Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Digital or Traditional Publishing

I've started submitting some designs on Crowdspring; I like their site set up it's user friendly and on the site they have a writer section, so I checked it out, and one section is for naming companies. I had a go and I've just been told I won – that was a quick 300 dollars.
My latest Squidoo lenses include thebest School bags, and on a more personal note about the time I was forced as a teenager to buy a VW Beetle and how over time I started to become a fan of the car. Halloween approaching I've also wrote a short lens about Spanish Halloween and costumes.

I am a massive film Buff, and have written five Screenplays with just as many halfway finished. I have studied the film industry for over ten years. It's time to move to Hollywood or change some of them into Novels.

Okay so I've already started changing them into Novels and Wow what a difference, 22,000 words to 90,000. All though the freedom is nice as long as it is controlled and I do have a complete skeleton, plot wise, to work with.

I have been designing book covers for authors who target Kindle which has intrigue me to weather digital is the best way to go or is it just a way of avoiding rejection from the traditional publishing route. As a wannabe Screenwriter I'm no stranger to rejection letters specially good luck for the future ones, yet out of all the hundreds of rejections only one film company read one of my scripts, the rejections where just based on the log-lines and the one LA company who was not interested in my script, which admittedly was based in the UK, did suggested it would work better as a Novel, of course this could be their version of a kiss off but we'll see...?

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Why Do Websites Need Search Engine-Friendly Copywriting

Companies should have a list of in-house strategies to develop their web presence. How to guides, a strong social media presence and high keyword content to maximize and improve search engine ranking. Billions of searches are conducted on the internet each month, proving that searching for products and services is one of the most popular activities online, second only to email; searches can turn into subscribers and buyers.

Keyword phrases are the backbone to developing a higher search engine ranking, and that all important website traffic. Loading your copywriting with keywords will not guarantee high rankings. Search engines and readers of your copy will know if you are using repetitive phrases and putting them in obscure places.


Copy should have a dual purpose. Firstly, it should provide information that is valuable to the reader. Secondly, it should contain keyword strings or phrases that are popular search terms amongst people looking for your products or services.

How can I maximise keywords without alienating my copy

Effective search engine copywriting tells search engines words that are the most relevant. Pages or articles should only be optimised with 2 or 3 keyword phrases. Keywords need to be on different paragraphs and certainly on different sentences.

Computer programmes called search engine spiders, which index website's content, only see letters, not punctuation, line breaks or bullet points. Phrases can be split with punctuation hiding it from the reader, but the spiders will pick it up, giving you the chance of a higher ranking. You can put your keyword phrase at the end of one sentence and the second word at the beginning of a sentence, separating them with a full stop. Example: … that will always be Digital. Development of certain... the search engines will pick it up, and to the reader it is separate and natural.

Lists can be powerful as they make for easy reading, and scanning naturally pulls the reader's attention. Search engines like keywords in list, but they should still be placed correctly and without becoming repetitive. Copy should be broke into sections so you can place keywords in them for example, in a headline, the first sentence, side bar, navigation bar, and last sentence. This is so it looks natural to the reader and is optimised best for the spiders.

Keyword pages

Too many keywords on one page can detract from the focus of the content, as can multiple keywords that are not related. Create separate pages that are keyword specific, not only is this better for the reader, it creates a keyword friendly page for search engines.

Another way to get keywords on the same page and keep it looking natural is with testimonials from positive former clients. These usually have the name of a product or company name in them, and with permission from the past client, you could inject a few keywords in there.

Potential customers are online searching for products and services that you provide, and using keywords and phrases. This is why it is important that your website has these phrases and keywords, and that they are picked up by the search engines. Following some of the steps above will help to maximise keywords per article, without affecting the quality of your copy.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Designing Book Covers and T-shirts

I have recently been designing book covers and t-shirts speculatively and also for direct contact clients which has been interesting there is a lot of work out there especially in the speculative market if you don't mind rejection and can take critique. I prefer book cover design work as it has a lot of scope for my art, you do have to learn to read briefs well and sometimes minds.

Some companies I have submitted to in the past few months that have good reputations are Hatchwise, 99designs and Crowdspring. 99Designs is a great place to start if you are new as the site is user friendly and you can at first watch contest to learn about the process and interaction with the client and how a client's brief is interpreted.

My latest Squidoo lens is about Goose fair Nottingham as a child it was one of the few things to look forward to apart from Christmas and birthdays. Goose Fair came around in foggy October and when I was a youngster they still had side shows like boxing which my uncle use to work in.
 Read more...

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Caught On Camera In Spain


Twenty two cars and mine without a scratch.
A quite night indoors interrupted with shouting and screeching tyres. I looked over the residence car park from my terrace to see a car smashing into parked cars. I ran outside to get a closer look with some of my neighbours.


A youth in his late teens was running from the car and every time he stood behind a residents car they smashed into it with the intention of harming him, the car in the picture was the last one to be hit before they sped off.


This car smashed the teenager off the ledge and he lay there seeping blood, an ambulance was called to the scene along with the police who caught up with the assailants and arrested them.


Twenty two cars were hit I wonder how many insurance claims there where, as most cars here in Spain have scratches and dints and nobody seems to know where they have come from.


I have written a lens on Squidoo about other photographs that I have taken over the years and witness some crazy happenings here in Spain from burning Palm trees to Skip lorries Demolishing sides of houses.


Read more...

Sherm Donor -Squidoo



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Staycation A Holiday At Home


Amazing when you actually look around your home town how many things there are to do.
Where I live in Polop Alicante nearby we have the Fonts del Algar a series of naturally waterfalls you can walk along the riverbank, swim in the rock pools or find a quiet spot to sit under the pine trees and enjoy a family picnic.
Further up the hill is a botanical garden with over 500 different species of succulents and cactus.
Towards Benidorm on the coast there are the theme parks Terra Ñatura which is a new-generation wildlife park and Terra Mitica full of themed shows and fast rides and not forgetting the mountains with several walking routes.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Recycling and Crafting



 
Next time you're about to discard your old candles or near empty oil paint tubes and tiered old curtains think twice, these seemingly now useless items can be recycled and in the case of the curtains save you a few quid.
I've written some Squidoo lenses on recycling from how to make your own Wine Cork Candles, crayons for the kids using the wax and oil paint and creating your own wall art using your old curtains or pieces of material.

Read more...

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Modern Day Steeplejacks

Watching a steeplejack company's presentation and promotional video which included their practices regarding safety systems, in one part a steeplejack is climbing the ladders hooking a safety harness then moving up a rung clicking again to the other side, 'what is that?'
I think it's ridiculous and also fall arrest systems these all protect when laddering the chimney and traversing the ladders, yet when I spent over twelve years in the industry, my grandfather and father with over sixty years in the industry free climbing, nobody fell from climbing or erecting the ladders.
Okay prevention is better than cure and reducing the level of risk by any means, but not when that hinders the worker, surely other solutions should be sort.
Installing these systems after the ladders have been erected seems like closing the gate after the horse has bolted
As for the rest of the systems they looked spot on and shows how far the industry has come. I've always thought and said that the steeplejack industry was a head in regards to risk assessment in my day it just lacked the documentation.
I've written an article on Squidoo about my life as a Steeplejack it touches on a small part with a few anecdotes and some of my favourite videos.
Su altitud en la vida depende de su actitud en la vida



Thursday, July 5, 2012

Summer at the beach


I say this every year about the Costa Blanca that I can't remember it being this hot and this year is no exception, June felt like July and July is already resembling August, I dread to think how scorching hot August will be.
Loading up a Kayak with a picnic cooler and paddling along the coast with my hound on the back, finding hidden coves and throwing a fishing rod over the side is the most tranquil times I've had.
This year I have been looking for some new beach activities and found some that appeal, Ive have written a Squidoo lens about them.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Run for your life!


Just a few days away from (some say) the biggest party in Spain.

The Feria de San Fermín in Pamplona.

Opening ceremony starts on the 6th July and as soon as the rocket is fired out come the red scarves and tied around the neck for the duration only, which ends on the 14th of July.

Fiesta as it's also known as draws in thousands from around the world, creating a revenue of 60 million at a cost of around 4 million. So the anti-bullfighters have their work cut out with those figures.

The demonstrators will be there nevertheless, in full force, semi naked and protesting in their annual running of the nudes.
  


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Vegetarian Flavours


Years ago if the meal didn't have at least one meat and two veg it wasn’t considered a proper meal, yet I remember as a child preferring things on toast.
Researching for a vegetarian grill dish I came across some quorn and decided to use a Malaysian street favorite, chicken satay. I applied these ingredients to the quorn marinating it and then grilling on the BBQ, it tasted the same as chicken.
The next dish I wrote about is a veggie Spanish breakfast favorite a tostada, using a baguette, tomato and olive oil.
I have also created a squidoo lens about a veggie dessert also from Spain Churros with strawberries and ice cream, and a vegetarian dish made with lots of herbs and spices coated croutons.