If you see yourself as a thought leader and want your ideas to be found, I believe there are three tools worth spending money on when you’re getting started. While you can always do more later here’s the minimum you need to get started: WordPress, Buffer and Inoreader. Let’s talk about each one.¶
WordPress is defined in this way by Wikipedia: ‘WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in PHP[4] and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database. Features include a plugin architecture and a template system, referred to within WordPress as Themes. WordPress was originally created as a blog-publishing system but has evolved to support other web content types including more traditional mailing lists and forums, media galleries, membership sites, learning management systems (LMS) and online stores.
One of the most popular content management system solutions in use, WordPress is used by 42.8% of the top 10 million websites as of October 2021’. WordPress will give you everything you need to get started easily and it will scale with you as your website needs grow. Their dominant presence makes it easy to get all the help you need as you’re getting started and it costs very little to go as you grow with plans starting at only $4 per month..
Now let’s talk about Buffer. Defined by Wikipedia ‘Buffer is a software application for the web and mobile, designed to manage accounts in social networks, by providing the means for a user to schedule posts to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, as well as analyze their results and engage with their community.’ As you begin to share your content in social media, you’ll be able to see metrics for opens and shares and schedule your content for the best publishing time. Plans start at $5 per month per social channel.
Finally, the one that’s most fun for me is Inoreader. Once more to Wikipedia: Inoreader is a web-based content and RSS feed reader, a cloud-based service for web browsers and mobile devices running iOS and Android. It compiles news feeds from online sources for the user in unified layout to customize and share with others’. Inoreader makes it easy for me to track the sites, searches, sources and ‘someday’ information from other thinkers in my field and it gives me plenty to ponder or share.
“Forrester Research told Ars Technica that, according to its most recent RSS usage numbers, only six percent of North American, Internet-using consumers used an RSS feed once per week or more.”
@eJacqui
Contrary to the author that provided this quote, I think people who use RSS readers like Inoreader are the top 6%, not the bottom and Inoreader is an essential tool for those who want to use the internet to promote a thought leadership position.
So, how do you like my three tools? Which ones would you choose for your top 3?
Todd Lohenry 