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Stephanie Drenka

Stephanie Drenka

The Ultimate List of Resources & Tools for Bloggers

Wednesday, October 10, 2018 · In: Tech

Although it’s been a few years since my official Fairyblogmother days ended, I’ve never quite hung up my hat. In the past year, it’s been a privilege to help launch blogs/websites for several friends and family members. (Shout out to Yvonne, Nichole, Allison, Kristina, and LaCriessia)

With so many of my friends joining the fray, I decided to revisit this list of resources to help blogging newcomers get a solid start. There are also some tools for veteran bloggers needing to consolidate their energy and make the most out of their time!

I will be updating this page regularly, so feel free to bookmark or pin it for future reference.

Recommended WordPress Hosting Companies

Most User-Friendly & Reliable WordPress Hosting: Flywheel
This is my favorite WordPress hosting company for most bloggers. Their tiny plan starts at $13/month, but you can easily scale if needed. Their plans include free SSL and optional CDN (Content Delivery Network) to boost performance and SEO. Flywheel knows their stuff and with their automatic updates and server upgrades, downtime is rare.

Budget-friendly Website Hosting for Beginner Bloggers: Bluehost
I have a love/hate relationship with Bluehost (and shared hosting in general). It works well 85-90% of the time, but it’s not pretty when your site goes down. Good luck getting in touch with someone from customer service in a timely manner. But, you get what you pay for, and this is the most affordable choice for those who are just dipping their toes into the blog world. If you want to upgrade later, Flywheel will help migrate your site.

Streamline Your Social Media Management

Favorite Scheduling Tool for Pinterest: Tailwind
In addition to being able to schedule out your pins ahead of time, you can also join “tribes” to both share your own pins and find relevant content from others. Get a free month when you sign up with this link.
Tailwind Visual Marketing Suite

Favorite Editorial Calendar Software: CoSchedule
CoSchedule Editorial Calendar: Best WordPress Scheduling and Social Sharing Tool

Most SEO-friendly WordPress Theme Framework: Genesis Framework

Instagram Scheduling: Planoly

Search Engine Optimization

Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful FREE tool that tracks statistics on people visiting your blog. You can learn significant information such as how many unique visitors and page views you receive over time, or which content on your site is best and worst.

WordPress SEO by Yoast
WordPress is known for being pretty SEO friendly right out of the box. Especially if your site is on a framework like Genesis or Thesis (will save those for another post). However, I highly recommend installing an SEO WordPress plugin for additional optimization options. There are hundreds of search engine related plugins, but my go-to choice is WordPress SEO by Yoast. Read this blog post for more information on setting up the different options.

Google Search Console
Search Console (formerly known as Webmaster Tools) is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results. You don’t have to sign up for Webmaster Tools for your site to be included in Google’s search results, but it will help you understand how Google views your site and optimize its performance.

By: Stephanie Drenka · In: Tech

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From Political Pawns to Punchlines: Leave Adoptees From Political Pawns to Punchlines: Leave Adoptees Out of Your Abortion Arguments (and Memes)

"We will adopt your baby" posts went viral on Twitter only days after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Unsettling photos of nightmarish couples were shared en masse, mocking the White hopeful adoptive parents who posed with protest signs bearing the phrase in celebration of the ruling. Advocates from both sides of the abortion debate are quick to invoke adoption to support their views, but neither group seems interested in the experiences of those most impacted- adoptees.

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Three of the conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban are adoptive parents. Many people who prayed for the end of legalized abortion are the same ones carrying the “We will adopt your baby” posters. The practice of adoption goes hand in hand with colonialism and White Supremacy or saviorism—undergirded by the belief that parents of color are less qualified or deserving of a chance to raise their children.

Adoptee voices matter, and they could help dismantle a broken system. Please spend time listening to our experiences and learning more about the history of the adoption industrial complex, family separation, and lifelong adoptee trauma. Read between the memes, and you will find our stories.

Read more (link in bio) #adopteevoices #prochoiceadoptee #adoption
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