Some Knowledge

The key is to write something that people are interested in.  How do you find out what interests people?  That’s a question a lot of people ask themselves.  There is such easy access to information on the net these days, you can pretty much write about whatever interests you, and then let people find your article.  You can write just about anything and somebody will have some interest in it.  Even something like a poem can attract attention.

Still, the fact remains:  If you want a lot of readers you need to write about something that a lot of people care about.  You can be pretty safe in the assumption that people on the Internet will have some interest in computers.  This is the one thing any Internet publishing will have in common.  You need some sort of computer to access the net, even if that computer is nothing more than a PDA or an IPhone.  If you write articles about computers there will be a ready-made audience for your writing on the net.

There are many things besides computers that people have in common.  We all have bodies, and we all have some kind of health issues.  Even if people are healthy they are still concerned with how to stay healthy and how to get more healthy.  If you write about how to improve the body, there will be a ready audience for your work.  You do not have to be a doctor to write about health, but you do need to do your research.  It would be unfortunate if you gave people bad advice on maintaining their health and somebody suffered some kind of problem or injury because of something you wrote.  Still, there are books available at libraries and stores that can give you a good foundation in health.  You can even audit college courses on many things by looking for lecture podcasts on the web.  UC Berkeley has many webcasts from different classes if you are interested in picking up some free knowledge.

No matter what you write, if you post it in some place that is accessible to the public, people will eventually find it.  You can maximize your visibility by choosing a good title for your work.   The title of your blog or web page is the first thing a search engine or person surfing the web will see.  You need something that clearly states what your page is about.  If you give your piece a title that has nothing to do with the content of your page you will just confuse people.  Worse than confusion, people will feel misled in looking at your work.  If you lose the trust of your reader you may as well have not written anything.  A good title is short and to the point.  It will convey the subject or theme of your piece and lead the reader into viewing your writing.

The important thing in any piece of writing is the information it contains.  Suppose you are writing a review of some automobile.  You will want to look up all the facts about that car you can.  You will want to know what engines it comes with, what accessories are standard or optional, what colors you can get it in, what kinds of interior it can be equipped with, and what power options are available.  You will also want to know what kind of mileage it gets, what kind of acceleration performance it has, what safety options it can be equipped with, and what tires it uses.  All these facts are the meat and potatoes of any article you write.  You will also want to have information on how the car handles, how comfortable it is to drive, how is the visibility when you are driving, and what entertainment options does it come with.  In short, you will want to look up all the information about your subject that anyone could possibly want to know.

Once you have all the facts for your article it is just a question of putting them all together in an interesting story structure.  You might want to describe a test drive you took, if you test drove the car you are writing about.  You might want to describe how you found out about all the different things about this vehicle.  You will definitely want to make an interesting framework on which you can post the different facts you have discovered.  Your piece should be easy to read and have an enjoyable format.  You are not just trying to cram facts down people’s throats, you are cajoling them into knowledge of your subject.  Use active verbs and descriptive phrases that convey concrete images.  You should describe your own feelings, but do not try to project feelings onto your readers.  If your intention is to sell something, point out all the advantages that ownership will give to the potential customer.  If your intention is just to tell an interesting story, focus on the story of how you interacted with your subject.

In your style of writing it is best to be as simple as possible in relating your story.  Big words and complicated sentence structures only add to confusion.  If you use a word processor run your work through the grammar checker and check your statistics.   You should have some indication of grade level, the Fleishmann-Kinkaide rating I think it is called.  The lower this number the better, to a point.  It is considered best to write to about a 5th grade level.  Long sentences, big words, and convoluted structures will make this level go up.  Also it is best to try and avoid the passive voice.  Say:  He picked up the bag.  Not:  The bag was picked up by him.  Active voice gives a piece a moving quality that makes it read easily.  A grammar checker can point out all these problems.  Do not rely on the computer to write your piece though, as often grammar checkers and spell checkers make mistakes.  Use your own judgment in editing any piece of work.

If you write a good article that has useful information, people will eventually find it if it is posted on the Internet.  You do not have to worry about keyword optimization or anything else if you have good facts in your story.  The facts are the keywords.  If you write clearly in a simple style that people can understand you will attract people to view your work.  If you can give some value to your audience as far as the work you have done in researching your piece, then they will return to see your future efforts at writing.  The Field of Dreams is your work.  The reason people read your work is the benefit they derive from it.  If you place valuable information in an accessible format you will attract attention.