Your mood will have a big effect on your writing. If you’re feeling happy and upbeat, the tone of your article will sound just as cheery. That’s great, so let the words flow and take advantage of your productive moment. Bad moods are a different story, and the blues can put a stick in the wheels when writing. If you’re feeling angry or depressed, that’s going to show through in your tone and choice of words. You may not be using effective language to get your point across. Your article ends up reflecting your mood,
> Read MoreArchives for April 2007
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High-Density SEO Content and Keyword Articles
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Keyword articles and content are a big thing these days. Placing keywords in your copy attracts search engine notice and gets your page ranking higher for relevant returns on searches. Three major search engines are ruling the Internet these days: Google, MSN, and Yahoo. One problem is that MSN and Yahoo allow up to 6% keyword density for content, while Google sticks at a nice, readable 2.5% density. Stuff your content with keywords to get your page ranking up, and Google isn’t going to look twice at your site. But MSN and Yahoo will. That’s
> Read MoreA Question of Style
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Content writing, like any other type of writing, is subjective to each person’s perception. Because one person thinks a text is good does not mean the next person will think the same. That’s important to remember. If your writing style leans towards academic and informative over conversational and friendly, and a client criticizes your style, remember that someone’s preference doesn’t mean your writing isn’t any good. It simply means the client prefer another style. The next client might love your style and think it’s brilliant. Should clients receive content that reflects a certain style? Yes,
> Read MoreIs Ghostwriting Ethical?
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Is Ghostwriting Ethical? That’s a good question, and the answer you receive will depend on who you ask. There are hundreds of points to debate on the subject of ghostwriting, both pro and con. Some believe that ghostwriting is cousin to plagiarism. Many people who use ghostwritten material do pass someone else’s concepts and ideas off as their own. They do so by either claiming authorship or by giving the impression that the words and ideas are their own. Others believe that if you’re fully aware that you’ll receive no credit for your thoughts, ideas,
> Read MoreProfessionalism and Freelance Writers
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Many clients complain about freelance writers who lack professionalism. Lack of contact, not being updated on progress, a touchy tone to communication, missed deadlines, disappearing – The list goes on. The anonymity of the internet lets individuals get away with things the real world doesn’t. Basic business principles, though, shouldn’t be any different whether you’re running a virtual venture or working from a real office. Here are some ways to increase your professionalism: Be polite. Manners go a long way. It’s easy for virtual world comments to be misunderstood and even easier for us to
> Read MoreA Sad Project Description
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It’s a sad day when buyers need to tell writers the work they purchase should be error free and of better quality. If you’re charging people for your writing services, shouldn’t you be doing a good job in the first place? If you’re being paid to write, you should be writing well and without errors. Would you accept to pay a mechanic who forgot to put the wheel on your car or give cash to a contractor who didn’t shingle your roof? I don’t think so. I saw a project offered for bid on Elance.
> Read MoreUnresponsive Writers are Irresponsible Ones
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I’m interested by a particular well-known (read, highly marketed) freelance writer’s practices, ezine, and blog posts. Why? Because I think this person uses some questionable tactics about earning money, sells sub-standard, empty material, doesn’t provide good advice, and brings down the reputation of writers in general. I had a few comments to post on her blog in response to posts she’d made. The comments weren’t negative to the writer, and they simply pointed out some good advice about things a freelance writer should avoid. The comments weren’t attacks and they weren’t personal. In fact, they
> Read MoreMiracle Ebooks
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A friend of mine asked me to look over the Dabbling Mum’s website for the quality of content and advice. I did. Two very good questions and answers on the site disclaimers got my attention and I’d like to share them. Question: “What if I’ve followed everything in the e-book [I bought], but my life isn’t any better?“ Answer: “Our e-books are for informational purposes only. They aren’t miracle workers. Our e-books are not meant to be a replacement for professional help. Depending on your circumstance, you may need to seek [the services of] a
> Read MoreFast Articles: Write What You Know
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Beginning freelance writers will read these words over and over: Write about what you know. Writing about what you know makes sense. If you want to produce articles easily and quickly, writing about what you know means that you’ll spend less time researching. You won’t have to look up material or verify your statements. You won’t have to learn anything or double-check the accuracy of the material you present. When you write about what you know, your text flows easily, and you’ll be able to make statements with confidence. An article that gives an impression
> Read MoreTargeting Keywords for Articles
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There is one big mistake that people make when targeting keywords for articles. They choose the most popular keywords to insert in their text. Sure, you have keywords in your article, and that should bring traffic to your site, right? Wrong. Choosing the most popular keywords has the effect of your article being lost amongst all the other articles with the very same keywords. Targeting niche-specific keywords is good, but if your keywords are too specific, you won’t get enough hits. Finding the middle point between most popular and tightly specific is best for choosing
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