Make Your Own Breaks as an Internet Writer

As internet writers, we do all we can to get our internet articles read by as many people as possible. We add our links every place we can think of. We tweet them. We post them to Facebook. We add them to similar work by other internet writers. Sometimes, it feels like we aren't getting anywhere. Seeing I don't believe really believe in luck, I am a firm believer we must make our own breaks as internet writer. Sometimes, those breaks we make come from the most unlikely places. This is an example of how I stepped out on a limb (and maybe "into it") and made my own break...

On March 4th, I wrote and published "The Westboro Baptist Church is Right" on Associated Content. Don't panic and think I've "gone to the dark side." Remember, I write teasers. I wanted as many people to know the truth about the Westboro Baptist Church as possible. I was getting page views, but I wanted more. What internet writer doesn't?

Just for fun or maybe from boredom, I decided to tweet the link to that particular article to Margie J. Phelps. I added "Thought you and your church would like this one! The Westboro Baptist Church is Right." I was expecting a nasty response from her and nothing more. I was so wrong about that!

For the record, Margie J. Phelps is the daughter of Fred Phelps, the founder of Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church is that group of hate-spreading wackos from Topeka, Kansas that protest funerals all over the country. They hate everything, except themselves and their hatred.

She didn't respond to me directly. Instead, Margie J. Phelps retweeted my link, adding "best" to it. Obviously, she never read it. I quickly retweeted her retweet of my original tweet (that is a mouthful!), in case she caught her mistake. I also sent a "thank you tweet" for retweeting me.

After all the hate tweets had almost calmed down, some were even deleted and apologies sent out, I had another idea. I started sending Margie J. Phelps retweet to news organizations around the country. I sent it to MSNBC, FOX News and CNN. I even created a CNN iReport, telling the story of Margie J. Phelps major mistake on Twitter.

I was far from being finished. I wrote a follow-up article on Associated Content. This particular article was entitled "Westboro Baptist Church Member Makes Major Mistake on Twitter." It outlined the mistake made by "Mensa Margie."

My page views were increasing. After tweeting Margie J. Phelps and creating the CNN iReport, "The Westboro Baptist Church is Right" page views more than tripled in one night. They have been steadily increasing since then.

For those of you who know how tenacious I can be, you will not be the least bit surprised to learn I wasn't finished. I continued sending out all my links to all my Westboro Baptist Church articles to anyone and everyone I could think of. I was a woman on a mission - a multi-purpose mission. First, I wanted to spread the truth about the hate-spewing Westboro Baptist Church. Secondly, I wanted to increase my page views.

I wrote an additional article for Associated Content - "Is Westboro Baptist Church Avoiding Oklahoma?" Seeing I had to be relatively nice about the situation with the Westboro Baptist Church, I was not satisfied with the "nice" slant I had to use. The series of articles I was writing, that I'm still writing, were too politically correct for me.. I wanted to find a way to really "let it rip" and share what was really in my heart. That is when I was struck by what I consider a brainstorm...

I created a highly focused blog on Blogger that is devoted to my true feelings about the Westboro Baptist Church. I carefully created a URL that would be well-searched - "The Westboro Baptist Church." I entitled the blog "Westboro Baptist Church News." I wasn't too crazy about add the word "the" to my URL, but just "Westboro Baptist Church" was already taken.

Since this whole thing started, I haven't felt this energized to write in quite while. As you can tell I haven't been posting here as much as I should be. I haven't felt like it. My brief hospital stay didn't help matters either. I had been neglecting all of my blogs and my writing other places as well. With my failing health, it was easy to stop writing as much as I should have.

I've always known that I write my best when I am mad and something came along that "charged my battery." I created my own break. Not only are my page views increasing and I'm sharing the truth about the Westboro Baptist Church, I have my passion for writing back.

I want to encourage all of you to make your own breaks. Try new things. Mix it up. Step out on a limb and do something you never thought you would or could do. It certainly worked for me. I may not get rich with my Westboro Baptist  Church articles, but I am writing. With a smile on my face and ideas flowing. That is what all writers should be doing!

Promoting Your Internet Articles with Twitter Just Got Easier

Promoting your internetwork isn't always easy, but I came across a handy a little tool that will make it a bit easier. This is especially true for those who use Twitter. When is the most opportune time to tweet? Knowing that can keep you glued to Twitter, trying to use charts and graphs so you can tweet your internet articles at the best times. No more.  I just found When To Tweet!

This little jewel is wonderful. I don't even have to explain how to use it. If you can spell and type your Twitter name in the only space available on the page, you can do this. It is truly that simple. That isn't entirely true, you also have to click on "When should I tweet?" to get the results. Type in your Twitter name and click on "When should I tweet?" and wait for the results. The more followers you have, the longer it takes. I have quite a few followers and it took less than a minute.

I did find one problem with it. It is in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). But, I've solved that problem. My readers in the United States need to visit this map of the United States and then click on the state where they live. For my international readers, visit the same site (different page), select your city/country and GMT will be converted for you.  I've written "-6 hours" on a Post-It Note and stuck it to my computer screen. I'm in the central time zone - for those of you who do not want to check out the GMT converter page.

I would love to say I found this great tool on my own, but I didn't it. A Facebook friend posted it and I am running with it! Remember to check back with the When To Tweet tool often because it will change as you add followers and your followers' patterns change. Despite this, it is a great guide to knowing when is the best time for you to get the most out of your tweets.

Where to Promote Your Online Articles

Promoting your online articles is key to being a successful online writer. Promoting your work serves two purposes - immediate results and long-term results. The immediate results is the "instant" readers your online articles will have. The long-term results are how those page views will increase the chances your online articles will be indexed by search engines. These are just a few different places where online writers can promote their online articles.

• Search Engines - Add you online articles individually to search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and MSN. To add your online article's URL to Google, simply click here and then follow the directions. For the other search engines, simply search "add my URL to" the specific site to find out how to go about adding your online articles. You can also use several different free services that will add will add your online articles to several different search engines. My personal favorite is Jayde. Simply sign up for their free service and start adding the URLs to your online articles. Ping is another free service you can use. They offer a paid membership as well. With the freebie from Ping, unlike Jayde which is limitless, you can only add up to five URLs per day. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you see a difference in your page views and, eventually, your earnings.

• Social Networking Sites -  Take advantage of all the social networking websites available. These include Twitter and Facebook. Follow or "befriend" anyone and everyone and post the links to your online articles in your Twitter stream and on your Facebook wall. Remember to interact with others on the social networking sites. Not only will this help you increase your following, it will always help you find topics to write about - topics others will want to read.

• Bookmarking Sites - Use the different bookmarking sites to help you get indexed on search engines and increase the page views of your online articles. Mixx, Delicious, Digg, and Reddit are just a few I use. I also use StumbleUpon, but be careful not to add URLs from the same writing site; they will consider this spam and ban your from using their site. I also use Google Bookmarks and find it to be quite effective. RedGage is a different type of bookmarking site. Not only can online writers add the links to their online articles, you can earn money doing it. It isn't a lot of money, but you might as well make some extra cash when you promote your online articles.

My personal favorite bookmarking site is IMAutomator. As with everything I do online, it is free to use. I can add 10 URLs per day for each account I have with them. All you need for multiple accounts is multiple email accounts - just a hint, one online writer to another. You can purchase the "Pro Version," if you like. My results from this bookmarking site have been so great, I am considering purchasing the upgrade. It is easy to use and lets you decide how quickly your want your online articles to be added. I always go with the 15 days option, unless my online article is seasonal and must be bookmarked quickly. If that is the case, then I go with the one day option. When you submit your online article's URL, it will pull the title, description and tags from that URL automatically. Talk about easy! I love it and love the results - my page views and earnings have dramatically and drastically increased since I started using it. My online articles I have added to IMAutomator are on the first page of search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Promoting each and every one of your online articles takes time and effort. It has been my experience that the results are well worth it. Once you set up a routine for promoting your online articles, it gets much faster. Online writers who promote their online articles can go from making pennies each day to making dollars every day. I know because I have done it. Unless you don't want to make money with your online articles, there is no reason not to promote it as much as possible.

The Art of Promoting Your Online Writing.

You now know enough about keywords to be relatively confused. You also know enough about making money that you are generating your own ideas about the best way to go about that. Now you must tackle the mother of all problems - getting your online work noticed. Just like with writing, there is an art to promoting your online writing. There are several ways to do go about promoting your writing. These are just a few that I have found to be successful.

• Twitter - Twitter has been a great little money maker for me. I "tweet" all my URLs and my followers click on them. The first time I tweet them, I use the title only. That seems to help them get indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The second time I tweet them, I add a "teaser" to the URL. I'll devote an entire post to "teasing." I also interact with other writers there who seem to be more than willing to retweet my work.

• Facebook - Facebook is another way to promote your online writing. Updating your status is a great way to spread the word about your online writing. There are many other writers on Facebook and many will repost your URLs. Also, consider creating a "Fan Page" for yourself. You can promote your online work there and use your regular page to schmooze - get others interested in you and then in your online writing.

• Redgage - Redgage is a site where you can post links to your online work. In addition to promoting your online writing, you can also earn money when you submit your links. It is free to use. Not only will your increase your page views, you can also make a little money promoting your work.

• Links - Adding your links is a great way to promote your online work and increase your traffic. Add your links to forums that pertain to your topic. Read other blogs and ask the blogger if they would include a link to your online work, offering to do the same for them.

• Comments - Make comments on blogs and forums, leaving a link to your online work. Visit sites such as "Yahoo Answers" and see if any of the questions can be answered with your online articles. Write a short answer and add "for more information" and then your link.

• "Add Your URLs" Sites - Use all of the available "pinging" sites to promote your work. Most of them are free to use. Remember to add your URL to search engines as well. Pinging and adding your URLs to search engines is easy. Simply follow the directions and you will have sent them the necessary information for them to add your online articles.

Promoting your online writing is certainly an art form. There are so many different ways to promote your work, you will never get bored. However, it can be hard work. You must continue to promote your online articles, even if they show up first on all the major search engines. Promoting is a never-ending job that must be done in order for you to get the traffic you need.