You’ve resolved to blog more in 2011. You know you’ve got some blog topics figured out. But how are you going to amp up your blogging even more? Here are some blogging tools to consider, if you’re on the WordPress platform.
Editorial Calendar – The editorial calendar plugin lets you see your blogging schedule in an easy-to-consume way. I use it to help me think through themes. You can pick it up here.
WPTouch – WPTouch is a mobile theme for WordPress. When someone comes in via a BlackBerry/iPhone/Android/Whatever, they’ll be served this mobile skin, which makes every page look a lot prettier in the 3 inch version. Get it here.
Genesis Premium WordPress Theme – (affiliate link). Genesis is the theme I use at [chrisbrogan.com]. It’s also the theme I’ve installed on several other sites. What makes it useful to me is that it helps with SEO (basics), helps with design, and has several useful child themes that let you design faster. Get Genesis here.
ShareThis – If you haven’t installed social sharing on your site yet, this is the time. Put the ShareThis button to use (or your favorite social sharing button) and see if people start spreading your blog around more. Get it here.
Related Posts – One way to keep them on the site longer is to give them more posts to visit that might keep their attention. I’m using the “Yet Another Related Posts Plugin because I met the creator at an event. There are lots of similar plugins like this. You can get this one here.
Beyond the Tools
Beyond the tools, what I’d start with this early in the year is a mental picture of what you want the blog to do for you. Write out some themes and ideas of overall ways you want the blog to help. Then, see if you can put one theme together for each month. Then, see how many variations on the theme you can come up with. Poof, you’ve got a sense of a creative editorial calendar all ready to go.
And if you run out of blog topics? I’ve got extras to spare.