The 7 Levels of Pub Why Do You Have that Website Anyway?The real question should be; is it a serious business or just a hobby? The answer determines quite a bit. There are many reasons to be on the Internet, from ego where you feel the need to show your personal nature, or to connect with others. Perhaps your five-year old said that the family should have one because the neighbors do. Or you like fishing so you thought that you could paste up pictures of your catches to impress anyone that chanced upon your site. But, if you are actually in this to make money and consider your site a business venture, listen up. Are you treating it like a business?I was a Yellow Page consultant for 25 years and advised thousands of companies during that time. Most were small, mom and pop types that worked out of the home. That’s not a knock against them, it’s just the reality of the majority of my accounts. Let’s assume that you are in that group and work out of a home office. That website was a modest investment, but you hope to strike it rich, like the couple that founded Flickr.com, a photo-sharing site, a few years back. They sold it to Yahoo in 2005 for about 100 million dollars after it was up and running for six whole months. Is that your American dream?Let’s just say that it would be a nice outcome. Who wouldn’t enjoy that kind of payday? In the meanwhile, what are you doing to build a following? Today, almost ten million people use the Flickr website. How are your numbers? Nowadays, just because you have some pretty pictures and
Writing articles for publication online is definitely different than writing anything for offline print publications. I have created a list of seven great tips to help you write effectively on the Internet.
1. Write short paragraphs.
Break your text into sections of no more than 100 words.
Use a lot of white space to separate your paragraphs. This makes it easier to read. Online readers tend to scan the text on a website. If you present your articles in small sections, you will deliver your message more effectively.
2. Start your paragraphs by asking a question.
This will probably make the reader want to continue to read your article to find the answer. Try to eliminate unnecessary words between the question and answer to prevent losing the reader's attention.
3. Take time to think about the best headline for your article.
If your title does not capture the reader's attention immediately, they will probably skip your article altogether.
For example: If your article delivers ten specific tips about a particular subject - tell the reader exactly that in your title.
4. Create lists to clearly identify the significant points within your article.
You can create a list using bullets - this is called an "Unordered List." Or you can make a list using numbers - this is called an "Ordered List."
The directions for creating either type of list are explained below:(eliminate the extra space after < and before >)
To create an UNORDERED LIST
Begin with < ul > < li > This is the tag for creating an unordered list
< li > Each thing you type after the < li > tag will appear next to a bullet on the web page < /ul >
To create an ORDERED LIST
Begin with < ol >
This is the tag for creating an ordered list
< li > Each thing you type after the < li > tag will appear next to a number on the web page < /ol >
5. Outline the goal of your article to the reader.
Tell them the specific benefit they will gain by reading it.
Make it simple to understand what tips and/or knowledge they will learn by taking the time to read what you wrote.
6. Make your point quickly.
Less is more. Do not waste your readers time with unnecessary words. Say what you have to say with as few words as possible. But make sure you choose effective words that clearly convey your message.
7. Stick to your topic.
Focus your writing on one explicit subject.
Do not try to cover two or three topics in the same article.
Keep the reader's attention by only writing about one subject and writing about it well.
To summarize these tips:
- Keep it Simple
- Make it Informative
- Write it Concisely, Clearly and Wisely.