Love WordPress?  Us too.  Get Shareaholic for your WordPress site to drive traffic and track the effectiveness of your content.

Why do so many people LOVE WordPress?  Obviously it’s easy to use and dependable, but I think its biggest selling point is the plethora of plugins that are available to extend the functionality of WordPress. like the iPhone, it seems like there’s an “app” (or in WordPress terms, a Plugin) for just about anything.

Wit so many to choose from, hich plugins are the best though?  Which do you really need and which can be passed on?  Let’s take look at 10 of the most popular WordPress plugins. Numbers don’t lie: the plugins listed in this post are the most downloaded posts on WordPress for a reason.

Check out the ten most popular WordPress Plugins in the post below and let us know which ones you can’t live without in the comments section. Which other plugins do you rely on every day?  

1. Sexy Bookmarks

Sexy Bookmarks is another one of my favorite WordPress plugins because it makes reading your blog more fun, its easy for readers to use and it helps you track the success of your content.  Add Sexy Bookmarks to your blog to see how many people are sharing your content and on what social networks.  Then sign into your Shareaholic account to check out the stats of how your site is doing.

Shareaholic will tell you how many visits you got, and provide a break down of how many shares each post received so you can tailor your content to what your audience likes enough to share.  Want to demo Sexy Bookmarks?  Scroll to the bottom of this page and share this post by clicking one of the social media icons below.  With just one click your content can be shared with thousands.  Imagine how much more traffic this could bring in for YOUR website! An easy peasy Plugin that really drives traffic- and its pretty… err, sexy… too!

Download the Sexy Bookmarks Plugin

2. WP Touch

With mobile website traffic going through the roof the last few years, a mobile-friendly version of your WordPress website is crucial.  The WP Touch plugin allows you to turn your existing website into an application-like theme for an easy viewing and clicking experience.  WP Touch works well for those viewing your site from just about any popular mobile device including the iPhone, iPod touch, Android mobile devices, Palm Pre/Pixi and BlackBerry OS6 mobile devices.

Thanks to the user-friendly admin panel NO CODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED!  The theme also includes the ability for visitors to switch between WP Touch view and your site’s regular theme.  This plugin has been downloaded more than 3.4 million times and I think you should download it next!

Download the WP Touch Mobile Plugin

3. Google XML Sitemaps

Any great web designer or webmaster knows that an XML sitemap is crucial if you ever want search engines to find you. This probably explains why the Google XML Sitemap plugin has been downloaded more than 7.6 MILLION times!

XML sitemaps tell the “spiders” how your site is structured and what your site is about.  Sitemaps also notify all major search engines every time you create a post about the new content. Although the title of this plugin is deceiving, the Google XML Sitemap plguin not only communicates with Google, but with Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com too.

Download the XML Sitemap Generator Plugin

4.  All-in-One SEO Pack

With almost 11 MILLION downloads to date, this plugin has a proven track record of success.  The All-in-One SEO pack simplifies SEO regardless of how tech savvy you are.  Beneath the body content of your page or post, this plugin allows publishers to add a meta title, description and keywords to their content with ease.  Not sure how long your meta tags and descriptions should be?  Don’t fret: the All-in-One SEO pack will prompt you by showing how many characters are acceptable in each field.

This is one of the first plugins I started using with my own blog and I noticed a huge spike in traffic once I did.

Download the All-in-One SEO Pack

5. WP to Twitter

WP to Twitter posts a Twitter status update from your WordPress blog using your URL shortening service to provide a link back to your post from Twitter.

Use a Tweet template or create your own custom posts using shortcodes to generate your text.  Any status update you write which is longer than the available space will be truncated by the plugin

Additional features include:

• Use tags as Twitter hashtags
• Use alternate URLs in place of post permalinks
• Support for Google Analytics
• Support for XMLRPC remote clients

Translations in several languages also available!

Download WP to Twitter WordPress Plugin

6. Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is ideal for the person who wants flexible yet easy to use forms.  Downloaded almost 7 million times, this plugin allows you to manage and mail several custom designed contact forms via your website.  In addition, it supports many features including AJAX submitting, CAPTCHA, Akismet spam filtering, file uploading, etc.

Download the Contact Form 7 WordPress Plugin

7. Broken Link Checker

This plugin will check your blog for broken links and notify you if/when any are found.  The Broken Link WordPress Plugin will also:

• Monitor links in your posts, pages, comments, the blogroll, and custom fields (optional).
• Detect links that don’t work, missing images and redirects.
• Notify you of broken links either via the Dashboard or by email.
• Makes broken links display differently in posts (optional).
• Prevents search engines from following broken links (optional).
• You can search and filter links by URL, anchor text and so on.
• Links can be edited directly from the plugin’s page, without manually updating each post.
• Highly configurable.
• You can also click on the contents of the “Status” or “Link Text” columns to get more info about the status of each link.

Download the Broken Link Checker WordPress Plugin

8. NextGen Gallery

The NextGen Photo Gallery WordPress Plugin takes the best of the existing slideshows and does just a bit better.  While perfecting a WordPress photo gallery may seem a bit lame, think again!  Check out all the features that NextGen offers its users:

• Templates: add custom templates for your theme.
• Media RSS feed: Add the Cooliris Effect to your gallery
• Assign each of your galleries an author
• AJAX based thumbnail generator : No more server limitation during the batch process
• Copy/Move: Copy or move images between galleries
• Sort your Albums with ease
• Upload or pictures via a zip-file (Not in Safe-mode)
• Watermark function: You can add a watermark image or text
• Multiple CSS Stylesheet: Use a nice shadow effect for your thumbnails with your own CSS file
• Slideshow: Full integrated slideshow as jQuery or Flash solution
• Sidebar Widget : Show a slideshow, random or recent picture in your sidebar
• Gallery can be translated in more than 30 languages
• Translation downloader : Download with one click the new translation file
• Sort images feature
• Support for XML Sitemaps : Add Images to your sitemaps with the WordPress SEO by Yoast plugin

9. Google Analytics for WordPress

If you’re still reading this post, it’s safe to assume you’re pretty familiar with Google Analytics.  I’m also going to venutre a guess that you are the kind of person who has way too many browser windows open at the same time and get irritated about flipping back and forth between Google Analytics and WordPress.

Meet the Google Analytics plugin for WordPress and flip windows no more!  Install the Google Analytics plugin with ease using the Google Analytics API: authenticate, select the site you want to track and you’re done.  By activating this plugin you’ll also get to track logins and registration forms, connect your AdSense account and use custom variables to track meta data too.

10. SEO Friendly Images

Search engines are pretty darn smart, but not quite smart enough to view your image and know what it is – yet.  SEO Friendly Images is a WordPress plugin that automatically adds proper Alt and Title attributes to your images for SEO purposes according to the directions you set.  Additionally this makes the post W3C/xHTML valid as well.

Still wondering why you need this plugin?  Remember that ALT tags describe what your image is so search engines can find them easily.  The Title tag plays a lesser role for search engines, but is important for visitors as the title will appear when they hover their mouse over an image.

Download SEO Friendly Images for WordPress

What WordPress plugins are your absolute “must haves?”  Help others in the WordPress community by sharing your favorite plugins with us in the comments section below.   We are all always looking to improve our WordPress sites!

Want to drive more social shares to your blog? Make sharing easier for your audience with Shareaholic.

This infographic caught our eyes in Adotas – not just because of the content, but we were so thankful to The Search Agency, a  search engine marketing firm, gave our Pinterest data a little wink in the infographic! Thanks guys!

I found this breakdown of personality and personas to be interesting – who is the type of person who shares your content on Linkedin versus who shares it on Facebook? Does that sort of thing matter to you? Let us know in the comments how you track that and use that information to fuel your content strategy with informed content decisions.

One more Chrome tip: Share articles without leaving the page you’re browsing with Shareaholic for Chrome.

If you’re reading this post in Internet Explorer or even Firefox, I hope that by the end of this post I’ve inspired you to switch over to the King of browsers: Google Chrome!

Why should you use Google Chrome?  It’s fast, simple and secure.  Even more alluring is that Chrome remembers your bookmarks, history and preferences no matter what computer you use.  Tabs can be moved around and you can search using the address bar too.  Want to learn more?  Here’s a grand tour of all that Chrome can offer you!

Setting Up Your Google Chrome

Make Chrome Your Default Browser

If you like how Google Chrome works, make it your default browser! By doing so, future links you click will automatically open in Google Chrome. Follow these steps to set Google Chrome as your default browser:

1. Click the wrench icon  on the browser toolbar.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click the Basics tab.
4. In the “Default browser” section, click Make Google Chrome my default browser.

Get a Theme

Most of us spend a large chunk of our day in front of a browser.  Want to spice things up a bit?  Download a Theme for Chrome and pick a look that suits you.  The choices are endless!

Manage Your Bookmarks

1. Click the wrench icon  on the browser toolbar.
2. Select Bookmarks
3. Select Bookmark manager.

To open the New Tab page, click the  icon next to the last tab at the top of the browser window.  There you will see your existing Apps.  If you click the < sign on that same page page, Chrome will take you to mini-versions of your most frequently visited websites.  This makes clicking to your Gmail, online banking, Facebook and whatever other pages you visit on a daily basis quick and easy!

Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts

Who needs a mouse when you can become a Chrome Pro via your keyboard?  Below are my most-used Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts.  The commands below are for a Mac.  Just substitute the ⌘ for Ctrl if you’re using a PC!

⌘-+ and – | Enlarges everything on the page / makes everything smaller on the page

⌘-D | Saves your current page as a Bookmark

⌘-H | Hides Google Chrome

⌘-Option-I | Opens Developer Tools

⌘-Shift-J | Opens the download page

⌘-L | Highlights the URL

⌘-M | Minimizes the Window

⌘-Shift-N | Opens a new window in Incognito Mode (use if you have a secret to keep or want your browsing history to be “off the radar!”)

⌘-Q | Closes Google Chrome

⌘-R | Reloads current page

⌘-W | Closes Current Tab 

⌘-Shift-W | Closes Current Window

⌘-Y | Opens the history page

Chrome Extensions

First, what’s a Chrome Extension? Extensions are extra features and functionality that you can easily add to Google Chrome. Using extensions can help you get additional information, do things in less clicks and get notifications.  A few of my favorites are Awesome Screenshots, Shareaholic, Wise Stamp and News Squares.

Not sure which extensions and apps are right for you?  

• Check out the Chrome Webstore’s Trending feature to find out what’s “hot” in the Chrome store.
• Check out our blog post on 8 Chrome Extensions that Make Blogging Easier
• Check out the 11 Must-Have Chrome Extensions for Web Designers

Chrome Apps

What’s the difference between an App and an Extension?  While you must download extensions, apps are basically website-based programs that run on Chrome. Some apps require you to install a small component on your local machine, but that will only make a difference when you’re using that particular Web app. For example, Google Docs is a Chrome App. It runs within the browser and doesn’t require you to download anything, but it has its own user interface.  A few other neat Chrome apps are:

• Pad Mapper for your apartment hunt
• Crytocat: an encrypted chat room for you and your friends that runs on your browser
• Aviary: like Photoshop but free and running from your browser
• Stay Focused: an app that allows you to set limits on how much time you can spend on certain websites (hello, Facebook!)

Print from the Cloud Using Chrome

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget about one of Chrome’s newest features!  Never get stuck wishing you had a printer on a business trip again.  Just use “Google Cloud Print” to print your documents to any FedEx office in the US in a snap!  Canon, Epson, Kodak and HP also make several printers that are compatible with Google Cloud Print making it easy to print from anywhere!

Quiz time! What did you learn? Why do YOU use Google Chrome?  What are your favorite Chrome extensions and apps? Share in the comments section below!

I really enjoyed Maria Shriver’s recent USC Annenberg commencement speech, in which she celebrated “the power of the pause.” It’s admittedly a completely different message than the one we preach around here, where we encourage frequent blogging, sharing and connectedness. But to an expectedly smaller audience today as many of you are probably already heading out of the office for the weekend (good!), I’ll share a different message: Unplug. (At least a little.)

First though, it goes without saying for our American community members for why you should unplug this particular weekend – it’s Memorial Day. Honor our veterans, take a minute to reflect on their extraordinary sacrifices and contributions. That one’s so important that it really can’t be  in the same list as all these other ones, right?

Here are your other really really really good reasons to unplug a little this weekend:

1. Writing too much makes you a crappy writer.

Now, I’m clearly going to have explain myself on this one. It’s tempting to blog for the sake of blogging – the lure of traffic, the validation of retweets. It’s easy to get in a grind and not only add to the noise but also get stuck in the weeds of cranking out content just for the sake of blogging. The result? You end of using the same language and same sentence structure… and worse… blogging about the same old topic… in pretty much every single post.

The solution? Read. Read, whether that’s a book or a completely different type of digital content, read and read something outside of your normal realm. Refresh your enthusiasm for writing by seeing how others write other things.

2. Avoid tunnel vision and you’ll suddenly get more content ideas.

Have writer’s block? There’s no better source of content ideas than realizing the pain points and questions of real, live, breathing people.

Focus is great, but it can lead to a lack of perspective. Talk to people outside of your echochamber – your relatives, neighbors… somebody. Especially if you’re blogging for business, learn how people outside of your echochamber relate to whatever you’re selling.

I see tunnelvision a ton, especially with “social media tips” kind of content. I’m just as guilty of it as the next person. There’s a reason “How to Use Pinterest for Content Marketing” posts strongly outweigh broader-reaching posts, like tips for how small business owners can get the right resources and manage their time effectively when diving into social media.

Step away, have some real conversations and gain perspective.

3. Time-boxing makes you more efficient.

Commit to yourself that you are going to take a break at X time on Friday. In fact, tell others about it and they’ll help hold you accountable. When you absolutely have to be committed to a deadline, you’d be surprised how soon you can wrap up the content that would have taken you all day in perhaps just a half an hour. Don’t be slopping, but stop nitpicking. Hit schedule or publish and walk away.

This one goes not just for this weekend, but probably every day of the week. Put a hard stop time on blog posts, and stick to it.

Of course, some people may disagree with me and say this is more prime-time to get things done. (Which could be true: The internet is quiet, there’s not the distraction of email, you could be fantastically productive this weekend and depending on your projects, you may have to.)

So what do you think: Will you take a blogging and social media break and unplug? Let us know in the comments!

Share your favorite recipes the easy way: install Shareaholic for your browser today!

Any foodies out there? Well, you’re in luck. We’re always excited to share the expertise of the Shareaholic publishers, and many of them happen to be pretty amazing in the kitchen.  If you’re hosting a Memorial Day BBQ or need to bring something to one, here’s a list of 20 awesome Shareaholic blogs to find great recipes.

What are you making this Memorial Day? Let us know which recipes you’re going to try and which of these blogs you love in the comments below!

1. Peanut Butter Fingers

Who doesn’t love peanut butter? Apart from those who have peanut allergies, I can’t think of too many people. While this blog doesn’t focus solely on peanut butter goodies, if you need some fun and quick ideas for dinner and a last-minute recipe for dessert, and maybe a laugh or two, check this site out.

Discover delicious recipes from Peanut Butter Fingers here.

2. Erin Cooks

Erin is now the author of her very own cookbook, PopTails – due out in July! She’s got all sorts of recipes, from breads to cupcakes to pizza.

Discover delicious recipes from Erin Cooks here.

3. Picky Palate

This site can inspire some great Memorial Day ideas for kids (and adults) who tend to be a little picky in their eating habits. In fact, Picky Palate is like you very own cookbook for picky eaters and contains just about every assortment of foods. Try the “Easy” Cheesy Bacon Biscuit Pull Aparts for the upcoming holiday.

Discover delicious recipes from Picky Palate here.

4. Simply Delicious

This award-winning blog from South Africa makes the mouth water, literally. The food not only looks delicious but it is clear as one goes through the site, that everything is made with a little TLC so I would recommend this site for the patient cook or baker who wants to take their time in the kitchen.

Discover delicious recipes from Simply Delicious here.

5. Love From The Oven

Christi, the founder of Love From The Oven loves to bake and hates to cook so expect a lot of sweet treats that are catered for holidays like Memorial day. Many of her recipes are from generations before her so you can feel quite special that she is willing to share them. Although her Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie was for Pi Day, it’s also a great option for Memorial Day. Why? Because sometimes you just can’t choose between cookies and pie.

Discover delicious recipes from Love From The Oven here.

6. Running to the Kitchen

Expect a healthy balance from Running to the Kitchen. The founder, Gina is a runner and knows fitness and healthy eating go hand-in-hand. However, like any runner I’ve ever known, Gina is not afraid to splurge a little. After all, the calories can be burned later. As a busy career woman, Gina’s recipes should resonate with many of us who need to fit cooking in the schedule this Memorial Day.

Discover delicious recipes from Running to the Kitchen here.

7. The Hungry Housewife

The Hungry Housewife currently has an amazing Memorial Day contest where you can win Orchard’s Finest Michigan Red Tart Cherry Preserves and a $50 Gift Card to Cooking.com. Find out more on her site. For Memorial Day, check out her suggestion of Chicken Bacon Burgers with Cherry-Chive Mayo. Yum.

Discover delicious recipes from The Hungry Housewife here.

8. Bakingdom

Welcome to what might quite literally be the world’s first online baking kingdom. This site contains recipes for everything I could ever think of going into an oven. There are also gluten-free and vegan options and even recipes for dog treats, because our dogs deserve an extra special Memorial Day too.

Discover delicious recipes from Bakingdom here.

9. Mom Sparks

Mom Sparks has some of the most creative recipes that I’ve ever come across. If you’re looking to do more than burgers, brots and grilled vegetables this year, I highly recommend this blog. If you’ve got any fish lovers coming over and you’re serving salmon, try her Legendary Apple Cider Grilling Sauce.

Discover delicious recipes from Mom Sparks here.

10. Foodie With Family

If you’re a foodie in the online community and haven’t heard of this blog, where have you been? The duo who run the blog are what I would call intense, as in, if cooking were a sport, they’d be in the finals of a world championship. So, take it easy and try one of the recipes in the Appetizers and Snacks section such as the Baked Potato Skins or Corndog Bread.

Discover delicious recipes from Foodie With Family here.

11. Raising Olives

If you want a more philosophical and or/spiritual approach to your cooking this weekend, Raising Olives gives deeper meaning to all her recipes. If you’re going to be in the kitchen all day, I suggest starting the day off right with her Baked French toast.

Discover delicious recipes from Raising Olives here.

12. Feels Like Home

This blog is all about making your guests feel right at home through your cooking which is perfect for all your guests this weekend. Try the Grilled Zucchini which should complement just about any main course you decide to serve.

Discover delicious recipes from Feels Like Home here.

13. Madhuram’s Eggless Cooking

If you can’t eat eggs or will have guests that can’t eat eggs, get creative with Madhuram’s eggless cooking recipes. You’ll find great egg substitutes for baking which may even have some of your guests wondering whether they should go eggless too.

Discover delicious recipes from Madhuram’s Eggless Cokking here.

14. Stay at Home Mum

Enjoy tasty recipes from this Australian mommy blogger who features how to make everything from sauces to baby food. Try out her Easy Curried Sausages from her Pork/Lamb section that has me watering at the mouth just from reading it.

Discover more delicious recipes from Stay at Home Mum here.

15. Barbara Bakes

Barba Bakes gives you some great dessert and snack ideas for your Memorial Day feast. If you’re going to have a lot of kids around, you may want to try to go all out with her Cherry Chocolate Focaccia. Apart from being the kids’ favorite, you can always bribe them with these goodies.

Discover delicious recipes from Barbara Bakes here.

16. Big Fat Cook

This blog contains a Slovenian Special so if you love eastern European cuisine, feel free to indulge yourself. A great dish to try out this weekend is the Chicken tacos which should have spicy-food lovers in food heaven.

Discover delicious recipes from Big Fat Cook here.

17. Pass the Sushi

I have to say I love this blog name but don’t be fooled; there is more to the blog than sushi.  Again, it is a blog for all you cooks and bakers who take your food preparation seriously. Try out some of the recipes from the “Fat Kid Friendly” Archive because after all it is Memorial Day, and you’re entitled to spoil yourself a little. The Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes look REALLY good.

Discover delicious recipes from Pass the Sushi here.

18. Fun and Food Cafe

If cooking in the kitchen is more of a chore than your spring cleaning, Fun and Food Café will be a great resource for you to take the Memorial Day cooking easy but still delicious. The Cucumber Cream Cheese & Pesto Sandwiches look like a minimal-effort but pleasant appetizer to start your guests off with.

Discover delicious recipes from Fun and Food Cafe here.

19. Real Food Daily

Real Food Daily is a restaurant in Southern California that caters to vegans who want premium and organic dishes. If you’re throwing a fancy Memorial Day feast, definitely check their menus out and see if you can recreate some of their delectable dishes. If you happen to be California, why not try and see if you can get your meals catered from them? I would if I could.

Discover delicious recipes from Real Food Daily here.

20. Jungle Frog Cooking

This last place is definitely one of my favorites on the list. The blog takes you on a food journey and not only writes great recipes that you can try but also gives you a story and some great visuals on this cooking, food and photography site. The Strawberry feta salad is my choice for Memorial Day!

Discover delicious recipes from Jungle Food Coking here.

Which of these food blogs are you most excited to visit?  Share your favorite food blogs and recipes in the comments section below!

Want more traffic and shares for your content? Use Shareaholic’s social share buttons.

In just a few weeks, Shareaholic is headed to Blogworld & New Media Expo in New York to network and learn from other bloggers! We couldn’t be more excited, and we’d thrilled to be able to exclusively offer the Shareaholic community a sneak peak at some of the learnings to be had at the big event, plus a 10% discount on registration with the registration code SHARE10.

To give you a sense of the awesomeness that is BlogWorld, I present to you Jenna Langer, Director of Community and Strategy at LiveFyre, a blog conversations platform.

Jenna is leading a great session on building community for your organization – something she knows a lot about through her world with bloggers at Livefyre. Here are some of her tips. If you’re running social media or the blog for your company, she’s sure to have a few tips in here for you.

1. What IS a community manager?

JL: It’s easy to get caught up in the title “community manager.” I actually don’t even like it because the word “manager” doesn’t accurately reflect what the job entails. It also depends on the stage and size of the company. Smaller startups should treat CMs as team members who can cover a lot of ground and absorb everything like a sponge. When I started as community manager at Livefyre, believe it or not I was the third employee, I was filling any role that wasn’t engineering— including QA, product development, copy writing and blogger outreach, all with the end goal of building our community. Now that our company and user base have grown significantly, roles are becoming more focused so each employee has more depth, and less breadth. We have specific teams concentrating on strategy, support, outreach, and engagement, and we all collaborate and help each other whenever possible.

2. Is community one person’s job or is this a part of community culture?

JL: Community should definitely be part of the company culture. At Livefyre, Jordan Kretchmer, Founder and CEO, says that everyone is a community manager. The more ears you have listening to feedback, and the more people that care about the end user, the better. No matter what your role, you still represent your company and should think about that in how you treat people. Take Virgin America for example: they have an active social media presence and are always friendly across the web. But the reason I continue to fly with them is because I can expect good service from all of their employees – from the flight attendant to the person behind the tweets.

3. How can great customer service create an army of brand advocates?

JL: Great customer service builds trust between brands and users. If a user or customer can get an answer quickly or they are supported through any issues, they become more comfortable with the brand knowing that they have someone to go to if any other questions arise. We have never asked for a single blog post to be written about Livefyre, but many users have been so happy with our service that they are more than willing to shout from the rooftop. We’ve found that these users are more likely to recommend our service because they begin to know our company as individuals who have helped them, and that we will be there with a friendly and timely response no matter what.

4. How do you manage multiple customer service channels?

JL: We have yet to find the perfect tool that solves this problem, but we’re working on it. We use several channels including email, Twitter, Facebook, Get Satisfaction, and of course our own platform, Livefyre. We’re constantly scanning conversations happening on blogs to chime in where we can help, in addition to tracking Google Alerts of any mention of our brand. Desk.com helps us manage the inbound emails and our contact form, and we try to get people to use this channel the most as it provides the best follow-up. In the end, our group email list is the best way for us to communicate to make sure we cover all of our bases. Also, if someone has a personal relationships with a user that has a question, we usually defer to that individual to continue the conversation and strengthen the bond.

5. Even though social media is important, what about traditional marketing like events? How important is that and how do you use those with Livefyre?

JL: Online relationships are very important, but making that face-to-face connection can make all the difference. We like to participate in conferences like BlogWorld because we genuinely love meeting our users, greatly benefit by getting their feedback on our product face-to-face, and want to thank them for all they have done for Livefyre. Blogs are communities of their own, and bringing people together in person helps make that digital interaction even more meaningful moving forward. It’s not just about bloggers knowing the face of Livefyre, but it’s about providing a venue for our bloggers and commenters to meet each other outside of the comment section. Livefyre is all about building communities, and we want to help foster that online and offline, not just on your site.

What did you learn from Jenna? Let us know in the comments!

Are you a WordPress blogger? Get the most compatible and functional social media buttons. Use Shareaholic for WordPress.

Mobile web browsing and blog reading has become ubiquitous in our digital age.  As more and more people access the internet solely via their mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly version of your blog is an expectation from your audience and may even grow your traffic. Below is a list of some of the best mobile-friendly WordPress themes with different features to fit your needs.  What do you need from your mobile WordPress theme? Let us know in the comments below!

1. WPtouch

WPTouch is one of the simplest and yet most elegant mobile theme and is a definite favorite among Mobile WordPress users. The automatically transforms your WordPress site into an application-like theme and contains AJAX  loading articles and effects when viewed from an iPhone, Android, Palm Pre or BlackBerry OS6.

Download WPtouch here | Price: FREE

2. jQuery Mobile

jQuery theme is perfect for all jQuery snytax enthusiasts and is compatible with almost all major mobile platforms including Windows 7 and Symbian. It has HTML5-driven configuration for laying out pages with minimal scripting and users can enjoy UI widgets that are touch-optimized and platform-agnostic.

Download jQuery Mobile here | Price: FREE

3. WP Mobile

If it’s important to you and your audience that your site looks the same, the WP Mobile theme is for you. It contains SEO friendly URLs which should help drive your traffic and also contains a custom 404 area. The WP Mobile theme is also built and tested for the HTC Evo 4G.

Download WP Mobile here  | Price: $32

4. Möbius

Möbius is compatible with just about every smart phone and web browser out there. It is W3C valid, hand-made, table-less,  and SEO and mark-up friendly. It also uses jQuery scripting and comes with three different skins as shown above.

Download Mobius here | Price: FREE

5. NewsPress

NewsPress is one of my favorite themes for it’s iPhone-friendly features. It contains iPhone or iPod touch native post e-mail support and native RSS subscription support. These theme also has AJAX, jQuery and effects in only 50kb.

Download NewsPress here | Price: FREE

6. WordPress Mobile Theme

WordPress Mobile Theme supports just about any site and user with it’s minimalistic approach that is set to specifically target mobile phone users. In addition to choosing your own color and defining the width for your theme, the best feature is the lightweight nature of  the theme, reduces load time. As a Shareaholic publisher, I definitely recommend it for all sites.

Download WordPress Mobile here | Price: FREE

7. HandHeld

Handheld is another one of my favorites because it works with the theme that you already have. It is coded for HTML5 and has AJAX loaded posts. It also includes PSD files which makes it great for photographers and designers blogs that contain a lot of pictures.

Download HandHeld here | Price: $39 for access to all Elegant Themes

8. Tap News

TapNews is designed specifically for Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices. Users can enjoy the ability to turn javascript effects and AJAX on or off. The theme also has complete WordPress search, pages, archives and support. As the name suggests, if you’re a news blogger, then you will want to check this theme out.

Download Tap News here| Price: $49.99

9. WPtouch Pro

The Pro version of the WPtouch contains over 200 new features including free customer support and upgrades which is why you might need to spend a little for this theme.  Depending on which Pro version you choose, your features could include a statistics code, template PSDs and resources as well as options for nine languages including Spanish, Japanese and even Norwegian.

Download WPtouch Pro here | Price: $49-$199

10. Video Elements

If you’re a vlogger or video blogger, then you definitely will want Video Elements for your site. It is HTML5 optimized and  fully supports M4V, Vimeo and Youtube embedded videos on iPhones, Androids and touch-based Blackberry and Nokia Phones.

Download Video Elements here | Price: $49.99

11. iWorld

This theme was designed exclusively for, well, Apple enthusiasts. As the name indicates, it is for iPhone and iPod touch users. It does come with ten great color schemes, is jQuery powered, has a slider plug-in and contains a built-in working contact form.

Download iWorld here | Price: $25

12. Mobile Pro

This theme has a spectacular view for mobile devices as well as regular computer screens. The theme has an intuitive, user-friendly admin panel and actually detects the mobile device so it can adapt to it to give the viewer the best experience. It also has SEO friendly code and optimized CSS code. For only $20, it’s a steal!

Download Mobile Pro here | Price: $20

13. Vidley Mobile

This is another great theme for vloggers and especially the innovative blogger who keeps up with the latest trends. It supports self-hosted MP4 videos on the main touch-based smartphones. You can customize your site logo and the site icon for iPhone home screens. It also fully supports Press75′s Simple Video Embedder plugin.

Download Vidley Mobile here | Price: $39.99

14. News Gallery

News Gallery was created with the photographer blogger in mind. It contains auto image re-sizing  for best  appearance on the iPhone. Choose from six elegant skins and enjoy the mobile detector integration feature which allows it to adapt it to the smartphone it is being viewed from.

Download News Gallery here | Price: $49.99

15. Breathe

I love this theme for it’s versatile features that are compatible with almost any kind of blog. Breathe has over fifteen shortcodes including Youtube and also contains video post format support. With it’s liquid layout, is a great theme for a portfolio as well and contains over ten social icons to choose from.

Download Breathe here | Price: $20

16. 1st Giant Leap

1st Giant Leap theme has a markup that is device orientation sensitive, which means the layout  is perfect whether it’s viewed in landscape or portrait. The features also include PHP powered forms, 7 WordPress templates and has lightening fast javascript. Highly recommended for magazine-style sites.

Download 1st Giant Leap here | Price: $15

17. SOFA iBloggr

SOFA iBloggr is another theme made exclusively iPhones and iPod touches. It  has built-in pagination, a ready-made contact form and is HTML 5 compliant. If you install WordPress for the iPhone, it will also give you access to the WordPress admin which makes publishing content from your iPhone easier than ever before.

Download SOFA iBloggr here | Price: $15

18. On Demand Mobile

If your blog is monetized through ads,  enjoy On Demand’s easy mobile insert feature which fully supports Google ads as well as AdMob mobile ads. On Demand is designed in On Demand style and optimized for UI and also provides full support for embedded videos.

Download On Demand Mobile here | Price: $49.99

19. DotMobi

dotMobi can be a standalone theme as well as supports the theme you already use for your site. What I like about this theme is that you don’t need to install plugins to get it running and has a built-in “recent posts” widget as well as a built-in Twitter feed which you can enable or disable. If social networking for your blog is an everyday activity, this theme is a must.

Download dotMobi here | Price: $15

20. WPtap Pages

WPtap pages is a great theme for directory listings and product showcases. This mobile theme contains an elegant slideshow and easy thumbnail insertion. It also allows you to reorder pages on the homepage and only features pages on homepage.

Download WPtap Pages here | Price: $49.99

What do you need from your mobile WordPress theme? Let us know in the comments below!

Measure the effectiveness of your writing. Get free analytics on traffic and shares when you use Shareaholic for your blog.

Editor’s note: This month, we’re featuring interviews and guest posts from the fantastic minds speaking at the 2012 Blog World & New Media Expo! Anne is leading a session on blogger outreach. Shareaholic is pleased to offer our community a 10% discount with the registration code SHARE10 – so register today! Now, for Anne’s post:

In the past few years, bloggers have emerged as powerful influencers with large and engaged networks.  There are blogs for every niche, industry, and topic – including yours.  Just like traditional media, bloggers can be a great resource for spreading the word about your product or services, but unlike traditional media, they generally have a more personal relationship with their readers that can make them even more trustworthy and influential.  Many companies, both large and small, have recognized the power of bloggers and begun reaching out to them to build relationships.  If your company hasn’t yet, it’s time to start.

The following statistics from Technorati’s 2011 State of the Blogosphere illustrate the reach and influence of bloggers, as well as their relationships with brands.

• 38% of bloggers blog about brands they love or hate
• 65% of bloggers follow brands on social media
• 47% of bloggers frequently blog about brands they follow on social media.
• The majority of bloggers feel that bloggers are treated less professionally by brand reps compared to traditional media.
• Most prefer to work directly with brands, as opposed to working through an intermediary
• Compared with other media, blogs continue to outpace other social media and many traditional media in terms of trust and generating consumer recommendations and purchases.

Starting to work with bloggers can be an intimidating proposition; the blogosphere is huge and diverse.  But if you’re just starting out, you don’t need a big budget and additional staff.  You can easily work some beginning blogger outreach into your existing social media strategy.

The easiest way to start is by engaging bloggers who are already following you on social media or talking about your company – you can find them with some basic social listening.  Did a blogger write a post about you that showed up in your Google Alerts?  Did they tag you on Facebook or Twitter?  Reach out and thank them, offer additional information that may be helpful, and be sure to follow them.

It should go without saying, but you should always treat bloggers like professionals.  Be respectful and gracious and understand that their time and efforts are valuable.  The foundation of a successful blogger outreach program should be relationships, and building relationships starts small.  Let bloggers know that you’re listening and that you value their work.  Once you’ve established a relationship with a blogger, they are more likely to be receptive to future pitches from you.

Don’t be afraid to dip your toes into blogger outreach – you may be surprised by the relationships you can build and the mutual benefits of brands and bloggers working together.

What blogger outreach tips do you have? Let us know in the comments!

_________________________________________________________________

Anne Hogan is the Community Manager at the Humane Society of the United States, where she focuses on Facebook engagement for a page of more than one million fans and manages a Twitter account with more than one hundred thousand followers. She also runs the organization’s blogger outreach program. When she’s not tweeting, you can find her playing with her rescued Pomeranian, Teddy.

One of my favorite business quotes comes from one of my all-time favorite ladypreneurs, makeup mogul Bobbi Brown: “I’m not really type A, more like A minus.”

Coordinating daily (and often twice-daily) content coming from guest posters, a freelancer and myself takes a lot of planning and organization – two things that don’t come natural to myself, who has been described by others as a “free spirit.” When faced with responsibility that calls for skills opposite of those that come naturally to you, I’ve learned that you have to counter-react and give the project an extra punch of involvement and strategy. This is where my editorial calendar comes and saves the day.

Oh, editorial calendar, you divine source of sanity and motivation. This happy place is where the content planning and assignment takes place for the Shareaholic blog. I know I’ve mentioned editorial calendars in several posts and guest posts, and now I realized we had an opportunity to share how we run ours around here. Alas…

Why You Need An Editorial Calendar

Simply put, people who blog more often get more traffic. But throwing content on the blog every so often without a plan of attack is like driving around aimlessly without a map. Do you know why you’re publishing those pictures of the company picnic to your blog? Or are you just adding to the noise?

Ask yourself:

• What are my goals for this content?
• Who am I trying to reach?
• Who will write this?
• How will I promote this content?

These are things that your editorial calendar can answer for you.

And while this benefit of editorial calendars is difficult to measure and it probably varies from person to person, I think it’s worth noting that this planning process is very motivating. The pressure to get a new post up each day can be daunting, and sometimes procrastination and writers’ block win the battle. Planning ahead a week or month’s worth of blog post ideas gets you really excited about writing them. Get hungry for the content buffet!

What to Put In Your Editorial Calendar

Each blog is different, but here are some things to consider including in your editorial calendar.

1. Due Date/Publish Date
2. Headline
3. Author
4. Keywords being targeted
5. Persona being targeted
6. Status: Published, Drafts, Scheduled
7. Link to inspiration post or research posts
8. Assets: Videos, Photos
9. Notes
10. UTM parameters for content promotion (can be a separate document or sheet)
11. Success metrics and goals

There are no right or wrong answers – it’s just what matters to you and your blog. Knowing the personas I’m targeting and the status of the post are things that are really important to me, so I make sure to include that. I try to leverage the news, events, memes and trends around me for content ideas too, so that goes in as a “content themes” note. Having the UTM parameters (just Twitter and Facebook) in the same document is helpful from a mindset/workflow standpoint for me, but that’s just me.

We simply use a Google Docs spreadsheet for all of this. It’s easy to share with freelancers and co-workers, it’s free and it does the trick. There are WordPress plugins like the editorial calendar plugin that are helpful, as well as more sophisticated paid solutions if you’re looking for more robust workflow management in your editorial calendaring. Kapost is a good option for larger publishers and brands.

Editorial Calendar Example

I wanted to offer you guys an example of what this all looks like. Download a sample editorial calendar here.

Be sure to check out SocialFresh’s great post on this topic and their editorial calendar example as well.

How do you plan and manage your content ideas? Let us know in the comments!

Chrome user? Love sharing content on Facebook? Share it the easy way – Add Shareaholic’s Facebook extension to your browser.

Color me old, but I have no shame at all in shaking my cane at the internet in this post and reflecting on the outstanding accomplishments, features and things experienced on a little social network I joined seven years ago, back then called TheFacebook.com. Similar to the story of many users, I joined just before I left for college in August 2005 when I snagged my .edu email address. My prom picture was my first profile picture. My very first Facebook friends included my best friend Amanda (you’re internet famous now!), whom I was listed as “it’s complicated with” for like two years because that was the thing to do as well as a bunch of people who lived in my college dorm freshman year. But of course if you were one of my 700ish Facebook friends, you’d know all this now (plus a whole lot more that I’m too lazy to delete), thanks to Timeline.

Facebook generated more than $1 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2012 and boasts more than 900 million users, and today it’s officially a public company. Raising $16 billion for the company, Facebook is the largest tech IPO in history with shares priced at $38 a share. Along the journey to becoming a full-fledged public company, Facebook has had good features and bad. Um… Farmville? Beacon sorta sucked. Remember sheep-throwing? That got real weird. Now there’s this latest organ donation thing… now that’s my style.

Facebook is like the Lady Gaga of websites: It’s always reinventing itself, and it will be fascinating to see how they leverage the IPO for innovation and participate in that evolution as a user.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of Facebook’s awesome – and a few of my not so favorite – Facebook redesigns over the years.

2004

2006

2007

2009

2010

2011

2012

To check out these screenshots and more detailed descriptions of the redesigns, don’t miss these great blog posts:

TechCrunch: Facebook Begins Rolling Out New Design [Pics]

Devil’s Workshop: Facebook Design 2004-2011 [Screenshots]

Mashable: Screenshots of Facebook’s Redesign

Which Facebook redesign was your favorite? Still wonder if it’s cool to put “whatever I can get” in your profile? Let us know in the comments!

Measure the effectiveness of your writing. Get free analytics on traffic and shares when you use Shareaholic for your blog.

Editor’s note: This month, we’re featuring interviews and guest posts from the fantastic minds speaking at the 2012 Blog World & New Media Expo! Ali is leading a session on content creation. Shareaholic is pleased to offer our community a 10% discount with the registration code SHARE10 – so register today! Now, for Ali’s post:

Are your blog posts, mailouts, sales pages and ebooks as successful as they should be?

If you always end up dashing them off in a hurry (or if you fret over every comma but never make any structural changes) then you’re falling down at the editing stage of writing.

No writer, however good, produces a perfect first draft – but every writer, however inexperienced, can hugely improve their work through editing.

Here are five crucial tips that you need to follow:

#1: Allow Plenty of Time for Editing

Maybe you’re always hitting “publish” right on deadline, or every Tuesday is a mad scramble to get your newsletter out.

If you never have time to edit properly, then write fewer pieces of content. Most readers are overwhelmed with blog posts and emails, and they’d rather have one great post each week instead of five mediocre ones.

#2: Write Then Edit

Do you find yourself editing the start of every sentence before you get as far as the period?

If you edit while writing, you’re going to make slow progress. You might never finish a piece because you get bogged down part way, or because you keep changing your mind. It’s much more efficient to get the whole thing written first and then turn your hand to editing.

#3: Let Your Work Rest Before You Edit

Perhaps you already edit your work, by changing around a few words around as soon as you finish each piece.

Instead, let each piece of content rest – for a few hours, or a few days – before you start editing. That way, you’ll see it with fresh eyes. Yes, sometimes you’ll need to edit immediately – but that should be a rare exception, not a habit.

#4: Fix Big-Picture Problems First

When you begin to edit, do you start fixing typos and fiddling with punctuation?

The first stage of editing is to get the focus, structure and flow of your post right. That might mean cutting, adding or rearranging paragraphs (or whole chapters, in an ebook) or altering the tone or style. There’s no point perfecting every sentence in a chapter that you later cut completely.

#5: Edit for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Last

If you’ve ever had a reader point out an embarrassing spelling mistake – one that’s been on your site for weeks or months – then you’ll know why getting the details right is so important.

Once you’re happy with the overall shape of your post, you can fix typos, spelling and grammar mistakes, and punctuation errors. That means reading through carefully, paying attention to anything that your spell-checker flags up – but also watching out for commonly confused words, like “its” and “it’s”.

Editing might not seem very exciting or creative … but it’s a crucial part of the writing process. By developing strong editing skills, you can make sure that your message comes across loud and clear. If you’ve got any questions, or any tips of your own to share, just pop a comment below.

Post image from Flickr by Nic’s events

Bio: Ali Luke is a writer and writing coach based in the UK, and blogs for writers at her site Aliventures. For more guidance on how editing fits into the writing process, check out her post The Four Essential Stages of Writing.

Have a blog for your eCommerce site? Use the most easy-to-install social media buttons to drive traffic to your site. Use Shareaholic for WordPress.

If you run an eCommerce business via your WordPress site or if you are considering selling products and services on your blog to monetize it, then you will love the list below. Which eCommerce plugin could your site benefit from? Let us know in the comments below!

1. WP e-Commerce

This easy-to-install free shopping cart plugin simplifies the shopping experience for your customers with new product widgets, free shipping options, and quantity discounts. To assist your site’s marketing, the plugin also offers search engine friendly URLs and a product specific sale feature.

Download the WP e-Commerce Plugin | Price: FREE

2. PayPal Payment Terminal for WordPress

With PayPal being ubiquitous for online shopping, splurge a little on this plugin and enjoy features that allow you to view all of your  transactions, sort your transactions list, and also gives you and the purchaser automatic notifications throughout the purchasing process.

Download the PayPal Payment Terminal Plugin | Price: $12

3. Cart 66 Lite

Use this plugin if your site is dedicated to offering several products and services. The  plugin’s features will make shipping both physical and digital products easy, and you can experience the Amazon S3 integration for all of your digital products. You can also manage orders effectively and use custom fields for products.

Download the Cart 66 Lite Plugin | Price: FREE

4. eShop

Utilize eShop if you want customers to create profiles to sign up on your site to purchase your products and services. It also allows you to view basic statistics and download your sales data for your convenience. Also enjoy multiple gateways like PayPal, WebtoPay, iDeal, and other popular portals.

Download the eShop Plugin | Price: FREE

5. Yak for WordPress

YAK stands for “Yet Another Kart,” but in my opinion, this shopping cart really stands out from the rest.  This free WordPress plugin is one of my favorite shopping cart solutions because it allows the user to create products from either posts or pages and also includes a basic XML feed. You will enjoy the configurable shipping address feature and your customers will love the plugin’s order tracker.

Download the Yak Plugin | Price: FREE

6. WPdeposit

I love Themeforest’s WPdeposit for any site that needs a deposit system for advertisements, subscriptions and the like. Aside from offering PayPal, Authorize.net and iDeal as gateways, manual bank payment is also an option. The plugin also comes with a full developer guide that can be used to create and customize a module for your site.

Download the WPdeposit Plugin | Price: $15

7. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is known as the plugin that allows you to sell anything on your site, “beautifully.” This plugin is backed by the Woo brand which will give your site what I like to call “e-credibility.” Some of the best features include local and international delivery as well as extensions for creating personalized products and Google Product Feed.

Download the WooCommerce Plugin | Price: FREE

8. WP Auctions

This plugin is acclaimed among many WordPress users as the best Auction plugin there is, so a little investment for auctioning items on your site via this plugin is probably worth it. Enjoy 3 bidding engines, registered only users and reserve price features as well as options for Pro and Pro Plus plugin.

Download the WP Auctions Plugin | Price: $35-$279

9. WP Live-Shopping Widgets

This plugin is one every eCommerce site should use. Using this widget, you can showcase featured shopping offers in the sidebar of your website. Use the “live-shopping” widget to create custom badges, buttons and banners that pull in your products and draw attentions, clicks and hopefully new sales!

Download the WP Live-Shopping Plugin | Price: FREE

10. ArtPal

Originally intended for artists to be able to sell their materials online, the ArtPal plugin offers easy PayPal integration and professional support for business to business sales, as well as real-time sales updates so that you never have to worry about selling a product twice.  Whether you’re selling your artwork or a hard product, you’ll like ArtPal!

Download the ArtPal Plugin | Price: FREE

Which eCommerce plugin could YOUR site benefit from? Let us know in the comments below!

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In just a little over a month, Shareaholic is headed to Blogworld & New Media Expo in New York to network and learn from other bloggers! We couldn’t be more excited, and we’d thrilled to be able to exclusively offer the Shareaholic community a sneak peak at some of the learnings to be had at the big event, plus a 10% discount on registration with the registration code SHARE10.

To give you a sense of the awesomeness that is BlogWorld, I present to you Marcy Massura, Digital Supervisor for Weber Shandwick and Adam Keats, SVP of Digital Communications for Weber Shandwick.

They’re leading a session to help bloggers learn how to go about working with agencies and brands, which is pretty helpful stuff especially for the Shareaholic crowd. (I see a ton of lifestyle bloggers out there! There are probably a lot of brands who would want to work with you if they aren’t already trying to.)

To give you a preview of the lessons they’ll teach in their session, here are Marcy and Adam’s tips on blogger and brand partnerships:

1.    What is the usual process for bloggers to start working with agencies and brands?

The relationship can start many different ways

• An agency might see that a blogger produces compelling, engaging (and at times humorous) content and could decide to reach out to see if the blogger would be interested in working with the agency and one or more if its brands on a future program
• A blogger might send a media kit to someone at an agency to make them aware of their capabilities and digital footprint – and the ones that cut through the clutter are not only those who can show they have an audience, but ones that offer that audience something unique that makes their content stand apart from other bloggers
• And frequently, agency professionals meet and learn about bloggers through real-life events, including social media / blogging conferences and events — or just by consuming a blogger’s content online in whatever format it exists (blog posts, YouTube videos, Pinterest photos, etc.) and the relationships form organically.

Running a blog for your brand? Get the most shares and traffic for your content with  Share the easy way – get Shareaholic for your blog.

Routines hold important places in our lives. They serve as a sort of autopilot assistant or cruise control mode we rely on for managing recurring tasks and static processes. Over time, routines can help us become more productive as we maximize our “think” time by compressing our “rinse and repeat” time.

But let’s face it. Routines can get old. Repetition can become boring, especially when you’ve mastered the more subtle skills or character-building requirements buried deep within the routine process. “Same old, same old” can bring about a certain amount of risk when you’re faced with assignments that require creativity, like producing great new blog content. The risk may be compounded when concepts like frequency and recency play a role, as they do with Internet marketing. Think stale blog, flagging readership, and outdated eBooks.

So how can you overcome the tug of inertia or the siren’s song of Facebook and Twitter when you’re charged to develop sizzling content on a never-ending schedule?

Here are a few ideas that could clear the log jam from your brain so that creative (and productive) waters can flow again:

A License to Play

My favorite way to endure weekly status meetings calls for bean bags, canisters of Play-Doh, boxes of Legos, bright colored pencils, artists pads, Twizzlers and Starburst. If that sounds a little Romper Room to you, maybe it’s because tapping into the kind of free-association play children excel at (and we hardened, time-bound adults forget) can actually be really productive. Sure, someone in the group has to be the ringmaster to keep the animals in the tent and generally on task. But assuming there’s a semblance of an agenda and structure in place, meetings can be quite illuminating when people are given simple tools to help them relax and deconstruct a problem with lowered inhibitions.  The group needn’t be exclusive to copywriters, social media coordinators or marketing managers in order to stimulate a conversation that births a content idea.

Variations:  Start the meeting with a round of Mad Libs, Name That Song (you can hum a few bars of a ‘70s tune, can’t you?), or even Eye Spy using the board game or children’s book series. Another route is to supply magazines, scissors, construction paper and paste so everyone can make a themed collage (incentivize the gang with paid lunch or a couple of hours of paid community service hours). Lastly, you could go all Apollo 13 – in other words, get people in the group talking about how to solve a particular business problem without some of your standard tools or resources.

The point:  people will laugh, joke, and create any number of un-artful, inelegant stuff. But the process will get them talking, stimulate thinking, and expose new problems and ideas…all potentially content-worthy.

Sweat: The Fog Lifter

Whether you opt for the constancy of the open road or treadmill (Forrest showed us running can get you to a new mental place), or something like martial arts or kickboxing that demands synapses fire at a more frenetic pace, regular exercise can keep your mind sharp and your body loose. Both benefits come in handy when you’re typing like a mad person for blocks of hours working on a deadline.

Variations:  Try walking around the block over lunch, whether solo or with co-workers. The scenery and environment could spark an idea you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Push things farther by trying a sport or exercise you’ve never done before, and really commit to mastering any techniques. For instance, a friend of mine who’s a good sprinter joined a co-ed adult soccer team. She’s never played soccer in her life. But her natural sprinting skill and competitive spirit lent something to her game. She’s made new friends, learned a new sport, and connecting the dots between soccer and other aspects of her life.

The point: Increased stamina from physical exercise can boost your productivity as well as improve your health. A mid-day break can release endorphins to make you feel happier and more energetic. Meeting new people – even if you don’t become BFF’s – puts you in contact with new perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to fill your creativity well.

Embrace Your Newbie

Sometimes we’re reluctant to try new things – whether an ethnic food dish or a subtitled movie – because of an innate fear created by the unknown. Or maybe because we’re cheap and figure the money on something foreign to us would be better spent on a known entity. Either way, abstaining from new experiences tends to shrink our worlds, and that leads to stagnation and myopia.

Consider developing a proposal (or if you’re the manager, approving one) that would allow content development team members to participate in monthly or quarterly excursions as a group. In the past, I’ve wrangled web designers to a yoga studio and content strategists to an art museum and the whole lot to a tour of a printing and finishing company. Those excursions (and others) were very tangential to their core roles – and therefore may fall under scrutiny by the brass – but go a long way toward fostering team cooperation, making folks feel appreciated and free to explore new interests. All of these have a soft line drawn to productivity and efficiency.

Variations:  Explore your horizons when you enroll in a continuing education class (something academic), take an online training course (skill-sharpening), sign up for a group cooking class, enroll in pottery or painting with oils lessons, master Italian through Rosetta Stone, or learn archery.

The Point: Sometimes what you know can hold you back, especially when what you know sets your limits for how you problem-solve or perceive issues, people, and business.

Go Get All Cerebral on Me

Growing up, you probably thought your old man was a n00b most of the time (unless you were one of the kids who didn’t, in which case, those of us who suffered through embarrassing dad moments than we care to count despise you). But we’re adults now, and can appreciate some of dad’s wisdom, if not his methods.

You’ve learned enough, well, never. So look around at the seasoned, accomplished, veteran professionals around you have to say. Do you write content for a tech startup? Find a computer science or business professor willing to trade espresso for ear-bending time. Find your local SCORE chapter, then set up some mentoring sessions with a counselor. Most colleges with business schools sponsor an entrepreneurial program – is that a chance to make connections and grow? Have you scoured Amazon, SlideShare, Scribed, DocStoc, and YouTube for advice, inspiration, and insights from others knee-deep in a category or industry like yours? What can former business owners Grandpa or Uncle Stu teach you about keeping customers happy?

The point: Just because you’re working for today’s shiny object doesn’t mean there isn’t something to learn from someone who walked the cutting edge a few decades ago. Or even someone today doing innovative work outside of your vertical.

Idea Free-for-All

What makes you angry? Sad? Happy? What was that Facebook status update – the one that made you roll your eyes or come this close to firing off a combustible response – what was that about? The people whose blogs you read – on whose blogs are they commenting? Thumb through the print editions of industry and trade magazines (I know, I know – so old skool) – often there are features and story highlights in the print editions that don’t make it to the forefront of the online version.

How do some of your favorite online marketing and social media practitioners make producing (good) content look easy? Chris Brogan recently looked to prolific writer Mitch Joel for insight, and a meme was born. Jason Falls, Chris Penn, Gini Dietrich, and Mark Schaefer share their writing methods – how else – in blog posts you won’t want to miss.

What about you? Have you perfected any techniques or habits that have helped you become a highly productive writer? Plan, write, and edit like a rock star? Are there any tools you wouldn’t give up? Let us know in the comments!

________________________________________

Heather Rast is Principal of Insights & Ingenuity, a brand-building Internet marketing firm. She helps clients earn brand preference through thoughtful positioning, useful content, and supportive online communities. Heather writes frequently for Social Media Explorer, MarketingProfs, and Content Marketing Institute. She’s @heatherrast on Twitter.

Want more traffic and shares for your content? Use Shareaholic’s social share buttons.

In just a little over a month, Shareaholic is headed to Blogworld & New Media Expo in New York. to network and learn from other bloggers! We couldn’t be more excited, and we’d thrilled to be able to exclusively offer the Shareaholic community a sneak peak at some of the learnings to be had at the big event, plus a 10% discount on registration with the registration code SHARE10.

First up is Jay Baer, a straight-shooting social media consultant and highly-sought after speaker. He writes the awesome social media blog Convince and Convert, where I always learn something new. Seriously. He’s the co-author of The Now Revolution, which he wrote with the illustrious Amber Naslund. Jay Baer’s session is 12 Imperative Must-Do’s for The Serious Blogger, and it’s sure to offer some substantial teachings for those who want their blogging to play a strong role in the success of their business the way it has for Jay. Without further ado, let’s hear from the man himself:

1. How did you get started blogging?

I wrote a magazine column about digital marketing for many years, and when I started Convince & Convert in 2008, I decided to write more regularly via a blog. Like all bloggers, I started with zero readers. Then, I convinced my Mom to read it. She convinced my wife. And now, it’s pretty popular within the incredibly narrow niche of social media and content marketing professionals.

2. You say that one of the things you want to cover in your session is how to move from using the blog as a creative outlet to using it for business. Is using a blog for a creative outlet a common mistake you see? How so?

I wouldn’t say it’s a mistake, but blogging for business and blogging for personal have different methods, best practices, metrics, and more.  I see a lot of smart business bloggers that have personal blogs on the side as that creative outlet. Tom Webster (who is doing a track keynote at Blogworld about metrics and data) has his regular blog, and then a hilarious side project called “Tom Reads His Spam” where he literally posts audio recordings of dramatic reading of spam emails and Twitter direct messages. I used to have a blog called Why So Complicated (on Tumblr) where I would post a picture of the showerhead of every hotel where I stayed. Sort of a bizarre travelogue.

3. How do you use your blog for business?

For my business, the blog is the home base of all our social media and content marketing. What I do on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, G+ and beyond is designed to get people to the blog. The blog generates speaking engagements (like BlogWorld), and speaking engagements generate consulting opportunities. That’s the virtuous circle for me.

4. What do you know about building a blog community now that you wish you knew at the beginning?

That’s a complex question, best answered in my session at Blogworld! A couple of tidbits: successful bloggers spend a lot of time on other people’s blogs; successful bloggers cross-pollinate their content; successful bloggers go out of their way to interact; successful bloggers realize that community is great, but not the end goal (usually).

5. How do you feel you were able to create a name for yourself in the blogosphere without losing yourself and keeping your eye on your goals?

I’m a very consistent blogger, I give more than I get, I try to put a different spin on the news of the day, and I want everything I write to make (at least some) people think “damn, that was good.” There aren’t any secrets, just lessons.

Awesome lessons from a guy who’s very involved in this space! What did you learn? What else are you hoping to learn from Jay? Let us know in the comments!

Guess I got my swagger back.

We’re delighted to officially announce a new set of updates on the Sexy Bookmarks WordPress Plugin. We’ll cut through the clutter for you and make sure you know how to make the most of this newly-updated awesomeness.

(And if you aren’t using Shareaholic on your blog yet (why is that exactly?? It’s okay we still love you endless.) go grab it right now!)

1. Google Plus Added As A Service to SexyBookmarks

Previously, Google’s official +1 button was available as a separate button you could add in addition to the main social media icon line set. That’s still available, but now you can also add the Google+ button to your main button set.

So this:

Equals this:

Handsome, handsome, handsome.

2. Additional Support to Topbar Across Pages

You’ve got more support for Shareaholic’s Top Bar sharing tool. Our updates enable you to tailor your preferences on which pages, posts, categories and indexes this shows up on. You can choose which social networks are included in this top bar as well.

3. Shareaholic Translated to 5 New Languages

HUGE thanks to our translation partners for helping us expand our mission from our India and Boston offices and share our publisher tools to all corners of this great earth. We’re now translated in:

• Belarusian (by Alexander Ovsov)
• Polish (by Bartosz Chojnacki)
• Catalan (by Joan Jordi Berdullas Segura)
• Bulgarian (by Nikolay Nikolov)
• Lithuanian (by Nata Strazda)

4. Added Share Counts for LinkedIn

We’re now showing you LinkedIn share counts, which is especially awesome for the B2B bloggers in the community. While this is a good quick-glimpse at your progress, be sure to keep an eye on your analytics to see which platforms are performing best for you.

5. Significantly Improved UX for Sharing Posts Via Email

I’m going to take the Bob Ross approach to product description here.

This happy little button:

Generates this happy little interface that enables you to email the article to yourself, a co-worker, your mom… best friend, cousin, neighbor, whoever.

Excited about the latest Shareaholic for WordPress update?! We are. Can you tell? So make sure you grab the latest version today.

Are you a web designer or developer?  Don’t forget to add Shareaholic to your Chrome browser!

There are SO many amazing Chrome extensions for web developers that it was tough to choose just a handful to feature.  The list below goes from the “concepting” stage all the way to testing and everything in between.  Use these Chrome extensions to get inspired, create a design concept, choose pictures, tweak code and test your new site!

Web Designers & Developers: what other Chrome extensions do you love using on projects?

1. Shareaholic for Chrome

The Shareaholic Chrome Extension makes it easier than ever to share articles that intrigue you to your favorite social media services without having to leave the page you’re checking out. We support more than 250 social networks, including Hacker News.

Download Shareaholic for Chrome

2. Diigo

I’ve been hearing about Diigo for a while and was excited to try it for myself.  If you’re someone that’s always getting inspired by cool websites, images, design, quotes and more, then consider Diigo your digital “Inspiration Notebook.”  Diigo will help you organize all of your design inspiration sans worrying about losing your notebook and saving scraps of paper.  What the heck does Diigo mean, you ask?  It stands for “Digest of Digital Information Groups and Other stuff.”

Download Diigo 

3. Microstock Photo Power Search Tool

Many web designers would agree that finding great stock photos is one of the most irritating and time-consuming aspects of web design. Use this Chrome Extension to search microstock on 5 of the top stock agencies, including Dreamstime, Fotolia, and Shutterstock.

Download Microstock Photo Power Search Tool 

4. What Font

If you love fonts nearly as much as I do, you might become a little obsessed with this Chrome Extension. In my opinion, fonts can make or break a web design. Just hover your mouse over the font on any website to find out the font name, size and color too! Sounds like a new obsession to me.

Download What Font 

5. Palette for Chrome

Choosing the perfect color palette can be tough.  How many times has one of your clients said “I love the colors in ABC’s website.  Can you make mine like that?”  Fear no more!  With the “Palette for Chrome” extension you can easily click on a picture to get a fantastic color palette.

Download Palette for Chrome 

6. Corporate Ipsum

Need to populate your web design concept with text before sending it out to the client? Rather than the standard old “Lorem Ipsum” mumbo jumbo, use the Corporate Ipsum Chrome extension to populate your clients’ websites with corporate speak, buzzwords and copy that will make your design even more compelling and relevant.

Download Corporate Ipsum

7. Firebug Lite

Most developers have been using Firebug for years, but they’ve most likely been using it on Firefox. Now you can use the “Firebug Lite” Chrome Extension to inspect HTML and DOM elements of any web page. Firefox is also a great tool to use when trying to “debug” your design.

Download Firebug Lite 

8. Web Developer

Add a toolbar to your Chrome browser that is full of useful web developer tools.  Users can view and edit CSS, display image file sizes, display image elements and clear session cookies.

Download the Web Developer Chrome Extension 

9. MeasureIt!

Need to figure out exactly how big an image is to see how it will fit into your design? Just drag your mouse across the image you’re interested in and this extension will tell you how big it is. A very helpful tool that eliminates the guess work when working with images!

Download MeasureIt! 

10. IE Tab

It’s hard to believe, but a majority of people still use Internet Explorer.  Even if you haven’t used Internet Explorer in years, it’s crucial to test your website in it.  Use the IE Tab Chrome Extension to test in IE without even using IE- love it!

Download IE Tab

11. Resolution Test

Like testing in different browsers, it’s also important to test in different screen resolutions.  With jumbo screens, double screens and mini-lap tops make sure your design looks great in all sizes!

Download Resolution Test

What are your go-to Chrome extensions? Let us know in the comments!

Have a blog? Drive more traffic and shares to your content with Shareaholic’s social sharing buttons.

Happy May, fellow bloggers. It’s time again to crack open our analytics and take a peak at where our traffic is coming from and see how we can optimize our content creation and promotion from those channels. Let’s hop to it!

Each month we look at trends based on Shareaholic’s global publisher network of more than 200,000 publishers who reach more than 270 million people each month. Here’s the most recent breakdown of the top traffic sources for those sites.

Some things you may want to note about our results:

• Pinterest has been particularly interesting to watch. In February we reported that it referred more traffic than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined. In February, it surpassed Twitter for referral traffic. Last month, we noticed Pinterest began to fall behind Twitter a little bit, and it appears that it has begun to fall behind once again.
• For the third month in a row, Bing grew in market share, narrowing the gap between it and Yahoo. This comes in conjunction with its Google-y redesign.

That said, both Yahoo and Bing are still a very distant second and third compared to Google, but we’ll continue to track this trend and keep you in the loop on our findings.

• StumbleUpon picked up some growth in share of traffic again this month. Like we’ve said before, sites such as StumbleUpon, Reddit or Digg can be significant traffic drivers for publishers. But because they lack the shiny new object quality, they seem to be overlooked.What trends did you seen in your analytics this month? Let us know in the comments!

Develop WordPress sites? Get the most compatible and functional social media buttons. Use Shareaholic for WordPress.

Being a freelancer, is both rewarding and challenging. Having a digital portfolio  as a photographer, designer, writer or anyone who considers himself or herself  a freelancer “artiste,” is expected.  There are so many WordPress themes for freelancer portfolios. The WordPress themes below are a collection of some of the best I’ve found. What do you look for when choosing a WordPress theme for YOUR portfolio? Let us know in the comments below!

1. The First

Beginning with “The First,” enjoy this premium WordPress Theme that has five page modules and a “filterable” portfolio, making it suitable for almost any kind of freelance work that needs to be showcased.

Get The First here | Price: $35

2. Woop

You can change the background and colors of your portfolio using Woop for your portfolio.  This simple design is best for a presentation-style portfolio.

Get Woop here | Price: $30

3. Primento

Primento supports a multimedia portfolio in which you can highlight your work via video, pictures and of course written content.

Get Primento here | Price: $30

4. MetroPress

This is one of the many themes that is ideal for freelance photographers or graphic designers. Use this theme to organize your images into galleries and even turn your portfolio into a slide show!

Get MetroPress here | Price: $35

5. Monotone

Monotone is perfect for the graphic designer or photographer who believes background is just as important as the image created. This theme automatically complements your images with the perfect background.

Get Monotone here | Price: $30

6. Studeo

This theme combines simplicity with the option of (what seems like) unlimited color choices. The Studeo WordPress theme also supports voice and audio formats for the freelancer who may need to share media clips, interviews or just wants to add a more personal touch for prospects.

Get Studeo here | Price: $35

7. Idea 3D

The Idea 3D theme is part of the “Themeforest” family – which is one of my favorite places to get the best WordPress themes. Idea 3D boasts quick 30-second installation, houses all modules within the theme so that no plug-ins are required, supports HTML5 and CSS3 too!  I love the clean and modern feel of this portfolio theme!

Get Idea 3D here | Price: $35

8. CreativeLife

This easily customizable theme contains custom jQuery panels, supports HTML5, CSS3 and is SEO-friendly. “CreativeLife” WordPress theme is perfect for the artistically inclined freelancer who wants “all the other stuff” taken care of in a theme.

Get CreativeLife  here | Price: $35

9. MultiPress

Included in this theme are fourteen custom widgets to make your portfolio stand out. If you’re a freelance that does anything with events, you might especially enjoy this theme.

Get MultiPress here | Price: $35

10. Videographer

Judging by the name, this theme is the cream of the crop for vloggers or freelancers that work with video. If you’re looking to showcase your portfolio in a YouTube-style video, this is your match.

Get Videographer here | Price: FREE

11. Jupither

If you’re a photographer, you definitely want to consider Jupither. The coolest feature of this theme is the gallery script with mobile features – perfect for showcasing multiple images in an organized and clean way.

Get Jupither here | Price: $35

12. Firebug

This FREE WordPress theme has a hip and cool digital-feel about it with its dark background and colorful text.  Enjoy widget-ready sidebars that are ready for 125 x 125 buttons, social tagging, Gravatar-ready comments at the bottom of each post.  Firebug is CSS/XHTML validated and has been tested with Firefox, Internet Explorer 6/7 and Safari to ensure favorable viewing on all fronts.

Get Firebug here | Price: FREE

13. Bee Bee

I LOVE the look of the “Bee Bee” WordPress theme!  The creators of “Bee Bee” made it with selling your creative services in mind.  Setup this clean and modern WordPress theme in either one column, two column or three column layouts.  Also, organize your portfolio into fabulous-looking albums.  I especially love the bar across the top of the homepage that looks like it’s stitched leather.  In my opinion, this theme is well worth the money!

Get Bee Bee here | Price: $25-79

14. Rawa

The Rawa WordPress theme is perfect for the content-focused freelancer. The script used for this theme known as isotope, which will arrange your work in masonry style, making it simple yet delightful for your viewer.

Get Rawa here | Price: $30

15. Squared

Finally, this fully Ajax-driven WordPress theme provides the user with a sophisticated yet simple theme that is best suited for graphic designers as well as photographers.

Get Squared here | Price: $30

Running a giveaway on your blog? Make it easier than ever for your readers to share your content with Shareaholic’s social media buttons.

Running giveaways online has become increasingly popular over the last several years. Like… really popular. From big brands to SMBs and from large online media properties to niche bloggers, everyone can benefit from running a giveaway.

And why not – they are a lot of fun to conduct and participate in, and they’re a great way to engage with and give back to your readers (and c’mon…sending that coveted ‘You Won!’ email you one of your readers is always fun).

Are you familiar with the 4 ‘P’s of marketing? You know… price, product, place, promotion. Yeah… #yawn. Today, we’re going to talk about the 4 ‘P’s of running a successful giveaway on your blog with the hopes that you’ll maximize the effectiveness of your next giveaway promotion.

Prize Selection

First, a fundamental rule: the awesomeness of the prize being given away can make or break your promotion. Ask yourself ‘what’s the worth of the prize?’ No, not to you. Empathize with your audience and identify the value of this prize to an individual from each segment of your community. If you have a prize in mind, ask yourself “what percentage of my readers would find value in this prize if they were to win this item?”.

Choose a prize that’s versatile so any of your readers could use and enjoy it if they won. This is why gift cards are such a popular item to give away. Everyone can use them. Other items that tend to do really well are popular electronics (an iPad, Kindle Fire, etc). Most would enjoy winning such items, even if they already own them.

You have a unique prize? Even better. While everyone loves gift cards, a unique prize trumps all. If you have the opportunity to give away a prize that’s a real head turner, take advantage of it. Have you ever seen a life-sized coffee table that looks like and functions like a Nintendo controller? We hadn’t either until the folks at DudeIWantThat.com offered one up for a giveaway (yes, it can actually plug into an NES and function like a regular controller).

Finally, try to run your giveaway with a collective prize value of at least $50. Whether that be five $10 items, or one $50 item, $50 is a good starting price. There must be some value for your readers to be motivated to enter.

Purpose

Next giveaway you run, ask yourself: “Why am I running this giveaway and what are my goals?” Is it to promote a launch of a product? Is it to get your readers excited around an event you’re running or maybe an upcoming holiday? Or is it simply to give back to your readers?

Whatever the reason might be, giveaways tend to perform better when they are associated with a piece of content that you’re looking to promote. That could be anything from a blog post you’ve written recently that you want to get visibility for, or a specific event, like tickets to a new blog conference or a rock concert.

In the case of Tracky, a social collaboration software startup based in Las Vegas, they decided to partner with Sarah’s Faves, a PR/Social Media blogger, to run a giveaway specifically promoting the launch of their new product. The goal was simple: bring awareness to their new, awesome tool that was almost ready to be released. Tracky was able to chalk up a win by spreading the word to thousands of like-minded individuals by sharing content related to their product launch along with an iPad giveaway.

Promotion

Giveaways work on two levels – it’s a great way to give back to your fans as well as attract new visitors. But how can you promote the giveaway?

If you’re reading this, it’s a safe assumption that you’re on Facebook. Probably Twitter. If you’re a step beyond, you have an email list too. Let these social channels be your friend. If your giveaway is planned to run for a week, promote it with a status update and tweet, and even better, a blurb in an email newsletter. You might be surprised how people respond.

Relatively new to the scene? Don’t have a large FB or Twitter following? No problem – we’ve all been there. A great strategy to help promote a giveaway when you don’t have a large following would be to partner up with other like-minded bloggers.

Reach out to a small handful of bloggers whom you follow or look up to. Tell them that you’re running a promotion, why you’re running it, and how you think it will benefit their readers. Maybe even offer a guest blog post around the same time you’re looking to promote your giveaway.

When the giveaway is winding down, let folks know they have less than a day to enter, less than 2 hours, or less than 10 minutes *hurry!*. There’s always an uptick in giveaway entries on the final day.

Picking A Winner & More

When the giveaway ends, your work doesn’t stop! Calling it a day when the giveaway is over is like excusing yourself from a dinner party after they serve the appetizer. If you drop out here, you’re leaving a lot of food on the table.

Keeping your readers in mind, try to have a winner selected to your giveaway within 24 to 48 hours of when it closes. Remember waiting and waiting to get your SAT results? Ever participate in an event where results were posted weeks after you stopped caring? Don’t be that guy. Everyone likes when results are announced quickly and consistently.

After you’ve chosen the winner, ask the winner if they’ll allow you to post their name on your site, or maybe tweet about them. Even better, ask if when they receive the prize if they can take a picture of themselves with it. It adds a personal touch to the giveaway as well as legitimacy (holy cow! you’re telling me that normal people are winning these prizes?!).

Finally, try to give something of value to those that didn’t win so they an extra reason to stick around. This could be anything from a discount code for a product you’re promoting, a link to another giveaway that you might be running, or a link to a new post on your blog that they might find relevant. If the giveaway was run well and you have a lot of new eyeballs on your site, you want them to stick around, right?

Let’s Run A Giveaway in 3, 2, 1…

To close out this post, the Shareaholic and Rafflecopter teams have partnered up to run a giveaway for some hot-off-the-press Shareaholic swag. 10 lucky winners will win a Shareaholic t-shirt. And we’ve got four colors you can choose from: indigo blue, mint green, grey, and light blue.

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below: tell us what color you’d choose if you’re picked as a winner. Here’s a video that describes how to enter if you’re new to Rafflecopter. The giveaway is open to those in the continental US (sorry to our international friends!) and will end on 5/16 at 12:01am. Winners will be chosen randomly and notified within 48 hours of the giveaway’s close.

Enter Here – Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

___________________________________

Greg Goodson is the cofounder of Rafflecopter.com, an app that makes it crazy simple to run and manage giveaways on your site. Since Rafflecopter’s public launch in December 2011, he’s watched over 100k giveaways launch through their platform.