I don’t really use any WordPress post formats other than the “standard” post, and occasionally “video”.
How does the video post work?
If I post a “video” format post, then all that shows is the video in as wide a part of the screen as possible (whilst still allowing for room for my sidebar). Whereas if I just put a piece of video as inserted media into my blog, I get a title for the blogpost, a smaller format player, and room for text around it. So I choose the format for each video post accordingly.
I was teaching blogging to some postgrad researchers the other day, and when I showed them the different formats for posts they got quite excited at the thought of not always having to write a long form article every time they blogged. It kindled my curiosity as to what the other formats would look like if used correctly.
The table above shows all 9 formats that come with the Chalk theme I use for my blog, the one I’ve chosen for this post is “Chat”.
So that’s why this post is coming up in this new format – it’s emulating a conversation?
Yes, just use an unordered list (or bullet points to the rest of us) and WordPress does the rest.
To find out what post formats come with your blog theme, go to the support page for your theme. Then you too can find out if you can talk to yourself.
Or perhaps use it next time you are reporting an interview.
I’ve done voice-over work for theatre and elearning since I was a kid, and this coupled with my natural good face for radio means I’ve always fancied podcasting. Today I had a great session with my second year class “Social Business and the Sharing Economy”, and we were negotiating their assessed portfolio work for the end of next semester.
One of the ideas that didn’t immediately get shelved (although it might) was to produce a podcast serial on the Sharing Economy. A run of maybe 6 episodes, each lasting 12-20 minutes. The podcast will be one of a few projects, including a blog and a printed guide to Sharing Leeds. We might expand to video and transmedia, but before then a podcast is the easier to produce we think.
We want to have a fixed number of episodes and a defined format, but it must be of the highest production standards. Happily, we have a radio studio (two in fact) at the uni, and editing suites, so no excuse other than lack of skills to make this happen.
I’ve been googling some good “learn to podcast” resources, and after teaching various classes how to plan their blog content, am also looking to see if planning a podcast’s content is any different. I’m parking some of the most useful looking pieces here:
How to Podcast “The definitive step-by-step guide on how to podcast without breaking the bank. This is the home of the free podcast tutorial that will take your podcast from concept to launch fast and for minimal cost.”
Learn How To Podcast 101 is a video tutorial with more than 120 minutes of instruction that will help you lay a solid foundation for setting up a podcast for future success. This podcasting tutorial will give you all the building blocks to help you understand what is needed to launch your podcast properly.
As for research into formats and content, I also intend to check out Radio 4’s Podcast series “In Pod We Trust” – useful to while away the hours of Christmas driving.
If you have an established podcast and would be interested in talking to my students about it, it’d be great to hear from you. We can invite you into our classroom in person or via SKYPE.
Please put any recommended tips or resources in the comments.
If your website is independently hosted – that is it is NOT on wordpress.com – the WordPress Codex and its teach yourself WordPress section is your first port of call.
If you prefer video tutorials check out WordPress.tv
Of course wordpress is a social network, and many bloggers have collated their picks of the best resources for learning WordPress, here’s a top three to get you started:
I wrote a book on this, in 12 chapters with different activities for 12 days. You can download chapter 1 – Getting Started on Twitter, and all the other chapters free of charge. It’s an online course that I run with an online cohort every so often (next one is 2016), but give me a shout out @lizcable if you are working through it any sooner and I’ll help if you need it.
The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice a new addition to my blog design – a creative commons license. You’ll find it at the bottom of the left column. You may have to scroll down a way! It looks like this:
We’ve been learning about Creative Commons and Public Domain licensing in our Online Research class, and we are all busy going through our images and media on our blogs to make sure we are giving credit where it’s due, thanking those who have allowed us to use their media. Alternatively we may have to choose new media when we realise we haven’t got the creator’s permission to use something, or if we can’t track down where we got it from (a very common occurrence!).
However, we really need to protect ourselves as writers and media creators too. Assuming we want our work to be shared – how can we let people know?
The top social media questions marketers want answered can be summarized in the following keywords: tactics, engagement, measurement, tools and audience – in that order. As the social media marketing industry continues its massive expansion, the needs of marketers shift. Below are the top issues marketers are facing today with social media marketing. At least 83% of marketers surveyed felt they are struggling to answer all of the following questions:
TACTICS: What social tactics are most effective? The number-one question marketers want answered (91%) is which tactics work best. This high number is likely in response to the constant changes taking place across many social networks.
ENGAGEMENT: What are the best ways to engage my audience with social media? Figuring out how to best connect with people remains high on the list of questions marketers want answered (89%). As more businesses become social, those that best engage will stand out.
MEASUREMENT: How do I measure the return on my social media marketing? A significant 88% of marketers want to know how to measure their return on investment for social media activities. This question has been top of mind for marketers for the last four years. Clearly very few marketers have figured this one out.
TOOLS: What are the best social management tools? As interactions increase and newer social networks continue to grow, the need for tools to simplify social media marketers’ jobs becomes more important. A whopping 85% feel like they don’t know what tools are best.
AUDIENCE: How do I find my target audience with social media? Figuring out how to target customers and prospects is a big concern for marketers (83%). Because of the enormous size of social networks combined with ever-changing ways to connect with people, marketers need guidance.
