5 Ways to Bond with Your Blog’s Audience
You’re smart. You know you need to be helpful on your blog in order to grow your audience. You share useful tips. You give away free tutorials. But somehow you’re not connecting with your readers. Your blog seems a little quiet.
Henneke
 Inspire your audience to create fans. Mines proven methods for moving your audience from just readers to fans of your blog. Notes that to intimately connect with readers you might: - Write similar to the way you would speak to an audience. Let your readers know that you are an actual human being.
- Metaphors can bring language to life for your readers and draw them into your story. Comparing distinct ideas with other, more concrete ideas can help readers understand complexity.
- Uplift and motivate readers rather than just teaching them. You can accomplish this by showing empathy, freely sharing useful content, and concluding with an inspiring statement.
- Occasionally expose your vulnerabilities and mistakes to show that you have problems like your reader.
- Be both engaging and engaged to hook your readers. It's nearly impossible to excite your reader about content that you are not engaged in.
If you think of your blog as actual communication with other humans, you will go further than this to show your interest. You might visit their site, write meaningful replies to their comments, or send them a personal email. You never know when you might turn a casual reader into a passionate fan. Interested? Click the title or image to read on. Source is Copyblogger.com You might also enjoy:
Before you leave, let us know what strategies you use to become friends with your readers.
By Darin L. Hammond Writer for ZipMinis and owns ZipMinis Freelance Writing.
Darin Publishes across the web on sites like Technorati
BC Blog, Blog Critics, Broowaha, and Social Media Today.
3 Important Lessons That Writers MUST Learn From Marketers
To the uninitiated, writing can seem like a pretty easy gig. You just spend the day watching television and surfing the web, and when inspiration strikes you saunter over to your computer to dash off a few brilliant paragraphs, send them off to an editor, and you’re done for the day.
Danny Iny
 Learn how to market your writing. Mines the painful reality of writing powerfully in order to show some easy marketing methods that will help publish your words to more readers. Notes that writing is similar to marketing in that you are trying to get a "client" interested in your "product." So, thinking like a marketer will bring success: - You are not writing for yourself. You are writing for your audience, so you must always remember those readers as you write, your employers. Learn as much as you can about who they are and what they like.
- You only have seconds to hook your reader. You draw readers in with your headline and first line, so make them your most powerful, audience driven lines. People scan headlines, so you have to grab them fast.
- You should include your passion and identity in your writing. Other people are passionate too, so some will love your work and some will hate it. You have to view reactions objectively to make them useful. Try not to gush too much over praise, and avoid feeling too much pain over criticism. In both cases, use the feedback you are getting to fine-tune your writing and know your audience better.
- You must work hard to grow your fan base because you need as many as you can get. Develop a plan to increase your audience and then follow through.
Interested? Click the title or image to read on. Source is WritetoDone.com You might also enjoy:
By Darin L. Hammond Writer for ZipMinis and owns ZipMinis Freelance Writing.
Darin Publishes across the web on sites like Technorati
BC Blog, Blog Critics, Broowaha, and Social Media Today.
This Is The Modern Cycle Of Productivity
I try to sit down and bang out work when I’m inspired. I’m not always inspired and try not to dive into any major projects during that time. Usually, I’m thinking in the back of my head about how to more effectively manage my time, organize my thoughts, and potentially get some work done.
Katie Lepi
 Typical modern cycle of productivity? Mines the author's productivity cycle, demonstrating many brief spurts of activity, with short spurts of productivity.
Notes that this is a realistic portrayal of what a modern individual work cycle is like, suggesting that this functions well.
The cycle certainly seems typical of a less than perfect model work flow, although it conflicts with most thinking on productivity. While flexibility and downtime are necessary, the productivity only accounts for 12% of the total time. This assumes that the time segments are equal.
The author suggests this is an accurate depiction of her productivity, but although she seems serious about her routine, the touch of humor suggests that it might not be optimal.
Some alternate suggestions might create more productivity, but each individual has her own style. While this model of productivity might work for her, I created an alternative that might increase work flow:
Interested? Click the title or image to read on. Source is Edudemic.com You might also enjoy: Stay a moment and let us know what you think. What changes would you make to either of the productivity models?
By Darin L. Hammond Writer for ZipMinis and owns ZipMinis Freelance Writing.
Darin Publishes across the web on sites like Technorati
BC Blog, and Social Media Today.
Creative Thinking Skills – 13 Creative Ideas worth Remembering
Last weekend’s Wall Street Journal “Review” section teemed with wonderful reminders of creative ideas. These reminders were helpful for providing a handy creative thinking skills refresher on ideas that can become easy to overlook.
Mike Brown
 Promote your creativity. Mines the different aspects of creativity that can be nurtured to produce further innovation.Notes Outlook and viewpoint - Avoid becoming jaded with what has been done repeatedly before and be open to the new and fresh.
- Be a risk taker who innovates and tries new ideas, allowing yourself to be silly, random, brash, and opinionated.
Motivation- Generate ideas through online sources that inspire you.
- Use face to face interaction and offline sources to discover the marvelous and unique aspects in people and the world.
- Reach out to find new creative sources rather than returning to the same ones over and over.
- Find experiences where there are mysteries and things you don't know, rather than ones where you know the whole story.
- Seek social interaction with likeminded people who you can share your passions with and discover their inspiration.
Activity- Completely embed yourself in new projects, exploring everything about them in search of the the essence, fully learning the new subject.
- Cut the old, traditional, and unnecessary information that your audience will already be familiar with.
- Try out different methods of creation, sometimes planning while other times being spontaneous.
- Carefully craft moments where the audience will encounter surprises and the unexpected.
Moments and epiphanies- Search for ways of making the complex simple for readers or viewers, processing the chaos of data and information through subtle design.
- Consider what will powerfully impact your audience, startling and awing them, causing them to see the subject in a new light.
Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is Brainzooming.comYou might also enjoy:
Before you leave, what ideas do you use to spark creativity and innovation? Like the site? Please bookmark it and return.
By Darin L. HammondWriter for ZipMinis and owns ZipMinis Freelance Writing.
Darin Publishes across the web on sites like Technorati
BC Blog, and Social Media Today.
The Science of Storytelling: 6 Ways to Write More Persuasive Stories
When it comes to crafting “words that sell”, the research shows us that stories are among the most persuasive forms of writing out there. Persuasive writing is an essential part of blogging—there’s no two ways about it.
Gregory Ciotti
 Storytelling binds the minds of readers and writers. Mines the science of creativity in blogging and copy writing, suggesting that effective writers negotiate a psychological relationship with ideal readers.Notes that research by Green and Dr. Mazzocco, explored storytelling in the court room, one of the a tough audience. They found that successful stories depend on the writer's: - Knowledge of the ideal reader, being aware of ambitions, desires, and problems.
- Adherence to realism, making the story feel real on a deep level that connects intimately to the reader. Even a fake story must seem real to be persuasive.
- Effective delivery of the story, using pacing, emphasis, and coherence to guide the reader skillfully through events.
- Ability to paint a vivid picture, drawing the readers mind into the story with well chosen sensory details.
- Structuring the story in a logical flow, moving the reader through a linear and chronological plot.
- Creating an atmosphere of trust, generating a feeling of confidence in the writer and employing design elements in the structure of the page that make the readers feel comfortable.
Darin's note: Implied throughout is that the story must be seamlessly woven with the intended message, moving the reader to action. The author refers to this as "transportation," suggesting movement. An engaging story lacks purpose if no action is motivated. This is true of fiction, nonfiction, copy, etc. In the case of fiction, the action might be mental, emotional, or maybe even physical. Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is Problogger.comYou might also enjoy:
10 Key Steps to Blogging Success
What is blogging?
In essence it is an online publishing and self-expression platform that allows feedback and comments. It is a two way communication channel. It has never been easier or so much fun.
Jeff Bullas
 Blogging is fun and empowers you! BNQ9T9QWNKUNMines the obstacles that might hold one back from the power and enjoyment generated by blogging about your passion.Notes that blogging possesses so much power now that it has become mainstream media, but fear sometimes makes new bloggers reluctant to start. They feel like they are not smart enough, are not great writers, or are not able to invent unique ideas.
However, potential bloggers should feel empowered if they have a subject they are passionate about as others on the web might be interested too. By adding content that is not overly complex but holds value, new bloggers will find an audience if they are persistent in writing. Providing an inviting layout rather than straight text will help draw in traffic. Bloggers also need to be aware that they are selling a product even if they are not receiving payment. They must market the blog with headlines that hook readers and a variety of media that keep readers stimulated. A blogger becomes a marketer as well when she shares not only with family, friends, and colleagues, but also publicizes posts on social media venues. This article is a powerful and motivating tool worth reading. Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is JeffBullas.comYou might also enjoy:Are you a blogger or have you thought about blogging?
Is There A Scientific Explanation for Writer’s Block And How Do You Overcome It?
Experiencing writer’s block when there’s a looming deadline is a blogger’s worst nightmare.
 What's the brain doing during blockage? Mines the available research on the brain's activity during writer's block, searching for realistic practices to overcome impediments.Notes that little psychology research has been performed, but a 2004 study out of Harvard studied hypergraphia: when the brain is so flooded with ideas that the person feels she must put them down on paper. Essentially, this is the opposite of writer's block.The study suggests that writer's block is related to hypergraphia because the writer has the ideas in mind but cannot put them on the blank page. The problem of blockage is not an absence of material, but the feeling that the thoughts resist emerging with clarity in writing.Some strategies seem to help in moving beyond block to true hypergraphia. Activities other than drafting help such as creating an outline or map, reading up on the subject of the writing, free-writing from a point other than the introduction, and removing yourself from the writing task for a while.
I am currently performing more extensive research on the subject and a feature article on the cognitive science of writer's block is coming shortly.Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is bloggingtips.comYou might also enjoy:Do you ever encounter writer's block, and how do you push through it?
The Power of Being You
Giving too much of yourself and saying yes too often is something many people are accustomed to doing to avoid conflicts and feelings of guilt. A sincere desire to give is wonderful, however, there’s a distinction between giving of yourself and giving up yourself.
 Embrace the real you in words. Mines the psychological issues created through the suppression of your true feelings, which by extension damages your authorial self.
Though the causes of habitual masking may stem from childhood and be challenging to overcome, real writing requires that you grapple with them. In addition to hindering writing, this behavior causes resentment, fatigue, anxiety and stress.
Notes that the way out is through quiet time and meditation so that you can contemplate who you really are. By extension, the writing life can work towards a resolution as it requires quiet time and focused thinking about the self in relation to others. However, for the writing to be therapeutic, you must be conscious of your history of self denial and connect to who you really are. You must find acceptance of your inner self, where your writing-self resides.
Interested? Click the title or image to read on.
Source is Psychology Today.You might also enjoy:
The 6 Unique Traits of All Remarkable Writers
That “something” I saw [in great writers] was a set of qualities that I think are unique to remarkable writers. And I wanted to start documenting those qualities — those things that make writers stand out from the rest of the population.
 Throw out the old writing model! Mines the new writer in the midst of big data, who pitches his ideas to an educated and information overloaded readership. The group addressed is not just any writer or reader, but the select few, like you, who look for something more.Notes that the stale writing qualities frequently cited on websites are so general as to be meaningless. Points instead to the great writer's ability to assess and analyze content, mine connections and intersections between data, and express ideas with brevity and clarity.
Adds that an awesome writer is able to pre-write stories in her mind, scan and read with a powerful motive, and rewrite with intensity until the work is truly fine. The article pins down exactly what pushes the best writers beyond average, dull prose. Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is Copyblogger.com.You might also enjoy:Would you add to or take away anything from the listed qualities?
5 quick things you can do today to boost your creativity
Overall, the more positive a person’s mood on a given day, the more creative thinking he did that day. Across all study participants, there was a 50 percent increase in the odds of having a creative idea on days when people reported positive moods, compared with days when they reported negative moods.
 Happiness and a bit of chaos equal creativity. Mines research on creativity to help you tap into your brain's ingenuity and maximize your artistic abilities.
Notes that consciously working yourself into a positive and happy state of mind will energize the creativity within you, and conversely, a negative mood will hinder it. Individually brainstorming and inventing ideas will engage your creative side, but collective or group brainstorming will shut down your individuality.
Moments early in the day when you are doing something ordinary, requiring little thought, such as a shower or a walk, allows your mind to disengage from the stress of the day and create with freedom. Seize moments when your mind is inactive. Try writing immediately after waking in the morning or after a nap because your mind is a bit disconnected and disorganized, freeing you to generate unique ideas without the restrictions of an organized and controlling mind. Interested? Click the title or image to read on.Source is Barking up the Wrong Tree.You might also enjoy:
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