<br /> Earlier this week, the New York Times published an interview with businessman Gary Vaynerchuk, who successfully turned his immigrant family?s small wine business into an impressive $60 million enterprise. The secret of Vaynerchuk?s success is his effective use of the internet; particularly blogging and social networking sites, which have ensured that his firm?s sales are now fifteen times what they were when his father first launched the family business, back in 1997. Vaynerchuk is invited by so many major organizations to give lectures and talks on successful internet usage that he has to turn down 90% of these requests. Nevertheless, the entrepreneur did tell the Times that blogging and social networking boils down to good marketing skills. Blogs allow business owners to offer clients ?virtual handshakes.?<br /> While Vaynerchuk is clearly an extrovert, the successful entrepreneur believes that even businesspeople who are shy can become effective bloggers. The goal, after all, is simply to connect on a personal level with potential customers and also provide readers with useful tips and expertise. Vaynerchuk suggests that content-rich websites and blogs have essentially turned into store windows for an entire generation of youth under 25 years of age, who will be too busy using a BlackBerry or iPhone to expend energy looking at physical store displays, as they walk down the street.<br /> Vaynerchuk does concede that creating and maintaining blogs can be a time consuming and occasionally cumbersome experience, but this is when freelance content writers can jump in and lend a hand to busy entrepreneurs.<br /> Thank you to Jan M. Rosen of The York Times for the initial report. </p> <p>

<br /> The most recent sign that blogs have now moved beyond the original niche market that they occupied and transformed into a mainstream activity is that blogging is now more popular among internet users than sending e-mails. According to statistics released by Nielsen, a prominent research firm, blogging and logging onto social networking sites?such as Facebook and MySpace?are what internet users spend most of their time doing while online. Most interesting, however, is the finding that while only a few years ago, blogging was the almost exclusive hobby of the younger generations and the technologically-savvy, today some of the most prominent businesspeople are proud bloggers and a range of companies maintain blogs in order to build a closer, more personal relationship with their customers.<br /> The real transformation in the world of blogging took place in December 2008 when, for the first time in internet history, blogging and the use of popular social networking sites overtook e-mail usage. Alex Burmaster, representing Nielsen Research, pointed out that just two years ago, the vast majority of people saw the internet?s main purpose as providing the opportunity to send e-mails. In fact, in 2006, relatively few people understood the world of blogs, let alone social networking sites.<br /> While much of Nielsen?s research applies to the United States, separate figures reveal a similar trend in the United Kingdom. According to Nielsen?s study, 25.6 million Britons logged on to Blogger, Facebook and other social networking sites, while only 24.2 million used the largest webmail companies.<br /> Thank you to The Telegraph for the initial report. </p> <p>

<br /> If content writing for websites is to be a successful venture, it must go far beyond simply reproducing material already appearing on the web. A content writer should not only have good research skills, in order to find relevant and reliable material upon which to base future articles, but he/she must also have an excellent and natural command of the English language. There are scores of content writers all over the world, but some of the people who work in this field and appear to offer bargain rates are not native English speakers and sometimes have a limited understanding of the written language. What this means is that even if articles that they produce are not filled with obvious grammatical errors, the language in the article may come across as convoluted or clunky, and may have to be Anglicized so as to appear more natural. No amount of formal English courses or computerized spell checks can ensure that the freelance writer actually produces articles that are not just grammatically correct, but also incorporate the styles of modern English usage, rather than appear as though they are literal translations of someone who normally thinks and writes in a foreign language.<br /> Language is particularly important in the case of online content writing, as articles must balance actual content with the inclusion of keywords that will ensure the site?s visibility in major search engines. Google has thus far indexed trillions of pages, yet many more are too deeply hidden in cyberspace to ever be found. As such, freelance writers must be able to create keyword-based original content, which ensures that avid readers can actually find the material that they are looking for.</p> <p>

A great deal of Internet content is written specifically for companies that utilise white label marketing in their businesses.</p>

<br /> As economies across the United Kingdom, continental Europe and the United States continue to struggle under the burden of the most severe financial crisis in two decades, small and medium-sized online businesses must go that extra mile if they are to keep their existing customers while attracting new ones. Helen Bradley, a columnist with the E-Commerce Guide, suggests that one of the easiest and least expensive ways to reach out to customers is by launching a blog on an online company?s main website. Blogs are vastly different in both style and content than more traditional articles posted to the main site. What makes blogs so appealing to tens of millions of readers is that they are usually written in a somewhat informal and clear style, thus breaking down the distance and barrier between the company?s owner and the customer.<br /> Any business that decides to launch a blog should always keep in mind that this is not the place for stuffy academic discourse, nor should it serve as a forum for sterile press releases. A blog must manage to resemble a personal diary, or friendly correspondence between friends, while also providing valuable information to readers. The key to an effective blog is building a special rapport with readers; one which will make them feel comfortable, spark their interest and turn them into returning visitors. Reading major publications?online or in print?represents a one-way flow of information, while blogging creates an on-going, dynamic dialogue between the blogger and his/her readers.<br /> Bradley points out that blogs are ideal for keeping in touch with potential clients, but should not be used to sell or market products directly, as the chronological format employed in most cases is much better suited to reading short articles than browsing for products thematically. Yet blogs have become one of the most effective tools for marketing a company and its products, even if this is done somewhat indirectly. Google and other search engines will always pick up and index blogs much faster than new content posted to regular websites, and this can dramatically increase any company?s internet presence.<br /> Thank you to Helen Bradley of the E-Commerce Guide for the initial report. </p> <p>

<br /> One of the best ways to ensure that a website run by a small or medium-sized business, or a community organization, continues to attract a large number of visitors is to provide readers with original and creative content on a regular basis. While some companies will try to attract readers by posting press releases or by replicating free content found online, the savviest visitors will want something more engaging and original. This is where content writers can come into the picture, and help ensure that visitors keep checking back for new material.<br /> Content writers come from various walks of life and bring their own professional experiences and personal interests to the table when they write a piece. As such, freelance content writers can not only provide original articles, but can also write them using a unique voice or approach. Avid readers can quickly differentiate between a tailor-made article written by a professional freelancer and geared towards a specific website, and a press release that has likely appeared elsewhere on the internet or was written exclusively to market a product, rather than be informative. Each content writer has a different style of writing, and while all experienced writers will conduct research before writing an authoritative article, it is their unique voice, which brings diversity and colour to a website. An in-staff writer quite simply cannot provide the same level of diversity that freelance content writers from the four corners of the globe can, thanks to their array of writing experience for a variety of publications.</p> <p>

<br /> The Sudbury Star newspaper has published three key tips on how to become a successful freelance writer, both professionally and financially. Perhaps the most important and challenging of these tips to follow involves being positive and putting aside any negative comments that freelancer writers might receive from friends or relatives who believe that this line of work offers little stability and no work-related benefits. While it is true that freelance jobs will not offer writers health insurance and pension packages, it will, however, provide a greater degree of flexibility to pursue other interests and hobbies than any other form of employment. Dwelling on the challenging aspects of freelance writers is not a good way to start a successful career or home business. As such, remaining both positive and focused is the first key to success as a freelancer.<br /> Equally important to freelance writing success is to develop a workable daily schedule, when a specific amount of time is always reserved for freelancing. It is usually best to first test the waters by creating a temporary schedule for the first week, as this allows the writer to see whether his/her plan is both workable and efficient. The high degree of flexibility offered by freelance writing also means that it requires a higher level of self-discipline than many other jobs. As such, it is best to block off several hours at the same time each day, so as to create a writing routine.<br /> The third tip to successful freelance writing is to read extensively and regularly. A large part of the job for freelance writers is developing an ability to conduct effective research and present complex ideas in an interesting, dynamic and appealing way.<br /> Thank you to the Sudbury Star for the initial report. </p> <p>

If you are reading this then you are most probably an internet marketeer who is investing both time and money in your website.</p>

<br /> As a sure sign that bloggers are receiving increasing attention from highest offices of the corporate world and that blog posts are being read by major companies, Irish low-cost airline giant Ryanair has entered into an unusual exchange with online freelance writers. Jason Roe, an avid blogger and freelance web developer, posted a blog entry in which he criticized an apparent flaw in Ryanair?s website, which made it appear as though the no-frills carrier offered flights for free. The post was picked up by a Ryanair employee, who publicly issued an impolite and bitter rebuke, on Roe?s blog. Bloggers quickly discovered that the infamous comments had, in fact, originated from Ryanair?s headquarters, prompting the carrier to issue a formal statement concerning the incident.<br /> The problem, however, is that bloggers critical of the Irish discount airline have not only caught the attention of the airline, but have apparently irritated it as well. Ryanair issued an unusually undiplomatic statement to the blogosphere, noting that in the future they will not correspond with ?idiot bloggers,? thus leaving ?lunatic bloggers? to their own devices.<br /> Ryanair?s response to critical bloggers may be unusual in the business world, considering that most companies steer clear of insulting scores of potential customers by questioning their intelligence in such a crude manner. But this incident does show that the thoughts and opinions of freelance writers and bloggers are being read throughout the world, and they often provoke responses. The fact that such a prominent airline felt the need to engage bloggers on this level indicates that blogs are being taken seriously, as they can be highly effective forums for the diffusion of ideas around the world.<br /> Thank you to The Guardian and The Irish Times for the initial reports.

<br /> Anyone who thinks that freelance writing is monotonous or boring might change their mind by simply looking at the daring adventure that British freelancer Paul Smith has decided to embark upon. Smith, who writes for a wide array of websites, as well as the United Kingdom?s Guardian newspaper, will travel to all corners of the globe, in order to support his charity of choice. Smith cares deeply about the world?s fresh water supply and has used his writing and online interviews to raise awareness of this cause. The freelance author?s international expedition will include a very strict and tightly regimented routine. Smith will only accept lodging in the places he visits from people he met through Twitter, the online social networking and blogging tool, and will never spend more than 48 hours in a single location. In fact, Smith?s challenge is to ensure that he keeps moving every two days and failure to do this will mean the immediate end of his expedition.<br /> The prolific freelance writer is also making his trip even more challenging by only taking a minimum amount of food and supplies with him. Smith will only have on his person items that he is able to carry without assistance and will spend no money, except on food. </p>