I’m so thrilled to be speaking at BlogJam this year, and wanted to be able to offer a resource page for those who were able to attend my session, and those who were either unable to attend, or chose one of the other fabulous sessions to attend instead.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, and those are indicated with an (*).
Identity Theft
Two Factor Authentication
Where to enable it:
Facebook > Settings > Security & Login > Setting Up Extra Security
Twitter > Settings & Privacy > Login Verification (check box)
Instagram > click wheel under your following count on profile > Two-Factor Authentication > Toggle On > Screenshot/Save Backup codes
Pinterest > Settings > Security > Toggle on Two-factor authentication
Google/Gmail > My Account > Sign-in & security > Signing into Google > 2-step Verification
Google also offers a Security Check-up to identify any programs with unsecure access to you inbox.
For more information on two-factor authentication here is a short podcast from Chalene Johnson:
What the heck is two-factor authentication and why you need it
Password Managers
I use 1Password for my password management but there are a number of other options out there. What I love about 1password is I purchased it for my Mac, and then use the free app on my phone and iPad and have access to all of my logins no matter which device I am using. This also helps me keep my sanity by only having to remember one password – my main password, and everything else is kept securely for me (which means I am not wasting my time trying to figure out what my login is for an app or website)
Chalene Johnson’s Hacked Social Media Play by-pla-
Back in June 2015, Fitness and Business Expert Chalene Johnson’s social media accounts were all hacked. As the social media guru she is, she podcasted the WHOLE tale, and while some of the information may not be accurate now (for instance, Instagram does have 2-factor now) it’s still an amazing story, and a great one to listen to from start to finish to learn a lot about protecting your personal information.
Part 1: Passwords won’t protect you! How NOT to be hacked
Part 2: What you’re doing to invite hackers & what to fix first
Part 4: How your cyber security knowledge is dangerously outdated (please note, as this was recorded in 2015, some information given here is likely outdated AGAIN, but it’s still a good starting point)
Part 5: How your smart phone and email are telling thieves how to gain access
Keeping Private Things Private
Blogilates Engagement!
Earlier this year Internet fitness celebrity Cassey Ho of Blogilates fame shocked EVERYONE by announcing her engagement to her long-time boyfriend nobody knew even existed! Talk about keeping private things private! She has since opened up a little bit and mentions him occasionally in posts, but I thought this was a perfect example of keeping “private things private”. Here is her blog post where she talks about keeping Sam “under wraps” for so long, and how weird it was to have her engagement be headline news.
http://www.blogilates.com/blog/2017/08/24/so-ummm-this-happened/
Keeping Your Sanity
Killing the piece-work mentality – WORK WHILE YOU SLEEP!
- joining an ad network/using Google Ads/selling ad space
- affiliate programs for products you love and talk about
- selling e-courses/products
Figure out what you spend 20% of your time on that generates 80% of your income/success, and where you spend 80% of your time with very little return.
Start to flip your time-income continuum so you are spending more time doing the tasks that provide the most return, and less time on the tasks that generate the least.
HOW?
Get friendly with Google Analytics
Run a report showing your highest traffic posts for the last 9-12 months. Then go back and look at those top 10 posts. Are those evergreen posts that you can improve and make work even harder for you?
Export 10 at a time and start to work away at them, 1 or 2/ work day.
Things to consider:
- fix typos, broken links and weird formatting
- edit or add new photos/graphics
- add a pinnable graphic
- add a “click to tweet”
- optimize for search (install the Yoast Plug-in if you don’t already have it installed and strive for a green light on as many aspects as possible)
- add appropriate affiliate links or banner ads
- check images for alt tags
- add email opt-in where appropriate
Once you finish the 10 top posts, export the 11-20 and update them, and continue on down the list. Any post you think should be working harder for you but isn’t – needs to be updated.
As you update posts, create a spreadsheet of evergreen content you can refer to when looking for an older post to reshare.
Record: URL, Title, Original publish date, keyword 1, keyword 2, keyword 3
Set Up Systems
Previous example of updating old posts is a type of system, you have a checklist and work your way through systematically, but there are lots of programs you can use for many other systems to maximize your time.
Facebook: Facebook Scheduler, Coschedule**, Meet Edgar** **these are more effective when used in groups and personal profiles rather than on pages
Twitter: Coschedule, Buffer, Meet Edgar
Instagram: Coschedule, LATER, Linktr.ee or linkinprofile.com, Tailwind
Pinterest: Tailwind, Coschedule, Board Booster
Email: MailChimp/Aweber, etc., unroll.me
Figure Out Your Calendar
This video from Amy is very close to the to-do list system I use and I find it works much better for me than a traditional planner/calendar. But we are all different so you have to figure out what works for you.
This is the journal I use (and is what Amy is using in the video): Leuchtturm1917 Medium*
Planning Party!
Stuck in the “too many ideas, too little time” trap? WHile we can’t do everything, when we focus on one big project at a time we can bring so many of those ideas into reality. Last year I participated in Nicole Culver’s 5-day Planning Party and I honestly planned out most of my year in those 5 days, and while some of my focuses have shifted, all-in-all I stuck to what I had planned to do, and accomplished more than I really thought I could. Nicole is an absolute gem, and is hosting the planning party again this year from December 4-8th. You can sign up for free right now at: https://nicoleculver.clickfunnels.com/planningparty and get ready to start planning 2018! You can also join her free Blissful Eats Facebook group that is a wealth of information and support at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blissfulbitescommunity/
My Favourite Apps/Software
CoSchedule*: scheduling posts, social media, and much more. You can check out my two posts on CoSchedule below:
- Optimize Your Blogging & Social Media with CoSchedule
- How To Schedule Social Media Posts with CoSchedule
Tailwind*: scheduling Pinterest posts + they have a new BETA version of Tailwind for Instagram which I haven’t yet tried. **email me at suzi@confessionsofafitnessisntructor.com and I can send you an invite for 1 month free!
IFTTT: create recipes that trigger under certain criteria.
DropBox: Critical if you are working between multiple computers/devices, have a VA you want to give access to some files but not all, sharing files with clients/friends.
Google Photos (phone application): Set it up to automatically upload new photos in your photo stream when you are on wifi and you never have to worry about losing photos, and can delete photos from your phone to clear up space.
Google Drive: I’m still using the free version and have all the functionality I need. Again, when my computer died whatever files weren’t in my dropbox or on iCloud, they could be found here which allowed me to continue working without worrying about whether or not all my files were lost.
Linktr.ee: allows you to share links to more than one website in your Instagram profile. Create a free Linktr.ee account, add you links and put your Linktr.ee webaddress in your Instagram profile. I’m using the free version but they also have a paid version with more functionality. Food bloggers might prefer linkinprofile.com (paid service) where you can link to a page showing your entire feed with clickable links to the recipes.
Mail Chimp: Simple email management software for newsletters, free up to a certain number of subscribers. Not the best for creating funnels and setting up sequences but good for starting out.
Monday Morning: Where to start!
I know what it’s like, you get so much information at conferences it’s hard to know where to start. So I’m sharing the three things you can do tomorrow to start to impliment what you’ve learned:
- Make sure two-factor authentification is turned on, on all your online profiles. Even if you think they are turned on already, double check.
- Listen to the Chalene Johnson podcasts (if that doens’t get you fired up to buy a password manager, I don’t know what will!)