The Info Treasure Trove

I’ve begun to realize that I don’t do enough of the right kinds of research before contacting a publication. Here are some things I’ve learned to think about and do before pitching, which have made a difference in getting work.

Who do they love?

“It’s all about relationships.” Ever heard that? Publications are about people or things that are important to people in some way. You could say that a publication’s content is a gift to its readers, from the editor, the publisher, and you if you’re lucky enough to get in. To the degree that articles are about people, this is another group that is prized, by the magazine and its readers.

If you get to know these groups, you can learn how to write about the one group and their interests, to the other group and theirs.

For example, trade publications and newsletters that represent organizations love to see ideas that include interviews with its membership. Find out who those folks are and where their input might fit snugly into your proposed article or feature. Contact them, get some quotes and include them in your pitches.

For other publications (lifestyle, entertainment and mainstream consumer interests), figure out who its readers are most likely to idolize in some way, and include a quote from their favorite “stars”. Or, pitch an article about them. Tap the Reader Feedback Loop

Drilling down, you can check reader interests and opinions of current articles and subjects by reading reader feedback sections. Feedback sections appear at the end of online articles and often front of book in print magazines. These can tell you what readers like, dislike, and what they want to see more of from the publication in the future. Base pitches on this input, especially if it fits the magazine’s editorial concept. Go a step further and contact the reader (if an e-mail address has been left). Bringing readers in like that sometimes makes an impression on editors. What else?

Prognosis Please? Analyze current articles for common themes, approaches, priorities, common anything, and make sure a whisper (or a scream) of that commonality shows up in your presentation when you make contact.

Not 20 Questions, Just Six

When asking the journalist’s questions - who, what, when, where, why and how - first see what defines the most common answers in the publication’s articles. Is the who usually a scientist, a man on the street interview, a business owner, or who? Do the same with the other five questions.

Who’s Paying the Bills? Make sure you’re familiar with the publication’s advertisers and compare their products with your audience’s reading habits and interests. Find out who is selling what, to whom and how? Discover what kind of writing brings those potential customers between the pages? Soon you’ll know which topics are yummy to cantaloupe connoisseurs, or what the hottest subject matter is for people who prefer to wear parkas while standing on snow covered mountains.

Do You Get the Concept?

The editorial concept is usually short and easy to find. In a sentence or two it tells you just what the given periodical is all about. Make sure your ideas hit the mark with the editorial concept. Look for it; find out what it is. Squeeze concept words and closely related words and ideas in this corner here or that corner there of your query.

Stylin’

Editorial style - just how does the whole word entrée come together - recipe, ingredients and all? If you don’t write like most of the stories you see in the publication and aren’t sure you can, stop - read them, practice writing pieces just like them (just for yourself for practice) before you make your approach. If the practice pieces are good, you might use them as samples, especially if you have trouble getting in without them.

Writing a lot of articles these days? You may have heard it is a great way to drive traffic to your site. But unless you are following these key points your work may be in vain. Before you submit another article read this over to make sure your article submission is successful.

When including links to your web site within your article, make sure those links are working! Each directory you submit to may handle it differently. Some will convert them automatically to a live link, others you will need to add the html to the link to make it live. When your article gets republished the link may not be live, defeating the purpose of trying to increase your back links. If someone can’t click on it and go to your web site, what advantage is it to be writing and submitting articles? You should always add your web address in you bio or “about author” starting with http:// That way even if the link is not live, someone interested in going to your site could always copy and paste it into their browser. Always preview your article to check to see if it is formatted the way you want it to look and check your links! Revise it as needed.

The importance of choosing the correct category. If your article is about marketing, why would you want it in poetry? It is critical to your article success that you choose the correct category for several reasons. It will group your article together with similar articles. This helps the search engines find “relevant” content. It helps users who are looking for new content to find your article. It can speed up the submission process by helping the directory owners. Some article directories have rss feeds for each category. Subscribers and rss feed directories will be notified when that category is updated, thereby increasing your article exposure.

Take advantage of all each article directory has to offer. Each one is different but they may offer some valuable features that you may not be aware of. Always create a clear, concise summary. Add keywords if available. In your profile, you may be able to create several links to your websites. These are links that will stay with the article directory and be spidered by search engines. You could easily add 50-100 static links pointing to your website this way.

If you need new ideas for writing articles, check out each directory for their most popular articles. This will give you a good idea on what people are looking for. Continue to submit to as many article directories as you can. There is success in numbers.

Happy article writing!

In the modern world very many people prefer buying their swimwear online; shopping online is an effortless and fitting way to shop in the tranquil of your own house.

It’s fundamental to ensure whilst procuring swimwear online that it fits you perfectly. When you get swimwear on the Internet always be sure that the shop offers a valuable quality sizing diagram that presents all of the sizes you need. With the help of a sizing diagram one can make sure to purchase a swimsuit or bikini that fits rightly, thus reducing the need to exchange for another size. The Majority of the swimwear shops do not provide an exchange of goods so it’s usually always better to opt for a shop where exchanges are permitted. Many online shops will allow the returns of swimwear if the tags and the original wrapping are also returned along with it. Find eye-catching and sexy swimwear at great prices from designers such as StarBlu, Verde Veronica, Sunflair, Lola Luna, Seafolly and Continental Textiles.

Swimwear is an inevitable aspect of the summer; however a huge majority of full-figured females feel fearful at the notion of shopping for swimsuits and bikinis that fit right. These women even think about wearing caftans by the swimming pool or at the beach rather than looking unpleasant. Designers and shopkeepers have indentified the fashion issues of the larger woman, and are at last featuring a wide selection of stylish bathing suit designs in XL sizes, and one of the best places to discover such swimwear is to buy swimwear on the Web.

If you are looking for safer online shopping you may want to consider a virtual credit card. It takes away a lot of the risk of personal information and credit card numbers falling into the hands of thieves.

A virtual credit card offers you the option of shopping online with a disposable credit card number that are single-use credit card numbers, which expire within one or two months.

The security benefit of using a virtual credit card for online shopping is your normal bank account is not affected if an online scam artist happens to get your account number.

There’s no value to hackers because you use a different, random card number every time you shop online. A virtual credit card number is only good on the Web site where you made your purchase.

With identity theft and email phising scams rising at an alarming level it’s a good way to keep your sensitive information private. Even if a scammer does somehow acquire your virtual credit card number, the disposable credit card number expires quickly so it’s not an ideal target for them.

The major credit card companies all offer prepaid virtual credit cards and the amount is limited to how much you apply to the card. You are protected just like a regular credit card if they are lost or stolen.

MasterCard calls them MasterCard gift cards and Visa calls them virtual Visa gift cards. You can use them anywhere MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

There are some instances when paying with a virtual credit card won’t work. You can’t pick up theater tickets; confirm airline, hotel or rental car reservations with a virtual credit card. These credit card numbers don’t exist off the Web so they don’t work for these things.

But if you are using the disposable credit card numbers for buying products online the security benefits are well worth it. If you are looking for safer online shopping consider a virtual credit card.

Copyright © 2005 Spyware Information.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is provided by http://www.spyware-information.com where you will find free spyware cleaners, downloads, removal software, computer firewalls and valuable tips. For regularly updated articles about adware, spyware and protection from identity theft go to http://spyware-information.com/articles_1.html

Q: How do I expand on an idea without getting too wordy?

A. Before you begin counting words, focus on holding the reader’s interest.

(1) Writing as fast as possible, write up your idea, in expanded form, as if you were writing an email to a good friend. Don’t edit or censor yet.

(2) Stop! Take a break — at least fifteen minutes. Have a cup of coffee, take the dog around the block, spend quality time with the cat.

(3) Return to your article and go on the attack. Replace abstract thoughts with word pictures or anecdotes.

For example, this morning I wanted to encourage readers undergoing midlife crisis to be wary of costly career tests and assessments.

First, I wrote, “Some assessments are not especially scientific or valid. Astrology can be just as useful — and a lot cheaper.” Okay, but ho-hum.

I changed this sentence to, “At midlife, the tests invariably demonstrate that you’re very, very good at what you are doing. Many assessments lack scientific validity — they’re no more accurate than a quiz you’d take in a popular magazine.”

And I added a narrative example, a composite of three true stories:

Reginald regretted not only the money spent for assessments, but also the feedback he received.

“They told me I would make a good engineer, which I am,” he said. “But they also suggested I pick an outdoor career. I’m not ready to be a forest ranger!”

Stories keep people reading. Every article needs at least one — more is better!

(4) Notice that you can often expand a single idea by stretching your story.

For example, I want to say, “People gain self-awareness through action, not assessments.”

The story becomes: “Reginald had three ideas in mind for his future career: architecture, astrology and aeronautical engineering. As he began networking to learn more about each career, he also learned more about himself. He realized that…”

(5) After you’ve cut out abstract ideas, your word count probably will go down.
Begin your attack with your first three paragraphs. Most of us have to write a few hundred words to figure out where we want to begin.

Cut ruthlessly as you move through the article. After awhile, chopping a thousand words down to five hundred will be easier than pruning your own rose bushes.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

There are many occasions where we can buy things for our friends, family and special people. Birthdays, Christmas, Anniversaries, Valentines, Mothers day, Fathers day, Graduation, and other events count as a celebration and a good ground to give presents. We can even give gifts without a particular reason, like you just want to offer something out of the good of your heart or as just a reward, incentive or anything to show appreciation. The purpose in doing this is to bring happiness to the giver and recipient. Not only you who receive it get excited, but also the one who gives it to you. It is a wonderful feeling to see how your mother cry with tears of joy over the gift she receives from Mothers day. The squeal of delight when your best friend tore the wrapper and found the gift she had wanted. The bark of laughter you share with your brothers and sisters when you jumped scared because of the silly insect they chose to give you as their present. You see how your girl friend widened her eyes because of the unexpected gift that shows that she really liked

Some can afford extravagance that they go extreme to buying a house and lot, cars, jewelries plane, yacht, and more. Unlike for those who cannot spend that much, can buy something less expensive but has more thought to it. Others will just make something out of the ordinary, like compose a song, knit a sweater, create a candle, and cook for the person and a lot more. Like what they say, it’s the thought that counts.

I’m pretty sure if you asked 100 Americans how long the Thanksgiving holiday has been observed, they would answer ever since the pilgrims arrived and technically celebrated the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth, MA.

For the most part, these people would be correct. Thanksgiving has been a long-standing tradition in America for hundreds of years.

But the actual, official holiday has only been recognized since the 1860s.

Abraham Lincoln (our 16th president) was the first leader of our country to officially call for a national day of thanks.

And so, each thanksgiving celebrated since has been the result of this great president.

For that, I am truly thankful.

It’s a fact; people love their holidays.

Time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life is a welcome respite for us all.

I haven’t seen any statistics lately on what the favorite holiday here in the US is, but if I had a guess, it would be either Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Both of these holidays conjure up a variety of emotions for me; Christmas in particular.

But it’s Thanksgiving (at least for me) that I look forward to the most.

Without all the media-driven hype and overly-promoted commercialism, thanksgiving in usa towns and homes is simply a time to enjoy good family, fine food, and healthy fellowship.

The Working Case Study by Christine Taylor Next to white papers, case studies are the most popular tool in the technical marketer’s toolkit The ubiquitous case study can range from a 3- paragraph online snippet to a full-blown magazine article. The most popular case study in the marketing/PR arsenal is the 500-700 word success story. They’re not as challenging to write as white papers, but you should structure them for maximum impact.

Different companies use different structures for their case studies, but all should follow the same general pattern: 1. Company overview and challenge 2. Project details 3. Positive results (of course)

Customer Overview and Challenge Start with a 2-3 paragraph overview of the customer’s company. This should be very positive - since you’re going to detail a problem the customer was having, the last thing you want to do is make them sound like jerks. So compliment them. Feel free to adapt the overview from their own Website text, where they’re already placing themselves in the best possible light. Then move on to the business challenge. Don’t make the customer sound stupid or incompetent. The challenge should always be centered on something good that is happening to them - fast growth, industry prominence, strategic IT changes - whatever. Their challenge should be applicable to your readers’ own business issues.

Project Details No project goes perfectly, but save the debriefing for the longer-form trade journal article. These short case studies should report on the successful project by briefly discussing specific products and benefits.

Don’t go all over the map. If the project is fairly narrow or specific, you won’t have any trouble sticking with the main point. In the case of large and complex installations, concentrate on the main point. For example, Microsoft Great Plains has more modules than you can shake a stick at. Concentrate on the ones that had the most positive impact on your customer.

Business Benefits Always quantify improvement when you can. Numbers can be dollar savings, percentages, or other measures of saved staff time, more efficient workflows, better customer service, etc. Be sure that the benefits you list are the benefits the customer perceives - hard costs are most easily quantified, but soft costs may have the higher perceived benefit to a customer. Ideally you will list both.

When NOT to Write a Case Study What are the most common blocks to partnering with a customer for a case study?

1.Your customer is really unhappy. They’d do a case study all right, but you wouldn’t want them to. If you’re the hapless individual setting up the initial interview, be sure that the customer really is happy and is open to talking to you. Otherwise they’ll just give you an earful. Fix: promise the customer that you’ll pass on all of his comments to the technical support team, or whoever you think will best handle it. Then do it, and forget about it. 2.Customers who fear their market will punish them. Prime example: legal firms with security issues. Sure you helped them through a security project and now they’re Fort Knox, but they don’t want their clients to dream that a problem ever existed in the first place. Fix: Forget it. They’ll never give you permission to produce the study. Besides, they’re probably right. 3.Your customer is an exacting IT type who is suspicious of the success story format. This customer considers the project a success too, but they dislike purely positive spins - and no project is perfect. Fix: If they are happy for the most part, get a buy-in that the project really was successful. Don’t put him off about the negatives, capture those comments too and promise to pass them on. (Then do it.) This is usually enough to secure the interview. 4.Your customer is scared to be interviewed. This is usually the IT guy who did all the footwork, and prefers to stay behind the scenes. He (or she) will either be too nervous to talk, or will despise you because he doesn’t think you’ve got the technical chops. Usually both. Fix: Understand the technology you’re interviewing about. You don’t have to be an engineer, but you should understand IT pressures and issues. Ask leading questions, but if they clam up and won’t talk, thank them and hang up. Tell your customer contact that you’re so happy you got to talk to the technician, and now could you talk to a project manager too? Christine Taylor is an expert copywriter for the technology industry. Call her today for help with your white paper, trade journal article, case study, positioning document, or any other B2B marketing piece. Call 760-249-6071 or e-mail her at chris@keywordcopy.com, and start that white paper selling!

Among the many business people- especially salespeople, I’ve helped as a psychologist over the years, handling rejection by customers is often a major problem. Typically, they tell me how the “motivational” books and tapes they’ve tried don’t seem to work. As one man said recently, “They always exhort you to be positive and don’t take things personally. It only makes me feel dumb when I do get upset about a lost sale.”

What really helps us to handle rejection is to recognize that there is a part of our minds which ALWAYS takes disappointment seriously. This part connects us to childhood emotional feelings of insecurity- something we all have experienced. Any disappointment, frustration, and loss will make us feel anxious and small, what I call a “child state.”

The key to handling rejection is to have COMPASSION for such young feelings. All too often, people(especially men) are self critical when they feel vulnerable-e.g. “Why am I making such a big deal of losing that sale?” This only shames us and makes us feel bad.

What REALLY works is when we can say, “Look, this WAS a disappointment and it hooked child feelings in me. OK, so how can I best take care of myself to get back on the horse and get going again.” Such self compassion and active coping with rejection gets us back in an “adult state”. This difference between adult and child states is important to understand both in our professional AND personal lives.

When dating, for instance, it is important to remember that child state feelings are evoked when someone says no to our request for a date. The key, once again, is awareness and compassion for such feelings. Doing so can have amazingly positive effects on enhancing future success!

Norm Ephraim,Ed.D. is a psychologist in Boston, Mass. He is the author of MOOD SHIFTING: UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSFORMING YOUR NEGATIVE MOODS This 3 step program helps you transform negative and pessimistic moods into more positive and productive ones. His web site is http://www.mood-shifting.com.

Muscles are not capable of performing at high levels of intensity unless they have been ‘warmed-up’ sufficiently. This is common knowledge amongst most serious bodybuilders. What isn’t such common knowledge, is that muscles should be warmed-up with the exact same exercise they are about to perform.

The ideal warm-up for any particular exercise is itself. The only truly effective warm-up exercise for the bench press is, in fact, the bench press. This simple secret often causes confusion. So, what’s the best way to warm-up before performing a workout? Definitely not with the use of power lifting techniques. Power lifting techniques are unnecessary and counter productive when trying to build muscle fast.

Let me explain. The warming-up process for competitive power lifting is designed for the single repetition lifts the competitor must perform. An individual who participates in a weightlifting competition is not interested in producing rapid increases in muscle size. Their primary concern is ensuring their strengthen muscles are warmed-up sufficiently to perform a series of single repetition lifts, without sustaining injury.

When performing single lifts, careful and deliberate warm-ups are critical. A maximum capacity lift attempted with a cold muscle exposes you to a very high risk of injury. In most cases, muscles that are not warmed-up, will not perform at all. So warming-up with the intended single lift exercise with a considerably lighter weight is the most common method used. In other words, they perform multiple sets to warm-up for the single attempt lift.

But, warming-up for competitive and Olympic weight lifting is one thing; warming-up for a muscle building routine is entirely different. Too many guys warm-up like a weightlifting competitors before starting their routines. Using lighter weights, they performs three to four additional sets of every exercise, insisting that it will lead to maximum muscle gains.