I wrote a guest post last week for Ari Herzog’s blog that explained Klout and how you can raise your Klout score. Here I am going to talk a little about my personal experience with Twitter, Klout and Klout Perks.
In a nutshell, Klout attempts to evaluate an individual’s online influence Continue reading
When you first start out freelancing, you may be tempted to chase after every job you see, but you should remember that freelance writers get paid more when they get a niche.
With experience you not only bring deeper knowledge to the table, Continue reading
Do you include Facebook as part of your search engine optimization (SEO) plan? Facebook has emerged as the social media platform that Google cannot ignore, and Facebook results on the Google SERP are rising. Continue reading
photo courtesy of Pavel Tcholakov
I think you already know you should be writing morning pages; I doubt it is lack of knowledge that lets 750 words get between you and your best writing. I suspect for many of you it is more a matter of not having the right space or recognition of your efforts Continue reading
If you are looking for a web to do list, Workflowy will organize your brain. This free application allows you to store all your plans and projects in one enormous list. You can check tasks off as you accomplish them and then hide all completed tasks if you would like. Continue reading
Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement. Tammi Kibler has not tested the blog hosting to which this article links.
Over the last decade or so, the idea and practice of blogging has really taken off. Blogs can be used by anyone to talk about whatever they want; this could be about a particular subject or it could be more like an online diary.
Blogs aren’t just composed of the written word though, they can include images, videos, links and anything really that is linked to the topic. The public like writing them but they also like reading them, and pretty much all blogs allow the readers to leave comments which means they offer a more interactive experience.
At the beginning of this year, there were over 156 millions blogs in existence, so you can see just how big blogging is.
Blogging Tools
The demand for blogging has lead to a demand for blogging tools. There are a number you can use but WordPress, which is an open source blogging tool and publishing platform, has proved to be one of the most popular. It is powered by PHP and MySQL and can be customized into a Content Management System. It is such a good tool that it is used by over 13% of the 1 million biggest websites.
It is very simple to use and you can have it up and running in a matter of minutes – it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. Even those who aren’t very computer literate can use it as it is so simple and has easy-to-follow instructions.
Choosing a Host
When you are using WordPress you need to find the best blog hosting that will support and help make sure you can get the most out of your blogging tools. WordPress requires the web hosting providers meet very high standards.
If you are looking for the best web host out there, the thing to do is to visit the WordPress site itself and see what they are recommending. They have years of experience and really know what works best for their tools. You will see that there are a lot of web hosts out there, so it can be tricky knowing which one to pick.
You can get a feel for what’s on offer by reading reviews online. It is advisable to get to grips with the web-hosting fundamentals, first with buying a domain and second with how to host that domain on a web server. From there you can create a popular and solid working website.
photo courtesy of schillergarcia
Just wondering.
Here’s my story.
I have largely ignored this blog for the past three months in favor of a huge project on another blog.
You see, I realized last fall that I was talking about writing all the time, but my words would have a lot more weight once I have actually made myself a lucrative empire. So, I set out to become an expert in a niche. I chose to write less about writing and more about quinoa and Twitter.
This effort at niche domination led to my recent investment of time, effort, and money in making something pretty that I believe will make me money someday.
Someday.
Milestones
Over the weekend I went to a wedding and I caught up with a cousin I hadn’t seen in years, though we are friends on Facebook. She asked how things are going and I explained that my son was laid off recently and I was feeling the pinch and second guessing my writing career.
She said, “do what you love and the money will follow.”
I said I wanted to believe that was true, but right now my faith was asking to see a little more money.
I heard her words again as I looked at my Google Analytics for this blog. One post consistently gets the most hits: Writing Goals – I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours. I saw it is now a year old, so I decided to revisit the post.
Although I haven’t done everything I had hoped to back then, I can see that my skills have improved dramatically in a year’s time. I’m doing some things better and faster than before; others I’ve learned to outsource.
Always though, there is this nagging worry that perhaps I am wasting my time.
Check in the Mail
After the analytics, I opened my email and I found a request to place an advertisement on this, my writing blog. This request was completely unsolicited and for a site I have ignored for several months.
You will see that advertorial in my next post.
Perhaps you will think I am a sell out. I prefer to think I got an affirmation that I am on track and my writing career is evolving as it should.
I will post the ad tomorrow, and you can weigh in with your opinion. I would love to hear what you think whether you are for or against the ad.
After that I will run a series of posts sharing all the wonderful things I have been doing on my quinoa blog. I will share the ups and downs and mistakes you won’t ever have to make because I made them and warned you. 
Thanks for stopping by and reading this post. If you are new here and like what you read, please subscribe to the RSS or email feed so you will be notified of new posts (you want to see the ad, don’t you?)
Have you written a book proposal? I have been working on one for several months.
You might wonder why bother with a book proposal? I know I do some days, especially given the bleak forecasts for print publications. In a world where one can write an e-book and put it up for sale in the a fraction of the time I’m taking on this proposal, why bother writing a non-fiction book proposal at all?
1. You might get paid in advance to write the book if you land a publishing contract.
That is probably the most compelling reason, eh? Money in your bank account while you are writing makes the effort of writing a book less grueling. Money shuts up all the naysayers too (even the one in your head if you’ll just believe your writing contract proves your words are good enough).
2. Your detailed outline will save you time and keep you from wandering when you write the book.
Once you accept an advance, the clock starts ticking. Fortunately, your non-fiction book proposal contains an outline that will lead you step-by-step through your project. You can even skip around and work on different chapters if this suits your style. As long as your outline contains every step and you complete each one, you can be sure you will hit all necessary points in order.
3. Your market research will save you from investing too much time and energy on a project with limited potential.
While researching, you will find the information that helps you sell your project to others. You will also focus your work so it fills a need in the marketplace. Perhaps most importantly, if there isn’t enough interest or market potential, your proposal research will reveal this before you have wasted your efforts writing a book that will not sell.
4. Your platform will show you where your strengths and weaknesses lie and help you plan a promotion strategy within your comfort level.
Writing is only half of the work involved in selling a book these days. Outside of the writing, what do you plan to do to make your book a bestseller? Some authors think they can simply write the book and then worry about marketing later, but you can never start building an online presence too soon. With your book proposal’s platform plan in hand you can make sure your marketing strategy supports your writing and grows alongside the book.
5. An editor can influence the book before it is written, making the project more salable.
This may sound like the least sexy reason you should write a non-fiction book proposal, but no matter what you know about your subject, an editor knows a great deal about selling books. A good editor will make suggestions that improve your book and its marketability. At any rate, the fact that the book is not yet written and therefore able to be influenced in advance makes it more attractive to an editor.
Even if the first publisher passes on your book proposal, you will still have two choices:
Proceed with an e-book if you think your idea has merit. You will already have sales page information and headlines from the marketing section of your proposal that you can use to promote your book.
OR
Target the book proposal to another publisher. Give it a slant that fits the new house and refine it so it is even more perfect than the first one. After sending it off, you can start working on another book proposal altogether. Keep circulating ideas until you find a proposal that sells.
What do you think? Have you written a non-fiction book proposal?
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This is a guest post by Connor Sephton. Photo courtesy of ludymilalouise.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the article writing and copywriting industries. There are so many different individuals and businesses who all aim to promise prospective clients that they’re the best. Their unique selling points could be the price they charge per word or their keyword research, but I’m telling you – the proof really is in the finished product.
If you want to add the ‘wow’ factor to the writing service you offer, there are five tips which are essential to your success. Follow them carefully, and you will impress them with ease – increasing the chance of a repeat project and a consistent income.
You won’t be able to show clients how good a writer you are if you aren’t securing the jobs in the first place. By personalizing the proposals you send, and writing eloquently and passionately in the emails, tweets and instant messages you send prospective customers, you will impress from the start. There is nothing worse for a client than receiving automated emails, and it is likely they will go elsewhere. You need to use your persuasive powers to lure them in, otherwise how can you justify charging higher prices?
If you have been tasked with commissioning the titles, you need to make sure that the content you produce won’t be a carbon copy of the work on the websites of their rivals. To get the golden star and impress, create written copy that stands out from the crowd that they will be proud to upload onto their site.
As simple as it sounds, many writers don’t follow the brief that they are given by their client. This results in delays, confusion, complaints and eventual rewrites being requested. By investing a little time to read through their requirements, you will be sure to get it right the first time – motivating them to use you again because of your efficiency and reliability.
Indeed, one of the reasons why an assignment may not be followed properly is because you may not understand clearly what the brief is asking you.
If this is the case, just ask for clarification!
As surprising as it may be, many clients are impressed if you hit them up on Skype, ring them during business hours, or drop them an email with your questions. It shows you are attentive, value attention to detail, and have a strong intent on getting things right.
As an expert in the world of written content, you will have an insight into how to communicate effectively that your client may not – particularly if their background is in a niche that is miles away from the world of copywriting. If you believe that there are one or two additions that can be made to the brief to increase the impact it has on readers, don’t be afraid to make the suggestions to your client. They might be appreciative of the output!
By utilizing these top tips, you will gain a great reputation, and you will soon create unique selling points and other habits that can give your customer service an esteemed stature. Good luck!
Connor Sephton is an entrepreneur in the written content industry, and he writes hundreds of articles per month for leading international businesses. His latest client is You Love Coupons, where written content can be enhanced with a iContact promo code or a IX web hosting promo code to boost the marketing potential of any business.
I just noticed something interesting on my Google results page. I had searched weather to find out the temperature outside (because who needs a thermometer if they have a PC, right?) I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and I saw the social results beta entry you see below:
On the top page of the Google results I saw a tweet from someone I follow on Twitter.
The first thing I thought was What a nice sentiment to send to those whom Old Man Winter seems bent on discouraging completely. Thanks @MyAgenda!
Then I realized I do not usually look down to the bottom of the page, so I do not see these results. What a shame, because on some searches these results would be very useful to quickly find out what my community – across multiple platforms like Blogger, Twitter, etc – is saying about a topic all at once.
Weather? Not so much. When I search weather I am not looking for discussion, I just want to know the temperature and when it will start/stop snowing.
When news breaks that affects my interests, however, these results could filter through all the world’s reactions to show me those reactions most significant to me across several platforms simultaneously.
So, here are my questions to you:
1. Are you seeing these social results on your Google searches?
2. Do you think social results are or could be useful to you?
3. Will you change your search habits to scroll down and see these results?
4. Does it alarm you that Google search shows you what it thinks you want to see?
I look forward to your reactions in the comments.
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