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Writing_Articles_To_Build_Your_Online_Presence_ _A_Beginners_Guide
| Writing Articles To Build Your Online Presence - A Beginners Guide
Copyright 2005 Jeremy Hershberger
One of the most effective (and free!) ways to get noticed on the
web is to write articles. Even if you have no writing
experience, it is easier than you may think, even fun. You can
write an article on just about anything you want and choose how
you want to publish it.
The best way to start is to write about a subject you understand
thoroughly, such as the subject of your ezine if you have one.
Use a search engine to research what you want to write about,
and browse some online discussion forums which relate to your
subject to gain additional knowledge.
There are article-writing ebooks and other literature available
on the web that can provide you with useful advice if you are
intimidated to write your first article. Just do some web
searches to see what you can find. Some of the literature is
free, some isn't.
As you conduct your research, begin writing a rough draft
immediately while ideas are still fresh in your mind. You can
revise, edit and rearrange later. Your article doesn’t have to
be perfect, as long as it is presentable and easily readable.
Keep your lines formatted to about 60 characters. The ‘Lucida
Console’ font uses the same amount of space for each character,
so you could use it then set your margins accordingly in your
word processor program.
I use Notepad which uses Lucida Console by default. I turn off
word-wrap and set the window size to where I want it and hit
'enter' as my text fills a line. You may come up with a method
that works better for you.
When your article is finished, you’ll need to add what is called
a “resource box” at the end. This is where you place a few lines
which include your name, as well as anything you’d like to offer
your readers.
You should make your resource box stand out by placing a line of
asterisks or hyphens above and below it, for example:
*********************************************************
Copyright © 2005 [your name] [email address if you wish]
[several lines to advertise your website, ezine, offer freebies,
etc] *********************************************************
When you feel comfortable with your article and ready to
publish, you can choose from several different options available
to you. You can use all if you so choose:
* Article Directories * Ezines * Article Announcement Lists
Article directories are websites that you can submit your
article to. They will review it then publish it on their site,
making your name and links in your resource box available to all
who are interested in the information you provide.
You get an added benefit of having your website’s search engine
ranking increase as your link is placed in more and more article
directories! It all depends on how much time you want to spend
submitting to the hundreds of available directories on the web.
You can also browse ezine directories, searching for ezines
relating to your article’s subject. Look for those which
indicate they accept article submissions.
Send a polite email to the publisher asking to submit your
article, and include the article. If you prefer, send it as an
attachment.
There are also article announcement lists which you can submit
your article to. These can be found by doing a web search for
‘article announcement lists’. You have to subscribe to the list
before you can post to it.
When posting to an announcement list, include in your email your
rules for reprinting your article, such as allowing it to only
be reprinted if no changes are made and only as long as your
resource box is included. These rules are up to you, ultimately.
You can also use submission websites or software such as
EzineAnnouncer which are designed to submit your article to a
large number of places, cutting down on time you have to spend
doing it manually. These programs come with a price, so look
them up and decide for yourself if they are worth it to you.
Read this article again, and formulate a plan based on the
advice given. The methods outlined above will get you well on
your way to boosting your online presence, and you will be
surprised by how effective they are.
About the author:
Jeremy Hershberger is webmaster of his Plug-In Profit Site, a
money-making website you can have built and customized just for
you on your own domain, 100% ready to take orders and pull in
massive residual profits. Click
here for more details.
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