This week, I’ll post my updated suggestions for three holiday activities that will get your computers and technology ready for the blitz of writing you’ll swear to accomplish in New Year resolutions. Here’s what you’ll get (the links won’t be active until the post goes live):
Today: Update Your Online Presence
For most writers I know, life zooms by, filled with research, writing, editing, critique groups, reading, promotions (of our books), people watching (to build characters), and thinking. There are few breaks to update/fix/maintain the tech tools that allow us to pursue our trade.
But, that must happen or they deteriorate and no longer accomplish what we need. Cussing them out does no good. Buying new systems takes a long time and doesn’t fix the problem that the old one wasn’t kept up. If they aren’t taken care of, we are left wondering why our blog isn’t getting visitors, why our social media Tweeple don’t generate leads or activity, and why our self-published materials languish. Here’s a short list of upkeep items that won’t take long to accomplish:
- Update your online profile–your blog profile page, your gravatar, FB, Twitter, professional groups, your PLN. Have you changed your focus? Switched jobs? Adding new publications or items efriends would like to know about? Is your contact information current? This, btw, should be done once a quarter, but at least at the new year.
- Clean up your FB and G+ stream–delete pictures and comments you no longer find as funny as when you first posted them or make them private. FB has become a common resource for future employers (be they companies considering you for writing gigs or readers interested in everything you’ve written) to use when researching your background. Make sure the YOU that shows up on FB is really YOU.
- Update grammar and spelling in old posts–start with the most-visited articles (under Site Stats) and work your way down (in case you run out of time). You’ll be surprised what you can catch with a fresh eye.
- Check individual post tags and categories–whittle down the options while still authentically grouping your writing. Sometimes, you’ll find a category you added at a point in the year which can include many articles written prior to its addition.
- Check the sidebar–for out-of-date and no-longer-relevant widgets and links. Add new pieces that add utility. Move pieces around to give a fresh look. Current thinking is ‘less is more’. Considering putting awards, PLN groups, memberships on separate pages noted in the menu bar.
- Check your list of ‘pages‘–are they still relevant? Could some be nested under other pages to save room and/or make them easier to find? While you’re at it, be sure all of these less-visited pages are up to date.
- Check the appearance of your blog on a smart phone and iPad–to see if those venues display properly. If they don’t, consider switching to a responsive theme that auto-adjusts for a variety of digital devices.
- Make sure everything posted reflects you. Your personal brand may change year-to-year. Review your posts, images, videos, and everything to ensure that they support the profile you are putting out there for readers.
- Make sure all online presence sites are current. Have something that shows it’s recently updated (within the last week). If it looks like no one updates it, visitors will not care how up-to-date your profile is. This means recent blog posts, feed activity, and information on all social media, blogs, and websites.
- Check your blog in different browsers–to see if you should recommend one over the other for best-viewing. For me, Chrome views best.
- Update your copyright–each year, cycle it forward.
- Unsubscribe from lists you no longer have an interest in. This is less about updating your online presence and more about freeing up your time!
- Update the stores where you sell your books. This includes your Amazon Author page, Teachers Pay Teachers store, and any other (I also have a store on Houghton Mifflin)–prices, descriptions, categories, freebies. I need to do this more often.
This is the time of year when lots of experts weigh in on the upkeep of your online presence. Here’s Fast Company’s Allison Durazzi’s thoughts, 5 tips from Judah Swagerty at Business2Community, and one of my favorite go-to sources on tech in your life, LifeHacker, on how to manage online accounts.
Do you have any maintenance issues to suggest for the new year? I’d love to hear them.
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Oh, Boy, do I ever have a lot of work to do on this level. Thanks for the list! Now, where did my secretary go to! 🙂
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Take your time, have a few cuppas (whatever you put into a cuppa!) and just tick them off, one at a time.
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Thank you for the list! This is going to take some time, but it’ll be worth it.
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It does take time, especially the first time but it gets easier.
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Thanks, Jacqui! 🙂 x
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I post this every year–with updates. It’s as much to remind myself as everyone else!
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WOW!i love it
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This is a really useful list since most of the Indie author’s marketing is online and via social media.
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thanks, I was illegally evicted out of a house I paid rent and expenses to landlord broke into it several times to steal 10K dollars and car to steal my mail so I would not get mail from landlord/tenant board had 15 minutes to vacate it with only clothes on my back, was homeless lived in a car for 4 months until I was able to move into a house. I need help to go forward. I am asking for donations to just survive and I lived on 6 slices of bread every day and soup kitchens at age 65 pretty pathetic. I worked 4 jobs all of my life until my ex evicted me out of my own house at age 62 as he had a hidden agenda to get a 14 yr divorce and pay no money after 44 yrs. I have not been able to access my email accounts as they were not working for past 7 weeks or more. thanks for your help advice this yr it was greatly appreciated. I am totally broke, homeless no furniture as it was stolen by landlord but I will go forward. Have a good xmas.
________________________________
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Yikes! If you have a GoFundMe account, go ahead and post it here.
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Thanks for the reminder, Jacqui. Updating the copyright is one that I tend to forget!!
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Me too! Some auto-update but not all. I think this blog is on auto. Hmm…
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I can understand that!! LOL 😀
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Thanks for this great housekeeping list Jacqui. I plan on getting to it early January. 🙂 Happy holidays! 🙂 x
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For some, the holidays are a great time to catch up but I’m not surprised you’re just too busy!
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Catch up? What’s that????????? LOL 🙂
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#3 and #5 are big ones for me haha
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Arguably, the most important!
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Good advice, as always. Now I must shamefully ask what PLN means.
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PLN=Personal Learning Network or Professional Learning Network. Either but it boils down to all the online folks that you reach out to with questions! For example, you’re in mine for parenting.
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Ah! Thank you. I feel so much smarter and more savvy now!
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Thank you for the post…
I wanna bookmark this… 🙂
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It’s one of those lists you can’t get through in a day or week. I refer back to it throughout the year and then start over each January.
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I’ve never thought about updating my streams at the social media sites. The rest I do periodically throughout the year.
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We change over time. It’s nice to have our social media show the current us. Honestly, at my age, I don’t change all that much anymore!
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Neither do I, Jacqui. Still, I should go check on them.
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Oh my goodness, i need to do every one of these! And I’ll have to take a little time off from blogging in order to do it. If only there were 48 hours in a day 🙂 ❤
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Isn’t that the truth. I take two weeks off blogging in December–now you know how I’ll be spending my time!
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I’ll be joining you, Jacqui!
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Nice List. Great steps.
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Thanks, Juneta. In case you plan to be bored over the holiday.
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Thanks for the reminder.
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Believe me, it’s for myself too!
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Ha, ha, let us know when you take your own advice – by the time I take my own advice it’s almost always too late!! ☺️🙃
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Reblogged this on Ancien Hippie and commented:
Thank you for some great ideas
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Thanks for the reblog, Penney!
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Great advice! I’ve got to take a hard look at my blog posts. 🙂
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I started that last year and gave up a couple of months (and just a few posts) into it. I should have started (as I suggested) with the most commonly read!
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Solid tips. I try to keep things as simple as I can to avoid some of the problems. One major task at hand that I will get to before year’s end is replacing the aging computer. It still runs OK, but it’s past its life expectancy. The new one is sitting on the office floor right now, waiting to installed. 🙂
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Oooh–what did you get? I bought a Surface Pro last year and am still excited about it.
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Another Dell XPS. Got Windows Pro this time and bit the bullet on Office 365.
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I ended up with Office 365 too. We’ll see how much I like it.
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That’s a healthy set of to-do items. Good ideas, all, but where will I find the time to do them?
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Yeah it is. But it’s fairly comprehensive. Do this list, you’ll feel done.
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Also check the age of any physical computers/devices you own – desktops, laptops, tables, phones, etc. The average life expectancy for a device with a hard-drive is about 5 years. And given the rate of change in the device area, devices over 5 years are close to the end of their life. Consider replacing or budgeting for new equipment – you don’t want “unplanned failure”. Yes, plan your computer failures. If you have data on USB drives, check them and backup the contents to a cloud based storage system.
and if you use a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), check the battery age and order a replacement if needed.
and if you’re really being thorough, replace smoke detector batteries and replace any home fire extinguishers over 10 years old.
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The smoke detector batteries–a step too far for me. I seem to do that only when I have a fire.
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Thanks for the wonderful reminders Jacqui…I have a few on my mind. 🙂
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Did I miss any?
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I see I have quite a long list to accomplish! Thanks for laying it out so clearly to help me get through that list.
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And you don’t have to get it done in a few weeks. You can take months. It definitely takes me that long!
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This post is much appreciated – updates are so incredibly important. Thanks, Jacqui!
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The holidays seem like a good time to do this sort of maintenance. I can even do it watching TV or listening to Christmas music.
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great tips. thanks for sharing.
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So much to do, isn’t there? I’m starting with a nap.
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Jacqui, what would we do without you?!😀 I’m saving this to my notes so I can refer to it…I hadn’t occurred to me until now that I have to update all my profiles when my book comes out! Great tips and many thanks for sharing.
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It’s easy to forget about the myriad of profiles. I am often aghast at a profile out there of mine that’s years out of date! I don’t expect to keep up, just TRY to keep up.
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Good tips here. I also struggle to make sure I’ve updated all the other accounts I have online, ones we often forget about (like a Gravatar profile, my about.me page, etc.). Our digital footprints grow so large; it’s easy to forget where we’ve been.
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Yep, that’s me. When I started working from home, I thought I’d have so much more time (no travel, that sort) but it quickly disappeared. I just don’t keep up so this list is as much to remind me as everyone else!
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Thanks for the great tips, Jacqui!
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Now if only I’d take my own advice!
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Great tips Jacqui. I went through all my tags and streamlined everything but I now need to give my blog a fresher look. Still thinking on design. Happy Christmas.
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It is a big deal to change a blog’s look. WordPress makes it sound simple but there are always pieces that don’t work right. I don’t know when I will get around to that.
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I am a little scared to make any big changes, just in case…
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This is way more important than cleaning out the sock drawer. Thanks for all the practical advice.
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Yeah it is! We should devote one of our Monday meetings to doing this.
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Please suggest! I’d love it.
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Wow, Jacqui what a fabulous reminder of all the things I’ve postponed for so long!
This is one to save, thank you so much. Warm greetings to you from Norway. As soon as I have finished my travels I’ll sit down and rethink our blog appearance with Klausbernd and Siri and Selma, long overdue.
Have a great pre-Christmas time.
Dina x
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Thanks, Dina. It’s a nice list for a year-long effort.
I had to laugh at your ‘Warm greetings from Norway”. I think that’s a classic oxymoron, especially at this time of year!
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Phew, it’s much too warm here, Jacqui. Still -2°, but that’s like a heatwave, isn’t it? 😉
The polar animals are threatened because they don’t have snow to match their winter fur, so sad. The polar bears are starving to death, because the ice is melting. 😦
In England the houses are kept colder, well that’s my experience and we put on an extra cardigan in winter. Wintertime in Norway everyone keep it so warm inside I only wear a t-shirt, so I send you heartfelt warm greetings once more. 🙂 🙂
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I have my space heater on and its 60 degrees–or higher!
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This is a great reminder, practical steps, keep everything fresh and new appearance.!!
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I’m surprised how many people track me down for freelance jobs through one of my social media platforms. I hate when they’re out of date!
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