Blog
Blogs begin to dominate fashion industry
Glossy and often expensive fashion magazines have been the way to find out about sartorial developments and the newest trends for the past hundred years, but this is now clearly changing, as blogs begin to take over as one of the main conduits of fashion news. The younger generations increasingly prefer clicking through the posts on a blog over flipping through the pages in a fashion magazine for two simple reasons—bloggers are now the first ones to report on breaking news and blogs are completely free of charge. In contrast, old-fashioned magazines published once a week—or even just once a month in many cases—simply cannot compete with blogs when it comes to the rapid dissemination of news at no cost to the reader. In fact, fashion magazines are the ones having to catch up with blogs, which often report on what was most recently seen on the catwalk days, if not weeks, before magazines.
Major American newspaper partners with blog
The Seattle Times, one of America’s most prominent daily newspapers, has clearly come to realize the growing importance blogging in the media world and as such, has decided to strike a partnership with a local blog, in order to get a more grassroots perspective on community developments. Blogs are often most successful if they either focus on a niche topic, or if they serve a specific geographic community. In the case of corporate blogs, the ones that have a clearly defined theme and offer relevant news in a specific industry can catch on quickly with readers, especially when they are included in the Google News feed.
New Zealand-based author gives tips on content writing
Anita Jenkins, an author affiliated with the New Zealand Herald, noted that today’s readers are looking to understand complex issues and topics as quickly as possible and do not want to get bogged down in complicated prose. As such, the content writer’s responsibility is not only to grab the reader’s attention by making a potentially dry topic seem fascinating, but also explain complicated processes and developments in a succinct, easily comprehensible manner. Jenkins notes that the key to success is using plain language, which nowadays is applied not only in online content writing, but even in legislative and technical documents.
Blogging not just for the young
Blogging may have started off as the niche hobby of savvy young technology enthusiasts, but it has certainly grown immensely over the years and now entices people in all age ranges. Nothing proves this more than the fact that the world’s oldest blogger, Florida resident Randall Butisingh, recently turned 96 years old. Butisingh has been blogging for the past ten years, but he recently came to the attention of the blogosphere when the web-based organization Life Begins at 80 gave the veteran blogger the “Greypow Award.” Butisingh, in fact, played an important role in spreading awareness of computers and the internet among the world’s senior citizens and his own blog continues to encourage these generations to embrace online opportunities.
Fastest growing church launches blog
America’s fastest growing religious movement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS)—whose followers are more commonly known as Mormons—has joined the world of web 2.0 and launched a brand new blog. Based in Salt Lake City, Mormonism now counts over 13 million members worldwide. The church may be a new addition to the blogosphere, but is seems to understand very well how to maximize its blogging presence.
Bestselling author turns to blogging to promote book
Few might have thought that the internationally-acclaimed, bestselling author Margaret Atwood might need to go out of her way to market her new book, especially considering her reputation as the matron of Canadian literature and the North American nation’s wealthiest writer. But Atwood has rolled up her sleeves and jumped into the world of blogging this month, in an effort to popularize her newest work, The Year of the Flood. While Atwood’s book is set to appear in bookstores in late September, the prolific author wasted no time connecting with fans and potential readers, through a new blog. Atwood’s site—hosted by Wordpress—started off with a personal note; the author published a post on her upcoming travel by boat to the United Kingdom, as well as a photo of the English garden behind her Toronto home.
Veteran freelance writer talks about joys and challenges of content writing
Lisa Mason has worked as a full-time freelance writer for more than a decade and has been able to secure a comfortable income through a combination of online content writing and blogging over the past years. In fact, as a sign of how the media world is changing, Mason explained in a recent interview how she started off working as a freelancer for a local print publication, but decided to focus on internet-based content writing instead. Mason mentioned that one of the main advantages of content writing and freelancing is that authors have the ability to formulate their own schedule and work in the most flexible environment. Mason noted that few employees have the luxury of working in their pyjamas from the comfort of their own home and the experienced freelancer is also writing a book on how content writing can be an ideal source of extra income for stay-at-home mothers who would like to make money, while also raising their children.
Research and creativity central to good content writing
Content writers increasingly form the backbone of the internet, as keyword-rich web content is what drives search engines and users to websites. But content writing can be a challenging type of freelancing, as content writers must always produce material that stands out from the vast array of written content that appears on the internet on nearly every topic. While a freelancer working for a journal or traditional publication will focus on producing something catchy in order to keep a reading audience’s attention, content writers must also make sure that their material draws consumers to the websites that feature their material and that it indirectly markets the given organization.
Veteran freelancer urges new content writers to read widely
According to Boston-based freelance writer Jeri Zeder, one of the best ways to develop into an effective freelancer or content writer is to read as much as possible, including books that focus on the in and outs of writing. Zeder also recommends that new freelancers or content writers display a clear sense of passion for the topics that they focus on, but without coming across as excessively one-sided or preachy. A sense of passion for a given niche topic or field is crucial, as readers can often tell if a content writer’s piece is simply a sterile summary or re-write of news items that have already appeared on other sites.
Blogging passion leads to book and movie deal
Many of the world’s most successful bloggers started from the most humble beginnings, including modest blogs based on a favourite hobby or a pet project that then take on lives of their own. Blogging can lead to unexpected success and culinary expert and avid blogger Julie Powell probably knows this better than anyone else. When Powell launched her blog, she had very little else in mind other than documenting her personal culinary adventures, based on recipes developed by the legendary Julia Childs. Yet Powell’s hobby turned into a full fledged and successful business, as the blogger became an international celebrity in her own right.
