Email notifications from Google Webmaster Tools

Dear Webmaster Tools user,

We know that having a healthy and well-performing website is important to you. To keep you informed about your site's status Webmaster Tools will now automatically send you a notification email if there are critical or important issues that we detect with your site.

We'll only send you email for issues that we think have significant impact on your site's health or search performance which have clear actions that you can take to address. For example, we'll email you if we detect malware on your site or see a significant increase in errors while crawling your site.

For most sites these kinds of issues will occur rarely. If your site does happen to have an issue we cap the number of emails we send over a certain period of time to avoid flooding your inbox.

If you don't want to receive any email from Webmaster Tools you can change your email delivery preferences at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/preferences.

We hope that you find this change a useful way to stay up-to-date on critical and important issues regarding your site's health.

If you'd like more information about Webmaster Tools and building Google-friendly websites please visit http://www.google.com/webmasters.

The Webmaster Tools Team

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© 2012 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Webmaster Tools account.

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[EzineArticles] Content Planning: Branding, Mission, and Vision

Content Planning: Branding, Mission, and Vision Maximize your impact in less time with a content plan! The word "quality" gets a lot of play, but what it means is a little hazy. Those serious about creating a content plan with legs must first take a closer look at the abstract concept of "quality." Quality includes, but is not limited to value, transparency, accountability, credibility, relevance, and authenticity. Those who aim to achieve quality don't forcibly throw themselves at their audience with questionable practices or create risk for their audience. Instead, these agents of quality adopt a method that increases awareness in who they are and what they do or provide: branding. What is branding and why is it important? From names, symbols, logos, slogans, etc., branding differentiates you from other organizations or businesses. It helps you create an identity with which you can shape how your audience perceives your brand. Branding consistently will help build audience confidence, trust, and loyalty. It will also help you save time and money as well as strengthen your organization's sense of self by identifying your mission and vision. Mission and vision statements are a must-have for content planning. Not only are they used as branding tools to increase transparency, accountability, and authenticity, mission and vision statements are an alignment tool to help plan, position, and meet your bottom-line. What is a mission statement? Your mission statement is your bottom-line and guides your plans, budgets, marketing, and more. Mission statements should be straight to the point as well as answer the following questions: What is the purpose of your platform or organization? What value does it provide? Who does it serve? What is a vision statement? Your vision statement is a picture of your organization's desired future and is used for goal setting, sharing, and alignment. It should focus on the value you provide and how your organization impacts the world. When writing a vision statement, consider the following questions: What is your organization's cause and effect (e.g., "we do this" and "this happens")? What role does your organization play in the world? What would your organization's headline be 5 years from now? In addition to the above, your mission and vision statements should: be accurate and reflect your current priorities avoid jargon or insider language be engaging and memorable be evergreen or stand the test of time Once you have your mission and vision established, you can begin identifying your core values and creating your brand identity (how you want the audience to distinguish your brand). When building trademarks, logos, graphics, etc., use your mission and vision statements to guide your brand development. Branding is the first step to developing a long-term content plan that will be easy to reiterate, adapt, and develop. In turn you will increase transparency and authority, as well as build awareness and trust by providing quality content and a quality user experience. From audience targeting to measuring to reiterating, we'll show you more content planning strategies in the next few weeks, so stay tuned! Questions? Comments? Visit this post online! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Building your article portfolio is an incredible method to amplify your brand! Click here to try our Top 10 Article Templates to easily organize your thoughts and quickly write quality, original articles! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... establish your voice and brand ..." The marketing principle of giving away of something of value for free in order to sell something else, resonated with me. It is also a way to establish your voice and brand in a more structured professional manner than typical social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, et al. They have their place and are useful to an author/writer. However, the growth of the internet creates a huge demand for quality content. I still think the key is to write "quality content". If it is well written, accessible, and of timely interest to people it will get plenty of attention. EzineArticles is a wonderful reservoir of good content on many topics. Bruce Kaler M.D. SeattleDoc.com 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-7977633-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Formal and Informal Writing Examples

Formal and Informal Writing Examples Formal vs. Informal - Who's It For? Often considered more engaging, informal writing figuratively loosens the author's constricting tie to offer readers familiarity and character. Formal writing, on the other hand, is used to deliver information succinctly and factually. When determining which style is appropriate, consider how you approach your audience in a face-to-face conversation. For instance, how do you speak with your peers vs. your clients? How do you speak with your boss vs. your spouse? Based on the audience, match up the tone you use verbally with the tone you use in your writing. In addition to your audience, consider your brand. What style do you want to be the voice of your articles? Do you want to be memorable with a loose, informal approach? Or do you want to create a solid foundation of credibility based on objectivity in a formal approach? What style best represents your brand? With your audience and brand in mind, try out these tips when writing formally or informally! Formal and Informal Style Tips and Examples Formal writing favors longer, more detailed sentences to thoroughly convey a thought. The honey badger is a species native to Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent; however, it is most dissimilar from other badger species due to its resemblance to the weasel. Informal writing favors short, simple sentences. The honey badger can be found in Africa. It looks like a weasel-bear hybrid. Formal writing tends to be direct by using jargon to be definitive. The dorsal side and head of the Emperor Penguin is black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast, and bright-yellow ear patches. Informal tends to be more conversational, as well as uses contractions, abbreviations, figures of speech, slang, and other colloquialisms. The Emperor Penguin has been hot in the news and even the box office. If you're not sure what this lordly penguin looks like, it has a black head, bright-yellow spots around the ears, and a big ol' white belly. Formal writing uses conservative punctuation (e.g., periods, commas, etc.). The tiger (the largest of the cat species) is the third largest land carnivore. Informal writing is generous with abrupt and dramatic punctuation (e.g., exclamation marks, the ellipses, the dash, etc.). The tiger - the biggest cat of them all - is third in line to be the largest meat-eating animal in the world! Formal writing uses an impersonal tone and discusses topics with more gravity. As scavengers, lobsters are omnivores; however, lobsters have been known to resort to cannibalism in captivity. Informal writing uses an emotional tone, first or second person point-of-view, and often discusses topics with humor. Would you consider cannibalism if you and others of your kind were held prisoner for days or weeks without food? The poor lobster - who usually feeds on fish, worms, and other plant life - often does. TIP: Formal and informal writing styles are not to be confused with passive language. Always use active language! Article writing is dynamic - meaning two authors of the same niche, writing about the same topics may find success by writing in either style (formal or informal). Discover which style suits your audience and your brand by testing a few of these informal or formal writing styles in your articles. Often the best approach is a balance: formal to maintain authority and informal to maintain interest. So why not give it a try? Questions? Comments? Visit this post online! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Take informal writing up a notch by adding humor to your articles. Click here to discover how! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers." I started article writing when I started my newsletter in late 2006. At that time, I had about 25 subscribers - mostly friends and family. Since then I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers. Lee Binz TheHomeScholar.com 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-7970214-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Top Punctuation Howlers - The Dash

Top Punctuation Howlers - The Dash The Dash - The Tool for Informal Authors The dashing and dynamic dash is used when commas, parentheses, semicolons, etc., just don't have the empathetic oomph to convey an idea or interject a thought. However, the overuse of the dash can make your writing appear overdramatic and never ending without the finality of other stops or end punctuation marks. Similar to the days of old typewriters, in the plain text world of online publication, creating a true dash (—) just isn't possible. To appease dash purists - if it's not possible to create a long dash - two hyphens side-by-side will suffice. However, it's becoming more widely acceptable to use one dash with a space on either side - which we do here. If you have the fantastic ability to create an en dash (length of an "N") or an em dash (length of an "M"), its usage is indicated below: em dash or en dash. Use a dash if a sentence contains an appositive (noun or noun phrase next to another noun or noun phrase). em dash My brother - a nurse by training - is incredible at CPR. Use a dash if a sentence has a smaller sentence within it that is an abrupt interjection, similar to a parenthetical thought or interjection. em dash No one would ever suspect Clark Kent - a bespectacled, serious reporter - of being Superman. Use a dash for asides, explanations, or parenthetical statements. em dash The villain was last seen fleeing the crime scene - police were hot in pursuit. Use a dash in the place of a colon for more emphatic effect. em dash Listen up - while you were out, I earned a doctorate, and won a Nobel Peace prize. Use a dash for a series within a phrase. em dash He listed the qualities - organized, team player, and punctual - that we're looking for in a dog sitter. Use a dash for attribution. em dash "What would men be without women? Scarce, sir ... mighty scarce." - Marc Twain Use a dash to indicate a journey from one place to another. en dash The New York - Paris flight was over 16 hours. Use a dash to indicate a continuation of an amount (e.g., pages, years, etc.). en dash On pages 432 - 460, Vlad the Impaler was described to have lived 1431 - 1476. Here are two more dashing tips: Never use more than two dashes in a sentence, i.e., don't create a run-on sentence with dashes. Dashes are traditionally not accompanied by other forms of punctuation - except when a question mark or an exclamation mark is needed to help convey the parenthetical phrase. If you're going for an informal tone, feel free to use the dash to spice up your writing. Just don't forget to use these dash usage tips to strengthen your writing skills, as well as maintain your credibility as an Expert Author. We will have more grammar tips in the next few weeks, so stop by the Blog for the latest and greatest tips to error-free articles. Did you miss our last edition of Top Punctuation Howlers? Find out more about the hyphen here! What would you like to see next? Let us know by visiting this post online and sharing your suggestions in the comments section! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Click here to discover more EzineArticles grammar tips! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... profoundly rewarding!" When I launched a new business this summer, I knew that article marketing and blogging was going to be a huge part of it. Writing articles is truly the best way to become a leader of thought in your industry or within your circle.... Thank you, EzineArticles - You literally changed my life, and the process of writing has been profoundly rewarding! Camille Rodriquez PolkaDotImpressions.com 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-7962555-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Location Targeting? Create a Keyword Map to Stay Relevant

Location Targeting? Create a Keyword Map to Stay Relevant Avoid Getting Lost in Thin, Irrelevant Content by Creating a Keyword Map What's one of the fastest growing search trends? Travel searches and local searches. Warning: Tread carefully! Articles targeting an audience based on a location are only successful if the article is exclusive to that location. Relevance Matters A common oversight of many SEO-hungry authors is repeating a keyword phrase that combines a location and a keyword (e.g., "SEO Seattle" or "Seattle Plumber"). Grammar issues aside, the author will pair these phrases with thin, generalized content or content that can be applied to other locations and is therefore irrelevant. Readers see right through this tactic - they either know their location like the back of their hand or have a set of expectations regarding the location. One sector that has seen an overabundance of irrelevant content due to a poor localized SEO recommendation or a misunderstanding of SEO is that of the service sector. Service Sector Scenario Let's say you're a plumbing expert in Seattle, Washington and you own a plumbing repair business that serves clientele within a 30 mile radius of Seattle. Top service calls from your clientele include backed up toilets, blocked drains, ruptured pipes, sump pump issues, etc. The problem with targeting a Seattle audience regarding your top service calls: All of these topics are applicable elsewhere, i.e., the articles will be considered irrelevant by non-Seattle audiences. Additionally, these topics have a huge audience as well as higher competition to be seen or ranked in search engines. For example, let's say you write an article about why a homeowner should install a sump pump. The article is applicable to more than just a Seattle audience - any city that's not in a desert or arid climate (e.g., Chicago, Illinois and Brisbane, Australia) can benefit from this article. Create a Keyword Map Delve further into your experience to find angles specific to Seattle by creating a keyword map, blueprint, or tree. Start in the middle with your main topic (e.g., "Plumbing in Seattle").   Next, consider what you have knowledge of or experience in from that original idea (e.g., plumbing ordinances, water utility, etc. specific to Seattle). Write down keyword threads off of your main topic to form your next tier.   Finally, continue writing more specifics off of each thread (e.g., from the Seattle Plumbing Ordinance tier, you might write legal regulations and safety, building regulations, etc.). Repeat process as needed. Should you still write articles for a more general audience (e.g., blocked drain articles for everyone)? Absolutely. Having a balanced portfolio of articles that targets international audiences as well as local audiences will only add to your credibility and amplify your exposure. Just remember: Relevance matters. For more tips on writing about a place or location, click here. Questions or comments? Visit this post online! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Did you miss our last SEO and article writing post? Click here to discover why doorway pages just don't work! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "You guys are simply the BEST!" EzineArticles.com is truly a reputable directory article site that gives so many writers an opportunity to publish their work and have it exposed to a huge global audience. You guys are simply the BEST! Kym Gordon Moore FromBehindThePen.WordPress.com 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-7956718-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Basic Article Templates for Expert Authors

Basic Article Templates for Expert Authors Satisfy Readers with Easy-to-Read Content Internet audiences are ravenous. When compared to printed publications, the majority of online readers consume content at alarming speeds. As an Expert Author, it's important to deliver original, informative content in a succinct, stylized format that will compel readers forward. Try these writing tips and basic article templates so your readers can easily digest your quality articles. Write a Direct Introduction Be direct and engaging in your article's introduction as well as be mindful of insatiable skimmers (e.g., Internet readers who consume articles at incredible speeds in their quest to find relevant content that benefits them). In your first sentence, provide a compelling analogy relevant to your article's topic. In the last sentence of your introduction, provide your main idea and how it benefits the reader. TIP: If your reader can't find your point quickly or finds it unoriginal, the reader will become bored, distracted, or frustrated and click away. 5 Basic Article Templates Readers Love Ordered List Template: Use a numbered or ordered list when you're providing a step-by-step process or when listing in order of importance. Keep list descriptions around 50 words and don't force points to get a "rounded" list, e.g., add a filler point to reach 10 tips. Ordered list styles include "top 10" lists, "how to" procedures, "best of" lists, etc.   Bulleted List Template: Use a bulleted or unordered list when order is not essential. Unordered lists provide a quick and easy format that allows readers to get a bird's eye view of the article and gather the information they need. Keep bullets short and to the point. Unordered list styles include "introduction to" articles, options, checklists, etc.   FAQ Template: Use a simple Q&A or FAQ format by bolding the questions and then providing a succinct explanation or discussion point below the question. Keep questions short (i.e., don't span over multiple lines), non-promotional, and ensure the questions are relevant to your audience.   Bricklayer Template: Use bolded headers, like mortar, between the sections (i.e., the bricks) of your article. Keep section headers short, but compelling like you would the article's title. Write succinct, relevant, and descriptive information driving the main focus of the section as well as tie it into the main point of the article. (Click here to see an example of this style in action.)   Combination Template: Use a combination of any of the above to suit your own article writing style. For example, try a combination of the Bricklayer Template and the bulleted list (this post is an example of how those formats can be combined easily). Keep an eye on your article length by targeting your word count between 400-700 words. Write a Motivating Conclusion Your conclusion should succinctly recap your main points, but more importantly provide a thought-provoking piece of information that gets the reader thinking. Successful articles are less about the regurgitation of information and more about getting the reader to take the information they have gained and apply it for their own benefit. In doing so, the reader will want to know more information about you as well as your website or blog. The key to all of these styles is to be as direct as you possibly can in your articles - don't make readers guess or wade through subtext to achieve their desired information. Prepare your articles using these basic article templates and tips to ensure readers are satisfied with easy-to-read, informative content. Join the discussion! Visit this post online to post a suggestion or question in the comments section. To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Click here to discover 5 approaches to piquing your readers' interest with a compelling introduction! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "EzineArticles.com has worked out extremely well" The relationship with EzineArticles.com has worked out extremely well. As a consequence of publishing articles on EzineArticles.com, I have built a huge body of material that enhances my credibility and search engine optimization. However, and most importantly, I have been able to use EzineArticles.com as a way of helping others. Nigel Brooks NigelAlBrooks.com 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-7915407-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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[EzineArticles] Reminders Article Template

Reminders Article Template Diversify Your Article Inventory with This Article Template What's the one thing that sets you, as an Expert Author, apart from non-experts with a general interest in your niche? Answer: Your Brain The human brain is a beautiful thing. As an expert faced with any kind of scenario in your niche, your brain has thousands or even tens of thousands of related memories from which to pull data and solve problems. Much of this data has been stored away in your long-term memory. Your long-term memory stores data via repetition, performing a task in a particular manner, sleep, etc. Given the amount of experience you have gathered in your niche, you may have picked up a few tricks to help you remember a procedure, an important matter, and much more. Someone with less experience doesn't have that data, but they want it! You can share your own memory strengthening techniques in your niche through high-quality, original articles with the Reminders Article Template. This template gets you thinking about the best way to leave reminders for yourself and others. Here's how: Identify a scenario with a commonly forgotten simple solution. Think about how you remember things yourself. Do you write things down on a piece of paper or do you leave it to your memory to remember?   Explain processes or options of how to remember the best solution when that scenario comes up. For example, do you have a mnemonic device or some other nugget of knowledge to share with others to help their memory?   Outline how the reminders will help and what they will help avoid.   Summarize the reminder again. Reiterate the points that you've already shared in the article and conclude your thoughts. Exercise your brain by thinking of your own memory strengthening techniques and share them in your next set of high-quality original articles. Like our article templates? Increase your exposure and your article library simultaneously by downloading EzineArticles' 52 interactive Article Templates on PDF. Click here for more details! Have you written an article using the reminder style? Share your article and experiences in the comments section here. To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Christopher M. Knight, Publisher http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Get the EzineArticles' Article Templates on the go with the Deck of Cards: click here! EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I love the templates" I find I love the templates and have a file with copies of all of them. Sometimes I go through them and put Post-it notes on individual templates with ideas/titles/themes - ready for possible development into an article ... or sometimes not. But that's OK, because it often stirs a memory or fits somehow with an opinion I hold, or an idea that's still deep within my 'think tank.' Christine Larsen CDCraftee.com 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-7909678-4884430.91384863d13c19d33b8fa26a396b13a6@lists.ezinearticles.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2012 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

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