They will write blogs, not term papers

The words “term paper” strike fear into the hearts of students, followed closely by “essay.”  I remember those dark days of burning the candle to finish a term paper in college. It usually wasn’t fun if you had been assigned a specific topic.

I was lucky that my English professor, Dr. Edward Chalfant, didn’t require term papers, but simply asked us to write what we felt about an American novel or a Shakespearean play.

He was ahead of his time and foretold the coming of the blog, an informal style of writing that can enable a more personal connection between students and professors and between companies and customers in the business world.

Blogging for Grades

The New York Times weighed in on this topic recently, quoting educators who advocate trashing the old-fashioned term paper and those who still preach that students need the discipline of the format: make a point, defend it, repeat it.

Championing the blog as a legitimate and more modern style of writing is Cathy N. Davidson, an English professor at Duke, who has written extensively about learning in the digital age. She wants to replace the term paper with the blog and says, “This mechanistic writing is a real disincentive to creative but untrained writers.”

Instead of term papers, she assigns her students to publish 500-1,500 word entries on an internal class blog as essays for public consumption. Many professors at other institutions are following her lead

The New Way of Writing

There is no doubt that writing has become informal with the advent of the Internet and social media. But don’t blame the Internet for everything. The trend towards a more conversational style started long ago when television entered almost every home. We’ve become accustomed to receiving information in “sound bites.”

Let’s face it: we want to be entertained. Fox News leads the audience ratings because the network understands this new paradigm.

Training students to write term papers and dissertations that no one will ever read again is not training students for the workplace. Yes, students must learn the basic rules of grammar. People won’t read poorly written blog posts just as professors will downgrade poorly written essays.

Out With the Old, In With the New

But the format for writing has changed:

Old

• Make a point
• Defend it
• Repeat it
• Summarize

New

• Grab attention
• Make your point
• Support with evidence
• Persuade to your point of view
• Call to action

Communication Preferences

Students who enter the workforce will soon learn the rules. How do their managers want to receive information: verbally, by email, in a written document? They sure don’t want something that reads like a term paper.

The most important element to any communication – written or verbal – is the call to action.

During our entire work lives we will be required to persuade others to our points of view. That’s how we assume more responsibility and authority. It isn’t good if no one pays attention to you.

George H. W. Bush famously insisted that his staff prepare one-page summaries on important issues. The President had the power to start conflicts, appoint Supreme Court Justices and approve or veto legislation. Yet, he wanted his information in short takes and felt that was enough to make a decision.

Blogging is the New Term Paper

Kudos to those professors who understand that the way we communicate has changed forever. Holding onto to old communications vehicles – like the term paper – is self-defeating. Worse, it doesn’t prepare students for the real world.

[tweetmeme]As you know, if you’re a subscriber or frequent visitor, I’m passionate about blogging. I believe a blog can be the centerpiece of a company’s social media strategy.

But writing a blog post is different from writing, say, an ad or product flyer. A blog is an informal conversation with your readers. You’ve got to put your personality into a blog. Visitors want to know what you stand for and your honest opinions about things – both good and bad.

Stick Your Neck Out

When writing a blog, stick your neck out

You’ve got to stick your neck out a little and risk offending. You don’t want to be hurtful, but as an example, in my post about Home Depot, I wanted the company to know that the needs of Manhattan residents without cars are different from folks who live in the ‘burbs with big minivans to haul things away from the store. I guess they’ll never hire me to write a blog for them, but that’s the chance I took.

In social media, you hear the term “authenticity” all the time. You’ve got to be authentic in everything you write and every connection you make. There’s just too much information out there about you to get away with half-truths or exaggerations.

Informal Rules of the Road

So what would a blog post be without a list? Here’s mine about writing a blog:

1. Be authentic. Say what you mean and mean what you say. You’re building relationships and you want them to last.

 

2. Write in the first person. Remember when you were a kid, your parents taught you that humility is a virtue and don’t use the “I” word too often. In journalism school, you were taught to write objectivity. Leave yourself out of it. Blogging turns that rule on its head. Whether editorializing is correct in a news organization’s reporting is a story for another post.

 

3. Respect your readers. Don’t talk down to them. Try to understand and respond to their information needs. Ask for their feedback. You’ll learn a lot that way.

 

4. Respond to comments. If someone is nice enough to comment, send a thank-you note either via a reply in the post, or with a quick email.

 

5. Don’t stuff your post with key words. You want readers to find your posts – if no one reads a story, does it exist? So naturally you use key words to attract visitors. But if you’re writing about social media, don’t use the term in every sentence. That’s called keyword stuffing and readers are smart enough to know it and tune you out – maybe forever.
6. Make it readable.  Break up copy into short takes with headlines. Make it easy for your readers to get through your copy. I read a ton of blogs and when I get to a site and all I see are long paragraphs of dense, small type with no sub-heads, bold face or graphics, I don’t stay long.

 

7. Write with emotion. This may sound strange. But really enjoy what you’re writing about. Put yourself into it with gusto. Laugh a little if you’re writing a post primarily to entertain. Feel the pain if you’re writing about a serious subject like the misery of the people displaced by the tsunami in Japan. It’s called empathy and your readers will embrace you for it.

 

Thanks for visiting. I really appreciate it.

[tweetmeme]There are more different types of blog posts than I can count on my fingers and toes. Tone of voice is important, too. For example, if you’re writing for a business audience, should you use humor in your blog posts? Will your readers think you aren’t serious?

The question you first need to ask yourself, “What is the objective of this article?” If you’re writing to entertain, then it’s OK to use humor. And, yes, business people like humor, too.

When writing about a serious subject such as unrest in the middle East and its implications for business, though, humor would be out of place.

I’ve concluded that many posts fit into the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How Come formula that I learned in journalism class that guided me as a business reporter. See if your posts answer at least one of these interrogatives. It will help to give your blog focus.

The Blog Post List

1. How to. People always want to learn how to do things better, faster, cheaper, safer. How-to blogs appeal to every demographic. Want to learn how to mow your lawn? Head over to Consumer Reports.

2. Promoting a Cause. You may feel passionate about a cause. A particular passion of mine is women and heart disease. I could make the case about why my readers should join the Go Red campaign to educate women on the risks of heart disease.

3. Analysis. In this type of post you can demonstrate your expertise by including your own opinions and those of other experts – linking to authority sites also boosts your SEO. I wrote one recently entitled “The New Leadership Paradigm: Rule by Community” that described the spontaneous formation of new communities of leaders made possible by the power of the Internet. This type of post is also called a Roundup.

4. Reviews. What’s your field? Has an expert written a new book you can review? I just downloaded the Kindle version of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book “The Thank You Economy” and will write a review after I read it.

5. Q&A. This a great way to conduct an interview with a guest. You can make life easy for readers who don’t like a lot of dense copy. Also, it’s more personal. I interviewed Pat Weber for three blogs that I posted on the elevator speech. She interviewed me for her site and then we decided to turn these posts into an ebook, “Repairing the Elevator Speech to Burnish Your Personal Brand,” which is available to new subscribers of Write Speak Sell.

6. Entertainment. Some blogs are simply meant to entertain. They can be about serious topics – like a lack of service that I experienced at Home Depot in a post “Don’t Forget to Bring Your Own Saw to Home Depot” but written with humor with the primary purpose to entertain your readers.

7. Promotional. You may have a new product or service that you feel the world can’t live without. Write a post – but don’t be too sales-y. Remember that the reader is always asking “What’s in it for me?”

8. Lists. Like this one on blog posts. How about a list of what you consider to be the best books on leadership, or recipes for apple pie?

9. Inspirational. Posts that ask people to be better citizens, to follow their passions in life, to tap their inner spirit are examples of topics that will hopefully inspire your readers to action – and make you feel better, too.

10. Problem/Solution.  A demonstrated winner. I wrote a post a while back “Why Can’t WordPress Tutorials be Written in Language for Regular People? I received a lot of comments and I was most gratified by this one, “This was so helpful!!! I’ve been trying to figure this out for almost 24 hours!!! …LOL.”

11. Instructional. I recently wrote a post entitled “How to Insert the Name of Your Website into Your LinkedIn Profile” that received many thank-you’s. So simple, but many LinkedIn users don’t know how – just take a look at some profiles.

Do you have a favorite type of post? What have I left out?

[tweetmeme] I regularly receive invitations to join the network of other LinkedIn members.

Today I received this compelling invitation:

Good evening Jeannette, we are both members of NYEBN. I viewed your profile and based on your experience and expertise, I feel you would make a great connection. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with.

Would you mind connecting?

All the best,
Al

I was intrigued and went into his profile and, indeed, our companies and services are highly complimentary and he’s someone I’d like to know better, so I accepted his invitation. We both live in New York so I’ll be in touch to explore how our mutual interests might lead to collaborating on business or referrals to other people.

I am not a LION, or open networker on LinkedIn. Those are members who are open to connecting with anyone who extends an invitation. The original premise of LinkedIn was to connect with people you know, but that restriction loosened over time. So most members are agreeable to linking with people when it makes sense – and when the invitation is personalized.

How NOT to Write an Invitation

I don’t respond well – and most people don’t – to the default LinkedIn invitation:

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Joe Blow

Many members delete these invitations because they are not personalized.  The canned invitation seems spamm-y and shows no interest in me as a fellow professional. Who says I want to join your network?

Give me a reason, like Al did. Notice that he offered to help me – and didn’t ask me for anything in return.

So, the next time you want to connect with someone new on LinkedIn, take the time to craft a personalized invitation. It’s only polite and will lead to better results and stronger connections.

[tweetmeme]As someone who has written a few books, I may have made a few different choices by answering these questions first.

1.  Why do you want to write a book?

I wrote a book basically because my colleagues told me I needed to write a book.  Honestly, that is not a great reason.  Another reason that is more than likely not going to happen is to become wealthy.  Unless you are J.K. Rowling or John Grisham, you are probably going to either break even or lose money on your book.   There are, however, a few great reasons to write a book:

• To act as a calling card for your business
• To increase your speaking fees
• To enhance your credibility
• To serve as a platform for building a training, consulting or coaching program

2.  What type of book do you want to write?

This answer truly depends on the industry you are in.  If you are a romance writer, then you are probably more than likely going to write a romance novel.  Writing a great novel takes skill, time and creativity, so consider some types of books which have already been bit hits:

• How-to books
• “Tell it all sister” books (yes…the secrets in the closet do sell)
• A business book that has not already been written (don’t regurgitate another business book unless you have a new spin)
• A recipe book that is very niche oriented (Example:  Gourmet vegetarian recipes for dogs)
• A great travel book.  If you have visited a country, make great notes of small “hot spots” that you won’t find in Fodors or by travel writers.  Write about great hostels, small cozy restaurants tucked away on a hill or a great retail shop with bargain prices.

3.   How much time can you realistically dedicate to writing a book?

On the two main books I wrote, I had a great amount of help from an author management company, and I still dedicated 2-3 hours a day to writing and filling in the blanks.  If you are a solo writer, you are probably looking at a 40 hour a week job for at least three months.  Some prolific writers can spit out a book over a week-end, but this is not the norm.  Many people will actually take one year off from their regular job, travel to a remote, isolated location and do nothing but write a book.  Look closely at your job, family life, travel plans and future schedule before making this commitment.

4.   Are you going to self publish a book or go through an agent and a book publishing company?

In this day and age, going through finding an agent and then a publisher who will actually put their name on your book CAN be a long and painful process.  You will get rejection after rejection letter from both agents and publishers who don’t like your book or just don’t have the time to take it on.  From my experience, I would highly recommend going the self publishing route, sell a few thousand copies on your own and then go to an agent and/or publisher with your book pitch.

5.   How much time can you realistically dedicate to marketing your book?

When people hire me to consult for them or coach them on writing a book, I often hear “Well, I am going through a publisher, so I don’t need to worry about the marketing of this book.”  Again, unless you are  J.K  Rowling, a publisher is NOT going to market your book.  They are going to rely on you to market AND sell your book.  As a matter of fact, their decision on whether or not to represent you rests in your ability to sell books.  Just as in any business, you will want to dedicate at least two hours each day for at least 9-12 months to marketing your book.  There are over 100 ways to market a book, and you truly have to use each and every strategy out there to get your book to become known.

6.    Are you going to publish hard copy, paperback or a digital book?

Digital readers are becoming more and more popular and they are super slick and easy to use AND to read.  The font is clear and the reader doesn’t have to hassle with flipping pages, bending the paperback versions or bookmarking with a sticky note.  A hard copy book is impressive, but if you really want to sell a book, you will be a smart author if you look at getting your book published in Kindle or another digital reader format.

7.    What are your plans for leveraging your book into other products and services?

Many people never consider this question.  Your book may be a great book that will become a series of books, workshops, speaking topics or self study workbooks.  Sit down and map out a plan for repurposing your book for other opportunities down the road.

Writing a book can be a challenge, and it is so very rewarding.  By sitting down and really mapping out a plan for writing your book, you will be able to leverage opportunities you never considered.  Best of luck to you in writing your first (or next) book!

Bea Fields is President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc., offering leadership coaching and training for high growth companies.  She is also the founder and facilitator of the highly popular program Become a Blogging Maniac, which transforms novices into skilled bloggers and communicators.

[tweetmeme]A friend is forwarding my bio to his agency’s new social media director who might need some outside help.  As I was touching up a paper copy to send as an attachment, I asked myself, “Are you nuts?” Paper bios and resumes are so 20th century. My entire business life is there for everyone to see on my blog. I tooled around the web to find out what other social media consultants are doing and, sure enough, they have online bios.

Paper bios are so 20th century

Then another “boing” moment. I should add my new bio as a page on my blog, with a new tab “Social Media Bio.”

When I finished writing, I looked at my About page and it seemed bland in comparison. Dull actually. From me, the word mechanic (as someone once called me after I told him what I do).  So I immediately ditched the About page.

This is not contest, in the sense that you won’t receive any prize, but I’d welcome your comments on my new Social Media Bio. I’m still tinkering with it.  Think I’ll move the search box further up, and make a couple of other tweaks.

But I’d love to hear from you, dear readers, about what you like, don’t like or what I might add or delete. Thank you.

P.S. Since writing this post, I’ve updated my bio based on advice from readers and several experts, and also changed my navigation tab back to “About.”  I’m still not sure I’m keeping that term. As always, your thoughts would be appreciated.

[tweetmeme]I’ve been thinking that I should establish guidelines for guest posts on my blog, and have been tooling around the web and reading the guidelines of other folks who accept guest blogs.  I wrote about this earlier and said I’d be drawing up a list of guidelines, so here they are.

It’s not that I’m such a big shot that people are clamoring to write for me and I’m holding them off with a stick.  No, it’s more that I want to avoid miscommunications or hurt feelings when I receive a guest post (which I most likely have requested) and it’s not quite right for my blog.

These are not engraved in stone, so I’d appreciate your suggestions.  Here goes:

1. The post needs to align with my brand:  business writing that sells.  Is your blog relevant to my audience?  I reserve the right to make exceptions. Sometimes a piece is so good, even if it’s a little off the subject, that I’ll run with it.
2. It should be from 300-600 words with an image supplied by the author.
3. It needs to be well written (I know this seems obvious) and grammatically correct.
4. Every guest post by definition is self-promoting but it can’t be an outright sales pitch.
5. No affiliate links.
6. Internal links should be limited to your own blog and to sources that support the article’s main points.
7. My preference is for an original article.  I’m agreeable to posting blogs that were previously published if they are chock full of information that would benefit my readers.  But I need to know in advance so I can indicate the original source of the blog.  The blog can’t infringe on anyone else’s copyrighted material.
8. If I use a guest post, which links back to the author’s site, I’d appreciate a link back to my site.
9. The author’s bio should be about 50 words with a link back to the writer’s site.  It will go at the bottom of the post with a possible comment by me.
10. If a guest post on my site receives comments, then the author should respond to each one.  It’s only common courtesy
11. It would be hard to think I wouldn’t publish a post because it doesn’t meet my criteria, but I do need to reserve that right.

So, what do you think? Anything to add?

[tweetmeme]“Buzz is already taking a chunk out of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media services. That’ll only grow as brands and advertisers better understand what they can do with Buzz and its millions of users. Buzz is equivalent to throwing a giant super magnet into a room filled with nails.”

I don’t know about Buzz challenging its rivals, but this paragraph is a lively example of how analogies and metaphors enrich our writing and paint images for our readers.  Buzz is like a giant super magnet attracting new users – a powerful visual image.

Writers often confuse analogies and metaphors.  In a story on the CBS News Opinion page “Political Analogies Are Like Toothbrushes,” the headline is an analogy comparing two dissimilar things to clarify a point or create an image. Something is like something else. Then throughout the article the writer mistakes analogies for metaphors in which one object becomes another object, i.e., “Obama is Abraham Lincoln in 1860.”

This is probably nitpicking, because my point is that analogies and metaphors can enhance our writing.

I decided to re-read a few of my past blog posts to see how I might improve them with an analogy or metaphor.  Here’s one that I think could be better (italicized words added):  “This is a golden opportunity for companies to find out what customers are looking for and to respond to their needs directly one-to-one, like a good mother responds to her child’s need for a hug.”

Here’s another blog about the importance of facial cues in business:  “We’ve all had the experience of talking to someone who gives us absolutely no facial or verbal cues.  It’s like trying to get a response from General Lee’s image on Stone Mountain.”

A writer is a like a painter, using imagery to entertain, provoke and educate with the fervent hope of not being a bore.  Your thoughts, good readers?

I’ve had writer’s block the past few days.  The first thing I did was analyze the problem.  Bad move.  Why?  Because analyzing is another excuse for putting off what I don’t want to do anyway.  It’s the holidays; I’m busy; I have to get ready for a party.  We all know the drill.  So here is what I did.

First, and this has worked for me before, stop staring at your computer screen, hands frozen over the keys waiting for an inspiring opening sentence.  Instead, just start typing gibberish like this –

Aue.s iea opueei aoeuemflpo ejsoemaiu e0 plel;adedxe[eopes/eide

Just let your hands fly over the keys. Come on, loosen up!  It’s the equivalent of shaking your hands dry when there isn’t a towel available.

Next, do not call a friend for help.  Another time waster.  Here are a few additional tricks to get you going, after you’ve loosened up.

Go to Google’s Wonder Wheel. What a great tool for article ideas.  Here is how it works:

• Type in your key word(s) in the Google search box and hit enter
• At the top of the search page click on “Show Options”
• Scroll down and click on Wonder Wheel – which shows your key word at the center with spokes going to related words, which then lead to other words.
• Under Options you can also click on “Forums” to show forums with those words

What’s cool is that every time you click on a related word or phrase, news with the keyword appears alongside so that you learn what’s being writen about the topic at that moment in time.

Next try Rack and Write. Never been there?  This site is a real hoot.  You enter some key words and the site comes back with hundreds of potential blog titles.  As the site points out:  “this is a brainstorming tool, so some of the sentences will sound wacky.”  I entered the words CEO, Public Relations Director, and Press Release and here are a few titles I got back:  “Realize Your Dream Press Release By Following These 4 Simple Steps,” and “The Worst Ideas for Press Release” and my favorite, “Fire the CEO!”  About 99% of them are useless but they are great for sparking other ideas.

Link your article or blog to the news. It’s really quite amazing how you can align your brand with just about any news development.  In my blogging course, our instructor Bea Fields asked us to write a blog about the death of Michael Jackson.  For the life of me I thought, what would I write about?  And it became apparent almost immediately:  he was one of the greatest communicators of all time through his music, his words and his dancing.  Easy.

Set a time limit. Give yourself a half hour to research and write your piece.  You may end up going back to do some editing or adding a few new facts, but the basic piece will be done.

Don’t be afraid to go off message once in a while. If your topic is narrowly defined – like gardening tips, or how to build your own furniture, try writing about something that is close to your heart, like the value of true friendship, or get mad about something stupid that happened to you at the supermarket.  Just let go.

Build on other ideas you’ve written about. That’s what I’m essentially doing now. I’ve written about how to find story ideas before – I’m just expanding on that theme with a few new tips.

I’m a roll.  I think I’m over the hump.  My blog is finished!  Would love to hear from you with your tips for overcoming writer’s block.

Now I can go to my party.

Andrea Nierenberg

One of the easiest and most effective ways to stay in touch is with the power of the personal note with a “thank you” to a business associate. In research I’ve conducted, I ask the question, “How many of you send out personal notes?” I also ask, “How many of you receive personal notes or cards from clients or business associates?” The response indicates that few people take this practice seriously. As a follow up, I ask, “Has anyone received notes of appreciation, and how does that make you feel?” I trust you know the answer to this last question.

Here are eight opportunities to send a “thank you,” and when and how to do it effectively:

1. When customers do business with you, every time. Write a short, personalized “thank you” on an interesting card, letterhead, or even a postcard that says, “I appreciate your business, thank you.” You can never say thank you to someone too many times. We all appreciate the fact that people go out of their way to make us feel important and recognized.

2. When they compliment you. When a client compliments you about something, it’s an opportunity to jot off a little note of thanks, saying, “Thank you for taking the time for making my day. I appreciate it.” Compliments are given so rarely, so take the lead to say thank you when you get one.

3. When clients offer comments or suggestions. It’s a wonderful gift when your clients give you a suggestion or comment on how you might do something better or different. They’re also giving you an incredible buying signal. They might really be saying, “If you make that change, your product or service will be more attractive to me.” Here’s how to start this type of note: “Thank you for your suggestion on how I can better serve you. I’m in business to do exactly that. And you make my job easier and so much more enjoyable when you provide input.”

4. When customers try something you recommended. When clients buy into something new, solely based on your suggestion, they’re going out of their “comfort zone”. They’re putting trust in you and your product. This calls for a special note that could read, “Thank you for your trust in me. I value your business.”

5. When customers recommend you. This is the best form of advertising you can ever get. It’s so easy to take the time and go back to our advocate, and say, “thank you for referring me to —–. I will keep you posted and informed on what develops. It means a great deal to me to know that you’re willing to recommend me. I appreciate it.” This type of “thank you” might include a small gift as well.

6. When customers are patient, or not so patient. Our clients help us when they give us time to learn how to best serve them. Often this requires their patience. On the other hand, they give us a “wake up call” when they ask us to hurry up. When this happens they might really be saying, “Hello, remember me? Keep me in mind, or I might get swept away by the competition.” In either case, pull out a note card again, and let them know how important they are to you. Perhaps say, “Thanks for keeping me on my toes. I appreciate how you help me keep your business.”

7. When clients say “no” to you. You’ve just pitched an account and you didn’t get their business, this time. It’s still the opportunity to write a short note. Thank them for their time, their consideration and their honesty. Keep the door opened by being friendly and courteous. Research I conducted in the last three years shows that almost 20% of my business comes from prospects that said no the first time. People remembered the notes I sent and it made a difference. Such a difference that I got referrals, even from contacts that were not able to use my services themselves.

8. When customers make you smile. I have one client who e-mails me jokes all the time. Another one will call up and just give me some good news. Whatever it is, it makes me smile, and I want clients to know that they’ve made me feel good. I’ll send them an interesting note or card. This technique always gets noticed and remembered.
So, if you’re not using personal thank-you notes, you should start now and watch how they help your business grow.

Andrea Nierenberg is president of The Nierenberg Group , an international business consulting firm specializing in customized training, workshops and keynote addresses that equip executives with the tools they need to “Find, Grow & Keep”® the clients that are key to their success and to be more effective business communicators.