Blog News Watch

Or … “How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love the Blog”

Learn a free, simple, web-based method of collecting, sorting, storing, and recalling blogging ideas.

The Problem

The bane of every blogger’s existence: “Now where was that article I wanted to link to …”

Followed closely by: “And … um … I had this really cool thing I wanted to say about it but …. how’d that go again?”

Does your blog-fodder collection system - if you even have one - resemble nothing so much as a bunch of yellow sticky notes slapped haphazardly along every square viewable surface of desk real estate?

If so - or if you have none at all - you might want to give my system a try. Its advantages: it’s free; it’s centered around web-based technologies (nothing to buy and it’s mobile to boot); it’s robust as hell; and best of all - it works.

The Tools

What you’ll need:

• A browser
• A free account at Stikkit.com
• The Stikkit bookmarklet, configured to pop up in a new window
• A rudimentary understanding of how tagging works (but even this is optional)

To get the full benefit of this system, you’ll also need:

• Firefox as your browser of choice
• ScribeFire

However, these tools (while helpful to any blogger) aren’t necessary. I’ll explain more about them, how they’re used, and why they’re so handy as we go.

The System

You’ve got your account, your Stikkit bookmarklet thingie is installed in your Links toolbar, just waiting for you with its little exclamation point, all humming with bloggy excitement.Your Firefox browser’s fired up and you’ve got the little ScribeFire yellow notepad and pen down there in the bottom right corner just begging to take a memo…

Now what?

Go forth and browse, young blogger. Browse, click, read, scan, link to your heart’s content. This is fast-paced filling the well time, folks. Not hard-core research. Just … browse. See what strikes your fancy.

Oops. Wait a sec. Back a page. Right there. See that article? On the land speed of that zombie fish that crawls out of the water and walks? Wouldn’t that make an awesome post? OK, maybe not. But let’s pretend it would. Here’s what you do:

1. Scan the article for the killer quote - whatever you want to copy directly into your post, or maybe the lede, or the first paragraph - whatever you want to use or whatever might prompt you to recall the full idea you’re having right this very minute. Select it, and copy it (Ctrl + C on Windows; Cmd + C on Macs).
2. Now, with the text selected and copied, click the Stikkit! bookmarklet.
3. What happened? The Stikkit window popped up and (probably) promptly disappeared beneath the open browser. Never fear. Down to your task bar. See the window’s minimized bar? Click it. Up it pops again … and, 99% of the time, the text you just selected will already be there. That’s right, without pasting the text, the bookmarklet opens a window prepopulated not only with the selected text but also with the page’s URL and page title. And on occasion, with preselected tags. You’ll probably want to …
4. Erase the tags in the Stikkit window. Just select and delete. You’re gonna want your own. (Alternatively you can keep them but you’ll have a larger selection of tags to browse through when it comes time to draft your post.)
5. Now, jot down a few notes about this article. What fantastic idea occurred to you while reading it? What angle do you want to take on your blog post? What further research do you need to do? Type it into the Stikkit window.
6. Now - here’s the genius part: tag it. I created my own tagging system based on the abbreviated names of my blogs (BCLB for my bankruptcy practice blog, ELB for my employment practice blog, BNW for this one, etc.). I also tag based on the subject. I don’t tag indiscriminately and freely, though I know a lot of people swear by this method. For a limited purpose such as blog fodder control, I have found a more restrictive system works best for me. Your mileage may vary, of course.  To tag in Stikkit: use the @ symbol immediately preceding the tag. Ex: @BCLB - would tag a stikkit for me as BCLB.
   
7. Click ’save.’
8. Lather, rinse, repeat.

You’re going to want to do this not only in a dedicated “looking for blog material” session but also throughout the week as you play (OK, OK, work) on the ‘Net for other purposes. Whatever you run into that strikes your fancy, just follow the steps: select, click, note, tag, save. Get it? select, click, note, tag, save. SCaNTS. Me so clever.

The Recall

When it’s time to blog, it couldn’t be simpler using Sisk’s SCaNTS (try saying that five times fast - hell, try saying it once).

1. Open up Stikkit’s home center. You might want to stay logged in if you’re the only one using your computer, or that particular user account; otherwise, log in and out at every session.
2. Click on the little luggage tag icon in the row of icons at the top. That’s “tags.”
3. Click on the tag for the blog you want to work on.
4. Ctrl-click on the link - this brings up the reference URL in a new tab.
5. Click on the ScribeFire icon in the tray at the bottom of your browser window (it’s the yellow notepad and pencil).
6. If you haven’t already, set up ScribeFire with your blog(s)’s login info: Click “ADD” at the bottom of the right hand column, and follow the prompts. ScribeFire automatically recalls your blog’s categories for you (and you can add new ones, right from the ScribeFire window - pretty nifty).
7. In SF, select the blog you’re working on from the list under the “Blogs” tab.
8. Still in SF, click the “Categs.” tab and select the appropriate category. (Hint: I use my subject tags in the Stikkit for this purpose - they help me gauge the best category to use.)
9. Type in your working (or final, if you’re that good) title in the “Title” bar in SF.
10. Copy and paste in your working quote from the Stikkit, if you have one, into the text window of SF.
11. Compose your blog post, using the Stikkit and the reference page in your browser tabs as resources.
12. You can save it to your blog as a draft form in SF: simple click on the “Publishing Options” button to the right of the title bar, and select “Publish as Draft.” Alternatively, leave that box unchecked and when you get to step #14, it’ll publish your post to the blog immediately.
13. While you’re still in “publishing options” though, you’re gonna want to take advantage of some wonderful SF tools - add your Technorati tags (and click “Add Tags to post”), plug in your trackbacks, if any (separated by commas), click “bookmark post at del.icio.us using same tags” and “Enable pings” (and choose your ping forum of choice).
14. Click the reddish-orange “Publish to: {blog name}” button (after a once-over check to make sure you’ve got the right blog, etc. - it’s been known to happen … not to me, of course … <cough>).
15. Back in Stikkit - click the “edit” stikkit icon (again, a pencil) and add a DONE to the end of your blog tag. Ex: @BCLB becomes @BCLBDONE.  Click “Save.”

Why My System Rocks

The tagging portion of this system, together with Stikkit’s amiable user interface tools, makes it simple and effective - highly customizable without being confusing (which, in the land of apps, is really not a combination you come across too often, I’ve found). Using ScribeFire, even without the Stikkit component of the system, is a real time saver for bloggers. You can blog straight from the reference page without switching back and forth - keeping the text you’re working from and the text you’re working on both in plain view at all times. It might be a small bit of time saved, but it adds up to one great big reduction in the hassle factor.

The tags in Stikkit also help me plan my postings. I can see from the clouds on the main tags page which subjects are heavy with stuff and which are light - and which don’t exist at all. I can then tell - “hmm, ’tis been a while since I blogged about sex harassment at ELB - time to find some new stuff.” Changing the tag at the end of the process keeps your housekeeping up to date. This removes your resource from the active items list - the list of ideas to be blogged about - and puts it in the list of items already blogged about, creating a nice archive of your past resource material.

I’d love to hear comments, improvements, and suggestions on this system. It’s always a work in progress, and I’m forever looking for tweaks.

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