Top Misc Content on Internet

Triond - Publish Writing, Poetry, Music, Video & Content Online

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 06:26 PM PDT

Skelliewag.org " Posts " 5 Content Strategies That Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 04:35 PM PDT

By studying some of the bloggers I admire I've realized that there are five dominant content 'strategies' they use, and that each one is very different from the others. This is good news, because it means that there is (mostly) no right or wrong way to do content. I'll talk more about that 'mostly' caveat later.

Conversation Agent: 50 Content Ideas that Create Buzz

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 01:26 PM PDT

Conversation Agent: 50 Content Ideas that Create Buzz

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 01:13 PM PDT

Ideas

5 Content Strategies that Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:42 AM PDT

Avoiding Errors: It's Not Your Fault... How to Write Actionable Instructions

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:18 AM PDT

Excellent primer on how to write instructional copy. Notes that of the following six important elements most on No. 3 ("the procedure to follow"). Note well also No. 6 ("common mistakes"), the missing bit from most inept driving directions: 1. Objective: What's The Destination? 2. Purpose: For What Reason? 3. Core: What's The Procedure To Follow? 4. Time: What's The Duration? 5. Expectation: What Can I Anticipate Along The Way? 6. Failure: How Do I Recognize An Error/Common Mistakes?

Top 20 Ways to Share a Great Blog Post

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:29 AM PDT

Magnet Marketing Services | Search Engine Optimisation | Content Writing

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 01:47 AM PDT

Marketing is the backbone of every business. It can make or break your business, your hard efforts and your investment

How to Laugh Your Way to More Creative Copy

Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:34 AM PDT

Laughing Alligator

Let's say a researcher gives you a candle, a box of tacks, and a book of matches. Your mission: affix the candle to a corkboard in such a way so that, when lit, wax doesn't drip onto the floor.

Nothing funny about that, right?

But a funny joke might just help you solve this creative challenge. And laughter in general may help you write better copy.

Not convinced? Read on.

The Candle and the Corkboard

This challenge comes from a famous study by psychologist Alice M. Isen. Her researchers tasked two groups of students with the problem.

The first group was shown a bloopers reel before the test. The second watched a film about mathematics.

Here's the funny part: Seventy-five percent of the students who watched the bloopers solved the candle and the corkboard problem.

Just twenty percent of the people who watched the math film beforehand solved the same problem.

Most of the students who watched the math film approached the challenge with "functional fixedness," or a mental block that limits people to using things in traditional ways. They tried to tack the candle to the corkboard or glue it on with melted wax.

But the majority of students who had a laugh beforehand saw alternative uses for the objects they were given. They emptied the box of tacks, tacked it to the corkboard, and used it as a candleholder.

Lighten Up for More Creative Copy

Do you ever approach copywriting with functional fixedness?

We all know how it is. It's Monday, there's a rote task at hand, so you conjure up a passable idea, bang it out in a flurry, and give it a quick proofreading. But the copy feels clinical, functional, dead.

Laughter may help liven it up.

Take a break. Watch some Funny or Die. Browse the New Yorker's humor section. Talk to a friend or a coworker. Better yet, try to make someone else laugh.

Do whatever it takes to lighten your mood.

Then sit back down and look at your work. Can you punch up the subheads? Lighten the transitions? Does a more arresting lead leap to mind?

Maybe so. Isen's research shows that creative solutions are more likely to follow a good laugh than they are, say, banging your head on your desk.

This can seem paradoxical. Sometimes, when you're really under the gun, a silly distraction is the last thing you want. You want to stay focused. Determined. Serious.

But that may be when you need to lighten up the most.

What about you? How do you give your copy a lighter touch?

About the Author: Michael Pugh is an ad guy who loves to travel.