http://workflowWriting.com The Information Writers Need, Where They Can Find It Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:30:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://workflowWriting.com/29372/ford-fiestas-check-in-and-tweet-cross-country.php http://workflowWriting.com/29372/ford-fiestas-check-in-and-tweet-cross-country.php#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 21:40:49 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=274545 The great American road trip tradition gets a modern twist tomorrow with the kickoff of Ford’s social media-connected, cross-country journey. Two Ford Fiestas bedecked with a suite of custom-built online applications will depart from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a week-long trip to San Francisco’s Maker Faire on May 22.The culmination of a year-long innovation research project between Ford and U of M students dubbed “American Journey 2.0,” the socially connected jaunt pairs a team of Ford engineers in one car with a team of students in the other. The student team won a competition for most compelling in-car app with Caravan Track, a program that allows clusters of vehicles to track each other while traveling together — one we could have put to good use in our own separation-prone road trips back in the day.Another app in use along the journey will be Virtual Road Rally,…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/29372/ford-fiestas-check-in-and-tweet-cross-country.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/20237/how-the-roxy-became-the-1-venue-on-twitter-interview.php http://workflowWriting.com/20237/how-the-roxy-became-the-1-venue-on-twitter-interview.php#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:24:07 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=225639 With over 26,000 followers, West Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre is the most popular club on Twitter. Just short of half a decade earlier, however, the fortunes of the historic venue and many of its neighbors on LA’s infamous Sunset Strip were waning and in need of serious attitude adjustment.We had a chance to talk with Nic Adler, owner of The Roxy and the man behind the club’s transformation from “castle on the hill” to social media juggernaut, about how Twitter and other tools helped not only reverse the fortunes of businesses on the Strip, but build up a stronger, more vibrant local community.If you’re a small business wondering how social media can be relevant to you, someone in public relations looking for creative ideas, or an organization looking to take your first steps into the waters of social media, you’ll want to read on for a resounding success story and a…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/20237/how-the-roxy-became-the-1-venue-on-twitter-interview.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/16257/wordpress-down-wordpress-com-experiences-outage.php http://workflowWriting.com/16257/wordpress-down-wordpress-com-experiences-outage.php#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:56:01 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=211202 As the tweets pour in, Wordpress confirms that the Wordpress.com hosted service is down.The company is working on restoring the service as we speak. We’ll update this post with more news about the downtime as it comes in.Do you have any sites affected by today’s Wordpress.com outage?[UPDATE]: Wordpress CEO Matt Mullenweg posted an update on WP’s Twitter account that reads: “We’re investigating the source & most expedient fix. I hope to have everyone’s blogs back & running as soon as possible.”[UPDATE]: Wordpress.com is back up. Matt Mullenweg’s tweet reports “We are back running at full capacity now. Closely monitoring services for any aftershocks.”Reviews: WordPressMore About: blogging, outage, social media, trending, Wordpress, wordpress down, WPFor more Social Media coverage:Follow Mashable Social Media on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Social Media channelDownload our free apps for iPhone and iPad]]> http://workflowWriting.com/16257/wordpress-down-wordpress-com-experiences-outage.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/15468/14-fantastic-free-wordpress-themes.php http://workflowWriting.com/15468/14-fantastic-free-wordpress-themes.php#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:23:56 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=205408 This series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. Learn more about Rackspace’s hosting solutions here.Whether you’re a web developer whose clients need a great look and feel for their blogs, or just someone eager to bring a fresh new look to your own web site, there are literally hundreds if not thousands of free WordPress themes out there to consider. A number of those themes have been built by professional designers and talented amateurs, and are as easy on the eyes as they are easy on the wallet.Whether you need a great photoblog layout, personal lifestream, or more business-oriented design, there’s almost surely an existing theme out there worth checking out for your next blog or blog upgrade. And if you’re already a developer or are willing to acquire a small set of template editing skills, you can always modify an existing theme to taste.Have a…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/15468/14-fantastic-free-wordpress-themes.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/7425/top-5-blogging-platforms-judged-by-mashable-readers.php http://workflowWriting.com/7425/top-5-blogging-platforms-judged-by-mashable-readers.php#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:18:00 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=167760 Each Friday we choose a Lunchtime Poll topic to get a sense of how Mashable readers feel about the chosen topic of the week. Below are the results from last Friday’s poll, where we asked your favorite blogging platform.Is your favorite blog software not represented in the list? Let us know in the comments! And to make sure your vote counts next time, be sure to tell us your choice in this week’s poll for your favorite mobile social app. There was a clear winner in this poll who smashed everyone else: Wordpress. Both hosted and self-hosted, Mashable readers loved the WP platform about 7 times more than the number two platform, which was perhaps surprisingly the relatively old school Blogger. Were there other surprises in the list for you?Top 5 Mashable Reader Blogging Platforms 5. Livejournal4. Tumblr3. Posterous2. Blogger1. WordpressImage courtesy of iStockphoto, ericsphotographyReviews: Mashable, Posterous, Tumblr, WordPress, blogger,…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/7425/top-5-blogging-platforms-judged-by-mashable-readers.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/6045/lunchtime-poll-what%e2%80%99s-your-favorite-blogging-platform.php http://workflowWriting.com/6045/lunchtime-poll-what%e2%80%99s-your-favorite-blogging-platform.php#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:31:50 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=164959 Happy Friday, folks! That means it’s time once again for the weekly Lunchtime Poll!Last time we asked about your favorite video sharing sites — be sure to check out the results of Mashable readers’ video sharing favorites to get caught up. This time we want to know about your favorite blogging platforms: What do you use when 140 characters or a short status update aren’t quite enough? Head on past the break to find out the Mashable staff favorites, then let us know your choice in the comments (and why). What’s your favorite blogging platform?Mashable Faves Adam Ostrow: For personal use: Posterous, for professional: WordPress.Jennifer Van Grove: Posterous: The super simple platform makes it possible for me to maintain fresh content with little to no effort… Ironically, I’ve found that my Posterous posts are seeing impressive page views. Consistency and frequency is the play, and Posterous makes that possible.Brenna Ehrlich:…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/6045/lunchtime-poll-what%e2%80%99s-your-favorite-blogging-platform.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/480/blogging-faceoff-wordpress-vs-typepad.php http://workflowWriting.com/480/blogging-faceoff-wordpress-vs-typepad.php#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:56:51 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=153761 It’s that time once again: time for another head-to-head in our weekly Faceoff series! Last week’s winner in the exciting Twitter vs. Facebook was Facebook, and this week we turn our attention to blogging platforms.Both have their die-hard fans. Both have robust user communities and full-featured blog software. But when it comes right down to it, we want to know who would win in a bar room brawl: WordPress or Typepad?If you’ve been with us in our previous Faceoffs, you’ll know how this works. Just head on down to ye olde poll below and cast your vote — there’s even a tie option for the indecisive among you.So have at it! And be sure to let us know why you voted the way you did in the comments. Who would win in a fight: Wordpress or Typepad?(survey) Web Faceoff: Overall Results Week 1: - Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome -…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/480/blogging-faceoff-wordpress-vs-typepad.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/488/ibm%e2%80%99s-new-remote-control-will-tweet-your-tv-watching.php http://workflowWriting.com/488/ibm%e2%80%99s-new-remote-control-will-tweet-your-tv-watching.php#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:57:59 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=142678 There’s no doubt about it: TV is getting way more social. A recent patent filed by IBM reveals that Big Blue wants to help it get even more social, by developing a remote control that will automatically blog and/or microblog what you’re watching.The patent talks about a networkable remote controller that can “send a blog posting to a blog,” which can be set up to send posts automatically. It includes the ability to comment on the shows you’re watching, either by selecting from a pre-populated list or authoring your own. It also mentions posting automatically to microblogging services, which to most of us means Twitter.The patent was filed April 14 of this year, and the approval process can take some time so it may be a while before this thing comes to market. Nevertheless, it’s another stepping stone on the road to socially-enabled television.Check out the original patent diagram below.…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/488/ibm%e2%80%99s-new-remote-control-will-tweet-your-tv-watching.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/489/how-to-support-social-good-on-your-blog.php http://workflowWriting.com/489/how-to-support-social-good-on-your-blog.php#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:30:26 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=140610 Ford has generously offered to make a donation to Mashable’s Summer of Social Good Charity Fund. 50 of their Ford Fiesta Movement Agents will be donating $2 per retweet for this post up to 3,000 retweets.We’ve shown you simple ways to change the world without a huge time commitment, and now it’s time to think about making use of a platform many of you already have: your blog.Most of these action-oriented ideas don’t take a huge time commitment either. Even a few minutes of time to change a template or add a social good-oriented post to your regular routine can both create a lasting impact over time and display your proud commitment to social change.Let’s take a look at just some of the ways you can start turning your blog into a force for social change.Show Your Support Visibly Who doesn’t love a good widget? Sometimes even the mere mention…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/489/how-to-support-social-good-on-your-blog.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/491/20-simple-productivity-tools-for-bloggers.php http://workflowWriting.com/491/20-simple-productivity-tools-for-bloggers.php#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:18:27 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=137232 You don’t have to subscribe to the cult of GTD, shave your head and donate all your possessions to David Allen to improve your blogging workflow. Even taking a small amount of time to add some new discoveries to your toolkit now and then can reap long-lasting benefits. Take a look at this list of apps, extensions and other tools that aim to help you save time as a web writer.Let us know in the comments if you have a particular favorite not listed here that others might want to check out. Multiple Clipboard Tools If you frequently write for the web, multiple clipboards is simply a class of desert island app you shouldn’t live without. These programs up the ante from your operating system’s measly built-in single clipping at a time to allow storage of lots of text snippets you can access at once. Some will even let you…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/491/20-simple-productivity-tools-for-bloggers.php/feed 0 http://workflowWriting.com/492/26-places-to-find-free-multimedia-for-your-blog.php http://workflowWriting.com/492/26-places-to-find-free-multimedia-for-your-blog.php#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:19:57 +0000 Barb Dybwad http://mashable.com/?p=136596 Nothing makes a blog post more eye-catching than a great header image, but not all publishers have artistic talent. And even accomplished digital creatives often crave some found material to start from or work with in a project. Luckily for all of the above, sources abound for finding a compelling photo to grab your readers’ eyes and draw them in, or to locate fresh multimedia to remix.Creative Commons searchYou may be familiar with the Creative Commons free licenses that aim to give creators more freedom to allow sharing and remixing of their content. If not, you can find out more about the history of the organization and the different types of licenses from their About page. The most important thing to note is that many CC-licensed images, audio and video files are usable on your blog or site, typically with credit given to the original creator — a quick and…]]> http://workflowWriting.com/492/26-places-to-find-free-multimedia-for-your-blog.php/feed 0