You are here: Home / Archives for Web Traffic

Freelance Writers Use Zemanta … Clients Can Too

August 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
Image representing Zemanta as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

I was interviewed by Andraž Tori, one of the founders of Zemanta, on July 30, 2011. I was introduced to this revolutionary new program from one of the owners of the WM Freelance Writers Connection. Zemanta is easy-to-use and install. More importantly, a blogger doesn’t have to scour the internet for links and pictures. It’s a time-saver!

What is Zemanta? Zemanta is “a revolutionary new platform for accelerating on-line content production for any web user. Any user-created text (a blog post, article or web page) is directly “read” by Zemanta, which recognizes all contextual content. Zemanta then combs the web for the most relevant images, smart links, keywords and text, instantly serving these results to the user to enrich and inform their content. What’s more, Zemanta can be deployed on all major content publishing platforms and web browsers through a simple plug-in.”

What I really like about Zemanta is their attention to customer service. For example, a few weeks ago Zemanta wasn’t working. I wasn’t sure if it was because of WordPress, my hosting company, or the program. I emailed support and someone actually responded to my email. Lo and behold, the program had a glitch which was fixed in no time. This impressed me.

I was happy to be interviewed by Andraž Tori because Zemanta’s management team wants to improve the program; they need and want input from users. I was asked about my experience using the program (so far, so good), how I use the program, what I did and did not like, and how the program could be improved. It was a thorough interview. As a freelance writer, I’m always on the lookout for helpful programs for writers and their clients.

What I like about Zemanta

1. Easy to install and uninstall.

2. Very user friendly.

3. Provides links and photos pertinent to your blog content.

4. Sign up with Zemanta and utilize preferences such as permanently having links open in a new window; submit your website to Zemanta, etc.

If you haven’t heard of Zemanta, try it today. It’s free to use so you have nothing to lose. I downloaded Zemanta for Firefox and Google Chrome (still testing and using the web browser). Again, it’s very easy to install and uninstall if you don’t care for it. If you decide you like Zemanta, let others know about it. Share the knowledge!

Rebecca

Related articles

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Authors, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Networking, Overcoming Obstacles, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Freelance Writing Clients Discover How to Use Twitter … Confusion Ends

August 5, 2011 By 2 Comments
Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

 

Are you confused on how to effectively use Twitter for business? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Twitter is one of the easiest social media websites to use. However, it can take a while to build a Twitter following, especially when you’re a small business owner because you probably do everything yourself. The good news is you can hire a freelance writer to write your blog posts and articles and take care of your social media while you focus on marketing and selling products and or services.

Using Twitter doesn’t have to make your head hurt. It’s one of the easiest social media websites to use. There are no ‘bells and whistles’ which makes it more appealing. You can say what you want to say and say it in 140 characters or less. There’s no worrying about your mom, spouse, etc. wanting to ‘chat’ with you while you’re trying to grow your business. Sometimes the ‘chat’ feature (Facebook) can be distracting when family and friends see you’re online but don’t realize you’re working. Twitter is one of the most ‘balls to the walls’ social media websites on the internet.

How to Effectively Use Twitter

1. Sign up with Polldaddy, create a poll or survey, and tweet it.

2. Ask questions to gain insight about followers.

3. Tweet blog posts and other relevant links.

4. Some experts believe it’s best to ‘tweet‘ at 5 pm EST; post one to four tweets per hour.

5. Tweet during the midweek and weekend.

6. Write and post attention grabbing tweets.

7. If you’re an ‘expert’ in your field, show it by sharing your opinions about your industry.

8. Share tips and tricks. What works for you? What works for your customers?

9. If you’ve developed a ‘new tool’ for customers, share it!

10. If you hire a freelance writer to review your product (social media or writing software, writing app, etc.) and write about it, share the review on Twitter.

Rebecca

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Clients, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Social Media, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Battle of the Web Browsers: Firefox vs. Google Chrome

July 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Google Chrome Icon

Image via Wikipedia

Question: Which web browser is better and faster, Firefox or Google Chrome? I’ve been a loyal Firefox user for many users but have been told Google Chrome is faster and more efficient. I read an article on the internet about Google discontinuing support for the Firefox toolbar. Maybe it’s time for a switch.

Answer: With the onset of Google+ about to take over the internet ‘cyber’ waves, you may want to ‘test drive’ Google Chrome. I am.

I began testing Google Chrome last Saturday and admit it seems faster than Firefox. I’ve used Firefox for many years. Before that, I used Internet Explorer and dabbled with Safari. I’m enjoying Google Chrome because it seems to load my log-ins and websites faster. I don’t tap my fingers on my desk and count, “One, one thousand; two, one thousand; three, one thousand; four, one thousand; and so forth. I can get in and out and do what I need to do without any fuss.

Firefox has served me well, but it seems to be slower than Google Chrome. I appreciate the constant updates from Firefox; however, it doesn’t seem to be faster. Then again, maybe Firefox can’t handle the multiple toolbars I use such as Yahoo, Ping, and AVG. I could probably delete one or two of them. But, I enjoy listening to internet radio; one of the toolbars has an app for it. Google Chrome has many internet radio apps; however, I’m not sure if they’re available on a toolbar.

Change can be good — it can be easy. I imported my bookmarks from Firefox to Google Chrome with ease. I haven’t bookmarked anything with Google Chrome, yet.

I’m amazed at how fast Google Chrome loads. One of the issues I’ve had with Firefox is receiving the following message, “Firefox is still running” when I close Firefox but try to reopen it because I forgot to check one of my email accounts or research something. How can Firefox still be running when I closed the browser? This has been frustrating. When I close out of Firefox and want to reopen the browser — it takes multiple tries before it opens. I haven’t experienced this with Google Chrome. I can close and open the browser without any problem.

I haven’t completely abandoned using Firefox. Like I said, “I enjoy listening to internet radio.” It’s easy to click on the app on the toolbar and select stations or search for new ones. Also, Firefox can be customized more so than Google Chrome. For example, I use add-ons like SEO for Firefox and others. For now, I’ll toggle back and forth between Firefox and Google and keep testing and comparing. Stay tuned!

Rebecca

Related articles

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Authors, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Overcoming Obstacles, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Tips and Tricks, Travel Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bloggers and Authors Who K.I.T. Have Loyal Followers

July 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
hello

Image by MSH* via Flickr

Bloggers and Authors,

According to Elizabeth Marshall, co-author of The Contrarian Effect and founder and host of AuthorTeleseminars.com, “Authors need to develop a habit of keeping in touch.” I agree with this and would take it a step further to say, “It’s important to keep in touch with your audience. As an avid reader of books and blogs, I appreciate  blog owners and authors who respond to a comment I post on a blog post or fan page. However, some don’t respond; even with an automated response. While I understand you can’t respond to every single comment (unless you have an assistant or two), some readers would appreciate knowing their comment meant or contributed something to a post or discussion.

Elizabeth emphasizes that it’s important to build and develop the right relationships. She says, “Build rapport before asking for favors.” This could be applied to the developing your relationship with your target audience. Allow them to see how much value you add; allow them to see your relevance. Make sure your audience understands your message and vision. How do they align with it? Does it apply to them? When the time’s right, you can ask for help with promoting your blog and or book.

Tips to keeping in touch with your audience

* Reply to comments left on blog posts and fan pages.

* Reply to emails.

* Send out email blasts with updates about your blog and or book.

* Create a Twitter account and post relevant information.

Developing audience relationships is just as important as developing business relationships. Let’s face it; you don’t get accolades and awards without your audience. You don’t get on The New York Times Best-Sellers list because critics believe your book is the best. You get on the list based on weekly sales. And that’s the bottom line!

Rebecca

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Authors, Overcoming Obstacles, Social Media, The Bottom Line with Rebecca, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pingbacks: You Don’t Have to Read It, Just Delete It

July 20, 2011 By 1 Comment
Blogs on JoopeA

Image via Wikipedia

Savvy-Writer.com is my creative, freelance, and ghost writing website. I also have an animal/environmental advocacy and personal development websites, respectively. By the way, creating and maintaining blogs/websites that you’re passionate about is another way to showcase your writing ability. You can submit your blog posts as writing samples to editors and organizations.

Anyway, I use a program called Zemanta which finds links to blog posts and or articles that complement or match your topic. Lo and behold, I received an email from a guy who responded to a pingback that was created because I listed a link to his blog post on my personal development website. The website owner graciously approved the pingback because I didn’t write a negative or condemning blog post. However, he’s more ‘conservative’ when it comes to certain topics. Next time, I will take more time to ensure links and websites match or complement my websites.

Lesson: Before you list links on your website, make sure they complement or match your blog post and or article topic. If you receive pingbacks or trackbacks, you can delete them. Or, you could check them out to make sure they’re not spam. Delete pingbacks and trackbacks that aren’t helpful.

If you receive pingbacks to your blog posts, “Remember, you don’t have to read it, just delete it.” If the blog or website isn’t in alignment with what you’re writing, delete the pingback. There’s no reason to send an email voicing your concern. This will create negative energy and you don’t want that. Do you? However, if the pingbacks are in alignment with your blog and or websites, send an email “thanking” the blog owner for mentioning your blog posts. I receive many emails from blog/website owners “thanking me” for featuring links to their posts and websites on Savvy-Writer.com. Of course, I send the owners emails that have the following words in then, “Your Welcome!”

Rebecca

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Authors, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Networking, Overcoming Obstacles, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »