Category Archives: Writing

Writing Tip: What Do You Want to Read?

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One of the tips I have been giving bloggers lately is to think about what they would want to read. I have had to go outside my normal comfort zone a few times in writing articles. I have had to deal with subjects I know absolutely nothing about, but when it all comes down to it, if you think about what you would like to read about a certain topic, you can then go backwards from there.

Say you are tasked with writing about kitchens and you are a technology buff. Well, you can mix those two interests rather easily for your first few articles.

Titles like:

  • Ten Great Kitchen Gadgets
  • The Ultimate Geek Kitchen
  • Kitchens of Yesterday versus Today

Fairly quickly you can build up an index of titles which will help focus your research and writing, and allow you to build up content in niches that you have never thought to explore before. It is a simple trick, but it definitely works.

Originally posted on August 17, 2007 @ 1:35 am

Writing Issues: Lack of Tone

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One of the worst things about writing is the lack of depth that it has in comparison to other forms of communication. You don’t have the inflections that voice has, or the facial expressions and body language that face to face or video communication has. This means that what you write can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, creating a huge misunderstanding.

This happened to me recently in my posting about the con’s of problogging, where some people thought I was trying to make problogging sound like a really hard job, where I was instead only implying that it isn’t the celebrity lifestyle that many people picture when they think about working from home on the computer all day.

I was hoping to inform people looking at the career, and instead some people too offense thinking that I was complaining about the job. These are the misunderstandings that are difficult to avoid in writing, and something that even I need to work on.

Making sure that you work hard to be very explicit in your writing to provide proper tone, and sticking to that single tone, can reduce problems of misunderstanding.

I am sorry to those that thought I was belittling the difficulties that go along with their careers.

Originally posted on August 9, 2007 @ 10:19 pm

Blogger Doesn’t Mean English Major

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One of the most annoying things to deal with as a blogger is the annoyance of having the spelling and grammar police comment on your posts about how you messed up various bits of the English language.

I have to admit that while English is my first language, and really the only one I am competent in, my schooling in its grammar and spelling was pretty horrible. I didn’t learn what a noun or verb was until I was in grade eight, or thirteen years old. I think that is pretty dismal, and while it doesn’t excuse any of the mistakes I, or anyone else makes, readers have to remember that in blogging, it is rare to have an editor, and if there is an editor, he or she probably wasn’t an English major.

Readers should cut bloggers some slack, and try to understand the context of the post, and enjoy the content. I don’t mind when I am corrected on a personal name, or website, but I don’t need to know that I missed a comma.

Originally posted on August 30, 2007 @ 1:33 am

5 Tips For Blogging About Environmental Concerns

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Blogging about environmental concerns is very important and serves a very honorable purpose in today’s day and age. However, as much as you care about certain topics, you won’t get a great following until you know how to present your case.

To do that, consider the following five tips that will help you remain focused and reliable during your writing and presenting process – follow the money trail when researching environmental issues, check every single fact that you write about, dig deep until you find resources you trust, whenever possible, use strong images to drive traffic to your stories, and pick the tone of the words you use very carefully.

woman blogging about environment

Follow the Money Trail

The money, the money, the money, you must follow the money as an environmental blogger! For instance, when talking about solar energy vs. oil, find a resource that talks about how investments in solar change with oil prices. It’s fascinating to see how things are linked together when it comes to environmental factors and the money that produces results that actually will change cultures over time. Those dollar signs are often the bottom line. Continue reading →

Originally posted on August 19, 2015 @ 1:59 am

5 Content Marketing Habits You Need to Use for Your Biz

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Using social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube has become the go-to strategy for today’s top brands. However, according to a recent study published by the Content Marketing Institute, about half of the marketing industry still struggles to create an effective content marketing campaign.

From plumbing companies to graphic design firms, every business can tap into a vast well of potential customers if they look away from traditional methods of marketing and focus on content marketing on the web. Here are five efficient marketing habits that you need to employ for your business’s success. Continue reading →

Originally posted on October 23, 2015 @ 7:57 am