April 12, 2014 Hi there! This week, I realized sometimes I see things as messes, but instead I could see them as sweet reminders that kids were here.

        Web Version  

April 12, 2014

Hi there! This week, I realized sometimes I see things as messes, but instead I could see them as sweet reminders that kids were here. And talk about good timing in the photography department. Lastly, there are some changes coming to Twitter.

1. Increase YouTube subscribers with this easy peasy tip

I found this tip from Stuart McKeown in his post Simple Trick to Increase YouTube Subscribers by 400%. When you link to your YouTube channel, simply add this to the end of your YouTube URL:

?sub_confirmation=1

...and visitors will be prompted to subscribe. Brilliant. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it sounds. (Read the post if you want more explanation.) You can see what I mean here.

2. Need help with post or title ideas?

Many thanks to Chrissy from WebSpyred Media for sending this tip to me. If you struggle with coming up with blog post or title ideas, check out the Content Idea Generator. Register with your first name and email address and then answer some easy questions about your blog or product. Hit the button and in less than 2 seconds, you'll get a whole slew of post and title ideas returned to you. (I just got 360!) Once you know what you want to write about, may I suggest you check out my top writing tips and the anatomy of a good blog post?

3. How to find out which sites were affected by Heartbleed and if you should change your password(s)

So there was a huge online security issue this week in the form of a bug called Heartbleed. Lots of sites were at risk (think Gmail, Facebook and more), potentially leaving private info exposed. You should change your passwords, but only on the sites that have since been patched, otherwise you could expose your new password too. Not sure which sites to start with? Here's a list of common ones. Or you can just type the URL into this tool.

Bonus tip: JetPack had issues too this week so if you use that plugin, make sure you update your site and the plugin ASAP.

4. How to put a list of your contributor posts on your own site

If you are a contributing writer or guest poster on more than one site, wouldn't it be cool to be able to list all your posts in one spot? Yes, yes it would. Kristi Hines from Kikolani shows you how to do just that.

5. In case you missed it...

Remember that pesky problem about Amazon Associates links not allowed in emails? Well, I updated that post to add a plugin that could be a great workaround for some of you. Just look toward the end of the post. (Thanks Phil McDonnell and Gretchen Louise)!

***

Popular: How to Start a Blog (in 15 Minutes or Less).

Get all my tips in the Useletter Archives.

Did someone share this with you? You can subscribe here.

***

Have a great weekend!

Amy

*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!

1px