My smartphone (OK smartphones I have more than one) I carry around with me have 100 times as much storage as my first PC and are more powerful than the most powerful machines that existed in the world back when I bought that PC. I do use my smartphones quite a lot for calls but their real appeal is the multitude of apps available at my fingertips to do almost everything I could imagine.
What I have started doing more recently is working out how those applications can help with my work efficiency. Here’s 6 that I have put to use and would recommend to anybody who has a smartphone and desire to improve their blog.
Install WordPress App
Somedays my commute to work is long and tedious. I spend time looking around, people watching, smartphone user watching and often find inspiration for a blog. With WordPress App you can turn that inspiration into work almost instantly. You can type straight into the app and save as a draft if you don’t want to push it live immediately, but that ‘now’ ability is a fairly neat tool too. What it also offers is the ability to tweak what you may have already posted, maybe a typo, change of phrase or simply some additional info to be added, all at the touch of your smartphone. It will never replace the desktop version due to functionality, but for the basics it is a must have.
Take notes everywhere you go
It doesn’t need to be an all-singing, all-dancing app. A simple notes app will let you keep those moments of inspiration or thoughts to check out without the need to pull out a reporter’s notebook and pencil. Those great ideas you have on the hoof that appear out of nowhere often have a habit of disappearing from your memory just as easily so make sure you note them down. Keep in mind ‘quotable moments’ that happen to you. Events and reactions are how we learn so sharing those moments with your readership will contain some valuable insight.
Read, read, read
Since you can take your smartphone anywhere, it also means you can also read anywhere. You don’t need to have an internet connection either. A web connection is great to surf the multitude of sites that can inspire your own latest articles but your smartphone is useful even when unconnected. Before you head off download useful reads via PDF to iBooks or Apps like Kindle or Kobo if it’s a proper ebook. Offline reading apps are also ten a penny so make sure any spare time you have is spent taking on board new information.
Bookmark for research
There are many apps such as Pocket, Evernote and even basic bookmarking but make sure that great article you read or wanted to read, is stored somewhere you can find it for future reference. There is nothing more frustrating than having to hunt around for it as invariably you will remember it by keywords that don’t match those the page can be found by. Save it for reading later and you are also likely to remember it better. Remember when you were a kid you’d be shown the same thing time and time again until you remembered it? It works when you get older too, so a second glance or a second read will mean more valuable information being learnt.
Take pictures
Stock photos provide a certain level of service but nothing hits the spot better with an audience than a real photograph. Look for odd angles, weird conjunctions and simply eye-friendly. As you walk along the street, shop, even make a cup of coffee think about potential images you can snap on your smartphone that could be used to illustrate future content. A picture paints a thousand words, so get painting to make your words have more impact.
Rich media still has a high level of engagement and is a great way to give added value to your articles. Planning an interview? Don’t just limit it to words. If you are meeting in person, see if you can record some of it on your smartphone – the inbuilt camera app is perfectly adequate on most smartphones. Video is great as it has the impact of images but also has the benefit of sound. Sound is a real engager as people concentrate harder on it. Again the in-built voice memo app of your smartphone is perfect for recording a snippet of interview or perhaps just atmospheric sounds to accompany a piece of content.
Your smartphone is a powerful piece of kit perfect for the multi-media journalist, so also perfect for any content marketers too. Use it well and your content will be rewarded.
