Martha, ============================================ Wish I could write better or could fill a page like some other people on this forum. ============================================ LOL, it isn't hard to fill a page. Just write down everything that pops into your head, and then explain what you mean, and then do it again just in case somebody didn't get it.... I wish I could STOP myself from filling a page, lol. Cheri

Linda, Actually, I was saving it because I'm trying to implement Gary's suggestion. My posts are too long...it's embarrassing. So, here's the last question. Aside from going back to school for writing, journalism and marketing classes, how do you learn to write those short, incisive articles, craft the title to get attention and also craft a call to action that gets results? There are tons of books out on those subjects, but darned if I can do it once I've read them. And which of them do I follow? Many gurus have different opinions. Once again, have you written guides for those subjects, or do you have any you'd recommend? I'm again assuming that this isn't in your course per se. Cheri

Hi Martha; ========================================== Wish I could write better or could fill a page like some other people on this forum. But I sure am going to try some of those directories when we get to that part. ========================================== Do you want to hear something funny? The best articles, at least for online article distribution, are the short ones. 300-400 words tops. Also, there are many different things that don't rely so much on writing skill, but a sense of fun or just knowing your industry and answering common questions. For example.... "top" lists, "worst" lists, "best" lists, "funniest" lists. Definitions. Q & A. "How to" Those all make good articles and they don't require you to be Stephen King in disguise. One of my best articles, ever, was "The Top 5 Reasons Websites Fail." No prolific writing, just the top 5 mistakes. Some people liked it so much they stole it and put their name on it. lol. (I nicely emailed and pointed out that they forgot to give me author credit... so they sheepishly did) : ) Linda

Hi Cheri; ========================================== Actually, I was saving it because I'm trying to implement Gary's suggestion. My posts are too long...it's embarrassing. ========================================== I don't think you need to feel embarrassed, or that your posts are too long. I think we all make long posts and short ones, depending on what we have to contribute or ask. Sometimes a short post is short because it's to the point and a good read. Other times a short point comes across a rather flip. It's like we keep saying. It's not the size that counts, it's what we do with it. lol ========================================== So, here's the last question. Aside from going back to school for writing, journalism and marketing classes, how do you learn to write those short, incisive articles, craft the title to get attention and also craft a call to action that gets results? There are tons of books out on those subjects, but darned if I can do it once I've read them. And which of them do I follow? Many gurus have different opinions. Once again, have you written guides for those subjects, or do you have any you'd recommend? I'm again assuming that this isn't in your course per se.. ========================================== Yup - it is in the course. That's why I'm splitting the Cash Cow book into two. One will focus solely on using "information" and articles to gain visibility. What I saw with the last version of the Cash Cow (website promotion) book was that people liked knowing "where" to gain the exposure, but struggled with the sparse "how to" instructions in the article section. So, I'm expanding on that and making it a stand alone book. One thing I've had people tell me over and over for the past 10 years is that I make difficult things easy to learn. That's my goal with this course. In the first drafts, the books were all triple the size of the current modules. lol. People loved them, but found them to be almost information overload. So, I've shortened them and as I send out each one, I'm filling in more info where I saw people struggle with the longer versions. Writing is one such area that needed expanding upon. : ) Linda

Linda, ["One of my best articles, ever, was "The Top 5 Reasons Websites Fail." No prolific writing, just the top 5 mistakes. Some people liked it so much they stole it and put their name on it. lol.One of my best articles, ever, was "The Top 5 Reasons Websites Fail." No prolific writing, just the top 5 mistakes. Some people liked it so much they stole it and put their name on it. lol.] You just gave me a great idea for an article. Thanks. Martha