WordPress – Page 2 – Jean's Writing

What is the difference in a Gravatar, Avatar or Favicon?

Published on February 28, 2018April 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell12 Comments

Answer: Not much.

Just different words for an icon that identifies you or your blog/website.

Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. Using a Gravatar enables you to use the same recognizable icon/Avatar for all websites where you engage. How to Create and Use it?

Using a Gravatar promotes your brand.

An Avatar specifically refers to a character that represents an online user. Can be a profile picture, image of objects cartoon caricature, or 3D animated for gaming.

A favicon (pronounced “fave-icon”) is a small, iconic image that represents your website. Favicon Generator, 4 Easy Ways To Add A Favicon In WordPress.

I’ve written posts about using a Gravatar on blogs in the past. But some bloggers/writers still use a blank, the Gravatar Icon or other default icons. I don’t understand.

I use my picture as a Favicon, might change that one day, as well as for my Gravatar. These icons tell readers a little bit about you and your website. If you don’t want to use a picture of yourself, choose an object that gives readers a clue. Any picture can be a Gravatar or Favicon. Use your imagination and go wild. Use a Bitmoji character. But for the love of God, please don’t leave it blank.

An author? Use an icon of your book.

A writer? How about a writing tool? Or an image of a writer.

A parent? Kids. Even cartoon kids.

Home improvement website? Paintbrush, ladder?

A pet lover? A cute kitty or puppy.

Gamer? Design a cool 3D image of yourself or use an image from your favorite game.

Cooking? Food!

The ideas are endless. So why not find the right Gravatar for your website? Let the world know what your blog is all about.

So, I gotta ask.

Why haven’t you added a Gravatar or Favicon to your website?

Do you think a recognizable Gravatar helps with branding?

Has fear stopped you from creating a Gravatar?

Want to read more about icons?

Here you go…

How to change the default Gravatar on WordPress.

Avatar Marker

Favicons and Gravatars

GENERATE UNIQUE IMAGES FROM ANY TEXT

Favicon Generators

I HOPE YOU TAKE A MINUTE AND FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE links BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

Which social media sends you the most readers?

Published on December 11, 2017December 10, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Is WordPress Reader, Google, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, or Twitter the best choice?

Or how about Reddit, StumbleUpon, Medium, or a market I’ve yet to discover? Seems a new one pops up every day. So how do we discover which is best for our blog?

Do you have a favorite you search engine?

Okay, Bloggers hold on to your hat! Deep diving for answers today.

All of these questions were rolling around in my head this past weekend and got me to thinking…

Am I wasting my time on the wrong platforms? Should I concentrate on just one or two and not spread myself like mayonnaise on bread.

Time for research. Which translates into dropping down the ole rabbit hole.

The first place I started, of course, was the Stats page in WordPress. But that was just a starting point. You can see from my image, according to WordPress, most of my referrers come from WordPress Readers.

But, does that tell me how readers actually discovered Jean’s Writing? I’m not sure. The term “referrer” is referencing online sources – specifically sites or services that the referring page or link clicked on to get to my site. Clear as mud, right?

Look at this section on your STATS page to get a better idea of how many people are seeing your blog. Below is how many views, visitors, likes and comments made to my blog.

However, that still doesn’t let me know which social media gets me the most bang for my time.

So, I did a little more digging.

Another great source is Google Analytics. Takes a little while to set it up but once you do you can see which social site is sending the most people to your website. I set up my account last year but hadn’t checked on it since. So, I headed over to see what was what.

Holy Cow! Google Analytics had zero stats for my website. Please don’t judge me too harshly. Because I’m embarrassed to tell you, I’d forgotten one very important step. The freaking Accept button. You know that button that says you agree to terms, yadda, yadda yadda…

So y’all tell me…

How do you figure out all this stuff?

Or do you just go with the flow and not worry about who or how?

Do you concentrate on one social media outlet more than another?

Which social media do you think helps your blog the best?

Want to read more about which social media is sending visitors to your website? Click on the links below.

Who is Driving Visits to Your Site

What social media channels drive the most traffic to your website?

WordPress Stats

How to See Which Social Media Platforms Are Sending You the Most Traffic

I HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Want to know which platform is best for you?

Published on October 23, 2017October 23, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell20 Comments

So you’re ready to create a blog.

Or maybe you’re considering a self-hosted website.

Stop and read the following articles below before you decide which way to go. This is one of the best explanations I’ve read in a long time about the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

After reading and listening to fellow bloggers, I decided to stick with WordPress.com.

My reasons:

Although not perfect, it’s a turnkey process.
I found a Theme I liked but can change with ease
My blog is updated and backed keeping my blog intact online (even though I may lose content I won’t lose the blog.)
I don’t want to pay a third-party to support the platform or the security.
I don’t have the time to dedicate to running a self-hosted site.

4 Reasons You Should Never Use WordPress.com (And 4 Reasons You Should) by Sanj Sahayam

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which is Better? (Comparison Chart) June 29th, 2017 by Editorial Staff by wpbeginner.com

Did the articles help you understand a little better how WordPress.com and WordPress.org work and how they are different?

Which do you use?

Have you considered a self-hosted site?

Share in the comments. I love hearing from you!

Also, if you can please stop by my other locations and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

OR CLICK THE “WRITE ME” TAB AND SEND ME AN EMAIL.

Do you make money with WordAds?

Published on October 20, 2017October 19, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

Are you making enough money to offset the slow down of your website?

Time to do a risk/reward valuation. Or something like that. But you get what I mean.

This is what I had to ask myself. I began to feel as though the pop-up ads were as annoying as those bedeviled, in your face sign-up boxes. And if I didn’t like boxes popping in my face, I thought maybe my readers didn’t like commercials popping in theirs.

You may have noticed my blog looks a little less cluttered because…

I’ve disengaged WordAds on my website.

Now, that’s not to say you may NEVER see something for sale on my site, but I’m no longer using those flashing pop-up ads that I can’t control. If I use advertising I want to know ahead of time what I pitching.

My pages now load faster and smoother. I think so unless you guys tell me different. There also seems to be fewer glitches too.

Another change I made was to re-size the images on my pages. Large images slow down a website and no one wants to sit and wait as images slowly come into focus instead of reading your awesome wisdom and brilliant writing. So check those image sizes.