In spite of the fact that I am calling this “requirements” these tools are optional. However, I have found that they can be helpful. For those who are maintaining blogs for clients, you will want to include links to other blogs, photos and from time to time videos.
Unless a blog is set up before you start working with it, you may be asked to set it up completely including selecting a theme. For this, your best bet is WordPress themes. Even if your client is doing a self-hosted blog, WordPress can be helpful to you. You will need to select a theme, download it or access the site via an FTP processor. Don’t panic, these are easy to do and simple to learn.
WordPress
WordPress – If you are a blogger, no doubt you’ve heard of it a time or two. When you are selecting blog themes, make sure that you are sending the message your customer wants. If they have specialized headers, search themes for “header” and you’ll find a list of those who allow you to put in customized headers.
WordPress Plug Ins - One of the most valuable tools you have if you are using WordPress themes is the plug in directory. It can make your life a lot easier. Plugins offer everything from instant social networking icons to spam stoppers and nearly everything in between. Use only the plugins you need to make the blog effective as some of them can slow the posting of pages down. Don’t forget to take advantage of the newest set of plugins for making blogs “mobile friendly” so you are not alienating mobile phone users from your blogs.
FTP Tools
FTP Tools are a dime a dozen. Most of them are very simple to use, though some are more complicated. You may need them to upload your WordPress themes or plugins, or you may need them to upload files, headers, images etc. Here are some of the ones that I like.
First, there is Filezilla – This is an open source and free FTP client. Like many other free open source software they are regularly updating the offering so make sure if you download this one that you check back regularly for updates. You can set up the software to automatically update when you use it. This can be helpful if you’re only using it a couple of times a month.
CoreFTP - This is my FTP of choice as it’s small, easy to use and installs very quickly. It has no bells and whistles to speak of and offers a simple to understand interface. This is another great FTP freebie. It is stable, seldom has connection problems and perfect for the beginner FTP user. They also offer a paid version.
In the interest of space I will refer you to this page of Wikipedia which compares many of the popular FTP programs. (Please note this may be one of the only times you see me linking to Wikipedia!!)
There are other tools that can help you add value to your clients blogs which we’ll explore in our next section.
About Doreen Martel
Well-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.
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[...] our last posting, we talked about some of the tools for blogs that could help you successfully work on your client’s blog. Today, we going to examine some [...]