Here is this week’s roundup of all of the articles I read on the web that were smart, creative and inspiring!
Something Cool
Take Better Photos Tutorial Blog Hop. Several blogger came together this week to share their tips for taking and sharing better photos for blogs. I think this is a great important topic. As @sisterdiane said in her post about it: “there are so many great projects on the web, but sadly, when they have not-so-great photography, I can’t share them more widely” – and I find that to be so true. I also love that several smart bloggers came together to support each other’s work with a blog hop on the topic – smart! Here were the contributions:
- Retouching Spots & Stains In Your Craft Photos with iPhoto & Photoshop by Haley
- How to Take Better Photo Tutorials with Framing and Cropping from Diane
- Easy DIY Lightbox by Megan of Radmegan
- Creating a Seamless White Background by Stacey of FreshStitches
- Tips for Taking Beauty Shots from Michele from Michele Made Me
On Writing and Reading
- How to Publish Your Book. Loving this infographic that combines inspiration and humor in one.
- How to Use Google+ as an Author Platform. I like G+ but still don’t see a lot of people using it so I’m happy to see this smart article about the possibilities of this platform. It’s a Write to Done guest post by Maria Peagler, founder of SocialMediaOnlineClasses.com. A somewhat related helpful post this week was Lifehack’s How to Optimize Gmail to Make it Your Most Effective Business Tool.
- Medium.com Review/ Overview. “Medium organizes original writing, photos, and various artist projects thematically as “collections,” some of which are currently open to submissions from outside contributors and some not.” Poets & Writers article by Adrian Versteegh.
On Blogging and Social Media
- StumbleUpon’s New Look. David Weir from 7×7 gives us an overview of the new look, which I’m liking (I’m on StumbleUpon as Kathrynv1811).
- Take a Blogging Retreat. I love this recommendation from Problogger.
On Productivity, Time Management and Organization
- 5 Ways to Make Google Calendar Work For You. I’m always starting to use this tool and then letting it go so it was helpful for me to hear some of these tips and ideas in the Lifehack video post by Steve Dotto.
- To Do Lists. Lifehack shares a roundup of advice from entrepreneurs about what to cross off of a To Do list first.
Inspiration
- Roundup of Inspiring TED Talks. This is a handmadeology post that is actually part ten in a series filled with inspiration, advice and information on niche market businesses.
- Slow Down Time With Awe. Emily Esfahini Smith writes a Washingon Times article this week titled, “The experience of awe can slow down perceived time in people’s lives.”
Other Smart Stuff
- How Online Courses Can Form the Basis for On-Campus Teaching. I did my own degree mostly online before there were so many options for it so this is a topic that always interests me. The article is from the Coursera blog where you can sign up to take free online college classes.
And a little about me …
- I was interviewed about my book, Crochet Saved My Life, by Laura Nixon of The Examiner
- My book is included now on the USA Book News non-fiction page
Show support for the great blog writers by visiting their links!
San Francisco based writer/ blogger with an interest in how words can help heal individuals and connect communities.
