https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-Rd-UqecU MIGardener shows you how to use a tarp in the winter to help sustain your composting temperatures... this method definitely works and it helps keep snow off the pile as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL3lDLHL5X0 I thought these three composting misconceptions were even better than the first round he did- I'm always getting asked about walnuts, pine needles and eggshells (salmonella). He breaks em all down very nicely, and it all sums up into one point in my opinion- a compost pile is simply too strong to be taken out by any of this stuff. A cubic yard of varied materials has so much active bacteria and fungi working en masse that there's no chance for these materials to noticeably affect the results by the time your pile is finished. Thermophilic bacteria is magical stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf6mKwmuQqg MIGardener strikes again with another excellent video- this one focuses on several prevalent composting myths (some of which I never heard of). He touches on the importance of carbon nitrogen ratio, pile size, composting without brown materials, and more. Highly recommended.