Archive for July, 2008

Writing Well for the Web

July 4, 2008 - 10:13 am

If you expect your potential clients to read the texts on your site, be especially particular about the content. Writing for the web has its own peculiarities in comparison with common publications. It is known that 79% Internet users just skip over the web pages, but rarely peruse them. It suggests that we should take pains to make their reading useful for them. Do not make these mistakes. Surely the site should make a bright and lasting first impression, but not with the help of the flash, the pet chip of many web designers. They consider flash to be very cool. In fact the visitors of the site can’t stand irritating flashes and start looking for the reference to do away with the annoying picture. The aim you make up a flash may be various, freelance technical writing for example, but the reaction to the flash will not be quite adequate. They have opened the page to acquire necessary information and the flash reel is a nuisance for them. The users don’t know if the information on your site is better than on the millions of the others. If they come across the flash at the very start they will just switch to another site. Forget about the flash and fill you site with the useful original texts.

In newspapers and magazines our attention is captured by pictures, photos and illustrations. It is not the same in the net. The research showed that first of all the users pay attention to the headline - they scan the whole page to find the seizing words. A single phrase that says: “freelance internet writing jobs” will not tell much about the offer itself. This is the key function of the titles and subtitles &ndash they will reveal to the reader the content of the whole page so that he won’t have to delve into the details. The headlines attract the users’ attention. The first subtitle is to define the user’s problem (e.g. seeking a freelance writing job?), the second one is to scream &ndash “Here is the solution!” Thus the reader gets the general idea of the site and if he swallowed this hook, he is likely to return and read the whole page. If your site welcomes the visitors in this way, you are just missing the real advantages. It might be the first and the last phrase the user reads on your site. Remember, that the Internet surfers came to your site to get what they, not you need. So, find out what their wants are. Describe the benefits, he will have, appeal to the emotions. The users must be sure that they deal with a trustworthy company and they have made a good bargain. Gain their favor: persuade them with the specific text highlighting the main benefits and advantages. Here everything is simple. The users write key words in search engines and phrases (e.g. freelance writing jobs).

The search engines present a list of the sites relevant to the inquiry. The users are inclined to choose the first sites from the list. The sites with the pertinent key words are placed at the top of the search list. So, you should define the key words of your potential clients and use them in your texts. Don’t clutter up the page with a great number of useless options or heavy graphics, downloading for too long. Use the empty space to lead the reader through the whole text from the first to the last word. Remember that screen reading tires the eyes. The screen reading is 25% slower than common reading that is why you should not strain your visitors. Divide the information into small portions, use short saturate sentences (e.g. Freelance writing jobs available) A paragraph should contain only one major idea. But you can make a lot of lists, as you never know which one magically turns a reader into a buyer. Your text will face serious trials. The users will not read it until they want it. Your task is to attract them with something new and interesting all the time. A famous marketing specialist Joseph Sugarman shared his secret of a successful text: “The aim of the text is to make you read the first sentence. It makes you read the second. The second one aims at reading the next and so on.” Mind that the text should describe your products or service and incite the reader to action. If you propose online freelance writing jobs you should mention, at least that your company or magazine or another facility that gives a freelance writing job opportunity, that you have a variety of possibilities starting from freelance writing editing jobs that is going to be a turning point in somebody’s career.

How To Write Better Instruction Manuals

July 2, 2008 - 8:44 pm

If you know how to do something — and can do it well, almost without thinking — it makes sense that you’d want to share this information. What better way to do it than with an instruction manual. Writing an instruction manual may seem complicated and overwhelming, but it is easier than you think. The following tips will instruct you what to do and how to do it.

OUTLINE YOUR TOPIC

Before you can teach someone how to do something successfully, you need to conceptualize which aspects of the project they need to know. If your topic is complicated, such as how to play the piano, list each chapter and outline the points you need to make. If it’s simpler, such as the task of changing a tire, briefly jot down all the steps that come to mind. Don’t worry about the details or if you list the steps out of order; we will fix these things later.

START WITH THE SUPPLIES

The most logical way to start an instruction manual is to list the supplies the reader will need for the project. Be as exhaustive with this as possible; your students will thank you. If any of the supplies are expensive or difficult to find, list alternatives or stores that carry the item.

MOVE STEP BY STEP

Instead of explaining the task in long paragraphs, break your instruction manual into specific, detailed steps. Give as much direction as possible; if one step requires slightly different tasks, create sub-steps. Think of these as an outline; number or letter the steps accordingly (and logically).

DO THE PROJECT

If your instruction manual details a tangible project, then complete it using only your written guide. Don’t improvise and don’t go on your prior knowledge. If it’s difficult for you to do this (subjectivity is sometimes next to impossible to ignore), ask a friend to use your manual to complete the project. Look carefully at the finished product; did it turn out as you’d envisioned? Did you miss something important? Continue to revise and describe until your written words encompass every step in the most detailed and effective way possible.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Writing an instruction manual is different from writing literary fiction; creative wordiness isn’t important here — it’s clarity you’re after. Use short sentences and simple words. Make sure your manual is clear and readable; if the reader can’t understand what you’re saying, they won’t be able to complete your project.

Writing A College Term Paper

July 2, 2008 - 7:47 pm

Introduction

The biggest nightmare in any student’s academics is the task of that assignment, term paper, thesis or project for which he or she has got no clue where to get started from. Here are a few tips and techniques that can cure up this plight if taken and followed seriously.

The biggest question mark after getting the research question is, “So! What am I supposed to do now?” Everything from books to the internet is available, but you can’t get yourself started. Why? Because, you don’t know how to start. What to take and what to leave?

Remember! Before initiating any written project it is necessary to decide the “angle of attack”. It means the perspective that you are going to follow while tackling your assignment. Once decided, evaluate its relevancy related to your thesis statement or research question. Satisfied with that, consider half work done.

The next step involves collection of information related to the assignment. With this, the next thing that comes to mind is “search engine” and “library books”. But few people come with real related material. Mostly what we come up with is unnecessary junk that is just to be deleted later. To avoid waste of time instead just follow the bottom line:

“GET ONE PERSPECTIVE OF YOUR RESEARCH STATEMENT AND FOLLOW THAT”

But then it strikes that you will be left with only a little material by the end. Well this is not true. Because as you build up a specific standpoint and organize yourself to work on that, the fine points and details start pouring themselves.

Enhance your thinking potential by using logical principals, but once you are on your way then make yourself free. That is think and generate with passion because when you are building up a format then working with logical thinking hampers the productivity hence results are not achieved to their fullest .Don’t set up goals, just give a free flow and let your imagination take the toll.

But once you are done with the thinking process and have settled on a vague outline then you should come to the systematic logical thinking. For assembling your project effectively:

Start with an exact definition and brief description

Build the frame of your assignment on the content available with you

Be innovative and put down your approach in the text

Be like an educator and explore different aspects

Be bold to decide what you want to put and cut

Never bother yourself with the start, middle and end structure. Organization and editing is the last step. Be sure to store every idea and thought to arrange it in your work later.

During your job, you will be struck with your own convention. Mostly people discard it and continue with what they have with them beforehand. That’s the biggest mistake one makes. Remember! Your teacher wants the answer from you. So whatever you come up with is highly appreciated as long as you have got enough logic and rational background to support it. So, be yourself.

What Is Freelance Public Relations Writing?

July 2, 2008 - 7:06 pm

Becoming a successful freelance public relations writer requires you to write persuasively and analytically. The key to persuasive writing is the key to good writing in general: know your audience. Public relations work requires you to address various audiences, such as:

1) Your customer base. Your customers already have some idea about what your client does;

2) Potential customers. Most won’t know about your client directly, but they might be familiar with similar products, services, or programs;

3) The press. They are interested only in whether the service or product your client has to offer is worthy of mention in their publication.

When you get a public relations assignment, your job is to take in all the data related to whatever your client has to offer. Maybe your client is offering a new product line, a new community outreach program, or news about a change in ownership. Your job is to: 1) analyze that data for key points; 2) determine how the data might affect the marketplace and consumers; and 3) communicate the data in a clear, concise form.

Taking in the data is the easiest part. Your client should provide you with all the data you need, plus any contact information you might need to interview people for quotes, statistics, point-of-views, etc. You need to think about how to connect what your client is offering with the needs and desires of his audience.

Example 1:

If a high-end brokerage firm wants to distribute a press release about their response to a recent rise in gold prices, you may need to research the stock market to determine what that means to investors. If you know your target audience, then you know exactly where to look to find out their typical concerns. Typical research methods may include Internet searches, investor forum posts, guides to investment, etc.

Example 2:

If you need to generate PR aimed at a particular trade group or a segment of an industry, such as promoting a local cleaning service, then you need to brainstorm ways in which your client’s cleaning service provides cheaper or better care than his competitors.

Once you’ve done the background work, writing PR is simple. Your client should provide you with all the pertinent information about length and venue. What you need to do is communicate the details, connect it to audience’s desires, and present any information that links the audience back to the client with the use of contact information, store locations, event dates, and so on.

Since there’s an expectation that PR is persuasive, advertisement-like material, you have slightly more leeway with the writing than you might with informative, research-based material; but again, the audience comes into the balance.

If you’re writing a report on the release of a new video game aimed at a teen-centric gaming magazine, a dry style won’t be of much use to you. If you’re writing about the breakthrough of a new control chip for an overseas microprocessor, you don’t want to make too many assertions about how this will “revolutionize the industry,” or anything that a highly-trained engineering department can’t back up. In general, stick to the facts as closely as you can. Your articles should have the blend of rational restraint and promotional zeal so you communicate effectively.

Where do you get public relations jobs? Corporate PR departments are your best bet for well-paying, steady work. Some large corporations will have their own in-house staff of marketing writers, and may not be interested in taking on freelancers except at certain times. Another good choice would be local non-profit groups, political organizations, or social clubs. These rely on effective PR to grow and thrive, and you can pick up a good deal of work from just one or two groups. A drawback to non-profits or other groups is they may not have a big budget or they may not be able to pay consistently. Make sure you trust the group before you commit to full-time PR work.

Above all, be careful of doing PR for individuals. This type of PR can be among the most enjoyable assignments, depending on your interests. Individual PR projects may include promoting someone’s self-published book or writing press releases for a garage band, and so forth. The downside is individuals typically have little or no budget for PR, and they often want you to work for free, alleging that “it’ll be good for your reputation” or that “once I get successful I can pay you.” Never do PR work (or any freelance writing work) for free. It wastes your time and it won’t advance your career, except for building a portfolio of writing samples. At worst, it can lower average writing rates to the point that good freelancers go out of business. It’s not good for you, for your trade, or for your fellow writers. So don’t do it!

If you have the ability to analyze complex material quickly and convey it clearly and persuasively into words that your audience understands, then you are on your way to having a successful career as a public relations writer.