Many of you will have already met Norman, the newest book in my Barn Cat Buttons Series; but for those who haven't, now you can. International Children's Book Day is April 2, a fitting day to make Norman's release official.

We are busy with the final stage of the event we have planned, and thanks goes out to Copper and Twine (Airdrie) for hosting us. 

The Airdrie City View has done an awersome job (my opinion) reporting on Norman's release. 

And without Karon Argue's amazing artwork none of this would be possible. Her talent brings my characters to life. Thank you. 

Keeping the gates closed is a concept that should trickle down through the generations as a learning tool on how we handle our social media posts. The last thing we want is to lose visitors and possibly sales because we have been remiss in performing our due diligence.  Rotating stock in and out of feeding pastures is necessary; however, you need the knowledge to control the gate and where they go. The last thing you want is the herd breaking free before they have filled up on everything you are capable of feeding them.

The Nemesis—Links that open to outside information might mean your visitors leave your website and don’t come back. Why? Because the gate was not properly secured.

The Feather—Links to outside information that is properly secured show the reader that you are willing to provide additional material. If the gate is secured correctly, the visitor will wander in the new pasture with a view of the home corral still in their sights. An example of this is the links in my Bio at the bottom of this article. Each should open as independent pages without taking you completely away from this CRCL Quiet Spirits column.

The goal should be to allow the reader to open links without leaving the original article. As they finish reviewing the material found through the link, the linked page can be closed, and the original piece is still before them. You have not lost this visitor. 

Opening content in a new window is an easy step to keep the herd (a.k.a. visitors) corralled on your land. Platforms offering blogs, in the majority of cases, provide the option to “open in a new window” when setting up a link. If you don’t use this option, I recommend you start. It is something I also use with links within my website. Why? Because I don’t want the visiting herd to get lost on my land and not know how to find their way back. 

The long and the short of all this is: Pay attention to how you add external connections to your work. Having links open in a new window will guarantee most visitors to your website/blog will stay with you when they close the external link. Losing them through an open portal may mean lost sales and followers. 
​
The concept is much the same for any platform. If you forget to include opening links in new windows, you can go back and edit your work to make the change. Closing the gate after the fact isn’t the best choice, but it is a step in the right direction to keeping the herd where you want them in the future. 

I have created a free downloadable how-to cheat sheet fro help you stay on top of keeping the dang gate closed.

Ann Edall-Robson's latest Quiet Spirits column is available at CRLC. ​
Who Left the Dang Gate Open
Back issues of the Quiet Spirits column. ​
Open the Gate
 Link to the Past
Heritage Traditions