Do you have blog-a-phobia?

What do passionate golfers, fanatical fishermen, shop-a-holics, racing fans, movie buffs, scrapbookers, avid readers, coin collectors, grandparents, college students, mothers of toddlers, stock brokers, personal trainers, car mechanics, financial planners, netpreneurs and EFS-ers all have in common?

They each have a LOT to talk about. So do you. Everyone has a lot to say but not everyone is comfortable saying it, especially on the internet.

I have such a need to talk and write that I am guilty of forgetting that many folks are more than a little uncomfortable with stepping out and chatting online - whether it's in a blog, a profile, or in the conference room chats.

My guess is that you can sit down and talk a blue streak with a good friend. You have no problem comparing handicaps with your golf buddies or discussing the last big game you saw. And you moms, I know you love to share stories about the latest brilliant thing your child learned to do. Or you car mechanics have a lot to say about computerization of auto repairs. So why is it almost painful to type a paragraph or two about something you know really well and put it on a mysterious thing called a blog?

Perhaps it's the thought of people you don't know catching a glimpse of who you are. Or maybe you think you're not a great writer and you want whatever you post to be perfect. So you keep editing it - but it never is finished. Or maybe you just can't land on exactly what it is you want to write about.

Let's think about that for a moment.

The first experience I had with a chat room conference was when I went back to college in my "old age." Let me tell you, if you want to feel out of place, go to school with young people who look at you like you've got two heads when you tell them you're not the instructor! Not only did I go back to school, but I took classes online. Now THAT's an experience to write about.

It's not easy having daily online conversations - which make up 30% of your grade - with strangers who are stunned to discover that Paul McCartney started his career in a band called the Beatles, or that most of today's movies are the third remake of a really old movie, or that the Vietnam War is not ancient history.

(And if you are shocked at these revelations, I apologize right now for having two heads.)

Every night I had to sit down in front of my computer screen and find a discussion question assigned by the professor. Then I had to read the comments of three students and respond to each of their thoughts.

I thought I would die. Or at least withdraw from class.

But I didn't do either. I MADE myself write those responses. I had something to gain: Knowledge and a grade. The first few times I did it I sat for hours trying to think of the perfect thing to say to sound brilliant and impressive.

That didn't work. Then I finally got it. It wasn't about sounding brilliant, it was about sounding interested in the discussion and in what my peers had to say. After a couple of weeks I was having a ball in that chat room and I loved seeing what everyone had to say.

Did I worry about being critiqued? Yup. Never stopped, although I didn't panic about it any longer. And I did quit worrying about sounding perfect. I discovered that once I let my guard down a bit it was pretty easy to just talk about what I had learned in a way that my peers could understand.

That's all a blog is - a place to talk online about something you already know in a way that others can understand. Let your personality shine through - don't try to sound different than you are. And pass along some helpful information or tips.

A great trick for getting started is to read an article about something you already know and enjoy - get the creative juices going. Then rewrite it in your own words, adding your own experiences and helpful hints.

Voila! You have your first blog article - and a totally unique one. Each one after that will get easier. Soon you won't need to figure out what to write about - you'll have more ideas than time!

So give it a try. Don't try to write a Pulitzer Prize winning book. Just think about what you know that might help anyone reading your blog. Start writing it down as if you were talking to a friend you've known for years. Then set it aside for a while - even a day. Read it over just to give yourself that mental "good job" pat on the back.

Believe me when I tell you, you may have the perfect solution to someone's problem. Don't keep it to yourself. Post it to your blog.

Three Steps to Better Copywriting - Quotes from a Guru

THREE STEPS TO WRITING BETTER COPY

Quoted from a panel led by Copywriting Guru Michael Masterson.

(Note: I did not write this and do not claim any authorship. All Credit and copyrights belong totally to Michael Masterson and AWAI.*)

If you follow these three simple steps below you will undoubtedly create stronger headlines, leads, and more successful packages all around.

Step 1: The headline.

Eighty percent of the impact (and the success) of a direct mail promotion is derived from less than 20% of the copy. That 20% is the headline and lead.

That's why Step 1 is all about focusing on these two critical parts. Here's what you do:

Give yourself two deadlines. The first deadline is for the headline and lead of the sales letter; the second deadline is for the rest of the promotion.

When you have the headline and lead, gather three to four people who are familiar with the product and/or target audience to help review and provide feedback. If you're doing this with your client you might ask them to include people who have a variety of skills and backgrounds: a marketing executive, a product specialist, a creative person, and sometimes a typical buyer. As a group, you are going to assign numerical grades -- from 1.0 to 4.0 -- to the copy.

Start by rating the headline (headline only at this point) on the two jobs it absolutely must accomplish:

1. How well does it get itself noticed? Even if you have a ton of papers on your desk, would this get your attention?

2. Is it compelling? Does it make you want to read further?

If your headline fails to score an average of at least a 3.0, ask your panel for specific suggestions on how to make it more arresting and/or compelling. Do not entertain negative statements. Restrict their contributions to positive suggestions and then as a group rate those as either "better" or "worse."

Step 2: The Lead

Once you've got your headline up to snuff, have your panel read the lead (more or less the first 1-1.5 pages of copy) and provide, in numeric form, their gut reaction to it as consumers.

If it scores below a 2.5, it may need to be redone entirely. But if it scores between a 2.5 and a 3.2, then there is a strong possibility it will improve considerably with this process.

To evaluate the strength of the lead, you must ask:

1. How well does this lead sell you?
2. How strongly does it hook you?
3. To what extent does it make you want to settle back in your chair and read further?

Again, you are looking for a gut reaction and you are hoping to score 3.2 or more. If not, then the following questions should give you the answers you are looking for.

1. What is the strongest phrase or sentence in the lead?
2. Would it help if it were emphasized or brought forward?

At this point you are asking for suggestions – specific blocks of copy that could be inserted to create the desired effect. After each offered suggestion, poll the other members of the group as to whether they think the new suggestions improve the existing copy. Ask them to respond: worse, better, much better or neutral.

If you get stuck at this point, you can rate the copy against any or all of the following criteria:

* Credibility
* Urgency
* Uniqueness
* Usefulness
* Idea, and
* Specificity

In four out of five cases, a single half-hour of this kind of work will produce a lead that is strong to very strong. Rate your revised lead to be sure it passes muster.

Step 2: The main body copy.

When the rest of your promotion is finished, go through it carefully on your own -- highlighting every claim and promise made. Then sit down and determine if each is adequately supported. If it's not, figure out how it could be done better.

At the same time, read the package to see if it is balanced. A well-balanced package provides four things.

1. A benefit. It makes a desirable promise.

2. An idea. It suggests something that distinguishes the product from its competitors.

3. Credibility. It establishes that the writer of the sales letter, the product, and the manufacturer of the product are reliable and trustworthy.

4. A track record. It proves that all the claims are true.

(*If you want more information on courses to become a master copywriter, go to www.awaionline.com.)

Heads Up, eBook Authors & Owners! Microsoft IE Potential Problem

Hi, all

I received this heads-up from the designer/programmer who makes an ebook compiler program I use called Dead Easy ebook Maker. (If you're ever interested in a fantastic ebook program, this is IT! But enough. This is not a sales pitch.)

Here's the email I received today. This may affect you!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Microsoft lost a law suit to Eolas Technologies, and it is due to affect everyone this month. Many, many websites. and probably many ebooks as well.
(They actually lost the suit in 2004, initially.)

Eolas basically holds the patent on how things like flash, mp3, and media player movies, etc. are embedded in ALL browsers. Yep, no kidding.

(To read more details on that, search the combination:

microsoft+lawsuit+flash+embedded

on google. about 267,000 pages)

Because of the suit, Microsoft will be changing the IE browser this month (they call it an "activeX upgrade") - and millions of web sites that use Flash, movies, etc. will NOT function for customers as they once did.

Everyone will be forced to upgrade their web browser. Basically - things like flash will play, but Not automatically, and the 'controls' won't work, and 'interaction' won't work, till the controls are 'activated'.

BUT, This will NOT just affect web pages.
Most of the ebooks out there are heavily dependant on the IE browser modules - they are basically just special IE web browsers. Their 'pages' are actually HTML - web pages.

Remember what the 'SP2 Update' did to thousands and thousands of ebooks? This promises to be worse.

If the ebook is dependant on IE being on your PC,
and on how it is setup, then...you may have a big
problem - especially if the ebook has flash or mov, etc. "embedded" (that means there is 'code' in the HTML to start/display the flash, mov, etc.)

Plus... a lot of 'software' out there, is actually just the combination of flash, inside a web page, which is inside an 'HTML' based ebook. Those may fail as well.

We won't know how bad all this may be till Microsoft forces the upgrade that turns all the embedding 'off', but I suspect it may be WORSE than the SP2 thing.

Time will tell. :-)

- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -

Okay, here's the deal. IF you have written an ebook based on Internet Explorer, this is a heads up. IF you are an affiliate for any ebooks based on Internet Explorer, contact the person who wrote the ebook and ask them if this will affect the way the book works or its ability to function overall.

That's it. Have a great evening. Go spend time with someone you love!

Have you ever been capernolted? Fun & Proposterous Words

Don't you just love these obscure and fun words?
CAPERNOLTED: tipsy, lightly pifflecated, slightly nimptopsical.

Whew! I can't even pronounce those words.

PHOBOPHOBIA - Now that's a real fear...
A fear of phobias, or fear of fear itself

LOBSNEAKING - Don't do this or you'll pay the price.
Robbing the till

QUADDLE - Nobody likes a quaddler!
To Grumble; a grumbler

"Here" Phrases that will work for you

HERE ARE MY CREDENTIALS
This copywriting phrase will boost your credibility and up the level of your prospect's confidence in his purchase decision.

HERE IS A SUMMARY
This copywriting phrase is important because it brings everything you've said into focus. Make your summary a good one!

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN
This copywriting phrase will satisfy your prospect's need to know how. A very important stepin the purchase decision.

HERE TO STAY
This copywriting phrase will help your prospect feel comfortable with a decision to purchase from you.

HERE's (NO) REASONS WHY YOU
This copywriting phrase will lead your prospect to believe you can answer his questions IF you really answer the reasons why.

HERE IS A FACT FOR YOU
This copywriting phrase is great because buyers are looking for facts. So tell him that's what you're giving him. Then give her some facts!

HERE IS A LIST OF COMMON
Make a list of common . . . whatever! This will reinforce your prospect's confidence that your product is the one he should buy.

Stop trying so hard to sell something!

Yep. You heard right. STOP trying so hard to sell.
Nobody wants to feel like they were sold! Everyone wants to feel like they have made a wise decision to purchase something that will benefit them.

Consider these words:

Value
Trust
Loyalty

They are critical to your success!

Have you ever gone to a car dealership to look for a car? Really! Well, that's where we're going right now.

Close your eyes. Seriously. We all think better in surround sound technicolor when we shut out our surroundings and concentrate. Otherwise it is too easy to become distracted or not re-experience all of the details.

Bring back to your mind the most obnoxious, outrageous big ticket item salesman - car, boat, house, major appliances - you have encountered.

(I know there are some really nice ones out there - two of my dear friends are terrific car salesmen. But that is not who we're talking about here. So please understand that I am only using a "used car salesman" stereotype for purposes of making a point here.)

Now, get a pen and paper or type on your computer the following questions, and leave room to answer them - in writing. We're painting a picture here and engaging as many of your senses as possible will help you really get into it and remember the points we'll be discussing.

1 How was he dressed? What was his body posture/language?

2 How educated/informed/knowledgeable did she seem to be?

3 How did she approach you? What did she say?

4 Did he follow you around breathing down your neck with information you were not ready to receive?

5 Did he ask you if you were "ready to commit today" because he could only give you that deal at that moment in this time in infinity?

6 Did she make outrageous claims or withhold critical information?

7 Did she walk back to her manager's office to get you a better deal?

Perhaps you finally walked out of a car dealership, put your hand on your car door handle and suddenly the sales person and his manager came running out with yet another deal for you?

Did you buy the product? And if you bought the product, did you get to the finance guy and discover that the monthly payments were not the same as the salesman "estimated" - by a LOT?

And when you only had a set amount in mind to spend, how much did the sales person try to "up-sell you" before you decided to forget the whole thing and leave?

Value
Trust
Loyalty

Did you experience that?

Either you bought the item or you didn't. But now I want you to think about how you felt during the process:

How much did you enjoy the process?

Did you leave feeling good about your decision?

What did you tell your friends and family about it?

Would you EVER go back and buy from that person or that dealer again?

Did thinking about it just now bring back any negative emotions/feelings?

As a netpreneur or a netpreneur wannabe, dear friend, YOU are the salesman. And your potential buyers and current customers are YOU. So let me ask you to really evaluate your attitude when selling products online.

Value
Trust
Loyalty

Do you just want to make a sale or do you want to make a friend? Are you just looking to put money in your pocket to feed your family or do you really want to help someone make a good decision that will help them have a better life, too? Are you just selling a product or are you providing a solution?

Having learned from your own life experiences and buying decisions, think about just who you have purchased from. Think about traits the person or company had that made you trust them enough to buy from them. What did they say or how did they act to make you believe they were "for real"?

If you are always jumping right out there to sell your customers or potential customers something - if you don't establish a relationship with them BEFORE you try to get their money - if you do not continue to build on that trust - you may make a few sales here and there. But your chances of converting a window shopper or one-time buyer into a loyal repeat customer are slim.

You're a savvy purchaser. You've been burned before. We all have. Nobody wants to feel foolish or taken advantage of. We all want to buy from someone we trust. So here's my big question to you: Can your potential customers trust you? Even more important: How do they know that?

Your sales pitch, your ad copy, your emails, your freebies, and especially your products, must all contain truthful, valuable, relationship-building information. If not, you may end up being just another netpreneur wannabe who is selling used cars that nobody wants to buy.

Value
Trust
Loyalty

The keys to your success!

More tomorrow. Today, step away from your computer and spend time with someone you love.

Quick Tips for Writing -- Anything

I cannot be quiet. Everything I read or hear something I think is valuable to you as a copy writer or as a netpreneur who needs to know how to write copy better, I will pass it along here for you.

How well you write and speak can determine how persuasive you are and how quickly you are regarded as an expert or at least a knowledgeable person.

Making a mistake when communicating has been compared to talking to someone when you have a chunk of spinach stuck in your teeth. The listener may hear what you're saying but probably will have trouble accepting it because of the social discomfort caused by your "Caesar salad smile."

Word usage and good grammar work the same way. If you don't write or speak intelligently it gets in the way of people totally accepting your ideas. If you are like most folks, your attitude towards perfect grammar and spelling is that it is something the geeks and nerds learned in school. But please trust me, it is very important when you're trying to impress customers with your knowledge and the value of your product or services. If you struggle in those two areas areas, don't hesitate to ask for a little help from someone. Us nerdy geeks love to feel special, and helping you makes us feel good about ourselves. Think about it: you could actually be saving a nerd from therapy!

Yet good writing is more than just avoiding those often confusing word usage errors. When you're writing for your blog, your profile page, your email campaign, or your web pages, let me offer you a few helpful hints:

Use the "You" approach. Readers are interested in what will benefit them.

Write to be understood, not to impress.

Use strong verbs. (And be sure the subject agrees with the verb.)

Work on the proper use of I and me.

Look up problem words and phrases that you're not certain of. You might even think about starting a "learn a new word a day" habit. (I know - sounds like school. But if you just learn a new netpreneur buzz word a day, that's totally cool, don't you think?)

Lastly, write the way you talk - well, almost. In order words, speak conversationally. Example: Don't say "enclosed please find...." A simple, "Here is your ...."

Okay. I promise I am finished for today.

No, really. I mean it.

Now I'm headed for the totally new, awesomely cool "hot conference" at 10pm with Clay and the "cyber junkies" chatting on the internet at such an insane hour.

Happy surfing!