My Top Ten Freebies for Blogging

The last time I wrote about free software programs I used was before I redefined my niche. I know, why does it look like I am talking about the same niche as before, right? Blogging as a niche for me is a sideline affair. If I just discussed topics about life coaching, I would start to feel dull. Although I am not a guru in blogging by any means, I have been at it long enough to know what I like.



Without Further Ado . . .

Windows Live Writer: I was told to use this software way back last October. At the time, I had the older version of the program and it was giving me fits. When I redefined my niche, I decided to give it another shot. The new version is great. It will use the same format as you have on your blog when writing an article. You can see a preview of the article with just one click. The image function allows you to resize your image and put a little bit of styling around it. You can set up your categories, tags, and schedule posts to the minute.

VueMinder Calendar Lite: I tried to just list the tasks I want to do each day to make my blog successful but it was not working well for me. I needed more structure because of cognitive issues I have. I thought about just buying a planner at the store, one I could keep with me. Maybe it would have worked but I doubt it. I need someone or something to remind me to do whatever at that particular time. VueMinder Calendar does just that. You can set it up to alert you by pop up or with sound and a pop up. You can set it the remind you before the time (up to one month in advance. It will even tell you when you have overlapped tasks or events. You can also color them for high, medium, and low priority. All of this is done on the desktop of your computer.

Google Keyword Tool: I am still learning how to use this program efficiently. The topic of keywords is suggestive at best. Trying to decide which words should be used in an article to get the best results out the article on the web is still a guessing game for me. That is why this tool is important though. It will show you the trend of popularity of the keywords you want to use.

Google Analytics: I have tried other stat programs, yet I always go back to Google’s. It give tons of information and is easier to understand than most of the other stat programs I have seen. This is a must program/site if you are going to have a site or blog.

MailChimp: I am not crazy about the name of this site or the fact that it has a goofy chimp on each page. However, you can have up to 2000 email addresses on your email list and the services this site provides will remain free. The site has some workable templates for email as well as a way to design your own. The site takes care of all the forms you might need and has an extensive help section. You can also set up auto-response email, which I have not used yet.

4Shared: Although I have enough room with my account at my chosen host, I really tired of having to deal with HTML anymore. I did web graphics for a few years and loved it. However, I have gone on to a new project, blogging, which I am enjoying just as much if not more. With 4Shared, you can have a safe place to keep those items you want available for downloading by your visitors. I do not have a lot in my account with them yet but that will come as I progress with my blog. The site will generate the HTML snippet for you so that you can apply it to a page, post, or email. Very little thinking is required.

Flickr Creative Commons: You just would not believe the number of talented photographers there are that are hooks up to the web. Some of them want to be paid for their work, which is only fair. Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to pay for photos. I do have a digital camera but half the time when I go out, I forget the silly thing. Moreover, I am not all that good at taking pictures anyway. There are some nice folks who just love the craft as a hobby and do not mind sharing their finish products at no charge as long as you include a link to their sites at Flickr. I am over at that site every time I finish an article because a picture enhances the post so well.

Buffer: This is a third party software program to assist with socializing using Twitter. It sits on my FireFox browser always ready for use. You can schedule your tweets of the blogs and sites that you visit so that there is not one long train of tweets on your Twitter account. When this happens, people are not sure if you are giving attention to the page or running through to tweet. The Buffer helps you spread your tweets a little.

WordPress.Org: This is where you can get your blog to put at your own domain, choose a template that is right for what you want, download plug-ins for your blog, and get oodles of help. The site has documents to assist you and a help forum. You can learn little tricks and tweets to make your blog exactly as you want it.



Conclusion
I am always trying to find ways to do things on the web as cheaply as possible. Big bucks does not always mean better. It is tough being a blogger sometimes so whenever I can find a way to ease the tension, boy, I am going to do it.