WordCamp Boston 2011 was held this past weekend at Boston University. It was a blast! I learned so much and I can’t wait to put into practice what I’ve learned.
The three biggest things I learned from WordCamp Boston are listed below.
1. It is possible to get inexpensive and GOOD web hosting.
BlueHost, HostGator, GoDaddy and HostMonster are just a few that came highly recommended by the speakers.
I’m very excited about this since I now have NO excuses for delaying my move to WordPress.org. Currently, my blog is hosted on WordPress.com, which means that WordPress takes care of everything for me, the setup, upgrades, spam, backup and security. With WordPress.org, I must install the WordPress software on a server. The best thing about Worpress.org is that I have more control over SEO, Search Engine Optimization.
2. It’s not about the tools.
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the latest tools. It’s much more important to keep in mind why you’ve blogging. Creating good content is much more important than having the latest tool or fancy widget.
For those of you wondering what the heck is a widget, it’s a piece of computer code that can be added to an application. For example, the category listing you see on the right side is an added widget.
3. It’s better to create content that’s evergreen.
Blog content should be timely, but not dated. This means you want your content to stand the test of time. Will it still be relevant 3 months from now? Six months from now? Later? Sure, you can mention current events, but tie them into something bigger. The example given at WordCamp Boston 2011 was if you were writing about Amy Winehouse dying at age 27, you could tie in all the musicians that have died at age 27 and your post would have more staying power.
This makes sense on one level, but I’m not sure how this would apply if you’re writing a “how to” post about something technical, like the latest Facebook Privacy settings. Facebook is always tweaking their privacy settings so it’s hard to stay current. Perhaps you could emphasize where to find the settings to make your post more evergreen.
I will be doing more detailed posts on what I learned at this great event.
What new things have you learned lately?
Nancy Loderick's Blog 
Ken Loderick
July 27, 2011
Great blog regarding your experiences at the WordCamp. I couldn’t agree more about how important the “evergreen” consideration is when creating content. Regarding your comments about blogs that deal with a specific topic such as the latest FaceBook privacy settings, you could make it “evergreen” by pointing out the need to periodically review your privacy settings to be sure they meet your current needs. Maybe a year ago you wanted to lock things down and only let your friends see your FaceBook content but now you’d like to open that up a bit. It’s a good idea in general to review account settings for all your accounts but most of us rarely do this (including me).
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Nancy Loderick
July 27, 2011
Hi Ken – great suggestion about how to make a post about Facebook privacy evergreen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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the retrospective entrepreneur
July 28, 2011
Hi Nancy, for me this is a very timely post and I find point 3. particularly relevant. Many thanks
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Nancy Loderick
July 28, 2011
Hi Tony,
Glad you found the post timely and helpful. I love going to these conferences because I always come away with new knowledge.
Nancy
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Nicole Locklear
July 29, 2011
Content is definitely my biggest battle! When I write articles, posts, and web content. Thanks for sharing!
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Nancy Loderick
July 29, 2011
Hi Nicole – I’m with you on content being the hardest aspect. I can come up with content, but the struggle is to make it always interesting. Good luck with it!
Nancy
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Maxie Kozlowski
August 15, 2011
Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you stop it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.
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Nancy Loderick
August 17, 2011
Hi Maxie,
I see that your blog is on WordPress.org, so you need to add a plugin for spam. The best one is Akismet. This is what WordPress.com uses and it’s great. You should also have your comments moderated, so you can review them before they get posted. Akisment will put suspected spam comments into a separate section, where you can review and delete them.
Good luck!
Nancy
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