I'm sure we all have our ways of capturing ideas and drafts...but I thought my simple method might be of use to someone.
I use Blogger, obviously, but I imagine any blogging software allows you to save posts as drafts. I use several of these draft files, with future dates to keep them at the top, to organize the information I collect on the web.
The main one I use is called "Ideas for Posts" and as you can imagine, it's where I write down ideas for posts--or quotes that might inspire me--or the URL of someone else's post that I might link to.
(I have my little notebook in my purse and one on the nightstand, too, but I frequently copy out of those into my online file.)
I have one called "Books Read and Movies Watched 2009," which I update about once a month. That makes my yearly annotated book and movie roundups much easier to write!
One is called "Blogging Tips and To-Dos" in which I capture URL's for blogrolls or webrings I should think about joining or sites I should think about contributing to, or info on HTML coding or how to tag a picture, etc.
I have another draft file called "For Further Reflection" and in it, I copy URL's of posts that I'd like to think about further or which might inspire some of my own thoughts.
I have one called "Recipes to Try," with URL's to same, and one called "Useful Info," with useful info I have run across (when to fertilize my hibiscus bush, for example).
And I have one called "Funnies" which are funny things my kids say. I save them for busy days when I have nothing else to post!
Another organizing tip is to realize that you can be writing a post in one tab, and in another, have Blogger open to your Edit Posts page, where you have all these files, at the same time.
I don't know why that one took me awhile to figure out.
Last but not least, if you write posts ahead of time to save for a busy season, as I sometimes do...future date them, so you don't forget about them! I just came across a draft with pictures of the master bedroom here in our new house that I never posted, because it got "covered up" with more time-driven posts. But it's never too late for pictures, of course...so my regular readers can look for it soon!
For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, see Rocks in My Dryer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
these are great ideas!
i definitely like to schedule posts!
I do that with wordpress.
Great ideas! I have Wordpress like Mrs Flam. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the great tips. As a new blogger I need all the help I can get.
I worked with a professor during my undergrad who was collecting quotes for use in writing a book. She organized her quotes by creating a private blog and entering them (well, I entered them for her!), and marking them with categories. A blog is easily searchable and acts like a database. When she wanted to "remember" a quote, she just searched her blog.
Jen in Seattle
I love the notebook. This has to be one of the best tools for organization and it's so simple!
Good ideas! I'm sure having a notebook handy would keep me from forgetting those "oh, I should blog about that!" moments.
What a neat idea. I do sometimes write drafts ahead, but you've organized that to a whole 'nother level. Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas!
Great tip... so simple, yet something I never thought of! I'll have to start future dating ASAP cause I'm always losing things in my drafts.
I schedule posts but hadn't thought about going ahead and putting them in drafts- great idea!
Great tip. I use the draft option, many times, but not as well as you. I like these ideas. Thanks.
This is a great tip ~ I've been doing this with all the Works for Me posts that I want to utilize. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
These are really great tips. Thanks for sharing them!
This is great! I need a way to organize my research and your ideas and Jen from Seattle's idea together should work out perfect for me!
THANKS!
Post a Comment