Addicted to Writing

Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

There are many ways of running a successful blog, and you’ll see that a lot of successful bloggers have followed (and/or broken) a different set of rules to get to where they are now. Sometimes breaking the rules will work in your favor. Sometimes they will stall your progress.

But as long as you don’t break the rules in the name of procrastination, being a sinner might just work in your favor.

So today I’m sharing my blogging sins, and my reasons for committing them:

1)      I don’t post frequently as I should/want.

As a writer, I’ll be the first to admit that despite my best intentions, I don’t always write as often as I should, or as often as I’d like.

In addition to life getting in the way (and by life I mean getting sick, approaching deadlines and the ultimate enemies-procrastination and depression. Come on, who doesn’t get writer’s blues?  And, no, you are not allowed to say Stephen King. )

Then there’s the other writing I like/have to do. Fiction and non-fiction. Posts for me and other publications.

And while writing is one of the things I should be doing, as researching/marketing/blogging/finding inspiration in different places are also vital parts of freelancing description, I don’t write as much as I should. And without writing, you don’t have something to pitch, market or edit.

Oh, and there isn’t only writing fiction or non-fiction, and with non-fiction, there are several blogs of mine as well as markets to pitch.

Now, while I love my blog and I’d publish once a day in every one of them in an ideal world (where the days last at least 48 hours), sometimes I get lost in a blogger’s other important tasks, or writing other things.

Do these sound like invalid excuses? Maybe you are right. But guess what I did right after the pain from my severe ear infection – I wrote 3,000 on the novel I’m working on, wrote and published Resources for Writers & Bloggers:Travel Blogger Academy Review, researched markets, organized bookmarks and my home office and…well, did this post of course. I might be a sinner, but I do work hard to compensate for the sins.

2)      I don’t post on a constant schedule.

Sometimes I post twice a week, sometimes twice a month. Partly because of the sin covered above, but mostly because I like to write things that not everybody else is already writing. I don’t want to read another post about how to optimize your blog for the search engines. Yes, we need that post, but there are a million of them out there. You don’t need to read them here as well.

And yes, there have been other posts on the deadly sins of blogging- but these are my personal sins, and their reasons and why they don’t have to be deadly.

I also don’t want to write about killer headlines. Not because I am not fond of the topic, but so many people have done that, and they have done it well. You might want to check out Headline Hacks, where you only need to give your email address to download Jon Morrow’s free report (52 Headline Hacks) for instance.

3)      I don’t treat a current topic as timely- because ultimately, even the current topics I’m interested in tend to be evergreen.

I saw Bryan Adams live in August this year, and I’m yet to post my review/experience post in the music category of my entertainment site. Partly because of sins number 1, partly because…well, a Bryan Adams concert isn’t something that’ll go out of fashion. I was a fan 12 years ago, and I still am. So the important thing is to find the current element in the post, highlight what matters and publish the post in its relativity.

After all, I have a couple of more slants I have up in my sleeve. For instance, why concerts are a great way of staying fit (for my unconventional beauty and fitness blog), why I tend to get over the worst colds at concerts (motivational post)- oh and then there’s the musical aspect – the testament to how Bryan’s rocking skills are “aging like wine.” So you see, maybe I missed out on my “Sarsborg” or Norway audience (not that I am saying I had audience there.)

So maybe it is not that sinful to commit this delaying sin, depending on which angles you are taking and why.

4)       I don’t comment frequently enough on other blogs.

In the world of blogging, some marketing tactics don’t always remain valid. Some do remain valid, but lose its level of impact. And some are too valuable to be dismissed as a marketing tactic.

To me, blog commenting falls into that “too valuable” category. I genuinely like commenting on other blogs, and I enjoy it when people comment on mine. Of course when I say commenting, I mean actual commenting- comments that say something personal, meaningful and related to the post.

So I don’t think it is a great idea to try and comment on every related post, regardless of where they are posted. Because let’s face it: forcing yourself to leave 20 distinctive and worthy comments are going to come out as just that: forced.

I comment when I want to say something others haven’t mentioned, or I want to share my own personal experience. Or I just have to say that post made me laugh/cry/think/feel inspired and why.

Then there is also the commenter’s block. It just exists for me. I don’t feel like commenting, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the post. So I either save and come back, or have a reading marathon when I’m in the commenting/researching mindset. This saves time, and makes commenting a natural act, and not a promotional tactic.

Oh, and then there are these powerful blogs who have disabled comments for their own reasons. Now, they definitely want us to commit this sin.

I like reading comments where my readers have shared what’s on their minds while having fun doing it. That’s what I like to do when I’m commenting.

Chores are boring. Promotion might feel forced. Instinct and passion, on the other hand,  make for better comments, don’t you think?

5)      I write for my audience- even when the audience is me.

As wonderful as it is to be read, and as valuable as it is to write for your readers (and write what they want/need), I can’t write a post I have absolutely no interest in writing, even if my readers were dying to get it.

Some bloggers will definitely disapprove of me saying this, but for me, blogging is an amazing form of expression- and as a writer, the freedom to express comes first. I love being read, and it is an awesome feeling when somebody reads, and hopefully resonates with, your work. But in order to be read, you need to write. But I can’t write something I don’t want to read.

Yes, I love having readers. Yes, one day I’d love to have thousands, millions of daily readers. But I want those readers to come because they identify with what I write. I can’t do that if I am not happy with my topics.

Yes, I write for my audience. But guess what? Before anyone else sees your writing, you still get to read, proofread and edit your writing. You’re the first set of eyes to see the work, and if you are not happy, you won’t want to pass it along.

Audience comes first. But don’t ignore the needs of your first ever reader.

6)      I write more than I market. Or pitch.

This is a sin I’m not proud of. But it is a sin I find very hard to stay away from, because as you can see from the name of the blog, I’m addicted to writing- first and foremost. This of course can harm future earnings, or delay how much you are going to make. It might also stall your career. But I try to use this to my advantage.

Because guess what? As much as I often drown in ideas and have a hard time keeping up with them despite my best efforts, sometimes even I get writer’s block. It doesn’t mean I don’t write anything for days or weeks. I wouldn’t have managed that even if I tried.

But I know it goes against my nature to stop a writing flow to market or do anything else. So I let myself write until I drop, or the ideas stop exciting and/or entertaining me. Then I move on to other tasks. Then I organize, plan, market and do all other things on my to-do list- until inspiration comes flooding again.

Is this the most effective way of marketing? Absolutely not. Can/Should it be improved? Hell, yes. But does it result in a happy writer who doesn’t get depressed over lack of inspiration, eager to learn more about self-promotion and improve her marketing  skills? Certainly.

It is a big sin. But it is not a deadly one as long as you have a counter-attack plan.

7)      I have many niches.

I can’t be a generalist, and I don’t want to be a generalist. Meaning I don’t want to write about anything. However I also can’t be a specialist in one area and keep writing in only one area. I’ve published 545 posts on my entertainment blog at time of writing this article, and over 400 of them are on movies. And despite my obvious passion for movies, I have also written novel/book reviews, album and concert reviews and so on. I am passionate about music and reading too.

And then there are the blogs, Dating & Relationships in the 21st Century and Beauty, Fitness & Style for the Fun-Loving Gal, and writing for other markets and then there is of course the fiction….

And while I’d have probably have come a longer way in any one area, but it is impossible for me to work that way. I’m passionate about a lot of topics, and I love writing about a lot of different topics. I have either the experience, enthusiasm or both to justify this need and want of mine.

I also realized that writing in a lot of different areas is a great way to prevent writer’s block, or at least a chance to move to another topic when one road gets blocked.

So here’s the thing. If I wanted to write about one thing alone, I’d have gotten a desk job. It may not be so for everyone, but diversity is a part of my definition of freelancing.

Verdict: A Sinner With A Cause

So there you go. I’ve just shared my 7 sins. I’m proud of some of them, seldom ashamed of a few and determined to improve on the shortcomings. But I like knowing what I do and why I do them.

While I make some mistakes along the way, I tend to come up with more ways to compensate for them. Committing some sins are also a nice way to learn what works, what doesn’t and how to get where you want to get to faster, without compromising your personality and passions.

What about you, fellow bloggers? Should you been forgiven?  Have you sinned? : )

Image via travelbloggeracademy.com.

I don’t remember how I first came across Travel Blogger Academy, but I’m really glad that I did. While I do write travel articles for websites and don’t run a travel blog (yet), I realized that this website is a great resource for all web writers and bloggers, whether they are interested in travel writing or not. Of course it is a lot more beneficial if they are.

The website tells you everything you need to know for starting, monetizing and successfully managing a travel blog. But the great thing is, despite most niche blogs, a lot of their advice can actually be applied to other blogs as well.

Editor-in-chief of Travel Blogger Academy, Adam Costa, does know and prove that content is the most important asset of any blog. He has utilized his writing and blogging optimally, and he is leading a lifestyle many writers would love to have: write what you care about for an audience that wants to hear what you are saying, make passive income all the while traveling to wherever you want.

Now, let’s do a content breakdown:

The homepage contains the blog posts, as well as the chance to subscribe to the 24-part free email course on travel blogging (though this course can be subscribed to from any page of the blog, which is a great tip for any blogger when it comes to what action you want your audience to take).

The other content pages- create content, grow traffic, get paid, use tools, include a collection of the best posts on the blog on these topics, which serve as what Chris Garrett would call flagship content. They tell you all the basics you need to know, as well as what you should do to take things to the next level(s).

From its logo to its design, from its content to clearly defined tone and purpose, Travel Blogger Academy has a lot to teach while being fun, practical and relatable.

Below are some of my favorite articles:

Travel Writers: 37 Publishers Who Pay – a nice collection of travel markets, both web and print.

101 “Magnifiers” For Exploding Your Travel Site’s Traffic

101 Proven Headlines for Travel Blogs (Yours Free)

How To Read Minds And Become Irresistible To Your Audience

How to Write Travel Stories That Sell

In a nutshell, this blog can help you

-          Write great headlines – regardless of  the topic

-          Be informative without a subject without sacrificing fun and personality

-          Dig deeper into what plugins there are out there

-          Connect with your audience

-          Make money

-          Grow traffic

-          Get inspired

And more.

Have you checked out the site yet?

Image via copyblogger.com

I can’t believe my last post was a month ago.  I’m so sorry about that. But I have a valid excuse: I was listening to my own advice (I’m a big fan of practicing what I preach.) Inspiration and motivation were chasing me at record speed so I willingly surrendered. I’m not saying that I didn’t get any valuable ideas to share here. I did. But I wanted to keep a really good record of every idea and goal so I jotted down a lot, changed my mind a couple of times about which contests to enter, wrote my drafts and I’m back. And I promise not to stay away for so long again.

Inspiration-struck Me:

-          I have had these two fun screenplay ideas (actually I’d written the first drafts a long time ago) for ages but there was no way I’d be able to format them in time for the Big Break Contest organized by *Final Draft (a screenwriting software I’ve been happily using whose review I’ll post soon).

But Big Break’s *extended deadline is 15^th June, they want the full script and the awards are nothing short of amazing. But my two scripts need adjustments in many areas, and there is no way they will be fit for a contest until the deadline.

Then I realized that I could enter the Script Pipeline’s Great Idea contest, where you are allowed to write anything from a logline to a treatment of 3-5 pages.

So guess what? Currently I’m writing 2 treatments and editing them. I’ll then submit & keep my fingers crossed. And even though I don’t get to be a finalist, I’ll have two very clear ideas on how I want to outline the story, and relive the events and my characters. Of course I won’t be sitting on these screenplays afterwards.

-          I have some upcoming fun and useful writing posts.

-          I have some wonderful movie post (for my entertainment blog) ideas, based on the romantic in me. It’s all Forget Me Not’s fault really. I can no longer delay those posts, such as the most romantic & original marriage proposal in a movie.

-          My favorite TV shows are either over or on a seasonal break- which incidentally is on its way to be another post here. Oh yes, it is perfectly writing-relevant, trust me.

-          I’m planning a two week trip to Norway and Sweden which motivated me further to pitch and research more efficiently.

Not only is it a specific deadline challenge, but also its blows to the budget will provide more incentive to increase my freelance income. Not just because I will spend a lot, but I’ll want to go on a travelling spree again very soon.

Yes, I confess, I am addicted to traveling, nearly as much as I’m addicted to writing and entertainment.

There’s more, but let that be another post.

How has your writing been going?

• Please note that extended deadlines typically mean increased entrance fees.
• The links in these posts aren’t affiliate links, just the direct links to the contest information pages.

Image via blog.blogsetup.com

When I first heard the concept “paid-to-blog”, I felt like I had hit jackpot. What was there not to love? I loved blogging and writing about a variety of subjects. Hell, even some of the famous probloggers like Yaro Starak or John Chow had initiated some of their incomes through sites like Review Me.

-          Not all of them accept free blog platforms like Blogger (Google’s Blogspot).

-          The well-paying and most-sought after ones might be hard to get accepted into (in terms of traffic/etc).

-          Not all of them are OK with URL extensions such as blogs. For instance, this blog’s URL is writing.pinartarhan.com, and it is OK. However my entertainment blog, http://pinartarhan.com/blog/, wasn’t accepted to some sites because of the “blog” extension at the end. Smorty was one.

-          Most of the review jobs offer low pay, such as $1-5 for 100-200 words.

-          Most of the advertisers require that it is a positive review- which wouldn’t have been entirely unacceptable if they hadn’t also required you to not mention it is a paid review. Why would you put your credibility on the line for anyone?

-          Most of the advertisers/websites offered to you are irrelevant to your blog’s topic.

-          Some of them only accept sites that get over a certain amount of traffic and/or have a certain PR (Google Page Rank). Even if the site doesn’t require that, a lot advertisers listed require a certain PR, even though they pay ridiculously low amounts.

-          Some of the sites are country-specific, so you can’t write for them if you are out of their preferred/obligatory tax/geographical zone.

Aren’t there advantages? Sure there are:

-          Almost all these sites come with their own affiliate programs, so you can recommend using them. Why do you think there are so many articles written about them? I suspect many bloggers using these sites make more money through being an affiliate rather than actual blog posts they wrote for the sites.

-          Many pay via PayPal.

-          It’s relatively easy to write 100 words and place a couple of links.

-          If you are using one of the top sites, and your site is a strong one, you can get paid a decent amount/review.

-          You can use your experience and recommendations when you are applying for website/blogging jobs.

What are some of these sites?

Reviewme

Smorty  (However Smorty also enables you to publish banner ads.)

Payperpost.

Sponsored Reviews

Blogvertise.com

Where do I stand?

For me, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages, so I don’t get excited about these sites anymore. Sure, if a great site with lots of pros comes out, I might give it a try. But for now, I am staying away. What’s your take on these sites?

Please note that I used the site links to the review sites. They’re not affiliate links.

Cover of 101 Ways to Battle Blogger's Block. Image via bloggingbookshelf.com

  Where This Freelancer Has Trouble

I guess I am like most writers. My brain never stops thinking about my next article, next blog post, next idea for a fictional story…

But I’m most comfortable finding ideas for and writing my blog posts. For me, freedom enables fun and creativity.

And a creative writer who’s having fun is usually a productive writer. But I do get stuck finding slants when I am pitching the other magazines/websites/blogs.

Most of the time, no two publications are ever identical. So having to come up with multiple (workable) ideas for each publication can be extremely frustrating.

And between all the publications, their topics and guidelines, I sometimes find myself unable to generate ideas productively.

You know you are in trouble when you can’t find any ideas that excite and/or entertain you. How can I convince an editor when I am not all that enthused myself? After all, it feels amazing when other people want to publish your stuff. The bad thing is, you are competing with many other freelancers.

Most Inspirational/Creativity Books Aren’t Helpful

I recently threw away a book on creativity, because its tips felt so abstract. And most books that are supposed to help you unleash your creativity only add to your block. Or they only offer stuff that you have heard before. Or they don’t appeal to your tastes/personality/mindset.

Why Tristan’s 101 Ways to Battle Blogger’s Block Rocks:

-          You can use all his suggestions for all sorts of writing.

-          They are fun to read and apply.

-          Some of the tips are familiar, but you probably didn’t see them presented in a neat, concise package. It is only 28 pages.

-          It’s free.

-          It comes with 101 tips, so there are bound to be some stuff you haven’t tried before.

-          Sometimes it offers contrasting tips, so you can get even more experimental to see what works better for you.  

Some of My Favorite Tips: (The details are in the book)

• Where were you X time ago?
• Look at your photo albums.
• Pick a (well-known). story/song/… and roll with it
• Title a post after a song.

When I was reading his e-book for the first time, and saw this last tip, I pushed the next button on my mp3 player (which was on Shuffle mode), and I got Kansas’ Carry On My Wayward Son – a classic rock number (that is also a trademark song on the mystery/thriller/horror show Supernatural).

Think what I can do with it:

Carry On My Wayward Blogger/Freelancer/Writer….

Don’t we often feel wayward with how much we are supposed to do to reach our goals?

Who knows what other titles can bring to the table, or how many more ideas can be spun off this song? If nothing else, you can just relax, close your eyes and enjoy the song.

After all taking a break, is incidentally, one of the ways Tristan is suggesting. And this is only one of the 101 ways. ,

*

Tristan blogs on Blogging Bookshelf, a blog about “blogging,info products and internet business.” You can learn more about him here, and access his free e-books (whose topics range from getting noticed in your niche to getting ideas for books) here.  Yes, I downloaded them all. You can’t always find that much fun stuff in the same place.

Rejection Letters. Image via elle.com

Writers are constantly exposed to a form of rejection.  Well, no one likes to be rejected in any area, but we writers need to face the music more often than others. We apply to a lot of writing gigs both online and offline, try to get our stories/novels published, and/ or get our scripts read by producers/agents. And it doesn’t always matter whether we targeted the right market or abided by the guidelines. It doesn’t always make a difference that our writing is good, or the query letters rocked. John Grisham got rejected. J.K. Rowling got rejected.  Do I really need to give more examples?

And having been writing full time since late 2009, I can say that I am pretty much at the start of the rejection cycle. Because although I have been writing since I was basically a preteen, I had never sent my writing to anyone besides my friends. I loved being read and I enjoyed a loyal following that loved what story I would come up with next.

But we all grew up and our lives became much more hectic than just going to school, socializing or dating. We were distracted by our career and family plans. That’s when I finally decided that I was not satisfied with writing just for me and my friends. I also wasn’t going to settle for some job I didn’t want because the economy sucked. It was time to follow my. So I dove straight into heavy research. I studied how magazine queries were made, how articles were formatted. I read about how you could sell your screenplays even if you lived a world away from Hollywood.

I read about blogging and writing, and applied what I learned. In addition to running several blogs, I got some decent gigs and continue to have them. I also keep getting rejected. Here is what I’ve learned so far:

1)      Obviously, your samples won’t impress everyone. For many jobs, you will be either be overqualified or under-qualified. If you are overqualified, the job is highly unlikely to satisfy you.

2)      With some gigs, you’ll have been 10 minutes/2 days/50 applicants too late to have applied.

3)      Job-hunting for writers isn’t all that different from job-hunting for others.

4)      You will be rejected, even if you avoided every rookie mistake you were supposed to avoid.

5)      Many editors will not reply at all.

6)      Some editors will just reply “No, Thanks”, only after you followed up twice.

7)      It is be frustrating, but the acceptance e-mail and the check are all worth it. Yes, I am assuming the check is decent.

8)      You constantly have to work on writing better, marketing and networking. And you need to keep querying.

**

A writer friend of mine recently mentioned that he hated the rejection letters that said that he was a good writer, the story was good but they were just not interested. I hate the letters that don’t come at all, or come very late. I have a whole article about it.

While obviously the news (of rejection) stinks, it at least enables you to move on, and learn. So try not to let it get you down so much. I once read somewhere that the more rejection letters you have in your drawer, the closer you are to being published. And then the author of the article had gone on to list the number of rejection letters famous authors got before they got lucky. The list is quite impressive.

Proof? John Grisham’s first novel is A Time to Kill. His first published worked however is The Firm. A Time to Kill got published after The Firm. Same guy, same style, same quality, both bestsellers. One just happened to be misjudged.

So the ultimate lesson is to hang in there. Your turn will come too, whether it is getting constant magazine gigs, or getting your fiction out there. You are just going to get rejected a lot in the process.

blogging terms image via bloggingbasics101.com

Here are the definitions to some of the most used terms in the world of blogging. Relax, grab a (healthy) drink and go over some of the most used terms in blogging. And remember, in this glossary, I don’t get technical. Just practical.

Blogging platform: This is basically where you blog. WordPress and Blogger are the most famous ones. I like to use them both.

Blogger is free, and you can monetize it. WordPress has a lot more options, but any monetization comes after you buy your own hosting. So there are pros and cons to both.

For instance, this blog is a self-hosted WordPress blog. My entertainment blog is also on WordPress.

For a Blogger example, you can check my Dating and Relationships in the 21^st century.

Webhost: Webhosting basically means that you pay to have your own websites and blogs to be out there. Why should you pay when there are many free platforms? Well, it depends on your intent.

The webhost lets you choose your own domain name. And even though my platform is WordPress, my blog URL doesn’t have WordPress, a benefit of having a self-hosted blog.

Webhosts also allow you to be free with your storage capacities (obviously up to a certain point, but you are much more comfortable with space than you are on the free platform), create an e-mail address (many advertising networks) require you to have a hosted email address and not a free one such as from Yahoo or Gmail).

And there is the fact that WordPress.com (free WordPress platform) doesn’t let you put advertising on your site. If you are in this for making a living for yourself, you need to get a webhost. Mine is Justhost. While it has its ups and downs, I have been using them since late 2009. They are cheap, and the customer service is pretty accessible. I occasionally get the message that I need to upgrade. I handle this by getting rid of the things I don’t use for the site.

But alternatively, you can monetize Blogger with Adsense, Amazon and other advertising opportunities – as long as you are allowed to have a URL on a free platform. It is best to check with the Publisher FAQ’s of the advertising company you want to use.

I heard that Bluehost is pretty good, but I have been too lazy to move. As long as Justhost keeps it up with the customer service and prices, I am happy.

Monetizing: You can put ads, make affiliate deals and sell other people’s stuff, sell your own product and services, make paid reviews…but these all have pros and cons. One of the cons is money is hard to make, especially if you are low on traffic.

Traffic: How many unique visitors do you get? Daily? Monthly?

Guestblogging: Writing for other blogs or other bloggers write for you. Guest-writing for popular blogs will be great for prestige and your popularity. There is a couple of lines for writing your bio, which includes your website link. You’ll also get to interact with people who comment on your piece. Just apply to guest-post and abide their guidelines. Then give it your best shot.

* Carol Tice pays her guestbloggers $50, but of course she selects them carefully.

Link building: How powerful your blog is usually dependent on how many (powerful/quality) sites are linking to you.

One great method is networking with others. Another fun, albeit less effective, way is blog commenting.

Problogging: Blogging about blogging- how to monetize, attract readers, etc…

Some of the problogging blogs I like are Problogger, Blogginglabs, Blogging Teacher (especially if you want to make money writing blog posts) and Carol Tice’s Make a Living Writing (especially if you are a writer who blogs).  I have a lot more, but these four should get you going for starters.

Seo: Seach Engine Optimization. You need to optimize your blog for search engines like Yahoo, Google, etc… so that your blog will be easier to find on the Internet. In order to do that, you need to pick the right keywords.

What are your blog posts about? What keywords are in demand? What words are people typing into search engines? What are they interested in?

You can either search first and prepare a post accordingly or write your post first and make the search and optimize it later.

Frankly, I have read so many blog posts and e-books about SEO that I wouldn’t be able to direct you to one individual source.

**

Let me know if you need/want any other concepts explained. I’ll either explain here on the comments, or will link to a resource I like. Or both:)

image via ezgi.murekkep.org.

The article is short and to the point. It lists 5 reasons why you (as a writer) should blog:

4 Reasons Why Every Writer Should Use Twitter

Why Every Writer Should Watch ABC’s Mystery Thriller Castle

Do you have multiple blogs or websites? If you do, how do handle promoting through social media (Twitter /Facebook/ Linkedin..etc)?  Do you have different accounts for each website? Or do you promote your posts and blogs through the same social media accounts?

As a writer who is running several blogs, I realized that keeping different accounts on some sites (such as Facebook), while using only one account on some sites (Linkedin/Twitter) worked the best for me.

Of course there are pros and cons for whatever decision you make, and I listed them all on the articleStrategies for Promoting Multiple Sites via Social Media. The post is on Freelance Switch.

Related Posts

4 Reasons Why Every Writer/Blogger Should Use Twitter

Twitter is all the rage now. It is not about regular Joe’s or Jane’s online popularity, although it might be a indication of it. But it is mainly about how you make use of social media, how strong a personality you are online and how well your business is making use of the web. Sure, twitter isn’t the only socializing/micro-blogging platform out there but it is one of the most popular and influential. Books are written and e-books are published every single day about this medium. This article is about the reasons why writers can’t afford not being in tune with it either.

1)      Promotion. You have a blog and/or a website. Or maybe you have a website with a blog, or maybe you are running several blogs. Whatever your situation is, if you are writing, you need to have a Twitter account.

You need to personalize that Twitter account: by providing a relevant & attractive background image, a full profile and relevant Tweets. If you don’t want to deal with tweets every time you post an article, there are tools for automating the process. However, you can’t neglect to reflect your persona, and your expertise on your Twitter profile. Like-minded people will follow you, retweet stuff that they enjoy, send you messages…In short, Twitter is a great medium to share your business/opinions/posts/passions with others.  The traffic (and the relationships) you acquire through Twitter.

2)    (Brand) Image. It is of course much more essential and practical to have relevant people (and/or companies in your list). But to the untrained eye, 2000 followers look better than 200. On a similar note, 20.000 followers looks even better. Are there bloggers you like? Follow them. How about writers? Entertainers? If you are in advertising, following advertising blogs/companies is a great idea.  Because more often than not, people follow you back. Not only you look more popular and important but you also have a whole new medium to catch up with the events and industries you are in. Instead of skimming a whole website of news and ads, you will read tweets. You are not allowed to write more than 140 characters. So you get to choose to be informed about the most interesting stuff.

3)  Improving the ability to writer catchier lines: As mentioned above, you have 140 characters you can use, including a link if you need to use one. Since you have such short space and an impatient audience, you are forced to write better in shorter forms. What better exercise is there?

4) Making connections without effort: I told you needed to work to promote yourself but the beauty of Twitter is that others are trying to socialize or get their names/brands out there as well. So people will start following you as well. It is your call whether to follow them back or not but it feels good that your list might end up growing even when you are not actively working on it.

Yes, a lot of people are using twitter for unnecessarily insignificant updates about their lives. So? Don’t follow them. Don’t let your prejudice about twitter block your success. But there is no reason not to have a little laugh. I found this comic strip. Enjoy: