On the Web with Kim Vallee

June 9, 2009

My blogs’ business cards dilemma not yet solved

Since I published my new brand identity I tried to produce, with my graphic designer, business cards for my blogs. I did 2 attempts so far. The difficulty does not rest in the design of the cards. My problem is what content do I put on my cards. At first, I imagined a double sided [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

June 8, 2009

3 Comments

How to Add a Related Posts Section for each Post

Well-designed blogs encourage readers to explore the blog longer. One way is to achieve that is to add a Related Posts section at the bottom of every post. You could select the posts manually but this is too time consuming. If you assign WordPress tags to every post, you get a way to intelligently automate [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

June 4, 2009

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Pictures Sell Your Story | Advice for Bloggers and Brands

I always say to new bloggers that they must try to take their own pictures. Nothing beats original content. Time constraints, money, logistics and talent do not always make it possible. Most successful food bloggers excel at photography; it is part of their personal brand. Take for example La Tartine Gourmande. We are craving to [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

June 2, 2009

1 Comment

Found a New Usage for the Email Subscription to my own RSS

I prefer reading blogs through Google Reader. Still, they are people who prefer getting my posts through an email subscription. This is why I provide the option. With Google Feedburner is so simple to do and once you set up the service, it runs by itself. Use it to Build Loyalty The popularity of email [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

May 31, 2009

2 Comments

Blog Out Loud Event in Los Angeles

If you are a blogger living in Los Angeles, make time to attend the first Blog Out Loud event on Thursday, June 4th, 2009 at Patio Culture. This is a concept by Megan Arquette and Rebecca Orlov to encourage and inspire creative people to start blogging. From what I heard about the event, it is [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

May 16, 2009

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Microblogging with the P2 Theme for WordPress

I was one of the 5 official bloggers at 6th WebCom edition, an International Web 2.0 conference which happened May 13, 2009 in Montreal. Liveblogging is not an easy task. I was wondering how I could manage it. I thought microblogging will simplify the reporting of the sessions. This is how the P2 theme for [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

May 7, 2009

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Every Blogger Needs A Blog Bible

The same way as every TV show has a show bible describing the story’s characters, settings and culture, I believe every blogger needs to keep close his/her blog bible. Writing your blog bible enables you to stay focus on what your blog is all about. In a corporate language, this would be called the Editorial [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

April 17, 2009

11 Comments

Design Your Blog Theme to Show Your Post on Facebook

No blogger can ignore Facebook and Twitter when promoting his or her blog. Link share holds the key element in this equation. I explained before the viral marketing power of adding a post link to your Facebook profile or fan page for every new post. This technique is more effective if Facebook displays well the [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

April 16, 2009

5 Comments

The Importance of Having an Adviser for Your Blog

Yesterday I had an excellent meeting with my mentor to review my blog priorities. This is something I encourage you to do if you are serious about blogging. Find someone you trust. The ideal candidate is an active blogger but someone with hands-on experience in social media can be a suitable candidate. Never forget in [...]

Blog DESIGN, BLOGGING

April 10, 2009

3 Comments

Why Did I Migrate My Main Blog to WordPress?

If you follow me on At Home with Kim Vallee, you know that I undergone a major redesign as I migrated my blog from subText, an obscure but effective Open Source blogging platform to widely popular WordPress. This was a team effort: Jean-Marc worked as the graphic designer, Jerome as the database developer/Wordpress specialist and [...]

Blog DESIGN, BLOGGING

April 5, 2009

1 Comment

Top 3 Tips for a Blog Design Makeover

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or read At Home with Kim Vallee, you are aware that I migrated my main blog to WordPress last Friday. Any blog migration comes with a blog redesign. Let’s examine my top 3 tips if you are planning a blog makeover. What are Your Goals? Whether you do [...]

BLOGGING, Blogging TIPS

March 29, 2009

3 Comments

My Top Tips To New Bloggers

I meet many people who are asking me advices on the art of blogging. To start answering that question I compiled a to-do-list to ease up the launching of a new blog. Set up a self-hosted WordPress The blogging platform of choice these days are a self-hosted WordPress infrastructure. It unites flexibility and a vast [...]