Writing Posts

Writing Better Shell Scripts – Part 2

The latest Innovations video which covers shell script error handling. To see the blog post that both of the videos go with, have a look at http://www.innovationsts.com/blog/?p=1896

Duration : 0:9:40

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Writing Blog Posts that Get Read

Adriel Hampton, (e)ADRIEL of Empire Avenue, talks about how to get your blog posts read by talking about people, and how to use the mentions function on EA.

Duration : 0:2:49

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How to Blog Your Way to Success?

Very few people don’t want to be successful, but the majority has little or no idea as to how to reach their goal. A blog can be a huge boost to get you to where you want to be, whether your dream is to be interviewed on Oprah or become a world-famous author.

The Power of Blogs

Blogs are amazing things. There are plenty of badly written ones out there, but when put to use properly, you’ll find that a weblog can really be powerful.

First of all, blogs are easy to read. It’s very difficult to read huge amounts of text online, but the short posts that are published on blogs are nice and easy to make out.
For more details go to: www.atoz-about-rss.com they’re also quick to read, so you can gather a lot of information in a short amount of time.

There are other benefits as well:

Subscriptions. People tend to subscribe to read their favorite blogs in a feed reader. That means you have their attention long-term and can create a bond with them.

Personal. Blogs are far more personal than websites and allow readers a little insight into your life, even if you are writing from a business perspective. Your personality comes across in the writing and that will connect with people.

Search Engines. Google and other search engines LOVE blogs because of the constant stream of content. The majority of blogs are updated several times a week, meaning that there is always fresh content to be indexed. Use your keywords properly and you’ll be rewarded with plenty of search engine traffic.

Earn. While not all blogs are or should be monetized, if you need to earn a little extra money, you can easily put ads, text links and add services to your page.

Expertise. Perhaps the single most important thing that a blog can provide you with is expert status. If you write about elephant feeding habits for long enough, people will eventually see you as The Expert on elephant feeding.

How to Blog Your Way to Success

If you have a plan, you can use your blog to send you shooting toward your end goal, usually with terrific results. The first thing to do, of course, is establish a blog.

There are free services like Blogger out there, but if you want to do things the right way, you’ll need your own hosting and domain name. Then you need to write some content.

Content is the most important thing a blog has to offer. It doesn’t have to be all writing . . . if you are a photographer, your blog could be made up entirely of photos with a few captions. For can visit to: www.your-own-blog.com other people have great success with video blogging; the main idea is to have some kind of content.

You’ll need to write on your chosen topic, the thing you want to be known for. If you are a freelance writer, for example, you might want to offer writing tips, or you could aim at a target market of businesses and offer tips on how to improve your business with article marketing, etc. Angle your posts to your target market.

Next, make lots and lots of connections. Other bloggers, in forums, etc. The better known your blog is, the faster you’ll hit stardom.

Once you’ve established yourself as an expert in your field, you will find that amazing opportunities open up. It’s a matter of providing interesting and well-presented material and doing plenty of networking in order to turn your words into something that can literally launch you into success.

Jasneen
http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/how-to-blog-your-way-to-success-745482.html

what service do you like best for writing blogs?

Which one is easiest to manage? Which one is best for driving traffic? Which one is most automated allowing for just writing and posting?

You always do better having your own domain name and web hosting account using a good blog software program with add-ons that supports SEO. WordPress has many such extras.

When you use another blogging service you are bringing traffic first to that web hosting account then secondary to your blog.

Here’s the WordPress SEO All-In-One-Package Add-on: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

The Real Pirates of the Caribbean – Heroes of Justice and Democracy

The Real Pirates of the Caribbean – Heroes of Justice and Democracy

by Cherie Pugh

Cherie Pugh discovered the true story of the Nassau pirates when sailing through the Caribbean on a traditional wooden ship. She found the court records of their trial in London, and spent years researching and writing her novel

“Mary Read – Sailor, Soldier, Pirate”.

This ultimate pirate yarn is now available as an ebook or paperback from www.womanpirate.com

The real pirates of the Caribbean were mostly desperate British sailors, abandoned by their government after they had fought and won Queen Anne’s war. From 1702 to 1713, England, Holland and Germany challenged the might of Catholic France, in a terrible war waged in Flanders and Spain. This war, fought nominally over the succession to the Spanish throne, raised England to a super power, won her entrance to the immensely profitable slave trade, and ended the centuries old dominance of France. Yet England now required no more than skeleton crews to sail her ships back, and her well-trained sailors were left begging for bread in all her scattered colonies. Other European powers also abandoned soldiers and sailors, and there were many Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Spaniards who had deserted their posts, and were now without a home.

Many of the sailors stranded in the Caribbean were forced to cut logwood in the jungles, the desperate life uniting them into tight-knit brotherhoods, sworn to protect each other through malaria, Indian attack and starvation. When the captain of a trading ship tried to cheat Charles Vane’s Company, Vane killed him, and commandeered the ship. And all over the Caribbean, the brethren followed suit, and returned to the sea as pirates.

At the same time, a massive fleet sailed from Cartagena on the Spanish Main, carrying the treasure stripped from South America during the years of the war. Now that peace had been declared, the Spaniards decided to take the immense risk of getting it home. Yet they had barely set sail when a terrible cyclone smashed into them, leaving corpses and gold littering the beaches of Florida.

The pirates heard about the treasure when Captain Henry Jennings rescued a drowning Spanish sailor. When the gallant Welshman refused to throw him back overboard, despite the mutterings of his crew, the grateful Spaniard revealed the fate of the treasure fleet. Jennings then united the pirates, and led them in an overwhelming attack on the Spanish salvage camp. They sailed off together with a fortune.

Jennings then led them to Captain Mission’s old pirate base – the port of Nassau on the island of Providence in the Bahamas. Because of the trade winds, the Bahamas stand directly in the line of sail from Europe to the New World colonies, and every merchant ship would have to run the pirate gauntlet. Nassau harbour, with its reefs and shallows and extreme tides was also too dangerous for a large, square-rigged Navy ship to enter.

Urged by Jennings, the pirates united under Captain Mission’s code, which insisted on the honour of the Brethren of the Sea. The pirates claimed they were true gentlemen, and those well-born were but a pack of wolves that gorged on the helpless and weak. Mostly poor sailors, most had been shanghaied by their own government, that required hundreds of men for each ship in their navy, yet in never managing to feed them properly, due to the corruption of the Navy commanders, killed thousands of their own men every year, many times more than were ever killed in battle.

It is within a cultural disdain for the life of the ordinary man or woman, that the pirates evolved. These men came from the 80% of Britain that lived in desperate poverty and lawlessness, and having all suffered from injustice, they chose not to tolerate it, or perpetuate it. If they captured a ship captained by a tyrant, the pirates would encourage the crew to ‘tickle’ him, before dropping him into his ship’s boat, keeping his ship for his crew to share. To them, this was justice. The pirates also released slaves from the ships they captured, for they abhorred slavery as much as any Quaker.

The Caribbean pirates lived by strict rules, chosen by themselves, and clearly expressed in their Company Articles. Marcus Rediker, in “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – A History of Anglo-American Seafaring…” examines six surviving sets of signed Articles which all insist on one man, one vote. Their officers were openly elected, and could be challenged by any of the crew. The quartermaster’s role was to defend the rights of the crew against the captain, who could only give orders when they were ‘chasing or being chased’. Every man had an equal share in the plunder, except the captains and quartermasters, who had a share and a half.

They expelled any man who stole from the Company, even to the value of a piece of eight; any who took an open flame below deck near the gunpowder; any who raped a “prudent” woman found aboard a prize; or who bought boy or bawd aboard for amusement.

I have found the court records of two women aboard pirate ships, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Mary Read masqueraded as a man for most of her life, including her time with captain Jack Rackam. Anne stole two sloops for Rackam’s crew, dressed in trousers when attacking, and though living openly as a woman pirate, and Rackam’s wife, was manifestly good for business. Even so, it is probable that the two women contributed to Rackam’s downfall.

[For more information on these fascinating women, see my coming article

“Mary Read and Anne Bonny - Pirate Women of the Caribbean”]

As they had sworn binding oaths not to spill each other’s blood, the pirates marooned any who broke their rules. A man could be made the ‘Prince of an island’ that was no more than a strip of sand in a blinding sea. With no water, food or shade, he would die in agony within three days. Or he might be left on a verdant isle with all he needed, and the likelihood of another ship dropping in for water.

Perhaps the lasting achievement of the Nassau pirates was the introduction of the bird-wing sail to Europe. John Haman built the pirates’ small fast ships at Harbour Island, basing his designs on the sloops of the Malacca pirates, ‘fast to attack, faster to run’. The pirates easily outran the square-sailed Navy ships, and their agile sloops could easily negotiate the dangerous reefs and shallows of the Caribbean on much lighter breezes. It was not until the Navy adopted these sloops, that they threatened the pirates at all.

[For more information on Nassau, see my next article

“Nassau – Pirate Haven in the Caribbean]

By 1715, pirate fleets of small, quick sloops dominated the trade between England, Africa and the Caribbean. They kept themselves well-armed, making their own powder and grenades, and stealing all the large and small armament they needed. Sailing up to a merchantman, King Death flying from the mainmast, drums and trumpets blaring, their sloops crowded with hundreds of armed men with blackened faces cursing like the Devil, and promising mercy only upon instant surrender, they must have seemed truly terrifying. The small, under-paid, starving crew would indeed surrender instantly, knowing the pirates’ reputation for fairness to the ordinary sailor, whose sea-chests they never touched.

When their holds were full, the pirates sold their stolen goods openly at auction on the docks of the corrupt colonial governors, who disliked buying expensive, highly-taxed goods from Europe.

At its height, the Brethren of the Sea was a close-knit organisation of thousands of well-trained sailors, in companies of hundreds of men, in large fleets of fast sloops. Openly devoted to the ethics of justice and democracy, they committed a great deal of theft, but little murder. That they have been slandered as psychopaths is an ongoing injustice.

[For more information on the British Government's slaughter of these pirates,

see my coming article “The End of the Pirates of the Caribbean”]

The ultimate pirate yarn is now available as an ebook or paperback from

www.womanpirate.com

Cherie Pugh
http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/the-real-pirates-of-the-caribbean-heroes-of-justice-and-democracy-755244.html

Viral Marketing to Improve Sales

Viral marketing is so aptly named because the idea, when promoting a product, is to allow for brand recognition to spread quickly, like a virus. In the case of marketing, naturally, the end result will not yield illness, but sales. For the author, viral marketing – or word of mouth campaigns – is an essential method of promotion.

When one thinks of viral marketing as a means to promote books, music, or other items, more than likely it is believed that such techniques are limited to the Internet. This is not necessarily the case. Viral marketing refers to the use of exist social networks or communities for promotion, and while the Internet lends a good amount of convenience here, there are ways to spread “the virus” beyond cyberspace if one is creative enough. By establishing recognition of your book within a small network, you have the opportunity to expand your audience as people engaged in that network move outward and employ word of mouth to recommend your books.

Here are just a few examples of online and offline viral marketing techniques designed to raise awareness:

E-Mail signatures: Every time you send an e-mail – to a friend, relative, or to anybody – you should take the opportunity to promote your work. You need not send a full-blown pitch with every message, but it is imperative to include your URL and catchy one-line slogan in your signature. You would be surprised how a few carefully chosen words can remain fresh in a consumer’s mind for years. Slogans are the core of advertising, and to include a tagline in your e-mail signature can entice readers to click through to your website.

Having worked with a number of romance authors with regards to promotion, I find a number of them have effective e-mail signatures designed to lure readers:

Bridget “an author who never goes” Midway

Do you dare? Ellwood…If She Could. Leigh Ellwood, Romance Author

Where spicier romances are concerned, a reader is going to want to know exactly what Leigh dares, and how far Bridget goes in her writing. Such a slogan, however, does not have to be limited to a body of work. If you have only one book to market, think of a phrase or line relevant to the story that will attract readers. Sell your book in ten words or less and offer visitors incentive to click through to learn more.

Forums and Messageboards: Depending upon the subject of your book, you can find readership in the many online forums available to you. While some forums may not allow direct advertising, equating such blatant promotions to spam techinques employed by robots, there are ways to steer around restrictions.

If you have written a non-fiction work, it is highly recommended to spend some time each day patrolling any message boards relevant to your topic. Whether you have authors a sports biography or self-help work, there is certain to be one or two forums where potential readers exist for your work. If you write fiction, there do exist a number of readers forums related to many genres, from romance to science fiction to fantasy. If your works are in similar vein to popular books and movies (a fantasy novel akin to Tolkien, or a hard-boiled private eye story), seek out those forums as well. Readers of a certain fandom may be willing to broaden their interests if they are duly enticed.

Depending upon the forum, signatures are permitted. Use the opportunity to create a signature (as with your e-mail) designed to encourage forum members to click through to your site. As you become a part of these communities, you also have the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert on forum subjects. Post and reply to posts, and increase awareness of your brand. Employing such a subtle, viral technique can be helpful in bring people to your website and your book.

Articles: Similar to the concept of being a forum expert, writing articles relevant to your book’s topic is a useful method of viral marketing. Whether your write fiction or non-fiction, poetry or plays, supplemental articles for distribution enhance your credibility and allow for the increase of traffic to your website.

Concise, short articles of about 300-400 can be submitted to third-party article databases for distribution. With each article you write, include a biography and URL link to your site. As website owners needing content pick up your material for use, they are obliged to use your links. This method of viral marketing sets you up as an expert on the subject at hand, and also increases opportunity for higher link popularity on your website.

Article writing as a viral marketing technique is also effective in print. Find periodicals and journals relevant to your book’s topic, and submit articles for publication. For mystery and romance authors in particular, there exist opportunities to write anecdotes on the writing process and story inspiration. Mystery Readers Journal and Mystery Scene Magazine are two such outlets that welcome author input.

Mailing Lists: Similar to the message board, the topic mailing list brings the conversation and information directly to the readers’ mailboxes. Visit a database for mailing lists, such as Yahoo Groups or Topica, and you will also find a number of authors have mailing lists set up to promote their works. Some lists are employed purely for newsletter distribution, while others allow for readers to interact with each other and the author.

Whether you decide to maintain your own list or join lists relevant to your books, viral marketing comes into play through your posts and signatures. Try not to be an overt advertisement, but maintain some degree of visibility and authority on relevant subjects. Build trust among the readership, and eventually you will find readers clicking through to your site to learn more.

Signage: Perhaps while driving you have seen the a window sticker on the care in front of you, advertising a URL. It might have been a commercial vehicle, or a mom’s van promoting an in-home business for cosmetics or other goods. You might have it thought it amusing at first, but such signage can be useful in imprinting a brand into the general consciousness. Billboards would not exist otherwise if there was not some proven effectiveness.

The good thing about a sticker on the back window of a car or truck is that it does not have to be too obnoxious, just large enough to be seen. Shop around for a custom design, then you have a traveling advertisement for your book everywhere you drive.

Just as word of mouth advertising helps promote books, music, and other items, so can viral marketing be as effective. Plant seeds of interest throughout the Internet and watch as your traffic and sales bloom.

Kathryn Lively
http://www.articlesbase.com/viral-marketing-articles/viral-marketing-to-improve-sales-92920.html

Blogging For Beginners: Google Will Gobble Up Keyword Targeted Posts On Your WordPress Blog

http://bloggingforbeginnersonline.com

http://empoweredblogs.com

I missed the boat on this one for years!
I about fell out of my chair when a friend showed me what I was missing out on and it was literally thousands of dollars all because I was not adding the right keywords in my articles and videos.
You see I came from a social media background first. So for many months I was writing for my followers only. I was totally forgetting about the search engines. Big mistake HUGE! Once I fixed this and started to implement a couple of targeted keywords in every post, my comment rate, RT rate, and even my opt in rate went up.
Why more eyeballs!
At first I thought that it was due to a fluke. Maybe my post got a little more buzz on the social media scene. Yeah maybe but when I Googled my keyword and found my post on the first page I knew I found the missing ingredient.
There needs to be a balance between writing for the lovely search engines and for your followers. If youre too heavy on the keywords, people will notice something odd, and its a bit cumbersome to read especially if youre going after a long tailed keyword (a couple words or a phrase). And if youre too light on key words the search engines wont find you.
A good technique is 1 keyword every 100 words. You can use Word Tracker SEO Blogger as a tool to track and do keyword research as well. But heres a big tip you can use relatively close or similar keywords as well. For instance if you want to use the keyword social media tribes you can and should also drip in there tribes and tribe.
You should always write for your audience first and Google second, just dont forget about Google. Remember, those big search engines own the sandbox youre playing in.

Duration : 0:1:32

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SEO Link Building Tips: Guest Writing

Find out how you can build high quality SEO links to your website by writing guest blog posts and articles for high quality websites. Done right, this is a great way to build quality links and bring in new sales. Learn more about SEO from Kutenda at http://kutenda.com

Duration : 0:4:23

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adding category and tags to WordPress posts

This is a video showing how to add category and posts to WordPress blogs

Duration : 0:1:57

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Does anyone know any good reliable websites where you can post your writing?

Just ones where I can post random writing!

Thanks

Hi (:
www.youngwriterssociety.com — that’s good if you want honest criticsm of your writing. I found it invaluable and it has honestly improved my writing so much. When I started off, I was frankly not that great a writer. But as I went along, I’m better than I was. (:

I think fictionpress.com is good if you don’t want heavy criticsm, just people to comment on your work.

See you =]
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