I generally have the same 4 windows or tabs open anytime I am composing a new blog post. I find these 4 sites to be particularly helpful in researching the details I might need to put all of the content together for any given topic...
Dictionary.com is an online dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia and overall reference site. I often use it to doublecheck definitions, look for alternative words or phrases to use or just to brainstorm more thought strings on the topic.
It is a great resource, though it is monetized by popup advertising. Most of it is caught by Google's popup blocker, fortunately.
WordTracker's Free Keyword Tool is great for choosing keyword phrases to use within post titles, and also a great way to find keywords and phrases you may want to use as Tags for your blog post.
If I have a general concept in mind for my post, the related keywords give me a broader look at the topic and the various subtopics, which can be very helpful in fleshing out the actual content.
Google Search is another site that I usually have open while writing new blog posts. I might research a topic if I need more information on it, or use it to find reference and resource links.
I also do a quick search for the keyword phrase I am using in the Title of my post to see how easy or difficult it might be for my new post to rank in the top 10 for that phrase.
My Blog Archives are usually open as well, so that I can search for & reference related topics that I have blogged about before. Its a good idea to interlink related posts, or refer back to posts in your archives, to keep a good flow with your content.
Of course, if I am writing about a particular product or website then I will obviously have that open in a new tab or window as well. So including the actual screen where I am typing my post, there might be a total of 6 windows/tabs open at any given time to move back and forth between.
What about you? Do you have tools or resources that you keep handy while blogging? I'd love to hear about them!
Best,
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About Lynn Terry
Great idea to have those sites open. I haven't done that myself though. I usually just open a window when I need it.
I use dictionary.com frequently, I never considered using the other three...I usually use Blingo (powered by Google) or a forum will have a topic I am interested in discussing....
Lynn what a nice ideas here from you again. 🙂
Small tips but very useful. I use only 2 of the resources but do not use Dictionary.com and your site.
Now I am wiser than before. Thanks for the tips
You would want to use your own archives, of course - to reference archived posts.
Wikipedia.com is another site I often use to look up information & references too.
Great tips Lynn,
One site I have open relating to keyword research when composing a blog post is the free "Search Term Difficulty Tool" at:
http://www.searchguild.com/difficulty.php
This tool tells you how hard it would be to rank for the keyword or phrase you enter.
They check the term against Google and give you back a search term difficulty score. The lower the score the easier it will be to rank, the higher the score (number) the more difficult or competitive it will be to rank for that term.
I always check a given keyword term here, then I head on over to Google search to check out how it looks in the real world!
Just thought I would share.
Buzzer
That looks about right, Lynn. 🙂
Well, except WordTracker -- sometimes yes, sometimes no.
All in all, I usually have about 10-12 tabs open in Firefox (sometimes I'm reserving info for entries on different blogs).
One thing I have found myself doing more of lately is blogging with Word 2007. Well, not so much blogging, but writing the blog entries to get my general idea; having the thesaurus with right click access does make things easier for me.
Oh, and sometimes I have my e-mail client open. I get asked a lot of questions, so sometimes I'll make a blog entry out of the answer. To do that, I usually reference my response from the e-mail "Sent" folder. 🙂
~ Teli
Yes I've used Wikipedia before but stopped. But Teli's ideas is totally 'strange' to me and worth trying.
Thanks for sharing...
Thanks, Buzzer - I'll check that out.
I do the same thing, Teli - but I didnt count my email client, though it is always open in the left screen (my 2nd monitor) and I refer to it often for news & updates to share.
Thanks for the idea Lynn.
I open several tabs myself when blogging. It helps to check out competition. 🙂 lol
Hey Lynn
What a wonderful post and cool comments thanks for directing me here.
I am going to create a Fire fox bookmark folder and call it Writing Aids with these links in so I don't have to find them all again Its just 1 Click then to great writing.
You are all Awesome
Have the Best Day ever
Warmest Regards
Ian UK
Hey Ian,
Here's another one for your bookmarks - handpicked especially for you from our discussion at the SSWT Forum:
http://www.clicknewz.com/1639/secret-to-writing-great-content/
Enjoy! 😉