Maybe it's been a while since you visited the Sherri Blossoms site or maybe not, but did you notice the widget to the left of here called "On My Reader"? It's something I used to have on an old template, but for some reason it stopped working and I gave up. A few weeks ago I revived it and lo, it worked! It contains links to new posts every day, mostly from agents and editors. I expected folks to click through to those blogs but it hasn't been happening, so I figure nobody's noticed it. Lots of good advice for writers cycling through the widget. Keep checking back.
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[ETA]
"How do I get one?" Darcknyt asks. Well, they don't come pre-made for Wordpress.com, but I can tell you how I made mine using Google reader. Wordpress has an RSS widget, but the RSS you use must be made public so it'll pick it up. Here's how to do that, in way too much detail.
(This assumes you want to use a folder other than the "Shared Items" folder, which is already on there. You can just use that one if you don't already use it for something else.)
Okay.
- Log in to Google Reader and go into Settings, then the "subscriptions" tab.
- Pick one of the feeds you want to share and click on "Change folders." Scroll down the drop-down menu and click on "new folder," then name your folder.
- Now that the folder is in your list, you can go down the list and check the boxes of all the blogs you want to share. Go up to the drop-down "More actions" menu, and select the folder you just created. Now all the blogs you selected will be in that folder.
- Click the "Folders and Tags" tab, click the RSS icon next to "private" to change it to "public." (I had to refresh the page to make my test folder show up.) You have to make it public, or it won't show up in the widget, as far as I can tell.
- Click "view public page" for the folder you just made public and copy the URL.
- Now log in to Wordpress and go to your widgets. Find the widget called RSS and drag it to your sidebar. Paste in the URL for the folder
- Give it a snazzy title, select the options within the RSS widget, save it and you're done.
Any questions?
I want one! Where do I get it??
ReplyDeleteDid it! Teh Awesome! You should write MORE tutorials -- or, as the kewl kidz say, TUTES. You're rawkin' good at it.
ReplyDeleteWell thanks, dear. Glad I could help. Going to check yours out.
ReplyDeleteI have a question. Do the editor/agent blogs in your reader mean you haven't given up writing as much as you said? I hope so...I miss Sherri the writer as much as I do Sherri the chatbuddy.
ReplyDeleteI thought the RSS widget did the same thing? http://support.wordpress.com/widgets/rss-widget/ No? Or am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteI thought about doing this but I don't think anyone wants to read the same stuff I do.
And you are good at tutorials! :)
Thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteThe widget you linked to is what we're using in this. Thing is, it'll take the feed from any one blog. If you want to share posts from multiple feeds, you have to combine them all in one URL, and that's what this technique allows you to do.
I thought putting these rotating links on here would draw traffic and new regulars, but it hasn't happened that way. It seemed to up my traffic the last time I did it, but this time...? Maybe I'm not posting enough.
That's sweet, Ian. I'm still here, just hard to type without one of my fingers, you know? Durned finger.
ReplyDeleteI made it sound like my finger is gone. For you passers-by, it ain't gone, just broke. ;)