Protected: Getting Up Close and Personal
November 9, 2008
How Not to Plagiarize on the Net
November 4, 2008
I grinned as the words appeared in my inbox. “Here’s the first batch. More on the way.” Easy Peazy! I thought. I should write like this more often.
Why I Did It
My schedule has been insane for three weeks now. Knowing that I am not the kind of person who can skimp on sleep and think intelligently, I was faced with tackling everything myself and screwing up my grades, business, and marriage, or outsourcing. I took the obvious choice.
Elation
I curled up on the couch to read over my goodies like a child with a pile of Christmas packages. Some were terrific. In fact, at least four of them read as if I wrote them myself. “Put that writer on the repeat business list for sure.” I made a mental note and moved onto the next batch. Alas, my happiness was but short lived.
[Citation Needed]
I had high hopes for this large job, it was coming from a pool of the best writers on the Net. I read the first 100 words and waited for the bada-bing. It never came. I read on and began to get an uneasy feeling. Something’s off. The cadence and word choice just did a 360.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I ran a search for the ill-fitting sentences. To my utter amazement and horror, the words came back in a millisecond in the form of a SERPS on Google. I’d been deceived. Ripped-off. Duped. Snookered.
I wasn’t sure how to feel. Shocked, sad, sick, furious. I did what any red-blooded girl does on such an occasion. I cried- but just for a minute. (I actually found the words [citation needed] in one of the sentences. Anyone recognize where that came from?) Then I took a deep breath, prayed, and wrote an email.
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Manager Scorned
“Houston, we have a problem.” The manager on the other end was as gracious and shocked as I expected, and as angry. (For future reference, never cross a red-headed Canadian who believes in you and gives you a chance to earn a paycheck.)
So, in an effort to make this productive, I’m going to share a few tips with the new Net writers out there.
Blue Duck Tips for New Net Writers
- Use the Internet for research, not for copy/pasting. Add something of value to every piece you sell or take up another form of writing.
- Eliminate the word “that” from your writing. It’s filler and it drags your writing down.
- In fact, make a sweep and eliminate all the words you can. “The, that, in other words, sort of, in case” are all good examples of fluff words that have to go.
- Never use “etc.” It’s lazy and irresponsible writing.
- Use headings, bullet points, and white space to make reading easier.
- If you are sending your work to an editor, always ask about formatting. Otherwise, use something easy on the eyes like 12 point Helvetica. It makes editing easier.
And the ultimate tip for all writers:
Never send anything out the door without reading it. Every word you sell represents you and your business. I shudder to think what would have happened if I had sent those posts out without reading them. My reputation would be ruined, the client would have passed the files on to their clients, and 10 separate businesses would have taken a bad rap for one writer’s lack of integrity.
I came to the conclusion that plagiarizers make my job easier. I will eventually get their disenchanted clients and they will think I am a writing genius and appreciate original work all that much more. So go ahead, it’s a moot point.
(And Oktober, this post ran long, but since it’s part rant, it’s exempt!) 
Blogging for Dollars: Cutting the Crap
October 28, 2008
If you missed yesterday’s post, no worries. Our Blogging for Dollars mini-series contains three stand alone yet related posts for the professional blogger looking to build a solid online business. Now, on to Part Two: Cutting the Crap
What Reputable SEO Execs Know
A good SEO company knows that quality counts. Building relationships with customers is important. And your business must be trustworthy to survive. (With the current economy concerns, many disreputable online companies will be closing their websites. Consumers want to hire a company they can trust. They are being more careful how they spend each dime.)
Busting Myths
“Outsmart the Search Engines with Keyword Saturation”
Many get rich quick bloggers claim to be able to outsmart search engines. While this may have been possible 6-12 months ago, search engines are getting smarter by the day. Google employs a whole team of geniuses who work night and day to improve algorithms and improve the validity of SERPS. If your website contains quality, relevant content search engines will value your website over keyword stuffed websites.
“Long Posts Increase Relevance”
When I first started writing SEO content creation projects, it was commonplace to write single articles of 1200-1600 words. Those articles were great for improving search engine ranking, but were awful for attracting regular traffic. No one reads a five page article online, no one. Web surfers are fickle with their time. They expect immediate gratification. They begin to skim the second a post loses their attention. Online content is more effective in bite-sized chunks of 200-400 words.
“Article Banks Draw Traffic”
Providing a smorgasbord of information for readers may seem like a good idea, and many bloggers claim to have made money using article banks and content carnivals. Consider this, the last time you needed quick information from the Net (good quality content and trusted facts) where did you point your Web browser? The number one answer is Wikipedia.
The chances are slim that you browsed through 800 pages of content topics on some website that ranked 150 on a SERPS. On-topic content is best. If your company sells pink flip flops, blog about flip flops, sandals, pedicures, and foot fetishes if you like, but don’t blog about snow shoes, hiking boots, or fan socks just because those keywords are ranking high this month.
Tomorrow’s post concludes this Blogging for Dollars mini-series. (Sorry, there’s no free iPod or tales of a sordid love triangle.) Read one, read two, or read them all~ Blogging for Dollars provides solid information for the serious professional blogger.
Blogging for Dollars: How to Optimize Your Blog for Monetary Profit
October 27, 2008
Everyone wants the inside track to making money from blogging. “Give me 10 steps to a quick million dollars, and I’ll be happy.” There’s so much wrong with that outlook, I wouldn’t know where to begin if I had to counsel someone who truly believes such a statement. I’m a firm believer in making money the old fashioned way.
The Way of the Web
Websites that proclaim they make millions of dollars from a blog that is painful to read, is either lying or has very loose business ethics. But the sad fact is that websites who claim to make tons of money do get tons of traffic from poor souls looking for a better way to earn a paycheck. (Or not earn a paycheck, but collect one anyway.)
Blogging for Dollars
I’ve been blogging nearly exclusively for SEO companies for a couple of years now. (I could tell you which ones, but then they’d send out a team to waterboard you and your family in retaliation. ) What I know about SEO and marketing is from on-the-job experience. I’ve taken a few classes, read dozens of books, and had hands on training by SEO executives. I work for reputable companies that have been in business for many years and take pride in a job well done.
Can you use Black Hat SEO to increase traffic? Sure. Can you choke your blog full of flashy ads and affiliate programs to bring in a few extra bucks every week? Of course. The real question is, should you deceive the average Joe to line your own pockets.
Tune in tomorrow for Part Two of Blogging for Dollars.
Picking the Brain of Naomi Dunford
October 9, 2008
For our interview of top bloggers this week, we have Naomi Dunford visiting Blue Duck Copy. Naomi’s bold, smart, and daring writing style draws in a large crowd of loyal readers to Itty Biz, her blog designed for small businesses seeking marketing tips and services.
She weaves sarcasm, humor, solid advice, poignant personal experiences, and marketing genius into one big ball of blogging greatness. Naomi’s blog immediately caught my attention the very first time I visited, and I’ve been returning to her classroom daily since then. Her humor and honesty is refreshing. If you haven’t visited Itty Biz, stop in and prepare to laugh your way though some solid marketing teaching and street-smart advice.
Enough of my jabber, on to Naomi’s interview.
What writing habits do you practice daily?
Well, I blog between three and five days a week, and I’ve always got a couple of books on the go. At this point, most of my writing is what I’m professionally obligated to do. Not much time for Morning Pages anymore, although they were nice while the lasted.
What is your process for improving your writing?
If I feel like I’m starting to lose my voice, I read Dooce. Preferably the really old posts. Also Amalah and The Bloggess. If I feel like something sucks, I cut 35%. I read stuff out loud to make sure I’m not repeating words. (“Bunch”, “stuff”, “bazillion” and “shit” in every conceivable part of speech are big culprits.) I refuse to write when I’m tired because I’ve finally learned that whatever I come up with when I’m sleepy sucks and I have to redo it the next day anyway.
What books or blog posts have influenced the mechanics and heart of your writing the most?
Heart, yes. Mechanics, no. I have absolutely zero time for mechanics. If I die under the wheels of a bus tomorrow, I don’t want to have spent today worrying about my grammar.
There are the usual suspects – Writing Down the Bones, The Artist’s Way, Bird by Bird — but those are obvious. I really liked Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers by Carolyn See. (No! A book about writing novels by a person who’s actually written novels? Say it ain’t so!)
Also, if you want to write fiction of any genre, there are two fantastic and totally underutilized resources that come to mind. JA Konrath’s website, and the community and lessons at eHarlequin.com. (Romance editors are vicious when it comes to things like characterization, so if you can learn to please them, you can pretty much please anyone.)
“If I die under the wheels of a bus tomorrow, I don’t want to have spent today worrying about my grammar.” That ’bout says it all.
Thanks Naomi for letting us pick your brain. You’ve given me enough information and resources to occupy my brain for the next month.
Up to bat next week is Leo Babauta, of Zen Habits. Mr. Babauta will provide us with his insight on how he improves his writing. You won’t want to miss it.
(Just a note, while the books listed in Naomi’s interview are linked to Amazon for your convenience, these are not affiliate links. Feel free to click away.)
Picking the Brain of THE Pen Man: James Chartrand
October 3, 2008
We end this week with an interview with one of my favorite people on planet Earth; James Chartrand. James is the spunk and panache behind Men with Pens. He has heart and passion and occasionally breaks the rules, but that’s okay. He makes his own rules (he’s cool like that). James cares about the business of writing, but more importantly, he cares about people. He works hard to make the Internet a better place for us all. If you don’t believe me, just read one of his posts. In fact, read all of his posts, James writes terrific content.
Now that I’m done singing his praises, let’s get on with the interview already, jeesh.
Now Live: James Chartrand
Like everyone else, James received the same three thoughtfully constructed questions as the other bloggers. Here’s what he had to say.
What writing habits do you practice daily?
I don’t have any particular writing habits beyond my routine schedule – daily emails, daily content writing, blog posts for clients, ebook writing…
I mean, my keyboard is always rattling away, so the writing habit I have is writing!
What is your process for improving your writing?
I love to analyze and pick things apart. I look towards certain writers that I admire and I read over their work to see what they do, what their strategies are and how I can apply the same to my work.
If I decide to try something myself, I focus on that one thing for a little while and I analyze the results. Did I achieve what I wanted? Was it a hit and miss? Did I enjoy this type of writing?
If I have a bad habit (and I’m always picking up one or the other), once I recognize it, I work daily to eliminate it with conscious effort.Then of course, another bad habit crops up
What books or blog posts have influenced the mechanics and heart of your writing the most?
Brian Clark has a way of rocking my boat every now and then with very powerful posts. They’re not just ones I admire, they’re ones that get me thinking, that make me go, “Hmmm…” I toss around his ideas for days and find myself thinking in new directions. His Crossroads post sticks with me still today after months of its being posted.
And Stephen King’s On Writing. I picked that up recently and found myself hating adverbs after reading it.
One heavy influence has been RPG gaming. Creative writing in this style was a true joy for me. Why was that scene good? What made it dramatic or beautiful? What could have been done better? How about this dialogue? I wrote many pieces of indulgence that had no more focus than a post-it note in a scene. When I managed to stop time for a reader by drawing the person into that world for a moment, the feeling was awesome.
And from that, I wanted to keep getting better and replicate the experience.
“When I managed to stop time for a reader by drawing the person into that world for a moment, the feeling was awesome.” The power of words continues to amaze me daily. Your words matter to many, brother. Never forget that. You inspire many to achieve their dreams.
James, your wisdom is timeless, your friendship is priceless. Thanks for agreeing to this interview.
