Copyright 2005 Jeremy HershbergerOne of
most effective (and free!) ways to get noticed on
web is to write articles. Even if you have no writing experience, it is easier than you may think, even fun. You can write an article on just about anything you want and choose how you want to publish it.
The best way to start is to write about a subject you understand thoroughly, such as
subject of your ezine if you have one.
Use a search engine to research what you want to write about, and browse some online discussion forums which relate to your subject to gain additional knowledge.
There are article-writing ebooks and other literature available on
web that can provide you with useful advice if you are intimidated to write your first article. Just do some web searches to see what you can find. Some of
literature is free, some isn't.
As you conduct your research, begin writing a rough draft immediately while ideas are still fresh in your mind. You can revise, edit and rearrange later. Your article doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as it is presentable and easily readable.
Keep your lines formatted to about 60 characters. The ‘Lucida Console’ font uses
same amount of space for each character, so you could use it then set your margins accordingly in your word processor program.
I use Notepad which uses Lucida Console by default. I turn off word-wrap and set
window size to where I want it and hit 'enter' as my text fills a line. You may come up with a method that works better for you.
When your article is finished, you’ll need to add what is called a “resource box” at
end. This is where you place a few lines which include your name, as well as anything you’d like to offer your readers.
You should make your resource box stand out by placing a line of asterisks or hyphens above and below it, for example:
********************************************************* Copyright © 2005 [your name] [email address if you wish] [several lines to advertise your website, ezine, offer freebies, etc] *********************************************************