Speedy Writing Tip: Turn Off Your Inner Editor

Today’s speedy writing tip is brought to you by my university composition professor who said, “Write in white heat; edit in cold blood.”

(Or something like that. I can’t be sure because that was 20 years ago and I’ve had 3 children since then.)

Her point is: when you’re writing something – anything – just charge through the task like an angry bull.

How to Write in White Heat

Read more…

Busy Day Guide to Blogging

There are days when it just seems like you are too busy to blog. Maybe things can go smooth with your plans until you look up and realize the day is almost over. Unexpected events, an over crowded schedule or just the ordinary requirements of life can make it tough to stay on track with your blog posts.

Most of the experts say that content is king when it comes to building visitors to your blog. Being consistent is one of the most important factors listed when it comes to creating great content for your blog. Visitors will come back when they know that something new will be posted. You have to find a way to balance life with writing your blog. Being too busy to blog can end up killing your website.

10 Tips for Busy Day Blogging

Read more…

Social Media: Don’t Set It and Forget It

It’s amazing how far social media has come in such a short time. Ten years ago, people who used their computers to communicate with others were often referred to as geeks. Now, the tables have been turned. If you don’t use Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, people begin to wonder which rock you just crawled out from under.

That’s not to say that everybody is using social media. There are still plenty of people who aren’t. But there are enough people who are using it that if you’re not, there’s a good chance that you’re alienating at least some of your customers.

I just finished reading a post over at the Outspoken Media blog about businesses using Twitter. Most of the corporate big dogs are doing it, as well as a rapidly increasing number of small business owners. But as Lisa Barone pointed out in that thought-provoking post, hiring someone to do your tweeting for you and then forgetting about it can easily backfire. Read more…

Do You Know How to Recognize a Content Opportunity?

Sometimes thing fall into place.

Keeping your eye open for opportunities and taking advantage of them is one of the things successful people seem to be exceptionally skilled at and content opportunities are no different.

What Does a Content Opportunity Look Like?

Many people set aside time during their day, week or month to create or outline their upcoming content, and this is a great practice however, when content opportunities present themselves it pays to pay attention to them.  A content opportunity might look like:

-A conversation with an associate about the latest trend in the industry or a problem you’ve been having with your business.  Even a discussion about a question one of your clients or prospects asked.  The conversation or the results of the conversation can be worked into a really good article, or series of articles, or if you’re quick on your toes you can record the discussion, transcribe it and post it on your blog.

-A content opportunity might be your opinion about something that’s happened in your industry, something you just read or heard that got you fired up.

-A content opportunity can be a story a client or customer tells you.

-It can be inspired by a workshop you’ve taken, a conference you’ve attended, a book you’ve read and so on.

What Do You Do When You Have a Content Opportunity?

Read more…

Speedy Writing Tip: Make a Mindmap

Writers are always looking for ways to write faster and more easily. As someone who’s been writing for 20 years, I’ve found mindmaps to be invaluable.

Mindmaps help me organize my thoughts, brainstorm topics, and expand ideas. When I make a mindmap before writing, I find the actual writing to go much more smoothly and quickly. It’s as if my subconscious had already pretty much written the material and I’m merely typing it onto the computer.

In addition, with today’s mindmapping tools, it’s easier than ever to take your ideas from a mind map to the written page. More on that later.

Read more…

Featured Article Directory: Buzzle.com

Buzzle.com is more than a typical article site. It is a site that offers a diverse selection of information and resources. The site offers a directory, email, message boards, news and more. The information that can be found on Buzzle.com covers almost every subject under the sun. Articles are not only informative, but they are also written in a way that is sure to entertain readers.

The number of articles that can be found on Buzzle.com has reached over 200,000. There are plenty of tips, ideas and suggestions to help readers meet their needs and find out more about their interests no matter what those may be.

Read more…

« Previous Page — Next Page »