HOW TO MAKE A WEB SITE THAT REPRESENTS YOUR

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY:CREATING THE DIGITAL

PRESENCE THAT WILL GET YOU NOTICED

Presented by the SUNY Oswego Writing Fellows

Greetings!

Kenneth Nichols

Great Writers Steal

www.greatwriterssteal.com

The Genesis of this Presentation

Smart and cool students who should really spread the word about how

cool and smart they are.

Big-time writers who have no presence on the Internet.

The Purpose of Great Writers Steal

•To shine a spotlight on underappreciated works and journals•To help readers learn about writing craft•To build a community of writers•To bring a little attention to my work•To demonstrate my love of writing and to teach in a new way

Why Establish an Internet Presence?

• You can make connections with other people in your field.• Searching for your name on Google will be a fun and

rewarding experience.• Colleagues and prospective employers will be impressed

with your accomplishments or your dedication to your field• People will have easy access to your work.• Networking! Who knows who will read your stuff?

Who Needs an Internet Presence?

Everyone!

Okay, More Specifically…

• Chemists• Actors• Writers• Public Relations professionals• Lady Gaga• Butchers• Bakers• Candlestick makers

Blogs vs. “Web Sites”

Blogs Web Sites

Personal? Subject-oriented

Dynamic Static

Interactive Authoritative

More Fleeting More Evergreen

Basic Resume Site

www.leighallisonwilson.com

Basic Resume Site

http://leekabbottwriter.wordpress.com

Content-Oriented Site

www.greatwriterssteal.com

What Are You Kind Folks Thinking?

What Will You Do With Your Presence?

• Comment upon news stories in your field?• Post periodic updates about your work?• Establish a digital resume or CV?• Develop a creative outlet?• Invite collaborations for personal or professional

projects?• Showcase your creative and/or professional works?

What Are You Kind Folks Thinking?

Tone

Your web site and its connected social media accounts should reflect a common tone…

Mine certainly does…

Community

Given enough time, a digital presence will foster a community around your work and will allow you entrance into other communities.

•Web site comments•Mentions on other sites•Social media connections•Invitations to interact with others

Getting Started

Don’t be scared!

WordPress

• A free content management system• 15% of the Internet runs on WordPress• Numerous free options, many reasonably priced options• Relatively easy for beginners to use• Allows use of widgets and plugins for enhanced function

• Did I mention it can be free?

Signing Up for WordPress

Simple and free.

Signing Up For WordPress

Dashboard

WordPress Command Center

Posts and Pages

•Posts are the regular updates you might make.•Pages are the static “sections” in your site.

Pages

What Are You Kind Folks Thinking?

Categories and Tags

Help your visitors find specific pages on your site

Search Engines

Search engines privilege sites with:•Fresh content•Original content•Others linking to them•Higher traffic•High keyword density

...but you don’t have to worry about this unless you want to. People will find your Web presence because you will use…

Dedicated Social Media

Sure, you can use your already-established social media accounts. There are, however, advantages to using accounts that are dedicated solely to your Web presence:1.Less of a chance of…embarrassing personal mistakes.

Dedicated Social Media

Sure, you can use your already-established social media accounts. There are, however, advantages to using accounts that are dedicated solely to your Web presence:1.Less of a chance of…embarrassing personal mistakes.2.Allows you to remain “on message” and to maintain the tone you’ve chosen.3.Prevents people from avoiding you and your site because of irrelevant personal disagreements.4.Helps you build your “brand.”

The Vast Great Writers Steal Empire

Sigh…So Many Social Media Outlets…

• Facebook• Twitter• Google+• Tumblr• Ello• YouTube• LinkedIn• ……………………………..

At the very least, you should reserve therelevant accounts so no one else can have them…

Free Programs

•WordPress•Paint.NET•Windows Movie Maker•Audacity…

What Are You Kind Folks Thinking?

Brainstorming!

What are you going to call your web site?•Kenneth Nichols•Kenneth Nichols Writing•What We Can Learn From Different Creative Works•Writing Craft Advice 4 U•K-Dawg’s Writin’ Help•Please Like Me; I’m So So Lonely… =(

Visual Imagery

Logos and complementary

images

Beware the Copyright Police

For the Next Session

Complete the worksheet I’ve distributed. I’m really

just trying to get you to start breaking down some

ideas.

See You Next Week!

And thanks for coming!

Any questions?