blogs or websites or both

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and promoting your book on the Internet
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Preacher
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blogs or websites or both

Post by Preacher » September 5th, 2011, 10:58 pm

i just started my blog today on blogspot. should i also consider having a website made to get myself and my writing out there or is a blog enough? If you think websites are necessary i have absolutely no skill in that area so would anybody know somebody who could help and is not all that expensive?

Sommer Leigh
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Re: blogs or websites or both

Post by Sommer Leigh » September 6th, 2011, 9:00 am

It depends on what you want your website/blog to do.

First 1) Do you have writing that can be read right now? Like, are you published, self published, or will be soon? If the answer is no, then you probably don't need a website yet. But now's always a good time to learn what you can about either making one or finding out how much it would cost you to have one so you can save up.

2) If you do have stuff published, self-published, or will have some soon:

If you want a place where you can post infrequent news updates, but have a way to show off summaries, excerpts, cover art, and where to purchase your publisehd work, and a blog is maybe more work than you were looking for, then a website is what you want. You can post infrequent updates to it whenever you want, but you're not constrianed to post frequently as you would on a blog. You can have all your contact info, bio, and book summaries right there for people to easily use. There are dozens and dozens and dozens of programs that can help you create a website, very few of which I have any experience with so I can't help you out on picking one. You'll want a WYSIWYG editor if you don't know much about creating websites. You can also use a blog program like Wordpress.org, which you need to purchasing hosting to use, and there are lots of themes out there that look more like websites and not at all like blogs. This would be a very easy way to do it.

If you want to have a blog, you can go two ways -> You can use a program like wordpress.org and create a static front page blog which is like having a website but the blog is attached on a page of the website. It's a very easy way to create a website/blog hybrid.

OR you could juste create a blog using blogger or wordpress, or any other blog program that allows you to create pages so that you can have a page for each of your published works, a biography, and plenty of contact/buying information on the sidebars.

My advice would be to make a list of authors who write in your genre and start googling their websites/blogs. For the ones you like, scroll to the very bottom of the page and you should see some kind of design info in the footer - like, designed by so-and-so, or template designed by... then you can either hire the same person or you can use the same template. Look for examples you love and mimic them. And no, it's not copying. Most websites and blogs have the same features, but they use them in different ways. Figure out which ways you like.

Good luck!
May the word counts be ever in your favor. http://www.sommerleigh.com
Be nice, or I get out the Tesla cannon.

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Ryan
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Re: blogs or websites or both

Post by Ryan » September 15th, 2011, 12:25 pm

Sounds like a Blog is fine for now. I think once you have a specific book to peddle then the book will need its own site. The Blog gives you freedom to just write, share and interact. If you've got hobbies and other passions, having a blog designated to those areas will help you gain an audience for your eventual book. After four years I've ended up with two blogs and a site for my book. One is a general writing blog with essays, book excerpts, and various other ramblings. Another is a strictly fishing and surfing blog. Through the surfing and fishing blog I have picked up many readers.

As Somer stated, just think about what your goals are for the site and design it from there. It takes a bit to get used to the interfaces but most of it is pretty intuitive. After a few years you will enjoy going back through your posts as a sort of diary and testament to how hard you've worked.
My love of fly fishing and surfing connects me to rivers and the ocean. Time with water reminds me to pursue those silly little streams of thought that run rampant in my head.
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GingerWrite
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Re: blogs or websites or both

Post by GingerWrite » September 27th, 2011, 12:41 am

Like Ryan, it sounds like you should be fine with a blog for now. The nice thing about blogging is that you can find other writers through the blogosphere, and share those stories. I know that I'll look at a blog before a website because it's easier for me to keep tabs on a blog than a bookmark. And it's very easy to start a blog whereas, if you're technologically challenged (guilty!) a website is harder. Until you've got a book to promote, or so many followers on your blog that it warrants a more focused webpage, I'd suggest staying with blogging.
Good luck with your endeavor :)
"The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the more you grow." - Dr. Suess
Worlds can grow and crumble beneath a writer's pen. We just need to find the right one.
http://startingonthewritepage.blogspot.com/ :)

Graeme o'Winnipeg
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Re: blogs or websites or both

Post by Graeme o'Winnipeg » August 20th, 2012, 9:03 pm

I keep both blogs and websites, but I think it always depends on what kind of website you have. It's very important on a website to give viewers who are potential fans or enthusiasts a sense of your progress and presence as a person. Some website are set up so you can post a blog there, or other writers update their news section regularly. On the other hand, you might want your website just as a display, with options for those who want more. It all comes down to you as a writer and what you have to offer. If you have multiple facets (that's the case with me), then its important to have them compartmentalized so that things don't get all confused.

Another thing to consider about blogging / twittering / etc, is that this is an opportunity to build in genuine links to your website, which helps google to rank relevant keywords higher. If you're writing thriller suspense epic wizard-and-elf fantasy and have this well tagged, then linking in to your page from your blog will mean you come up higher in a search engine return.

lindsayB3462
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Re: blogs or websites or both

Post by lindsayB3462 » August 27th, 2012, 1:01 pm

You can actually have both if you can afford a domain name. If you can, you don't need to know much HTML or programming because there are so many "1 click" installs, one of which is Wordpress. With wordpress you can build up your blog (obviously since it is first and foremost a blog tool) but within the same domain you can use either another of the 1 clicks to make your site or just use Wordpress which now has so many plugins I am surprised it can't sing and dance on it's own yet! And when it comes to wordpress all you have to know is how to read and write since the themes are all preinstalled visit this site for more details.

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