There’s more to article writing than what meets the eye. Articles aren’t written just for entertainment but also for information and so they have to be captivating. This can be tough sometimes; especially if your audience is the type that buzzes off if the first few lines don’t look appealing. You'll build your own worldwide audience as you publish articles and multimedia on the topics that you're passionate about. These are just a few things to know before you submit content:
1. Submitting duplicate content.
Some directories get jealous when they see one of their articles someplace else. These directories still accept content you've already submitted elsewhere, on the condition that you still own the copyright to it and the author name (that is your name is the same).
2. Meaningless Content
Be informative and succinct. Don’t beat around the bush. Go straight to the point and let your reader know exactly what you are talking about. For most directories, the minimum number of words is 300. If you want your article to have good SEO value, you should have at least 300-400 words in the article.
3. Grammatical errors.
Your sentences should exhibit correct grammar, structure, spelling, and punctuation.
4. Weak Article Topics
The topics you give your articles should be powerful, strong and descriptive. One way to achieve this is to put your self in your readers’ shoes.
Think: What set of keywords would a reader enter to find this content in search engines? An article with a topic such as "The Best Meal to Prepare" might be found in search engines, "Recipes for Chicken Soup" would be more discoverable. Your article header should have a maximum of 60 characters and include one or two keywords..
5. Information Theft
Cite your sources. Give honor to whom honor is due. When you refer to information from an online or printed source, an in-text citation must immediately precede or follow within the text. An example of citations:
According to Computer Economics, only 1.8 percent of corporate revenues will be used to fund IT expenses this year in North America (U.S. and Canada).
Also, list your sources at the end of your article in the following order:
Author/Artist name
Page Title
Website/blog Title
6. Irrelevant keywords
Trying to make your article too keyword optimized might just end up rendering it useless. For example, repeating a keyword phrase in a title, too closely together in the article, or using keyword phrases in a manner that creates incomprehensive or illogical reading.
7. Over-promoting yourself.
While building your personal brand as a writer, try to avoid excessive self or brand promotion when submitting your articles. If your content is mainly advertisement, try to blend it with something informative so that readers don’t click the back button before completely reading your article. Over-linking kind of puts readers off.
8. Text formatting
Aligning your text to the left is always recommended. The use of bold and italicized words should be used at a minimal level. Underlining should only be used for links.
Excessive and unnecessary capitalization can get really annoying. CAPITALIZED TEXT is considered shouting on the Internet and can really get your head throbbing. Always use your inside voice and use caps when necessary.
9. Lastly, article directories prefer content with new information on a general topic, or on a more specific aspect of the topic. For example, narrowing down a broad topic like "Mobile applications" to a more specific one like "Creating Applications for your iPad" would be more appropriate. Also, write articles that have a longer shelf life. Writing content on breaking news or sports results would be of no interest to the reader after a day or two.
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
How To Get That 'A' In Your Test.
We all write tests at one time or the other. The result of that test is simply a product of how well you prepared, your state of mind during that test and how well you answered the test questions. Below are a few tips to help you come out with that ‘A’.
1. In order to get those scores you desire, you need to have a good comprehension of the material, including memorizing specific facts and formulas. One of the most common ways to remember something is by repetition over time, that is, reading the material repeatedly. To achieve optimal results from this memory technique, schedule periodic reviews of the material. You can review the information on an hourly basis if you have the time. Review the information the next day. Review the information the next week. Review the information a month later.
2. Being aware of your environment or reading in one of your memorable spots really help. You could read that material as you walk through a garden or place, associating each important topic with some location. Then, when in front of the test questions, you could mentally walk through the garden to recall each point. This system is called the loci system. Record what you need to know and walk through a park or down city streets as you listen. When you see an important part that you think should be remembered, stop to look at what's around you. This would work well, especially if you are someone that loves going out.
3. To do the best in your exams, your preparation must be long and healthy. Those include eating healthy foods, committing to take the time necessary to learn the material and getting regular high-quality sleep, but not too much sleep because this could reduce you mental capacity and make your brain lazy, not tired, during the test. You can include supplements in your diet. There are many things you can ingest that may help, but only a few are safe. Fish oil (or just eating fish) speeds up brainwaves and improves concentration as well.
4. Review past test questions. A sample test or previous version of the exam will help you know what kind of questions will be on it, so you can study the right things. Also, ask about the exam. The course lecturer will sometimes tell you where most people have trouble. Double-check answers in that part of the test and recognize questions that come with a twist.
5. Watch you anxiety. You can do this by getting to your test venue early or drinking a bit of coffee or something else that makes you calm. Getting to your venue early will reduce your anxiety and help you get used to the test environment, especially if it’s your first time of being there. Studies have shown that people score higher on written tests after taking a cup of coffee, but be careful. If you are a very nervous person, however, too much caffeine can increase anxiety.
6. Have a pre-test exercise for a few minutes. As little as ten minutes of exercise has been shown to speed up decision making time and accuracy in tests of mental ability. Take exercises that help your cardio system.
In addition to the comprehensions and preparation steps you can take, there are also things you can do during an exam to improve your score. Here are a few examples.
7. Before the test, imagine yourself confidently finishing the test early and without trouble. A bit of positive expectation works for most people, and can't hurt.
8. Take deep breaths. As you start the test, take several deep breaths and let the tension drain from your muscles. This will reduce anxiety and help you concentrate.
9. Concentrate on one question at a time. This reduces feelings of anxiety because you are not anticipating and worrying about the next one. Don't think about the other questions until you get to them.
10. Make notes as soon as you sit, just before the exam starts. Write down any information you might forget. If you "crammed" for the test just before taking it this can be really useful.
11. Read the test instructions just before you start and follow them. There are often penalties for disobeying rules.
12. When you first receive the test, review it and divide your time since most tests are timed. If there’s time, review the test once you’ve finished. In this way you'll know if you are on schedule or if you need to speed up. It’s always better to take on questions you find simple first, leaving the tough ones for last. This can save you a lot of time.
13. Take your time. Never rush or speedily answer your test questions. Why? Because some tricky questions appear easy to those who hurriedly do test but actually require more thinking.
14. If your test is in theory, answer all questions if you can. If you are doing a multiple choice test, there’s always room for guessing because, you never know, you might just be right. Eliminate the options you know are wrong and then joggle the others.
15. Check for unanswered or wrongly answered questions. Do this once you feel you have nothing left to put down.
It’s always better to find what works for you. To help you achieve your test goals faster, shrink that bogus material into something you can carry about with you for quick reference and learn to speed read. With all this said and done, that A will definitely be yours.
1. In order to get those scores you desire, you need to have a good comprehension of the material, including memorizing specific facts and formulas. One of the most common ways to remember something is by repetition over time, that is, reading the material repeatedly. To achieve optimal results from this memory technique, schedule periodic reviews of the material. You can review the information on an hourly basis if you have the time. Review the information the next day. Review the information the next week. Review the information a month later.
2. Being aware of your environment or reading in one of your memorable spots really help. You could read that material as you walk through a garden or place, associating each important topic with some location. Then, when in front of the test questions, you could mentally walk through the garden to recall each point. This system is called the loci system. Record what you need to know and walk through a park or down city streets as you listen. When you see an important part that you think should be remembered, stop to look at what's around you. This would work well, especially if you are someone that loves going out.
3. To do the best in your exams, your preparation must be long and healthy. Those include eating healthy foods, committing to take the time necessary to learn the material and getting regular high-quality sleep, but not too much sleep because this could reduce you mental capacity and make your brain lazy, not tired, during the test. You can include supplements in your diet. There are many things you can ingest that may help, but only a few are safe. Fish oil (or just eating fish) speeds up brainwaves and improves concentration as well.
4. Review past test questions. A sample test or previous version of the exam will help you know what kind of questions will be on it, so you can study the right things. Also, ask about the exam. The course lecturer will sometimes tell you where most people have trouble. Double-check answers in that part of the test and recognize questions that come with a twist.
5. Watch you anxiety. You can do this by getting to your test venue early or drinking a bit of coffee or something else that makes you calm. Getting to your venue early will reduce your anxiety and help you get used to the test environment, especially if it’s your first time of being there. Studies have shown that people score higher on written tests after taking a cup of coffee, but be careful. If you are a very nervous person, however, too much caffeine can increase anxiety.
6. Have a pre-test exercise for a few minutes. As little as ten minutes of exercise has been shown to speed up decision making time and accuracy in tests of mental ability. Take exercises that help your cardio system.
In addition to the comprehensions and preparation steps you can take, there are also things you can do during an exam to improve your score. Here are a few examples.
7. Before the test, imagine yourself confidently finishing the test early and without trouble. A bit of positive expectation works for most people, and can't hurt.
8. Take deep breaths. As you start the test, take several deep breaths and let the tension drain from your muscles. This will reduce anxiety and help you concentrate.
9. Concentrate on one question at a time. This reduces feelings of anxiety because you are not anticipating and worrying about the next one. Don't think about the other questions until you get to them.
10. Make notes as soon as you sit, just before the exam starts. Write down any information you might forget. If you "crammed" for the test just before taking it this can be really useful.
11. Read the test instructions just before you start and follow them. There are often penalties for disobeying rules.
12. When you first receive the test, review it and divide your time since most tests are timed. If there’s time, review the test once you’ve finished. In this way you'll know if you are on schedule or if you need to speed up. It’s always better to take on questions you find simple first, leaving the tough ones for last. This can save you a lot of time.
13. Take your time. Never rush or speedily answer your test questions. Why? Because some tricky questions appear easy to those who hurriedly do test but actually require more thinking.
14. If your test is in theory, answer all questions if you can. If you are doing a multiple choice test, there’s always room for guessing because, you never know, you might just be right. Eliminate the options you know are wrong and then joggle the others.
15. Check for unanswered or wrongly answered questions. Do this once you feel you have nothing left to put down.
It’s always better to find what works for you. To help you achieve your test goals faster, shrink that bogus material into something you can carry about with you for quick reference and learn to speed read. With all this said and done, that A will definitely be yours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)