Charlie Potter's Blog
February 3, 2024
Trust of Thieves #0
My new book! Let me know what you think.
A year before the Ravenous Resurgence of 1433, the buns of the Luminous Warren captured Sedum Burrow. Traveling east of Evergreen and into the Hungry Wilds, this is the unknown tale of what preceded that event.
Trust of Thieves promises a journey through Evergreen's shadows, where alliances are forged, secrets are unveiled, and the realm's fate rests in the hands of those who navigate the delicate balance of trust and betrayal.
You can buy the book here:
Trust of Thieves: Infiltration and Deceit https://a.co/d/5N5GaVf
:-)
July 24, 2020
Blogging 101
[image error]
If you’re new to WordPress you may be wondering what’s the big deal behind Pages and Posts. At first glance they appear to be one and the same: if you were to create either a new page or a new post you’d be presented with nearly identical interfaces and in many cases the public appearance of pages and posts will look the same.
Don’t let this fool you. There’s a very fundamental difference between the two and that difference is what makes CMSs, like WordPress, great platforms for integrating blogs with traditional websites.
PagesThink about the kind of pages that make up a typical website. Most often you’ll see pages like “Home”, “About Us”, “Services”, “Contact Us”, etc. Within WordPress these are often treated as Pages; documents that have no particular regard for the time they were posted.
For example, when you visit the “About Us” page of your favorite company’s website you don’t expect the content to be very different from what was available there a week ago.
PostsNow take a moment to think of your favorite news website. A news site is an ideal example of when you’d expect content to be different from the last time you visited — after all, news just wouldn’t be news if it weren’t current. In the case of news sites, Posts are most often used to write articles.
When you publish a post within WordPress it knows to treat the post differently than the way it treats a page. For example, when you enable a blog within your BoldGrid theme, it will list all of your published posts in reverse chronological order on your Blog page.
Your BoldGrid site can contain both pages and posts, i.e. you may have an “About Author” page to compliment your weekly blog. When done well, utilizing pages and posts in this way can help you build a more engaging experience for your visitors.
Basic Taxonomies
[image error]
If you write about a variety of subjects, categories can help your readers find the posts that are most relevant to them. For instance, if you run a consulting business, you may want some of your posts to reflect work you’ve done with previous clients, while having other posts act as informational resources. In this particular case, you can set up 2 categories: one labeled Projects and another labeled Resources. You’d then place your posts in their respective categories.
Categories are accessible from the post editor. There you can create new categories and assign them to your posts.
Tags, on the other hand, allow you to label your posts with relevant topics. For instance, within one of your resource posts you may choose to write about a set of project management tools. While you can certainly create a new category called “Project Management Tools,” you may not plan to write about the topic often enough to justify giving it a dedicated category. Instead, you may want to tag your post with several topics that exists within the post; e.g. project management tools, communication, time tracking, etc.
What’s great about tags is that they are searchable and provide your users another way to find content on your site. Anyone searching for “project management tools” will be able to locate any posts you’ve tagged with those words!
Tips For Better Writing
[image error]
If you’re considering adding a blog to your site, you’ll want to have a plan beforehand. Planning your blog will help your subject matter remain consistent over time. It’ll also help you determine whether or not there’s enough material to maintain a steady stream of posts.
One pitfall many new bloggers run into is starting a blog that isn’t posted to frequently enough. A shortage of recent posts can give your visitors a bad impression of your business. One may think “I wonder if they’re still in business” or “they may want to hire a writer.”
A blog, like any other customer facing aspect of your business, communicates your brand. If it isn’t maintained and given proper attention, people will notice. Post regularly and keep your content fresh. Give your audience a reason to visit often.
Find Your Audience
While on the topic of audiences, you’ll likely want to identify yours early on. If your blog is going to be set up to compliment a business, your target audience will likely be the same as your consumer base; you’re then writing for the same people that buy your product. You’ll want to allow any marketing material you’ve used inform the style and tone of your writing. Think of your blog as an extension of your company’s brand.
If, on the other hand, your business is completely new or you don’t happen to be selling anything in particular, this is the time to start thinking about your brand …
March 10, 2015
February 27, 2015
New print and watercolor in the shop!
New on OrangeTin @ etsy:
Steller’s Jay, 9 X 12 Original watercolor. Also available as a print.
The Stellar’s Jay is an enigmatic trickster. Preferring to travel alone, this solitary noisemaker is aggressive and clever.
February 17, 2015
Book giveaway!
Enter to win a free copy of the book Super, by Aaron Dietz!
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/127261-super?utm_medium=email&utm_source=giveaway_approved
Good luck!
January 26, 2015
New Etsy shop!
Check out my new Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/OrangeTin!
I’m starting with a few originals, and will have prints available soon.
Enjoy!
January 23, 2015
Deflate the Pats!
Grab this great tee before the big game.
Men’s sizes:
https://teechip.com/seahawk-flight
Women’s sizes:
https://teechip.com/seahawks-flight-ladies
December 12, 2014
The Nutcracker? Sweet!
Here’s a truncated version of The Nutcracker I made many many many moons ago.
It’s super goofy, and that was the intent. But with every listening to it, I’m all, “WTF?”
I put it together with a midi composition program, and each note and drum beat had to be entered in one by one. So, this required a bazillion mouse clicks, which makes me both embarrassed and proud of it.
01 Overture
02 March
03 Arabian Dance
04 Chinese Dance
05 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
06 Russian Dance
07 Dance of the Reed Flutes
08 Waltz of the Flowers
I imagine that Gene Belcher would love it.
