Hereกs Exactly What Makes Web Audio So Powerful

Hereกs Exactly What Makes Web Audio So Powerful

by: Nick James

Have you ever tried to communicate with another person using just actions and sign language? It gets pretty frustrating, doesn’t it? Especially when you know that if you could just SAY a few words, theyกd get the picture, almost instantly.

Well, imagine if the website youกve put up on show… could กspeakก. If it could sparkle with the spoken word. What do you think the effect could be?

You see, what the smart website marketers have realised, is that they need to move beyond just written words and striking graphics. They’re looking to giving their website… a กpersonalityก.

BUT… in the cold hearted, faceless world of the internet, being able to reach the audience you want, with sincerity, warmth and with a กfaceก, doesn’t come easily to most.

That is unless you happen to have the skilful knack of knowing what to write, when to write it and are able to string words together to help paint a strong emotional picture in readers minds for your product, service or idea.

Getting all the help we can via other means is crucial in giving us that slight edge.

Thereกs possibly nothing more intimate, more convincing, more realistic for the reader, than to hear a กvoiceก behind the website. What it adds, is satisfying helpings of…

LIFE and… CREDIBILITY!

Imagine being able to connect at regular intervals with your customers and clients! How do you think theyกll feel when you’re able to inform them that thereกs an exciting offer about to happen and you make sure the message reaches both their eyes, and their ears!

What about using this simple technology to help create a stampede of sales, an abundance of new subscribers, a fleet of qualified prospects, a herd of new referrals!

What about being able to tell your customers that you messed up on the last bit of information you gave them and that you’re really sorry. Won’t you be able to convey this message better using real live words, than by using written text?

Won’t your sincerity, conviction and heartfelt emotion, reach them INSTANTLY, where it matters most… THEIR HEARTS!

Copyright 2004 Nick James

About The Author

Nick James is a UK based direct marketer and product developer. During the last 3 years Nick has sold in excess of £1 Million of products and sevices. Subscribe to his Free Tip Of The Week at: www.NickJames.com New Product: www.FlashAudioWizard.com.

This article was posted on November 17, 2004

by Nick James

web page building for beginners 2

web page building for beginners 2

by: Ted Dupuie

A search engine robot actually reads the wording on your web pages and places a certain amount of importance on what the content says, but not quite like a human does. A human will place the words together in their head and try to decipher the relevancy to them personally and decide within a few seconds whether they will continue reading or click to another site, whereas a robot counts words and places all relevancy in the numbers it finds. It also gives extra credit to the size of the type and title of each page. What a webmaster should consider, is every word connecting to a keyword and not wasting words, for the public and the robots. This can be difficult to do when writing about certain subjects, but not impossible. Take diets for instance. Saquoyah Publishing writes diets and uses www.freediet.biz to promote them, but nobody wants to read pages full of the word diet just bandied around with no oomph in the article that should teach the reader about diets. So a happy medium must be reached to get the website placed high in the search engines database, yet allow the articles to inform the reader of the subject written. Remember, the information super highway is called that for a good reason. Most people just want to learn something about a subject, not necessarily buy something. So if you are selling, the first thing you will want is to get the reader to find the pages you have written, and that means search engine optimization, or SEO as it is called.

SEO should be a major consideration as the page is written, and a concentration on keywords should be the main concern of the page writer. Take diets as an example of page writing. The word Diet or Diets should be placed in the title of each page on the website if at all reasonable, and each page should utilize those words as many times as possible without deterring hopeful customers. The title of the page is the most noticeable attraction to your website from the searcher’s perspective, and the few words you have to say everything about your site. Free diet is a two word search that will get you over twenty five million pages on Google or Yahoo, and the competition is fierce. Just the word free will get you over a half billion pages and the competition is downright crazy. So stick with keywords that you can compete in, and use those words wisely as you write your pages.

Simple, free, healthy diet are the four keywords that describe the title of my index page, and they are the best way to describe what I hope the searchers will be looking for, as well as what I have to offer. This is the most optimistic I can be when writing my title to help people learn about diets and to help my website get a good placement with search engines. Also, a four word phrase has less competition than a two word phrase. So make sure your title is something that the searcher is looking for as well as something you provide or you will never get customer satisfaction, and maybe never get customers.

The contents of the page can be categorized into sections to help keep your keywords alive without pushing them on the reader. For instance, free diets, beer diets, funny diet jokes, potato soup diet, pineapple diets, Beverly Hillbilly Diet foods, and many other strange things can be written without being insensitive to the reader, if they are titles of some of your other pages or just paragraphs on each topic. The contents close to the top of your page should also be the same words you have in the contents meta tag that the robots will copy to be placed under your title in a web search. In this way, the reader will also get a fair chance at what you really have to say on your site and can make a better judgment call on whether to open your index page or some other. This is how you select customers instead of wasting everyone’s time. This article can be copied and reprinted anywhere as long as it is intact and includes the author’s bio.

About The Author

Ted Dupuie owns a home based publishing company that only publishes his work, which includes diets, an investment strategy, and 8 websites, plus a family newsletter. He is also a writing critic with top ten placement on Google and Yahoo!

www.saquoyah.com www.homewriters.com www.freediet.biz

This article can be copied and reprinted anywhere as long as it is intact with the author’s bio.

This article was posted on August 21, 2004

by Ted Dupuie

Successful Print Advertising Designs

Successful Print Advertising Designs

by: Lala C. Ballatan

Do you often see print advertisements outdoors, as much as you see Web advertisements when you surf through the Web? I’m pretty sure that you have entirely different views and reactions upon seeing and actually taking notice to these two different kinds of advertising. The differences may vary in their use of color, typefaces, and space.

Whatever else the difference is between Print Ads and Web Ads, many would still prefer the traditional print advertisements in order to promote their business, products or services. Not all people have access to the Web, such that Print Ads are still widely used and appreciated. It is also practical for a shortterm marketing plan or strategy.

Do you know what makes successful print advertisements? Here are several useful things to remember if you are launching a Print Ad:

Take advantage of a small space by not crowding too much information into it. Leave a white space which can actually lead your reader to the important information.

Ads with large photos or illustrations of merchandise get higher readership and appreciation than those with small illustrations or no art.

People do not actually read your copy, but take a look at your visuals. Thus, make your photographs or illustration occupy at least half of your entire Ad.

You must know now how your readers read, so that you could strategically place your content and not be left unread.

Typography is an important key to effective communication.

In your print ads’ headlines, avoid all capital letters. Our eyes and brains are conditioned to identify lower case letters and words. Letters and words in lower cases may just be glanced over, but with full comprehension since people are familiar with them. People also tend to read words by the shape of the word and not by reading individual letters thus, your print ads’ words must be of a distinctive shape.

Your print ads must be consistent with important information placed where readers would expect to see it. Consistency is an important aspect of your print ad since most readers must be exposed to it seven times before they notice it or take action on it. Your ad must have consistency in:

Logo

Color

Typography

Margins and borders

Layout

Spacing

Photographs and captions

You must also be consistent in your page lay out and other design elements like contrast, balance, etc.

On top of everything else, you have to make sure that your print ad communicates the main point of your advertisement – the main attraction and the necessary information for your prospective clients.

For your print ads to turn out successfully, you must have at least a single great idea, on top of several good ideas. Remember, there’s a world of difference between a great idea and a good idea. 30

About The Author

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.digitalprintingcompany.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 14

by Lala C. Ballatan

Search Technologies

Search Technologies

by: Max Maglias

Each of us has been faced with the problem of searching for information more than once. Irregardless of the data source we are using (Internet, file system on our hard drive, data base or a global information system of a big company) the problems can be multiple and include the physical volume of the data base searched, the information being unstructured, different file types and also the complexity of accurately wording the search query. We have already reached the stage when the amount of data on one single PC is comparable to the amount of text data stored in a proper library. And as to the unstructured data flows, in future they are only going to increase, and at a very rapid tempo. If for an average user this might be just a minor misfortune, for a big company absence of control over information can mean significant problems. So the necessity to create search systems and technologies simplifying and accelerating access to the necessary information, originated long ago. Such systems are numerous and moreover not every one of them is based on a unique technology. And the task of choosing the right one depends directly on the specific tasks to be solved in the future. While the demand for the perfect data searching and processing tools is steadily growing let’s consider the state of affairs with the supply side.

Not going deeply into the various peculiarities of the technology, all the searching programs and systems can be divided into three groups. These are: global Internet systems, turnkey business solutions (corporate data searching and processing technologies) and simple phrasal or file search on a local computer. Different directions presumably mean different solutions.

Local search

Everything is clear about search on a local PC. It’s not remarkable for any particular functionality features accept for the choice of file type (media, text etc.) and the search destination. Just enter the name of the searched file (or part of text, for example in the Word format) and that’s it. The speed and result depend fully on the text entered into the query line. There is zero intellectuality in this: simply looking through the available files to define their relevance. This is in its sense explicable: what’s the use of creating a sophisticated system for such uncomplicated needs.

Global search technologies

Matters stand totally different with the search systems operating in the global network. One can’t rely simply on looking through the available data. Huge volume (Yandex for instance can boast the indexing capacity of more than 11 terabyte of data) of the global chaos of unstructured information will make the simple search not only ineffective but also long and laborconsuming. That’s why lately the focus has shifted towards optimizing and improving quality characteristics of search. But the scheme is still very simple (except for the secret innovations of every separate system) the phrasal search through the indexed data base with proper consideration for morphology and synonyms. Undoubtedly, such an approach works but doesn’t solve the problem completely. Reading dozens of various articles dedicated to improving search with the help of Google or Yandex, one can drive at the conclusion that without knowing the hidden opportunities of these systems finding a relevant document by the query is a matter of more than a minute, and sometimes more than an hour. The problem is that such a realization of search is very dependent on the query word or phrase, entered by the user. The more indistinct the query the worse is the search. This has become an axiom, or dogma, whichever you prefer.

Of course, intelligently using the key functions of the search systems and properly defining the phrase by which the documents and sites are searched, it is possible to get acceptable results. But this would be the result of painstaking mental work and time wasted on looking through irrelevant information with a hope to at least find some clues on how to upgrade the search query. In general, the scheme is the following: enter the phrase, look through several results, making sure that the query was not the right one, enter a new phrase and the stages are repeated till the relevancy of results achieves the highest possible level. But even in that case the chances to find the right document are still few. No average user will voluntary go for the sophistication of ขadvanced searchข (although it is equipped with a number of very useful functions such as the choice of language, file format etc.). The best would be to simply insert the word or phrase and get a ready answer, without particular concern for the means of getting it. Let the horse think – it has a big head. Maybe this is not exactly up to the point, but one of the Google search functions is called ขI am feeling lucky!ข characterizes very well the existent searching technologies. Nevertheless, the technology works, not ideally and not always justifying the hopes, but if you allow for the complexity of searching through the chaos of Internet data volume, it could be acceptable.

Corporate systems

The third on the list are the turnkey solutions based on the searching technologies. They are meant for serious companies and corporations, possessing really large data bases and staffed with all sorts of information systems and documents. In principle, the technologies themselves can also be used for home needs. For example, a programmer working remotely from the office will make good use of the search to access randomly located on his hard drive program source codes. But these are particulars. The main application of the technology is still solving the problem of quickly and accurately searching through large data volumes and working with various information sources. Such systems usually operate by a very simple scheme (although there are undoubtedly numerous unique methods of indexing and processing queries underneath the surface): phrasal search, with proper consideration for all the stem forms, synonyms etc. which once again leads us to the problem of human resource. When using such technology the user should first word the query phrases which are going to be the search criteria and presumably met in the necessary documents to be retrieved. But there is no guarantee that the user will be able to independently choose or remember the correct phrase and furthermore, that the search by this phrase will be satisfactory.

One more key moment is the speed of processing a query. Of course, when using the whole document instead of a couple of words, the accuracy of search increases manifold. But up to date, such an opportunity has not been used because of the high capacity drain of such a process. The point is that search by words or phrases will not provide us with a highly relevant similarity of results. And the search by phrase equal in its length the whole document consumes much time and computer resources. Here is an example: while processing the query by one word there is no considerable difference in speed: whether it’s 0,1 or 0,001 second is not of crucial importance to the user. But when you take an average size document which contains about 2000 unique words, then the search with consideration for morphology (stem forms) and thesaurus (synonyms), as well as generating a relevant list of results in case of search by key words will take several dozens of minutes (which is unacceptable for a user).

The interim summary

As we can see, currently existing systems and search technologies, although properly functioning, don’t solve the problem of search completely. Where speed is acceptable the relevancy leaves more to be desired. If the search is accurate and adequate, it consumes lots of time and resources. It is of course possible to solve the problem by a very obvious manner – by increasing the computer capacity. But equipping the office with dozens of ultrafast computers which will continuously process phrasal queries consisting of thousands of unique words, struggling through gigabytes of incoming correspondence, technical literature, final reports and other information is more than irrational and disadvantageous. There is a better way.

The unique similar content search

At present many companies are intensively working on developing full text search. The calculation speeds allow creating technologies that enable queries in different exponents and wide array of supplementary conditions. The experience in creating phrasal search provides these companies with an expertise to further develop and perfect the search technology. In particular, one of the most popular searches is the Google, and namely one of its functions called the ขsimilar pagesข. Using this function enables the user to view the pages of maximum similarity in their content to the sample one. Functioning in principle, this function does not yet allow getting relevant results – they are mostly vague and of low relevancy and furthermore, sometimes utilizing this function shows complete absence of similar pages as a result. Most probably, this is the result of the chaotic and unstructured nature of information in the Internet. But once the precedent has been created, the advent of the perfect search without a hitch is just a matter of time.

What concerns the corporate data processing and knowledge retrieval systems, here the matters stand much worse. The functioning (not existing on paper) technologies are very few. And no giant or the so called search technology guru has so far succeeded in creating a real similar content search. Maybe, the reason is that it’s not desperately needed, maybe – too hard to implement. But there is a functioning one though.

SoftInform Search Technology, developed by SoftInform, is the technology of searching for documents similar in their content to the sample. It enables fast and accurate search for documents of similar content in any volume of data. The technology is based on the mathematical model of analyzing the document structure and selecting the words, word combinations and text arrays, which results in forming a list of documents of maximum similarity the sample text abstract with the relevancy percent defined. In contrast to the standard phrasal search by the similar content search there is no need to determine the key words beforehand – the search is conducted through the whole document. The technology works with several sources of information that can be stored both in text files of txt, doc, rtf, pdf, htm, html formats, and the information systems of the most popular data bases (Access, MS SQL, Oracle, as well as any SQLsupporting data bases). It also additionally supports the synonyms and important words functions that enable to carry out a more specific search.

The similar search technology enables to significantly cut time wasted on searching and reviewing the same or very similar documents, diminish the processing time at the stage of entering data into the archive by avoiding the duplicate documents and forming sets of data by a certain subject. Another advantage of the SoftInform technology is that it’s not so sensitive to the computer capacity and allows processing data at a very high speed even on ordinary office computers.

This technology is not just a theoretic development. It has been tested and successfully implemented in a project of giving legal advice via phone, where the speed of information retrieval is of crucial importance. And it will undoubtedly be more than useful in any knowledge base, analytical service and support department of any large firm. Universality and effectiveness of the SoftInform Search Technology allows solving a wide spectrum of problems, arising while processing information. These include the fuzziness of information (at the document entering stage it is possible to immediately define whether such a document already belongs to the data base or not) and the similarity analysis of the documents which are already entered into the data base, and the search for semantically similar documents which saves time spent on selecting the appropriate key words and viewing the irrelevant documents.

Perspectives

Besides its primary assignment (fast and high quality search for information in huge volume such as texts, archives, data bases) an Internet direction could also be defined. For example, it is possible to work out an expert system to process incoming correspondence and news which will become an important tool for analysts from different companies. Mainly, this will be possible due to the unique similar content search technology, absent from any of the existent systems so far except for the SearchInform. The problem of spamming search engines with the so called doorways (hidden pages with key words redirecting to the site’s main pages and used to increase the page rating with the search engines) and the email spam problem (a more intellectual analysis would ensure higher level of security) would also be solved with the help of this technology. But the most interesting perspective of the SoftInform Search technology is creating a new Internet search engine, the main competitive advantage of which would be ability to search not just by key words, but also for similar web pages, which will add to the flexibility of search making it more comfortable and efficient.

To draw a conclusion, it could be stated with confidence that the future belongs to the full text search technologies, both in the Internet and the corporate search systems. Unlimited development potential, adequacy of the results and processing speed of any size of query make this technology much more comfortable and in high demand. SoftInform Search technology might not be the pioneer, but it’s a functioning, stable and unique one with no existent analogues (which can be proved by the active Eurasian patent). To my mind, even with the help of the ขsimilar searchข it will be difficult to find a similar technology.

About The Author

Max Maglias

[Phone] 2197964

[Email] [email protected]

[Website] http://www.searchinform.com

This article was posted on August 17, 2005

by Max Maglias

Hey, Client, This Is Me! Sell With Your Writing Vo

Hey, Client, This Is Me! Sell With Your Writing Voice.

by: Cathy Goodwin

In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as they read what youกve written theyกll click right past pages that feel กbeen there, read that.ก They’re looking for a voice that says, กHey, client, this is me!ก

They want to know not just what you deliver but how. Will you be funny or serious? A perky cheerleader or a sardonic commentator? Will your view of life be based on กbelieve and it happensก or กwhat you see is what you get?ก

Here are some tips to add your own voice to your writing.

1. Write from the heart.

Too excited, passionate or angry to sit still? Best time to connect with your voice. Grab a pencil and scribble ideas as you jump around the room.

2. Say something new.

After forty articles on time management, your readers know about cutting projects into manageable chunks and setting priorities. Ho hum. Try กbetter than zeroก or ‘turn your life into a time warp.ก

3. Tape yourself talking to a good friend about a product.

Do your words sound different when you speak than when you write? Transcribe the tape into an article for easy reading.

4. Picture your ideal client (you do have one, don’t you?). Imagine that she is gushing about your service to a friend highly recommending you. What words does she use to describe your services? What emotions come through?

5. Cut. Then cut again. When you have to trim your piece to meet a word count requirement, notice that you’re left with the most essential words all yours.

6. Write fast. Get the words down before your inner critic has a chance to participate. Edit later.

7. Reveal yourself: family, mistakes, secret dreams. When you feel just a bit embarrassed, or feel your private persona has become more public, youกve probably just touched your audienceกs heart.

8. Be concrete not abstract.

As writing guru Natalie Goldberg would say, กItกs a geranium, not a flower.ก

9. If youกve had voice training, be especially alert to creating the bland and the blah.

Julia Roberts could hold an audience while she reads the telephone directory. Your copy has to stand alone, without dramatic oratory. Exercise 3 may not work for you.

10. Don’t be afraid to break the rules: use slang and contractions. And itกs okay to begin a sentence with กandก or กbut.ก

Just tread carefully on the rules of grammar and spelling. กYour about to head off for you’re great adventureก can be a credibilitybuster.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, editor, and consultant. She helps clients who want to use writing to sell and sell what they write.

Visit http://www.makewritingpay.com.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 31, 2003

by Cathy Goodwin

Does Your Message Pass the Test?

Does Your Message Pass the Test?

by: Claire Cunningham

Develop an effective benefit message and you’re well on your way to building your company’s entire marketing program. After all, you need focus to create success. Without it you can wind up expending effort without getting the reward (income, that is) you’re looking for.
Start with these three ingredients:

Understanding of what the customer needs and wants
Knowledge of the competition’s strengths, weaknesses and messages
Insight about what you offer

Gather the information and chart it. What you’re looking for is a hole where there’s a customer need that you address and hopefully, the competition doesn’t.
Found it? That’s the core of your message. Found several holes? You’ll need to prioritize.
Now, write alternative introductory sentences. Remember, they need to be customerbenefit oriented, that is, they need to explain what the customer GETS. Got your alternatives ready? Here are seven questions to ask of potential benefit messages. They’ll help you find the promise or message that will get you the most mileage:
1) Is it meaningful?
This is where knowledge of the customer comes into play. Your benefit message should be based on the real needs of the people who use your products or services.
2) Is it sustainable?
Establishing your unique position doesn’t happen overnight. The message you choose should be based on what you can deliver long term.
3) Is it believable?
Can you keep the promise you’re making? For example, if your benefit message centers on ขsuperior service,ข do you understand what your customers’ expectations are? Are you committed to making good on this promise over time?
4) Is it unique?
Often there are many providers of a product or service. How do you set yourself apart from the rest of the pack?
5) Is it concrete and easy to understand?
If you ask your audience to think too hard, they probably won’t! Simple, straightforward messages work best.
6) Is it in your own words?
If you’re going to be saying this as an introduction to your business, you need to be comfortable with the words and phrasing. Practice saying messages out loud to test them.
7) Is it attentiongrabbing?
You can’t bore someone into buying! Use words that demonstrate your passion, your understanding of client needs. Use words that engage interest.
Test your message with prospects. Watch for their reactions. Ask what they like and don’t like. You might get stuck. If that happens, a marketing and communications consultant can craft alternative benefit statements, provide an objective viewpoint, even handle the upfront research.

About The Author

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years’ experience developing and implementing successful businesstobusiness marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire’s monthly newsletter, Communique, at www.clairvoyantcommunications.com. Claire can be reached at 7634793499 or email to [email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 13, 2004

by Claire Cunningham

Good News for SEO Consultants: Searchers Use Two W

Good News for SEO Consultants: Searchers Use Two Words

by: Shell Harris

I just read a small article by David Utter at Search Newz that intrigued me. Mr. Utter posted data from www.onestat.com that reveals some very helpful information about your typical internet searcher. In other words we have been given some insight into the mind of how our customers search.

One of the biggest obstacles in Search Engine Optimization is convincing the client to target keywords and phrases they might not agree with. Often the topics of which keywords to target turn into which keyword to target. The education process starts by us explaining to the client that targeting one keyword is foolhardy and a huge waste of our time and their money.

An example: A potential client asked if we could rank them for the term ‘toysก. We convinced him that toys could lead to many results that would be of no use to him. Cat toys, dog toys, other kinds of toys not fit for a G or PG audience as well as his own types of products, childrenกs toys.

And now that I have used three paragraphs to get to my point, here it is. People searching on the Internet use more than one keyword when searching. They most often use two words. This is substantiated by a study done by OneStat.com.

OneStat.com reports that twoword searches rate just above threeword searches, 29.6 percent to 27.55 percent. The figures they show for July 2005 are an average of searches done over the last two months.

กSearch engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo can drive a lot of traffic to a web site. It is important that a webmaster or SEO expert knows what kind of search phrases they have to use to drive more traffic to a site,ก said Niels Brinkman, cofounder of OneStat.com, in a statement.

Remember, specific is good on the Internet and targeted is even better. Twoword searches are wonderful, threeword searches are even better and fourword searches are sale waiting to happen. So don’t waste effort for a keyword unlikely to bring people to you Internet door, focus on the phrases that will bring sales to your business.

About The Author

Shell Harris is an Internet marketing consultant and an SEO Specialist. He provides proven results for Website promotion. More articles can be found at his companyกs site: http://bigoakinc.com. This article may be freely reprinted as long as all links and author information remain.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 07

by Shell Harris

Secret F/r/ee Ingredient Transforms Web Sites Into

Secret F/r/ee Ingredient Transforms Web Sites Into Money Machines

by: Jorge M Vega

The key to transforming your website into a serious income generator that consistently converts visitors into cash customers is right in front of your nose. Without beating around the bush, the often overlooked secret ingredient is, quite simply, to pay very close attention to the proper use of language on your site. As a professional marketer, you can’t afford to undermine your own image, or tarnish your good reputation, by using imperfect ad copy anywhere on your website.

Itกs plain and simple, words sell!

You have to choose them wisely and กpackageก them correctly. They’re the only vehicle you really have for making the sale. Everything else is just fluff along for the ride.

Recognizing the importance of this key ingredient, which costs you nothing, and taking appropriate action as suggested below, will set you apart from the millions of other webmasters who are just spinning their wheels…and making no sales!

Negligence on your part in this department, on the other hand, will cast all your marketing efforts into an uncontrolled tailspin, and turn your visitors away faster than if you stood before them wearing a big sign around your neck reading: กDanger Infected With Contagious Diseaseก

This key ingredient is all the more critical on the Internet because it is, and I think we can all agree, a text driven medium: words are its fundamental building materials.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

All the fancy pictures in the world, even with just the right combination of colors, in the most imaginative layout, along with the most creative use of popup and popunder windows, cannot help your marketing efforts one iota if you use the wrong words in an incorrect manner. Meaning, do not expect miracles if, to use common street vernacular, กYou’re just trying to get over.ก

These props can only enhance, but never replace, your fundamental written message. Dignified, careful use of the English language is a prerequisite to successful online marketing. But, many marketers are blatantly disregarding many, if not most, of the basic rules of English usage. Sad, but true, just about everywhere you look online, the English language is suffering a fate worse than death.

Now, please note, Iกm not suggesting that before you design your website youกll need a Ph.D. in English literature, or be a noted, prize winning author. But, what I am suggesting is that you should be as careful as you possibly can with the contents of your website if you wish to attain recognition as a professional marketer. A professional marketer makes every effort to show his/her target audience that their approval, and their respect, are valued.

A shabbily written website conveys just the opposite sentiment. In fact, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation, and misspelled words galore tell the reader that they are not worthy of your very best effort; you are saying, กHereกs the best I could muster under the circumstances. Take it, or leave it. Pay me the $29.95 on the way out for taking a look.ก How inconsiderate!

Of course, this is not to suggest that all, or even most, sites are carelessly and sloppily contrived. Quite obviously, most webmasters invest a great deal of attention in all aspects of their creation. And, letกs face it, web design is a creative process.

ELEMENTS OF THE UNPROFESSIONAL SITES

At one end of the spectrum, there are enough กbad penniesก around to keep any surfer busy for hours rinsing out the bad taste from their mouths after a visit.

At the extreme end of the same category, encounters with sites where the choice of vocabulary is not in the best of taste, where reasonable attention to grammar and spelling have been grossly disregarded, and where simple English been battered beyond recognition, may leave an uprepared visitor with permanent, debilitating, psychological damage, such as a hard to diagnose speech impediment, or maybe an involuntary nervous twitch across one cheek.

In my personal case, after so many chance meetings with disastrous, unacceptable sites, Iกm left with a uncontrollable, drooping eyelid over my left eye which makes Bank tellers stir nervously whenever I announce a withdrawal. : )

Sites that have been compiled irresponsibly indicate a questionable professional intent by their owners, and a lack of interest in putting forth their best effort. Not only would I not buy anything from them, but you can bet your bottom penny that Iกll never revisit.

SOME SHINING EXAMPLES

At the opposite end of the spectrum, among the most professionally done websites I have visited are those belonging to Corey Rudl (this is not a plug, the man makes enough money without my help.)

Obviously, his sites are carefully reviewed for grammatical errors, punctuation is exemplary, spelling mistakes are usually nonexistent; they’re, all in all, a clean, crisp, professional rendering truly worthy of their creatorกs pride.

Two other marketers whose websites are a joy to visit, given their fastidious attention to the proper use of language in the manner described throughout this article are Bryan Winters, of www.pushbuttonpublishing.com, and Chris Carpenter, of www.googlecash.com. Again, as in the case cited above, both these gentlemen care enough about the impression they make on prospective customers to always กput their best foot forward.ก

Their websitesก content has been double checked for common usage errors, relieving the reader from any undue distractions; their sales messages come through as clear as a bell. Like Corey Rudl, they leave you with the image of a polished and sophisticated marketing professional. Your ultimate buying decision is based solely on the merits of their products, not on whether they botched up their sales pitch with carelessness.

Please note, my mention of these three particular marketers should not be considered endorsements of their products. I am a happy customer, but they are simply being singled out in this article as prime examples of how, in my modest opinion, one should handle the use of language as a skilled, responsible, Internet marketer.

SUGGESTIONS AND RESOURCES

A professional looking website, within the parameters I have pointed out, is not that hard to achieve. There are inexpensive, easy to use tools and aids to help you accomplish this indispensable goal.

For example, if, like most of us, you have a tendency to misspell words, take advantage of the SpellCheck feature built right into most word processor programs to double check your work. Or, better yet, since youกll be actively engaged in the process, buy yourself a pocket Dictionary for about six bucks to look up words. Personally, I own several of these, with a few foreign language versions for both Spanish and French.

If punctuation and grammar give you migraines, buy yourself a College level English Usage or Style handbook at any used bookstore in town. Then, when in doubt about any facet of your written work, leaf through it to find an acceptable solution. In no time at all, with just a little effort on your part, youกll gain mastery over any aspect of the English language which previously derailed you.

Personally, I use one, or both of the following when I run into a grammar roadblock: William Strunkกs Elements of Style, and American Heritage Book of English Usage.

And, if you’re fortunate enough to have, either a member of your family, or as a friend or neighbor, an educator who teaches English and whose expertise you trust, ask them to review your written work prior to publishing it as a website.

Youกll receive invaluable insights and suggestions from a specialized professional, at zero cost to you. Naturally, for your own peace of mind, refrain from taking their suggestions personally; it might be helpful to pretend that the work being reviewed by them is not your own.

Additionally, should be inclined to doing your revisions online, I offer up this list of grammar related resources with accompanying descriptions. They’re all fr*ee:

1. http://www.chompchomp.com/terms.htm Grammar terms are listed and each is linked to its own page of explanation and examples of correct and incorrect usage. There are also online exercises. By one Robin L. Simmons.

2. http://www2.ncsu.edu:8010/ncsu/grammar/ Home of the Grammar Hotline. Has tips and links. From North Carolina State University.

3. http://www.well.com/user/mmcadams/words.html Glossary of grammar terms and their meanings. From magazineediting guru Mindy McAdams.

4. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/errors.html Paul Brians of the Department of English at Washington State University talks about common mistakes and about perfect English that is often changed in error by wellmeaning editors.

5. http://www.worldwidewords.org/ All the pieces here are about English words and phrases—what they mean, where they came from, how they have evolved, and the ways in which people sometimes misuse them.

CONCLUSION

Thankfully, for the kind of writing that we do for the Web, you will not have to become adept at unraveling such mysteries as: What emotions dictate the use of the Subjunctive voice? Or, define a prepositional phrase. How about, what is the difference between a definite and an idefinite article? Or, can a personal pronoun be used in the possessive form? Better still, how would you indicate possession for a noun ending in the letter กs?ก Last but not least, does the English language have a future perfect tense?

Cast all your fears aside, because not only would answering those questions be beyond the scope of this narrative, they would surely be well beyond my own limited and flawed intelligence, as well! For website publishing, we only have to concentrate on writing clearly, sharply, and concisely; clean, simple, and well thought out copy is all we’re after. A basic common sense approach. Pulitzer prize winning authors are bred elsewhere.

Youกll find that, by taking the simple precautions and suggestions I have oulined here to spruce up your website, your professionalism will shine through, making you feel proud and empowered, your feelings of self worth will rise dramatically, giving you added confidence to tackle more and more written projects, praise from others will allow you to recognize your dormant talents, helping to fuel your creativity to a higher level…and your bottom line will inevitably soar as a result!

Copyright 2004 Jorge M. Vega After struggling for years trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t work online, the author has started to กbring home the baconก marketing on the Internet. See the few select, surefire ways he has found that anyone can use to begin making a comfortable homebased living, starting today: http://www.earnlarge.com/pbi

About The Author

Jorge M. Vega is foreignborn, and thanks God daily for the privilege of living in the land he loves, the good olกUSA. Taming the Internet beast took several years, but heกs found several easy ways to online profits which he gladly shares.

This article was posted on April 19, 2004

by Jorge M Vega

Create Your Own Digital Library

Create Your Own Digital Library

by: Jelaine Macaraeg

The moment you got your first digital camera, your view of the world has totally changed. You always seem to see something beautiful or artistic in your surroundings, worthy of being captured in pixels. You experiment quite a lot and keep on loading your pictures in your computer. Until one day, you thought of working on a project. You’re sure you have the kind of picture you need – you knew you have it somewhere in your hard disk… in one of those folders… You can’t run a search for it though because you pretty much use generic filenames like Flower1, Flower2, Flower 3 and so on. Uhoh! Looks like it’s high time for you to organize your digital photos!

Microsoft has something that can help you do that. It’s called the Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9, which actually consists of two imaging applications – MS Digital Image Library 9, which serves as your database of digital images and MS Digital Image Pro 9, which is a photo manipulation program.

A lot of people may like it’s familiar Explorerlike interface – the left pane being the folder pane, while the right side of the window is the image browser, showing thumbnails of your images.

The good thing about Digital Image Library 9 is that you wouldn’t have to transfer your photos from their current location. Instead, it scans your hard disk and locates folders it considers photo folders, afterwhich you may deselect folders that are not appropriate. The images may then be sorted according to date or keywords. From here, you may doubleclick on a photo to bring it up in a fullscreen view and use the basic controls for zoom, fit to screen, rotate and print. You may also select multiple photos for slideshow, the speed of which range from 1 second to 1 minute.

Oftentimes, pictures taken with a digital camera contains metadata. These are information about the photo, such as shutter speed and the date and time the photo was taken. Digital Image Library 9 allows you to add these metadata with captions and keywords to easily categorize and later on identify images. Another nifty feature of this application is that it even allows you to rate your photos! From the preview pane, simply click on how many stars, the highest being five, you wish to assign each photo.

If you wish to do some retouches on an image, simply click the edit button and Digital Image Pro 9 launches and opens the selected image. This application has a lot of quickfix features such as the Red Eye tool and the Smart Erase, which caters to novice retouchers and home users who don’t want anything complicated.

Being the allinone application that it is, Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 comes with tons of mats, frames and templates for creating professional photo projects such as scrapbooks, photo albums, calendars and postcards. You may also get Microsoft Photo Story, an addon to the suite that lets you turn your photos into video. Simply choose which photos to include then add some narration if you have a microphone and add music and zooming effects.

About The Author

Jelaine Macaraeg

I like to read anything that contains words in the old English form, though I can’t understand it. You know, the King James Version of the Bible with words like thou, thy, thine, wilst, etc. The words used are different. The construction of the sentence is different, too, which makes sentences sound artistic. I also like gothic metal, a music genre, because most of the lyrics contain such words. It is not only the words that fascinate me; it’s the hidden meaning it contains. It’s like an abstract painting; you don’t get the real picture until you see through it.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 11

by Jelaine Macaraeg

Five Keys To Leaner and Meaner Copywriting

Five Keys To Leaner and Meaner Copywriting

by: Robert Warren

Grab กem and don’t lose กem. Every marketer knows that one. Human beings have very short attention spans, so you can’t afford to waste your prospectกs time give them the good stuff and then let them go as soon as you can. Writing effective marketing material is all about writing crisply with just a handful of words.
Clean writing isn’t an accident, but is instead the result of the careful application of certain principles and tools. Try these five techniques for crafting leaner, meaner, more effective business copy:
Avoid modifiers. Modifiers change the meaning of other words; the most common of these are adverbs and adjectives (words that describe verbs and nouns, respectively). They’re used when the writer feels that the noun or verb needs a little something extra: ‘the shining sunก, กrun quicklyก, etc. Get rid of as many modifiers as you can and choose nouns and verbs that stand on their own.
No lazy words. Every word should be doing real work, conveying necessary information and supporting other parts of the piece. Think of your sentences as support beams and rafters in a building, and analyze the piece wordbyword: are there any nails sticking out of boards? Anything thatกs there purely for show? Anything that doesn’t strengthen your writing weakens it. Strip your copy down to its most essential parts, and throw out the words that are sleeping on the job.
Reduce it to a single sentence. Do you really know what you want to say? You might be surprised try phrasing your entire piece into one simple sentence. Can you do it, or are you insisting that your message is too indepth? Taking your point down to a single statement can give your copy new focus and clarity.
One thought per sentence. Sentences and paragraphs are different things. Avoid long, complex sentences built up of multiple thoughts. Keep your sentences to one thought each, keep them short and simple, and use your paragraphs for the complex ideas.
When in doubt, cut it out. Every writer has written the perfect sentence that just doesn’t play along well with others. Hemingway was right kill your darlings. If you can’t figure out how to ease that bit of poetry in with the rest of your marketing piece, cut it completely and don’t look back. Be merciless. Youกll be surprised how often thatกs the best solution.

About The Author

Robert Warren (www.rswarren.com) is a Floridabased freelance copywriter specializing in the unique marketing needs of independent professionals.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 05, 2004

by Robert Warren

Six Ways To Create a KeywordRich Domain Name

Six Ways To Create a KeywordRich Domain Name

by: Syd Johnson

An effective domain name can help to brand your site. It can also communicate to your customers the types of products you sell online. An easy to remember domain that describes your services should be the goal of every site owner. Here are some techniques that you can use to create the best domain name for your company.

Describe your products or services

One way to come up with an effective domain name is to describe your product or services. Write down every word or phrase that comes to mind when you think of your product or service. The easiest way is to keep writing for two to five minutes without stopping. It’s a creative writing technique that can yield a huge cache of keywords that you can plug into any registration application until you find a domain name that fits. This technique is effective, quick and free.

English has a large vocabulary list

The English language has one of the largest vocabulary lists in the world. If you can’t find a way to describe a product or service, take a break, come back in a few minutes and try again. Try to see how many different ways you can say the same thing. You already have access to the vocabulary list and ideally you will know your product or service better than anyone else. Pretend that you’re describing it to a friend and in a few minutes you will have a long list of words that you can use as your domain name.

Most short words are taken

Yes, many of the shorter words such as ขmenข, ขwomenข and ขbookข are taken. In today’s marketplace, you can’t rely on such generic terms to bring in traffic. An effective, memorable domain name must go beyond being a novelty to being an asset that helps customers remember your site and your product. Try putting two or three words together. This will make it easier for them to come back to your site and make a purchase.

Brainstorm your way to a great domain name

Brainstorming is the only way to get a good domain name. Whether you write, use a name generation software, a dictionary or try random words, it’s your creative approach that will give you quality results in less time.

Here are 4 easy domain name generation ideas:

Write about the product(s) that you plan to sell

Write about the topic or theme of your site

Write about the type of customers you want to visit your site

Start with one word descriptions and then add secondary words until your get an effective word or phrase that you register as your domain name.

Check out your competitor’s websites.

Are they using words that fall into a specific category like product names, rhyming words, or names of cities? These can all give you clues about what types of words and descriptions that make the best domain names for your type of service. It can also give you some clues into what works best with customers and search engines. In this case, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you just tweak it a bit to get better results.

You’ll also have words for your Search Engine Marketing Campaign

The cool thing about this technique is that it will also help you to generate a list of words that you can use later on as part of your search engine optimization campaign. Whether you plan to do this on your own or through a PayPerClick service, you will be ahead of the game with a long list of keywords to choose from.

About The Author

Syd Johnson is the Executive Editor of RapidLingo.com, Financial Solutions Website. You can see more articles at http://www.rapidlingo.com.

This article may be freely distributed as long as the authorกs bio is included with an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com.

This article was posted on October 28, 2004

by Syd Johnson

Almost A Misconception: Corel Draw

Almost A Misconception: Corel Draw

by: Blur Loterina

Corel Draw Version 4.0 is said to be the most ambitious computer software. What makes it ambitious is that it promises to be the ultimate tool for any computer graphics design and that it claims to be a bugfree software. The promotion was impressive but it appeared to have disappointed many CorelDraw users.

Many thought that Corel Draw version 7 will not be of any difference. Surprisingly, it gave them another dose of hope, a new and better software to give them professionalquality logos, special effects and illustrations.

This version focuses on interface, speed and maintenance. It is composed of Corel Photo Paint 7 and Corel Dream 3d7. One of the features included is the Template Wizard script. This allows you to create templates from saved files, reducing the time wasted in making templates. It also enables you to work on templates you created on other Corel draw versions, just add the templates on your template wizard. New template samples as well as templates for Paper Direct papers are included.

There is the Welcoming Screen that explains how vector images differ from bitmap images and how you can export them. Customizing keyboards and tools are also discussed. The purpose of the color manager is to instruct user how to manipulate color producing devices so that it will work well with Corel software. Also, there are shortcut keys and management tools for saving and organizing files.

Corel Draw 7 offers a much better scripting tool. You can use these tools to set styles and dimensions. You can set up your page using the property bar.

A scrapbook feature, which gives access to Draw 7, was included. Draw 7 is a collection of fills, cliparts, photos, designs and outlines. Use the Options Dialog Box for instructions on how to nudge or duplicate drawing options or adjust backups.

A new version was created, an upgrade from PhotoPaint and Corel Draw, the Select version. It contains a full version of the two programs. It’s not just a drawing program; it is also used for desktop publishing and professional photo image editing. It has a built in thesaurus and spell checker as well as 450 readymade professional looking templates. However, this version does not have other features included in the original Corel 7. The graphics library is limited and has fewer fonts as compared to the latter.

With Corel Draw 7, you can create realistic shadows and fix text inside objects or closed path.

About The Author

Blur Loterina

You may wonder why I write articles. Besides from the fact that it’s my job, I used to write short stories when I was younger. I think it would be helpful if I said I’m a big fan of Zach de la Rocha and Rage Against the Machine. This would explain my own views about a lot of things. Their songs were about national issues, politics and human rights. They support the American Indian Movement and Che Guevara, the face you see on tshirts. Not that it concerns me. I only like their music and idealism.

I like to read anything that contains words in the old English form, though I can’t understand it. You know, the King James Version of the Bible with words like thou, thy, thine, wilst, etc. The words used are different. The construction of the sentence is different, too, which makes sentences sound artistic. I also like gothic metal, a music genre, because most of the lyrics contain such words. It is not only the words that fascinate me; it’s the hidden meaning it contains. It’s like an abstract painting; you don’t get the real picture until you see through it.

I’m not an artist, I’m not a poet. I just love writing anything I want. I wasn’t born a genius, I just want to know and understand something I don’t. I like to find the difference between similar things. It’s like counting birthmarks on each identical twin.

Additional Information about the articles can be found at http://www.catalogprintingexperts.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 09

by Blur Loterina