Writing Consultation | Freelance Writing

Duplicate Content

Sarah Lam — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:35:38 +0000

I have found this article on Ezinearticles and it is very beneficial.

*****

There are a good number of internet marketers who still think that duplicate content is OK and that it doesn’t affect them. I have some news for you. Duplicate content is not OK, and yes, it can affect your site in a negative way.

If you ever read in any article directory rules and regulations something saying like “all duplicate contents are welcome”, please let me know, I would love to know about it. However, I’m afraid that most likely you won’t find such statement anywhere. The main reason for this is that duplicate content is worthless for the site hosting it, therefore, nobody wants it. Below are the three crucial reasons why why you should avoid duplicate content.

1) Article directories like to host original articles because they are just not interested in hosting the exact same articles as their direct competitors. This will defeat their purpose of coming up on the search engines when someone is looking for the keywords you are using in your articles. If the results are unique to them they have a much better chance to come up in the front page than if they shared the same article with another 30 or more directories. Make sense?

2) Search engine will not give you a backlink credit when it recognizes that the content is a duplicate. It will give you the backlink once for the first one, but not for duplicates that you posted elsewhere. Of course, because the search engine not being a human eye it will sometimes be fooled to believe that your content is an original because of the different page setting from one directory to another, and in such case, you might get away with it. However, it would be a hit or miss.

3) Ultimately you will be doing something that is really not allowed and when found out you will be penalized in some way. The primitive search engines of the early internet were not able to capture a duplicate content, it usually searched for keywords and went by that only. Today, however, the search engines are much more complex and can detect you content more easily.

When they do, Google is notorious to penalize those who are abusing duplicate content by lowering their site ranking and in case of more severe abuse remove the site all together.

When it comes to duplicate content, you need to know the truth and avoid it at as much as you can.

Sylviane Nuccio is an article marketing expert who has written over a dozen tutorials to inform and educate you with your internet marketing business. You can download one of those tutorials FREE here and learn more about article writing/marketing and start improving today=>

http://www.learnyourwaytosuccess.com/etam.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sylviane_Nuccio

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28 February 2010

Sarah Lam — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:09:29 +0000

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today is 28 February 2010.

Updates on what is happening:

1. I am way too busy to manage my blog, so I have been toying with the idea of guest blogging. Anyone is interested can send in their work here.

2. Work is piling up even though I am trying hard to get them all done. I guess my mum is right, “work is never finished until you die”.

3. I realise that time is literally flying. Every day is becoming history very fast.

4. In a month’s time, I would be officially married for ONE year! Plans are coming up…

Until then, I will try my best to update this blog as often as possible. I know I am breaking the rule as a blogger (always update the blog). Thanks for reading and keep supporting WC!

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Style Guide

Sarah Lam — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:35:27 +0000

Every writer needs a style guide. Style Guide helps you to determine the right use of words, punctuations and even spelling. You can get style guide books in book store or you can go online and visit Economist’s Style Guide.

Here is where you will find all sorts of writing styles, grammar and everything else you need for your writing assignment.

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Happy Chinese New Year 2010

Sarah Lam — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:00:33 +0000

To all my Chinese readers, Happy Chinese New Year 2010. Thank you for supporting WC all these while.

~ Sarah Lam

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Very Important Announcement

Sarah Lam — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:42:43 +0000

Please take notice that WritingConsultation.com (WC) is the official Writing Consultation blog on the internet and it is managed by Sarah Lam (that’s me!). Therefore, WritingConsultation.com (WC) is my domain.

I have seen some other WC related URLs especially those who are using Blogger (free blog).

If you have seen the phrase ‘writing consultation’ on other blogging platforms, those are not my affiliates or my other blogs.

Thanks!

Regards,

Sarah Lam

WritingConsultation.com

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University Education

Sarah Lam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:09:33 +0000

This is exactly why I am not going to college / university.

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Word Power

Sarah Lam — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:02:33 +0000

February is here, finally. Time is passing by real fast. I am buried under a pile of work, which is good news but I don’t seem to be able to write frequently on my own blog. Nevertheless, I have found something interesting for you to read.

Enjoy!

*****

You cannot ever underestimate the power of one or two words. As writers we should know how something is said can be the difference between a good story and a great one.

The same can be true when reading compared to writing, as they are two different sides of the coin. When reading, every word in a mystery or a thriller could be a clue, however the same could be in a thesis. If you do not choose the correct word to describe something then your thesis could be shot down.

In high school this could not be more important, as every word in a question could be the difference in your answer. Take the word ‘ARGUE’. You must start by understanding what the question is asking of you when it uses the word argue.

The word ‘ARGUE’ asks you to take a side. Do you or do you not agree with the argument? In a paper you must put forth the different sides to the argument. Look and see how many views there are because there can be many views of one argument. Once you have shown all the view you must take one and argue for it. This will be the view not only you believe in but the one that gives the strongest argument.

When writing your strongest view you must argue against the other views you have previously stated, and why the view you have chosen is the best between them all.

The word ‘COMPARE’ is related to our word ‘argue’ however they are two very different descriptive words. To compare something is to show what the same about the subjects is and what is different about them. With the word ‘COMPARE’ it is a good idea to show what is the same about your subject and staying within the same comparison show the opposite then move to your next comparison.

With ‘COMPARE’ you do not take a side. You do not tell in your paper that what you believe is better or more relevant; you do not give your opinion just the facts of what the differences are between the subjects.
The word ‘ANALYZE’ is a more in depth look at the subject. Here one must look at the underlying material and its source. Question everything! Question where the information came from and its validity. Break each argument or ‘clue’ and look to see how it relates to the whole complete argument.

When writing at a local newspaper the reporters are to answer the three ‘W’s where, when, why. However ones answers that are to be reached by ones analyze could conclude by a how and why answer. Much like a newspaper reporter asking questions ones analyze should answer with how and why.

Remember one must look under or behind the surface of all your source material, for this is where you will find the material to analyze.

Learn more writing tips at http://nationalwriter.org

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Essential Websites for Photographers

Sarah Lam — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:41:57 +0000

Being a freelance photographer is a challenging career. You will need all the resources you can get. The internet is a friend for everyone as you can find anything you want on the internet. However, when you are trying to establish your own photographing portfolio, you will need to know how to set up your own portfolio. Do you want to print them out and keep it in your portfolio album or post them on the internet to reach more audience.

The internet is definitely a companion for everyone. You can post your work on the internet so that more potential clients can view your work.

Therefore, we have special websites for photographers. There are three types of websites to feature your work on the internet.

1. Photo sharing communities
2. Blog based sites
3. Portfolio-based sites

Example of photo sharing communities would be Flickr. Flickr is the easiest-to-use website to feature all your photos. You can sign up for a free account (which allows up to 200 images) or professional account for more features. You will definitely need a professional account to feature all your photos if you have more than 200 photos to upload. Besides, Flickr is an excellent photo sharing site thanks to the ability to set different copyright for your images. If you are looking for other alternatives, SmugMug might be the one for you. Annual fees range from $39.95 to $149.95.

Blog based sites mean having your own blog to feature your work. This is easy to set up. You just need a domain and a hosting plan to get started. By having your own blog, you get to design your own blog to make it ‘stand out’ in the crowd. Remember you are not the only photographer in the world. If you have no budget to buy a domain and hosting plan, you can create a free blog from Blogger or Wordpress. However, since you are trying to establish a professional reputation, it would be best to get your own domain and hosting.

Portfolio-based sites is a good choice if you hate to do the coding (HTML) on your own (perhaps you have no idea how to do all that). Portfolio-based sites such as BIG Folio, LiveBooks and PhotoShelter are there to help you out. They will help you to set up your very own portfolio for less than $1,000 a year. If you like, they can even set up e-commerce so that you can sell your photos online (print sales and image licensing).

With so many choices available, it is time to choose the best idea for your own portfolio.

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Google Wonder Wheel To Assist in Your Research

Sarah Lam — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:01:17 +0000

As a freelance writer, you need to research all the time.

Recently, I have been doing poorly in my research for a client, and as a result, the articles that I have written are in poor quality.

Now that I have got complains from my client, what can I do about it?

Whine? Complain to someone else? Give up? No!

Although my client has been complaining a few times now, there were reasons why I have done so poorly (which I would not discuss here).

At one point, I feel that I would be terminated real soon (mind you, I have worked with this client for a very long time, it isn’t that easy to part with this client).

However, I never give up in ‘bugging’ this client (sorry!). In fact I sent in a lot of emails (until at one point I felt so bad) and stopped after some time, before continuing the ritual (again!).

It is time to work hard for better results.

While Dec/Jan have been very ’slow’ for me, I have been spending more time, reading, learning and thinking.

There is a tool that I have totally forgotten about that is useful in research. I might have talked about this tool last year but somehow, I need to talk about it again.

The tool is Google Wonder Wheel.

How to access Google Wonder Wheel?

Visit Google.com (or Google.co.uk, Google.com.my, etc.)
Type in the phrase/keyword that you want to research.
Click on ‘Show Options’. A left sidebar would appear.
Click on ‘Wonder Wheel’.

Here is an example:

Image 1

Image 2

Image 1 is the first result that you get once you have type in you keyword/phrase.

Image 2 would be the second result, after you have clicked on one of the keyword/phrase available from Image 1.

In this case, Image 2 is the result after I clicked on freelance writing sites (refer Image 1).

Basically, this is an ideal tool for you to explore your keyword/phrase. It helps you to expand your idea so that you get more ideas.

What do you think?

Have you tried it before?

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Telecommuting

Sarah Lam — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:39:16 +0000

People have been asking me the same questions.

“What is telecommuting?”

Years ago, I was asking myself the same thing.

Thanks to Google, our best friend, you can truly learn about anything you want.

Do you know the meaning? No?

According to Google (by using the search keyword ‘define:telecommuting‘)

employment at home while communicating with the workplace by phone or fax or modem
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Telecommuting, e-commuting, e-work, telework, working from home (WFH), or working at home (WAH) is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommuting
The action of working from home, sometimes for part of a working day or week, using a computer connected to one’s employer’s network or via the Internet.
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telecommuting
Telecommuter – Telecommuters spend at least part of their workday at home or a telecottage, using computers or other telecommunications equipment. Most telecommuters live on the fringe of large cities and in the suburbs and exurbs, in what is known as the “two-hour telecommuting ring”.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommuter
The practice of using telecommunication technologies to facilitate work at a site away from the traditional office location and environment. teleconference – Interactive, electronic communication among three or more people at two or more sites.
shopfort1.com/t1terms.cfm
working with others via telecommunications technologies (eg, telephones, modems, faxes) without physically travelling to an office.
www.nrdc.org/reference/glossary/t.asp
Telecommuting uses telecommunication technology such as the Internet to work outside of the traditional workplace. An individual may be on a company’s payroll, but perform his or her duties from the home.
eca.com/terminology.html
An arrangement where an employee works either part or all of their workweek from a location other than the standard place of work (office).
hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/HRToolkitGlossary.cfm
telecommuter – A work-at-home computer user who connects to the corporate LAN backbone using remote access technologies.
www.ohsu.edu/edcomm/vcs/glossary/
This may be a subgroup of Human Resource Policy. (To be decided whether it should be a separate keyword.)
ccs.mit.edu/21c/iokey.html
The practice of working from home and communicating with your fellow workers using teleconferencing. Also known as teleworking: linked closely to …
www.martech-intl.com/best2/glossary.htm
Periodic work out of the principal office, one or more days per week, either at home, a client’s site, or in a telework center; the partial or total substitution of information technologies for the commute to work. …
www.jala.com/definitions.php
Working at home for a business. Data and documents are usually transmitted to and from a central office via computer, fax, and telephone.
www.cybercitymommies.com/Glossary.html
Use of a telephone and/or computer system in the home that allows an employee perform job duties and to communicate with the office without actually traveling to and from work.
www.thecallcenterschool.com/tools/glossary.aspx
Working at home but connecting to one s office by way of a computer network. Source: Learning Circuits
www.deploypromis.eu/en/glossary-t.html

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