Blog Azeroth

Heya, I've been blogging a while, and Im going to self-hosted wordpress, yay me. But, what I wanted to ask is, how long does it take you folks to write a good post? from start to finish, includeing linking, and picturizing.

It obviously depends on the post, so, I guess you should answer three times, short post, long post, and your best post (not time, but when you know you got a really good post at the end.)

My problem is I spend 10 seconds on small posts (but then, I am spicifically doing that, I call em Twits, cause I am sooo frikken clever....) Maybe an hour for long posts.... but then there are the good posts, where I find I spent 4 hours....

But, I want to be able to cut that time down some. So, I am looking for advice, and there are 3 parts to this. One, any advice on how to write it in the first place (do the 'good' bloggers link as they go, or go back afterwords, do you use the default blogger (ick) and wordpress editors, etc) Two, how do you handle/set up pictures, screenshots in particular (finding a picture on the web thats funny/relevant is not so bad, but I spend an inordinate amount of time setting up my pictures.) And three, any general advice would be great

So, the TDLR version.

How long do posts take you from first letter to publish?
* short posts
* Long posts
* Epic/really good posts

Advice on...
* Writing itself (talking about how you use the technology, not grammer lessons =))
* Pictures and other media (shortening prep time)
* Anything else

And the bonus...
* What in the world does TDLR mean anyway??

I do not time my writing. I'm a habitual rambler, and prefer (instead) to simply write until I feel the post is done. Sometimes this only takes a few moments where I spew out a couple of pages that I have to trim down, and sometimes it takes a couple of hours with me staring at a paragraph wondering why everything I had to say is no gone (slight exaggerations).

This comes down to writing preference and style moreso than any real guideline. I write because I enjoy it and want to share information, even if no one wants to read it. As a result I have no qualms spending a lot of time on a post, even if I scrap it and post something different.

My recommendation would be to approach this more from an organizational standpoint: schedule a specific amount of time to write. If you go over stop yourself and wrap it up, you can always continue the post by breaking it into two parts. If you spend less time you can use the excess to edit, "prettify," get started on the next post... whatever the case may be.

As for the other part of your question, I use MarsEdit to write my posts (Mac only).

No idea, but TLDR is "too long didn't read"

Is it generally accepted practice to use an editor? Question to Byaghro, and to anyone else.



Rofl, I meant TLDR, but I accedentally typed TDLR, which we all know means, Tender Delicious Lobster Rears. Common mistake, I belive.

I'm not sure you'll find a consensus one way or another honestly. For example, I have a very strong aversion to strictly web-based applications, and I wanted a very easy solution for archiving/searching/editing/etc. all of my posts. My original format was with a basic text editor, saving each entry as a separate file. I knew this was not the best way to achieve my goals, so I looked for options.

The main thing to worry about is what you feel comfortable using and writing with. Some people are quite content to use the blog's built-in editor. It is not really any different than the thought that some people write in HTML and some write in formatted rich text.

I prefer an application that is designed for blogging. Wordpress.org actually has a decent list up, located here.

I've been known to use DeepestSender (here!) from time to time (since I use it for my livejournal postings) but by and large I just use the standard editor on the admin side of my blog. Firefox/Flock have a nice little built in spell check that catches my booboos, and my grammar is *usually* correct. I also like that I can easily go back and forth between WYSIWYG and HTML on the online editor - I've had problems with downloadable editors like DS eating my coding and spitting it back at me in some unrecognizable format.

One of the things I like about MarsEdit is that it is an HTML editor (I'm a little bit of a control freak / obsessive-compulsive person when it comes to my formatting being correct even if I decide to post it somewhere else, or change templates / themes, etc.).

For those who want to look into an editor and prefer HTML and WYSIWYG the highest recommended choice I always hear is Ecto.

The newest version of Wordpress's dashboard and editor really is exceptionally better than previous versions, and even I do not really have any complaints left with it (except that MarsEdit gives me a local archive of published items and drafts, and if I ever have a problem I can simply repost the items with a click).

Short posts will take less than an hour, but those are rare for me. It's more common for me to write a single post across multiple sessions. For a longer post I like to take a break towards the end so I can reread it later with fresher eyes. It helps to catch the typos the spellchecker misses.

Epic/really good posts probably take a few hours all things considered. It's not uncommon for me to end up posting what I consider a really good post a couple days later than I originally hoped due to editing and/or grabbing screenshots.

Good to hear, It has to be portable, I write from work alot.

Thats a problem for me... I cannot seem to get ahead, so I am always posting to the future, and I doubt I ever will. And I am trying to be a prolific poster.... 5 times a week.... Basically, I dont like to have an almost ready post sitting there unposted.

That may be the crux of my issue.

Short posts usually only take me a few minutes so I am with you on that one. However, long posts can take me days. That's mostly because I have a hard time focusing and I probably have ADD. Usually I just start like 5 outlines and finish them whenever I can.

I think the question you want to ask yourself is whether you want it done quick or good. What I mean is that if you are writing faster than what you are used to then you might be sacrificing quality. If you can sit there and pump out a longer post in an hour, then I would say that your making pretty good time.

And the bonus...
* What in the world does TDLR mean anyway??

No idea. According to google it is the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. lol.

I meant TLDR, which is Too Long, Didnt Read, or short version. -shrug-

Im not sure I aggree, at least, for me personally, on the concept of "Quick, or Good." Your insinuation is that a post can either be done with relative haste, or good, but not both... But what I am trying to achive is a 'work-week' blog... Meaning I post something (of relative substance) 5 times a week.

Recently, with all the changes Ive been doing to my blog, this has not been possible, but I intend to keep it up.

I thank you all for your thoughts on this subject, I think its important... If you havent really thought about how you post, and the methods you use, how you make the most of your time, while maintaining high (ish?) standards - you should.

I just cannot seem to decide how I want to do things.... I suppose that will come in time.