Category Archives: Wordpress.com

WordPress.com, I don’t like this page after publishing!

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OK, I can’t hold myself back any longer. I love WordPress and use it for all my blogging needs, but I don’t like the relatively new feature whereby after you publish your new blog post, instead of being taken back to the editor, you are taken to a page that looks like this:

Why don’t I like this page? Well, most importantly, I don’t like it because 99% of the time I must go back into the editor to make some final changes to my post. So that means you are taking me away from where I need to be.

I also don’t like it because you’re trying to motivate me with your “goals” talk but it’s BS because you don’t know my goals and you’re a machine. Seriously!

Finally, you’re offering me all these options I don’t need. I suppose the share buttons are a nice touch, and maybe you can integrate them into the regular editor page once a piece is published, but I could add tags when I’m in the editor, which is where I’d really love to be right after I publish a post. I don’t need a special page for that.

So, please, when you next upgrade wp.com, please get rid of this feature!

Thanks,
One of your biggest fans

Embedding stuff in wordpress.com

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It is amazing how many different types of content one can embed just in wordpress.com (meaning, without having the option to add any extra features/plugins). The following are all embedded just by pasting the links/HTML code into the Visual editor of this post.

Don’t forget to unlink the links so that the image will work.

A YouTube video:

A Vimeo video:

A Google Map! (Paste HTML code into the Visual editor, NOT into the HTML editor.)


View Larger Map

A Google Doc (copy iframe into visual editor)

Where is my WordPress/Akismet API key?

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The API key is needed when activating Akismet in WordPress.org. So basically, anyone with a WordPress.org site will still need to sign up to WordPress.com to get an API key.

(Akismet is a must-have, automatically installed plugin that stops spam comments before they reach you.)

Anyway, I just spent 10 minutes searching for mine. Every search I did, in Google or in the WordPress forums, brought me to the same useless article (useless considering what I was trying to do). So let me quickly tell you how to find your API key. This assumes you already have a WordPress.com account – if you don’t, go to the “useless” article which won’t feel so useless anymore).

Note: Your API key is nowhere to be found in your WordPress.com dashboard (even if someone tries to tell you otherwise). So you can stop looking now.

Way #1

Probably the easiest way to find your API key is to do a search in your email. You were emailed the key when you first signed up to WordPress.com.

The other way

  1. Click on this link.
  2. Enter the email address connected with your WordPress.com account.
  3. Click “Continue.”
  4. Check your email.

That is the easiest way to retrieve it.

And where does it go?

In the sidebar of your WordPress.org dashboard, under Plugins, click on Akismet Configeration.

There you’ll see a field where you copy in your API key.

And that’s it!

The new contact form on WordPress.com

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I just started using the contact form available on wordpress.com with a click of a button. It’s attractive, unbelievably easy to use and well, supposedly it’s been available for a while and I didn’t even know about it!

Laugh at me if you want but when there is something going on at wordpress.com and I don’t even know about it, it’s disconcerting! I can’t help but wonder, “What else am I missing out on?!”

Until now you had to use shortcode in order to insert this contact form. Are there other funky things you can do on your WP blog if only you know the correct code?

Ah!

Here is the button you now click to easily insert a contact form into a post or page:

Anyway, so far I’m using the form in three places. On this website for contact, on HaBitza for contact and on HaBitza to ask my dating advice (I might take that down if I don’t feel like giving advice in the end:). Here is what it looks like:

Zemanta – a new wordpress.com feature

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This is the first post I’m writing using Zemanta. It’s a new feature on wordpress.com that helps you jazz up your posts. On the right of the post you will be able to see automatically generated ideas of pictures and other things you can add to the post. I am curious to see how it works though I must say I am not holding my breath. I will be very surprised if it gives me anything to add…

OK, it’s recommending a Zemanta link and a wordpress.com link. Cool! It automatically made the words Zemanta and wordpress.com into links!

I suppose it’s worth activating to play around with it and then you’ll see if it’s helpful, neutral or plain old annoying. In the case of annoying, you can just unclick the feature.

OK. Go to your dashboard and click on “Users” then click on “Personal settings.” Find Zemanta and check it off. Save changes. Go back there if you want to deactivate it.

Enjoy!

WordPress.com: When I put up a new post, can the email that goes out be a shortened version of the post?

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Question: I’d prefer to send out only the beginning of blog posts so that people have to go to the site to read the post. Otherwise I assume that I’m not generating hits. Unless you know if by opening the email that would count as a hit (that doesn’t make sense though).

Answer: Fuggetaboutit. In WordPress.com, as far as I am aware, there is no such option to specialize the email that goes out. But there is another issue here of wanting to generate traffic and feeling like a reader who only read your stuff in an email is a waste of a reader.

Best to get rid of that way of thinking, IMHO. Think about it. What if you had 1000 people signed up to your blog to receive updates by email? Would that not be awesome? You are not the first to ask this question, of course. There is an ongoing discussion online of, is a reader a worthwhile reader if they don’t click on your blog and my opinion is that yes, they are.

First of all, if you want clicks because you’re hoping to make your millions through your blog, you’ve gotta get rid of those expectations. One has to work LOOOOONG and HAAAAARD to make money from a blog. Right now (and always) you need to focus on writing the blog because you love what you’re writing about and you want to share your thoughts with others who might benefit from it.

And that goal is reached no matter if they read your blog on a bog, in a boat, on an airplane or on a goat.

I know, it still doesn’t feel totally right. I mean, hits is like the online currency. But also think about it this way: Both go up at the same time. If people like your blog, some will sign up for email updates because that is your preference and some will stop by because that is their preference. And, those who are signed up for emails will stop by when they want to comment.

One more thing: Clicks may be gold online but it is ease of use and convenience that keeps people coming back. Make your site annoying to use, people might like the content but will feel like you’re manipulating them in some way. You’ve gotta be nice to your readers. And being nice means creating a place to click when it’s good for them.

A newsletter would be different. If you were to send out a monthly newsletter with the highlights of your blog, then you wouldn’t include everything at once. But for regular blog updates, I think the way WordPress.com currently does it is best.

WordPress.com: How do I know who has signed up for email updates?

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I kept forgetting where to get this info because it didn’t seem logical to me. But now I remember. :)

Under “Dashboard” is “Blog Stats.” Click on the stats and then scroll to the bottom. Under “Email subscribers” is “Blog” and next to that is a number that is a link. Click on that link and you’ll get what is probably a loooooooooong list of all the people subscribed to your blog.

Well, maybe it isn’t that long yet but hopefully soon it will be.

Welcome, oh welcome!

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You keep thinking you want a web presence but the thought of having to figure out exactly how to do it, scares you off. It’s on your “to-do” list, maybe even in the top three, but it gets pushed off for months because you just can’t face it.

Or…

You already have a web presence but it needs some clean-up. You already use WordPress and Facebook and Twitter but need to become more active online in order to keep your audience. You also want to be sure people are clear on the services you provide. You want people to find you if they search for key words.

The blog is the perfect centre for your online presence. It is where everything meets. It is where people get a bit of a feel for who you are. It is where people find out where else you are present online.

I can help you with all of that.

Oh, you can’t afford a fully individualized blog? I help you build your blog on a limited budget. I teach you from scratch how to use WordPress.com so you can have a totally functional blog. And you’ll know how to use it after I’m done with you. : )

So, welcome, oh welcome!

Photo by mckaysavage on flickr.