Keeping the Copywriter Amused – May 12, 2012
I love a good link. You know the kind…they irritate you, inspire you, entertain you, or just get you thinking. That’s what I’d like to do here. As an added bonus, it’s the perfect opportunity to share the neat things I’ve found throughout the week. Ready?
SEO and Content Publication
I came across two great business-type links this week. The first is Matt McGee’s post on the downside to publishing content at specific times of the week or day. I published my thoughts on AngieNikoleychuk.com, but overall, it’s a good, quick read, if you haven’t seen it yet.
The second is from Monica Wright. She did a guest post on Raven Tools that addressed the worries non-SEO site owners often face when they start working with an agency or SEO professional. Again, she brings up some really important points and gave some really good tips that should help you get more from your SEO dollars. This is never a bad thing.
Internet and Website Security
ARS Technica covered a story on the .secure TLD. In it, the author introduced readers to a security researcher who just received $9 million dollars. And what is he going to do with this kind of money? Why, create a private area of the Internet for organizations like banks and governments, of course. This left me with quite a few questions, but you can read more about that on AngieNikoleychuk.com.
What If Your Copywriter Had a Dark Side?
On the fun side, I discovered a great site called The Depressed Copywriter. If you like good ads and Internet memes, this is the perfect site for you. While some of them are creepy, or just plain wrong, some of them are absolutely brilliant. They got more than just a few chuckles out of me.
3 New Tools For Creating Better Stuff
I enjoy Problogger, and I love trying out new tools, so this post by Neil Patel was right up my alley. (I’ve been following him on Twitter for quite some time. Super smart fella with some brilliant 140-character revelations, but I digress.) In the post, Neil recommended IFTTT. I’ve looked at this tool a few times during the past few months and have considered using it in a number of different ways. I think it has amazing potential, but I just can’t seem to sit myself down long enough to have a play with it.
I already use the last tool Neil recommends regularly for keyword research, but the second tool he suggests is the answer to my prayers and a fantastic alternative to the now-missing Google Lists and Google Wonder Wheel.
If you want to know what these tools are, you’ll have to read the post for yourself. It’s called 3 New Tools That Can Help You Create Better Content, Convert More Readers, and Conquer Higher Search Rankings. (Dear Neil, you need shorter headlines. On a side note, it worked. lol)
Speaking of tools, I’ve been looking for ways to easily manage multiple WordPress sites. Today, I came across InfiniteWP. It’s free at the moment, but I see there are premium addons coming. At first glance, it looks slick and easy to use, but I was wondering if any of you have tried it?
Anyway, that’s it for my wanderings this week. Cheers!
Fun, Free Tools For Writers
Those of us who like words are a special breed. We love words and love to use them, particularly if it means we can psycho-analyze a topic and dissect it down to the letter. But sometimes, when we’re all alone with our laptops, blankets, pillows, and our cats, we just want to let it all go. We want to get all wild and crazy, take off our glasses, and let our hair down.
That’s where these fun, free tools for writers come in. Are they particularly helpful? Not really, but they are fun and they might even get our creative side going a little more.
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The Gender Genie
Did you know I can tell whether you’re male or female just by the way you write? Well, not really, but the Gender Genie thinks it can. Based on a New York Times piece, this nifty little tool will determine an author’s gender by running text through a specially designed algorithm.
I Write Like
Do you have a favorite author? Have you always wondered if you write like a famous writer? Well, now you can find out. I Write Like will analyze any content you’ve written and compare it to their database of content written by famous authors to see which one you match best. It’s fun, cool and sorta quirky, just like us!
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The Brainstormer
If you’ve ever suffered with writer’s block or have been looking for some inspiration for your latest story, you’ll want to check out The Brainstormer by Distraction Beast. In short, it’s a giant wheel of ideas with three movable circles of ideas. Imagine: a “healing journey with a cannabalist samurai” or “a tale of unconditional love with a Transylvanian shoe maker”. Yeah. Tons of wacky fiction goodness.
Make Your Own Comic Strips
(Strip Creator works, but you’ll need to make an account first and use a screen cap to host it elsewhere. The Bubblr project from Pim Pam Pum lets you use Flickr images while Pikistrips uses your photos.)
750 Word Brain Dumps
Admittedly, my vacation and some recent happenings have derailed this little project for me, but I’m waiting patiently to get back in it. I find 750 Words extremely helpful to just ramble on and I’m actually considering the idea of using it to finish one of the books I currently have on the go. I find that, after dumping almost a thousand words here, my mind is clear, I’m less stressed, and much more able to create everything from strategies to articles.
GobbledyGook Grader
Brevity. Clarity. Conciseness. Try the GobbledyGook Grader content analysis tool.
Linkbait Generator
When a little online app comes up with titles like ’8 Things Copywriters Have In Common With Unicorns’, it makes an instant fan out of me. The Linkbait Generator is definitely on my list. Granted, not all of the titles it comes up with are useable and some are a little adult, but they’re fun and they definitely get your mind going in the right direction. The only downside? I’d love to see them add more formats/headlines into the mix.
The Wise And Twisted Games Writers Play — It’s What We Do
I was asked the other day what writers do for fun. That’s a good question. So many posts focus on writing for work and work/home balance, very few pieces focus on the fun areas of the writing mind. While I can come up with an extensive list, I thought it would be fun to provide you with a list of cool places writers can have fun with the English language.
Here’s a list of some fun places for writers to hang out:
1. One Million Monkeys Typing is a writing site of a different sort. When you arrive on the page, you have several stories presented to you. You read the story, and as soon as it takes a turn you dislike, or if you have a better idea, stop, write the section you would like to write, and publish your version of events. The makers of this beta site have created a community there for writers and readers to hang out.
2. Free Rice uses a writer’s quest for knowledge for the benefit of those in need of food. On the game side of things, you will see a word and have to define it. When you give correct answers, you earn grains of rice, which are used to feed those in starving countries. This site builds your vocabulary while helping a charity. The way I see it, everyone wins.
3. Etymologic states it holds the title of the ‘Toughest Word Game On The Web.’ Well, the basic concept seems easy enough. They present you with a word and offer you a set of choices. You have to decide which country the word came from. Not as easy as you think It’s actually kind of addictive-aggravating.
4. Super Text Twist is available online, as a download, and through facebook. This game gives you a set of letters, and you need to make as many words out of the given letters as possible. It’s actually one of my favorite games to play. However, I play a slightly different version on the next site.
5. Filled with addictive games, Pogo has the best collection of word games I’ve seen in a long time. Honey Bees, Word Jong, and Word Craft are some I find myself playing on a regular basis. They do have a paid option, which is a must for me. I may or may not have guest passes for those interested 
6. FunTrivia has a section designed specifically for creative writing fanatics. Their quiz section on contemporary literature and fiction is great. You can choose from a whole host of authors there, or you can head to other sections, which include mystery and science fiction. Just pick your favorite genre and away you go.
7. Language is a Virus contains another list of games designed for writers and lovers of the English language. One called Magnetic Poetry takes famous poems and breaks them into chunks. You need to put them back together. This site also contains all kinds of helpful tools for everything from title generators to programs that help you name characters in your stories.
Fellow writers, feel free to enjoy the addiction!
A Twisted Arm, A Gypsy And 7 Things
I met a delightful SEO ‘mad scientist’ the other day who greeted me warmly with a ‘welcome to the madness’ message after a short exchange. When he greeted me the next morning with a friendly hello and informed me he had gone more than 30 hours of sleep, I knew the day would prove to be interesting.
I was right.
A short time later, he reappeared and tagged me to do this little post. I won’t mention any names (Hello, David Harry of Huomah.Com. I’m sure you will read this when you wake up), but I am now responsible for revealing seven things that others may not know about me.
Trying to come up with something that won’t earn me relentless teasing later on was a bit difficult, but I think I have come up with a list of seven as well as a wonderful tidbit at the end that I didn’t write. It isn’t written particularly well, but it is the best blog post I’ve ever read. I couldn’t help but share.
1- I have a thing for frogs. Not just real ones either. They have taken over my bathroom, and are appearing throughout my house including my favorite apparel. I have everything from frog shower hooks and toothbrushes, to frog clocks and light fixtures.
I have no idea why. Is this even normal? This might just fall into the odd category.
2- At one point, we had a hermit crab, fish, two cats, a dog, three kids, and the two of us all living in the same house. Can you say zoo? Now that the older boys have moved out of home, the house is considerably quieter. We are also down to one cat, and the fish.
I’m an animal fanatic, so I actually miss the little critters. I have contemplated getting a ferret, but so far, I’ve been able to talk myself out of it.
3- When I was little, I had my heart set on being a ballet dancer. After realizing I had more klutz in me than grace, I opted for the orchestra pit instead. I started playing at the age of ten. I thought I would always have forensic science to fall back on, but obviously that didn’t get any farther than the ballet dancing.
4- Located approximately twenty minutes south of my home, the Cypress Hills is one of my favorite places in the entire world. We take all kinds of pictures, fish, hike, have hot dog roasts, and generally spend as much time as possible here. When there are few tourists around, you can sit for hours in the quiet and tranquil surroundings. For interest sake, ‘Bald Butte’ (located in the center of the park) is the highest point in Canada between the Rockies in British Columbia, and the Laurentians in Quebec.
5- I have an obsession for music. It plays with or without audio equipment 24/7. Once I quit performing professionally, this obsession led me to karaoke. While it may sound odd, this love affair with karaoke led me to a job as a DJ when I was flat broke, my loving second hubby (who lived with the couple who owned the karaoke company), and my first article sale. To add yet another twist to the story, I knew the family of my hubby’s ex-wife before I knew him from a completely different town. We discovered this fact months after we met. Small world.
6- I wake up each morning with thoughts of a new day. Life is too hard to live it any other way. When a new day breaks, my goal is to live with my eyes, heart, mind, and arms open. This doesn’t mean that I don’t slip up, but I will definitely give it my best shot.
7- I’ve got my entire retirement planned out. I’m going to strike it rich. I’m selling my house. I’m buying an old castle, and moving to Austria. No negotiations. I was there on a national tour in 1996, and the feeling of stepping on that soil has never left. The only thing left is to convince hubby to share that winning ticket he has hiding.
Now for the ‘guest post’ I promised earlier from my favorite blogger. It is my soon-to-be 8 year old’s first post.
The World Is A Place
The world is a place. A wonderful place because it has flowers and grass and trees and this world is where we are. We live in Saskatchewan and I think the world is a really cool place.
I thought it seeing the world through his eyes really put things into perspective. He has gone through so much, but the world is still a really cool place.
You can almost hear the hope and optimism in his voice.
I need to tag people. I am in the midst of hunting down addresses, but I will update them as I hunt them down.
My chosen victims are:
1- Michele Tune of WritingtheCyberHighway.com (@MicheleTune) — Freelance writer
2- Trina Lee of Professional Content Writing (@TrinaMLee) Writer and Author (with a preference for werewolves and vampires)
You Know You’ve Been Working Too Hard When…
The Other Half Of Angie's Copywriting
I’ll begin my story by introducing you to my constant companion, Smokie (that’s right it’s ‘ie’…he’s a writing rebel. The typos and spelling errors are, in fact, his contribution to these posts if there are any ).
This seemingly innocent laid-back cat isn’t what he outwardly appears. He is my guide and good friend.
He shows me his undying devotion by spending hours laying around my workstation and laying in various positions collecting the hours of sleep we’d all like to have.
One of Smokie’s favorite things to do is to sit on his chair (which just happens to be next to mine) and stand with two paws on the arm of my computer chair.
Normally when Smokie wants attention, he will find a paper bag to attack. If I ignore that, he brings his ball (He really thinks he’s a dog). When I continue to ignore his demand for affection, he quietly sneaks over to my couch and expertly digs his sharp nails into my old ratty couch. He knows that this is one thing I can’t stand. Did I mention he was a boisterous cat?
He tries to jump onto my lap, but I kept putting my arm in front to keep him down. When he’s on my lap, I can’t get anything done. Life was going good…until yesterday.
After spending several comfortable hours relaxing on the heat vent, He decided to jump on the chair. I continued to work on the day’s projects and ignore his cute, but unwanted interruptions, when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his paw come up to take a swipe at my face. Very out of character for him. I instantly raised my arm to stop him from scratching the heck out of my cheek. As soon as my arm was high enough, he immediately seized the opportunity to jump onto my lap.
He immediately puts one paw on each of my shoulders and proceeds to nuzzle at my neck. Of course, pushing him off isn’t a option — not if I want skin left on my neck anyway. I didn’t know whether to get upset with him or give him the attention he so deserved.
My own cat had just outsmarted me. He figured out exactly how to get what he wanted. I had put too many hours in working and not enough on the things that mattered.
Drastic times call for drastic measures I guess.
Time off is scheduled in for the future, and not a moment too soon I guess. Lesson learned.
