Online Tools That Can Help Writers

There are lots of online tools that make my writing and work lives easier. Here are some sites you should check out.

Acronym Finder - Sometimes, I need an acronym, or I need to have one defined. This is a great site for that. 

NetLingo - This site helps you figure out what chat and text acronyms mean. 2DLOO

Computing Fundamentals - This is an online technical dictionary if you need a quick definition of something from the computer realm.

Automatic Text Generator - There are times I need to mock up flyers or other documents to show the layout. This tool will generate blocks of text. My team at work does software testing. I use this site to generate blocks of text to test fields in applications too.

Office Templates - Office has an incredible library of templates. If you need a calendar or a newsletter format, chances are you'll find a good selection here. This site is invaluable when you need to do a document quickly.

ScreenFly - This site will show you what a website or blog will look like on different mobile devices. Type your URL in the blank. There are different device types at the top. It helps to see if your site is mobile friendly.

Free Training - MOOC is Massive Open Online Courses. There are hundreds of free classes you can take in almost any subject you're interested in.

5 Tools to Help You with Your Social Media

I am often overjoyed and overwhelmed with all the social media platforms that are now part of my everyday life. I want my posts to be strategic, but I also want to be well, social -- to share information and to promote other authors. It can take up a lot of time, and it can get out of control if not managed.

Here are some tools I've found that can help. Some are free, and others are subscription-based.

1. I use Tweepi (a paid subscription) to manage Twitter followers. I've found there are lots of accounts that follow you, and then unfollow you as you reciprocate. I use Tweepi to clean up there and to remove inactive accounts. To me, it's well worth the subscription to keep my followers organized.

2. I downloaded the Followers+ app for my phone. It has a paid upgrade, but right now, I'm using the free version. I use this to clean up Instagram followers. When I post pictures, I pick up quite a few followers, but many disappear after a few days. This app lets you see those who don't follow you and allows you to unfollow them.

3. I love Canva. There are many free options to create graphics for your social media posts and web graphics. Social media posts with graphics/visuals get more attention. I've used it to create logos too. You can purchase backgrounds and specialty items, but the free version usually works for me.

4. I use the free version of Tweetdeck to schedule tweets throughout the week (during work hours and in the wee hours of the morning). With the free version, I can't do a bulk load of tweets, but that's okay. I try not to schedule hundreds for the week. I look at my metrics on Twitter and try to target the times that my readers tend to be active.

5. Bitly is a great tool for reducing URLs. (On Twitter, every character counts.) I can choose my own URL or use a random one they provide. I use this for posts to all my social media sites. If I save the shortened URL, I can see how many clicks its received on the Bitly dashboard.

What other tools would you recommend?

My Six Favorite Tools for Book Marketing

I've found some interesting tools and websites to help authors with their social media and book marketing. Here are six of my favorites...

Social Media

Sometimes, my Twitter follows/unfollows gets out of hand. I have a paid subscription to Tweepi to help me clean up. I used to use the free version, but they altered their "unfollow" feature. I upgraded to the paid version, and it helps me keep all of my accounts in order.

I use the free version of Crowdfire to manage my Instagram follows/unfollows. It also manages Twitter. I may try that and consolidate my tools to one.

I use Rank Forest to see my daily Amazon ranking. The free version allows me to track one book. It's good to see where you are over time, but I try not to obsess over numbers. Don't make yourself crazy.

Website/Blog

I use Squarespace for my website and for another that I created for a group of authors. It is easy to use, and it provides detailed analytics. Previously, I used GoDaddy, but they dropped their blog option.

Marketing

I use VistaPrint for my business cards. They offer frequent discounts, and the quality is good.

I've had a lot of success from Next Day Flyers for my bookmarks. I've also used them for invitations for book launches.

10 Cool Tools for Authors

Here are some useful websites that I've used recently. They're great for writers...

Dictionaries and Such

• Acronym Finder is great to translate acronyms.
• AmosWeb has thousands of definitions for economic terms.
• NetLingo will help you stay hip to internet and chat terms.
• Computing Fundamentals has a great list of computer, technical, and geek terms.

Research

• Bartleby is the site for literary references, author information, and quotes.
• Library Spot is a centralized reference center.
• IPL is the Internet Public Library.
• The Post Office has a Zip Code finder.
• The Social Security Administration has a list of the top baby names for each year. This is great for choosing character names.
• Adobe's Kuler allows you to choose a color and it provides palettes of color combinations. This is great if you're working on a brochure or website.