How the Internet Has Affected the Writing Community

by SkyeDanzer

The fact that you are sitting at a computer and reading this article demonstrates how the Internet has affected the writing community. No more are the days of simply leafing through a book and absorbing the words written on paper during a lazy summer afternoon or squinting from the bedside table lamp. No more are the days of only being able to read the books that are available on the bookshelves of your local library or if you can afford it the ones packaged so nicely on the bookstore shelves. The Internet has affected the writing community in numerous ways.

One of the biggest ways that the Internet has affected the writing community is exposure for writers. Budding writers no longer have to sit back and wait as they have manuscript after manuscript reviewed by publishers. Hopes and dreams of finally seeing your name in print are no longer longing wishes that are whispered in night before you fall asleep. Literally, anyone with Internet access can now see their words appear on the screen and even call themselves a published writer. If you have a few supportive friends and relatives that will sit down and read your work, virtually anyone can even lay claim to an avid readership and subscribers to their literary work.

There is much debate within the writing community as the Internet evolves and more and more instant publishers rise forth out of the cyber abyss. What exactly is good writing? What exactly is good grammar? Are people that instantly publish, truly writers? Will the poor articles and the rambling lines of nonsense that claim to be poetry truly fall to the bottom of the pile to be engulfed in the wasteland of cyber blackness? These are all the types of questions that many will find when they visit the social areas of the writing community. There is an underlying fear that the Internet has created a medium that will make the true art of writing become a skill and craft of the past.

The Internet has made it possible for writers to research fairly quickly. As a result, writers are now able to cover a larger range of topics and many have lost writing for a specific niche. More and more webmasters are requiring content on their websites in order to advertise and promote. Often now, because of the Internet, you will find websites that focus on keywords and search engine optimization instead of quality of the content. One website might feature twenty-five or more articles on the same topic but different keywords to increase search engine rankings and have more pages to splash advertisements.

As a result of these types of websites, the writing community has learned to adapt and produce articles that fit this new demand instead of pieces of work that convey content, thought and quality. Now, don't get me wrong! There are plenty of writers left that produce search engine optimized articles that fit the criteria for quality articles and actually contain content that is meaningful and helpful. There are even some very skilled writers that can accomplish this task with one topic and twenty-five keywords. Yet, this is a new talent and skill that many have yet to master.

The Internet has also affected the writing community in the integrity and status that comes with calling oneself a professional writer. In days past when writers would produce works on paper and tell the histories of the world or create new stories, knowing someone that was a writer was unique, interesting and held status. With the Internet, you now hear all the time that someone is a part-time writer or even a full time professional writer. The status of being a writer has dwindled and many people ask you what you do for real work.

Writers are striving to keep the writing community alive and fresh on the Internet. While you can meet other writers and learn from them, the majority of us are at risk of becoming lost in the mill of producing quantity over quality. Our works of creation are more focused on search engine optimization and keywords instead of conveying new and fresh ideas or bewildering the world with a story that has laid deep within us for decades. Information is what pays the bills and keeps that so treasured Internet connected in the first place. Be aware of the dangers and don't slip into the abyss of grinding out articles for the penny you might make per word. We must aspire to keep the integrity of writing alive and not fall into the patterns of simply mass producing in order to see our name in print or to pay our bills.

About the Author

SkyeDanzer writes on a variety of topics and is available for hire for short article pieces, essays, SEO web content, blog content and eBooks. More of her articles may be read here Associated Content

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1072483

How to Get Started for Free?

How to Get Started for Free?
By Audra Gehrke (DCW Member)

Is it really possible to start your own online business for free?

Absolutely!

When first starting out, you really should use all of the free resources that are available to you. Even if you do have money to spend, use the free stuff first.

Why?

Do you like to waste your hard earned money? I didn't think so.

Your walking into a whole new world and you need to learn about it before you start spending your money. Remember the term, try it then buy it? Use
this term before you spend one penny. In the long run this will save you Hundreds, if not Thousands of dollars.

So how can you get started for free?

1. First, you have to think of what it is you want to do on here. What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing? Don't be so quick as to come up with an answer. Give yourself a few days to really think about what you really want to do for the rest of your life. Then when you find your answer, you can begin your adventure.

2. Now that you know what you want to do, now you have to find other websites and ezines related to your topic. Go surfing around and look at other websites that are related to your content. As you get new ideas, write
them down the moment you think of them. Really focus on the content and not the design of the websites. Next you need to go to some ezine directories and subscribe to a few ezines related to your topic. Read these ezines as you receive them, take in the info they provide, go take a look at some of the links they provided for you, and keep writing down your ideas.

To search for a specific topic your looking for, go to any search engine and put in a keyword. Then a list of websites will popup and you can go surfing. Here's a few ezine directories I use to find ezines I'm looking
for.

http://www.ezinelocater.com/
http://ezinesplus.com/
http://www.zineadz.com/
http://www.makingprofit.com/
http://www.homeincome.com/
http://www.diysearch.com/

3. Now you have your topic and some related content. Next you need to make a web-page. Even if it's just one page, make it. Don't worry about what it looks like at first. This is your first time trying this so just add your content, upload it, then edit as necessary.

Tip: Don't use to many graphics, it slows down the loading process dramatically. Use text links instead of graphics where possible. And watch your colors. If you can, use the white background with black text. Don't use a light color for text and a dark color for your background. It really puts a strain on our eyes so try and stick with traditional colors.

If you need a free host for your page, I recommend using Tripod. Includes extras other free hosts don't offer. http://www.tripod.com No html required.

4. Now that you have your web-page up, you need to start advertising it to get some visitors. I don't care what anyone says, ezines are the best places for advertising. Not only can you target your market but you can get your ad seen by thousands for a very small cost. There are ezines that accept free ads so if your low on money, this will be your best bet. Participate in the contests provided for even more free advertising. Free ads do work but the paid ads work better. Once you learn the things you need to learn, then you can start buying some ads. Don't fret, ezines offer some incredible deals
to advertisers at incredible prices.

I really do Not recommend posting to hundreds of free classified and FFA sites. Yes, they used to work but just like in the real world, things do change. Don't waste your time on things that don't work. Use the tools that are Proven to work and then you'll see results. Your time is precious and you should treat it as such.

The only classified site I still use after 4 years is Adlandpro. You can submit your free ad and they also offer paid ads as low as $5. I also Highly suggest
signing up for their affiliate program. This gives you your own classifieds and now you can offer that to your visitors. You can signup for free here:
http://ecommerce-resources.org/adlandpro.html

5. I've seen some sites that say if you don't have anything to sell, then signup at Clickbank and resell their products. This goes against what I believe which is try it before you resell it. If your really serious about having your own business, save yourself a lot of headaches and just buy a product or 2. Go look for something you can use yourself and buy it. There's plenty of products out there that cost $20 or below. Give up just one night out and there's your money for the products. That's such a small sacrifice to pay but you would be surprised how many people Won't do that. We all have to sacrifice something to get what we want but if we want it bad enough, then a sacrifice is a small price to pay. Especially if it's one of your dreams. Don't
let Nothing hold you back.

6. If you really don't have a few bucks to spend then what I recommend is you learning about one specific topic. It can be anything you want, just learn it and understand it. Once you've learned about that one topic, then start writing about it. Open up Notepad and type away. Don't worry about errors, just write what your feeling. Let it flow out of you as it comes. Once your finished, read it from top to bottom. Did you understand it? Did it make sense to you? Do you know of anyone that can benefit from it? Of course you do! Now you have your Special Report to either sell, or giveaway and you now also have your Own product.

7. Now that your website is up and you've begun your advertising, it's time to think about how your going to start building your own opt-in list. Why do you need such a list? Well who exactly did you plan on selling your products and services to? What better way to keep your visitors updated on new products or services added? If you want this business to work for the long term for you, your going to need your own list. There's just no other way around this if you really want to be successful.

This is where your own ezine or newsletter comes in. There's not to much of a difference between the two other than, a newsletter is more of a way to keep visitors updated on the latest happening for that website. A ezine provides more resources and content. What do you base your ezine
around? The same thing your website is based around. It can be whatever your heart desires. Your job is to provide resourceful content to your visitors and readers. That's why I said go subscribe to a few ezines earlier. You can
get your ideas from reading others. Don't copycat, come up with your own. Experiment and try different things. Believe me, the more knowledgeable you become, the more changes you will make.

You can start your ezine for free using these services:

http://www.topica.com
http://www.yahoogroups.com

8. More stuff to do I hear you say. If you don't have anything to do, then your not working. There's Always something to do when it comes to online business. Feeling bored? Then go learn something new. There are No boundaries when it comes to the internet. The doors are wide open just waiting for you to walk through them and discover something new.

I just showed you how you can get started for free in this business. Now it's your choice what you do with this information. Are you really ready to do this? Are you afraid it might not work? Don't you think I was scared out of my wits when I first started? Man I was horrified! But look at me now. Now all I do is try and help others. Do you think I thought I would be here writing an article like this? I had no idea what was ahead. I just gave it a shot, stuck with it and here I am.

It's scary because it's something new to you. You've never done this before so being scared is a Normal feeling. What you must do if you want to move forward is overcome those fears. Instead of being afraid of something, look at it in a different perspective. Think of it as a new journey you really want to learn about. You are a strong person and you can do this if it's really what you want. The only thing holding you back is You. Don't let You stand in the way of what could be, let You walk through the doors and experience this awesome thing they call Life.

Last but not least, if you have a question then by all means, Ask it. I can't tell you how many people I've come across who just gave up all because of something simple they were afraid to ask. If we never asked anything, we would never learn anything. Believe me, there's plenty of people out there who would be more than willing to help you if you just take the time to ask. Ask and you shall receive!

Wishing you the Best,
Audra

********************************************************************

Audra Gehrke is the owner of Ecommerce Resources:
http://www.ecommerce-resources.org & she's also the
publisher of Ecommerce Resources Ezine:
http://www.ecommerce-resources.org/e-zine.html & the
Author of: http://www.ecommerce-resources.org/guide.html

http://www.dotcomwomen.com/biz/artbiz9.shtml

How Not to Begin Your Internet Career!

How Not to Begin Your Internet Career!
By Linda Offenheiser (DCW Member)

When I first decided to start an Internet business it was a complete comedy of errors. I made every mistake a newbie can possibly make. If I missed one or two it was simply dumb luck.

At that time I didn't have any idea of what I really wanted to do. My lack of direction left me prey to all of the scams out there. I joined any program that sounded easy and promised quick money. (Just a little naive huh?) My bank
account took a definite dip.

It wasn't just the "get-rich-quick" schemes I fell victim to! I also bought an impressive array of eBooks and eCourses - all of them containing information I HAD to have to be successful on the net.

By the time I'd finished reading the first three or four of these I was suffering from a severe case of information overload. And . . . my bank account had taken yet another plunge.

By then I was confused, depressed and broke. None of the programs I'd joined had brought in appreciable income. Every day, without fail, I was submitting hundreds of ads (all to safelists). I'd earned the grand sum of $2.50!

That was when I almost quit - thankfully I didn't. Instead I read a lot of free ezine articles, joined forums and bought a recommended (and affordable) course that showed me what I was doing wrong and how to correct it.

I still haven't made a fortune but I am building a solid business I enjoy. I continue to learn from my mistakes - no, I don't have it all down perfectly yet.

Despite all of the ads that tell you differently, I don't think there is a magic formula for success on the Internet. But I do believe that taking the following steps will help you along the right path.

* Get to know people who are successful and whom you respect. Ask questions. Get recommendations for resources and methods they find helpful.

* Start out with just one or two programs you have researched and believe will fit your goals. This will allow you to focus your efforts - and save you money.

* Define your potential customers. Get inside their skin. Figure out what they want. Then target your advertising to reach them.

* Track your ads to find out where your responses are coming from. Get rid of advertising that isn't working.

* Most of all, remember that any legitimate business takes time and effort to build. Success isn't going to come overnight. Keep your goals in mind constantly. Promote your business consistently and . . . don't give up!

Remember this:

"If you could get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed."
-- David Viscott

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Linda Offenheiser is the owner of Stress-Free Copy, a budget-friendly copywriting and editing service specially geared to the needs of the small home business.

Visit her at http://www.stress-freecopy.com or to contact her mailto:linda@stress-freecopy.com