Wired to Write

E-mail Subscription Option Now Available

2009-05-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

When I announced that I was moving this content to Wordpress, I didn't have the e-mail subscription option set up.

It's ready now, and I invite you to go to Wired to Write, Wordpress version, and sign up. The link is on the right-hand side at the top of the sidebar.

I've recently added posts about Windows Live Mail and FeedDemon that may be of interest to you.

Moved to New Location

2009-05-07T12:02:00.003-05:00

I started this blog on Wordpress because I liked the static page feature. I transferred it to Blogger last fall, because I was more familiar with Blogger, and I thought it was easier to use for regular posting.

The decision to go back to Wordpress came about just in the past couple of weeks, and it doesn't have much to do with Blogger's ease of use. I still think it's easiest for a beginning blogger. Many professional writers use Wordpress and host their own sites. I chose to transfer to Wordpress because I want to follow the model established by other writers.

Eventually, I will combine all my blogs and my Web site (www.emilyakin.com) using Wordpress to do the design. Right now, I use Front Page 2000 to design my site and the site for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Designers proficient in Front Page can do wonders with it. See what John Dunker does with it. He is proficient in Front Page and regularly designs sites for churches and businesses.

City of South Fulton
Obion County Public Library

For a writer like me (who doesn't want to design sites for a living), Front Page is not that hard to learn, but it's hard to keep your proficiency level when you don't use it all the time. And, I have to deal with the hosting details. When I set up Wordpress with private hosting, I'll be working with a hosting company that knows Wordpress and can help me when I get stuck. More details on this at some point in the future.

Meanwhile, the URL of this same blog on Wordpress is www.wired2write.wordpress.com. I don't have e-mail subscription set up yet, but you can subscribe by RSS feed now.

Online Video Help for Beginners

2009-04-29T15:40:00.010-05:00

Are you new to the Internet? E-mail? Blogging? Need to learn how to follow other people's blogs with RSS Readers? Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, don't worry. There's Butterscotch.com, a site that provides a number of online video tutorials to help you learn what you need to know to be a more informed Wired Writer.

For e-mail, there are tutorials on Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo. If you've heard Mozilla Firefox mentioned as a great alternative to Windows Explorer Web browser but didn't know how to find out about it, there's a tutorial for that. Learn how to follow blogs on with the RSS Feeds and Google Reader lesson. Social networking is covered, too. Take your own personal beginner course for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Visit the tutorial page to see the rest.

Butterscotch's sales pitch for the tutorials says: "Butterscotch tutorials are your step-by-step guide to maximizing your tech potential. Our tutorials offer tips and tricks explained in plain English, without the jargon. Short, sweet and to the point, we offer practical PC advice you can start using right away to save time, money and headaches. We help you get the most out of your computer and gadgets."

There's no time like the present, so link on over to Butterscotch tutorials right now and try it out. Be sure to turn your audio on. Not only will you get to watch each step, you have an instructor describing it throughout. If you don't see the play bar for the video, mouse over the bottom of the video box and the play bar will appear. You can adjust volume some there, too. If you have difficulty and/or have questions, feel free to e-mail me at akinemily(a)gmail.com.

Got a Blog?

2009-04-14T16:24:00.011-05:00

Writers aspiring to publication know they should have a Web site, but most don't even think about having a blog. The Web site doesn't necessarily have to come first. While there are other ways to have a free online presence, a blog is probably the easiest.

I have four blogs of my own, plus I do the blog for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. My marketing blog has a post about blogging which went up today. Link over to my marketing blog, read the latest post and spend some time browsing the older posts for marketing ideas. Then check out the others, Tennessee Christian Reader, which is a book review blog, and my devotional journal.

If you have a Google or Gmail account, you can start blogging on Blogger right away. There are several designs to choose from. Some of the blogs I follow use Blogger and add their own unique design. This blog is a basic Blogger design with my own graphics in the heading. Others get really creative with their designs, still using Blogger:

Kathy Carlton Willis Communications
Little Nuances by Lee Warren
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
The Writing Life by Terry Whalin

Get started blogging today! Set it up and practice until you're ready to let the public know about it. Meanwhile, I invite you to subscribe to any and all of my blogs.

Free Web Sites Revisited

2009-04-05T14:57:00.007-05:00

Last fall, I posted my evaluations of free Web site services, Tripod, Freewebs, and Blinkweb. You might want to review those posts before continuing this one:

http://wired2write.blogspot.com/2008/09/free-web-site-offerings-part-one.html

http://wired2write.blogspot.com/2008/09/free-web-site-offerings-part-two.html

Since then, I’ve worked with Tripod, Freewebs, and Blinkweb to the point that I’m ready to make a recommendation on which one I think is the best choice for a freelance writer wanting a brochure-style site with a blog attached. But, first I have to tell you about a new one I encountered.

Recently, I learned about Viviti, which, unlike Freewebs and Tripod, offers sites with no ads on your display. I set up my own experimental free site and have fiddled with it a bit. Take a look: http://emilyakin.viviti.com/. The templates are creative and colorful, but I found the sitebuilder hard to manage. Also, I wanted to put a bulleted list in my blog post, and I could not find that feature. I became frustrated all too easily while trying to set up my simple experimental posts. The design choices are acceptable, but I just don’t think a novice website builder will find this one user-friendly.

So---back to the others I previously evaluated. I’ve totally ruled out Tripod, because the ads are just too intrusive. Here’s my test site: http://emilyakin.tripod.com/. I really like the design templates in Blinkweb, which features no ads. However, I found the site-builder just a bit less frustrating than Viviti’s. Take a look at my Blinkweb site: http://emilyakin.blinkweb.com/.

Drum roll, please! Now we come to my final recommendation. For someone wanting a simple site with plenty of design choices, a blog, and an intuitive sitebuilder, Freewebs is the way to go. Actually, the name has been changed to simply Webs.com. I’ve worked more with Freewebs, because I have my own experimental site at http://www.freewebs.com/emilyakin/ and another site for my music club at http://www.freewebs.com/philharmonicmusicguild/.

The Freewebs text editor works much like a word processor and has more design features than the other free sites mentioned above. Also, you can now have a blog with Freewebs. The Freewebs ads are less intrusive than Tripod, and you can get rid of them entirely if you want to go upgrade to paid plan, about $10 a month, as is the case with all of the free sites.

Keep in mind that you do get more features and benefits with a paid plan, but, for a freelance writer establishing his or her first Web site, Freewebs is the way to go. Play around with it and be creative, but keep it business-like. Choose a design with no graphics or with graphics that suggest you are a serious writer. Pass up the cutesy designs and any add-ons that distract from your message.

If you're a writer aspiring to publication, you need a Web site, so go on over to Freewebs right now and get started. It's free, and nobody knows it's there unless you tell them. Keep it under wraps until you're ready for your grand opening.

E-mail: Webmail or Outlook?

2009-03-25T16:25:00.012-05:00

Do you prefer webmail or an e-mail client like Outlook? Do you use an e-mail address associated with your Web site? I use both webmail and Outlook, but I am no longer using the e-mail addresses that come with my Web site. I'll share the reason for that in a minute, but, first, I want to cover the pros and cons for webmail and Outlook.

Webmail: I've tried Yahoo, Hotmail (Windows Live), Gmail, Mail.com, Lycos, and AOL webmails. They all work pretty much the same except for Gmail, which has a totally different operational model. All are free services, so you can sign up for an account and try them out. Gmail is the only one that allows you to send and receive from Outlook or other e-mail clients without paying for the privilege. Just sign up for the free Gmail account and go the Help section to see how easy it is. The others can be set up in Outlook only if you pay a fee of anywhere from $9.99 a year to $19.99 a year.

The biggest drawback for webmail, in my opinion, is the fact that your info is not on your computer. If your ISP goes down, you can't get to your messages until it comes back. The biggest drawback, though, also offers a perk. I use one of my webmail accounts to store backups of my drafts of writing projects in the works. If I should lose the file or if my computer totally crashes, my Word documents are safely stored in an archive file in my webmail account (free backup). I do use other backup methods, but this is quick and easy for work in progress.

Originally, I went exclusively to webmail e-mail addresses because I live in a peculiar spot for Internet service, and I changed services almost once a year for a while. Each time I changed, I would have to change my e-mail address on all my accounts and send out that dreaded message telling everyone to change my e-mail address in their address books. Now that use webmail addresses only, it doesn't matter what ISP I use. I never have to change my e-mail address again.

Outlook: I prefer Outlook when I have a lot going on, because I can work on messages offline and go online for sending/receiving. If you have a dependable high-speed connection, this might not matter so much to you, but I've never had an Internet service provider that was 100% dependable. It's easier to keep your files organized and search for messages. Also, recently, I downloaded an update for my browser which caused a major conflict with my firewall. The result was very slow performance on webmail until I was able to solve the problem. I could still work on my e-mail in Outlook and send it independent of my browser during this time.

If you use e-mail addresses provided by your ISP, you can probably choose to use their webmail or set up in Outlook. I stopped using my e-mails provided by my hosting service because a friend of mine had her e-mail hijacked and her Web site was shut down for a long period of time while she was proving she was not the person doing the questionable stuff with her e-mail address and domain name. That's the one and only reason I stopped using my domain name's address, but there is also the possibility at some point that I would want to drop my hosting account. At that point, I would lose my e-mail addresses anyway.

I chose Gmail for most messages, mainly because I could use it Outlook without paying for that feature. However, I recently discovered that Hotmail (Windows Live) accounts can be synched with Outlook 2003 or 2007 if you own the Microsoft Office package. I recently purchased MS Office Small Business 2007, and I was able to set up my Hotmail (Windows Live) account in Outlook 2007 using a free download called Outlook Connector.

Now, I use my Gmail account for my writing projects and for my work with Kentucky Christian Writers Conference while I reserve my Hotmail account for personal messages. It takes a little effort to get it set up, but, when I need to concentrate on work, I check only the Gmail messages. When I have time to do personal messages, I go to the Hotmail folder without having to access the webmail. It's great. I highly recommend that, if you have MS Office in one of the newer versions and a Hotmail or Windows Live webmail account, you get the Outlook Connector. You can still use the webmail when you want.

Submission Tracking Methods

2009-02-24T16:12:00.013-06:00

Freelance writers need to track their submissions to print and online publications. I’ve always used a card file, because I could keep it handy on my desk, and the box was not subject to computer crashes or lightning strikes. Thinking I should probably be tracking on the computer instead, I have checked into various ways of tracking submissions electronically. Here’s what I’ve found and what I think about each option.

Microsoft Excel File (Spreadsheet): I set up a table in landscape view with header row containing these labels: Article/Story, Publication, Contact, Word Limit, Pays, Date Sent, Response In (time period stated in guidelines), Number of Pages, Postage (if any), Reply Expected, Responded on (date), Accepted (date), Amount Paid, Date Paid, and Notes. Once my file was set up, I just entered the data for each submission when I sent it out. When I got a reply, I’d update the listing. This works pretty well for tracking your income for the year as well as keeping up with your submissions, but you have to know how to use the spreadsheet software.

On the “pro” side, this is highly customizable. I can add columns any time I want, and it’s easy to sort by title or by date. If I’m selling reprints, I can sort by title and see at a glance how many times a piece has been submitted and to what markets. It’s easy to backup just by sending the file to my webmail and storing in the archive folder. The single “con” for this method is that I have to remember to back it up regularly.

I'm willing to share my Excel template with anyone who e-mails me and asks for it.

Writer’s Market Online Submission Tracker: The online version of Writer’s Market published by Writers’ Digest contains a section entitled “My Manuscripts.” This replaces the submission tracker that was offered before a recent upgrade. See FAQs.

I never considered using this feature because I may decide to let my subscription lapse, and I don’t want to have to go online every time I want to check submission details. I only mentioned it because I want to make you aware of it. It's possible that the newer version is downloadable, too. I have not checked on that.

Free Submission Tracking Software: I recently downloaded Sonar to see if it would work any better than my home-made Excel file. The headings in the database are less detailed than in my Excel file. Header row contains: Title, Latest News, Sold, Published, Income, Words, and a large empty cell for whatever other notes you’d want to make. It might work well for you if you aren't handy with a spreadsheet. I think there's plenty of room in the Notes section to add any details that aren't included in the default categories. It's free, so why not check it out.

Life Journal Software: I recently purchased Life Journal for Writers from the Life Journal site. A submissions category is included in the package, and you can track your submissions from Life Journal. My problem with this is that I have a lot of previously submitted material, and I don't want to copy and paste all of the content into Life Journal just so I can track it. You can download the trial version of whichever edition you want to try. After the trial period, you can purchase it or let it go. The developers periodically offer a free webinar on how to use the software. It's worth taking the time to try it.

My Preference: I'm sticking with my file box, but I want to eventually have everything in my file box entered into my Excel file. That way, if the box is destroyed, my backup of the Excel file will be in the archive folder in my webmail.

Comments are welcomed on this blog. If you know of another method, please share it by commenting on this post.

Office 2007 - Bamboo Fun Evaluation

2009-02-17T09:08:00.014-06:00

In my last post, I mentioned some new software and gadgets that I've been working with. MS Office 2007 is a bit frustrating because I had been using Office 2000 for such a long time. My biggest problem is, when I'm in a hurry, I often can't find the command I need. I am especially bothered by Word's table formatting in the new version. However, the Help file usually does---well, help, although you get better quality help if you're online when you access it. More later on Office 2007.

I used a Christmas gift card to buy the Bamboo Fun because a friend told me he got one as a Christmas gift. The cheaper Bamboo does everything the Bamboo Fun does except that it does not have an accompanying mouse. I chose the more expensive model because I needed a new mouse anyway.

This is one of those situations where what works for most people does not work for everyone. I use my mouse with my left hand, but I write with my right hand. I intended to use the mouse with left hand and pen tablet with right hand. Picture it. I'm sitting at my desk with both hands going...vroom, vroom! Well, you can't do that with the Bamboo mouse because the mouse has to rest on the pen tablet. You can't use the pen and the mouse at the same time. The good news is that the mouse does not require batteries. The bad news is that it isn't as agile as my regular mouse, so I should have gotten the regular Bamboo. I can use my other mouse with left hand and the Bamboo pen with right hand, but that means two mouse pad spaces on my work area.

The pen tablet feature works with Corel Painter which comes with the package. I insert here my signature done with Corel Painter and saved as jpg.

I can insert this image in any document I want, which is a neat feature. I thought that I would be able to use the pen feature on all Word 2007 documents as in a tablet notebook computer. I think it works automatically with Windows Vista. However, to use the pen feature in Office 2007 while running Windows XP Professional, you have to purchase additional software called JustWrite. The free download is good for 30 days. Then it's $29.95 for the license.

I have not figured out how to use the pen feature with Outlook 2007. I'm not even sure it's possible if you run Vista. I can, however, insert my signature jpg above in my e-mail messages.

Included in the Bamboo Fun package is photo editing software which I have not experimented with at all. Maybe I can find time to tinker with that and let you know what I think.

So----is the Bamboo Fun worth the $80 or $100 (depending on which model you choose)? I'm not sure yet. Since I haven't even tried the photo editing features, perhaps I shouldn't make a final judgment on whether this was a wise purchase. However, right now, I have to decide whether to pay the extra $30 for JustWrite in order to use it with MS Office. I have two days to decide.

I hope my observations are helpful to someone else who's considering purchasing Bamboo. I welcome comments from others who've used this product.

New Year, New Computer Stuff

2009-01-06T18:32:00.008-06:00

Online groups and some blogs have alerted me to potential security problems with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (which I really liked), so I have switched to Mozilla Firefox Web browser. Some of my friends were already using Firefox, having been told that it was more secure than IE.

I switched a couple of weeks ago, and, so far, Firefox is fine. I do think it's a little faster than IE. The bookmark process is different, so I had a bit of a learning curve there. On IE7, I used the Favorites menu feeds feature to track my RSS feeds. I didn't immediately find a similar feature on Mozilla, so I just transferred all my feeds to Google Reader. If you have Gmail, you don't need a new password to use Reader.

I spent my Christmas cash on MS Office 2007 Small Business, so I now have the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook. Another learning curve! I still haven't found all my favorite commands on Word. I tried importing my RSS feeds into Outlook, but I didn't like it as much as I like Google Reader. The updating process seemed to slow down my e-mail delivery. With Google Reader, I can stay logged in as long as I'm online and check periodically for updates.

Also, I got a Bamboo Fun input device for Christmas. I've installed it and fiddled around with it some, but I'm still really in the dark as to what this gadget will do for me. More on that later, I guess.

Following Blogs

2008-11-12T10:02:00.023-06:00

Today, I decided to count the number of blogs I'm currently following. The total number is 41! And it doesn't take as much time as you might think.

If you are a writer, there are some publishing industry blogs that you really should follow. I won't share my entire list, but here are the ones I find most valuable for myself as a Christian writer.

Sally Stuart (Christian Writers' Market Guide): http://stuartmarket.blogspot.com/

Jim Watkins (Author, Editor, Speaker): http://jameswatkins.wordpress.com/

Terry Whalin (Author, Agent): http://terrywhalin.blogspot.com/

Michael Hyatt (CEO Thomas Nelson Publishing): http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/

Christian Authors Network: http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/

Some of my other favorites are:

Lawrence Wilson (Wesleyan Publishing House): http://www.lawrencewilson.com/index.htm

Ron Ovitt's Devotional Blog: http://devog.wordpress.com/

Jerry Brecheisen: http://brecksong.com/

When I talk to other writers about following blogs, they often ask me how I find time to follow so many. I use the feeds feature in Internet Explorer 7 favorites menu. There's a tour of the feature on the Microsoft site. What I really like about this method is that I can see my whole list of blogs at once. The blog names that have updated material appear in bold type. I check my favorites first, and, if I run out of time, I come back later to check the others. Information on how Mozilla Firefox's readers are here.

If you use an older version of Internet Explorer, you should be able to upgrade to IE7 on the Microsoft site. I don't use Mozilla Firefox myself, so I don't know whether you can upgrade from older versions or not.

The only downside of following blogs on your Web browser is that you can't access your list from other computers. Next post, I'll discuss some of the online feed aggregators I've tried.

Meanwhile, feel free to comment on this post and share any knowledge you might have on this subject. I invite you to subscribe, too.

What Is a Wired Writer?

2008-10-20T04:16:00.015-05:00

I thought a "wired writer" was a writer who was well-connected...to the Internet, I mean. It's a writer who has e-mail and knows how to use it, who also knows his/her way around the Web. Maybe it could also refer to writers who are so out of practice journaling by hand that they can no longer read their own writing. I suppose it could refer to a writer whose "posterior" is wired to their office chair.

I first encountered the term on the Web site of Jim Watkins, popular writers' conference speaker, writer, editor, humorist, and threat to society (his words). Jim is wired to the hilt, because his Web site/blog contains a wealth of information on writing and using the Internet to enhance the same.

It comes as no surprise that a genuine wired writer spends a lot of time on the computer. Now, I find out that there's a condition known as Wired Writer's Syndrome. See Absolute Write Web site for a complete definition. I think I may be showing symptoms.

According to Absolute Write, a wired writer is well on his/her way to publishing success. If you aren't wired to write, it's time to remedy that. Whether you write for personal reasons or for publication, you'll be able to organize and disseminate your writing better if you're wired.

Update on Doing My Own Website/Blogs

2008-10-06T00:05:00.003-05:00

I've been pretty busy this month re-doing my own site at http://www.emilyakin.com/ and the site for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. I'm using Front Page 2000, and I've forced myself to learn more about it as I've re-designed my site with essentially the same structure. I managed to find a nice image to use along with my new portrait. Since I don't use nail polish, I didn't want the fingers on the keyboard to be "painted." I had a hard time finding a keyboard with typing fingers that were, shall we say, gender neutral. You may have noticed that I used the same image in the header for this blog that I used on my Web site.

I started from scratch with the Ky Christian Writers site. The theme for the writers conference is "Publish His glorious deeds among the nations" Psalm 96:3 (NLT). The print logo used by the group has a globe and a book with the Bible verse superimposed. I wanted to keep the concept but have more color and depth for the Web site design. I searched for a free graphic on the Web and found one that's just right. I set up the banner in Publisher 2000, copied and pasted into Ulead photo software and converted it to a jpg. Once I had the banner, it was just a matter of plugging it in and setting up the rest of the page. I'll admit, I did have to get professional help at one point.

I used the same banner on http://www.kychristianwriters.blogspot.com/ to provide continuity between the two sites. If you're at all interested in writers conferences, please subscribe to the KCWC blog, and maybe we'll see you at the conference next year.

I'm doing OK with Front Page, but I would not have gone out and bought it to do these sites. I want to do more research on the Wordpress version that you download onto your computer. This version requires a hosting account, and therefore is not free. Supposedly, though, you get a lot more functions with that version.

News flash: I just found a great article on Web sites for writers on the Writer's Digest site. Be sure to check it out, especially if you don't already have a site or if you're thinking of changing your current arrangement.

Free Web Site Offerings: Part Two

2008-09-04T12:06:00.004-05:00

I had more to say than on this subject that I originally thought, so I divided the free site evaluations into two posts. See last post.

Blinkweb: Visit http://business.blinkweb.com/ and try out the Demo first. You’ll get to set up a trial site without setting up username and password. However, if you want to publish your trial site to the Web, you’ll have to set up the username and password at the end of the process. It’s free, and you can set up as many sites as you want. I love the design of the site I created. Check it out at . There’s a blog feature, also free, explained on this page, http://blog.blinkweb.com/. There are NO ads, if you noticed when you visited my Blinkweb site.

EZ-Christian Hosting/Highpowersites.com: I’ve mentioned this company in previous posts, but I’m repeating myself because I was so impressed with it. There is no free plan with this company, but they do offer a free 10-day trial of the website builder. No obligation, no credit card required, no setup fee. The designs are very professional, and the web-builder is easy to use, although there are layout limitations that come with any online web-design package. The deal-breaker for most people will be the cost of this plan, about $17 a month. It does, however, offer many features that the free sites (and cheaper plans) don’t offer.

Decision Time

I think a writer who wants to be taken seriously by publishers should have a well-designed site with NO ads. The content of your site depends on what you want to do with your writing, but the design and appearance of your site is what comprises that critical first impression. You have about 20 seconds to catch your visitor’s attention and make him/her want to stay around to find out what you have to say. A gaggle of ads and an amateurish design will announce that you don’t take your work seriously enough to invest in a professional-looking site.

Blinkweb is the only free plan that does not mention upgrades to a paid plan. That means you’ll always be limited to what they offer for free, or you’ll have to go to another company. The upgrades on Tripod and Freewebs are very affordable. I suggest you try one or more for yourself. Only you can decide what’s best for you.

Bonus link:
Tiffany Amber Miller offers three articles on websites for writers on the Christian Authors Network blog:

http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/tiffany_amber_miller_stockton/

Free Web Site Offerings - Part One

2008-09-03T10:12:00.010-05:00

In my last post, I promised to review the free Web site offerings that I have tried out. Since I tried several services, I will break it up into two posts. This time I'll evaluate http://www.freewebs.com/ and http://www.tripod.com/ free web-site builders. Next time, I'll give feedback on the web-builder offered at http://www.ezchristianhosting.com/ and http://business.blinkweb.com/.

My criteria for judging the free services are pretty simple.

How easy is it to use?
How intrusive are the inevitable ads that will appear on the site?
Is there an opportunity to upgrade to a paid version with more features and no ads?

Freewebs: I set up a site for my music club using this one.

http://www.freewebs.philharmonicmusicguild.com/

I like the quality and variety of designs that are available. However, I wanted to put a table on the schedule page, and I couldn’t immediately figure out how to do it. That’s why the schedule is basically paragraph text. The ads are not intrusive at all, so I give Freewebs high marks on this. They do offer upgrade options that remove the ads as low as $4.16 a month or $49.95 a year.

Tripod: Ads, ads, ads. Take a look at my free site at http://emilyakin.tripod.com/. Then, go to http://www.tripod.com/, get a username and password (which also works for Lycos webmail), and try it out. The upgrades begin at $4.95 a month with a $10 setup fee. All upgrades will remove the ads from the page, which is, I think, extremely distracting. Once you have you’ve set up your account, you can experiment with the web-builder and browse the various offerings.

Disclaimer: If you sign up for the free version of these services, you will be able to play around with the web-builder and the designs at no cost. When you begin to look at upgrading, though, please read all the fine print. Sometimes, to get the lowest cost, you have to pay for a full year in one payment. Neither of the services above asks for credit card information. Also, if you are on dial-up Internet service, you'll find it hard to use the web-builders because it will take a long time for the page to load each time you update and save your work.

More in the next post. Meanwhile, I invite you to comment or subscribe.

Websites for Writers: Web-site Builders

2008-08-27T14:24:00.015-05:00

Most writers wanting to be published need to have some type of site or blog to establish their online presence. Most also want to minimize the cost. I wanted to research what's available either free or at minimal cost, so I started by analyzing my own situation and looking for what's best for me. I learned a lot along the way, and I'll share what I learned in the next couple of posts.

To do your own site, you need hosting and you need software to design your site. I have been designing and updating my own site for several years using Microsoft Front Page 2000. My initial cost for the software was substantial at the time, but I have not updated it since...well...2000, and it still does what I need. I use http://www.ezchristianhosting.com/ at $4.95 a month, and I have never had a problem with the site being down or with their support. Most of the time, support gets my problem solved within a couple of hours. The only times that it has taken longer than that were when there was a wait time for the servers to update certain processes.

I've been envious of some other writers, though, who have their sites professionally designed. Examples: Mary Yerkes, Ginny Smith, Cecil Murphey.

So, I decided to check out the website builder offered by EZ Christian Hosting. They offer a 10- day free trial, so I took them up on the offer. The designs they offer are awesome, just what I thought I wanted, but I had trouble finding a theme I thought would be good for a writer-editor. Also, I realized I wouldn't have as much flexibility with my layout with the site-builder. If I chose to convert my site to their web-builder plan, I would be paying $17 a month rather than $4.95. I do highly recommend taking a free trial, though. And, if you don't have design software on your computer, you will have to use a web-builder or buy software.

I also tried the new website service offered by Vistaprint. Here's what my trial site looks like:

http://www.emilyakin.vpweb.com/

With Vistaprint, you can start out at $4.95 a month for a 3-page site and upgrade to higher-priced plans depending on your needs.

My trial at Vistaprint is good for 30 days, so I'll have to take it down by September 10th, because I've decided to stick with my current arrangement and learn how to better utilize my software. I've redesigned my site from the ground up. It's not finished, but take a look: http://www.emilyakin.com/.

Next post: I'll list the free website services that I tried and provide a short evaluation of each. Subscribe so you won't miss it.

Blogger vs. Wordpress

2008-08-20T11:51:00.005-05:00

For my first blog, I chose Blogger because I knew someone who used it, and I thought it would be easy to get help from my friend if the Help file was not adequate.

I've noticed many other writers like Wordpress or Typepad. My primary criterion was that the blog service be free. Next, I wanted it to be easy to use..."intuitive" in Geek-speak. Typepad costs, or at least it did when I was doing my evaluation, so I didn't even consider trying it.

I've decided to stay with Blogger after experimenting with Wordpress. Although Wordpress does have features that Blogger doesn't, I think Blogger is easier to use and has more features that I want for my purposes. There's plenty of help available through the regular Help channel and there's a blog on using Blogger, too.

I've done some research on what others think about this subject. Here's some info that helped me make my decision.

http://pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html

http://www.jonbishop.org/2008/05/blogger-vs-wordpress/

Many writers are using blogs in lieu of a Web site to promote their work. I'm not sure it's a good substitute, but it's working for some people.

Markets-Marketing Resources for Writers

2008-08-11T09:14:00.004-05:00

If you are involved in Christian publishing in any way, you need to own a copy of Sally Stuart's Christian Writers' Market Guide. The book is available on Sally's site shown below. The current edition has a CD with the whole book as PDF or in Word format. Although there is no searchable database, the Word document is searchable using Word's "Find" feature.

Sally Stuart’s Blog and Web Site
http://www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com/
http://www.stuartmarket.com/

Writer’s Market Online: Subscribe and search any time. Not specifically for the Christian market, but includes some Christian titles.
http://www.writersmarket.com/

CBA Bestseller List
http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/documents/BSLs/Top_50.pdf

ECPA Bestseller List
http://www.ecpa.org/bestseller/index.php

Publishers Weekly
http://www.publishersweekly.com/

See my complete list of online resources for writers at http://wired2write.wordpress.com/online-resources-for-christian-writers/.

General Writer Resources

2008-07-29T18:26:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of information for writers on the Internet. The problem is finding what you need, because looking for something on the Net is like looking for that proverbial needle in the haystack. I've found more great resources by listening to other writers than by depending on Google. This is the first installment in a list of resources that I shared with my interest group at KY Christian Writers Conference 2008.

50 Awesome Open Source Resources for Online Writers
http://www.jobprofiles.org/library/students/50_awesome_open_source_resources_for_online_writers.htm

150 Resources to Help You Write Better, Faster, and More Persuasively
http://oedb.org/library/features/150-writing-resources

Writer’s Digest 101 Best Sites for Writers
http://writersdigest.com/101BestSites/

Jim Watkins’ Resources List for Writers
http://watkins.gospelcom.net/manu.htm

Terry Whalin’s Resource Site for Writers
http://www.right-writing.com/

Online Resources for Christian Writers

2008-07-28T19:27:00.000-05:00

I started this blog on Wordpress, but I'm switching it over to Blogger because I find Blogger easier to use. I have found Wordpress to be much less intuitive than Blogger. Please link to my former blog for a list of resources while I work on transferring the info over.

http://wired2write.wordpress.com/online-resources-for-christian-writers/

Please subscribe to this blog, as I will post new info whenever I encounter a neat new site or service for Christian writers.