Category Archives: Reading

Personal Freedom — Going “Off the Grid”

  By admin | March 24, 2017 - 11:28 am | , ,
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What is personal freedom? You may ask.  If you must ask that question, you are sorely in need of finding answers to it.  As well, going “off the grid” may be a new phrase to you.  Chances are that it won’t be foreign to you for long, as this type of lifestyle is expected to gain more and more followers in the future.  Let’s examine the potential for living this lifestyle.

PERSONAL FREEDOM

Personal freedom means you find ways to escape the normal stresses of daily life in the society in which we live right now.  Work, work, work.  Money, money, money.  More, more, more.  You may find that “more, more, more” is “less, less, less” when it comes to living a life that is meaningful to you.  People are in such a hurry as they struggle to adhere to the catch phrase, “time is money!”  No, time is the health and wealth (not in monetary terms) of your body, mind, and spirit.  Misplaced notions about responsibility to society may be weighing you down.  Do you “have” to “keep up with the Joneses?”  No.  Does society like to make you believe you need to do the same things that everyone else does?  Yes.  That’s how the cycle gets perpetuated.

GOING OFF THE GRID

Going “off the grid” means, basically, living a life independent of public utilities and other “modern conveniences.”  This way of living is gaining momentum and popularity primarily dusolar-panel-1424264e to the fact that the “normal” way most people live today has become just entirely too stressful.  People are finding that their quality of life has taken a remarkable downturn.  That’s just not right.  Life is short; make the most of it.  Benefits of going off the grid include:

  • Self-reliance
  • To live greener
  • To be a responsible steward of the environment
  • Give you more control over your finances

ENERGY CAN COME IN A VARIETY OF FORMS

The market for new and improved energy solutions has grown dramatically over the last decade.  As well, prices for items, such as a solar panel, have decreased significantly over the last 10 years.  You may also explore energy alternatives that come from wind turbines or hydro energy.  Water wells can also be extremely beneficial to your off-the-grid lifestyle.

It takes courage to jump off the hurry-scurry path that takes you to an 8-5 job every day, but what might you gain from the change?  Wouldn’t you like to find out?

 

Why You Should Use The Rule Of Three

  By admin | July 8, 2016 - 9:00 am | , , , ,
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red-nr-3-1537717Is three a magical number?  Does three prove to be all-inclusive?  Does this, that, and the other cover it all?  Here is the answer: three is the number of elements required to make a pattern.  You will find, if you look, that throughout some of the greatest stories ever told, along with myths and fairy tales (ahhhh, see these three?  1) stories; 2) myths; and 3) fairy tales) that three (of whatever being talked about) pervades.

How Humans Process Information

By necessity, human beings have adapted to becoming experts at recognizing “patterns” of things and three is the smallest number by which to create a pattern.  The number three is just enough – just short enough and just long enough – to do the best job of capturing the attention of an audience.  Thought has also been given to the fact that, from childhood, we have been conditioned to respond well to things grouped in threes.  For example, as pointed out by Copyblogger:

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • Three Little Pigs
  • The Three Stooges
  • Three Blind Mice
  • The Three Musketeers

Also consider that:

  • Typically, there are three acts to a screenplay
  • Three bullet points are considered more effective than two or four

Comedians Also Use the Rule of Three

To get a laugh, humorists and comedians acknowledge they also use the rule of three because it fits “the classic joke structure of set-up, anticipation, and punchline.” (Copyblogger)  Insofar as comedy is concerned, the group of three can build suspense with the first two words/descriptions and then the final (and third) phrase in the set is designed to surprise you and throw you off-guard, thereby resulting in a laugh.

The number three can contain just enough, but yet not too much information for readers to take the time to read and be able to quickly grasp whatever message you want to impart.  Three truly can be a magical number.

Your Editing Checklist (No Matter What You’re Writing)

  By admin | April 17, 2014 - 9:28 am | , , , ,
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my-next-trip-1320575-mThe right editing job can distinguish good writing from bad. You could easily have the best text in the world, but poorly edited, it’s just going to reflect badly on you or your company. From your blog posts to your LinkedIn posts to even your press releases, it has to be perfect. Make certain you look for at least these things:

  • Content Readability: Think carefully about your audience for the piece. If you’ve used quite a bit of technical terminology, but your audience may not understand those terms, you may need to do some rewriting. Similarly, you have to consider attention span. Those visiting your Facebook page won’t care to read an entire blog post. Those visiting your blog likely won’t care to read an entire whitepaper. Attention span not only dictates the length of your post, but also whether you need short, staccato sentences, sub headings throughout, and bullet points.
  • Spelling: This is less of an issue than it once was thanks to technology, but it can still be a problem. You’ve probably seen lots of wacky auto correct errors, and in some cases, a spell checker may highlight a word that’s correctly spelled already or fail to recognize an incorrectly spelled choice.
  • Punctuation: Misplaced apostrophes, poorly used commas, and the downright murder of the semicolon spell one thing for well-written pieces: doom. In some cases, a period may be for dramatic effect. In others, though, it may show you weren’t paying attention to the grammar book in 7th grade.

If you’re concerned about your own editing abilities, have someone else take a look. Even if you grab the first person who walks by your desk, an extra eye on the content is never a bad thing, You can also email it to us. With fast turnaround times and incredibly cheap rates on editing, we’re the place to turn when you want to produce quality.

 

Are Company Newsletters Really Worth Your Time?

  By admin | April 3, 2014 - 7:00 am | , , ,
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hot-news-2-1411510-mThe best newsletters today are e-newsletters. Why? Because they can arrive in your clients’ inboxes quickly, with maximum convenience and minimal effort, for both you and your clients.

If your e-newsletters offer something of value that pertains directly to your clients’ needs, they are more likely to respond and you will have a successful medium through which to share information.

BREVITY IS A VIRTUE

Keep your e-newsletters short and to the point. In today’s busy global marketplace, the saying “time is money” has never been truer. Attention spans are short; grab them with enticing headlines in bold or large font. Many people enjoy the use of color, as well, so make them colorful. It doesn’t cost any more to add color to an e-newsletter. Ensure whatever words you choose have the meaning you want to convey. Readers won’t be happy if you waste their time, and they most likely won’t read your e-newsletter again.

INVITE – DON’T SELL

An e-newsletter shouldn’t be about tooting your own horn, but rather an invitation to your clients to consider how your services can complement their business needs and help them be more successful. Offer quality services, and they will pay attention.

QUALITY LINKS

Don’t forget relevant links: links to your web site; links to pertinent and valuable information. These days, it’s all about quality, quality, quality. If you send an e-newsletter written with honesty and integrity, your clients will pay attention. With responsible links in your e-newsletter, you’ll be helping them gain access to the products/services they need that you can offer them. Again, don’t waste their time with irrelevant links.

PRINTED NEWSLETTERS

Printed newsletters can also be of value, but you need the right kind of circumstances for them to be useful. They are more demanding in time and money, and you will need them to be successful to offset the associated expenses. If you are exhibiting at a particular forum that relates to your business, printed newsletters (again, keep them short and to the point) can be good hand-outs.

Most paper products today, though, end up in recycling containers. Utilizing e-newsletters, your clients can store them on a variety of electronic devices and refer back to them, if so desired. They can also be deleted at the touch of a button, so make them worthwhile to your clients and valuable for them to retain and re-use.

Three Ways Your Business Can Use An E-Book

  By admin | March 31, 2014 - 1:21 pm | , , , ,
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communicate-4-1162225-mE-books have become the norm for reaching a target audience with your message.  Why?  They are electronic, first and foremost, which is nearly crucial these days to finding success online.  An online e-book can reach many people very quickly.  What can it do, specifically, to help grow your business?

ACT AS AN INTRODUCTION

An e-book can be a handy introduction to your company and your services and/or products.  Like e-newsletters and e-guides, they can provide a short, quick reference to who you are and what your company has to offer.  Seconds matter: getting a prospective client’s attention with a well-written e-book that is concise and to the point can prove extremely valuable to growing your client base. Offer them free on your Facebook page; that’s a great way of introducing your services – plus, you can grow your list of email addresses which might have marketing potential.

MARKETING COMPANION FOR BUSINESS LIFECYCLES

E-books are easier and more cost-effective than traditional publishing methods to produce. They can also reach a vast and wide audience, quicker and more efficiently than traditional books.  As your business moves through different phases (i.e., lifecycles), these short information messengers can help spread news about changes, products and services, recent content surrounding your industry, etc.  EPUB-style e-books should also be a priority as they can be uploaded from iBookstore, as well as Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

ANOTHER SOURCE OF INCOME

As well as being a source to spread messages about your business, your services/products, and your industry, these short electronic books can also become another source of revenue for your business. You can easily add an interesting and informative e-book to your line of business tools by growing interest in a subject and then charging a small fee so others can download it straight from your web site.

E-books can be profitable in a number of ways. Select topics with care, using intuitive thought, and combining images and graphics with refined text that is concise and to the point. Many suggest using colors in a complementary fashion, as opposed to just black and white text. Done on the computer, this is a very easy and cost-effective solution. However you choose to promote your business, using these brief marketing tools can be very beneficial.

 

 

Reading = Good Writing: The Link You Might Be Missing

  By admin | August 12, 2013 - 11:03 am |
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readingAlmost any writer worth the space she consumes on this planet can tell you that good writers are always good readers. Sure, reading and writing are often taught as two skills during any sort of formal education, but they’re completely interdependent, and if you’re writing your own site copy or marketing materials, reading may be the key to getting a better feel for your work.
A Steamy Affair
Wondering why the two go together? It’s simple, really. Reading a variety of texts, not just 50 Shades of Grey over and over again, helps you understand text structure and language in a way you simply won’t if you don’t read. What’s more, though, is that all of those blogs you subscribe to, business magazines you read, and entrepreneurial self-help books give you the prior knowledge you need to write your own materials. Much of what you know comes from what you actually read.
Enhancing the Connection
While it can be enough to simply read and absorb the material, there are some steps you can take to improve that link. First, don’t just stick to one type of text. Reading the blogs on Forbes as you take the train to work every morning isn’t enough. Branch out. Read biographies, fiction, magazines, newspapers, and more. The wider the net you cast, the better the fishing will be.
Besides simply reading what you can find, though, talk about what you read. It helps cement the material in your mind, giving you the confidence you need to write about it in your next post, on your landing page, or even in your brochure.
An Added Bonus
There’s an added bonus to reading, too, if you’re a parent. Your kids will see you reading, and that is invaluable. They’ll know that you care about literature, and that means something as they start working on their own reading skills.