Blogs are quickly becoming one of the most desirable web site additions you can have - along with a Twitter account of course!



So if you're like me, and have several blogs to manage in various different applications, how do you go about making sure that all your bases are covered all of the time? The most effective way to manage this process is through an online collaboration or project management space, and there are loads out there for you to choose from. When you have found the one you want, it's best to set up each blog you manage as a new project - or a new milestone within a project if you're operating it on an individual client basis.

Then design a workflow for the post and assign people to the tasks inside the workflow, so for example:

1. Brainstorm Idea - John

2. Write post or processing - Karen

3. Edit & proofread post - Karen

4. Add graphic - Paul

5. Upload / Schedule - Teresa

6. Complete - Teresa

So, here you have your workflow, and you have also appointed your designated team members who are going to be part of the workflow.

Schedule your posts on a calendar so you can view the forecast for the upcoming month (or week, but month is better). This can be part of your brainstorming session, so get the titles for the posts and the rest will follow.

Once you have done this, assign the task to the writer - this is step 2. The writer can then place the post in the project space as a collaborative document. Once the writer has written the content he can assign the workflow to step 3, and the editor can approve the final copy by making changes to the same document.

Step 4, the document is then given a suitable graphic, and if the post requires one it can be uploaded into the blog - step 5, and scheduled to go out on a certain date. At this point the task is complete, and step 6 is to close it.

Everyone understands what part they play because it's simple to follow, and the exact same workflow can be implemented for almost every blog post on a great many projects. It's probably a good idea, unless of course you're a project manager or online business manager, to hire one of these individuals to coordinate your people and workflows for you. Whilst having various parties do the work is one thing, overseeing it is often more difficult than the task itself.