Saturday, June 25, 2011

Great Advice Abounds, Time Doesn't

Whew. Just back from a web-surfing trip I didn't have time for. I learned a ton, but now I'm late for the rest of my day, and didn't make that teeny-tiny update to my website that was on my Saturday morning to-do list. Sound familiar?

I not only don't have the answer, I'm going to add to the problem. Sorry? Not really. This is smart, savvy advice. So don't waste your day surfing around potentially-info-laden sites, I've done the legwork and I officially declare these really worth the time.

1. This guest-post on Writers and the Threat of Digital Theft  from The Urban Muse comes from Sandra Aistars, Executive Director of the Copyright Alliance and former VP and General Counsel at Time Warner, Inc.
Full URL: http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/2011/06/guest-post-writers-and-threat-of.html

2. Practical Tips on Writing a Book from 23 Brilliant Authors is almost exactly what its title promises. (Why almost: I'm copywriter enough to appreciate the use of "brilliant," and journalist enough to say, "overkill" - but that's my problem.)
Full URL: http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/2011/06/guest-post-writers-and-threat-of.html

3. After you've read these two articles, either get back to work putting this good advice to good use, or unplug yourself from the screen and get out and enjoy the day. It's the weekend, you know!

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If you're reading this, you must be really good at procrastination. (Takes one to know one, I guess.) So ok, then - can I ask you for a favor? ReTweet this or Follow me on Facebook. Please?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

On paper: It looks pretty good

Enough about the death of newspapers, books, and with them, perhaps, writing. There's always a bright side, right?

I'm using a lot less paper these days. I anticipate using about half the amount of paper that I did last year (2010) when I used about 25% less than I did the year before (2009). And no, it's not because I'm working less (I've added a client and an ongoing project and last year, I wrote a book). It's because I'm getting much better at editing on screen! (Note: "better" doesn't mean perfect!)

What about you? Has your paper consumption dropped off too?

I've also found more outlets willing to reuse my paper (blank on one side), so now I take anything that doesn't have sensitive info on it to one of two local preschools.

How do you recycle or reuse your stuff? 

Do you encourage clients to include a "think before you print" message in their corporate e-mails? In marketing campaigns? 


Share your suggestions...online, of course.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

200+ Reasons Content Matters

There are a lot of experts willing to give advice about how to legitimately get your site higher in search engine rankings. When you boil it down, what they're all saying is that the most important thing to do is to build a good site. --SEO: Beware of the Dark Side. Lamont Wood, in ComputerWorld, May 31, 2011.
For an interesting and not-too-technical article posted earlier this week, CW's Lamont Wood interviewed folks who got in trouble for trying to cheat Google's page-ranking program, as well as Google execs, who shared as much info as the search gorilla is willing to provide about its page-ranking algorithms. Hint: they're based on about 200 factors, and counter to the commonly-held misconception, links aren't all that matter.

Content, if not quite king, is still the key element people want to find when they're searching.  Far better and considerably easier than trying to outsmart Google's algorithms: Nurture and grow a real audience by posting smart, interesting stuff on your Facebook pages, create (and manage) worthwhile Tweets, and invest in data-rich blogs that drive interested readers to your site.

Marketing (still) means reaching and cultivating your audience. Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, are just some of the new tools you need to do it.

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You don't have to spend time spinning your message on the web - I can do it for you.