At my request, WritingThoughts readers voted and selected the most popular of the “Of Note” series of blogs for 2007.
While I was disappointed that there weren’t very many votes, we did manage to get some winners. In fact, we had a tie for first and second place blogs.
Here are the reader’s choices:
First Place Blogs
Grow Your Writing Business
Web Content Writer Tips
This is a short, but sweet, Web Content Thursday on a pet peeve of mine.
How do you feel about incoming links?
When someone links to me I go to their site and read the post that contains the link. I try to leave a comment on the post, even if I don’t agree with it. I figure that if they’ve taken the time and trouble to read a post of mine and write a response, then the least I could do is leave a comment.
What amazes me is how few bloggers do this.Â
I currently post on four different blogs, two of which are extremely active. On those active blogs every single post links to a news article or another blogs post. You’d think that I’d get at least one comment nearly every day, but it just isn’t so.
Now, I admit that there have been times when it looked like I was getting a link and I went to the site and couldn’t find it. (Does anyone know what causes that to happen?) But, if the blogger is responding to me, then I respond to the response.
(By the way, you can find out if someone has linked to one of your posts by going to your blog on Technorati and looking for blog reactions. If you haven’t claimed your blog on Technorati yet, I highly recommend doing so.)
What’s your take on this? Am I being too sensitive?
Contents (c) Copyright 2008, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
Does anyone really purchase the products that are offered in spam e-mails?
I have to ask because I just can’t believe that spam is a very effective means of marketing.
(Oh yeah, and I’m sick and tired of deleting 40+ spam e-mails every day. I know, I know. It’s time to buy a better filter…)
Some samplings from my daily spam as examples of futile marketing (and why each type of spam is futile):
Offers to enhance my manhood. Uh, for starters I’m a woman and not a man.
Notifications that I’ve won the foreign lottery. Number one, I never entered. Number two, even I realize that winning a legitimate lottery is a rare occurrence. It shouldn’t happen three or four times a day.
Sales of pharmaceuticals. I actually don’t use much medication. What I do use, my doctor prescribes. Can you fill my doctor’s prescription? Will you take my insurance? Uh huh, I thought not.
Offers from foreign nationals wanting to deposit large sums of money in my bank account. I don’t even know where to begin on this one. It kind of falls into the category of “how stupid do you think I am?” I’ve heard of this scam already, okay?
The truth is, I delete any e-mail that I suspect to be spam within seconds of receiving it. I suspect most people do exactly the same thing.
So, why do the spammers persist?
Contents (c) Copyright 2008, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by social media. For one thing there are literally dozens of them. (If you’re looking for a list of social media sites and here’s one from Jane Copeland.)
When you hear out about a new social media site it’s hard to resist the urge to join it, just in case you’re missing out on something.
I know. I’ve been there.
The truth is that most of us (dare I say, all of us) can’t really be active on more than a few social media sites. Not every site is right for every person, either.
Social media is more effective when you put forth a concentrated effort on a site that meets your needs and goals.
How many social media sites do you use? How many sites do you really participate in?
Contents (c) Copyright 2008, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
Now, I’m not talking about subject matter. Of course, I would not want to write something that was immoral or illegal.
I’m thinking more about types of writing. For example: novels, plays, articles, technical manuals, advertising copy, news stories…
Personally, I can’t think of a type of writing that I would not want to try. Although, there are types of writing that I am unlikely to try any time soon, simply because I don’t have time to focus on them. (I need to earn a living.)
What about you? Is there a type of writing that you would not be interested in doing under any circumstances?
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
This is the phrase that I grew up hearing whenever I was speechless.
We’ve all been there. There’s a break in the conversation, it’s our turn to talk, and we just can’t think of a single thing to say.
Instead of continuity in the conversation, there’s this awkward, almost painful, silence…
When I was growing up, the adult waiting patiently for me to speak would often use the phrase: Cat got your tongue?Â
There are still times when I feel that a conversation has run its course and that I don’t have anything new to say.
Blogging is an online conversation. Just like in verbal communication, there are times when I feel that everything that could be said has already been said (if not by me, then by somebody else).
Call it blogger’s block, if you will. (A cousin to writer’s block, perhaps?)
Here are a few ideas to overcome blogger’s block:
Force yourself to blog. Sometimes just typing out a few words can stimulate additional ideas. Before you know it, you have a fresh post.
Change the time of day that you post. After an entire life of being a morning person, I now sometimes find that my best ideas for posts come at night.
Surf around. You may find someone else’s post that you want to respond to.
Last, but not least, take a break. You may need a rest. Give yourself time off, but set a time that you will resume blogging and stick to that date!
What are your solutions for blogger’s block?
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
Normally I would never blog about another blogger’s health. It’s just too private, in my opinion.
However, when I came across this article in The New York Times, I realized that I had to make an exception in order to talk about stress with my readers.
Since the article appears in The New York Times (it doesn’t get much more public than that) and since the blogger appears to be talking about it publicly, I’m guessing it’s okay.
My question to my WritingThoughts readers (and anyone else who is dropping by) is whether or not you find blogging stressful. You can leave your answer in the comments, take the survey in this post, or both.
For myself, while I can see how blogging could become stressful (especially for a high profile blog), I try to keep my blogging fun and stress-free.
I do confess that I feel guilty when my life obligations cause me to skip a post. I practically had to force myself to take a break at Christmas. However, I keep reminding myself of my priorities – while blogging is a great way to reach out to people, it’s not the only responsibility that I have.
What’s your opinion? Why not take the poll?
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
I know that you’re not supposed to blog about being busy. (Isn’t it one of the cardinal blogging sins, or something?) In case you’re wondering, that’s exactly what’s going on with me right now. I’ve been unbelievably busy for the past week, or so.
Until I can get back into the swing of things, you might enjoy this helpful post about subject line words that might get your e-mail sent to the Spam folder. The blogger had no way of knowing it, of course, but I actually had a very important e-mail wind up in my spam filter just last week.
Now, I have to say, the spam filter does a very good job of “filing” all of those notices about my foreign lottery winnings. (Who knew I could win so many times without even entering?) There are times, though, that I really do receive and send important information through e-mail. It would be nice to have a little more assurance that things actually get where they need to be.
Do you have any frustrations with e-mail spam. Feel free to share them!
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
I want to thank you for helping me with this. There’s no way I could choose from among the 43 “Of Note” blogs. If you haven’t voted already, go ahead and do so.
So far I have a single vote for each of the following blogs:
Today’s web content tip is to watch the tone of your writing. This is a tip that applies to all types of writing, actually, but it is especially true of web content.
The tone of your writing is crucial to whether or not your message gets across to the reader. The web reader is more likely to be scanning your material or reading it very quickly. This makes misunderstandings much more likely with web content.
The wrong tone, or a perception of the wrong tone, can cause a reader to leave your website – possibly never to return.
What you can you do to check the tone of your writing? How can you make sure your writing is being received in the way that you intended?
Here are a few tips:
Walk away from the writing. Put some time between writing an article and checking it.
When you return to your article or post, read it like a web reader first. Scan it quickly and see what kind of impression it leaves on you.
Read your piece aloud.
Have a friend read it and tell you what they thought you were trying to convey.
Look for words that might have a double meaning.
The wrong tone can creep into your writing without you even realizing it. You may think that you are writing efficiently in short, concise sentences. Your reader may think that you are being angry or rude.
By taking the extra time to consider the tone of your writing, you can retain readers.
Have you ever read something that struck you the wrong way, and then you realized that the author didn’t intend it that way?
Then, you know what I’m talking about.
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
