The Topic Of Your Website

The Topic Of Your Website

by: Oleg Lazarenko

The first thing you will have to deal building your website has nothing to do with the web design itself, itกs me related to content writing but it must be defined and will effect the rest of your actions. So first of all you need to decide what the topic of your future website is. Topic is very closely connected to another web design issue: keywords. The keywords you select will depend upon the topic you have chosen. When thinking about website topic ask yourself a few questions: What is the goal of the site you are making? What are you trying to achieve with your site. Specify a goal, preferably in one short sentence.

Take a sheet of paper and a pen and put all you can think out about your future website. Brainstorm! Just put everything that comes to your mind: what you want to give to your visitors, what the site is about, what you want to accomplish with your website, what is your experience in the area you would like to select as topic? The more points you could think up the better. Then sort it in the number of importance. Think what points can be deleted without harm to your project. Delete them. Leave only what is REALLY important. Try to get your goal out of those points.

Choosing topic is like choosing the topic for college research paper. You should try to select reasonable balance between too wide and to narrow topics. Narrowing down your website topic might be very helpful. If you have narrower topic that means you have less competing topic thus it will help you to get better position among your competitors. However if the topic is too narrow nobody will ever bother to search for it. Let me give you example: you want to build a website devoted to website design, but if you try to develop this website guess how many websites you will have to beat to get on the top? I got 4,030,000 pages devoted to website design according Google . To check this number just enter http://google.com and then enter ขwebsite designข in the search form on the first page. Now let’s see how many sites Google indexed with the topic ขFlash website designข. I got about 22,300. As you may see the result of indexed web pages is four millions smaller. So creating website about flash design will be much smarter then just to make ขwebsite designข site and be lost in those millions pages. Note that ขWebsite designข and ขFlash Website Designข are not only keywords, the Flash website design is a part of website design but it is smaller part. Searching search engines keywords related to the topic you have selected may be helpful in making decision about your website topic. I’ll teach you how to select ขrightข keywords to obtain better position on the search engine listings in the next articles.

Do not hesitate to reset your goals. Try to think about audience of the website. People like to visit websites with the original and unique content. Will your website be able to provide your visitors with such content? Will visitors come back again and again or they will simply close the browser window and forget about your website?

The better the plan the less work you will have to make. So if you could define the topic and define it clearly you may proceed to another step of website building: choosing a domain name.

Click the link to continue: http://www.metamorphozis.com/tutorials/choose_domain.shtml

This article may be reprinted and distributed with no charge until the credit line below remains without changes.

Thanks for reading.

About The Author

Oleg Lazarenko

Production Manager of Metamorphosis Web Design Studio – http://www.metamorphozis.com and CEO of http://www.vertextemplates.com.

This article was posted on August 17, 2004

by Oleg Lazarenko

15 Questions to Instantly Help You Write a Downloa

15 Questions to Instantly Help You Write a Downloadable Tips EBooklet

by: Paulette Ensign

Everyone has something they want the world to know. A downloadable or electronically delivered tips ebooklet is a great way to do that, creating author status and a marketing tool for yourself in the process, with no production expense.

You may have considered writing a fulllength ebook. Many people entertain that possibility. Fewer have actually followed through once realizing how much time and effort that takes. Instead, a downloadable tips ebooklet can be the ideal way to go, ultimately leading you to writing that longer book, or not.

Here are some questions to get your tips (and cash!) flowing. You can mine your own field of gold by looking at any notes you’ve created along the way, or jotting down things now as they come to mind.

What is the single most compelling subject from your experience or knowledge that you want the world to know about? If there are several topics, consider which one you are most passionate about.

Can you identify the single most outstanding thing you want people to know? Think about whether it is a new skill, perspective, attitude, or expansion of general knowledge.

Why do you want to write an ebooklet? It may be an altruistic gesture to spread the word about something. It might be a marketing tool for a business or book you have or want to have. The ebooklet can be a profit center for you. Maybe you would you like it to be both a marketing tool and a profit center.

How would you divide your subject into segments? Look at the possibility of those segments becoming additional ebooklets to develop into a series, or as minichapters of one ebooklet.

What are you often surprised by that people do not know about your subject area? There could be something that seems so กcommon senseก to you, while being highly helpful or enlightening to others.

Does your information need to be presented sequentially or can it be random? Notice if specific entries standalone or if they need whatever came before to cause the entry to make sense to the reader.

What do you want people to do and not to do, be or not be as a result of your ebooklet? Think about how this information will benefit the reader.

Who besides the reader can benefit from this material? There may be manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors whose business activities can profit by distributing your contents. Those will be largequantity buyers of your ebooklet.

Is there jargon or language that is peculiar to your topic? Consider how you will monitor and treat that in your content.

What surprised you most when you learned about your topic? That is probably useful to pass along to your readers in some way.

Which resources are needed to implement any of your suggestions? Look for the easiest ways to accomplish what you are recommending to your reader.

What is it that people need to know about you? Tell what gives you the credential to write about this topic.

What other products and/or services would also make sense to develop to assist the reader in this topic? Decide whether it is important for those to be products and services of your own, of someone elseกs, or both.

How would short anecdotes be useful in supporting your materials? The anecdotes could get in the way or enhance your content.

Do your tips need visual support with graphics to allow them to be more fully understood? Clip art could be adequate or you might decide to use original art.

Are you ready to get started? Or were you already making notes as you were reading this article? Take as little or as much time as you’d like in creating your first tips ebooklet. You’ll be amazed by the results. Everyone has something they want the world to know about. What’s the starting place for you?

Copyright 2005 Paulette Ensign

About The Author

Paulette Ensign has personally sold over a million copies in four languages of a tips booklet called ก110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life,ก all without spending a penny on advertising, in electronic version as well as hard copy. She has had clients match and surpass her results, worldwide. She has learned her business by doing it, never having taken a formal business course in her life. Her San Diego, California based company, Tips Products International, offers a range of products and services to support your success regardless of your budget of time or money. Phone 8584810890 email [email protected] or visit www.tipsbooklets.com.

This article was posted on February 17

by Paulette Ensign

Why Every Site Needs RSS

Why Every Site Needs RSS

by: Andrew J. Morris

RSS or ‘really Simple Syndicationก is not just for Blogs and News sites. Every website can benefit from this newly popular technology. The term กsyndicationก is what throws a lot of people off the track. Syndication is like news articles, isn’t it?

Well it can be. But think of it like this. If you had a bricksandmortar store and decided to carry a new product line, how would you let people know? You could advertise of course, but a better and free alternative is to send a news release to the local paper. Their business section may carry your announcement free of charge.

Now back to our cyberstore in virtual space. If you add a new web page, or make substantial changes to existing pages, how do you let your customers (both former and future) know? You can email your former customers, but spam blocking software will prevent half of them from getting your message. And keeping track of mailing lists, unsubscribe requests and address changes is nothing short of a nightmare.

Instead, post a news release using RSS. Interested customers will have their newsreader programs watching for your announcements, and will get the news as soon as you send it out. The announcement will include a link to the new or changed page, and your customer can click on it if they are interested. True, fewer will click through than might read an email from you but those who do will arrive at your site in a much more receptive frame of mind. And those email readers still need to click through to your site to see your new page anyhow.

If you make frequent additions or changes to your site you should have your own RSS feed. Check out these sites to learn how to make your own feed:

Making An RSS Feed

http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2175271

How To Get Your Web Site Content Syndicated

http://www.highsearchengineranking.com/How_To_Get_Your_Web_Site_Content_Syndicated.htm

Or you might want to try these programs to format your information, so you can post it to your website:

ListGarden RSS Feed Generator Program

Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux, open source

http://www.softwaregarden.com/products/listgarden/index.html

RSS Headliner

Create RSS Feed file online to copy and post to your site.

http://www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/codegen/rss.shtml

But what if you don’t often make changes or additions to your site? There is a new site that offers a solution to that problem. Shared RSS provides feed by TOPIC rather than publisher. So you simply post your message in the appropriate topic category (there are thousands to choose from) and share your feed with others publishing on the same topic. It is a free service that you certainly should use if you do not publish your own feed.

http://www.sharedrss.com/

Wouldn’t that mean (I can hear someone object) that I would be sharing a feed with my competition? Well yes, but that isn’t a bad thing. Itกs like all those antique stores that congregate in the same part of town shoppers flock there and wander store to store, to the benefit of all.

Don’t kid yourself, customers already know about your competition. For every customer of yours who visits their sites because they found an RSS link on your site, you will receive one, two or three visits from potential customers who found your information on an RSS link they discovered on your competitors site, or in a catalog of RSS feeds. The benefit far outweighs the risk.

And RSS feeds are not just for business. If other sites submit to the shared feed they will bring with them more people interested in that topic, who may become your future customers.

No, RSS is not just for Blogs anymore! Start your own or submit to a shared feed, either way you can only benefit.

The following article may be freely reprinted in digital formats or print, so long as the กabout the authorก box is left intact. If placed online or in a medium supporting live links, the links should be activated.

About The Author

Andrew J. Morris is the owner and creator of SharedRSS a website that allows all website owners to syndicate their newly added material for FREE. http://www.sharedrss.com/

This article was posted on October 19, 2004

by Andrew J. Morris

Email Etiquette III

Email Etiquette III

by: Kathie M. Thomas

Further to my previous issues this subject continues part III.

This month Iกll share on Topic Changes and Read Receipts. Both can give you some trouble if you’re not careful.

Topic changes

This applies particularly to discussion groups, but could also take place in normal everyday exchange of emails between two or more people.

It is common that subject matter in emails change quickly one person might send an email with one topic, another replies and it prompts them to add another topic in that reply and then others start replying to the changed topic but forget to change the subject heading which can be very confusing for those later joining in the discussion and difficult to relocate one of the originating messages if filed away electronically with the unchanged subject heading. This applies to searching through archives online also.

When responding to an email take a moment to think about it are you changing the topic, should the subject heading be changed and whether the replied message requires any trimming of the original message before hitting the กsendก key. This can be particularly important when responding to business leads or enquiries relating to your business. A general rule of thumb for email seems to be to keep the number of topics discussed to a minimum and start new email messages for new topics.

Auto Responds and Read Receipts

A supplier, who gives me excellent computer support, had been receiving a lot of emails over the past few months and she struggled to keep up with them in her busy workload. So, she decided to set up an auto respond to emails saying sheกll be in touch within 7 days. She also added ‘read receiptก so she knew her message had been read.

Not long after I started getting a lot of emails from this supplier, all with the same message (autorespond). Iกd sent her a few messages some days before about a computer problem a client was experiencing. After around 75 of these messages I rang and left a message on her pager. 150 more emails and I rang again. Her business partner rang and said he was heading back to their office to see what was happening. More emails.

My supplier rang the following morning sounding very sheepish. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of an auto respond linked with a read receipt. In her defence, sheกd been very tired and was working late. Every time my computer logged another of her responses it sent back a read receipt and her autoresponder sent another reply to my read receipt, autorespond, read receipt, autorespond, read receipt, autorespond………. get the picture? I had some idea of what might be happening but could not stop the process. All I could do was block her email address at my end until she woke up to what was happening.

Just thought you might appreciate what can happen if read receipt, and auto respond are used together without thinking as to why you would do that. Of course, if you use them separately you are unlikely to run into this kind of trouble.Next month Iกll touch on using the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) field and the use of backgrounds for your emails.

For any assistance relating to the use of email please feel free to contact our team.

About The Author

Article reprinted by permission Kathie M. Thomas, Founder กA Claytonกs Secretaryก. Kathie is a multiple award winner in her industry as a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has 30 yearsก experience in the secretarial/ administrative field. www.asecretary.com.au

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 09, 2004

by Kathie M. Thomas

Creating Your Own Product: What Should You Write A

Creating Your Own Product: What Should You Write About?

by: Ronald Gibson

You would like to create your own information product, but you are stuck. What the heck should you write about? This could be the hardest step involved in this entire process. The reason I say that is because when you begin anything for the first time it ALWAYS seems that much more difficult due to it being the very first time.

Add to that the fact that for some people, writing is an almost impossible task. But let me just tell you that writing up an article, special report, or a 340 page ebook isn’t any different than learning to roller blade. Except that youกll get a lot less bumps and bruises! At least physically anyway 🙂

But it doesn’t have to be this way. The best advice for what to write is write about WHAT YOU KNOW. That makes everything SO much easier. And, don’t think you don’t know anything, because everyone knows something.

Before you begin writing, be sure you have the proper tool to write with.

Of course you can start out with the simple Notepad or WordPad tool that came with your computer when you purchased it. However, to cut through some additional formatting steps, i.e. copying and pasting, etc., itกs best to start out with a tool with a bit more function like Microsoft Word, or the better, and FREE alternative, Open Office.

You can download a copy from http://www.openoffice.org . Youกll want to pick up the Open Office Suite so you’re sure to get EVERYTHING. This is SO helpful to those of you who don’t have, or can’t afford expensive programs like Microsoft Office or PDF Maker programs.

Now that you have just the right writing tool, letกs start writing! Make a list of the things that you do, or like to do. Whether itกs your job, a hobby you enjoy, or caring for children or pets. Even the smallest thing that you might not think is important, like an easier way to clean up after family get together. A good thing to remember is that things we often take for granted or overlook because we do them on a constant or consistent basis someone else might have an interest in learning and have NEVER done before. Then, look over the list you just created and choose a subject from it. But, keep a hold of this list somewhere as you may want to return to it to invent a NEW product, or even several new products.

Here are a few example topics that might give you a better idea of what to strive for:

Organic Gardening

Japanese Bonsai Tree Growing and Care

LowFat Dessert Recipes

Working with Leather

Buying a Car with No Credit or Bad Credit

Fly Fishing for Beginners

Pit Bulls as Pets: A Positive Experience

HomeMade Cat Treat Recipes

Having an Iguana as a Family Pet

Being a Better Parent

Making the Most Out Of Every Day

Hot Air Ballooning

Bird Watching For the Family

Model Airplane Construction

Coin and Currency Collecting

Proper Car Tune Up Instructions

Knitting, Crocheting, Sewing

You get the idea here. The more you narrow down your topic, the more specific the niche category will be and the less competition youกll have when moving further along in the process.

Pretty much any topic or subject can be turned into a profitable information product if you put the effort into it.

You don’t have to have ANY knowledge about one particular subject, as you could always do research on the topic, by having prior experience or working knowledge of the material you plan to cover will make the project go that much easier and quicker.

Once you have your first topic picked out that you will be writing about, itกs time to begin really writing it up. Now don’t be afraid. This is easier than you might think. The way to write up an information product is to write as if you are explaining the subject to someone who has no previous knowledge of it or has never heard of what you are talking about.

Go from beginning to end. Leave out nothing, no matter how small the detail. Remember, most of the people that purchase your information product will be new to the whole process of your subject matter.

You have just jumped the first hurdle in the process of creating your own information product.

Copyright 2005 Ronald Gibson

About The Author

Ronald Gibson is a Web Designer and Internet Marketer. He is the Webmaster of AffiliateUtopia.com, which offers information about some of the best money making opportunities on the Web. For more information, visit: http://www.affiliateutopia.com/ and http://www.affiliateutopia.com/blog/

This article was posted on August 26

by Ronald Gibson