[EzineArticles] Trick or Treat! Quit Tricking Your Audience into a Bad Experience!

Trick or Treat! Quit Tricking Your Audience into a Bad Experience! Are You Scaring Your Readers? October 31st is Halloween in the United States. It's a time of year that's fun to scare unsuspecting friends or "trick or treaters" with frightening masks, creepy costumes and spooky decorations. Let's pretend it's Halloween in the world of article writing. Can you think of things that would turn away readers? Perhaps it's terrifyingly long, never-ending articles, bone-chilling topics, or maybe an in-your-face startling approach. As an Expert Author, you should avoid any alarming tactics that will disturb your audience. It's crucial to practice pleasant communication so your readers don't end up running for their lives! Listed below are 15 tips on etiquette to stop scaring away your audience. Follow along closely, you may be guilty of some of these without realizing! Article Writing: Does it Need a Makeover? 1. A Never-Ending Terror: Be thorough when you present the information that you've collected, however, don't take forever to unravel content and then trail off without making a point. Don't exhaust your readers, keep it short and sweet, and get to the point! 2. Fear-Provoking Conspiracy Theories: Not every topic is entangled in a conspiracy or global cover-up. While these theories can be interesting and will create chatter, it is difficult to maintain truth. It also takes a lot of effort to keep up with the reaction from readers! Stay optimistic and write about improving conditions, not just unleashing negative opinions. 3. Dismembered Grammar: Complex sentences that are disjointed and confusing to understand will turn your readers away in the first paragraph. Write in simple terms. Many times "more is less" when it comes to wording. Reread your material and get an extra set of eyes to look it over before it's finalized. 4. Ghostly Knowledge: You've no doubt come across a "dull" article. The author claims to be an expert and the only real tip is to purchase a product or look online for more information. Be specific and provide informative detail so your readers can see the benefit! 5. The Monstrous Paragraph: Bulleted lists, clear headings and short paragraphs are the key to presenting an exceptional article. If you are accustomed to only using one or 2 paragraphs, you're not utilizing the full power of article layout. Make your article pop by perfecting the design. Web Design: Is it in Style? 6. Decrepit Technology: If you use a smartphone or tablet, doesn't it annoy you when the website is horrible to read? Responsive web design is top priority, as it will scare away potential customers if not implemented. You can read more information on responsive design by visiting here. 7. Eternal Loading Pages: One of the quickest ways to lose readers is to test their patience by allowing links to load at a snail's pace. Be persistent and check your load times to solve broken or slow links before you're the only one waiting ... for anyone to look at your site. 8. Complete Darkness: If a reader clicks your link and is required to give their contact details for any substantial amount of content, they will exit your page! Don't leave your readers in the dark. Turn on the light and build their trust by providing the content they came to find. 9. Horrifying Maze: Intuitive navigation can be tricky to display and implement on a website. Your goal should be to make any topic easily found within a click or two. If a simple topic takes too long to figure out, your readers will be on your competitor's site having a much better experience. 10. Sensory Overload: An unorganized and flashy website will make your readers' heads spin. Your site should be structured professionally, with the most important pieces featured. You don't want your audience to go blind trying to digest everything. Video Marketing: Have You Looked in the Mirror? 11. Spine-Chilling Speed: There's a difference between displaying confidence and talking too fast. When you're creating videos, quality is still preferred over quantity. Relay your best tips in a short and concise way, and always speak clearly. Unless you're an auctioneer, you're not required to speed talk your way through a video. 12. Mysterious Message: Even if you have a million ideas to share with your readers, you shouldn't share them all at once! Before finalizing your video, seek a friend's advice on how easily they understand your tips. If you see them scratching their head, keep working at it. 13. Sucking the Life Out of Valued Customers: When you have valued customers who continue purchasing from you, the worst thing you can do is suck the life out of them by pressuring them even more. Give them space and offer something for free that will relieve the tension. Recurring customers are key! 14. Devilish Intimidation: When you're marketing with videos, it can be a habit to push products with "limited time offers" or bundles to help your customers save money. However, this can be intimidating and you may come out as the bully. Rethink your marketing efforts and refrain from sly, pushing language. 15. Bad Disguise: While it can be a good change to step out of your comfort zone, it's not always a good game plan to completely alter your appearance or personality. This relates to videos because you are seen in the flesh, and your audience will judge you. Be yourself and smile! You'll win them over this way. If you're able to avoid all of the scary tricks above, your audience is sure to be treated by your articles and website material. If you do find you've been guilty of some of these spooky tactics, it's not too late to meet the needs of your readers. Check out our related post by reading 7 Keys to Repair a Severed Connection with Your Audience. Keep in mind, the only people you should be scaring away is your competition! Happy Halloween to all of you! To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion! Courtney, EzineArticles Member Support Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ P.S. Read last year's Halloween blog post titled 'What Writers Can Learn From Zombies, Werewolves, and Vampires' here! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I have identified article submission to EzineArticles as one of my prime marketing strategies." I just want to express my thanks for the opportunity that your site EzineArticles has presented to me and the results of that opportunity. Since April of 2005, I have been submitting articles and now have 231 articles. As I continually managed to revise the site to make it more search engine friendly and I continued to submit articles, amazing results began to happen. Without the opportunity to use article marketing and specifically EzineArticles.com, I know that these measurable results would not have been achieved. The quality of your site draws thousands of readers as well as allowing submitted articles to be reproduced globally. Making a web site search engine friendly is one step in Internet marketing but having traffic and spreading credibility as a subject matter expert of business related topics are two other critical steps. Leanne Hoagland-Smith http://ezinearticles.com/endorsements/ EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Newsletter Subscription EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-10493427-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2014 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] The Rules of Capitalization

The Rules of Capitalization Uppercase or Lowercase? Learn the Case! The definition of capitalization is fairly simple. It's the practice of making certain letters uppercase, or capitalized, when needed. Knowing when to use proper capitalization isn't as simple, especially for non-native English writers. When it comes to capitalization, it's important to use the correct case because it lends to your credibility as a writer. If an article contains excessive capitalized words in unnecessary situations, it will send a message of inexperience to the reader. If a brand or proper name isn't capitalized, it could send a message of disregard for the lack of attention to detail. Bottom line, it's essential to use the correct case! If you're unsure of when to use capitalization in your writing, review the rules and examples below to give you a better idea. Staple Rules #1: Beginning of a Sentence Always capitalize the first letter of a word in the beginning of a sentence. #2: The Pronoun "I" Always capitalize the pronoun "I" and its variations: I'll, I'm, I've, I'd. Rules of Proper Nouns A proper noun is different from a common noun in that it refers to a specific, distinctive person, place or thing, rather than a generic person, place or thing. These include: #3: Names of People Capitalize public figures, specific people, and specific nicknames. Uppercase: Mother Theresa, Stephen King, my sister Amanda, my friend Scooter Lowercase: charity worker, writer, sister or friend (when used generically) #4: Names of Places Capitalize landmarks, buildings, geographical regions, cities, states, countries, and continents. Uppercase: Central Park, Willis Tower, North West, Los Angeles, Florida, Canada, Europe Lowercase: the park, the building, left, city, state, country, continent #5: Names of Organizations Capitalize political, government, national, racial, social, civil, religious, and athletic groups. Uppercase: American Red Cross, Peace Corps, New York Yankees, Chinese, Democrats Lowercase: community, charity, the baseball team, politicians #6: Brands Capitalize specific product names, names of companies, names of websites, and trademarked words. Uppercase: Kleenex, Apple, iPad, Yahoo!, McDonald's Lowercase: tissues, cola, tablet, cheeseburger #7: Dates Capitalize days of the week, months of the year, and holidays. Uppercase: Monday, December, Halloween Lowercase: today, next month, the party #8: Family Members Capitalize the names of family members when you're using the family title in place of their real name; and capitalize their family title when it's part of their name. Uppercase: I love Mother. / My Aunt Mary is funny. Lowercase: I love my mother. / My aunt is funny. #9: Professional Titles Capitalize professional titles when they precede a name, but not following the name. Uppercase: You should call Mayor Jones. Lowercase: I called John Jones, mayor of Rockville. #10: Acronyms An acronym is an abbreviation of a longer phrase represented by a series of letters. Acronyms should be capitalized. Uppercase: SEO, MLM, JPEG, MLB, ATM Lowercase: Very few exceptions because acronyms often abbreviate proper nouns. Ultimately, the rules of capitalization include many more scenarios depending on the unique situation. In this list, we included the most crucial rules in order to ensure everybody has a grasp on the case of capitalization. Always do your best to use correct capitalization and to avoid using capitalization when it isn't needed. We realize it can be tricky; if you're not sure, do your research and don't hesitate to ask! Do you have any questions about capitalization in specific instances? Comment below! To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion! Courtney, EzineArticles Member Support Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ P.S. We share more writing tips on the EzineArticles Facebook Page. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "Keeps Me Doing What I Love So Much ... Writing" Writing for EzineArticles keeps me involved in life and learning. I've written articles on topics I never thought I would write about and enjoyed the challenge. My articles have been published thousands of times and translated into Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, and many other languages. EzineArticles keeps my name on the Internet and this helps me market my books. Most of all, writing for EzineArticles.com keeps me doing what I love so much - writing. Harriet Hodgson http://ezinearticles.com/endorsements/ EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-10486339-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2014 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Writing Tips to Overcome Aspects of Failure

Writing Tips to Overcome Aspects of Failure Success is Often Served with a Side of Failure. Hold the Failure. It's not unusual for writers to chase success only to keep falling short of their goals. Failure is part of the process, and it should never force a confident author to give up. The feeling of defeat should be motivation to take on a challenge; it should be a learning experience to try a different approach. Here are a few examples of unsuccessful authors who became impatient and lost momentum with their writing. If you can see yourself experiencing the same frustration, pay attention to the tips that follow each example. Bill – A Daily Habit of Excuses: If Bill had time to write, he made excuses not to write. When he had excellent ideas for a new article, he convinced himself that the topic had been covered by someone else. He was no longer driven and passionate about his work. He had a barrel full of excuses and a bad case of procrastination. Tips: • Becoming an expert author will not happen overnight, but each night of some progress is a win. • Making excuses to postpone writing will trickle down into your personal life. Stay motivated and battle through procrastination! • The saying "practice makes perfect" is simply a line of encouragement. You don't have to be perfect; you just have to want it. Kathy – Too Many Fish in the Sea: Kathy was a motivated self-starter who never paid attention to the success of other authors. Over time, she lost focus and developed a habit of checking out the competition. Her work ethic began to decline at the sheer sight of all of the successful writers out there. How could she possibly stand a chance? Tips: • Keep your eye on the big picture and don't worry about the other guy. • Everyone has struggles of their own; learn to overcome yours just as others have done. • No one knows what you have up your sleeve. Think big and leave a strong impression! Jim – Public Eye Jitters: Jim was on the top of his game with his writing skills, but was too shy to get his name out there. He wanted to establish his credibility and showcase his niche without looking desperate. He just didn't feel comfortable or confident on the right approach to article marketing. He ended up turning his writing into a hobby and no one has heard from him since. Tips: • It takes passion, hard work and effective strategies to get the word out, not a background in marketing & sales. • Publish your work under a pen name if you're not ready to put your name out there. • Take to social media to see how other writers are finding success. It doesn't hurt to ask for advice! Robert – Loss of Creativity: Writer's block took its toll on Robert, an author just starting out. There were so many niches to write about that he became overwhelmed. What's the hot topic? What information did the readers crave? These questions continued to bug Robert, so he stayed on the couch and sulked, postponing his potential to break out. His creative juices were not flowing and he gave up. Tips: • Revisit old pieces of your writing and reflect on the inspiration you felt at the time you wrote it. • Step outside. Visit a place out of your ordinary routine and reflect on your experiences. • Re-read an article, short story, or book that left you feeling inspired. Your creativity is there, it just needs to be re-ignited. Sarah – Zero Time to Write: Finding time to write can be like searching for a pin at the bottom of a pool. If there's one thing that Sarah didn't have, it was a moment to herself. Long work hours, appointments, and kids to look after sucked up all of her energy. It seemed like her only escape was in the bathroom! It was hopeless; she just wasn't cut out to be a writer. Tips: • Be vocal about your time constraints. Stick to them. Others will understand. • Get your own space for your writing. You will find peace when you're locked away from your distractions. • Practice time-saving techniques. Check out these 30 Time-Saving Tips for ideas. It may seem success comes easier for others, but realize that successful writers have their own obstacles to overcome. Continue making progress with your writing and don't lose hope. Put on your apron and get creative. It's OK to break a couple of eggs on your way to the main course. As long as you think positive and keep trying, you will overcome failure! To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion! Courtney, EzineArticles Member Support Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ P.S. Stuck on article ideas? Try our Build Your Own Article Template Packages for extra help! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "Thank you EzineArticles for your support!" I am delighted with the success I am experiencing by contributing to EzineArticles. Being able to place the Expert Author icon on my blog has earned me priceless credibility, attracted thousands of article clicks and inquiries and promoted me prominently in the search engine lists. But that's not all. I believe I have become a better writer because of the high standards set by this service. In addition, I have learned so much from other EzineArticles Expert Authors. The valuable community that EzineArticles has built is an educational resource that no writer can do without. Sunny Nash http://ezinearticles.com/endorsements/ EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Newsletter Subscription EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-10470911-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2014 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Responsive Web Design is KEY in a Quality Browsing Experience

Responsive Web Design is KEY in a Quality Browsing Experience Rate Your Browsing Have you ever viewed a website on your smartphone or tablet and found it difficult to read because it required extensive resizing and scrolling? This occurred because the website didn't have responsive web design. Is your website or blog responsive? If it isn't, we highly recommend taking the necessary measures to provide a quality browsing experience for your readers. Wait, What is Responsive Web Design? A website with responsive design is built to provide an optimal viewing experience on all devices. In other words, the website is easy to read and navigate on desktop monitors, smartphones, tablets, etc. Why is it Important? Responsive design is necessary because people now access the web on a multitude of devices. Smartphone and tablet web browsing already accounts for a large percentage of web traffic and will continue to increase. In fact, almost half of the traffic on EzineArticles.com comes from a non-desktop device. We recommend making your site mobile-friendly for these reasons: Traffic: You don't want to lose traffic because your site is difficult to read and navigate. SEO: Responsive websites tend to rank higher in search results. Competition: If your site isn't easy to navigate, it's possible users will go to your competitors. Credibility: If you have a good-looking site, users will be more likely to spend time browsing and trust your products or services. How it's Done First, determine if this is a job that can be done by you or if you need to outsource it to a professional. If you have a blog, such as WordPress, you can select a WordPress Theme that is already responsive. Refer to the 'help' section of your blog provider's website if you're unsure how to do this. If you have an HTML/static website, you can edit your design by adding media queries to your code. If you're not experienced in coding, you can choose to outsource the work. However, you will want to use caution in any sort of outsourcing process. Buyer Beware. Before hiring a programmer to code your responsive design, ensure you're using a credible site and that the person or business has a solid reputation. If you post an ad on a freelance project website, use caution if the reply to your ad reads pre-scripted as these are typically not services you want to use. Confirm the person you hire is genuine in their work and able to communicate in regard to your needs. Also, be sure to ask for examples of their work. As a side note, the price will fluctuate depending on whether your website needs to be completely re-coded or if it can simply be edited by adding media queries. Keep this in mind when you discuss pricing. Bottom line: Use caution and shop around. Additional Thoughts Regardless if you do-it-yourself or if you outsource, here are some additional things to consider before you begin the project. Content. Many times you can't fit everything on a mobile site. Make a list of what should be included on the mobile version and what can be left out. Be specific. Design. Look around at other mobile-friendly sites. Do you see any designs you especially like? Take note. Think about what kind of layout would work best with the type of content you feature. As we mentioned, mobile browsing is on the rise. Phones are getting bigger, tablets are getting less expensive, and everybody wants to be connected on-the-go. Whether or not you decide to make your website responsive is ultimately your decision. However, we can say, it WILL improve the user experience, which largely impacts your bottom line. User experience is key! Have you already made your website responsive? We'd love for you to share your tips with others in the comments below! To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion! Courtney, EzineArticles Member Support http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ P.S. You can check out some of our top members here. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "...the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort." Thanks so much for the great publicity. I was amazed at how many articles I already had written when I started digging out all my old notes and speeches. It just took a little reformatting, bringing up to date and filling in here and there to have them ready to send off to you. Even though we are swamped with projects, the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort. Keep up the good work. Judy H. Wright http://ezinearticles.com/endorsements/ EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Newsletter Subscription EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-10465920-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2014 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] 5 Talents Content Writers Don't Need to Succeed

5 Talents Content Writers Don't Need to Succeed Are You Intimidated to Write? Content writing can seem intimidating with so many talented and experienced players competing to succeed. There are high-scoring players who are skilled in churning out massive amounts of quality articles; technical players who master the game with in-depth industry knowledge; and popular players who have built a huge following of loyal fans. At times, content writing can seem like it's one big, competitive business! Do Not Fear! Everybody takes a different approach. What works for some in a certain niche will not work for others in a different niche. In order to rise to the top, it's important that you look beyond the intimidating players and have confidence to develop your own strategy instead. Let's take a look at some of the "intimidating" players and we'll share why you don't need to be one of them to succeed. 1. The Tech Guru Intimidation: Understands search algorithms inside and out. Builds beautiful websites. Motivation: Having a tech background has never been a "must learn" for writers. As times have changed, the technical resources you desire are more readily available. There are intuitive tools to help beginners build beautiful websites. There are endless industry-specific blogs and newsletters you can follow to learn new techniques. In addition, you can always ask for help. Ask your question on a blog. Contact the website for support. Bottom line: Don't be afraid to ask! 2. The Proper Perfectionist Intimidation: Never makes a mistake. Grammar is impeccable. Motivation: Mistakes happen! While proper spelling and grammar will certainly improve the message of your writing, a mistake from time-to-time isn't something to stress over. When you realize you made a mistake, simply fix it and move on. If you're struggling on a regular basis, you can outsource editing services or have your content proofread by a fellow writer. Check out our Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar Revision Checklist for tips to help you along the way. 3. The Master of Marketing Intimidation: Skilled in Internet marketing. Utilizes all marketing channels. Motivation: There are abundant ways to spread the word about your product or service. Utilizing all marketing channels is likely not the best option. Start small and build on it. Do research and try something new. If you continue experimenting, you're bound to find your marketing sweet spot. Bottom line: Experiment! 4. The Big Spender Intimidation: Has a personal assistant. Outsources writing. Buys fancy tools. Motivation: If you have a passion for writing then you already have the most important tool in the business. Your efforts will be based on genuine, hard work and not merely influenced by the size of your wallet. You will have direct control over the content you produce. There won't be mistakes made by others on your behalf. Ultimately, those who attempt to buy their success will not prevail as genuine efforts garner bigger profits. Bottom line: Be genuine. 5. The Social Media Superstar Intimidation: Networks on all channels. Has tons of followers. Motivation: Networking and socializing while promoting your work can help gain exposure, however, social media can be a big distraction and it will eat up your time if you're not careful. Instead of being extremely active on all networks in attempt to gain followers, consider which single network is best-suited and most-used by those in your niche. For more tips, we recommend you check out these 10 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid. Bottom line: Be strategic in networking. Rise to the Top No matter what others are doing or how well they're doing it, have the confidence to write. Don't worry about what others are doing in the game, focus on your own abilities. Everybody takes a different approach and your own achievements are what truly matter! Do you have any tips for writers who may be intimidated to write? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. To Your Article Writing/Marketing Success & Passion! Courtney, EzineArticles Member Support http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ P.S. Learn more about the benefits of EzineArticles membership here. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "Thank you EzineArticles for your support!" Being a self-taught artist I was always skeptical about starting to paint and designing my own website. I always felt that way about writing articles, too. Once I joined EzineArticles and began to submit articles, I gained the self-confidence I didn't have before. It has also added traffic to my website. I hope to continue to write articles of interest and look forward to my increase in sales. Thank you EzineArticles for your support! Jacqueline Coote http://ezinearticles.com/endorsements/ EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Newsletter Subscription EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-10444011-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2014 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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