How often do you use the Reader on WordPress? Do you use it for anything else besides reading the posts of the blogs you follow?
If you answered no, read on because there are some excellent WordPress Reader features you could be missing.
Have you used these impressive features on offer on the WordPress Reader?
Have you ever noticed the WordPress Reader menu?
I don’t use the WordPress Reader much. However, I use the WordPress Reader menu because it contains great features every blogger should consider.
Have you tried the WordPress Reader menu?
Let’s take a look at each feature.
Following – This is the one the majority of us know. It shows the latest blog posts from the blogs we follow, plus a list of how long ago these posts were published. You can also manage the blogs you follow by clicking the ‘Manage’ button. Click here for more details.
Conversations: Clicking on this button lets you read and reply to your conversations in one place. WordPress posts you’ve liked or commented on will appear when they have new comments. You can follow or unfollow a conversation using the ellipsis menu (the three dots to the right of a title) in the reader.
Of course, you can also view when somebody replies to your comment in the notification centre of your blog, but what I like about the Conversations button is that you can also load and view other readers’ comments.
Conversations all in one place!
You can also leave further comments on posts you’ve already commented on. The comments sections of many blogs are a wonderful source of ideas for new blog posts.
Lists: This is the place to create lists of the blogs you love reading the most. However, it’s important to note that you must be logged into WordPress to view lists.
I think this is the best feature and have created two lists (so far) – ‘Favourite Blogs’ and ‘Blogging Tips’ blogs.
To create a new list, click ‘Create new list‘ and give your list a title.
Click the Manage button (the small cog) to access the menu of the list you’ve created.
Click the cog to open up more options.
You’ll see a menu across the top – Details – Sites – Export – Delete.
Check out the tabs on the menu.
Let’s have a look at what each tab does.
Details – on this tab, you can do the following –
Name your list.
Decide who can view the list (visibility).
Describe what the list is about.
Remember to click the ‘Save‘ button when making any changes.
Sites – click this tab to add blogs to your list.
To add a blog, type the name in the search box and click the add button next to the blog you want to add.
Search for the blogs you want to add to your lists.
Click the Remove button to remove a blog from the list.
I recommend that everyone creates a ‘Favourite Blogs’ list that contains the blogs you enjoy reading the most. I agree that those blogs already appear on your WordPress Reader, but not all the blogs I follow are ones I want to read whenever a new post is published.
How do other bloggers view and follow the lists I’ve created?
First and most importantly, they must be logged into WordPress to follow and view your lists.
Ensure you have selected the ‘Everyone can view this list‘ option of the list you want to share with your readers.
Copy and paste the slug of the list to the end of your reader URL.
Share the new URL of your list with your followers. You can do this at the bottom of blog posts or your ‘about’ page (like I did at the bottom of this post).
A follow button will appear on your list when they open it. They need to click the follow button to follow your list.
New blog posts on your list will also appear on their WordPress Reader.
You can also grab the URL from your browser in the list editor. However, remove the ‘/edit’ from the URL before sharing it.
There is a downside to sharing lists via the above methods in that there is no option to open lists in a new window. Therefore, lists will open on the same page, and the reader will lose the page they are reading.
To get around this. I recommend you create a pingback to your lists (like I have done in this post). Copy and paste the URL address of your list and create a pingback to it.
Click here to learn what a pingback is and how to create one.
Remember that all lists are public to all logged-in WordPress.com users. Visitors who are not logged into WordPress cannot view or follow lists.
Export – You can export the list to use on other services. The file will be in OPML format.
Delete – Click the delete button to delete the list.
Let’s go back to the last button on the WordPress Reader menu.
Tags – When you click this button, a search box opens where you can add tags to find related blog posts from other bloggers. For example, I’ve added the tags’ time travel’ and ‘blogging tips’ to my list to find posts related to those subjects.
When using tags, you don’t need to scroll through long lists of blogs to find relevant content, as all the posts in the search results are relevant to the tag word you entered.
Have you used any of the features I’ve mentioned? Which ones do you use? What are your thoughts about them? Do you have questions about them? Leave them in the comments section.
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My thanks to Terri Webster Schrandt for her help in helping me with this post. Click here to view Terri’s blog.
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However, users must republish posts again to get pingback notifications on the posts published while the problem was ongoing (Feb 23rd – 27th). Please note that when a post is rescheduled or republished, any links to the original post will become broken. So unless it’s essential those pingbacks must appear, I’d recommend not republishing those posts.
The problem was only affecting pingbacks between WordPress. Com blogs. Self-hosted blogs were not affected.
Any questions regarding the recent pingback problem? Leave them in the comments box.
Copyright @ 2023 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.
I’ve been contacted by several bloggers asking the question in the title of this post.
In March 2023, the WordPress app that many of us are familiar with will lose many key features. For example, you’ll no longer be able to access the WordPress Reader or view your blog’s stats.
But fear not because all the features the WordPress app bring have been transferred to the new Jetpack app.
Which app should I use?
Which app should I use?
If you want access to all the WordPress features you’re used to, switch to the new Jetpack app.
If you only want to focus on the basics of writing and publishing and have no interest in your blog stats, notifications of comments, menus and the WordPress Reader (to name a few), stick with the WordPress app.
Can I use both apps?
It’s not recommended that you use both apps. Managing your blog across both apps is unsupported and may lead to issues such as data conflicts. So I’d recommend sticking to one.
What features does the Jetpack app have?
Posts
Pages
Media Library
Comments
Site Settings
Stats
WordPress Reader
Notifications
Activity Log
Jetpack Social
Jetpack Backup
Jetpack Scan
Menus
People
Themes
With the Jetpack app, you’ll benefit from powerful tools to manage and build your blog.
Is the Jetpack app free?
Yes. There are no additional costs for using the Jetpack app.
What features does the WordPress app have?
From March 2023, only the features listed below will be available on the WordPress app.
Posts
Pages
Media library
Comments
Site Settings
How do I make the switch to the Jetpack app?
First, ensure you have the latest version of the WordPress app installed and are logged in to it.
If you’ve had (or get) an email from WordPress asking you to choose which app to use, click the link in the email to download the Jetpack app. If you’ve not had the email, click here to download the Jetpack app.
Once the app has been downloaded, open it, and you’ll be automatically logged in with all your data and settings in place. All your posts, pages, media library and anything else you have on your blog will also be transferred.
Remember to delete the WordPress app.
Any questions about switching to the Jetpack app? Leave them in the comments section.
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Did you know that ChatGPT has now come to WordPress?
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model developed by OpenAI.
It is a state-of-the-art language generation system that can generate human-like text based on the input it receives.
ChatGPT can be used for various applications, including chatbots, language translation, text summarization, blogging and more.
Will ChatGPT destroy blogging?
WordPress has added two new AI blocks to the Block editor. You can find them by searching for ‘AI’ in the block search bar.
AI Blocks on WordPress
While both blocks are currently only experimental, some bloggers have already used them. But what do these blocks do? Let’s take a look at them.
AI Paragraph
Open up a new draft post and title it with a question. Then, in the main body of the post, add the AI Paragraph block. Watch as it writes the first few paragraphs for you.
I asked the AI Paragraph block to write about the benefits of leaving comments on blog posts. This was the result.
Using the AI paragraph block
Interstingly, it stopped midway through a sentence, so I added the block again and got more paragraphs.
Using the AI Paragraph block for the second time
Adding the block again, I got more paragraphs from it.
Third attempt at adding the AI paragraph block
When I added the block for the fourth time, it repeated the text in the previous block.
The AI Paragraph block does exactly what it says it will do – write paragraphs. It won’t write a whole post.
It gives you a few draft paragraphs you can edit and work with. It’s worth noting that this block is currently experimental.
It also works on information contained within a post, which may be why it stopped working after three attempts. If I’d added more text, it would have looked at what I’d added and generated more paragraphs. The more information you give it, the more results you’ll get.
And you don’t need to ask it a question. If you’ve already written a post, add the AI Paragraph block, and it’ll come up with a few more paragraphs.
I also used Grammarly to check for errors and picked up grammar mistakes, suggestions and other errors with the paragraphs the AI block wrote, so it’s not perfect. Here’s what Grammarly picked up.
It’s recommended that you check the text produced by the AI block.
What’s also interesting about the AI Paragraph block is what WordPress say about it.
Caution: The AI paragraph block may be tweaked or removed.
So it may be withdrawn at any time. That may happen, but I believe it’ll only be withdrawn so WordPress can improve what it does.
AI Image
Insert the AI Image block into a post and tell it what images you want to see.
I asked the block to show me images of Autumn in the countryside. These are the results it gave me.
Images found by the AI Image block on WordPress
I don’t know where the AI image block got these images, so copyright issues could exist.
It may have got the images from the free WordPress Image library, but I’m not sure. I’d recommend using free image websites such as Pixabay.Com in the meantime.
I also found the images not to be the best quality. However, remember that the block is currently only experimental, and it may be possible to improve the quality of images with the software you have on your device.
Another concern is that any images you use from the AI Image block are downloaded to your WordPress media library. Again, this causes concerns regarding copyright issues, but remember too that using images from the block will also take up space in your media library.
And like it’s sister block, the AI Image block could be tweaked or removed at any time by WordPress.
Caution: The AI Image block may be tweaked or removed at any time by WordPress.
WordPress has left feedback links on both blocks so users can send feedback.
Is there a way of spotting content created by ChatGPT and AI blocks?
Yes, I believe there is. For example, a sudden change in how often a blogger publishes blog posts.
A user who only publishes a blog post once a month may start publishing content more often, maybe weekly or daily. This could be because they use ChatGPT or the AI block to write content. After all, these pieces of software have been created to save users writing time.
A change in the tone of the content a user usually uses in blog posts may also be a clue. I don’t know about you, but I get used to most bloggers’ writing styles. The style can change over time, but when it suddenly changes, it could signify that they’re using ChatGPT or the AI block to generate content.
You may also see a sudden change in the types of content a blogger publishes in a short space of time. Somebody who writes and publishes blog posts about men’s fashion, suddenly publishing content about the benefits of eating porridge, may have used ChatGPT or the AI block to generate the content.
Does it matter if bloggers use ChatGPT or the AI blocks?
Providing the information is engaging, edited, checked for mistakes and accurate, I see no reason why reading bloggers’ blog posts created with the help of ChatGPT or the AI blocks to produce blog content should matter.
If the content is engaging, it’ll make some readers want to comment.
Will ChatGPT and the AI blocks destroy blogging?
No.
While you may find some generated content uninteresting, the content generated by ChatGPT or the AI block may still be engaging.
Likewise, not all bloggers will use ChatGPT or the AI blocks to generate content. However, some may find it helpful when drafting blog posts.
And like reblogging farms (where the majority of content is reblogged posts), ChatGPT farms will also pop up.
Have I used ChatGPT in any of my blog posts?
Yes, once. The three sentences under my question ‘What is ChatGPT’ (at the beginning of this post) were created using ChatGPT.
The only change I made to the answer the ChatGPT bot gave me was to add the word ‘blogging’ to the last sentence.
Will I use ChatGPT again?
I may use it when I have a question. It acts like Google or other search engines, although only gives one answer. But I won’t use it to write whole blog posts.
Should I feel guilty for using ChatGPT or the AI blocks?
No. After all, many of us use Grammarly or other writing software to check for spelling, grammar and other mistakes. So my published articles have already been created with help from other sources. Likewise, by doing research, I’m getting help writing posts.
What is the future of the AI blocks on WordPress?
Given that ChatGPT is already making a breakthrough, I have no doubt that WordPress (as well as other companies) will use it and offer users ChatGPT blocks.
However, they may charge for using these blocks or make them free to use on specific plans. For example, the blocks may be free to use on the WordPress Premium plan but at additional costs on their free plans. Then again, these blocks may be free to use for all users.
Once the WordPress developers are happy with the performance, these blocks will get a permanent home on WordPress.
What about you? Are you afraid of ChatGPT? When drafting your blog posts, will you use ChatGPT or the WordPress AI blocks? Are you already using them? What have the results been? Why wouldn’t you use them? Do you think ChatGPT and the AI blocks will destroy the art of blogging and writing?
Join the discussion by leaving a comment that I can respond to with more than a ‘thank you.’
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Are you having problems getting people to visit your blog? Craving engagement or more followers? These five blogging tools worked for me. Not only do they give my readers a way of finding more similarly-themed content, but these tools have also helped bring me many new readers and followers.
Why would any blogger want to unsubscribe somebody from following their blog?
After all, we all want more followers, don’t we? However, there are genuine reasons why you should unsubscribe some people from following your blog.
For example, there may be a blogger who is horrified that one of the managers from their office has subscribed. Or a family member has found your blog where you share intense feelings about family and friends.
Then there are the ungenuine followers who only follow your blog in the hope that you’ll visit their blog and buy products you don’t want or need. Are any of them following your blog?
Are there any people following your blog that you don’t want following you? Remove them now.
Why do people follow blogs?
Isn’t it because they enjoy reading the content? Not necessarily, no.
When I began blogging, I asked why some people wanted to follow my blog. For example, why were a womenswear company and a blog that sold coach holidays following my blog?
At the time, I was not writing and publishing any blogging or social media tips, so I could not understand their interest in my content.
They never ‘liked’ or left comments on my blog posts, yet I was still conscious that they were lurking in the background as if waiting for the right moment to pounce on me.
Some of them may have been playing the ‘follow you, so you’ll follow me‘ game, but I soon realised they were interested in taking my or the money of my followers.
At the time, I was delighted with watching the number of followers increase, but there may be occasions when you want to unsubscribe somebody from following your blog.
Here’s how to do it on WordPress.
Ensureyou view your blog’s dashboard in the ‘Default‘ view.
On your blog’s dashboard menu, click on ‘Users.’
Click on Users.
On the Users page, click on Subscribers.
Click the Subscribers link.
You’ll now see a list of all the subscribers to your blog, with the ones who subscribe via email first.
To remove someone from your subscribers’ list, click on the arrow next to their name.
Click the arrow next to the person you want to unsubscribe from your blog.
On the next page, click on the Remove button.
Click the remove button to unsubscribe somebody from following your blog.
They will now be unsubscribed from following your blog or receiving email notifications of new posts.
There is nothing stopping people from still viewing your blog and trying to subscribe again, but you’ll get a notification if they subscribe again.
By unsubscribing them from your blog, they will get no notifications that you have published any new blog posts. Nor will they know that you have unsubscribed them from your blog.
Is there anything else to consider?
Yes. You may also like to remove the same people from your social media accounts.
This is especially important if newly published blog posts are instantly shared on your social media platforms.
Of course, suppose you have reasons for not wanting certain people to discover your blog or social media accounts. In that case, it’s probably better to use a pseudonym and not publish photos of yourself on your blog or social media accounts.
Because I publish many blogging and social media tips, I’m no longer concerned about who follows my blog. However, I will remove or block anyone who tries spamming the comments section on my posts with uninvited links or keeps trying to sell me something I don’t want or need.
Let’s wrap it up.
There are genuine reasons why people want to unsubscribe somebody from following their blog.
Follow the steps in this post to unsubscribe people from following your blog.
Remember to do the same with your social media accounts.
Just as when you unfollow a blog, people you unsubscribe do not get notified that you have unsubscribed them.
Unsubscribing somebody does not mean they can no longer view your blog, but they will stop receiving notifications of any new blog posts you publish.
Consider using a pseudonym on your blog and social media accounts if you don’t want anyone to know your real identity.
Block users you do not want to receive any comments from.
What about you?
Are there any reasons you’d want to unsubscribe somebody from following your blog? Have you ever unsubscribed somebody from following your blog? What are the main reasons why you follow a blog?
Join the discussion by leaving a comment that I can respond to with more than just a ‘thank you.’
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This is an updated version of a post originally published in February 2020.
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How easily can all visitors engage with you on your blog?
Is it as easy as you think it is?
Did you know that you could be preventing some visitors to your blog from leaving you comments?
After receiving an e-mail from Jean, who blogs at DelightfulRepast.com, who had seen one of my posts at the Senior Salon Pitstop weekly linky party hosted by Esme and Julie, I was somewhat concerned when she mentioned that it wasn’t easy for her to engage with me on my blog.
Jean explained that she didn’t want to leave her e-mail address, create a WordPress account or use social media to be able to leave me comments. I understand why she didn’t want to leave any of those details. After all, our information is private and shouldn’t be given out if we don’t want to give it out.
WordPress offers ‘Discussions‘ options where users can decide how easily readers can engage with them without leaving any personal details. I thought I already had this option switched off, so nobody needed to leave any personal details, and I was right, but it didn’t explain why Jean thought she had to leave her personal details if she wanted to comment on my posts.
Upon further checking my discussion settings, I saw where the confusion was coming from and want to highlight it so those who wish to engage with me without personal details can still leave comments knowing they do not need to give any personal information.
Let’s Look At The Discussion Settings On WordPress.
Ensure you’re viewing your blog’s dashboard in the Default view. To do this, click on the View button in the top right of the screen when viewing your blog’s dashboard.
Go to Settings – Discussion.
Make sure you’re viewing your blog’s dashboard in the Default view.
On the Discussions Settings page, look for the Comments box.
Look for the comments settings box.
As you will see from the above screenshot, I have turned off both the ‘Comment author must fill out name and e-mail‘ and ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment‘ options. So why wasn’t Jean able to leave me a comment?
It seems that, for whatever reason, in their wisdom, WordPress has decided to still show visitors a login box when these options have been switched off. This is what Jean and visitors who are not logged in see.
The log in box tricks visitors into believing they have to leave personal details to be able to leave comments.
And this is what WordPress say –
Comment author must fill out name and e-mail: When this setting is on, anyone leaving a comment will be forced to leave a name and a valid e-mail address. If the setting is off, visitors can leave anonymous comments. While your commenters do not have to fill in the e-mail field if you’ve turned this setting off, it will still be visible to them when they comment.
So I understand why Jean thought I wasn’t making it easy for her to engage with me.
If you only want readers to engage with you who must leave their name and email address, ensure you have this option switched on.
If you only want comments from readers who are logged in and registered, ensure you have the ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment‘ setting switched on.
If you want comments from both, ensure both settings are switched on.
However, if, like me, you’re happy to allow anyone to leave you a comment, then switch both of these settings off.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Save‘ button in the Comments settings box if you make any changes.
Are There Any Disadvantages To Switching These Discussion Settings Off?
The main disadvantage is that it could open the gates for spammers and trolls to leave you comments. However, the Akismet antispam software on WordPress catches and places the majority of spam into your blog’s spam folder, so you’ll never see it unless you check what’s in it.
Further down on the Discussion Settings page, there is more help to filter out spam and troll comments.
Look for the ‘Before A Comment Appears‘ box, and you’ll see these two options.
Comment must be manually approved: If this setting is on, all comments will go into moderation, and they will need to be approved by you before appearing on your blog.
Comment author must have a previously approved comment: If this option is on, any visitors that have had a comment approved on your blog in the past will get a free pass through approval and only comments from new visitors will go into moderation.
As you will see from the following screenshot, my blog is set for manually approving all comments before they appear on any of my posts.
Decide which level of protection you want to stop the comments of spammers and trolls from appearing on your blog posts.
This helps me stop unprofessional, rude, nasty comments from appearing on any of my posts, even if they’re from somebody who has previously left a friendly comment.
My thanks to Jean for contacting me about discussion settings on blogs. And apologies for the confusion WordPress causes in insisting a login box shows when visitors do not need to leave any personal details when wanting to engage or leave a comment.
If you see a login box or are asked to leave your name and email address when leaving a comment, try leaving a comment without filling in personal details or logging in. If the blogger you’re engaging with has switched off the ‘Comment author must fill out name and e-mail‘ and ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment.‘ options, your comment will go through.
If either or one of those options is switched on, you’ll need to follow the instructions to be able to leave a comment.
Let’s wrap it up.
Check the discussion settings on your blog to see if you’re preventing visitors from leaving comments.
Decide whether you want only certain visitors to be able to leave comments or if you’re happy for all visitors to leave comments.
The majority of spam comments will go straight to your spam folder. Remember to empty your spam folder regularly.
To stop comments from trolls appearing on your blog posts, switch on the ‘Comment must be manually approved‘ setting.
Consider whether comments from those who have previously left you a friendly comment do not need to be manually approved by you.
If you have questions about the discussion settings on your WordPress blog, leave them in the comments section.
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How easy is it for new visitors to subscribe to or follow your blog, so they are notified of all your new blog posts or see them on their WordPress reader feed?
Are you missing out on getting new followers and readers?
WordPress has several ways to follow a blog.
The most popular is clicking the ‘follow’ button in the bottom right corner of a blog. However, the button only appears when scrolling ‘up’ on the site, so it can be missed. And if you install any plugins on your blog, it disappears completely (as does the reblog button). It’s not visible on self-hosted blogs.
Another option is for bloggers to place a subscription or link to follow on the widget bar of their blog. I have one on the widget bar of my blog.
However, some themes don’t come with widget bars. Some themes hide the widget bar behind a button, so unless you click the button, you won’t see the contents of a widget bar.
For those themes that offer a visible widget bar (like the theme I use), visibility is only available when viewing the blog on a desktop or laptop computer, not on a tablet or mobile phone (where they’re hidden behind a button).
Given that many people read blogs on a mobile phone or tablet, I realise that I could be losing hundreds of new followers because it’s not clear enough how to subscribe to or follow my blog when viewing it on a mobile phone or tablet.
WordPress.com now has newsletter capabilities.
All you need to do is add a Subscribe block to all your posts. Readers who enter their email addresses will get an email notification when you publish a newsletter. And to make those Subscribe blocks look a bit jazzier, WordPress has added some newsletter-focused patterns to their library.
You’ll also find some subscribe to/follow my blog blocks amongst the newsletter subscribe blocks.
Here’s how to access and create them.
In the draft page of a post, click the ‘add a new block button’ (the + sign) located on the top left of the page.
Click on Patterns and then on Newsletter.
Click on Patterns – Newsletter to access the subscribe/follow templates.
A list of subscribe/follow templates will open up. Scroll down the list to view all of them.
Some of the templates will be personalised with the name and tagline of your blog.
All of the templates have settings/options that you can change. For example, I enlarged text on some of them where available.
Choose the template you want to use after any changes you’ve made.
Add it to all your posts.
Now readers will be given an easier option of following your blog when reading your posts.
May I ask for your help?
Help me choose a ‘follow’ template for my blog by voting for the one you prefer. The poll is at the end of the list and will remain open until 23:59 GMT on Monday, 23rd January 2023. Any votes cast after the deadline won’t count.
Voting has now closed. Thank you to everyone that voted.
When choosing your template, remember to make it a reusable block so that you don’t need to look for it every time you create a new post. Click here to find out how to create a reusable block.
Remember to add your new subscribe/follow template to all your posts.
Once I know the poll results, I’ll add my new follow template to all the posts I’ve published in 2023 and to all new posts.
How easy was that?
If you have questions about adding a subscribe/follow block to your blog, leave them in the comments section.
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These 9 popular and easy blogging tips will help bring you and your blog success. Are you missing out on any of them?
Are you missing out on any if these popular blogging tips?
1. Add Excerpts To Your Blog Posts.
Excerpts are a great way to entice readers to click the ‘read more’ link to your post.
Did you know that WordPress offers bloggers a way to add excerpts to posts?
If you don’t add excerpts to your posts, WordPress takes the first 55 words of the post and uses them as the excerpt. This can often cause confusion to readers, especially when sentences are cut off midway.
If the opening sentence of your post does not entice readers, you could be missing out on many more new visitors reading your posts and engaging with you.
I added the following excerpt to this post.
Are you new to blogging or thinking of starting a blog? Are you already a blogger who wants more readers, followers and success for your blog?
These 9 tips will guarantee you success.
Adding experts to your posts is easy and an excellent way to promote and entice readers to want to read them. Here’s how to add an excerpt.
On the draft page of a post, scroll down to the except box in the setting section of the post.
Add an excerpt to your blog post before publishing it.
After adding the excerpt, publish or schedule your post.
The excerpt will be displayed on WordPress notification emails.
Tip: When drafting excerpts, ask yourself what excerpt would make you want to read the post.
2. Change This Setting And Watch Your Blog Stats Boom.
Ensure you view your blog’s dashboard in Default View (not Classic). To do this, click the View button in the top right corner of your blog’s dashboard.
Go to Settings – Writing on your blog’s dashboard and look for the Feed Settings box.
Turn on the Limit Feed To Excerpt button. Users will then need to visit your site to view the full content of every post.
Click the Save Settings button.
Ensure you slide the Limit Feed to excerpt only’ button to the ‘on’ position
3. Engage With Your Audience And On The Posts Of Other Bloggers.
I recently came across a blogger who complained that everyone ignored her. She claimed that nobody left comments on her posts. However, I’d left comments along with other bloggers. The problem was that she only replied to comments with a ‘thanks.’ No wonder other bloggers and I got fed up with leaving comments.
Engagement is a two-way thing.
If you don’t engage with more than a ‘thank you’ to every comment, then visitors will soon get fed up with trying to engage with you.
Make your comments and replies to comments count. Instead of telling a blogger their post was great or that you loved it, expand on why you thought it was great. Most bloggers want to engage, especially when leaving comments that offer feedback and discussion.
By fully engaging with your readers, you’re likely to get them and more visitors wanting to engage with you. They’ll likely follow your blog if they want to engage and see that you engage with others who leave comments.
However, don’t leave dead-end comments where the only response can be a ‘thank you.’ If you’ve nothing of value to add, click the ‘like’ button and move on. Never feel guilty for not leaving dead-end, pointless comments.
The more you engage with your audience and other bloggers, the more you’ll reap the rewards of your blog becoming successful and a place other bloggers will want to visit and engage.
If English is not your first language, then don’t be afraid to leave a comment in your native dialogue. Free online translation tools, such as one from Systran.Com, are available, so bloggers can translate your comment. My thanks to Renard Moreau for recommending Systran.Com.
4. Reduce The Size Of Your Images Before Publishing Posts.
If a blog post takes too long to download, most visitors will likely get fed up and move on.
One of the biggest causes of a blog post taking too long to download is that the images and photos within the post are too big. They also take up lots of space in the media library.
Before placing an image or photo in a post, reduce its size.
The majority of the photos and images in my posts are no more than 900 x 675 pixels. I’ve found that the quality of images and pictures this size are still excellent, plus they take up much less space in my media library.
Many apps and software allow you to reduce the size of images and photos, but many are not free to use. So be careful when choosing.
To reduce the size of images and photos on an iMac, open the image, click on Tools and then on Adjust Size (both found in the toolbar).
Click here to find out how to reduce the size of images and photos in Windows 10 and 11.
How do you reduce the size of images and photos on your blog? Tell us in the comments section.
5. Categorise Your Blog Posts.
Categorising your blog posts is essential when helping visitors find information.
Never categorise any of your blog posts as Uncategorised. It’s not helpful and only makes the blog’s owner look lazy and not care about their followers or visitors.
However, don’t use too many categories. A long list of categories can confuse readers. Cut categories down by adding sub-categories. Click here to find out more about categories and tags.
Important information: You may have already heard the cardinal tagging rule on WordPress.com, but it’s worth repeating: you should never add more than 15 tags and categories (combined) to your post; otherwise, it won’t show up in the WordPress Reader. This cap is used to keep out spam blogs — you need to ensure that your tags are only those most relevant to your post.
6. Blog Post Titles
I’m always shocked by the many boring and dull titles I see bloggers using for their blog posts. They don’t give me any incentive to want to read the post. Other than those who read every blog post some of these bloggers publish, nobody will be enticed to read posts that don’t draw you to click the ‘read more’ button.
Given that the first thing the majority of readers see is your blog post titles, make the titles count. If the titles of your posts are bland, dull, and uninviting, they won’t entice readers to want to read the post. You could be losing out not only on lots of new followers but lots of engagement.
When thinking of a title for your blog post, ask yourself what would make you want to click the ‘read more‘ button.
If you struggle with thinking of good titles for your blog posts, use a Headline analyzer such as Coschedule.com. It’s free to use and challenges you to come up with the best titles for your blog posts.
The title of this blog post scored 92 out of 100. That’s the highest score I’ve achieved when creating a blog post title.
Important Tip: Never duplicate your blog post titles or use the same titles as other bloggers. Why? Because SEO, such as Google and Bing, rank blogs lower that contain duplicated blog post titles.
7. Ensure Links In Your Posts Do Not Close Your Blog Down.
Do you find it frustrating when you click on a link in a blog post and a new window opens on the same page you are reading? When this happens, most readers won’t return to the page they were reading, thus losing the possibility of leaving a comment.
When creating pingbacks or links in posts, ensure you turn on the ‘open in a new tab’ button by sliding it to the on position.
Ensure your readers don’t lose the page they’re reading when clicking on links.
Visitors won’t lose the page they’re reading when you switch on this button when creating pingbacks and links.
Not sure how to create a pingback? Click here for details.
8. Don’t Become A Blogging Spammer.
What do I mean by a blogging spammer? Somebody who leaves uninvited links to their blogs, blog posts or products in the comments section. This also includes bloggers who leave a link to their blog in all their comments.
Fortunately, the antispam system on WordPress sends the majority of these types of comments to my spam folder.
Only leave links in comments when invited to do so by the blogger you’re leaving a comment for. If you need more clarification, ask first before including any links.
I get comments every day that include uninvited links. Most go straight to my spam folder, and I mark as spam the ones that don’t. You’ll never find comments that include uninvited links in the comments section of any of my blog posts.
9. Slow Down
I’ve witnessed many bloggers become overwhelmed with blogging because they try to do too much in the time they have available to blog. It often results in what is known as Blogging Burnout.
Blog at a leisurely pace. You don’t need to participate in all those blogging challenges. You don’t need to read and leave comments on all the posts of the blogs you follow. You don’t need to follow the blog of every blogger who follows you. Only read and comment and follow the blogs that interest you.
Never feel obliged to read, comment and follow because they read and comment on your blog posts.
Slow down. Enjoy blogging. Never allow it to overwhelm you or make you feel guilty or stressed.
Let’s wrap it up.
Rather than allow WordPress to choose what words to introduce your posts, use your own excerpts.
If you want people to visit your blog, don’t display your whole posts in the WordPress email notifications. To get more visitors to your blog, switch on the ‘Limit feed to excerpt only’ button. Users will then need to visit your site to view the full content of every post.
Engage with your audience when replying to comments and when leaving comments on other blogs. Avoid leaving short, pointless comments that add no value. Always say more than a ‘thank you’ when replying to comments.
Reduce the size of images and photos before placing them on blog posts; otherwise, your blog may download slowly and force visitors away.
Categorise all your blog posts. Never categorise them as ‘Uncategorised,’
Make all your blog post titles count by giving them titles that will entice readers to want to read the whole post. Consider using a Headline analyser for them.
When adding pingbacks and links to your blog, always switch on the ‘open in new tab’ button so that readers do not lose the page they are reading when clicking on links.
Don’t become a blog spammer by leaving uninvited links in the comments section of other blogs.
Take blogging slowly. Don’t try doing too much in a short space of time. You’ll only end up feeling overwhelmed, stressed or guilty if you try to fit everything in when you don’t have the time.
Keep blogging a fun and enjoyable experience. If it becomes a chore, step back and take a good look at how you are blogging. Make changes. Only consider quitting blogging if you lose interest.
Are You New To Blogging Or Thinking Of Starting A Blog?
Click here to read an excellent blog post by James Lane that is full of essential information for new bloggers and acts as a gentle reminder for those who already blog.
What’s the best blogging tip you have? Do you have any questions about the 9 tips in this post? Leave them in the comments section.
Layout, content, settings and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
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This is my ninth December in the blogging world, and it’s turning out to be as similar as others.
I see a familiar path. As the days in December tick by, the blogging world gets quieter and quieter.
Don’t allow blogging to lose its sparkle in December.
I’ve already witnessed bloggers signing off their blogs for Christmas, wishing their readers a Merry Christmas and saying they’ll be back early in the New Year. Others have announced the dates when they’ll take a blogging break.
Just because the world of blogging gets quiet doesn’t mean you don’t have to stop blogging, but I’ve always found that this time of the year is perfect for doing blogging jobs many of us were meant to do during the year but never quite got around to doing.
1. Fix broken links.
I use the free version of Brokenlink.Com to check and fix broken links on my blog.
It can be daunting if you’ve never checked for and fixed broken links on your blog but don’t be put off doing it.
Fixing broken links helps the SEO score of your blog and also helps to reduce spam. Did you know that spammers are attracted to blogs with many broken links?
Your readers will also be happier because they’re not taken to pages, posts and links that no longer exist.
Top tip for checking broken links: Don’t try and tackle the list in one go. Do a few every day. Before you know it, you’ll have smashed it.
Click here to start checking for broken links on your blog now.
2. Update the About me page.
Every blogger should have an ‘about me’ page on their blog. Why? Because not only do most readers like to know a little about the person behind the blog before following, but it’s also one of the most visited parts of any blog.
When did you last update the About me page on your blog?
Not sure what to put on the About me page? Click here for recommendations.
3. Do some blog housekeeping.
From sorting out the tags and categories on your blog to updating the menubar, housekeeping your blog is vital if you want to keep your blog fit and healthy.
Blogs, where no or little housekeeping gets performed, lose more followers and readers than well-maintained blogs.
Get your blog ready for the New Year by performing some housekeeping on it during December.
4. Explore the Block editor.
Are you still terrified of the Block editor? As the number of bloggers using the Block editor continues to climb, now is the perfect time to explore the Block editor and join all those already using it.
WordPress has excellent tutorials on how the Block editor works and how to use it. Click here for more details.
If you’re still using the Classic editor, WordPress recently announced that they’ll continue supporting it until either the end of 2024 or when necessary. However, don’t forget that you can still use the Classic editor via the ‘Classic Block.’
5. Unsubscribe from blogs.
Following too many blogs is not good for your mental health. It can cause some bloggers stress and guilt from being overwhelmed with too many posts to read.
There are many good reasons for unsubscribing from blogs. Here are just a few.
No longer interested in the content being published? Unfollow that blog.
No new published content for many months? Unfollow that blog.
Not read any of their posts for the last year (also known as ghost-blogging)? Unfollow that blog.
Check what blogs you are following by clicking on the ‘Reader’ button at the top of your blog. Click on ‘Manage‘ (next to ‘Following‘). You’ll be presented with a list of blogs you are following. Go through them and unfollow the blogs you’re no longer interested in.
Click the ‘Manage’ button to see a complete list of the blogs you’re following.
6. Choose a new theme for your blog.
If the WordPress theme you are using has been retired, you are likely (or soon will be) having problems with your blog.
Once WordPress retires a theme, they remove support for it. Don’t waste your time trying to find workarounds. Choose a new theme.
To choose a new theme, go to your blog’s dashboard and click on Appearance – Themes. You’ll be presented with lots of current themes to choose from. However, my advice is not to spend too long choosing one. As soon as you find one you like, go with it.
The current theme I use for my blog is Toujours.
7. Delete old blog posts.
Did you know that keeping old, out-of-date posts can damage the health of your blog? These out-of-date posts are often the source of many broken links.
All the above tips can be performed at any time of the year. But make the most of the quietness the month of December usually brings to the blogging world. Keep blogging from losing its sparkle in December.
Am I planning a blogging break?
Yes. I’ll take a blogging break from December 23rd – January 3rd.
I won’t be publishing any new blog posts during this time apart from my monthly round-up post on December 31st. I won’t be reading and commenting on blog posts during this time. However, I will be responding to comments left on my blog posts.
What will you be doing with your blog during December?
Looking for more blogging tips? Click on the ‘Blogging Tips’ and ‘Block Editor – How To’ buttons on the menubar of my blog.
Follow Hugh on social media. Click on the buttons below.
Do you struggle to find the blocks you use the most on the Block editor? With over 160 (and rising) blocks, it can be a daunting task.
Do you want an easy way to see the blocks you use the most, so you don’t have to find them?
Of course, you can use the search bar, but there is an easy way to show the blocks you use the most on WordPress.
Always have easy access to the blocks you use the most
Here’s how to do it.
On the draft page of a blog post, click on the kebab menu (located in the top right-hand corner), and on the new menu that opens, click on Preferences.
Click on the kebab menu and then on Preferences
In the new window that opens, click on Blocks.
Click on Blocks
Slide the ‘Show most used blocks’ button to the on position.
Slide the ‘Show most used blocks’ button
When you click on the add a new block button (‘+’), the blocks you use the most will now be displayed at the top of the blocks library list.
Most Used Blocks On the blog Hugh’s Views And News
Job completed.
My thanks to Jen, who blogs at WPcomMaven, for passing this information on to me.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
If you have questions about how to easily access the blocks you use the most on WordPress, leave them in the comments section.
Looking for more blogging tips? Click on the ‘Blogging Tips’ and ‘Block Editor – How To’ buttons on the menubar of my blog.
Follow Hugh on social media. Click on the buttons below.
Getting readers to engage with you by leaving comments on your blog posts is something many bloggers crave.
And when those comments clearly show that your post has been read, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
However, once you get visitors reading your posts and leaving comments, you need to do all you can to ensure they keep coming back.
Writing good quality posts that make your readers want to engage with you and each other is one way to keep your readers returning, but you also need to ensure they can easily find your other similarly themed posts, which are often buried deep in your blog archives.
Need more readers and followers? These 5 blogging tools will help
Here are five blogging tools that work for me. Not only do they give my readers a way of finding more similarly-themed content, but these tools have also helped bring me many new readers and followers.
1. The Search Bar
The other day, I was writing a new blog post and wanted to include links to some posts I had read on other blogs.
However, try as I might, I couldn’t find one of the posts I wanted to link to. Even worse, there was no search bar on the blog concerned.
It wasn’t long before I gave up looking for that blog post. I didn’t have the time to find it.
You can make it easy for readers to find what they are looking for by including a search bar on your blog.
Does your blog have a search bar? If not, WordPress has a ‘search’ widget. Click here to find out how to install one.
Once you’ve installed a search bar, open up one of your blog posts and check you are happy with its position. Ensure it’s visible and easy for visitors to find. The search bar on my blog is the first widget on my widget bar to the right of all my blog posts.
Remember, too, that you can use the search bar when looking for your own posts. You can save yourself a lot of time by doing this instead of scrolling through all your blog posts on your blog’s dashboard.
2. The Menu Bar
Navigation is of prime importance on any blog. Make it difficult for visitors to navigate or find more content, and they’ll probably give up and never return.
That’s why it’s essential to have a menu bar on your blog.
A menu bar allows your readers to check out what is on your blog and helps direct them to other parts of your blog they’d like to explore.
Many bloggers can be frightened by including a menu bar on their blog or adding items. However, it’s an easy and straightforward process.
Click here for details on how to set up a custom menu bar on your WordPress blog.
However, don’t overload the menu bar on your blog, as it can look overwhelming. And ensure you keep it updated and check that everything works on it.
3. The ‘Contact Me Page
Just imagine another blogger, a magazine editor, or somebody from your local radio station wanting to contact you to invite you to write an article or appear on a show. How exciting would that be? But they can’t find a way of reaching you privately!
Not everyone wants to leave a comment when they want to invite you to write a guest post, be interviewed, or ask you to appear on a show. If you don’t have a ‘contact me’ page, and nobody can contact you privately, then they’ll probably move on and give that opportunity to somebody else.
On the menu bar of my blog, you’ll see a ‘Contact Hugh’ button. That’s how people can contact me privately.
I get lots of people contacting me every week. As a result, I’ve written guest articles, appeared on radio shows and recorded podcasts, all of which have allowed me to promote myself and my blog. In return, I’ve got hundreds of new readers and followers to my blog.
Make sure you’re contactable. Click here to find out how to set up a ‘contact me’ page.
4. The ‘About Me’ Page
Ever since my early days of blogging, I’ve been told that many new blog visitors will want to learn a little about the blogger behind the blog before deciding whether to follow.
When I visit a new blog, I first look for an ‘about me’ page to learn more about the blogger.
If the blogger doesn’t have an ‘about me’ page or it’s difficult to find, I’m more likely to move on than check out the rest of their blog.
If you do have an ‘about me’ page, ensure you allow new visitors to introduce themselves by allowing them to leave a comment on it. And don’t forget, a friendly reply is more likely to keep that visitor returning to read your posts.
Click here for details on setting up an ‘About Me’ page and what to include.
5. The Gravatar
The image that appears next to all comments is known as a Gravatar. A gravatar is created for you as soon as you leave your first review or comment on the internet.
How many times have you clicked on the gravatar image of somebody who has left an excellent comment on a post and not been able to find their blog details? Frustrating, isn’t it, especially when you think it may be a blog you’d like to follow.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest mistakes many bloggers make, as soon as their gravatar is created, is they forget about it. Many don’t realise they can add images and leave links to their blog and social media accounts on their gravatar.
If a reader then clicks on your gravatar, they’ll see the links to your blog and social media accounts and be able to visit them. That means more visitors to your blog and social media accounts which could result in more followers.
Click here to find out how to add links to your blog and social media accounts to your gravatar.
Let’s wrap it up
Many blogging tools can help readers notice your blog and keep them returning.
Make sure you have a Search Bar on your blog to help visitors find other content.
Ensure your blog includes a menu bar, but don’t overload it with too many items.
Ensure the links on your blog’s menu bar all work. Check for broken links at least once a month and fix any that have become broken.
Ensure your blog has a page where readers and visitors can contact you privately. Not everyone will want to leave a comment inviting you to write a guest post or to appear on a radio show or podcast.
Many new visitors want to know a little about the person behind the blog before deciding whether to follow. Tell visitors a little about yourself on an ‘about me’ page.
Ensure your Gravatar has links to your blog and social media accounts.
This is an updated version of a post originally published on Hugh’s Views And News in September 2018
What powerful blogging tools do you use on your blog, and why do you use them? Share them with us by leaving a comment.
Hugh's Views & News 