Sep

8

How to Capture Stills from Videos

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BSPlayer


Screen captures are a part of life for the avid blogger. They draw the attention of your readers and are useful to illustrate what you happen to be writing about. A problem you may run into, however, is when you try to capture a still from a video. When you use the typical screen capture software, you end up with a blank picture. That does you no good whatsoever. What can be done about this issue?

There are several ways to work around the problem, but I’ll focus on only one. Rather than play back the video with WMP, use an freeware alternative like BSPlayer. With BSPlayer you can easily grab a still by pausing playback, then right-clicking on the screen area and selecting Options>Capture frame. It’s that easy!

BSPlayer

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Aug

20

Blogging and a Full-Time Job: Do They Mix?

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I recently started a new full-time job after blogging full-time for several months, and it certainly is a challenge to keep my six blogs going while doing an 8 to 5 and complete my MBA. If you are in the same boat, here are a few things that help me keep up.

  1. Getting up early to blog. The very first hours of my day are spent in a creative zone. Writing good content is a creative endeavor, and I tend to be mentally tuned to that vibe early in the day. You may be different, so if possible, try to use that time of day to blog.
  2. Gathering and noting ideas for posts all damn day. The ideas are out there, just hanging from the trees ready for picking. If I am sharp enough to notice them, and disciplined enough to pick them, I will have lots for fresh ideas to flesh out once I sit down to write.
  3. Use commuting time to write…or rather record. Unless you ride a train to work, you can’t actually write, but you can speak into a microphone. A small digital recorder can be a valuable investment. I drive 45 minutes each way to work and back, so thats an hour and a half of time either wasted or used effectively.
  4. Work at work. When I’m there, I’m there in spirit as well as in body. Don’t cheat your employer or you’ll have to find a new one.
  5. Expect to be successful. The day will come when I will be able to make all the money I want or need solely from blogging. When that day comes, I’m not sure if I’ll quit my day job or not, but at least I’ll have that option. I am confident about my future.

Head on over to dumb little man for some more excellent tips on pulling this off.

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Aug

15

Feeds: Full or Partial Text?

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There are many blogging tips that successful bloggers swear by. This is not a problem for those who want to learn from the masters until they contradict one another. And this happens more often than you would think. One such duo of discrepant tips concerns the question of offering full- or partial-text feeds.

Some bloggers insist that you should offer partial-text feeds in order to entice (some might say “force”) readers to come to your blog to get the full story. You will not get traffic coming to your blog if readers can get it all from your feed, or so the thinking goes. I think that is a valid point. On the other hand…

Readers can get ticked off and unsubscribe to your feed altogether if they feel manipulated into visiting your blog. Also a valid point.

The question then becomes, which is more important to your long-run success? Blog traffic, or faithful readers? Weighing all aspects of the issue, I come down on the side of giving my readers the full story right up front. It seems to me that faithful readers will bring me more success in the long-run, and treating them with respect is more likely to result in developing trust and loyalty. That’s what I’m banking on.

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