February 1, 2014 Some links are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks fo

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February 1, 2014

Some links are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support in this way!

This week...

I was a little blown away by how much time I've spent on Facebook. My 11 year old son is excited to build with LEGO online. I'm excited it might cut down on loose & lethal (on the feet) bricks around the house. Also, Pinterest released updated guidelines. With examples, which I appreciate.

1. Are you a browser tab hoarder like me?

Try the Chrome extension OneTab. When you have too many tabs open, just click the icon. It makes a list of open tabs to access later, plus it saves a ton of memory too! Of course, there's always Pocket or, you can limit your tabs in the first place. Or, try the not-often-talked-about option of saving your tabs to bookmarks (no extension required).

Useletter Archives member? Here's a direct link to all my productivity tips.

2. How to reach out to a literary agent

Most traditionally published authors I've spoken to recommend working with a literary agent. If you're like me, the world of traditional publishing is intimidating so knowing how to reach out to an agent isn't exactly straightforward. If you know someone who has gone through the process, get pointers from them. If you don't, here's a helpful, to-the-point list of dos and don'ts.

Useletter Archives member? Here's a direct link to all my publishing tips.

3. A simple tool to help you choose great colors

When you're choosing colors for projects, like your blog design or post images, try Piknik (not to be confused with the now-defunct image-editing app called Picnik, replaced by Canva or the ever-popular PicMonkey). Piknik is a simple yet handy color picker. Move the mouse across the screen and/or scroll to find just the right color. Click to lock it. Grab the color codes at the bottom.

Useletter Archives member? Here's a direct link to all my design tips.

4. Google Authorship dips and what it means

Interesting things have been happening on the Google Authorship front. (If you don't know what Google Authorship or Author Rank is, here's my series on it: What is Author Rank?). For some, photos have been disappearing in search results. Mark Traphagen wrote an epic post about it, which wildly fascinates nerds like me. He offers 4 takeaways at the end that are worth reading. Basically, disassociate with any sites that are not high-quality (for example, be careful if & where you guest post and which sites you list as Contributors in your G+ profile), focus on quality content (not quantity) and seek high engagement on social media.

Useletter Archives member? Here's a direct link to all my marketing tips.

5. Did you miss anything?

That Mac Bundle is just about history. Grab it while you can. (I've been enjoying Snagit myself.)
Want to merge two Facebook pages? Looks like it might be a lot easier now! (See the update in the blue box.)

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Have a great weekend!

Amy

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