Monday, December 08, 2014

[Breaking It Down] David T. List




In the fourth episode of Breaking It Down, I take a look at David T. List's web presence. Please be sure to leave him some love in the comments for being a good sport! :)




 
Quick Summary

A centralized hub—whether that be a website or a blog—helps readers easily find information and connect with you all over the Internet.

We should always try to remember that some visitors will stop by with no idea who we are, what we do, or what we write. The first thing they see should include some type of explanation.


Consistency in brand appearance (similar colors, fonts, textures, profile photos, etc.) will make you more easily identifiable.

Organization helps visitors digest information. I am a huge fan of David's glossary of published terms. (I do the same thing in the back of my PNR/UF series!)

Creative details make things memorable. David shares book-related things, like concept art and interviews (not featured in video).

This will be an eleven-episode series. If you'd like to read details on the project, please click here. :)


Question of the Week:
What's one thing you love about David''s web presence?

P.S. Sorry about the scatterbrained nature of the video. I could only fit in a quick, sleep-deprived take before I headed out the door. If you guys have any questions, just let me know!

26 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I know David! Will come back to watch later.

Carrie Butler said...

He's a good guy! :)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great suggestions. I might be helpful for him to explain Silexare. But I like the uncluttered look of his blog.

Jay Noel said...

I've always wondered how to pronounce "Silaxere" properly too. I'm not very good at engaging with the Tweeting community. Actually, I stink. So that was a helpful tip for me.

I'm going to do a little rearranging of my blog, thanks to your expertise. Thanks for doing this, and I'm sure David will love your analysis.

David T List said...

First of all, THANKS so much for this in depth and enlightened breakdown of my web presence! It was much needed and I knew it. (This was actually more painless than I'd expected!) You might not know this- actually I'd be surprised if you did- but your name is mentioned in the acknowledgements of my debut novel, for all the info and smarts I'd already gleaned from you. As of today, you've earned it twice over at least.
I liked your attempts to pronounce Silexare. I laughed out loud a couple of times during the vid, moreso at me for inventing the name than your honest attempts at pronouncing it. It is perhaps a bit unfortunate, for certain purposes, that Silexare is the name that came to me and imprinted so long ago. FYI, you pronounced it right once during the video :)
I filled two sheets taking notes on this video. Regarding Twitter, I'm with Jay /\. Not so great. But I got some ideas just watching this.
I have my work cut out for me. You've given me some really great ideas and I can't wait to put them to use!

David T List said...

(edited)
ALSO, wanted to give credit where it's due - Drew Cochran wrote the mechanics / code / search feature for the Compendium. We worked together on vision and function, but he's the lead mechanic. If he had an online hub, I'd direct anyone interested there...
This'll do -
http://www.silexarecompendium.com/contributors/3

(Now I'm going to give him a web presence breakdown!)

cleemckenzie said...

Analysis from someone like you is always very helpful, Carrie. I know David will benefit from it.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I will sometimes google myself just to see what pops up to make sure there is that central landing spot you speak of.

Nas said...

Great breakdown and David's blog looks great, too!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Came back to watch! I definitely know what you mean about consistency with headers and stuff. (And took that to heart with my critique.) And maybe something somewhere that states how to pronounce Silaxere? But all else, very cool!

Melissa said...

Agree with your points... I had difficulty with pronunciation, too. (Wish he would spell it out phonetically for us. :P) I do like the uncluttered look of his blog.

Good luck, David. :)

DMS said...

What an interesting post! Sounds like great comments about David's online presence. A great help to us all! :)
~Jess

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Natalie! I like the uncluttered look, too.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Alex is so right. Just by watching these videos I'm learning what's wrong with mine. Great stuff, Carrie. And Happy Happy Birthday!

Loni Townsend said...

Ah, this reminds me of all the stuff I need to do with my web presence.

You're so keen with all of this stuff. Thanks for another great summary, Carrie.

Thanks for letting us see this, David!

Tammy Theriault said...

great tips. I've often gone to a blog wondering if they are a writer, media whore, or what???

Carrie Butler said...

It takes a while to get comfortable on Twitter, that's for sure. Even now, I go through through periods where I'm so busy or burned out that I can't engage like I want to. Human nature and all that. As long as you get involved in a few aspects of it, you should be a-okay.

Awesome! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Or maybe both! ;) Thanks, Tamizzle!

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, David! I was happy to help. :)

I did not know that, but that's awesome! Thank you. I'm still saving my pennies for the book, but now I have an extra incentive...

Hey, at least we now know I'm not the only one! Time to bust out the pronunciation guide in more places. *grins*

Sweet! I'm glad you were able to take some things away from the video.

(2nd Message)

Hah! Yes, you totally should give him a web presence breakdown. He's about to be in demand!

Carrie Butler said...

D'aww... thanks, Lee! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Nice! A high five for you. :D

Carrie Butler said...

I am so glad I'm not alone in the pronunciation department. After I posted that, I thought, "People are going to think I can't read..." LOL

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, DMS! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, my friend! I really appreciate it. :D

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, that made my day. :) Thanks, Loni!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Nas! :D