Archive for May, 2009

Insurance Professionals: Are Good Writing Skills Required?

May 11, 2009 - 7:03 pm

Are good writing skills required of insurance professionals? That is an interesting question. If good writing skills are not required of most insurance professionals, they should be. As an insurance professional, you have not just set up a stand on the corner of the block. You are not just calling out to passers-by to purchase your insurance policies. True, you are selling a product, but the product you are selling comes with a lot of “the written word” &ndash especially before the sell is made.

How do insurance professionals get the word out about their products? Web sites, billboards, advertisements in newspapers and phone books &ndash the list could go on and on. Each of these forms of advertisement requires some kind of writing. Your insurance company’s Web site and brochures include the most writing. Your goal is to sell insurance policies, but you also want to make sure you clearly explain the different kinds of insurance policies to your potential customers in terms they can understand. The world is your audience &ndash your potential clients &ndash so your writing has to be understood by everyone.

Even if your advertisement simply includes the name of your insurance company, your name and contact information, and a catchy phrase &ndash as most billboard, newspaper, and phone book advertisements do &ndash don’t you want that catchy phrase to be well-written? If you have good writing skills, you will be able to keep it simple and make it pack a punch at the same time.

If you are an insurance professional whose job requirements include writing &ndash any kind, any length &ndash and your writing skills are not quite up to par, you may want to consider taking a writing course. Writing courses are offered online or at a local college. Or, you may want to get your writing down on paper first, then have someone who is skilled at writing take a look at it and offer suggestions or make corrections.

How Spelling And Grammar Is Important For Good Article

May 10, 2009 - 3:23 pm

The articles are the life and bread of a website that is dealing with traffic for revenue generation. The quality articles will be responsible for the traffic on the website. There is also another side to this where you can change the fortunes by simple adding a few keywords to the otherwise seemingly normal article to make it more innovative. But to do that we need to address that elusive question in how spelling and grammar is important for a good article to be written.

The question on how spelling and grammar is important for good article can be best explained with a case study. The low ranking websites are so because they are not optimized to the latest in the offerings as required for the higher-ranking positions. Then there is the optimization of the algorithms by the search engines to search for relevant data as well to see if the website that are being searched are really the ones that must be displayed in the results. The articles demand for decent grammar in the least as well as the spelling as they will determine the page ranking when the websites search around for relevant sites with their optimized searching algorithm.

An article is primarily defined as pieces of information that appear in periodicals such as newspapers and magazines. They provide in-depth information on a range of issues as warranted by the website owner. This information is then available to the internet for all to see and download or use. If the website is showcasing products, then the articles give in detailed product description with good grammar for the use to understand and also reasonably good spellings to avoid being blacklisted by the search engines thinking that these websites are not genuine and only misleading the users.

Articles can be either written or pointed to using the live links available from the article directories for gaining hits with the search engines. The spelling must be quite a basic thing to do these days with sophisticated tools and editors. It is not enough if you write an article alone but the quality the article must be visible which will ensure that your page is visited the users themselves and hence brings down the need to further optimize your webpage when the user has already saved the webpage to his/her favorites. The content of the article is also important as much as the SEO and other optimization strategies. Without quality of content, users don’t take a second chance and will quickly switch over to another website regardless of the information being already available in your site.

Learn How To Write A Screenplay That Actually Gets Made!

May 9, 2009 - 6:54 pm

Almost everyone thinks they know how to write a screenplay. We’ve all heard someone watching TV saying “I could write a better script than that”!

The truth is that just about everyone does have a story worth telling. Unfortunately most do NOT know how to write a screenplay.

Most professional artists are very particular about their tools. The screenplay writer is no different. The key to writing is being organized. Before even writing a single word, you must have an inner road map that your characters are going to follow.

If you are writing a novel, you CAN take the time to ramble and develop your descriptive talents. A screenwriter cannot!

Just like any muscle, the writing ‘muscle’ has to be exercised on a regular basis. The simple process of sitting in front of a computer for set periods of time is critical in training the subconscious that THIS time is when you are going to call on your creativity. In order to learn how to write a screenplay you have to understand STRUCTURE. Unlike a novelist, you do not have the luxury of allowing your script to develop into 300 plus pages. It will not get read if it does not conform to an industry standard of around 110 pages.

The structure of most contemporary screenplays: 1) Establish the character and general situation, 2) force them up a tree and throw rocks at him and 3) get the hero down again.

Firstly: you get the audience to know something about the character and his situation.

Secondly: a situation must be created that goes against your characters comfort zone. He must have a nemesis trying to destroy everything he stands for. This ‘bad’ guy takes pleasure putting your hero up that tree and making it as uncomfortable as possible.

Thirdly: our hero needs to overcome all odds and ‘payoff’ the bad guy.

If it really is that simple, then why isn’t everyone a screenwriter? The answer is they do not know how to write a screenplay.

So let us say that you have a clear idea of what your three acts are going to be. Well now you begin to develop the characters. They have to play off each other and either support or destroy our main character. Any time the characters are neutral, the screenplay is dead. Just remember: conflict equals drama. No conflict, no drama.

So what does it take to become a screenwriter, besides learning how to write a screenplay? It takes discipline &ndash to sit at your workplace, even when you are not sure what you are going to write. It takes having a thick skin, so that when the inevitable rejections come, you do not BELIEVE in their judgment as to your potential. It takes major BELIEF in yourself. But MOST of all it takes LUCK!

The film industry is littered with great scripts that never got made. - Directors fall out with producers. A great idea yesterday turns into a pariah today. The studio that WAS going to make your picture has changed hands and the new studio head wants to stamp his own directorial policy on his new position &ndash and you were chosen by the previous head! There are a million legitimate reasons why Hollywood should not immediately fall at your feet &ndash but YOU are going to overcome this. If you do not believe this, then do not even attempt to learn how to write a screenplay! If you DO believe in yourself, then hey &ndash why shouldn’t you be the one that gets lucky?!

So yes, learning how to write a screenplay isn’t so difficult. The difficult part comes AFTER you have written the screenplay.

English In The New World

May 8, 2009 - 10:38 pm

From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Marquez Comelab, author of The Part-Time Currency Trader , explains.

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From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Different countries have developed their own unique way of using English. For example, the Australian English, a dialect I have grown accustomed to, uses the letter ‘ u ’s in certain words. They use suffixes such as &ndash ise instead of &ndash ize as well as &ndash t instead of &ndash ed . Below are some examples of the common differences between how Australians spell words and how these words are spelt elsewhere.

• Centre rather than Center

• Endeavour rather than Endeavor

• Colour instead of Color

• Armour instead of Armor

• Dreamt instead of Dreamed

• Spelt instead of Spelled

• Learnt instead of Learned

• Jeopardise instead of Jeopardize

• Organise instead of Organize

• Organisation instead of Organization

When I wrote my book: The Part-Time Currency Trader , I had to think about who my audience was. People who might be interested in this book were not just going to be Australians. In fact, currency trading is big in America , Europe and Asia . I would have to communicate with them as well. Therefore, I had to do a little researching and what I discovered for myself would be relevant to all writers, website owners and anybody who wishes to communicate with the global community and compete internationally.

From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. I found it most intriguing that there are so many English dialects.

Below are the types of English dialects (Source: .wikipedia.org):

Types of English that evolved from the British Isles :

• English English

• Highland English

• Mid-Ulster English

• Scottish English

• Welsh English

• Manx English

• Irish English

Types of English that evolved from the United States:

• AAVE (Ebonics)

• American English

• Baltimorese

• Boston English

• California English

• General American

• North Central American English

• Hawaiian English

Southern American English:

• Spanglish

• Chicano English

Types of English that evolved from Canada :

• Canadian English

• Newfoundland English

• Quebec English

Types of English that evolved in the Oceania :

• Australian English

• New Zealand English

Types of English that evolved in Asia :

• Hong Kong English

• Indian English

• Malaysian English

• Philippine English

• Singaporean English

• Sri Lankan English

Types of English that evolved in other countries:

• Bermudian English

• Caribbean English

• Jamaican English

• Liberian English

• Malawian English

• South African English

Other Classifications of English:

• Basic English

• Commonwealth English

• Globish

• International English

• Plain English

• Simplified English

• Special English

• Standard English

With this many types of English to cater for, writing can get complicated, especially when it comes to spelling words. If you are writing a book, people expect you not to make any spelling errors. None of us are perfect and I’m sure there are mistakes in most manuscript or on most websites but the last thing you need as a writer, is that your readers attribute spelling mistakes to you because of these basic differences in English.

If you want to know how I got around this problem, I simply wrote my book in my local dialect, Australian English. Then, I added a page in my book where I explain to the reader the most common differences between the Australian English and the English they may be accustomed to.

I just thought I would let you know and I hope this helps when you are reading or writing.

- END OF ARTICLE -

Please activate all hyperlinks and include the paragraph below if you are republishing this article online or in print.

About The Author:

Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader . It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: marquezcomelab.com. His other articles are also published at thefreedomtochoose.com along with other helpful articles.

Resume Writing Tips

May 7, 2009 - 8:56 am

When you are ready to step into the professional world, one thing becomes your mirror, in which every employer see you and gets to know about you. This mirror is known as resume. Writing resume is an art and tips for writing an effective resume are indeed too essential for you.

A resume is a very important document which plays a major role in letting the employer decide whether he will hire you or not. Your resume tells him about your profile which includes your experience, objectives, interests and capabilities. A professional employer, on an average, spends about 20 seconds scanning your resume. In those 20 seconds he takes his decision whether he should call you for the interview or not. So it becomes important for you to carefully design your resume to create the big first impression.

There are some essential things that you must cover in your resume with utmost rationalization and logic. Perfect resume writing consists of 5 essential components:

Career Objective

Work Experience

Education

Additional Information

Personal Details

Career Objective

Career objective acts as a window which illustrates your professional goals and where you would like to see yourself in the years to come. Career objective also explains how you would like to develop and hone your skills.

Your career objective should be based on the realistic goals and logic. It should not be full of subjectivity as you want to succeed or grow. There should be an element of concrete basis and belief about what you exactly want to do in life.

Your career objective provides the perfect opportunity for you as the employer can analyze your determination and attitude via your career objective. A little creativity and logic can lead you to create a good and professional career objective.

Work Experience

This section is the most important component of your resume. The section describes your accomplishments and work experience in the field you are applying. This section also includes the work experience that you have in different fields as well.

Your work experience

provides the employer with the information related to your worth. Your work experience let him know that you are an experienced person and capable of doing things. In the work experience if you mention your projects and role played by you in achieving them, it would further enhance the image of your capabilities in the employer’s eyes.

Your work experience should be lined up in a reverse chronological order. It should include all the necessary description of the company you worked for, your job title and job role and your projects in each company. You should order your work experience in accord with the type of job. You should edit all the unnecessary information from the work experience.

Education

This section involves your educational background. Some employers are typical about certain educational levels like bachelor’s or masters. You should write your education level in a right sequence, starting with the recent educational level on the top and the lowest in the end.

Additional Information

Additional information refers to description of your achievements in extra curricular activities, your interests and key strengths. This section enables the employer to know your abilities and talents. The description should be kept precise and to the point. It should not look like self boasting, but should seem like representation of the facts.

Personal Details

This section should be included last in your resume. This section mainly deals with your personal details such as:

Father’s name

Date of birth

Sex

Address

Phone number

Martial status

Resume writing is an art. A good resume enhances your chances of being selected where you want to work.

Online Dictionary: Your Source For Greater Knowledge

May 6, 2009 - 7:26 pm

An online dictionary is very useful for many people. They can be used to look up words in a convenient manner without having to have a heavy bound book lying around. Using an online dictionary is as simple as going to a website and typing in the word. They are also very convenient for people who write for a living or who are responsible for communicating using the written word often in their job. These handy tools are easily accessible and you will not have to step away from the computer to find the printed dictionary. Children and college students will also find a dictionary that is available online quite handy.

An online dictionary is also quite important as it gets updated frequently. As language evolves, dictionaries need to be updated. The dictionary you may have this year may not be complete next year. Technological advances add words to our vocabulary that can not be found in older dictionaries. There are also slang words that evolve and become a part of our vernacular. These items will show up on a regularly updated online dictionary but will not show up in printed dictionaries that are older. Instead of having to buy a new dictionary each year to keep up with changes in language, you can simply use an online version and get the most up to date information available. The same holds true for word meanings. Often a word is used in a new way that begins to catch on. Older printed dictionaries will not have a complete definition of the word, while online versions will.

Dictionaries are used every day by numerous people. Nowadays, people use the computer almost exclusively for all their writing needs. They write term papers, correspond via email or write articles and business documents. The convenience of using an online dictionary is unparallel. You will get the most current words available as well as updated definitions to established words. Most online dictionaries also have a thesaurus function which is very useful for people who are writing and need to find another word to replace one that was used too many times in a paper.

How To Get People To Know That Your Book Is Out There

May 5, 2009 - 9:25 am

Ok so you have been through the writing process, where you have wrote that perfect novel, and rewrote it again and again until it’s perfect. Then you found either a Publisher or Agent to represent you. Your book has been through the editing stage, cover art finalized, and a Published Date assigned, now what? Is the job done? Have you did all you needed to do to make this book a success? Nope, you have only begun. Now you have to market that book, get it into book stores, let people know it is available.

First off you need to find out from your Publisher or Agent where you book will be available at, who is doing reviews and any promoting they plan on doing. Once you have the answers to these questions you now know where to start.

A review is the first step to getting your book known. You can begin requesting reviews as soon as the Publisher has a final proof copy available. Most review sites can be found in the Search Engines by simply typing the Genre of your book, Examples are Romance and Sci-Fi, and the key words book reviews. You will then see either reviews done on books in your genre, which you can trace back to the source of the review or the actual review sites. Reviews are a great way to get the word out about your book and shows someone else’s opinion of it.

Your local book stores is a good place. I know what if they don’t want to carry it? Well that is something you have to find out. More than likely though you can go and speak to a manager who will either point you to someone else or they can handle your questions. So how do you approach them?

Begin by preparing a summary of your book, maybe a short excerpt or possibly a copy of a review. Your business card, and if you don’t already have don’t fret there are many places that make them, and if you access to the internet and a printer you can make one online and print afterwards. There are keys things to consider when you design your business cards, one being your name, contact information, title of the book, and ISBN#. These things have to be on the cards, and they have to be in legible writing. Another thing to take with you is a copy of your book, now you don’t have to give them a copy though many do. However you do need one to show them the quality of the books and that they are ready for sale. Besides isn’t seeing something better than just hearing about it. Take cookies as an example, hearing about one is fine, but smelling them, touching them and tasting them is better.

Now that you have a basic press kit, dress nice or in character such as if its a pirate book, wearing a flowing skirt or men wear a ruffled shirt. Just remember first impressions do count and more than likely mean the most when you ask for that all important interview. Also don’t be afraid to ask for a book signing these are great incentives, plus gives you a chance to talk to the reader about your newest creation.

I guess the one other thing to remember is have fun, you have fulfilled a life long dream.

Book Review: Don’t Hate Your Enemies Just Step On Them: The Art Of Loving People

May 4, 2009 - 7:01 am

How many times have you been tempted to complain about other people? How many times have you ridiculed, complained at or been hurt by another person’s actions? Surely we all have dealt with these types of situations.

What is the best way to handle these situations in a God pleasing manner?

E.E. Jenkins has written a book that will help you deal with some of these destructive circumstances that you find yourself in. “Don’t Hate Your Enemies Just Step on Them” will have you looking at these situations differently. Is it really the person who you hate or is it their words and actions? It’s not really the individuals that are treating you this poorly.

There is only one to blame: Satan. Blaming certainly has been around since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God has his reasons for putting these type of people in our lives for His purpose. In Romans 8:28 it is written “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

It sounds like a strange idea to actually love your enemies, doesn’t it? But do you realize that God tells us to do exactly that. It is written in I John 4:7-8: ” Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are getting to know him better. But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God - for God is love.”

“Don’t Hate Your Enemies Just Step on Them” takes a look at not judging others. It talks about making checks on yourself on how you handle these things. Complaining and its destructive damage is looked at in two chapters. The power of anger is given a chapter of its own. Looking at forgiveness and how forgiving you really are and what should motivate you to forgive others, this book has many great points.

One of the most helpful parts of this book that I found is the chapter entitled “The Power of Agreement.” E.E Jenkins gives the reader suggestions as to how to agree. “Disagreement is one of the key stumbling blocks that the enemy uses to perpetuate division.” E.E. Jenkins shares his acronym for AGREE which is definitely something that is worth remembering when involved in a relational dispute. He also gives you a chart of different oppositions and solutions which will help you look to the Word to help you develop a God-pleasing solution to dealing with angry and complaining people.

When being faced with destructive criticism or wondering why I must endure these type of people, I will certainly remember this book. I enjoy the way that E.E. Jenkins uses appropriate Scripture verses to get his point across. I would have to say this is a must-read for every Christian, from young to old. You too can love others rather than hating your enemies or circumstances!

E.E. Jenkins

Published by Milestones International Publishers (2006)

ISBN 0924748702

Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (4/07)

Self Publishing Your Own Book: When Should You Consider It?

May 3, 2009 - 7:13 pm

Self publishing your own book is one of the publishing industry’s dirty little secrets. Mainstream publishers, editors, and authors easily dismiss self publishing and print on demand publishing as a rip-off for both the writer and reader. After all, if the writer was a real writer then they could find a real publisher, right? That has been the conventional wisdom for a long time but in today’s modern, technological society that conventional wisdom does not always hold true. So who should consider self publishing?

Real writers should consider self publishing. Published authors often find themselves placed in a prison of their own making. Once they have achieved even modest success in a specific niche it is often hard to break out of that niche and publish something different. However self publishing gives authors control over their own writing so they can change direction or genre if they choose. Published authors who have taken some time off from their writing often find it just as hard to return as it was to break in initially. They can often easily parlay their experience and audience into a successful self publishing career. Finally, writers who have an idea that does not fit neatly into one of the major publishing houses slots may find self publishing their only alternative. Just because it doesn’t fit into a neat slot doesn’t mean your book doesn’t have great potential — think about Diana Gabaldon and J.K. Rowling.

Control freaks should also consider self publishing. Once you sign your baby over to a major publisher then you lose control of your book. The publisher can slap a horrible or inappropriate cover on it, change its name, or even alter the main characters. Your name will go on the book but what is published may be drastically changed from your original creation–and not always for the better. Think it won’t happen to you, or that you won’t care as long as you get the royalty check, then think again. I can tell you that I still cringe whenever I have to claim a book I published in 1998. It’s not the book that makes me want to crawl under a rock–but the cover and title the publisher slapped on it.

Money grubbers should also consider self publishing. While the independently wealthy may consider their art reward enough the rest of us need to eat and pay the mortgage (not to mention buy paper and pens) so money does matter. And of course, we want all our hard work to be rewarded. In our capitalist society that reward should be monetary. While self publishing may require you to put up some of your own money and traditional publishing will instead offer you an upfront payment, the final balance sheet will tell you a much different story. The initial advance from a traditional publisher will be small (unless you are Stephen King) and may be the only money you receive for your book for a long time — and perhaps ever depending how your book sells. Any book royalties you receive will be for a small percentage and will be spread out over years to come as well as held ransom for book returns. The final indignity is that your book’s sales depend greatly on the promotional effort your publisher puts into it. The ugly truth is that the publisher does not much care about your baby and will rarely put any extra money, manpower, or thought into how to promote your book. Most midlist and lowlist authors conduct (and foot the bill for) their own promotion. At least when you self publish you know you will be on your own and you can factor that into your budget.

If you are a real writer, a control freak, or a money grubber (or perhaps some combination) then you should consider self publishing your own book.

Writing That Resume

May 2, 2009 - 6:16 pm

When preparing your resume make sure the skills you list are accurately conveying your experience and knowledge in each area. It is also recommended that time be spent reviewing the skills the company is looking for in order to highlight these skills in a job interview or cover letter. The cover letter should briefly outline any skills or achievements that you might have and explain why you are a suitable candidate for the position.

Make sure when creating your resume you don’t have job functions that are not related to your skills this can make the person hiring you believe that you are not qualified for the job you are applying for and cause them not to read the rest of your resume. Clearly highlight the special skills and experience you have that the hiring manager is looking for. The employer looking to fill the opening will be interested in the work experience and job skills that correspond to the position they are trying to fill.

What skills do you want to utilize. All you need are the basic skills and knowledge:. A clear understanding of what specifically you have to offer; Thorough knowledge of your market place and what is wanted; An excellent command of the English Language.

For some job opening, employers receive hundreds and even thousands of resumes. A resume makes it easier for employers to evaluate whether a person who is applying for a job is a possible candidate. When creating a resume there are key points that employers are looking for in a resume, make sure you list the most important key points and keep the other less important points off the resume. On the negative side narrow resume objectives can be used by employers to eliminate a candidate, and often objectives are over-used, generic, and state the obvious.

Because employers want to know in a few seconds what you can do. The people who have similar careers to what you want will tell you about their own personal experiences in obtaining and maintaining the job, while those in human resources will be able to discuss what the employers in that field are truly seeking.

Avoid clich