasingly information-dense world. The only way to stand out is to dig down deep and bring your own story to the world. Your point of differentiation is you. You have no competitors. Write a blog post that only you could write.
3. How to make sure Facebook pulls an image with your link
Have you ever pasted a link into Facebook but an image doesn't show up even though you know there's an image with the post? Frustrating. To fix, first paste the link into Facebook's Debugger tool and click the "Debug" button. This forces Facebook to crawl that page. Now you can paste the link into Facebook and it should work. Hat tip to Amanda from Spiderworking.com.
4. Need time management? Only 2 days left...
As I mentioned last time, there's a bundle of time management ebooks on sale this week (mine's included) for only $7.40. It's a one-week sale only and hundreds of bundles have been sold so far. Only 2 days left! Grab it here (affiliate link).
5. Unsubscribers got you down?
When was the last time you did a little spring cleaning of your list and deleted (gasp!) some non-engaged email subscribers? Does a little part of you die every time you see that someone unsubscribed from your email list? Don't fret! There's a silver lining to a smaller, more engaged list. You know why it's not so bad? Because it's cheaper, and your open rate will be higher. (And if I was an advertiser, I'd be a lot more interested in open rates than I would subscriber numbers.)
6. On a personal note...
I don't have much to say on a personal note other than to point out that someone somewhere once paired "relaxation" with "summer" and I believed it. Then I had a teenager and now I feel utterly disillusioned. I think "chauffeur" and "summer" is much more descriptive. I'm about to find that first person and demand they fork over some cash for gas. I feel it's the least they can do. But on a happy note, it's warm and sunny most days, so I might let it slide.
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be helped by it. I'd be very grateful!
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