By Michael Meanwell © 2001
Let's go back to basics. Why do you use the Internet? To
collect information and to communicate ~ right?
Sure, there are other reasons, but these are the major motivators.
Now, think about your writing. What is the ultimate aim? To
communicate, to share ideas, of course.
When you ask the question, the answer is so obvious ~ and
yet I wonder how many writers are using the Net to its full advantage.
Like you, I have spent endless hours surfing the cyber world,
visiting sites, but rarely connecting with people. That is, until
last week.
I met a lovely lady named Barbara Donohue, from Las Vegas.
Barb and I live 8146 miles from each other on separate
sides of the Pacific and she's 19 hours 'behind' me in time.
We have never met physically, but we have shared so
much in a week, thanks to a collection of electrons splashed
on to our computer screens.
Barb, in case you're wondering, runs two Web sites. One
tells you everything you need to know about Vegas at
http://www.aboutlasvegasnevada.com, and the other is an
excellent resource for PR and marketing practitioners at
http://www.successandmarketing.com.
I came across Barb's sites in my daily patrol online. I read
her articles, her bio and checked out some of her literary links.
Then I emailed her. I often contact fellow writers and
like-minded people to share thoughts and network.
Up to that point, I was like everyone else . . . just one of
400 million people online, surfing here and there without a care.
But after that first fateful email, we were friends. We connected
in a way that neither of us expected, and we are both benefiting
from it personally and professionally.
Since then, Barb has read both of my books and she has said
some kind words about me on her site. She has also
recommended my books and ezine to friends and colleagues.
But, even better than this, Barb has been a real breath of fresh
air in my life, offering me advice and guidance on some upcoming
projects I have in mind. After less than a week of knowing
each other, we email each other several times a day, discussing
everything from life in our cities, our families and, of course,
our profession.
And it all started with an innocent email. Such is the power and
the potential of the Internet.
The term literally means interconnecting computers, but I like
to think of it as interconnecting peoples' lives. And that's something
that has happened for me.
Barb is not the first friend I have made online. I also count Ken
Silver and Ricky Higgs, two of the best-known Internet marketers
and ebook authors around, as not only colleagues but friends.
They have shared an enormous amount of information, inspiration
and motivation with me over the months. I feel as if I have known
them for years. It's no wonder the experts say two months online
is the equivalent to one year in the real world. It certainly feels like
it to me. In addition, I maintain contact with a growing number of
customers as well as other professionals on virtually every continent.
My point is that the Net has made this blue planet not only smaller
but also more intimate in many ways. Being connected means
there's no excuse for not knowing what's going on in your world,
wherever you are and whenever you like.
That's why, as writers, it's important for us to take networking to a
new level, by working the Net smarter. Here's five ideas you can
employ to improve your communications:
1. Join a writer's forum today.
There's countless forums online which you can either visit,
or subscribe to daily digests delivered to your in box. For
starters, check out mine at
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/72583.
Drop us a line. Start a conversation. Reply to a post. Get
the ball rolling and everyone will benefit.
2. Talk to an author.
One of the great things about e-authors is that they are
generally more approachable than their print counterparts.
I chat with a variety of authors and writers online. Most are
easily accessible and happy to talk about their books or
give some personal pointers. This is generally something
you can't do with a regular authors, even at a book signing.
So why don't you let your fingers doing the talking?
3. Think about who you are writing to.
Whether you are writing sales copy for a Web site, producing
an ezine or responding to a newsgroup ~ imagine you are
writing to one reader rather than the potential millions out
there. You'll find your writing is stronger and your message
is clearer.
4. Think global and write global.
It's a bad habit for people to write for their fellow countrymen
(sorry for being politically incorrect, 'countrypersons' doesn't
cut it). With almost half a billion people online, your audience
could reside in America or Argentina, China or Cuba. While
it's not feasible to reproduce Web copy in the languages of the
world, you can still make the 'translation' as simple as possible
by removing local colloquialisms.
5. Watch your humor.
It's good to have a little fun. It helps lighten the load for both
the writer and the reader. But it's important to be aware of not
just the differing populations online, but also the different
cultures, age groups and education backgrounds of your
visitors. What you find hilarious, may be misunderstood or
not understood at all by your audience. Always remember,
we're in the communications business. The same applies to
using 'big' words. You don't win any awards for exercising
your vocabulary, but you may win a legion on fans if you
learn how to write for a wide audience.
As you can see, the Net can be anything you want it to be.
Impersonal or intimate. The choice is yours as a visitor and
as a writer.
--------------------------------------------------------
Michael Meanwell
Meanwell Books
http://www.meanwellstore.com
michael@meanwellstore.com
Author of the e-books
~ 'The Enterprising Writer'
~ 'Writers on Writing'
~ 'Quote Unquote'
Visit my online eWriter and ePublisher Forum:
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/72583