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Issue #1 ~ October 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. MESSAGE FROM MARG
2. WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH - Let your voice come through
3. WEB WRITING WIZARDRY - Use White Space
4. EZINE GURU - Article Recipe #1: Tell A Story
5. EBOOK NEWS - Internet Law Compliance System
6. WINNING SOFTWARE - CBmall

Message from Marg

Welcome to the first issue of Writing To Win on the Web - and a special "Hi" to all the subscribers to our Epublishing4Success Tipsheet who have re-subscribed to our new ezine.

It was no picnic finding a way to let all our loyal subscribers know that we had changed to a different autoresponder. Our "old" one at simply stopped sending out our messages. Despite our sending emails, a fax and finally phoning, we could get no explanation (and definitely no satisfaction!)

We decided to send out just one message from our Group Mail program (the one we use to send our Writing For Success newsletter to paid subscribers) to let our Epublishing4Success subscribers know that we'd moved. These days, this is a risky move on the Internet. Even though everyone involved had signed up for our tipsheet, we could be accused of sending 'spam' by anyone who had forgotten. (No wonder many internet business professionals are opting to keep their newsletters on their sites - or keep 'blogs' (web diaries) on site, instead.)

This ezine is designed to keep you up to date with anything to do with "writing to win on the web" - that is:

- writing successful ezine/website articles
- writing compelling web copy
- writing sought-after e-courses
- writing and producing ebooks
- writing enticing sales copy, and
- writing emails and ezines that won't get you banned for spam!

This month, we're featuring the first of our article "recipes", designed to make your writing tasks easier. Writing anything is easier if you have a step-by-step guide to follow. While you can find plenty of free articles on the Web, the danger is that your reader may have seen them before. It's best to have at least one original article in your ezine. So... use our recipes! The first one (in the Ezine Guru section below) is about telling a story in your article.

We welcome feedback and/or ideas for content from our subscribers. If there's something you'd like to know... tell us!

To Your Success in Writing for the Web,
Marg :-)

Writing Tip of the Month: Let Your Voice Come Through

There are now thousands of ebooks, ezines and mini-courses available on the Internet. So many, in fact, that I suspect many people are in the same boat as I am - they have to make a decision about which ebook to buy or which ezine to sign up for.

There's no doubt that quite a number of them contain valuable information. It's also true that there are only so many hours in the day. I've been cutting back on my ezine subscriptions and membership of private sites for two reasons: to save time and to save money. Membership sites seem to becoming increasingly the same - so for me to stay, this sort of site has to offer a lot. As for ezines - I'm staying with the ones that (a) entertain me and (b) offer valuable information. If the editor can combine the two, I feel as though I've struck gold.

Tip of the month: don't let your ezine sink for want of a bit of personality. If you want to read an ezine with a distinctive 'voice', try subscribing to Harmony Major's FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH at http://HarmonyMajor.com . Harmony is so 'alive' she practically leaps off the screen and introduces herself... all through her writing.

Tip #2: Note that relaxed, entertaining writing does not mean lazy writing. Let your voice come through - but make sure you check your spelling, punctuation and sentence structure.

Web Writing Wizardry: Use White Space

Sometimes I realize that I'm taking basic techniques for granted - for example, when I visit a particularly badly planned site or read excruciating copy. As far as the use of white space is concerned, I tend to assume that "everyone" knows not to cram their words together or fill the screen with a jumble of words and images.

Not so. "Everyone" does not know this at all. Or although they "know" it, they don't DO it!

What about you? Could your web page do with a makeover? Are your words being read... or are they being left behind in favor of a site that is easier to skim?

Guiding Principles of the Use of White Space

• Understand that copy is easier to read when it is surrounded by white space
  
  
• Keep paragraphs short and leave space between each one
  
  
• Use bulleted lists to create more white space
  
  
• Indent lists and quotes to create wider margins and make your words stand out
  
  
• Use tables to organize text and images attractively
  
  
• Consider using a website of limited width (say, 650 pixels) and center the page. Pages that expand to fit the width of the viewer's monitor might sound good... but those l-o-o-ong lines of print stretching across the page can be very hard on the eyes. If you want to stick with auto-stretch sites, then use tables. Then you can fill the right and left hand margins with links and the nav bar, and use the center for your writing.

EXERCISE:

• Visit 10 websites. View at least 3 pages on each.
  
  
• Record your first impressions - e.g. "attractive", "crowded"; "print too small", "easy to read", "hard to navigate", "confusing", "clashing text/background" etc.
  

You'll find that sites that leave more white space around the words are generally easier to skim-read and feel more user-friendly. Take some time to analyse your own site - is it attractive and well planned? If you were a visitor, would you feel motivated to return?

Ezine Guru: Article Recipe #1 - Tell A Personal Story

People love to hear stories. They'll identify with what you have to say much more easily if you tell them an anecdote that relates to your subject matter.

The danger in using this method is that you can lose your way. Interminable, zig-zagging stories are just as boring in print as they are in person! Keep your story under control, and it will speak to your reader.

THE RECIPE

• Choose your subject
  
  
• Tell your story
  
  
• Identify the problem
  
  
• Offer a solution
  
  
• Draw a conclusion or call to action
  
  
• Give your article a catchy title
  
  
• Decide on the length. (Most ezines like articles of around 500 words.)

EXAMPLE OF A FINISHED ARTICLE

From Chaos To Contentment: The Pocket Organizer

Like most people, I'm fighting a constant battle to stay organized. I have a range of clients both online and offline and projects due at different times. I'm surrounded by to-do lists, stacks of print-outs, address books, phone lists and folders. Finding something quickly is more of a challenge every day.

I was beginning to despair of ever clearing the decks - or even seeing a glimpse of the deck! Then I stumbled across a solution. Browsing around an electronics store looking for a label-maker, I walked past a display of Palm products. The Palm Zire 71 caught my eye immediately (okay, I'm a sucker for a nice-looking piece of electronic gadgetry). There it was, in an attractive blue casing with a bright, colorful screen... begging me to play!

So I played.

After ten minutes I was hooked. Yeah, I know... all of you Palm devotees are yawning and muttering: "Where has she been the last few years?" - but hey, I had one of the early Palm Pilots. The screen was hard to read and the graffiti option didn't work too well. I went back to notebooks and a rolodex.

This one was totally different. It won me in no time at all. I wandered out of the store to "think about it" - and was back within fifteen minutes handing over my credit card.

How ever did I manage without it? Now I have - all in one pocket-size organizer - a date book that stretches decades forward and back from today's date, an address book with customizable lists, an expense record, a calculator, a memo pad, a note pad, a to-do list, a world clock... and this little beauty even has a built-in camera. (With an expansion card it could also be an MP3 player.) I've tossed six different items out of my handbag and replaced them with just the Palm. Bliss. (Oh, and did I mention I can sit it in the accompanying cradle and back up everything to my computer?)

Don't worry, this is not an advertisement for Palm products! I'm sure there are other organizers that do all this and more. (You can now get phones that do it all, come to think of it.) The point is, since I don't work in the corporate environment, I just hadn't realized what timesavers these all-in-one products can be. Now, wherever I go I have an incredible amount of information at my fingertips. I don't sort through various folders and files in search of contact information. Heck, I don't even have to carry family snaps around in my wallet - they're all stored in the Palm!

The lesson? There are several. One: personal organizers are not just for so-called "business professionals". They can streamline anyone's life. Two: If you're losing time (and patience) because you're not organized, take the time to sit down and see what can be done. Look for a method that is easy to use and combines a number of functions. Three: browsing through electronic gadgetry is not only fun - it pays off!

(511 words) © Marg McAlister 2003

Analysis Of The Completed Article

• The Subject: Personal organization
  
  
• The Story: How a pocket-sized organizer changed my life
  
  
• The Problem: Too many diverse and unwieldy systems to store information
  
  
• The Solution: A pocket-sized electronic organizer
  
  
• Call to Action: Analyze your needs - choose an easy, effective method to get organized
  
  
• A Catchy Title: "From Chaos to Contentment: The Pocket Organizer". The alliteration of "Chaos" and "Contentment" sounds good; the first part of the title summarizes the rewards, and the inclusion of "The Pocket Organizer" signals the subject matter.
  
  
• Word Length: The finished article is 511 words: a good length for most ezines (yours or someone else's). You need to be strict with yourself here. If your article is too long, CUT IT!
  
  

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Ebook News: The Internet Law Compliance System

The first ebook on Web Law caused a stir and sold lots of copies at just under $100. Now there's another one out for half the price: The Internet Law Compliance System by Shawn Casey and Jack Campitelli - subtitled: "How to Bulletproof Your Website in 60 Minutes or Less!". (Do you know what your obligations are if a child visits your website? Do you know that you can go to jail if your site doesn’t post the right warning? Do you know that every single website (this means you!) must comply?)

These quick and simple answers help you to avoid trouble. The Internet Law Compliance System comes with all forms included, clear instructions on how to customize the forms for your website, and an FTC report and a VAT report as well. Good value at $49.95. To learn more, go to: http://www.ipcgold.com/ad/111/CD1032

Winning Software: CBmall

CBmall (Clickbank Mall) has been described by Terry Dean as "An ideal second income stream". It's incredibly easy to create your own Clickbank Mall and earn affiliate commissions... this is not exactly software: just a great way to set up your own mall without having to have a website or know anything about HTML.

Jeff Mulligan's support is impressive: no way you'll be left to figure it out all by yourself! Find out more about it by subscribing f-r-e-e to this email course showing you 15 ways that CBmall can make you money. Go to: http://www.epublishing4success.com/15ways.htm

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