SOME HELPFUL HINTS IN WRITING ARTICLES FOR THE WEB - TWENTY FIVE TIPS

Writing articles can provide you with enormous
amount of exposure on the Web. You are branding
yourself on a shoestring budget - it hasn't cost you a
cent, but a little time and effort Writing a free content
article is simple and follows a similar professional
approach as an article for a standard, paying market.

People want quality content : for their ezines and their
web sites .; however, the competition for content is
fierce. Every Web site owner wants content and
hundreds of writers want their content visible on the
Web It's FREE promotion through your signature file
at the end of your article* Articles that give good
information or explain how to accomplish something
are usually best, and will be read most often.

Here are some pointers in writing articles for the www:

1. Accept that writing for the web is different to
writing for the off-line world. People tend to skim and
scan (note alliteration) when reading online. They
read quickly scrolling down the page.

2. Identify your target audience.

3. Give your article a catchy title that will grab
attention and make people want to read.

4. Keep your title reasonably short. Put some thought
and effort into your heading - again to get your reader's
immediate attention.

5. Be professional and take your article writing seriously.
Write about something you know professionally. Don't
be overly casual in your writing (ie. don't write exactly
as you speak)

6. Keep your paragraphs short.

7. Get to the point quickly (enough waffle with
maple syrup, Craig!).

8. Target your article to your audience with "focussed
information".

9. Be brief, if you are a "waffler", like this writer.
People want immediate information online and have
limitedtime usually - it's the "instant coffee, sorry
generation.

10. Write briefly and concisely (redundant words,
meaning the same thing, Craig!) Try to keep your
article under 1,500 words. Most paying markets
usually only accept between 500 and 2,000 words...
and with a bit of luck they may even "pick up" your
great article. Try to be concise in your wording. Brevity
is the hall-mark of good writing...or so say many of the
teachers of writing!

11. Use the OCCASIONAL exclamation mark (!) to
get your readers attention. Forget the ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS and exclamation points!!!

12. Be credible (big word, eh?) at all times. I use my
articles to attempt to share, inform and entertain at the
same time in a "conversational style with dashes of my funny
(peculiar/zany) humour".

Happy writing "dem" articles