How I Create a Blog Post!
Not being able to focus on just one task at a time I have to find ways to organize myself. A few days ago while chatting with @therealgabo and @joeprog about how I create a blog post @therealgabo gave me the idea to create a post out of it.
Working for various IT consulting firms and running CIMA IT Solutions has made me a process guy. For many years and to this day I go into small to large companies and give them my opinion on how to enhance or improve their processes.
I am going to layout my process on creating a blog post.
How and where I get Ideas for my posts?
- Frequently Asked Questions. How many times do you hear the same question over and over again from different people. If I get a client or someone that asked a question and I see there is an opportunity for me and my community to learn I do the research and post my opinion.
- My daily frustrations with customer service and other issues I run into are perfect inspiration to create a post. What a better way to fix a problem than finding others with the same issue and uniting. (ex. My Horrible Story with Mercedes Benz and there local dealer Garage Isla Verde)
- Opportunity for improvement. Every time I see anyone or a business can improve something I try to run various possible best outcome scenarios in my head. I write a post on how I think it can be improved.
- Other Blog Posts I read and comment in. I get great ideas and learn from other blogs.
- Daily Interactions either online or offline can spark an idea. Talking to the @therealgabo inspired me into creating this post.
- Interesting Things I would like to share. Many of you know that I talk a lot. I like to joke around that instead of boring people to death by talking with them now I write on my blog and give them the option to continue if they are still interested.
Once I get an Idea i quickly write it down
Once I get an Idea i quickly write it down I also use the following tools to assist me in organizing my ideas so I can get back to them. Some of the tools I use are the following.
- Things is task management software for the mac which also syncs and works with my Ipad and Iphone. It has great shortcuts that facilitate the creation of tasks. Once I have an idea I quickly open the application on whatever device is closer and add it to future topics for blog posts.
- Take related Links and place them as a to do
- Categorize them
- Post It Note we always have them around and they are great for writing down an idea and keeping them somewhere visible.
- A Note Pad might be handy for those that have good hand writing. In my case I hardly ever use one since I never go back to my notes.
- I send an Email to myself if I find something that is interesting and I want to get back to it later. Many applications on smart phones allow you to email a link or content it might be a quick way to save something.
Create a Mind Map
- I Start a Mind Map in Mind Node to organize my ideas.
- I write down main ideas and related topics in which I later elaborate.
- Use MindNode’s functions to move the ideas into text. It allows me to Copy & Past or Drag and Drop the text into a bulleted format.
Once I Organized my Ideas and Main Topics
- Make sure ideas are linked and have a structure.
- After reading the book The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
by Dan Roam I use many of his recommendations which are mainly structured on the following questions.
- Who/What?
- How Much?
- Where?
- When?
- How
- Why
- After reading the book The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
Review, review, and review
- Take a look at it a few times.
- Give it to someone with better writing skills to Proofread (in my case anyone). If I am creating a guest post for someone else I ask @lucymfel to take a look at it. Here on my blog I am a bit more relaxed when creating content I can always come back and edit.
Do you have a process to create content or a blog post? It would be great if you could share in the comments area!
I write technical papers for a living. Conceptual designs cannot be forced into a cookie mold. So I gather notes, calculations and concepts doing internet searches. The actual draft begins with the concepts, then with some graphs and eye catching figures. Afterwards is converting my concept, already in the head and translate it into a report.
Then my boss gives it a ‘Sanity Check’. If I went too technical he will ask me to ‘dumbify’ the document.
A similar situation ocurrs in my blog writing or my comics. I start with a vague concept (life in 2205, what if independence actually won an election, some obscure mythology I remembered watching a movie) and start getting random internet links found during my search. From there I find some fascinating backstory or concept that just needs to be presented. These vague concepts usually start with a good collection of blogs and aggregators I use as my source. From there, they get a life of their own, I just fill the blanks. I guess I just have to many questions.
For the whole organized chaos just check some of my articles on my blog:
http://alcantarillaalquimica.blogspot.com/
Robert,
I appreciate your feedback. It is great that you shared your process and will be more than happy to visit your blog posts. I think in the case of using Sci-fi I can even extend towards wherever your imagination takes you.
The inspiration to blog comes to me from different places. I use Post It notes too. One of the tools I”ve found very handy is Evernote. I use what I call an “idea incubator” and it goes something like this:
Whenever I find something that I would like to write about I write it on a piece of paper or Post It note and put it into my pocket. When I get home and do my routine chores I empty my pockets and see the ideas I’ve collected. Then when I log on to the computer I go to Evernote and transcript the note. I let it there for later. On Saturdays when I check the ideas I’ve gathered during the week I check those loose notes and add a little to them and then some more. After a time the note grows into what it looks like a post and then I copy paste it to my blog, add a finishing details and then I have an entry. Mind maps are another tool the I use to spark my neurons and generate some ideas .
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Prometeo.. like always I really appreciate for stopping by. I think your approach can help on those occasions where I have an idea and don’t feel like doing external research!.
Prometeo.. like always I really appreciate for stopping by. I think your approach can help on those occasions where I have an idea and don’t feel like doing external research!.
En mi caso, in my case, y no en el case donde guardo las cosas, aunque sí se parece un poco a mis cajas-gavetas donde guardo mi ropa, bueno, mi escritura se parece al reguero que tengo en mi casa, donde cada rincón tiene un papel suelto…
Así escribo, con un cerebro inquieto, donde saltan pensamientos tan rápidos que sólo puedo copiar frases para que no se me olviden, porque mi mente es más rápida que mi lápiz, pluma o dedo en el teclado. Algunos dicen que las ideas no le vienen a la mente cuando escriben, pero en mi caso, las ideas son tantas y tan rápidas que desearía escribir tan rápido como me llegan a la mente.
No escribía mucho por eso, pero el invento del procesador de palabras vino a mi vida como una bendición porque podía cambiar el escrito cada vez que lo revisaba, intercalando texto dentro del otro texto, hasta que a veces construía oraciones tan largas, con muchas comas, y puntos con comas, que me sorprendía al comparar ese texto con lecturas de otros escritores que antes me parecían complejos para emular sus escritos pero que ahora entendía cómo se elaboraba ese complejo pensamiento en una sola oración larguísima…
Con esa escritura del Blog, empecé a entender mejor a otros escritores que eran difíciles de entender, porque a veces se piensa que uno aprende a leer si uno lee mucho, pero ahora comprendo que uno aprende a leer si uno escribe mucho…
Escribo como hablo, y si me puedo comparar con alguna escritora, no por mi tono sino por mi forma de escribir, tengo de referencia a Santa Teresa de Jesús… Claro, no soy un devoto como ella, sino un criticón del carajo…
Encontré este Blog por una referencia de Prometeo… Lo seguiré visitando… Pero, las veces que pueda comentar, comentaré en español, mas no en el “difícil”…
Elco Lao,
Mil gracias por la visita. ME alegro muchísimo el ver el post que hizo Michael. Ya que lo admiro muchísimo por la disciplina que el tiene en hacer muchísimas cosas y estar haciendo esto por mucho mas tiempo.
He aprendido tanto con Michael que lo uso de ejemplo y como Mentor.
Y estas bienvenido a escribir en el Idioma que usted tenga el deseo. Yo escribo en Ingles por que escribo menos mal.. jaja en Ingles..
Un abrazo hermano!
Boricua, aunque escribas en el difícil… Somos hermanos…
Boricua, aunque escribas en el difícil… Somos hermanos…