{"id":17,"date":"2007-12-31T06:21:55","date_gmt":"2007-12-31T06:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/55555-things-4contentwriters"},"modified":"2015-01-28T20:20:13","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T20:20:13","slug":"55555-things-4contentwriters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/55555-things-4contentwriters\/","title":{"rendered":"55555 things a web content writer should know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(<em><strong>My Next Post:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/blog\/career-content-writer\/\">Career growth plan for a content writer<\/a>.<\/em>)<br \/>\nI am entering into serious blogging now. It&#8217;s been some time I wanted to make my hands really dirty with blogging. Here I am going to post <strong>55555 (5+5+5+5+5) things<\/strong> a web content writer should know (<em><strong>In few years every one will be a web content writer, so it goes valid for everyone who is reading it. Happy reading!<\/strong><\/em>). The first <strong>5<\/strong> are philosophies, next <strong>5<\/strong> are tech tools, next <strong>5<\/strong> tips are about important languages, next <strong>5<\/strong> are the web content guidelines and the last <strong>5<\/strong> are important SEO tips. I hope you will find it interesting. Take your time as this post contains many links, so bookmark it for future references.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 Tech Philosophies:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Technology is <strong>not that scary<\/strong> as it looks from a distance. As you come closer you will feel comfortable. It&#8217;s the fear that stops us from learning the needed techie stuffs. So, take the first step and I assure you that very soon you will have a techie tag.[<strong>My smart tips:<\/strong> Take birth as Bill Gate&#8217;s daughter or get a techie boy friend]<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technology is essential<\/strong> for content improvisation. It enhances your writing and helps your reach a larger mass. There are different platforms where you can integrate your blog for wider market. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment:<\/strong> It&#8217;s the only medium which will allow you to reach Bin Laden and George Bush at the same time]<\/li>\n<li>Technology is not to add complexities but <a href=\"http:\/\/lawsofsimplicity.com\/?cat=5&amp;order=ASC\">to simplify things<\/a>. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong>: Hmmm&#8230; You may like to see this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/index.php\/talks\/view\/id\/7\">http:\/\/www.ted.com\/index.php\/talks\/view\/id\/7<\/a>]<\/li>\n<li>Technology helps in <strong>manageability<\/strong>, which is very crucial in the long run. You can concentrate on your content and rest of the things can be taken care by your technical tools. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/hublog.hubmed.org\/archives\/000942.html\">Google knows more about me now<\/a> but still I can&#8217;t avoid using Google search\/docs].<\/li>\n<li><strong>Object oriented approach<\/strong> did born as a child to C++ but can be adopted for content management and scalability. Don&#8217;t repeat content use links instead. Modular content writing is the way to an organized content system. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Internet doesn&#8217;t respect identical twins.]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>5 Essesntial tech tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>WCMS<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Web_content_management_system\">link<\/a>)- This is where we can manage our content in an easier way. Every company uses web content management systems. We use lore. I know people using mambo and other stuffs. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> &#8220;Where do I write my content?&#8221; is generally the first smart question a new content writer asks.]<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blogs<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.problogger.net\/archives\/2005\/02\/05\/what-is-a-blog\/\">link<\/a>) &#8211; I have tried my hands on wordpress and blogspot both. It is so much fun. Every content writer should have a blog of his or her own. I regret for realizing it so late. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Beware! Blogging is very powerful. You can <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cjr.org\/behind_the_news\/amid_death_threats_blogger_goe.php\">even get a death threat<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wiki<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wiki\">link<\/a>) &#8211; It is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oreillynet.com\/pub\/a\/oreilly\/tim\/news\/2005\/09\/30\/what-is-web-20.html\">a web 2.0<\/a> way of handling your content. The success of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Main_Page\">wikipedia<\/a> says it all. Its about <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Wisdom_of_Crowds\">Crowd wisdom over expert writing<\/a>, which is considered more efficient. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> A (informational) content that is not a wiki will die if not already dead.]<\/li>\n<li><strong>Forums<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Internet_forum\">link<\/a>) &#8211; I call it data collection center. The value lies in data, so create a platform where people are given an opportunity to participate. Now almost every website has a forum but running it smartly needs some smart guys like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orkut.com\/Profile.aspx?uid=8525319960392084046\">Bijoesh<\/a> (<em>He is a gem when it comes to handling forums<\/em>). [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> We love talking, allow web talking and collect the relevant information in an organized way]<\/li>\n<li><strong>RSS\/RSS reader<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/RSS_(file_format)\">link<\/a>)- A content that can&#8217;t be distributed easily is only 20% effective. Make syndication really simple through RSS. I use Google reader to read RSS feeds. [<strong>A smart<\/strong><strong> comment<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Look at my twitter, I even have a RSS for my actions.]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>5 Languages for web content content writer<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/html\/default.asp\"><strong>HTML<\/strong><\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/html\/default.asp\">3 days<\/a> to learn)- It is a must know language for every web content writer. <a title=\"HTML can enhance scanbility\" href=\"http:\/\/financefallacies.blogspot.com\/2007\/12\/success-is-not-about-big-changes.html\">This post<\/a> explains it better. It helps you make your article <a title=\"Scanable articles\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sensible.com\/chapter.html\">more scanable<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/js\/default.asp\"><strong>JS<\/strong><\/a> (not a must but <a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/js\/default.asp\">can try<\/a>)- You can try your hands on Javascript also.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/smarty.php.net\/whyuse.php\"><strong>Smarty<\/strong><\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/smarty.php.net\/whyuse.php\">2 days<\/a> to learn the needed stuff, rest is for programmers)- We are taught smarty (<em>thanks to Shyama Kant<\/em>). It helps in separating the programing logic from content.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page\"><strong>Wiki Syntax<\/strong><\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page\">5 days<\/a> to learn)- This helps you keep your wiki text cleaner. Try to avoid HTML inside wiki pages. Wiki&#8217;s are not meant for HTML syntaxes.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/css\/default.asp\">CSS<\/a><\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/css\/default.asp\">5 days<\/a> to learn)- When you want to decorate your text, do it properly using CSS. The basics of CSS can be learned in just 5 days. Take the steps.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>5 Web Content Writing guidelines (Guide <a href=\"http:\/\/www.useit.com\/papers\/webwriting\/\">One<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/events\/tutorials\/writing_for_web.html\">two<\/a><\/strong><strong>,)<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Write to be understood<\/strong> (<a href=\"http:\/\/coe.sdsu.edu\/eet\/articles\/writeclearly\/start.htm\">link<\/a>) &#8211; This is one guideline that defines all others. Writers generally acknowledge that their primary aim is to be understood. We recognize that it is not the reader\u2019s responsibility to understand (know how <a href=\"http:\/\/www.useit.com\/alertbox\/reading_pattern.html\">readers read on web<\/a>); it is our responsibility to be clear. We also know that clarity is a complex issue, and that achieving clarity means achieving control over many aspects of language-based communication.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No one reads they scan<\/strong>: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.useit.com\/alertbox\/9710a.html\">Click here<\/a> to know more. Also read &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sensible.com\/chapter.html\">Don&#8217;t make me think<\/a>&#8220;.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Make it simple: <\/span><strong>Complexity exists, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.digital-web.com\/articles\/keep_it_simple_stupid\/\">simplicity is created<\/a><\/strong>. There is value for whatever is created not for the ones that exists by its own.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Build trust:<\/strong> With so many undesired and unwanted incidents happening in the online world, people are losing their trust. So, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.coping.org\/growth\/trust.htm\">Building trust<\/a> is important and building <a href=\"http:\/\/www.useit.com\/alertbox\/990307.html\">online trust even more mandatory<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep improving:<\/strong> One step at a time can lead you really far. I use <a href=\"http:\/\/analytics.blogspot.com\/\">Google analytics<\/a> to check the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.boxesandarrows.com\/view\/web_traffic_analytics_and_user_experience\">user experience<\/a> of our pages.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>5 SEO tips (<em>thats all you need to know about SEO<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vaughns-1-pagers.com\/internet\/google-ranking-factors.htm#positive-on\">On page text optimization<\/a> is almost dead<\/strong><\/span>. On page optimization can be consolidated to <strong>stickiness<\/strong>. Know <a href=\"http:\/\/www.phoenixrealm.com\/how-to-increase-your-website-stickiness\/\">how to increase the stickiness<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s all about how many people\/websites\/blogs are <strong>talking<\/strong> about you (See how <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seomoz.org\/blog\/two-clarifications-on-how-search-engines-interpret-links\">Search engines interpret the links<\/a>). <strong>Demand links<\/strong> and you are there on the top. So make some content really talkable. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.toprankblog.com\/2007\/01\/content-vs-links\/\">Content or link<\/a> was\/is a debatable issue. Some good links for links 1) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seomoz.org\/blog\/5-rare-valuable-link-building-tactics\">5 rare link tactics<\/a> 2) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seomoz.org\/article\/topic-sensitive\">topic sensitive links<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t get involved in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markcarey.com\/googleguy-says\/archives\/discuss-google-bans-traffic-power-and-its-clients.html\">shady link work<\/a>. Spend hours <a href=\"http:\/\/209.85.175.104\/search?q=cache:LqWjRzdSDR4J:forums.searchenginewatch.com\/showthread.php%3Ft%3D2317+%22temporal+link+analysis%22&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;cd=1\"><strong>thinking like a Google guy<\/strong><\/a> before implementing any SEO strategy OR think what is good for your visitors and keep working towards it.<\/li>\n<li>SEO is a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.clickz.com\/showPage.html?page=3624736\"><strong>long term strategy<\/strong><\/a> not a short term\/short cut success.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEO thinking<\/strong> -&gt; If you can think what is good for readers then its Google&#8217;s job to make your site on top. Focus on 1 and 2 to make Google your true friend.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>(bonus 55555+1=55556) <strong>Image modification applications\/languages<\/strong> &#8211; I try my hands on <a href=\"http:\/\/picasa.google.com\/download\/\">picasa<\/a> most of the time. You can try Adobe photoshop or paintshoppro. It helps. An image can speak 1000 words at a time.<\/p>\n<p>Your feedback will help me improve my post. So, do add you comments \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(My Next Post: Career growth plan for a content writer.) I am entering into serious blogging now. It&#8217;s been some time I wanted to make my hands really dirty with blogging. Here I am going to post 55555 (5+5+5+5+5) things a web content writer should know (In few years every one will be a web content writer, so it goes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[25,26,27],"class_list":["post-17","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-content-writing","tag-content","tag-contentwriter","tag-html"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1313,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17\/revisions\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meabhi.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}