Rather than use Writer River as the interface for publishing links, we use Publish2, which is a link sharing platform. Publish2 provides you with a bookmarklet that allows you to add links to Publish2, or you can automatically import your shared items from Google Reader or Delicious into Publish2.

With your links in Publish2, you can publish the links to several places at once: the technical communication newsgroup, your blog, or Twitter. When you publish the links to the technical communication newsgroup, they automatically appear on Writer River, because Writer River displays all the links published to the technical communication newsgroup. If you want, you can also display the list of links from the technical communication newsgroup onto your own site.

Configuring Publish2

To get started:

1. If you haven’t already submitted a request to become a link journalist, complete the form here.
2. Look for my invitation to join the Publish2 technical communication newsgroup.
3. Click the link in the Publish2 invitation email and register for a Publish2 account. For the news organization, list Writer River.
4. After registering, you’ll be prompted to add a Publish2 bookmarklet to your browser. Follow the on-screen instructions to do this. If you’re not prompted to add the bookmarklet, log in to Publish2.com and go to Settings > Add Bookmarklet.
5. Go to a page online and add the link to Publish2 using the Link to Publish2 bookmarklet. When you add the link, make sure of the following:
6. Make sure the My Links check box is selected.
7. If you’re ready to publish the link to the newsgroup (which will make it appear on Writer River), select the Technical Communication newsgroup check box.

That’s it. Now you can add links to Writer River using one of the following methods:

• Add Links Using the Publish2 bookmarklet
• Add Links by Importing Your Shared Items from Google Reader