By Cambridge Who’s Who

1. Write prose that is snappy and easy–to-read. Avoid bogging down the reader with hard-to-grasp terms or words that only an industry-insider would know. If there is an easy way to say something, use it. If not, define the term in a sentence or two – especially if it is repeated several times. Your readers will appreciate the time they saved not having to look it up elsewhere.

2. Use hyperlinks in your article that direct readers to other websites containing relevant information. In the event that your article covers one particular topic, hyperlinks will provide supplementary details without detracting from your voice, tone or overall theme. Additionally, research online communities comprised of individuals who share similar interests or areas of expertise with you. Post links from these sites alongside your article in order to help your audience further explore the topic you are presenting. Linking to expert blogs, articles written by industry authorities, images and videos will raise your credibility and visibility. Moreover, remember to include links to your own websites since people will want to know about your background and experience – especially if you are providing advice. If you are a Cambridge Who’s Who member, you can create a public profile on Cambridge Who’s Who Connect – our new online network – and feature a link on it to your article.

3. Even though there are less limitations on word count when writing for the Web, do not overwrite and turn your work into long, dull and boring pieces. These may never be read. Determine your point of view and stick to it; write engaging, inspiring and exciting prose. Adhere to a personal word count and do not exceed it. You will find that your personal word count dictates how effectively you get your message across. As a guideline, try to have at least 600 words in your article.

4. Drive your point home by adding multimedia such as audio and video. Content of this kind will add context or explain missing pieces in your article while making it more engaging. Utilize podcasts to broadcast your information on the Internet. Podcasts are digital media files that may be accessed simply by downloading or streaming them from a host site. Also provide RSS Feeds to keep your audience informed up-to-the-minute of any new material that you make available online. Standing for Real Simple Syndication, an RSS Feed notifies subscribers any time a podcast, blog post or other form of multimedia is updated.

5. Use unique and relevant keywords to make your article easier to find – whether on a particular website or major search engine like Google, Yahoo! or Ask.com. This will raise the likelihood that your article will be found as people are surfing or searching the Web. Keywords also clue readers in to what the article is about without them first having to read the whole thing. This enables your audience to determine whether reading the article will benefit them. After you have identified several key words and phrases that succinctly embody what the article is about, put the major ones in the title, and description. Then, use all terms throughout the body of the article. Finally, if the sites where you are posting your content provide a separate field for tags or keywords, be sure to enter your keywords there as well.

By CambridgeWhosWho.com

Introduction:

Far-gone are the days when people distrusted the Internet’s wide-open approach to obtaining, presenting and sharing information. With reliable resources now calling the Web home, there is more validity to the content found there, and people are generally looking to the Internet as a dependable source of information. Knowledge-sharing incentives such as Wikipedia have also grown, enabling people to write biographies and record history together while fact-checking each other. Along with increased confidence, there comes the comfort of convenience and accessibility. In the past, travel limitations or a shortage of resources may have made a trip to the library an undesirable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. But nowadays, vast amounts of information from trustworthy sources are available at the click of a button in your own home.

Print media still remains a viable outlet, but as advertisers continue to figure out ways to monetize the promising digital frontier, they will spend considerably less on traditional publishing channels. Additionally, there has been a movement towards the Web by many publishers, editors and writers, for obvious reasons. Easy-to-use blogging platforms have ushered in an army of would-be print writers to the Internet, ready to cash in on the online social media bandwagon. The costs of maintaining a website are far less than that of a print publishing operation and universal access to the Web reduces restrictions on the access to content.

Anything submitted online – a press release, article or online book – that is readily available and not just distributed in print format is considered online publishing. If you are a published author or professional, online publishing is a viable way to establish your credibility and expertise. It also enables you to custom design your brand by creating unique content that showcases your personality and emphasizes your forte.

Online networking is a byproduct of the Internet’s growing interconnectivity as more people gravitate towards virtual communities. The emergence of powerful social networking platforms such as Facebook and MySpace has enabled more people to share information readily and spontaneously. Furthermore, companies such as Ning and KickApps are offering ‘white-label’ platforms for people to create and customize their own social networks. This is where your works that are published online come into play. Online communities make for great audiences. Instead of simply e-mailing a document to others, people can post it to their blogs and social networks, add links to it and voila! Your post can receive vital attention and web traffic, especially if it is viral, e.g.: easy to understand, simple to distribute and share, and provocative.

In many instances, Online Publishing can be more valuable than Print Publishing. Here’s why:

• Your articles can be archived online indefinitely. Depending on how viral a post is, it may become widely circulated by others. If the people who read your published article online tell their friends and colleagues about it, the impact of your message grows stronger. In the print industry, once an issue has been distributed, much of the content soon becomes dated or obsolete, diminishing the relevance and scope of your work.
• Content that you create for the Web is readily available to readers. The potential for your work to reach your target audience is much higher because it is not restricted to the pages of a magazine – your reach is no longer limited to a publication’s circulation or newsstand life.
• There is a low cost attached to publishing online as you do not have to worry about typesetting or printing your work. But beware of administration and maintenance costs.
• Once your words are committed to the Internet, the online article can be edited in real time. In most cases, text can be improved, mistakes corrected and inaccurate information deleted.
• Online publishers have the advantage of posting breaking news and exclusive content immediately. By tracking content that is gaining the most footing and reader responses, online publishers can refine and enhance their material or adjust their uploading schedules.
• You now have the option to supplement your online contributions with interactive media, including audio, video and animated/PowerPoint presentations. This is an important benefit because until recent years, it was difficult to integrate multimedia without the use of (oftentimes expensive) uploading applications.
• There is more flexibility when it comes to word count. While you should keep some general guidelines in mind when preparing your online content, you will have more freedom to decide the length of your contributions because you will not be restricted by page count or typesetting issues.

About www.CambridgeWhosWho.com

CambridgeWhosWho.com is an exclusive membership organization that recognizes and empowers executives, professionals and entrepreneurs throughout the world. Our accomplished members and extensive online database make CambridgeWhosWho.com a premier resource for global networking. CambridgeWhosWho.com delivers the recognition and competitive edge you need to make contacts and do business more effectively. To learn more, visit www.CambridgeWhosWho.com.

By Cambridge Who’s Who Contributing Author Chi Chi Okezie

Online networking is a valuable marketing tool that professionals can use to increase their business. The internet is a great way to attract your target market and maintain customer loyalty. Online networking can also help you to achieve business success by building your company’s credibility. It is an effective way to market every aspect of your company to potential clients, customers, partners and employees in a professional manner. Listed below are a few tips on how you can generate business through online networking.

Use online networking to attract your target audience, partners and employees.
Create an individual and/or company profile on a networking website. Your online profile should outline your education, experience and background in a particular field, your company history and a description of your ideal client or target audience. This will better illustrate the work or services that you offer, and thus attract the right customers for your business. If possible, include testimonials from past or present clients and customers to enhance your profile and credentials. Also consider listing the types of professionals and companies that you are seeking for strategic partnerships or projects. This will make your profile more appealing to people or organizations that would be interested in working with you or for you. If you operate on a referral fee service, online networking is a great opportunity for you to gain new clients; a detailed description of your company will give others a better sense of who you are, what you do and who would be most interested in doing business with you.

Use online networking to market your products and services to existing and potential clients.
All business professionals should network online to sustain business relationships with their customers and clients. Stay in contact with your customers and clients via email to announce new products, share important company news and inform them of recent industry trends. And remember: clients and customers respond well to incentives and discounts. Running an online promotion can help to increase your sales and get more buzz about your products and services.

Use online networking to promote a professional image for your business.
Online networking can increase your company’s professionalism. When your organization is linked to a credible professional group with a diverse membership base it shows that your company is well connected and active in the business community. Becoming a member of an online networking organization can help you to present yourself as an expert in a particular industry or field; you can use your profile to display your designations and certifications and highlight your professional involvement within your industry or business sector.

Chi Chi Okezie joined Cambridge Who’s Who in June 2007. Using the resources and networking tools available to her via Cambridge Who’s Who membership, Chi Chi was able to receive additional exposure for her company on www.cambridgewhoswho.com, including a feature in the Cambridge Business (CamBizTM) Directory, Announcements, Who’s Who in the News and Cambridge Events sections. SIMPLEnetworking LLC will also be spotlighted in the Featured Business section of the upcoming Cambridge Who’s Who e-newsletter, “Who’s News.”

Cambridge Who’s Who applauds Ms. Okezie for taking full advantage of her Cambridge Who’s Who member benefits and thanks her for the kind words about our services and staff that she submitted for the Cambridge Who’s Who Success Stories website.

For more information on Chi Chi Okezie and SIMPLEnetworking, LLC, please view her contributing author profile.