Is Anybody Out There?

And would you mind letting me know?

Tap… tap… tap… this thing on? Hello?

I used to be much more prolific on this blog! Shame on me for not posting more often, I suppose, but if you’re one of the elite folks reading this now, could you let me know with a like or a comment, please? I’d appreciate knowing this goes somewhere… maybe? Thank you!

So where have I been?

When I started posting a few years ago, it was to educate myself on the nuances of WordPress and blogging, which I feel like I accomplished to the degree I was after. Then I got into my art site (RSMITHINGS.com), which has become my primary creative outlet, even creeping into this blog with posts about what goes into my art and the occasional exhibition. Add to that the fun but demanding task of raising a toddler, and well… you get the picture.

Many posts over here still get regular activity, like the one on Cheap Trick and the occasional blogging writeup, and there will remain forever those I’m especially proud of for connecting with authors (like Alexis Madrigal, Neil Strauss, or Jon Ronson). There’s just now a bit more time between them (more like a lot, but hey). Nevertheless, I’ll keep this thing going.

So anyway, thanks for reading, and know that I’d love to hear you’re out there.

How to Exclude a Post or Page from WordPress Search Results

I needed to have one post in a site I’m building not appear in search results. I came across this handy bit of code that totally does the trick, and it works for a page, too:

/** Exclude from search */
function mySearchFilter($query) {
if ($query->is_search) {
$excludeId = 199;
$query->set('post__not_in', array($excludeId));
}
return $query;
}
add_filter('pre_get_posts','mySearchFilter');

Copy and paste the above code in your theme’s Functions file:

Dashboard > Appearance > Themes > Editor > Functions.php

Then, replace “199” in this example with the ID of the page or post you want excluded. To find the ID, edit the page or post in the dashboard and look for this number:

You might need to access the Functions.php file in your themes folder via FTP if you have a custom install.

This right here is one of the main reasons I love WordPress. Because it’s open source and so widely-adopted, chances are there’s a solution for whatever basic issue may arise. To find this result I just Googled, “How to exclude page in WordPress search” and was taken to this support discussion from several years ago. Even though it’s from a previous decade, the advice still worked, and I hope it might help you also.

What do you think? Have you ever been led to WordPress forums via Google search for a how-to type of question? How do you prefer to find answers to these issues? Let us hear from you in the comments.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To A Support Ticket

No ticket – not an option!  Buh-bye!

My web hosting company, Bluehost, has opted no longer to offer tickets for support. Instead, they are seeking to focus on chat and phone as primary communication channels for website issues.

As someone who has run sites for nearly two decades now, this is unheard of. On one hand, I absolutely understand how support tickets can be a bottomless pit for support staff, often containing not enough information to address an issue.

On the other hand, I’ve often enjoyed the convenience of opening a ticket then getting back to work while awaiting a response, then having it documented as the conversation progressed, sometimes with it being emailed back to me for future reference (from Bluehost & others).

I had an issue with my art website, RSMITHINGS.com this morning, and within 10 minutes I opened a chat session and it was resolved. Plus, I’ve had great help from Bluehost’s phone support in the past as well.

So in my own personal experience, not having tickets has been so far, so good. Still, this is a major shift in approach. I reached out to Bluehost support via Twitter for some details, and they confirmed the switch:

@rsmithing Hi, yes we've made the decision to focus our efforts on providing timely solutions with personal direct phone/chat supprt.

— help.bluehost.com (@bluehostsupport) July 8, 2016

I have mixed feelings about this, but hey, if my issues can be resolved faster this way, I’m all for it.

What do you think? Do you prefer phone, chat or tickets for website tech support? Let us hear from you in the comments.

For When You Don’t Feel Like Blogging

Writing a blog post shouldn’t be a big deal, especially if you’re serious about blogging. That said, there are going to be days when you just don’t feel like it.

Check out the full series of blogging-themed images
I created over at Flickr and feel free to use them on your own blog.

Having done this for over a year now, a couple times per week steadily, I can fully attest to the occasional lack of motivation – but I always fight through and deliver the goods. Along the way, I’ve picked up these tips for those dark moments when you might not feel like keeping up with your own blog.

1. Have some posts in the bank

In those spells when you feel like writing, or when an idea hits, try to go with it. Take two minutes to get your thoughts into a few sentences or headings you can easily expand upon later. I’ve found the best tool for doing this is dictation software, or at the very least, the drafts feature in WordPress. I’ll even email some ideas to myself as a way of quickly capturing a subject or notion I know can be expanded upon down the road. That way, when the time is right, the content is ready to go.

Another great site for
writing inspiration:LanguageIsAVirus.com

2. Know your inspiration

Have some role models or examples of sites you enjoy on hand to get you thinking about material for your own blog. Or, as Janet Aronica aptly states over at Shareaholic (among the many other excellent tips there):

“Consume the content you want to create.”

By being able to easily refer to your sources of inspiration, you’ll be more likely to generate your own material with your unique perspective – which is the very best part of having your own blog. Set up some bookmarks, feeds, subscriptions, or whatever aggregation method works best for you so you can get inspired and have your own creative juices flowing.

3. Keep it simple, genius

A blog post does not have to be 10,000 words, nor should it be. In fact, brief is often better. I’ve found some of my most popular posts are sometimes the ones with just a compelling image and only a few sentences. Being handy with the phone cam and always on the lookout for quality visuals to share is something I enjoy, and also something I recommend for having interesting blog fodder at the ready.

What do you think? Are these suggestions useful? What tips would you suggest for drumming up motivation or inspiration in blogging? Let us hear from you in the comments.

Related articles

• Ask an Expert: Does the Length of Your Blog Post Really Matter?(blogs.constantcontact.com)
• Don’t Go Slick (stirrup-queens.com)
• So you want to start a blog… (lipglossismylife.com)
• How To Blog Successfully About Anything (seomoz.org)
• I love blogging but can’t find the time (awesomeelo.wordpress.com)
• An Amateur Blogger’s Tips For Creating A Better-Than-Amateur Blog(sitdownatatypewriterandbleed.wordpress.com)

Stuff You May Have Missed – August 2012

I make it a point each month to write at least one post in each of the six categories here at my blog: photography, social media, PR, technology, music and writing. It’s my way of keeping myself accountable for having a productive blog, and these are topics I’m interested in on a personal level. Most months I’m able to do this without thinking, since the posts are topics I’m into anyway, but sometimes I’ll go more into one than the other. I’m happy to report that this month has been happily well-rounded, with several posts covering all of the categories we favor at rsmithing.com. In case you missed them, here’s a review:

Single Image Sundays & More

In photography, the Single Image Sundays theme dominated, with posts about a wasp, a restaurant, Mars, and my first-ever re-blog. The WordPress platform has this one-click feature that lets you easily include another WordPress post into your own blog, which worked perfectly this month as The Savoia (which happens to be done in WordPress) featured my artwork this month, which was quite an honor.

I constructed this image for my post about Twitter with the results of a Google image search for “Twitter Logo” and “Wrench.” Then I used Pixlr to edit the two together.

Social media-wise, we started off this month strong with a post about 5 Really Useful, Really Easy Twitter Tools. What’s even better is that I’ve since discovered more, and will likely be doing an update. Some Twitter developers even reached out to me because of the post, including setting me up with a premium account (full disclosure in the case ofJustUnfollow), which was very kind and a pleasantly unexpected surprise. More to come on Twitter tools, for sure.

In the public relations realm, I covered recent activity ofFoursquare, wondering if its time has passed, and considered whether their recent PR efforts can get the buzz going again. Since writing that post, I’ve gotten interesting feedback from some like-minded users of the app, but overall, the jury is still out.

For technology this month, I wrote about the Mars Curiosity rover in anticipation of its landing on the Red Planet. Several weeks prior, I’d discovered this excellent video, “Seven Minutes of Terror,” which naturally got my space-geek senses tingling. I even chatted it up on Twitter with some people at NASA, which was totally fun, and further demonstrates the immediacy at our fingertips thanks to social media:

Richard Smith@rsmithing5 Aug 12

@SpaceLauren Thanks for the mention - hope you feel better soon!

Lauren Worley@SpaceLauren

@rsmithing Thanks! Rallying! Not missing landing on another planet! #adrubrumplaneta

5 Aug 12

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

Actual people at NASA interact with a random blogger on Twitter via shared excitement over sending a laser-shootin’ robot to Mars.I don’t care what anyone says; that’s cool.

Melodysheep Autotune Magic

Music was a highlight this month, as I interviewed John Boswell, the man behind MelodySheep and responsible for the excellent remixes of Bob Ross, Bruce Lee, Mr. Rogers and Julia Child that have been going viral lately. This was my favorite post by far of the whole month. A few weeks prior, I’d discovered his amazing musical montages, so I thought I’d see what happened if I emailed him some questions – he graciously answered and is a cool dude. Look for great things from this guy in the future. In the time it took to answer my questions and get back to me, Boswell produced this outstanding tribute to one of my personal heroes, Bruce Lee:

Finally, writing this month was a quick blurb and graphic I constructed for an inspirational phrase that appeared in my brain one day: It’s better to be ambitious than ambivalent. It was a fun way to incorporate text into a visual creation, something I used to do quite a bit but have backed off of lately. Also, I really believe that statement, so I’m glad to be sharing it with others.

There you have it, the month in review. Any of these stand out to you? Any comments to add to any of these? Do you keep an editorial schedule? What is your system for posts? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Related articles

• New Data: The Correlations Between Social Sharing and Inbound Links(seomoz.org)
• Interview with MelodySheep and Symphony of Science Mastermind John Boswell(rsmithing.com)
• Auto-tuned Bob Ross video is Internet sensation (sfgate.com)
• Bob Ross mash-up (twocoatsofpaint.com)
• 5 Ways NASA is a Pioneer in Space and Social Media (radian6.com)
• Blogger relations – you’re doing it wrong (davefleet.com)
• Why You Should Date Your Blog Posts (davemadethat.com)