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The Internet is Begging for Curators: Are You In?

February 4, 2011 By 5 Comments

The amount of content on the web is now so abundant that it’s begging everyday users to jump in and start curating what they consume.

One such service is paper.li, an online “newspaper” that anyone with a Facebook or Twitter account can plug in to. It gathers and sorts through the links shared in the past 24 hours and creates a webpage that looks like a WordPress news site with your chosen name across the top (like The Wordful Daily).

Across the top of your “newspaper” is a navigation bar with different categories, like Technology, Business, Travel, etc. —just like a real newspaper. Ads are served, as is a Google search box, social sharing and embed tools and an “editor’s note” area. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing, Publishing

The Obvious 3 Part Solution to Better Blog Content

December 5, 2010 By 5 Comments

Internet marketing is designed to promote your content, but creating content has little to do with internet marketing.

Great content relies on the combination of good writing, editing and publishing. And the better your content, the less marketing hype you’ll require to sell it.

Sounds pretty simple, but not too many bloggers or internet marketers have a basic understanding of this stuff. With that said, let’s go over these basics to get you familiarized:

Writing

You either love writing, hate it, or you’re somewhere in between. But it doesn’t really matter how you feel because as long as you’re a blogger you pretty much have to write content. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing, Publishing, Writing

Editorial Awareness: So You Think You Got It?

February 24, 2010 By 4 Comments

Editorial awareness is the act of effectively connecting with readers through clear, honest expression and knowledge on a given subject.

To find out if you have it, ask yourself these 3 questions:

Why are you publishing?

In a low-hassle, tech-enabled world, anyone can broadcast themselves far and wide. But that doesn’t mean they should. We need to keep in mind that zero-cost publishing is prime breeding grounds for modern day scammers and false prophets (example: Craigslist).

It’s wiser to assume the high road, where the power to publish is regarded as a gift, a chance to care, an opportunity to extend our voices far beyond our tiny reach. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Can Your Content Pass This Simple Test?

April 27, 2009 By 4 Comments
Photo by *Susie*

Photo by *Susie*

From now on, before you start a blog post or any bit of content, ask yourself these 3 questions:

What’s the value?

Picture your readers and their attention spans. What are they getting in return for their time and energy? Advice? A good laugh? A secret?

Whatever you give must help, inspire, entertain, mesmerize, educate or inform. Or at least make them smile. Mindless chatter and fluff waste everyone’s time, especially yours.

Will it be remembered?

Are you going for popular or powerful? Do you tend to move with the masses or do they move with you?

If your content is time-dependent, add something to make it timeless. A story. A question. Your vision. Truth.

Is this me?

Are you fairly represented in your content? Do you feel comfortable and natural when you write it?

Don’t just blog to appease others. You’re helping yourself, too. If it feels awkward or forced, ask yourself why you started in the first place.

If you’re in it just for the money, you’ll fail. Money is only as remarkable as the person behind it.

***

So, can your content pass this simple test every single time?

I hope you answered yes.

Filed Under: Editing Tagged With: , ,

A Few Words Are All It Takes

March 23, 2009 By 4 Comments

On Saturday I instantly lost six Twitter followers with this four-word tweet. Don’t ask me why, but maybe it offended some people. No big deal.

What is a big deal is when a few words can destroy a lifetime of hard-earned success. Even one word can do it.

It can happen to people who spend decades working on something great, building loyal followers, until one day they say something they really shouldn’t have. It could happen to you.

So just remember: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing, Writing Tagged With: , , , ,
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