I started this blog about six months ago with no knowledge of WordPress whatsoever. I had managed to import the header image from my website and change a few colours in the default WordPress theme to make the blog look slightly similar to my website. I wasn’t very happy with the way it looked, but it worked.

If you are not a techie web developer/programmer, it can be quite difficult to modify existing WordPress themes and end up with a nice blog design just the way you want it.

Today, I found a solution. I’m sure there are other applications available that can do this, but I happened to stumble upon Artisteer - theme generator for WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.

After downloading the trial version and playing around with it for just 10 minutes, I had decided to buy it.

I am very impressed with the incredible detail and the unlimited number of variations possible with this blog theme generating software, and I have used it to make this blog, my Content Writer blog which runs on WordPress, look quite similar to my Content Writer website (but with the addition of nicer sidebars etc.!)

Just playing around with Artisteer and creating all sorts of different blog designs is a lot of fun, and I wish I had many more blogs that I could give a make-over with this theme generator software. My Things to do in Coffs Harbour blog may be next to get a new design thanks to Artisteer. I may also try to use it to create WordPress-driven websites (not just blogs), which is something I’ve been meaning to look into for a while.

If you’re looking for an easy WYSIWYG tool to create designs or themes for your Joomla, Drupal or WordPress website, I recommend you download the free demo version of Artisteer and try it out.

NB – I am not linked to this company in any way, don’t have any idea who they are, but simply genuinely think their product is good.

I live in Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in Australia and I love it here. I have been writing content, stories and editorials for Coffs Coast Marketing for several years now, helping to promote the Coffs Coast region – which is what the area around Coffs Harbour is called – to tourists and visitors.

But there are many things that are so lovely here that I just feel like sharing with more people. Not just visitors, but also people who have lived here a long time, or who have just moved here.

That’s why in January, I decided to start a blog about Coffs Harbour activities and fun things to do here, written mostly from personal experience and featuring my own photos. The URL of the website is www.thingstodoincoffsharbour.com.au

I announced the start of this new website/blog in my post of 7 January 2009 as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. Somehow I thought I would be able to manage writing several new posts per week, but unfortunately I simply don’t have the time for that. However, some of my favourite pastimes are up there already and I will keep trying to write and publish one new blog post each week.

A lot of the activities are outdoors and many are free of charge. For instance, you’ll find some nice nature walks which feature fantastic views and end at a great café or restaurant.

Being a WordPress blog, it uses categories and tags so it’s easy to navigate and find topics of interest. So if you like walking, you just click on the word walk in the tag cloud on the right and you go to the page with all the stories that mention walks around Coffs Harbour.

Because the website is still very new, you can expect new stories to be added all the time. By subscribing to my RSS feed, you don’t have to keep coming back to check for new ideas for things to do in Coffs Harbour but you’ll be kept up to date via your RSS reader.

Blogs aren’t just for fun. They are really good examples of attractive websites with continually updated content and an easy to use Content Management System. Having a blog can work extremely well for your business!

If you’re interested in starting a blog but aren’t sure where to start, contact me via my Content Writer website and we can discuss how I can help you.

At the start of a new year, I’ve made a few resolutions – or really, a list of things I’m determined to do in 2009, career-wise.

They’re all related to my diverse profession as a copywriter, website consultant, search engine optimiser, content specialist, public relations consultant and freelance journalist.

• After finishing an inspiring course run by wellknown journalist Valerie Khoo (SMH and other publications) of the Sydney Writers’ Centre, I’m determined to do more work as a freelance journalist in 2009. I’ve been a journalist before and have had my articles published, but not yet in Australia. This year, I’ll write more feature stories and WILL get some published in mainstream Australian publications!
• I know that having testimonials on your website helps your business. I too like to read feedback from clients on other companies’ websites to get a better feel for the business and its products or services. So over the next few weeks/months, I’ll contact some of my clients who have already told me they’re very happy with my services and try to get a few paragraphs from them to put on my website on a new Testimonials page.
• Starting a blog is a great idea. It lets you easily add fresh content to your website… if you post something new regularly, that is! I know I haven’t been blogging all that much yet, but this is also something that I’ll be trying to do in 2009: updating my blog more often.
• I regularly get emails asking for quotes for certain website, SEO or copywriting projects. I email back and forth with these people to really understand their requirements, and carefully construct an email with a quote that’s well thought through. Sometimes, I don’t receive any response, and I imagine these people had contacted many businesses requesting quotes, and they just happened to have found another service provider. However, deep down I know I shouldn’t assume that. What if the project is on hold? What if they misplaced my quote? What if my explanations weren’t clear enough or my quote not detailed enough? I have decided I should and will follow up on quotes I send out if I haven’t heard back within, say, a week, just in case I can do anything else to convince the potential client that hiring me for their project is a great idea!
• I live in Coffs Harbour on the East Coast of NSW, Australia, where I’ve been since early 2005. I love it here, our region is so beautiful! I often get frustrated by the lack of correct and up to date information available online about things to do and see in Coffs Harbour. Why isn’t all this available on the internet? Locals and visitors should be able to read about all those beautiful Coffs Harbour attractions and activities. So I’ve decided to start a blog to tell the world about our piece of paradise. My new blog is called ‘Things To Do In Coffs Harbour’ and is available at  www.thingstodoincoffsharbour.com.au. I’m not sure yet where I’ll find the time but I’m going to try to put up at least 4 or 5 new topics every week (I’ve just launched it a few days ago so don’t expect much just yet…)
• I’ve just found out there isn’t much available in terms of public relations providers in my area. In addition to my website, content, SEO, copywriting and journalism experience, I’ve also been involved in marketing communications and public relations. I know how to write an interesting media release that has a good chance of being picked up by the media rather than chucked in the bin. I’ve worked in the media myself too and know what’s expected. So that’s another area that I’m planning to target this year – public relations consultancy and the writing of media releases (press releases) for the regional market. Of course, I can and am happy to write media releases for businesses all over the world, but this is a niche that is easier to break into and I’m planning to create and optimise a special page on my website called Coffs Harbour public relations consultancy and media releases.

So there you have it, no fewer than 6 new year’s resolutions that I’ve set myself in order to make my Content Writer business (as part of Triple W Communications Pty Ltd) even more successful in 2009. I’ll report on the achievements of these targets throughout the year!

I’ve spent a little time this morning making some improvements to my blog.

You’ll now find Bookmark/Share buttons at the bottom of each post, so you can easily share my blog posts on social bookmarking sites or place them in your favourites for easy access at a later date.

On the right, at the top of the sidebar, you’ll see an RSS button and Subscribe button. You can now subscribe to my feed using RSS or any other feed reader you prefer. This way, you don’t have to visit my website or blog all the time to see if there’s anything new, but can simply stay up to date via my feed.

Simply subscribe to my feed if you’re interested in my thoughts, views and experiences related to my SEO web copywriting business, or would like to read future posts about some of my work projects (think copywriting, web content writing, SEO, website usability and creating effective, user-friendly & search engine-friendly websites).

To those who sign up – thank you for your interest!

It’s been a while since I had a chance to work on my own website or blog, but I’ve finally taken an hour and a half this afternoon (it’s a Sunday) to read up on theme modifications and change the heading of my blog.

I’ve only really changed the background image of the top banner so far, but I plan to make some more changes soon, now that I know how it all works.

When I’ve got it looking close to how I want it to look, I’ll put a link in the top nav bar on my Content Writer website to go straight to this blog. And I’ll write a post a bit more often…!