Online Fun and Business

Many internet marketers have heard about the traffic that article marketing can bring to a website. Yet, when they try it themselves, they find the results less than rewarding. With article marketing becoming more and more well-known as a FREE (or very cheap) way to quickly gain lots of inbound links to a website, the value of it cannot be over-emphasized.

However, as this trend grows, so does the population of articles that are available. With the inherent competition, article distributors and newsletter editors, are becoming more selective toward the articles they accept. Since they are in the driver’s seat, the sensible thing to do is find out what it is they need, as well as the most efficient way to offer that to them.

Below are 9 tips that include everything from offline preparation, to Byline Do’s & Don’t’s. Each is designed to make the process as efficient and painless as possible. Included in the byline is a link to a current list of approximately 100 submission sites and recommended submission services.

1. LIKE A GOOD SCOUT, BE PREPARED
There are several items each distributor will need regarding each article submission. Preparing these beforehand, as part of the writing process, will make the submission session flow smoothly. The list below includes everything needed to submit an article:

– Title. Like the name of a website, a Title is, was, and shall always be the articles first advertisement. This is true for editors and distributions as much as those who will eventually read it. Though there are many articles devoted to this subject alone, the most important thing to remember is: short and to the point. The faster people can understand what the article is about, the faster they can decide if they’re interested. And never, never use a deceptive Title. Though it may gain some attention, in the long run, the editors will mostly remember being disappointed by you.

– Synopsis or Abstract. This is a short description of the article, which is usually only one or two sentences long. Many distributors even have a byte or character limit for it. Respect that limit. If your synopsis exceeds it, the system will probably just cut off the last few words. The synopsis is used by the distributor to promote the article on their article listings. It is the short “blurb” that explains a little more of the article.

– Key words. Like the keywords for a website, these keywords must be relevant to the subject. For example, the keywords used for this article were: business writing, article marketing, internet marketing, affiliate marketing, article submission, newsletter distribution. They all relate in some meaningful way to the overall subject. There needn’t be more than four or five phrases. These will be used, not only within the database searches, but with major seach engines, too.

– Body. Most distributors also have a limit on the amount of characters/bytes for this, but are usually generous with this amount. Respect that amount. If your article exceeds these limits, edit it appropriately.

–Byline. This is the little box at the bottom of the page that is “About The Author”. The reason it’s called a “byline” is because this is who the article is “by”, i.e., who wrote it. Keep this short, too, but be sure to include any background that is pertinent to the subject and could deem you an “expert”, as well as your profession and a link to your site is needed. Again, there are limitations on these, which vary according to the distributor. Generally, if it’s brief (like mine, below), no one will object.

Once all of these items are written and edited the article is ready for submission. It’s also a good idea, before beginning to make a short template that includes all these items, then save it as something like, “basic_article.txt”. But–

2. THE RIGHT “PROCESS”
Everyone has their own favorite word processing program. And most are fine to use with submission sites. Word is so completely ubiquitious, most sites assume writers will use this. However, while the distributors do accept these platforms, that doesn’t mean they can accept all the formatting included with them.

Generally speaking, formatting should be kept to a bare minimum. I use silly old Notepad (yeah, that little WP accessory that’s available in every copy of Windows). It forces me to forget about formatting. Since an article must be adaptable to many different types of formatting, keeping ITS formatting plain allows a larger amount of distributors to accept it. The last thing one should expect is for the distributor to have to take the time to re-format an article. That is not part of their job. It’s part of the writer’s.

Also, if using Notepad while writing an article, turn the Word Wrap feature “ON”. But while submitting it, turn it “OFF”. This simple step can save hours of re-formatting for each submission site and is another good reason to use Notepad. Always remember: coding-BAD.

3. DITTO WITH HTML
Though most email now accepts HTML coding and many even include it automatically, this does not mean that the programs used in article distribution are included in that equation. This is another excellent reason to use something like Notepad, since there is a minimum of unseen or invisible coding. Any type of coding may transfer poorly and cause an article to look more like a cyptogram than legible writing. Remember: Coding-BAD. No Coding-GOOD. A few distributors will not even allow such common characters as quotation marks or asterisks. One good substitute for this is CAPITALIZED words, which also work well to replace a bold or italisized word.

Up to this point, the tips have been about the preparation process. The following refer to the actual submission process.

4. THE GOOD GUYS VS. THE BAD GUYS
Especially for the ambitious writer who is always doing Google searches for new article sites, it should be noted that not ALL submission sites are reputable. For some reason, some people begrudge even a simple byline as payment for providing valuable content and will “overlook” several key essentials. Any reputable site (and most of them ARE) will offer three services to the author: a byline segment, the ability to preview the finished article as well as edit the article AFTER it has been submitted. For those who don’t, for whatever reasons, a writer may include a top byline within the Title, as well as the bottom byline within the body of the article. But ONLY for those that do not provide a place for them. Otherwise, you articles will come out looking silly — and may be passed over — for having doubled this content.

5. PICs OF YOU
Some submission sites ask for a photograph of the author. Though many people shy away from cameras, this is an additional security measure against plagarism, especially if the photo is included with each article. So consider keeping a relatively recent photo on file on your computer. Most that do ask for this require that the photo be a relatively small file, so keep it simple.

6. AFFILIATE MARKETING OR BIZ OPPS?
Choosing the right category during the submission process is another key ingredient to success. Most newsletter editors only skim through the categories pertinent to their area of interest. If a submission site has no relevant categories, skip it and go on.

7. EMAIL INCLUDED?
Until recently, including a professional email address in the byline would be advised. However, with the increase of email address security issues, this is becoming less common. If using an email address at all, use one that is not directly associated with a privately owned website.

8. ORGANIZATION EQUALS EFFICIENCY
The first, crueling session of article submission (with the emphasis on “mission”) can be daunting to a budding enewsletter author. However, if the time is spent wisely, it can be an investment that will pay for itself with each subsequent article.

When submitting to sites, create a folder in the “Favorites” or “Bookmarks” portion of your browser. For each successful submission, remember to add the link for that site to your folder. Also, edit each one, putting the username for that site and password in the link so that, when clicked on it, it also has this information available. And, to save steps later, be sure the link goes to the sign-in page (for those requiring membership) or directly to the submission site (for those without). Once this system is in place, and the article includes all necessary items, the whole process should only take a short time.

9. BYLINE DO’S AND DON’T’s
DO: Adjust your byline according to the article and promotion. For instance, though my main work is now internet marketing, I’ve also worked extensively as a crafter. If I decided to write an article about crafting, I would revise it to include that information. Otherwise I leave it out. Also, since I represent several different companies, I choose the company most closely related to the subject. Turning that thinking around, one could also write articles that would specifically promote different sites.

DON’T: If A submission site does not allow HTML in the byline, do NOT USE it. Type the URL in its entirety. Some sites simply don’t have the technology to support HTML. There are also several free services that will provide short urls or URL scramblers, if there is any concern about security.

DON’T: include more URLs than allowed. Some sites do not specifically state a limit, but most do not want to more than two or three.

DO: As an added security measure against plagarism, always put your initials right at the end of the article, as I do, below. This is an old offline writing habit, which was typically used in newspaper work to identify to the typesetter which articles belonged to which authors. Online, it prevents the plagarist from copy/pasting the text without being detected.

Finally, and above all, respect whatever rules or requirements each submission site has, for your own sake as well as theirs. Remember, as more and more people learn the value of article marketing, competition will continue to increase. So, as you submit regularly to sites and they come to count on you for good, professionally submitted content, they will appreciate you and your efforts.–mo

Marige O’Brien works as a writer, web designer and Internet Marketer.
Visit her Website, Tracker Mo’s Den for her latest recommendations and a list of over 100 current article submission sites. Other articles by Marige can be found
on her blog, Tracker Mo’s Finds.

How do you choose a name? Do you put down the first name that
pops into your mind? Initially that’s what I used to do, until
someone pointed out to me that there are a few things to take
into consideration when choosing a name…

1.You Have To Be Comfortable With It

We associate names with people we know. If you like a certain
name but know and dislike a person who bears it, will you feel
comfortable using that name in your story?

Will you mentally shut that person out or will you be reminded
of them each time you type that name?

Our characters have to be likable to us before they can become
likeable to our readers. Will your dislike for that person
transfer to your character?

2.It Must Be Easy To Pronounce

The English language can be, at times, misleading. How many
words, and even names we spell one way and pronounce another? If
the name you have chosen falls into this category, will your
readers know how to pronounce it?

For years I use to pronounce the beautiful name ‘Sean’ exactly
how it’s written ‘Seen,’ when it’s pronounced by the much nicer
sounding ‘Shorn.’ Will the name you choose bear the same problem?

If you choose a difficult pronouncing name for your character
and worse, one that’s not widely known, you stand to lose the
effect of that name. A beautiful sounding name can be utterly
destroyed if your reader doesn’t know how to pronounce it.

Your story has to flow. If the name you’ve chosen is not easy to
pronounce, the readers will constantly stop each time they come
across it. This will disrupt the flow of your story.

3.Foreign Sounding Names

The same as the above applies to foreign sounding names. They
must be easy to pronounce. Consider the following:

Yahiya Indihar Gschu Lyudmila

These names sound exotic but they don’t exactly roll off the
tongue. Should you compromise the flow of the story for the sake
of a name?

4.Does The Name Suit Your Character?

Not all names suit all people and not all names will suit all
characters. Like clothing and hairstyles, names go out of
fashion too.

For example…

Let’s say your heroine is a lively, upbeat, modern lady. Will it
suit her type of personality if we choose the name ‘Mabel’?
‘Mabel’ we usually associate with an elderly aunt or
grandmother.

What about your hero? Let’s say he’s a young man who possesses a
powerful personality. Will the name ‘Hubert?’ suit him? ‘Hubert’
would suit an elderly character or perhaps a ‘quiet’ character.

5.They Shouldn’t Start With The Same Letter

If you’re going to have two main characters in your story and
their names start with the same letter, it will read a little
awkwardly.

Example…

David and Debra Sam and Sue George and
Gina

6.Surnames

Like we carefully choose the first name for our characters, we
have to be careful when selecting their surnames. Just like
first names, there are certain surnames, which sound better than
others.

When selecting a surname, make sure it has a pleasant ring, when
used with the first name. Using names, which rhyme like, Jeff
Jefferson, sound amusing. If this is the effect you wish to
create then using it is fine.

7.Stereotype Names

Are you thinking of naming your character Adolph or Judas?
There’s nothing wrong with these names, except for the fact that
we tend to associate them with that single person in history who
bore them. Will your reader trust your hero if you name him
Judas?

8.Famous Names

I recall a quote I once read which went something like this…

“Nothing grows under the shade of a tree.”

If you name your character Elvis, Madonna etc.. Will your
character be able to outshine the ultra famous person of whom
the world knows? I doubt it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When naming characters there are also a few other points to
consider…

Naming them will not only depend on what kind of people they
are, but who their parents or guardians were (if the parents or
guardians play some sort of role in your story). After all, we
don’t name ourselves, do we? So take into consideration the
following…

1)What kind of people are the parents?

a)Free spirited?

Unusual names will rank highly amongst people like this.

For example,

The seasons of the year Or perhaps a month in
the year Or an object Etc

b)Conservative?

These types of people tend to use the full name rather than an
abbreviated version of it.

For example,

Kathleen instead of Kat Michael instead of Mike
Etc

2)What Is The Parents/Guardians Nationality?

If they’re traditional, they will choose a name, which is
popular in their country. Also traditional parents/guardians
tend to give their children the names of their own parents or
other relatives.

Look at the name you chose for your main characters. Does the
name suit them?

No matter what subject you write on, there will be some research involved. Your opinion is the first step. Backing up your ideas with facts is the second step.

You can do the vast majority of your research online if the topic you have chosen is outside the company expertise. Online tools such as Google.com, Clusty.com, or Dogpile.com are a great place to start. However, using the correct searching techniques will make the difference between getting a great deal of information and getting a scant few.

Google.com provides a great cheat sheet for using advanced searching techniques. Go to http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html then print out this valuable resource.

To make sure your search hits are up-to-date use the year in your search. For example: 2004..2006 will give you articles from the year 2004 up to this year. If you are looking for exact phrases put the phrase in quotation marks such as “VP Marketing” or “SL500 Lens”.

When you click on any of the links, check for the validity of the information. What is the source of the article, who wrote it, what is their expertise, or what other resources do they mention. Do not use internet results as the sole basis of your research, check other sources as well. You want your writing to reflect more than just opinions, you want the facts.

You can do more research using Amazon.com. Search for book titles on the target subject matter to get a list of recent publications. If any of the books are using the “Look Inside” feature, you will be able to scan the table of contents for relevant topics and even read the first few pages of the book - particularly the introduction. The Introduction will often give you a clue as to why the book was written and the target audience information. Other pertinent information about the book will be revealed by the popularity of the book and any reviews it may have received. This is all valuable when trying to discover relevance to your topic.

Having coffee at Borders or Barnes & Noble is also good. These book stores will allow you to skim through print publications while sitting in their coffee shops. This is a great way to research topics by skimming multiple books on the subject. This is even better than most libraries as the publications in bookstores are recently published. If you want to look at older versions, then head off to the library.

As time is often short, I most often rely on the Internet and Amazon Table of Contents to get most of my information. If books look like they give me the background I need, I simply buy the book.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprints for Success - Networking: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprints for Success Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2006. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com.

Fire, fire, Natasha heard people shouting, she ran out of her house and saw that there was fire everywhere. There seemed to be so much of light all around her that she could not see anything. There is nothing like certainty in life things can change any time, any minute. Her mind was spinning; she suddenly remembered that her baby was sleeping inside the house. She ran back into the house. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 11 pm. She had seen this before, surely she had. The same clock the same time; she had heard the same noises.

Something was very familiar about this scene. It seemed like she had lived this before. Nancy tried to put away her thoughts. She ran indeed the house calling out “Romi, get up there is a fire”. She picked up Romi from the bed. Suddenly she threw him out of the window and jumped. She new it for sure that there not much time to go downstairs and walk out of the door, the house would come down. There was someone outside ready to catch Romi. How did she know that someone would be there to catch her baby? She was on the ground and Romi was safe in a strangers arm. The house was falling into pieces. It seemed like all this had happened before and she had seen it. Maybe it was her dream turning into reality, dreams that were haunting her. Fear smiled on her face.

To be continued…..

About the Author

None

Have you ever envied those hugely productive writers? You know the ones I mean. The article writers whose names crop up with boring regularity in all the trade magazines, and who still find time to keep their web sites up to date with masses of credentials and edit a couple of house journals. The short story writers and poets whose names crop up in all the competition shortlists and magazines - and they’ve probably published an e-book and are teaching half a dozen classes too. And worst of all, the 25-year-old novelists whose books take up half a shelf in your local bookstore!

If you’re anything like me, once you’ve done burning up with envy, they prompt you to resolve to change your attitude, to write more and send more out. Of course, if you’re anything like I was until recently, your resolution lasted until you got up the next morning… or if you were having a really good day, maybe until lunch.

The trouble is, you can resolve to change your behaviour all you like, but until you change the underlying attitudes that cause you to behave that way, it’s going to be an uphill struggle.

Most writers who aren’t writing and submitting as much as they’d like to give one of two reasons.

The first reason is ‘I don’t have time.’

There are times in your life when that will probably be true. If you’re nursing sick kids, making a major job change or moving house, give yourself a break. There are other things to life besides writing, and when things calm down and you can give your full attention to the page again, the odds are your writing will improve for having some new experiences.

If you’re not going through a major life change, then time is not much of an excuse. You have twenty-four hours a day, the same as the rest of us. If you’re finding time for other leisure activities - TV, sport or socialising - then you have time to write. Successful writers find time to write. Rumour has it that best-selling author Carole Matthews produced her first book by tying herself to her desk when she got in from work and not undoing the knot until she’d reached her word-count for the day!

On hearing stories like this, most writers move on to the second reason: ‘I wish I could do that, but I just don’t have that kind of motivation.’ In its extreme form, this can also show up as beating yourself up for being apathetic, lazy, or procrastinating. Don’t do it! Firstly, because it makes you feel lousy. Secondly, for most people, it has no useful effect at all. And thirdly, because it’s not true. You wouldn’t be here reading this if you weren’t motivated to write, and be the most successful writer you can be.

Your job is to figure out what’s getting in the way of doing that.

If you’re anything like me, behind the worries about time and motivation, a big part of the obstacle is some form of that old chestnut, fear of failure.

‘What if it’s not good enough?’ we worry, and tinker with the piece a bit longer instead of sending it out into the world to be judged. ‘I’m not enough of an expert to tell people how to do things,’ we say, and then fume when someone else with even less experience lands the prestigious ‘Question and Answer’ column.

For most of us, the difference between us and those hugely successful and productive writers is not ability. It’s confidence. It’s having the guts to pitch for a tricky, but rewarding job, knowing that you’ve always delivered before, and you’ll find a way to do so this time. It’s taking the plunge and sending your synopsis and sample chapters off to a handful of agents, and then, if those come back, to another dozen or so for good measure. It’s being able to withstand any individual failure because you know it’s not the end of everything, just an inevitable setback on the road to ultimate success.

This sort of confidence doesn’t appear overnight, but there are some easy tricks you can use to move yourself along.

Don’t worry about starting small - most successful writers do. Give yourself a goal that’s just a little bit ahead of where you are now - perhaps a number of submissions per week or month, a competition to enter or a new market to pitch to. Reward yourself when you get there, and keep a record of your successes to cheer yourself up when things are going less well. And each time you reach a goal, pick a new one that’s just a bit further along.

Just like everything else you do regularly, writing success soon becomes a habit, and before long people will be looking at you and wondering how you do it!

About the Author

Stephanie Cage is a UK-based author of fiction and poetry, as well as several business reports. Read more of her work at www.stephaniecage.co.uk.

Keep Thy Journal Private!

If you live with other people, I know you shudder to think about what would happen if your personal journal fell into the wrong hands. Journaling is not about writing something and then leaving it on your bed so your family can see how you really feel about them. You may be tempted to do that at times, but don’t.

It’s just not cool for your mother to read your rant about how ugly you think her purple polka dot shirt is. You wrote that you scrunched down in your elementary school chair until your eyes were even with your desk, wishing to disappear when she walked into the room wearing that purple people eater.

You can still hear little Jimmy Morgan snickering behind you, saying the dots would make good bull’s eyes for his spit wads. And look, she’s still wearing that thing like some kind of vintage-fashion-rage fifteen years later and you want to barf.

Of course, it doesn’t really bother you to that extreme, but you were thinking about it the day you wrote it in your journal and it felt good to exaggerate. Writing even made you laugh about it. But the thought of mom reading that entry makes your face flush and your knees feel weak.

I know one mom who read her daughter’s journal all the time. The daughter always left it open on her bed, knowing her mother would make the bed and pick it up. After hearing about a few confrontational episodes between this mom and daughter, I suggested that the mom buy a journal that she and her daughter could write in and exchange. This way, each person could “talk” without interruption and there would be no invasion of privacy.

Passing a journal back and forth can be great fun if it’s decided in advance. All other times: Keep thy journal confidential.

There are a few ways to do this. I never buy books that have “My Diary,” “My Journal” or “My So-Called Life Since You Ruined It” imprinted on the cover. I think they’re too tempting for snoopers.

Once I bought a journal that looked like an encyclopedia on the outside. No one in my family paid any attention to it as it sat on my bookshelf, and I used it as a cathartic journal (a type of journal used to express emotion).

Another way to protect your journal from snoops is to buy a book at a garage sale that wouldn’t interest anyone in your family, (like, “How to Prepare your 1981 Federal Income Tax Return”). Pick out a book so dry that the garage salers will whisper, “see, people will buy anything at a garage sale,” as you walk away. Hollow out the cover and put your journal in it.

If that’s not secure enough for you, hide it in the unsweetened, generic cereal box at the back of the pantry. If your family is like mine, they will skip breakfast if unsweetened, generic cereal is all you have left. Trust me, I’ve done this. I wrote about it for Chicken Soup for the Soul Bible. It works.

If you still have doubts about privacy in your household, keep your journal in a locked file drawer, desk drawer or a small safe.

It is very important that you feel your writing is just for you. Otherwise, you are not going to write about how you really feel. You can be insecure and fearful in the world, but the writing part of you, the part that you share with your journal, cannot. Write about your fears and how they affect you . . . and tell the truth.

About the Author

Barbara Carr Phillips journals, teaches journaling, writes about journaling, hangs out with journalers and sells cool journaling products at: www.journalworkshops.com.

Brochures and leaflets can be used for a variety of purposes, and can be distributed in different ways. Creating the correct promotional mix is the key to success. Designing for direct mail demands a high level of creativity if it is to attract a potential customer’s attention and invoke a response in them

when doing any flier distribution the whole idea is that it allows you to target customers with greater accuracy than any other method. This is because direct marketing whether done by door to door or via the post allows you to generate a specific response from targeted groups of customers.

Remember always use a professional leaflet distribution service. One that can off a superior service and provide feed back reports on all distribution jobs