There are many things that keep our blog posts from being read. In an
ocean of blog posts, it is pretty difficult to get your material
noticed. Whether it's a post on a public forum, social media or your own
blog, following a few simple guidelines will help you gain exposure.
1. Follow your basic email etiquette. Typing in all
uppercase letters, even when stating a point or stressing a few words in
a phrase, makes it seem like you're yelling. Better to use bold or
italics.
2. Be sure your content flows. Not everyone is a
champ at writing. But varied disconnected thoughts, will cause your
readers to get frustrated and move onto another post. Spend enough
"time" on each point and be concise and clear. Run on sentences without
punctuation are a huge no-no.
3. Watch your punctuation, spelling and grammar.
Misplaced periods and commas are not only confusing, they can cause you
to lose credibility. The same goes for spelling and grammar. If you have
a program such as Microsoft Word, pay attention to the red and green lines that appear below the words and follow the suggestions.
4. Paragraphs please! No one wants to read a "wall
of text". People need a breather. Separate each idea into paragraphs. Be
sure to segway smoothly when introducing a new idea.
5. Keep it interesting. Writing the same content
over and over with a just few word changes will create boredom and
prevent people from returning to your site. To get ideas on content, you
must always be reading. Articles inspire us to write new material. Be
sure to give other writers credit. If your article looks too much like
someone else' your credibility will go down.
6. A picture is worth a thousand words. An inspiring photo or a quote will draw people to your article.
7. An interesting title creates interest. A title
does a lot in selling material. Catchy titles include buzzwords in your
industry, asking a question or offering a solution to someone's problem.
People like "how to's".
8. No fancy fonts. Some fonts are difficult to read.
The best fonts to use in a blog post or article are simple sans-serif
fonts. Some examples would be Arial, Helvetica, Verdana or Trebuchet.
Times and Times New Roman has serifs, but most people are used to this
font, as it's mostly used in books and newspapers.
9. Keep the blog simple and clean. Some blogs come
in such funky colors and the articles are hard on the eyes. It's obvious
that yellow type on a green background is an eyesore, but a few other
color combos are difficult to read, these include:
- Light pink font on a hot pink background or sky blue on a royal blue
background. Tonal themes may be easier on the eyes, but they sometimes
blend and the type has a way of "shrinking" into the background. If you
must use tonals, try using the lighter color for the background and the
type should be the darker color. Also, earth tones work better than
bright colors and pastels.
- Anything on black. Yes, blogs with a black theme seem to be very
popular these days, but most likely people will look at your page and
forgo reading it. Black grounds with the white type or even worse, hot
pink or yellow type, is difficult to read. Sure, the white type may
"jump" off the page, but that's the problem. It's jumping at you and the
characters seem to "swell", making it difficult to read. Too many
people are using the dark themes and yours will look no different.
- You can use color and should, but the ideal blog would have white
type in a white field. Save the color for the header, sidebar and blog
post titles.
- A very busy theme is also distracting and conveys the "all style, no
substance" message. Your photos in your blog, should carry the most
visual interest.
10. Just say "no" to ads. Well, you won't want to
ban ads altogether, but too many ads - especially pop ups, will cause
the reader to run away screaming. No one wants to be sold to - at least
they don't want to feel as though they're being sold to. Yes,
people like to buy and if your blog has an ad for an item the reader can
use, you could be earning a commission. Isn't that the idea? Here's a
few guidelines about ads.
- Keep ads in one spot on your page. Most blogs display their ads on
the right side bar, beneath the "table of contents". Since this is the
most popular place to place the ads, people are used to finding the ads
there. Placing the ads on the top or breaking up your page with ads
gives people a feeling of uneasiness.
- Be sure your ads are relevant. If your blog is about the Law of
Attraction, don't place ads for a sporting goods store - even if your
best friend owns that store.
- Don't have ads for products or services that are too similar. No one
ever has an ad for Coke and Pepsi in the same place, unless it's a
supermarket.
- As I mentioned above, no pop ups! You also don't want your ads to
take the reader off your page. The ideal format is to have the ad open
in a new tab with a message to the reader that clicking the ad won't
cause them to lose their place on your page.
- If possible keep the ads consistent in color or appearance. Your
readers will get turned off if there's a competition for their attention
in your side bar.
A friend and I who are in a multi level marketing business, are having a
vision board party. If you have friends who believe in the law of
attraction, this may not be a bad idea. We are having this party toward
the end of August and will post pictures! Sharing because it sounds like
a great idea. Let me know if you decide to throw a vision board party
and let me know if you need feedback!
Who wants to win the lottery? Who has changed their speech from "if I win the lottery" to "when
I win the lottery"? If you're like most LOAers, the first thing you
probably did when you learned that you can create your own reality, is
run out and buy some lottery tickets. Many of you buy them consistently.
That's great, but there are some missing elements to the plan.
First of all, I'm no expert. I haven't hit the big jackpot. I have
won small prizes such as $58.00 and I once won $350.00, but having
played for years and buying into every lottery gimmick there is, I do
feel qualified to share. If you're going to play the lottery
consistently, you might want to check out some of these tips.
1. Play consistently. Yes, without consistent play, you greatly
decrease your chances of hitting a jackpot. The lottery is based on
odds, so if you don't play every week, or you only bet on a game here
and there, you lessen your odds of winning.
2. Pick a set of numbers and stick with them. Again, you increase
your odds by picking a set of numbers and sticking with them. The best
formula I've come up with involves picking two or three numbers that
show up often - one of the numbers being the "Power Ball" or whatever
the "bonus" number is. It is very rare that all six numbers will be
numbers that are selected often. I picked two numbers that are often
selected - The second, third and fourth most popular numbers and one
unpopular number (there always seems to be at least one in every set of
winning numbers). Also if you are seeing a lot of numbers in pairs (such
as 2 and 6), you might want to play those.
You may have heard of people winning with a "quick pick" where the
machine picks the numbers for you. This may happen, but you will greatly
increase your odds by playing a consistent set of numbers.
3. Don't fall for gimmicks. There is a lot of software out there that
"helps" you pick out your numbers. Don't fall for those. I did and I'm
no better off than I was before (a little poorer, because I wasted the
money). Don't believe the hype about avoiding consecutive numbers or
picking an even amount of odd and even numbers. That is pure rubbish.
I've seen winning numbers that were 33 39 40 41 54
27 and 2 4 6 8 12 with the mega ball being 1. In all likelihood, the
chances are slim, but if anyone played those numbers, they went home a
lucky winner.
4. Only bet what you can afford to lose. If your bet is taking money
away from a bill, even a small one, you are sending out a vibe to the
universe that you're nervous about the outcome. If you are anxious about
the outcome, you will be sending mixed messages and I can guarantee,
you won't be winning that week.
5. Have a plan. Have you made a plan for the big day and the days to
follow? Have you written your plan down or typed it into your computer? I
have my plan mapped out. This is sending a message to the universe that
a win is part of your life plan. When you make your lottery plan, you
will need to be detailed. This includes, when you'll come forward to
claim your prize, how you will back up your documents, who will you
tell. You will want to decide if you'll take a cash prize or an annuity.
Where you'll bank your money - in the U.S., only $250,000 is F.D.I.C
insured per account. You will want to plan when you'll give notice at
your job. When and if you'll want to move, what charities you'll donate
to, what investments you'll make. You need to have a plan as if the
money is here now.
6. "See" yourself with this money everyday. Imagine how you'll
behave, who you'll hang around with, what kind of clothes will you wear?
Will there be any lifestyle changes - such as move out of the city and
buy a house on the beach? Imagine you and your loved ones benefiting and
enjoying this money. Imagine your child going to the college of his
choice - loan free. Imagine ballet lessons for your daughter. A family
vacation in Disney. A swimming pool in the back yard. In my case, I'll
finally be able to buy a pet, because I won't have to board him due to
travel for work.
7. Check the numbers everyday. If you were expecting to win the lottery, you'd be checking the numbers everyday, wouldn't you? This is the same concept as ordering from a catalog. You order an item from a catalog or online and expect the item to show up at your house. You wouldn't check the mailbox once a week when you're expecting something you really want, would you? Yet so often, I've seen people checking a fistful of tickets in the scanner at the store, while commenting on how "behind" they are in checking the results. Sometimes the tickets are crumpled. These tickets are money! Would you treat your cash this way?
A lot has been written about visualization. I find most people over
complicate this practice and some people spend way too much time in this
practice. The thing is you only need to visualize seven minutes a day!
Did I say seven? Yes, seven to ten minutes a day! You can do this while
you're in the shower. You can visualize while on a commuter train -
please don't do this while driving. You can visualize just before you
fall asleep. If you're like most people, you need about twenty minutes
to drift off to sleep, so that's twenty minutes of visualizing!
Another point I want to bring up, is most people visualize as if they
are watching a movie. They are seeing themselves on the silver screen
with all their friends and family members as their co stars! Where did
so many people get the idea to "see themselves on the big screen"? One
thing that comes to mind is the many Law of Attraction materials that
likens our future experience as something from a movie. They even throw
in phrases such as "write your own life script" and "you are the
director of your own movie". The reason for this, is most people can
relate to movies. Everyday we are watching some sort of pre-recorded
action. Many people cannot imagine being in a mansion or walking along
the beaches of the French Riviera, but they have seen it on screen. So
the authors of such materials feel they are doing folks a favor by
helping to bridge the gap. They're not. They are only helping the
visualizer to keep the lifestyle they want "out there" or in the future.
You want to visualize from "behind your own eyes". You want to walk
through that mansion as though it were your own, passing one brilliantly
decorated room after another. Sitting on a plush sofa, while watching
your favorite show or movie on a giant flat screen T.V. See your loved
ones sitting in front of the T.V. with you. Smell the popcorn that
someone decided to pop. See a couple of your guests challenge one
another to a game of pool on that regulation sized pool table in the
next room. Hear the pool balls click and the light banter from your
guests. Take in the sights, the sounds and smells from the activity
around you. Do this everyday and you will eventually "feel" like you're
in each situation. Remember, pretending this is your reality, will help
you align yourself with the reality you want and eventually bring these
things to you.
It is true. When you complain, the universe gives you more things to
complain about. When you express gratitude, you'll attract more things
to be grateful for! The next time you feel the urge to complain, stop
yourself and say, "I'm so happy and grateful now that (fill in the blank
with the thing you would like to happen).
Visualizing is key to attracting whatever it is you want to see happen in your life. The term "visualize" is a bit of a misnomer, as it implies imagining something like a movie being played on a big screen that you could watch - while not actively participating. You have to put yourself in the movie. Look at the situation through your eyes. The most important part? Feel the emotion as if it has already happened.
Here are the three easy steps for effective visualization:
1. Vividly imagine the experience you would like to have. See what you want through your mind's eye.
2. Feel the emotion, as if you already have what you want.
3. Repeat.
If you do these steps for as little as 8 minutes a day, you will start to renew your mind and see results!
Cheers!
Where do you keep your vision board(s)? Are they
stacked in a corner where you hardly see them unless you're cleaning?
Are they part of a computer desktop that you never use? Here are some
tips so you get to see your vision boards and / or inspirational photos
EVERYDAY! Don't forget, when you view these items, you want to feel the
emotion you would feel as if you already have these things!
- Stick a photo or a positive affirmation in the crevices of your
dresser mirror. You look in that mirror everyday, so having a reminder
there will encourage an emotion or two.
- Make refrigerator magnets your best tool. I posted "winning" lottery
tickets, positive affirmations and the type of body I want on the
fridge. The photo of my ideal body, helps keep me from reaching for the
wrong foods too.
- Place your vision board as your wallpaper on a computer you
frequently use! If you're using a computer at work and you're the
primary user, post your vision board there!
- Buy pretty frames and post photos and positive quotes around your home, where you'll frequently see them.
- Buy business card templates from Staples or another office
superstore. Type some positive affirmations on your computer with
various fonts in pretty colors and print them on your cards. Place the
cards in a room you spend a lot of time in. Pick up a card each day and
read the quote aloud to yourself. Read it several times and feel those
emotions!
- Got a cool affirmation from a fortune cookie? Post it somewhere
you're sure to see it everyday. My computer monitor is home to a couple
of these!
- Last, but not least... hang your vision board(s) in a place where
you're sure to see it everyday. Preferably in your bedroom. Don't just
leave it leaning against a piece of furniture as it will always be in
your way. It should have a prominent and permanent home.
