For me, one of the absurd things about blogging is that as easy as it is to post and comment, tag and tinkle, everything else – I mean like the mechanics of blogging – is mind-numbingly hard. For example, I found New Tools for Social Media Optimization on the Online Marketing Blog which makes a compelling case to follow the incredibly simple step-by-step instructions for creating social bookmarks and assorted iconic blog-bling on one’s blog. Okay, I’m sold, now what?
Four hours after completed the first step – a thirty second process I might add – I’m still staring down the barrel of my WordPress blog, dashboard loaded, the theme editor fully cocked. I simply can’t pull the trigger. Cut and paste that code to where? The source code? The template? Bugger it! One way or the other I’m going to end up shooting myself! Where’s the Video Professor now, now that I actually need him? [Note to self: Add John Scherer to the The NewPR Wiki: CEO Blog List, he's a blogger.]
Ahem.
So, my blog remains un-optimized and antisocial. Like the blogger himself, a baby boomer who cannot boom. Pathetic. Yes, I know everything’s documented online; everything has a freakin’ forum, busy-bodies and know-it-alls. But all I want to know is where do I paste the code and what happens after you press the button that follows the ominous message:
“Are you sure you want to do that, Boomer? Changes cannot be undone. Go ahead, Boomer, make my day.”
Looking on the bright side, this blog is currently ranked 1,582,199 on Technorati with just one blog linked here – oh, yes, it’s this one – which means the likelihood of anyone arriving here and wanting to bookmark anything is so remote that it hardly matters. So, now that’s two absurd things about blogging. What a blast.
Hi, fellow Boomer, I know it’s hard to figure out some of this tech stuff. That’s why I hired a brilliant blog expert to help me get started. It gets you over the learning curve really quickly.
Rhea, thanks for the good advice. My challenge is that, with the rate at which the technical stuff changes, the learning curve sometimes seems more like a mind-continual bender, for this boomer at least.
Perhaps I should have started six months ago but I am only now reading a lot of the primers and how-to’s about blogging. I have yet to find among the long list of cautionary do’s and don’ts any mention of the trials and tribulations associated with the backend - the hard-wiring of a blog - before embarking, making a commitment. Lots of talk about conversations, and comments, and time-to-blog, and linking, and feeds, and what-have-you. No mention that if you don’t know CSS from upload this and download that your kiboshed.
That said, your advice about outsourcing this is a good one. One of the advantages of being a baby boomer is [supposedly] having some disposal income.
Have faith my friend. There is a video professor of sorts called Tubetorial. All of their content features stories with link and actual video on how to do things. For example, here’s a story on tweaking Wordpress to get more search engine traffic:
How to Get More Search Engine Traffic With One Simple Tweak
They have general web development and design stuff as well - all of which is useful when learning how to tweak the back end of blogs. It’s not where you want it to be yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. Until then, just call me more often.
Oh, and if you want to read something both highly informative and inspirational about what one person can do with today’s technology, then buy An Army of Davids by Glenn Reynolds. My dad got one for me and it was the best book I’ve read about the changes going on in the world (including things like blogging). Here’s a link to the book.
Amitai, try this:
– after you have the code for the Social Bookmark Buttons, log in to your blog’s dashboard.
– go to Presentation > Theme Editor > Main Template
– add the HTML code between and , and save
– do the same thing in the Post template, and save
This should do the trick
Please let me know if it worked.
Julian, Constantin:
Thank you both.
Ami - awesome meeting you at talent unconference - I really enjoyed our chat at the start. Its fun to meet people with such ranging interests and knowledge- take it from a guy who could not code his way out of an ATM.
But please dont put any money in the pocket of Instapundit- that guy is not cool by a long shot.
Looking forward to crossing paths again and your blogging for the next year, at least
Martin:
The pleasure was mine.