tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22391986238392552672024-03-14T03:59:08.996-04:00Alan Eggleston Writer / EditorThe name, the life, and the profession.alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-56310472772463187472010-02-04T08:27:00.003-05:002010-02-04T08:33:48.463-05:00Short Copy Rules<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Short Copy: Writing and Editing for the Web</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/alaneggleston">Alan Eggleston</a>, <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com">writer, editor, SEO and Social Media Consultant</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are all kinds of reasons to write short copy. For a website, it is essential.</span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">Short copy aids scanning. Most visitors to your website will – at first at least – be scanning.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">People are in a rush and short copy is less complex, easier to absorb.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">Short copy is more inviting to the eye, especially to the lazy or rushed eye.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">Longer copy creates boring gray blocks of text, short copy breaks up the gray with white.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">Short copy tends to be written more in the vernacular, which is less formal and more relatable.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">It’s easier to encapsulate individual messages or points into short bits of text.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">Writing short forces you to edit down to your essential point and use the active voice.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; ">As a writing process, write as you normally would, then edit down. You can tighten text very effectively simply by changing to the active voice. Using the active voice also makes your copy more assertive and more lively, your message more direct and compelling. Short, active copy makes strong sell copy. Use it wisely.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Use bullets to create lists of your points, and try to edit each bullet into one line of text. Because short copy tends to read more casual, it’s all right to break more formal writing conventions – just don’t overdo it. You want informal, not sloppy or unsophisticated. You may, for instance, begin a sentence with “but” or “so” or end it with a preposition, depending on your organization’s style.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Writing short copy involves shorter sentences and shorter paragraphs. You may be forgiven for one- or two-sentence paragraphs, two- or three-word sentences. Break paragraphs into thoughts, sentences into statements. Observe the KISS principle: <b>Keep It Short and Simple!</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">@a_copywriter</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-2845975802323179392010-02-02T10:46:00.003-05:002010-02-02T10:57:02.000-05:00The Role Page Titles Play in Searches<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Page Titles: More Than a Sell Line</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/alaneggleston">Alan Eggleston</a>, <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com">writer, editor, SEO and Social Media Consultant</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A page title is far more than a sell line on your Web page. It should immediately tell the reader the main topic covered on your page, and it should be keyword rich. This shouldn't be a place for your company name as much as a place to tell what your company is about. It has huge effect on SEO (search engine optimization) or SERPS (search engine ranking).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Very often I see websites list a business or company name on their home page. For SEO that may be effective if someone <i>already knows</i> your business or company name, but many times as a business you’re trying to attract new customers. How can they find you? If someone new conducts a search and they don’t know your name but they will search for what you offer, they may not find you because your emphasis has been on your company’s name. That could be fatal.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the home page, you can actually accomplish both by positioning a keyword for what your business offers first and your business name second: Doohickies – Joe Smoes. That way, someone looking for doohickies will find you among stores or business that sell doohickies, and someone looking for a store or business named Joe Smoes will find it. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Inside the site, where you break your pages down into more definitive services or products, your page titles should be even more specific: Red Doohickies or Metal Dookickies or European Doohickies, using keywords you know your customers will use to try to find you.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When someone is building your website, make sure they have thought of this. Many designers, developers, and writers put more thought into how pretty the site looks or reads than in how well someone can find it. Many aren't versed in building a site for search engine optimization and may, in fact, gloss over the subject. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">@a_copywriter</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-25749227039408354742009-10-03T09:06:00.004-04:002009-10-03T09:28:49.165-04:00Google Wave: My Over-Hyped Experience<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Was Google Wave over-hyped in a perfect marketing storm?</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week like a well primed sports stadium full of stoked fans, we all dutifully participated in the <a href="http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html">Google Wave</a>. Without fully understanding it, without even knowing if we would be able to use it, we <i>wanted</i> it. The more we couldn't have it, the <i>more</i> we wanted it. It was the perfect marketing storm, and the same people who brought us the Twitter hype brought us the Wave hype.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've been teetering like a blind Ninja on the edge of a precipice. I've been reading on tech and geek blogs about Wave and its imminent arrival for days, even going to <a href="http://www.google.com">Google</a> to try to learn more about it. Nagging at the back of my mind has been whether I know enough people who will use it to make it worthwhile to try. And since I don't use gmail or the calendar or the Google immediate messaging service, does this make any sense? But with all the gotta-have hype, dammit I <i>WANTED</i> it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On Tuesday I did a Google search and there was a mysterious "10^ 100" coded link below the seach window. I was too busy on a client issue to explore it at the time, but it sure was intriguing. When I went back later, it was gone. Was it a secret invitation to Wave? Did I miss my chance? It nags at me like a free-offer coupon.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finally, Wednesday came, and the blogs and Twitter were alive with news that Google's invitations to try Wave were going out. The geek "Haves" hyped that they had received theirs. Opportunists began selling the extras they received to share with friends on eBay. Scammers offered extras they didn't really have on Twitter in exchange for following them and retweeting the message -- they did countdowns! Facebook messages popped up with friends begging for invites. I checked my e-mail to see if I'd received anything from Google or anyone else. No luck. And still that nagging question, do I really NEED this thing? I sure <i>WANT</i> it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I haven't felt this dejected since failing to nab a Nintendo Wii that first year for my daughter's Christmas. The ironic thing is, I still don't know enough people who have it to use it effectively if I did get it. It's the fault of those frakking marketers and bloggers for blowing this out of proportion. It's still just a test.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I could <a href="https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/">apply</a> for an invitation at Google ... and wait. A friend has gone that route, and I wish him well. He has the same unrequieted desire I've had. But I refuse to wait in line for something I'm not even convinced I need or will use once I have it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the case of the overhyped application. The technology media has gotten on board and whipped interest into unwarranted frenzy, and I disrespect them for it. I played along unwillingly and I refuse to go along anymore. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I said sarcastically that in retribution I was going to do my searches on <a href="http://www.bing.com/">Bing</a>, <a href="http://m.www.yahoo.com/">yahoo!</a>, and <a href="http://www.altavista.com">Alta Vista</a>. I'm not even a drop in Google Search's bucket! Some day Google will open Wave up to us Have-nots, and maybe in retrospect we'll have a better sense whether it really makes sense to use -- sans the hype.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/alaneggleston">@AlanEggleston</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">@a_copywriter</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Web: <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com">e-Messenger Consulting Corp.</a></span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-61507474774471043852009-06-22T06:58:00.005-04:002009-06-22T07:55:15.728-04:00Hiring Writers V<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When can you afford </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">not</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to hire a writer?</span></span></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO strategist</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shakespeare </span></span><a href="http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_shakespeare/poems/1317"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">once said</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, All the world's a stage and we are all the actors*. That seems to be some peoples' attitude toward writing: All the world's a book and we are all the authors or All the world's a website and we are all the writers. To a small extent, that's true. We all have an ability to set a few words down on paper or on a screen and have it make sense. Some of us even have the gift of orginality or creativity. However, like any profession, it takes experience and practice to perfect a skill or make a talent pay off. It also requires hard work, which most people aren't willing to endure. I have written for more than 20 years, written for the Web since 1995, and I learned a lot along the way.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That said, there are times when it makes sense for you to write your own project. In those cases, you should not need to hire a writer and would be foolish to do so.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you are a gifted writer -- in the opinion of someone other than yourself or a close relative -- and have the time to write the project, by all means save some money and write it. However, do have an outsider read it to point out any flaws and suggest ways of improving it. Editors usually cost less than writers and will catch things you wouldn't dream are problems.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some parts of a project don't require as much creativity or finesse. Save some money by writing those parts and leaving the creative, more demanding parts for your writer. However, do allow the writer to adjust the language so everything flows as a unit and it doesn't show that multiple writers worked on the project. Or, have a less expensive editor pull the two parts together.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In-house pieces with limited public exposure may require less writing skill. Pieces that set or explain policy may benefit from a legal review rather than a writer's hand.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Signage, although you may want some kind of scrutiny of customer service signage.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Small projects like short notices or web pages or quick promotional mailers, although a writer can often help you come up with a clever hook or intro that catches attention.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Instances in which you need to provide a lot of detail and it would take a lot of time to explain it to a writer may be wiser to go ahead an write yourself and then turn over to a writer or editor to smooth out. They may have questions later, but it will be less costly than your trying to explain the all the details. Do have a writer or editor review it, though, to make sure it communicates clearly.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A product page that is either more about details than sell, or that is copy and paste rather than writing may be a better investment in your time than a writer's -- or hire a virtual assistant or data input person. However, look for someone who is detail oriented and will catch mistakes and inconsistencies.</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you simply can't afford a writer, you simply will have to do it yourself, unless you can find someone to donate his or her time. Perhaps your project will make a good portfolio builder. If you find yourself with a project to create and no money to spend (lack of cash, not lack of willingness to spend), at least find a word processing program or e-mail program with spell check and, if possible, grammar check. </span></span></li></ol></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just remember if you decide to tackle the project yourself: Whatever it is will represent your company. Misspellings and typos, erroneous grammar and punctuation, strange formatting and unwise word choices will say something to potential customers, something you may not have intended. An experienced writer or editor will help guide you past those, even if you write the rough draft and they do a revision. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Look at it this way: When Hollywood does a blockbuster movie, they don't advertise for just anyone off the street to play the big parts -- they go for superstars. Sure, once in a while a production will cast an unknown and getaway with it. But more often than not, they go with the big names who can sell the story. Which way will you go?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">*There's more meaning to this Shakespean wisdom than I'm attributing here; I don't mean to short-change The Bard, but it illustrates the attitude sometimes shown toward hiring creative talent.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Look me up on Twitter:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Personal: </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/alaneggleston"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">@alaneggleston</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Professional: </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">@a_copywriter</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-64195624063227014822009-06-15T07:35:00.002-04:002009-06-15T08:21:46.894-04:00Hiring Writers IV<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Writers: What to expect from your new hire</b></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO strategist</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We all know what we want from a new writer: competence. But what exactly is that?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Presume she knows the basics...</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Let's presume for a moment that your new writer knows the basics: her grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It would also be nice if she had a flare for words, could turn a phrase and knock out a tag line, select a meaningful quote, so let's give her that, too. Let's also give her the benefit of the doubt about sentence and paragraph structure. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">What makes for a good -- no, an excellent -- writer is when he can add value, when he can contribute to the project by advising you beyond the basics.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Tap into his experience...</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Your new writer should bring all his business experience to your aid. That's true, whether your project is a website, brochure, or a business letter. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I have developed business websites since 1994. That includes, writing, editing, site mapping, navigation design, project management, content management application integration, search engine optimization, and more. I have also been a privacy officer. All that has taught me to look beyond writing when I integrate with a client developing content. When I go into a website project, I always have a lot of basic business-decision questions that I find many businesses haven't thought through that can have an impact on copy or site structure. Clients always appreciate it. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In addition, I have worked on hundreds of print projects over the years. I know about design and production issues that can help guide a project to successful conclusion, and I know that decisions that are made early-on can have a huge impact on later work on the project. I don't hesitate to advise clients on things beyond copy that will make a project communicate better.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">This is all to say, your new writer should be able to provide insight into more than copy for a project, and don't hesitate to ask him questions or listen to suggestions. Make sure they make sense before accepting them, of course.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>You should get what you pay for...</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">How much you're paying for her work may determine how much she's willing to provide in "extra" advice. However, as with any professional, most writers will try to provide as much value as possible. After all, they would like you to return as a client and refer them to others. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Keep in mind, there is a division of labor in the editorial world that might make it more useful for you to hire an editor than a writer if what you really need is an editor. An editor has made many more editorial decisions beyond simply writing ones. She has headed a project, dealt with writers, designers, and production (or developers for websites), and done battle with accountants over budgets. In a sense, a writer has to worry about a page, an editor has to worry about a whole book.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Look me up on Twitter:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Personal: <a href="http://twitter.com/alaneggleston">@alaneggleston</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Professional: <a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">@a_copywriter</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-48222299560567213402009-06-13T08:32:00.005-04:002009-06-13T09:14:05.958-04:00Hiring Writers III<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Writers: How do you pick a good one?</span></span></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">By Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO strategist</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Everyone thinks she is a writer, and everyone thinks he can make money at writing. That's why services like elance.com are so successful in content bidding wars. However, the truth is, not everyone can write well and not everyone should be in the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">business of writing</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. You, certainly, shouldn't have to be in the position of paying them for their work when you could be hiring someone better.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Moment of transparency: I have been a writer and editor for more than 20 years. I have copyedited as well as edited publications, and I have faced my share of professional writers. I know a good one from a poor one. Here are some things that you as a client can look for when considering a writer for hire.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Look at their work...</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">First, your potential writer should be able to provide a portfolio for your review. Most often it is a set of hard copies of their work, whether print off of Web pages or cut outs of magazine pages. You want to see examples from their body of work, but especially those that reflect the kinds of work they will do for you or can indicate how their work may reflect on you. Someone who specializes may not offer a lot of variety but they should be able to provide plenty of samples.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Verify that this work is theirs, not simply something they wrote but was reworked by an editor. Consistency of style and look may help you determine this. If the writer provides print offs of Word or Wordperfect documents, look for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and appropriate usage. Also look at presentation: If the work is sloppy, steer away from this writer! If it's sharp and polished, you may have a winner.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How well do they work...</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Second, discuss the writer's clientele. You aren't looking for trade secrets here, just an indication of how the writer worked with them and any bad experiences he had and how he resolved them. Who has been his favorite client and why was it such a good experience? You would also like an idea of how much work he has done and how much like you they were, so you know how you may be able to work with him -- or not.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Are they dependable...</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Third, ask about process. How does the writer work? Is she punctual? Can she turn on a dime? Is she flexible? What formats does she work with, and what services will she provide for what you're willing to pay her? This isn't about how much can you push her but how much can you depend on her and will you get what you need in the end?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What their price says about them...</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Finally, ask about price. An actual quote may come as an hourly rate or as a project quote. If a writer is too cheap, you may be facing an inexperienced (though creative) writer. If a writer is too expensive, you may be facing an inexperienced (and demanding) writer, or a very specialized writer in heavy demand. Pricing depends a lot on the market and the kind of project you want. Don't be afraid to ask for a break if you're offering a lot of work. Make sure the writer understands the scope of the work and your requirements. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the end, the writer you hire will be providing words for you. See how she writes, what words she uses, how she forms sentences and how her paragraphs flow. Do you like her style? Can you work with her tone? A sample of her work is the best way to tell all that. All the rest of your research should reinforce or refute that. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Good hiring!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Look me up on Twitter:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Personal: </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/alaneggleston"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">@alaneggleston</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Professional:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">@a_copywriter</a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-50548993335940535122009-06-11T07:03:00.004-04:002009-06-11T07:36:24.585-04:00Hiring Writers II<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Writers: Do you hire a specialist or a generalist?</span></span></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO strategist</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A great mentor once told me, a good writer can write anything. At the time, I doubted him, but I came to see through experience that he was right. Although subjects and formats and often the way you carry a project out are different between jobs, all writing is essentially about communicating facts and truths. A good writer, with a little research and toil, can write anything.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Answering the question I have posed would seem simple, then: You can feel good about hiring a generalist writer for any project. Yet, I think you can make plenty of cases for hiring a specialist, too.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>When You Should Hire a Specialist</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A specialist writer, like a specialist in any occupation, is one who works almost entirely in one discipline: a poet, a sci-fi/fantasy writer, a Web writer, a direct mail writer, a video writer, an audio writer, a DVD or or other interactive media writer, for instance. He or she has gotten so good at the craft and is so effective at it, that he or she can concentrate on that form of writing and make a good living at it. He or she has a reputation and clients have formed a line to tap his or her services. These professionals have tapped into niches that many other writers either haven't dared to try or haven't had the opportunity to do. They have honed skills key to mastering some very difficult or very intricate art or science.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I would hire a specialist when this is the sole project I'm going to do or when it is so key to my campaign or upcoming season that to fail would cause irreparable harm to my business. Or, I would hire a specialist when I don't feel confident the generalists I usually hire can or will do the project well. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>When You Should Hire a Generalist</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I would hire a generalist when I have multiple projects and he or she is so talented or skilled that I feel he or she can handle multiple formats. Or, I would hire a generalist when there are multiple elements to a campaign and you want to make sure the elements and messages hang well together between them, that they sound like they're part of one campaign. For instance, you may have a multi-tiered campaign involving letters, brochures, websites, post cards, radio ads, and mall kiosks, and you want the same theme and messages to run throughout them. A generalist will bring you unity across a range of collateral. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">You may also have worked with a specialist who can handle a wide range of projects. For instance, I specialize in websites, but I can also write letters, brochures, event programs, blogs, social media, DVDs, post cards, videos, audios, ads -- you name it. Such a writer should be more than happy to help you with any project, even though he markets himself in a special niche.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The thing about writing is, the more you do the more you come to realize as a writer that a good writer can write anything. The goal is always good communication.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Follow me on Twitter:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Professional: http://twitter.com/a_copywriter</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Personal: http://twitter.com/alaneggleston</span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-72155406352283008092009-06-10T11:30:00.007-04:002009-06-10T12:03:18.103-04:00Hiring Writers<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Writers: Hire local or outsource?</b></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">by Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO stragetist</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As a writer, I would write for just about anyone. And as a writer, I can write just about anything. Thus, I would hope that if you needed a writer, you would consider hiring me. However, it's really a completely different matter from your perspective.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><b>When to Hire Locally</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I always encourage clients to hire locally. In this economic client, they shouldn't feel guilty about trying to hire writers in their community -- it's good business. It's also good social policy. After all, if they were going to buy whatever you offer, wouldn't you hope they would look locally first and consider buying from you? In addition, there are thousands of writers, many of them good ones. It's very likely there are a few good ones in your area who would like to work with you.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">It makes especially good sense to hire locally when you need or want to collaborate closely with the writer, or if you need or want the writer available for meetings or to be able to stop in to look at proofs or work closely with a designer or developer. Certainly, some aspects of this work can be done online, but some clients like to work face-to-face. And some work is on such tight deadlines that it is important to be available locally to stop by to pick up hard copies either as research or layouts or proofs. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">My local clients are often big companies with whom I do a lot of work and with whom I meet face-to-face frequently, or small businesses that do not have the resources to deal with long-distance writers. Small businesses often benefit from coaching or mentoring in marketing or communications topics and will like the writer to be right there for them.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><b>When to Outsource</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">It makes sense to outsource (or hire outside your area) when your budget is tight and you can save money doing so, or when work can be handled electronically and you don't need any face-to-face interaction. Also, it makes sense when an outside writer is either highly recommended or is a specialist in an area that you need. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">I have accepted work with clients in neighboring states or some distance away because we can stay in touch by phone and e-mail, and because we can handle copy by e-mail or Google Documents. One potential client interviewed and hired outside of their area entirely online because they needed someone with a certain expertise.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><b>A Caution About Cost</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Some clients will be tempted to open jobs for bidding on a service like elance.com. That's all right for some projects. However, bid sites are often frequented by unestablished writers looking for a way to get some work to add to their resume. You will get low-bid jobs but you may also get poorly written work. If you go that route, make sure you also involve a good editor! Don't hire someone just because they bid cheaply, however. Look for quality work.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><b>A Caution About Location</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">You may receive e-mails offering writers from overseas. I have seen some pretty good writing from India, but I have also seen some terrible writing from India. And I have seen some terrible writing from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Before you hire, look at their websites and ask for samples. Don't hire anyone whose site or samples show substandard work, because very likely that's exactly what you're going to get. And be prepared for UK-standard English spellings -- words like programme (instead of program), catalogue (instead of catalog), odour (instead of odor), whilst (instead of while), etc. -- from these countries. Also keep in mind that many UK-related countries tend to write longer sentences and paragraphs than do we in the U.S., so to suit U.S. audiences you may need to do some editing. Don't overlook these!</span></span></div>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-81917814760432563272009-05-16T10:41:00.004-04:002009-05-16T10:52:49.063-04:00Rewrite, At Least Revise<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Content - Reuse or Rewrite?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">By Alan Eggleston, writer, editor, SEO</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Someone <a href="http://twitter.com/JoshMeyer/status/1799355149">asked on Twitter</a> about the advisability of taking posts from one blog and posting them on a new blog. Was it cheating? Was it bad for SEO?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://twitter.com/AlanEggleston/status/1799610031">My quick answer</a> (140-character limit) was that you should rewrite some of it as a service to your reader, and search engines might penalize you for simply reusing the same content.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Here is my longer answer:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">First, authors reuse and repurpose their content all the time. It doesn’t hurt as long as the readership is different and the information is valuable. However, you won’t gain many readers and you will gain a bad reputation if the readers you do have see that you’re simply repeating used material.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Second, search engines penalize for creating duplicate content to make it look like new. However, they realize there are times when duplicate content makes sense. The easy way to reuse existing information is to reorganize it or write down the most salient points and then rewrite the piece around those points. That all said, one or two pages of reused content isn’t going to kill you – it’s the more-you-do-it-the-more-it’s-going-to-cost-you effect you have to worry about. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Third, don’t forget the value of inbound links to your SEO effort. If you have a lot of duplicate content, other sites may not see a value to linking to your new site, whereas if you have new content they may link to both the old and the new. Simply repeating content, you may be shorting yourself an opportunity simply to save some effort or time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The question of whether it is cheating depends on your audience and whether they were expecting something new and different. How did you set their expectations?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Please follow me on Twitter:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Personal: <a href="http://twitter.com/alaneggleston">http://twitter.com/alaneggleston</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Professional: <a href="http://twitter.com/a_copywriter">http://twitter.com/a_copywriter</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-51348959953487937902008-12-11T17:40:00.003-05:002008-12-11T18:05:52.157-05:00Viewer Beware of the HD Scare<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>TV Stations Are Switching to All-Digital, Not All-HD!</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I learned something interesting today and I think you might find it interesting, too. All that hoopla over changing from analog TV to digital TV on February 17, 2009? And everyone bothering to switch to High Definition TV (HDTV) as a result? Well, the switch at local television stations isn't necessarily to high definition (HD), it's to <em>digital</em>. There's a difference.<br /><br />Our family bought an <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat97200050014&type=category">HDTV</a> as a family Christmas present this year, and today I had it set up by the <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat138100050018&type=category">Geek Squad</a>. Afterwards, I went into my <a href="http://www.att.com/">AT&T Uverse</a> DVR schedule to reset recordings from standard stations to HD stations and discovered that not all programs on the HD channels are in high definition! Not by a long shot.<br /><br />Even more interesting, the local stations that have been broadcasting the required notice of the change to digital broadcasting don't even offer local programs in HD. The news and other locally produced programs are in standard definition! I don't know if it will change after February 17, 2009.<br /><br />And the networks don't carry all-HD programs, either. For instance, <a href="http://www.abc.go.com/">ABC-TV</a> carries <em><a href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/uglybetty/index?pn=index">Ugly Betty</a></em> in standard definition, not HD.<br /><br />So before you go to the expense of buying an HDTV because of the conversion to digital, give it second thought. Oh, it will be wonderful to watch high definition programs on it. But when so many programs are still in standard definition, you have to wonder in today's economy if now is the time to junk the old TV when a $40-$70 converter box and set-top antenna will get you through. And certainly, if you have cable TV or satellite TV, are you gaining much for the expense right now?<br /><br />Maybe you are smarter than I am and already know "digital" doesn't automatically mean "HD." But I'm willing to bet that there are a large number of consumers out there thinking the move to an HDTV will be getting them more than it does. My Geek Squad technician tells me this is a common misconception. Viewer beware.</span><br /><br /></span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-65493737031656690792008-12-07T05:06:00.002-05:002008-12-07T05:14:19.896-05:00A Chance Encounter with the Sounds of Urban Iceburg Calving<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>City's Snowplow Services Break the Still on a Cold Sunday Morning</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />It's 4:30 on a Sunday morning and not a soul is stirring in Grand Rapids. Non except this sleepy inhabitant of the Northeast Neighborhood and his whining puppy and all the snowplow services in town.<br /><br />Dogged entrepreneurial-types with plows on their pickups are clearing up a day's worth of heavy, wet lake-effect snow. In the stillness of dead quiet air, you can hear the clang of the plow hitting cold cement, the rumble of it being dragged or pushed out to the street, and the beep...beep...beep of the automated signal warning that the vehicle is backing up. Like city iceburbs calving in a sea of urban ice, it comes at you from all around, first to the west, then the south, then west again, then the northwest, suddenly to the east. The air is clear, or you might also see the glow of yellow flashes from their warning lights like an <em>urban borealis</em>.<br /><br />I wonder if it might not have sounded something like this the night the <em>Titanic</em> sank to the poor souls looking for signs of life, listening to iceburgs calving nearby. Alas, no wimpers of suffering souls nor choruses of "Nearer My God to Thee" this night, just the refrain of a dog insistent on going out at the unGodly hour of 4:30 in the morning.<br /> </span><br /></span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-15225473054216239152008-12-04T09:47:00.003-05:002008-12-04T09:59:48.211-05:00Writing for SEO Value Vs. Writing for the User<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Click Here, Link Here, and Other Linking Terms</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I had a discussion over Web copy linking terms with a client recently, and it's shown up again in a <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/writing-editing/MAR_WED/375245-13369922?browseIdx=2&sik=1228401486241&goback=%2Eama">LinkedIn discussion</a>. The question is, is it ever okay to use "click here" or "link here" or "go here" calls to action when linking the Internet user to another Web page?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The client discussion involved SEO value, and my client's theory was that Google, now responsible for about 75% of search engine traffic, gets to know how you use terms like "click here" in relation to the content you're sending the user to, and as long as it understands that "click here" is relevant to anything you're linking to, there's SEO value in it. I personally don't buy it, but he likes the idea.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the LinkedIn discussion, the common argument was that "click here" (and by proxy, similar terms) are outdated and have no SEO value. I would probably say "quaint" and "not well thought out" and, yes, have little SEO value.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">First, as a writer, you need to give significant thought to user standards. If a user sees "click here" or "link here" (and so on) often, it becomes a gut reaction to take that link whenever s/he sees it, so it can be a useful call to action in sell copy. The problem comes when it is so overused, when scanning copy users glance over it and miss it, and it has no value whatever. Most writers rightly feel these are overused and trite.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Second, such phrases don't tell the reader anything that motivates him or her to actually take the action. Where does "click here" actually lead? To an ad? To a full article? To a synopsis of the article with still another link to the full article? To a splash page? Subconsciously, you're giving the reader more clues and motivation to take your link if you provide a context to where s/he is going, such as when the link contains the title of the article or keywords or phrases about the article.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Third, even if Google allows some SEO value to such terms because you consistently use them for links, that value doesn't begin to match what you get by using phrases containing relevant keywords. So a link like "link with relevant keywords" is going to be far more valuable to you than "click here." It's also going to motivate the reader far more to take the link that leads to valuable content.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When I construct a page, I prefer to create links with SEO value. However, I sometimes also like to provide links that nudge the reader a little. So for a home page for this same client, where we use short introductory blurbs for fuller articles that then link to the full articles, I usually provide both SEO-rich links and call-to-action links like "Read the full story". It's more than the cryptic "click here." This works for a news index page, but not necessarily for home pages with lots of keyword-rich text.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Feel free to jump in with your thoughts in the Comments section...</span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-12444154101054679212008-11-22T13:36:00.003-05:002008-11-22T13:46:54.959-05:00Getting Away to a Distant Place<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Taking a Journey of the Mind Through GalaxyZoo.org</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Someone once asked in a <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/professional-development/career-management/PRO_CMA/241482-5704332?browseIdx=40&sik=1227379199236&goback=%2Eama">LinkedIn question</a> how writers "get away" or relax between projects.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I thought it was a good question. <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> is a professional networking site, so it's a good place to share not only connections, but also ideas. I told about sitting on my screened-in porch and enjoying the quiet of nature behind our home. Or going on the Tivo/DVR and cleaning out the clutter of old programs. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />One of the non-work projects I was involved with that is resurfacing is <a href="http://www.galaxyzoo.org/">Galaxyzoo.org</a>. It started in 2007, completed to compile its data and submit scientific papers, and is now going into beta for phase 2, and so it's become open for people like me who find it not only interesting science but also an interesting diversion from work when you need a break.<br /><br />Galaxy Zoo is a collaboration between UK and US astronomers to compile classification data about galaxies through human observation of images. They originally took existing images and tried to have computers classify galaxies, but it turns out that computers aren't nearly as adept at it as humans are. So scientists opened the work to everyday people like you and me. They expected a few hundred to a few thousand volunteers, but in the end 150,000 became involved. We viewed a million galaxies.<br /><br />The original project -- Galaxy Zoo 1.0 -- asked us to decide whether a galaxy was either a globular cluster or a spiral, and if it was a cluster if it spiraled clockwise or anticlockwise.<br /><br />The new project -- Galaxy Zoo 2.0 -- is more complex and more challenging. We will look at shape, tightness of sprial, number of spirals, bulge density and shape, and whether there is anything "odd" about the image. It's under development and I've begun working with the beta site, and it's going to be great fun!<br /><br />Why would a business writer want to spend time sorting through galaxies? It's very relaxing, challenging, entertaining, lets me enjoy my fascination with astronomy and science, and it allows me to contribute to science without devoting my career to it. And it gives me a brief break from work for as long or as short as I want.<br /><br />I suppose you should be an astronomy geek to try this, and you should have a good set of eyes. But most important, you should also have curiosity and a sense of wonder at the distant universe, because these galaxies are a long way away. Come join the fun!</span><br /></span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-18449190070494593142008-07-19T00:36:00.005-04:002008-07-19T00:49:50.443-04:00Helping a Client I Helped Myself<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Making the Most of an Amazon Associate Account</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />In trying to help a client set up an Amazon Associate’s account to earn passive income from her book recommendations page, I learned a little something that may help myself. This is a good example of lifelong learning and the concept of advancing by applying the things you learn along the road of life (or work). (Because I’m benefiting from this I’m not charging my client for helping her, by the way.)<br /><br />In 2004 or thereabouts, I set up an online bookstore. My initial idea was that most bookstores have a business section, but most booksellers don’t know much about business – they mostly know about books. What Grand Rapids needs is a good bookstore that caters to business people, someone who’s been in the business world and worked among books enough to know how to help them find what they’re looking for. So I set up </span><a href="http://www.bizbooksplus.net/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">BizBooksPlus.net</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> as a way to meet that need.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The engine that drives BizBooksPlus.net is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amazon.com</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I know about books and I know a fair bit about business, but Amazon knows a lot about books and book distribution, so I’m letting them handle the warehousing and delivery while I handle the marketing.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />My client is an executive coach. She helps executives and companies become better executives and better companies. I’m writing a website for her and she wants to recommend some books she thinks will benefit her clients and make them readily available. The easiest way to do that is to provide links to an online bookstore where they can find the book, add it to a shopping list, and have it shipped directly to their door. No fuss, no mess. For making a recommendation and for making a referral, my client can also make a very small percentage on the sale. Voila!<br /><br />When I created BizBooksPlus.net, I programmed all the links by hand. Today there’s “</span><a href="http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join/info6.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">astore</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">,” which allows you to set up a page very easily by category. It doesn’t allow you to customize as easily as by creating the links manually (which you can still do at Amazon, by the way), but it allows you to simplify creating pages of book recommendations that fit into a category. The </span><a href="http://www.bizbooksplus.net/Business.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Business section</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> of my bookstore is set up by category – management, leadership, biography, investing, real estate, etc. – just like in a real bricks and mortar store. So this actually fits in with my format, which is <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/emessengconsu-20">how I benefit</a>. It doesn’t fit so easily with my client’s. But that’s okay, because her list of recommendations is fairly short. Some day she may want to expand her associate program to do what astore allows her to do, however.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Just about anyone with a website can set up an </span><a href="http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join/info6.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amazon Associate’s account</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and sell books online. If you’re a business person in a profession with books to sell, this is a good way to make a little money on the side (passive income) just by referring your readers to Amazon.com. </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/affiliate/index.asp?PID=18787&cds2Pid=16447&linkid=1179319"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Barnes and Noble</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> also offers a similar program. And there’s at least one other: </span><a href="http://www.alibris.com/affiliates/home"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Alibris.com</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. </span><br /></span><ul><li><a href="http://www.bizbooksplus.net/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">BizBooksPlus.net</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> online bookstore</span></li><span style="font-family:verdana;"><li></span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/emessengconsu-20"><span style="font-family:verdana;">BizBooksPlus Featured Titles</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (results I learned through Amazon)</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Alan Eggleston is a Web writer and editor with <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com/">e-Messenger Consulting Corp</a>.</span></p>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-77906471405172801392008-07-16T01:02:00.002-04:002008-07-16T01:13:21.570-04:00What Makes a Useful Newsletter?<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Newsletter Content</strong>, Part I: Print</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A LinkedIn question recently asked, “</span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/writing-editing/MAR_WED/264586-832424?browseIdx=2&sik=1216166866616&goback=%2Eait%2Emid_651511020%2Eait%2Emid_651446033%2Emir_false_1_DATE%2Eama"><span style="font-family:verdana;">What makes a useful newsletter?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">”<br /><br />In the 10 years I spent editing five corporate print newsletters, two ingredients made them valued:<br />timeliness and newsworthiness.<br /><br />Timeliness is important because no one wants old news. Sometimes current news repackaged or looked at in a different way can work, but old news is old news, and more important, news printed as new when it occurred but delivered old because of production or distribution issues is a killer for a newsletter.</span><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Newsworthiness is important because that’s what newsletters are all about. You don’t buy a newsletter for its sidebars or opinion pieces, although a newsletter can have both. Instead, you buy a newsletter to get news you can’t get anywhere else or presented in a way you can’t get anywhere else. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Not every inch of a newsletter can be news. And the reader needs a break from just news. So there are other things that add value to a newsletter or that can make a newsletter useful. </span></p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><p><br /></p></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Facts presented in an easy-to-digest format, such as graphically (see <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/snapshot.htm">USAToday Snapshots</a>)</span></li><span style="font-family:verdana;"><li>Information presented as a game or puzzle that challenges the reader to find it</li><li>Data or interesting facts presented as fillers</li><li>Photo captions that present extra information</li><li>Charts, graphs, and tables with facts and figures</li><li>Short biographies, geographies, or other featurettes</li><li>Lists related to that issue’s theme or topics</li><li>Bibliographies or reading lists</li></ul><p>Just as useful to the newsletter reader as subject matter is the newsletter’s format and layout. A newsletter should be a quick, easy read, something the reader can pick up and glance through and pick out detail but not worry about getting bogged down in yet can lay down and pick back up at will. So pieces should be short and pithy. Headlines should be short and punchy. Use lots of subheads to break longer pieces into bite-size chuncks and to help the reader pick through details at a glance. Use bold and italics sparingly but effectively to highlight keywords the reader may value to find information.<br /><br />Finally, use design to punctuate the newsletter, to make it lively and fun to read. I did a lot with two colors, between colors and screens in print. You can, too.</span> </p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Alan Eggleston is a writer and editor with <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com/">e-Messenger Consulting Corp</a>.</span></p>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-71262182905842789812008-07-15T20:33:00.009-04:002008-07-16T01:16:45.846-04:00What Makes a Useful e-Newsletter?<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Newsletter Content</strong>, Part II: Electronic<br />by Alan Eggleston, writer and editor<br /><br />A LinkedIn question recently asked, “</span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/writing-editing/MAR_WED/264586-832424?browseIdx=2&sik=1216166866616&goback=%2Eait%2Emid_651511020%2Eait%2Emid_651446033%2Emir_false_1_DATE%2Eama"><span style="font-family:verdana;">What makes a useful newsletter?</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">”<br /><br />Electronic newsletters are much different than their print cousins.<br /><br />For one thing, they have much different space requirements – more freedom – but readers are less willing to read on a screen, resulting in additional restrictions. So while you don’t need to worry about run-over of an article, you do need to worry about losing your reader to eyestrain. So, to make your electronic newsletter useful, create a shortened “mail-able” version with shorter articles that link to extended versions.<br /><br />Another important difference, you need to worry about download time, which means you can afford to use fewer and smaller visuals. Most electronic newsletters are e-mailed, so you don’t want to send a newsletter to someone that will make them wait a long time to open (they will wait for it to open while it downloads the visuals). To make your newsletter useful, minimize the number and size of graphics, including artworks and images.<br /><br />In addition, most electronic newsletters feature short several short blurbs. The copy may be news copy or it may be promotional copy, either way it’s meant to attract you to going to the full-length article. To make your newsletter useful, provide enough detail and news to make it worth opening and reading your blurbs. Too much tease and they won’t bother to open it the next time! Keep the copy short and to the point, the headlines short and snappy – all of it easy to scan.<br /><br />Finally, it’s an electronic medium, so provide links. Links to articles. Links to more information. Links to background information. Links to contact information. And don’t forget giving the reader a way to opt out of receiving your newsletter in the future, a requirement in the electronic world.<br /><br /><strong>Some things in common<br /></strong>There are things print and electronic newsletters share in common: </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><ul><li>Newsletters need to contain news</li><li>News needs to be timely and in electronic newsletters, it had better be hot off the press</li><li>Some if not most of your news should be unique to you or presented in a unique way</li><li>“News” can include biographies, interviews, features, and spotlights as long as they are first-runs</li></ul><p><strong>Some things to avoid</strong><br />Things to avoid in an electronic newsletter:</p><ul><li>Filler – space isn’t a problem so you don’t have to fill it</li><li>Games and puzzles – unless there’s a compelling reason to include one to impart information</li><li>Long copy – don’t overwhelm your reader; give him something quick to digest then move on</li><li>Long sentences – don’t get your reader bogged down in lengthy content of any kind</li><li>Scrolling pages – Keep It Short and Sweet (KISS)</li></ul><p>Alan Eggleston is a writer and editor with <a href="http://www.e-messenger-consulting.com/">e-Messenger Consulting Corp</a>.</span></p>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-82657592364398925272008-07-07T19:14:00.004-04:002008-07-07T19:29:08.632-04:00What I can't do another Alan can!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Alan Eggleston on opera's Alan Eggleston</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm not musical in the least. I can carry a tune, but I can't remember the lyrics and I get too caught up in the sentiment of the lyrics to hold the tune for very long. So being in a choir or any kind of musical event was always out for me. You can imagine how amazed I was when I discovered through my Google Web Alert that there is an Alan Eggleston who <em>can</em> carry a tune.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Turns out there was an <a href="http://www.music.indiana.edu/apps/opera/performers/?id=264">Alan Eggleston at Indiana University's Jacob School of Music</a> during the academic years 1985-1988, and he appeared in some of the school's operatic productions.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I don't know how good he was, but he must have been fairly good because he is credited with roles in five operas: </span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Franciso, Court Gentleman in <em>The Tempest</em></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Antonio in <em>The Marriage of Figaro</em></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The Buffoon in <em>The Legend of Tsar Sultan</em></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Hobson in <em>Peter Grimes</em></span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Satyr, god of the woods in <em>L'Orfeo</em></span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Bravisimo!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Just goes to show, what I can't do another Alan can!</span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239198623839255267.post-84059038721879498522008-07-07T18:32:00.002-04:002008-07-07T19:12:58.295-04:00Who am I?<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Alan Eggleston on Alan Eggleston</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">There are at least a dozen men in the world who go by the name Alan Eggleston.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> There is a senator in Australia, a wrangler out West, and financier out East. I am a writer and editor who lives and works smack dab in the middle, in Michigan.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On a whim I did a Google Web Alert on my name and at least once a week -- often more frequently -- I get a report on someone or something about an Eggleston, sometimes an Alan Eggleston, who shows up on a Web page. I'll do my best to tell you about the Alans and any of the occasionally interesting other Egglestons worth bragging about.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">But this page isn't just about me or my name. It's also about the profession I love, which is writing and editing. I'll write about it, too. One of the things I like to do is hang out on <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>, the professional networking site. I like to ask and answer questions there and I will likely expand on them here as I mentor other writers, editors, and Web professionals. What's the good of knowing something if you can't share it with others. I believe in lifelong learning -- all aspects of it.</span>alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173471525484092801noreply@blogger.com0