Going to build a new Author Website? Let’s look at WordPress! It’s low cost, there’s a ton of plug ins and it’s really very versatile.
In case you’ve missed the memo, I like to be in control of my destiny. One of the things that really irked me in earlier days, was having to host my newsletter with third parties… The inability to do stuff the way I wanted, to have all the bells and whistles and the cost! Oh my!
On my previous site, I self hosted my newsletter and I learned a lot. Now I’ve returned to wordpress, I still want that functionality. And the lower cost.
What are the rates on the current top three providers Per Month? I would bet it’s more than the $65 I pay PER YEAR.
Now, I’ll tell you upfront, it’s not wart free. The biggest bugbear I have with this is when you get return to sender emails. I get each one. Individually.
I set my mail to send 500 per hour so over several hours I get these emails. I do manually amend the listings and yes it does take me about an hour a month to sort through.
But apart from that, let’s get a quick look at the functionality offered:
- Feature-rich drag-and-drop responsive email composer — which you can use to craft beautiful mobile-ready newsletters.
- Double opt-in subscriptions — thereby making sure you abide by EU anti-spam laws.
- Email tracking with advanced statistics — so you know who’s opening your emails.
- Easy segmentation to target your campaigns — so you can target specific groups of people on your list.
- SMTP support — to make sure your emails make it to visitors’ inboxes.
Yes, before you ask there is also AB testing and much more under the hood.
To get a better look, visit their website.
QR codes. They’re great. They can be inserted into your books or onto covers but they’re a pain when they stop working. Well, that is if you’re using a third party app. Why not house it “in house” on your site?
QR Redirector lets you set up your own QR Code redirection site. The plugin creates a new custom post type called QR Redirect, which generates a QR code that points to the post’s permalink. You may then specify any URL you like for the post to redirect to.
Now as a free plugin, imagine having a QR code for your newsletter signup at events, or on your business cards having a QR code for your website?
We need to stay ahead of the game, and this is just one more thing we can control for ourselves. To learn more, visit their website.
And since we’re talking about natty links, let’s add one more today.
Velvet Blues URL Updates.
I used to use another linking site, where I could shorten and personalise URL’s but then I had to pay and I couldn’t alter and… well, it all got a bit much. Then I discovered this plugin and it works beautifully.
Next week, we’ll take a look at some basic options we should all consider… but until then, keep smiling!
Immy
There’s a little about it here on the WordPress site.