Writing For the Web

The next few posts are going to be on the subject of writing for the web. This includes writing posts for blogs, writing online articles, writing for social media, and writing for your website. Later, I'll get into writing marketing copy.

There are probably a few of you reading this who are new to the Internet and are a little overwhelmed with all the possibilities and where to start. What is the best way to keep from having the feeling it's just too much to learn and you'll never have the time to know it all?

Yes, getting up and running can be overwhelming at first. Actually, even at times when you have more knowledge :-). Remember to take smaller steps first and build up from there.

There are two important things to keep in mind. First, is to look at social media as a new board game that you are just learning. First, you learn the rules, then you set up the pieces, then you start at square one, roll the dice, and start. Sometimes you'll take great leaps forward, sometimes it'll seem like a crawl, and sometimes you might even go backward a step or two and have to do it over. The critical thing is to have fun while you are doing it! And know that everyone on the Internet started in the exact same place!

The second thing to remember is that the Internet, and all the gadgets, widgets, and resource websites are tools. And if you remember the first time you used a hammer, you didn't just pick it up and know how to use it in the best way. You got better each time. Now when you pick up a hammer, you don't even think about the learning curve. So, in the beginning you'll be learning how and setting things up, step-by-step.

Also, remember what I started with on the call: Belief causes Action causes Results; Bigger Belief causes Bigger Action with Bigger Results. First you have an idea, then you create a plan of action, then you take the first step. Everything else will be dependent on each step, and that’s all you have to focus on in this moment. When something works, take another step. If you have a set-back, learn from what didn’t work and try it slightly different the next time.

Taking action is a success. You've already taken a big step by being in the class!

A small step is to set up your blog. If you want to do it in a few easy steps, go to www.wordpress.com and play around with setting up a blog. Wordpress.com is a free blog site and is very user-friendly. You can try different templates (if you choose one, make sure it has the capability of using unlimited widgets). You can also go into Wordpress's help menu and read some of the information they provide. It will help you get familiar with some terms (they even have a glossary).

If you are more technical and want more development tools to use for your blog, go to www.wordpress.org. From there you can learn how to upload wordpress to your server or webhost control panel. This route gives you the ability to add your own banner and other HTML code, flash, and other tools to the blog. It also gives you the ability to direct your blog to a specific URL.

You can have a web presence with a blog even if you don't have a website. In fact, many websites are now simply blogs that have been made to appear as websites. With either Wordpress, you can be online in a very short time, whether you use their templates and easy building tools or want to use the more extended tool. You can also build it and play with it, change it and none of it has to be public until you are ready. I'm getting ready to migrate from Blogger to Wordpress because of the expanded capabilities I can use in the latter.

If you are still overwhelmed, but would like to keep building your online presence, find someone to add to your support team, then delegate the setup work to them. Then you can do more of what you enjoy and are good at to build your business.

Write On!
Marilyn