My Updated Blogger Workflow as of 2021-01
As a content creator, I’m always looking for new ways, tools and services to improve my workflow to be as efficient as possible. If something no longer fits my needs, I’m not afraid to make changes. The last update to my blogger workflow dates back to last November. Since then, I made quite a few important changes.
What’s in?
First, I added my Synology DS720+ as a central tool to manage my digital assets, mostly pictures used in my publications. I acquired this NAS last year to consolidate my numerical assets, and I cannot overstate how good this product is. The first use was to back up important files and archives later I added the digital assets use by taking advantage of Synology Moments, a photo library service that comes with the product. Read more about my use of Synology NAS here.
Next, an important addition is Craft. I’m still in the early stages of working with Craft, and I plan to write about my observations in the near future. Meanwhile, let’s say Craft is a similar yet quite different beast than Notion. It has a cleaner and really polished design and helps me gather digitals tidbits, write and organize my thoughts. You can have a look at a few micro-interaction examples with Craft on my Vimeo page. I don’t plan to kick out Notion from my workflow yet. Notion is much more powerful than Craft. I think there is a place for both of them in my toolset.
Speaking of Vimeo, I’m back for another year as a paying subscriber. I much prefer Vimeo to YouTube (you know my stance on data privacy protection and Google, right?). I used Vimeo to publish a video about why I’ll never be a YouTuber. I’m also creating a collection of short clips of great micro-interactions with apps. Craft is one of the collections. My Vimeo profile page is here.
To create short animation clips in my publications, I use GIF files. Those are created from video clips and then converted to animated GIFs using the powerful ImgPlay application available on iOS, iPadOs and macOS Big Sur (thanks to the M1-powered Macs!). For me, it’s the best animated GIF creation application out there. Think of ImgPlay as a Final Cut Pro but for animated GIF creation.
Finally, the diagram doesn’t show my use of Apple’s Shortcuts to automate many repetitive tasks. One shortcut is used to add a device frame to any screenshots. Screenshots are prettier this way. Another shortcut saves interesting links into Apple’s Reminders app for future link posts. Finally, another one is used to create an archive of my microblog front page from time to time using Newsy.
What’s out?
Google Analytics is out, thanks to Plausible, a great alternative. I wrote about my switch recently and decided to walk the talk regarding my stance on data privacy protection. While not as powerful as Google Analytics, it does the job quite well for my basic needs. Since closing my Google Analytics, Databox was no longer needed.
A mature workflow
After many updates in the last 18 months, I think my blogger workflow is in an equilibrium and mature state. We never know when a new application or service pops up and can make a difference for me as a content creator looking for efficiency. That being said, I don’t expect much change for the foreseeable future.