Like Sands Through An Hourglass

HourGlass

There are few things in the world that thwart time management like the internet.  The vilest offenders floating around the world wide web today are the ever-increasing number of blogs available for perusal.

Blogging—essentially an online diary where writers post their musings—seems to have had its inception in the 1990s.  As the internet expanded, tools were created that allowed users to write and post blogs without having any knowledge of HTML or web design.  As blogging increased in popularity, writers began linking their blogs to similarly-themed blogs and other topics that were of interest to them.

And this is where the most noblest of time management ideals were lost amidst the labyrinth of ever-connected postings.  One blog leads to another, which is linked to another which has a reference to a news article that contains comments linked to another blog posting—before one even realizes it, hours have passed, the soufflé has fallen, and nothing has been accomplished.

Fortunately, with a simple process, order can be restored and effective time management can once again reign supreme—both for those blogging, and those reading.

The first step is to determine how much time can be spent on blogs.  This needs to be a firm time, an exact time.  Once this is decided upon, two alarms must be set.  This can be an egg timer, a stopwatch, or an alarm on a cell phone.  The first alarm should be set for a few minutes before the end of the allotted time so thoughts can be finalized or the article can be finished.  At the second alarm browsers are closed and blogging time is finished.

As great as any process may be, however, it is only a process if it is done 100% of the time.  Thus, a foundational aspect of time management is consistency.  It is important to understand that consistency is not achieved in leaps and bounds, but in small, intentional steps.  For those who find it difficult to manage their time (whether it be in regards to the internet or anything else), taking the first small step towards a deliberate, repetitive behavior can help build consistency across all aspects of life.

Author:  ArticleWriteUp.com writer Fletcher H.

Thank You, Mr. Gore for the Internet

Gore during his congressional years. As congressman, Gore
provided intellectual leadership by helping create the vision of
the potential benefits of high speed computing and communication.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore

Few things have revolutionized the world like the advent of the internet and the development of internet marketing techniques.  It has changed the way people shop, the way they communicate, and has a huge impact on the decision-making process of consumers.

Internet marketing is a big business—media agencies spent an estimated $72 billion on websites, advertising, and other online promotional efforts in 2011.  A growing segment within those efforts is SEO web content.  This is content specifically created to catch the attention of search engines like Google and Yahoo.  By creating content rich in keywords that are aligned with common search entries, businesses can drive additional traffic to their sites.  This content is authored by in-house internet marketing departments, or will sometimes be outsourced to boutique marketing companies which specialize in the creation and deployment of SEO web content.

Within that category, there are many different types of SEO web content.  Typical examples include the following: 

• Product Tear Sheets:  By integrated both information about your product and key search terms, this can be doubly effective for driving web traffic.
• Blogging: Often informative and sometimes even humorous, relevant blog posts generated with frequency and quality content can keep consumers returning to a site over and over again.  Through reposts and retweets, engaging blog posts can make the rounds on the internet, garnering even more search engine attention.
• SEO Articles: Written in a more formal style than blog posts, these focus on informing audiences in the style of a press release or news piece.  If done professionally enough, they may even be picked up by legitimate news outlets, generating higher circulation and creating greater credibility.
• How-To Guides: The expression “I’ll just Google it,” has solidified itself in the English lexicon and there are always people searching for educational pieces to help them.  A well-done YouTube video with the appropriate tags on a useful instructional piece can result in a plethora of viewing hits.
• Ranking Lists: David Letterman’s Top Ten list has been a staple on his program for years not only because of the humor, but because people like to have information summarized into a neat and tidy ten-point arrangement.  A business-related list is a quick and easy read and if done with humor, can quickly become an e-mail forward favorite.

Through solid and diverse SEO web content development, businesses can reap great rewards from their internet marketing efforts.

Author:  ArticleWriteUp.com writer Fletcher H.

To Blog or Not to Blog? That is the Question

Although Shakespeare’s Hamlet wrestled with a more serious version of this paraphrased and purloined question, the potential blog writers of today need to decide whether or not they want their blogs to become an integral part of their communication repertoire.  Blogging has become an essential marketing and communication tool for a majority of businesses.

Beginning bloggers keep an online journal with an ongoing account of their personal lives.  Some of these blogs are filled with mundane, ordinary events, others with important record-keeping information, and still others rival the storylines of the most far-fetched soap operas.

The advanced beginner blog writers have the ability to post interactive entries which allow visitors to leave comments and ask questions.  These bloggers are taking the next step and are becoming social networkers.

The blogger at the intermediate level uses this writing medium for personal reasons while branching out and using it for business purposes.  This business networking can be in various forms, such as advertisements for a product or service, and can be performed by an individual, a company, or even by representatives of an entire country.  Blogging has gone from being a social activity to a necessity for any business that strives to become and remain competitive.

Bloggers need to capture the attention of their readers in a short amount of space and time.  They don’t have the luxury of attracting readers with large chunks of leisure time.  They need to follow rules of style, as with any other form of writing, and because their blogs can involve peoples’ reputations and livelihoods, blog writers must adhere to rules of etiquette as well.

The well-behaved blogger must not plagiarize or ever post someone else’s blog as if it were their own.  Name-calling should be consigned to the playground and even there it’s not acceptable, so refrain from doing so.  Don’t comment on someone else’s blog if the intention is to spam them and redirect their traffic towards you.  Remember, the words of blog writers are available to anyone to see.  If you wouldn’t be comfortable having your third grade teacher,  your elderly aunt, or a potential employer read what you’ve written, the answer should be, “Not to Blog”.

Author:  ArticleWriteUp.com writer Sue M.

Press Release Writing-Art or Science?

Press release writing has, of course, elements of both art and science.  The author of a press release generally follows a recognized format in order to differentiate it from other styles of communication.  Typically, common components include:

• a headline that needs to seize the reader’s attention creatively, while effectively transmitting the main idea briefly.  This is comparable to a comedian telling a one-liner as opposed to a storyteller holding an audience’s attention for a longer period of time,
• a dateline with the date and the name of the city from which the information is originally released,
• a introduction  that gives succinct answers to what used to be called the 5 W’s in       newspaper writing-who, what, when, where, and why,
• a body that fleshes out the press release with pertinent details.  The body usually has a word limit range of 400-500 words.
• a conclusion that restates the main idea and sums up the content, and finally, 
• the contact information for the person in charge of media relations. 

Press release writing is a science when it follows this traditional format.  The art of writing a press release is developed through clever word choice, accurate writing conventions, and skilled use of font.  A press release writer must choose words that will attract the desired readers.  For example, the writer might say that a product either “performs flawlessly” or “rocks” depending on the age range of the targeted consumers.  A question mark at the end of a sentence, instead of a period, can invite the reader to participate more fully, can’t it?  A larger font size can make a press release more inviting to a reader who has or might be in need of glasses.

Press release writing has a century-long and interesting history.  A man named Ivy Lee is credited with writing the first modern press release.  He was working with the Pennsylvania Railroad when there was a train accident in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1906.  Information was released directly to journalists before rumors could start and Lee and the railroad invited journalists and photographers to the site so they were able to offer eye-witness accounts.

By definition, a press release is information purposely released by the act of being transmitted to the media.  An artistic press release writer strives to be innovative in the content and delivery of this information.

Author:  ArticleWriteUp.com writer Sue M.