Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,153,217 members, 7,818,748 topics. Date: Monday, 06 May 2024 at 12:03 AM

ChristinBattons's Posts

Nairaland Forum / ChristinBattons's Profile / ChristinBattons's Posts

(1) (of 1 pages)

Business / 5 Simple Editing Hacks To Improve Your Content Marketing Performance by ChristinBattons(f): 9:31am On Apr 30, 2018
Content writers are arguably the most dedicated people. Coming up with distinct and new content on a regular basis is something admirable. But it is not always rosy for content marketers. Some struggle to meet their content goals. Some find it hard to perform content editing. In most cases, you would find even the most successful content writers work closely with professional editors.
Admittedly, editing is a whole process by itself. In many writing circles, writing and editing can never be done concurrently. In fact, one is always advised to write first then edit later. We know that editing can be an uphill task. However, there are some guidelines which when applied can make editing an easy undertaking. Let’s consider 5 hacks which can improve your content marketing performance:

1.Avoid All Filler Words and Grammar Expletives

Content writers may at times get overwhelmed with writing especially if the word count is high. This may prompt them to use filler words and grammar expletives to try and meet their word count. Some examples of grammar expletives that are commonly used are as follows:

It is, here is, there will be, it takes, etc.

These filler words normally begin with it, there, here and a verb always follows them. Initially, it may seem harmless to use these literary constructions. But in the long run, they inhibit the driving elements of your sentences thereby making them weak. They also tend to dilute your whole work since they will require the use of support words, for example, when, who, where, why, that, etc.
To illustrate this point let’s look at these two sentences:

There are some investors who like to invest in the money market.
Some investors like to invest in the stock market.

The first sentence’s use of the expletives there are prompted the use of who which was quite unnecessary. Again, the use of the expletive there made the sentence sound as if it was referring to something arbitrary hence making the sentence to lose focus.
The second sentence presents the true focus of the sentence and avoids all literary constructs. One can be able to get the message that is being out across clearly.
Therefore, the use of expletives can never work for you. If you aim to improve the performance of your content, then avoid expletives by all means. While editing your work at https://custom-writings.net, look for these literary constructed words and weed them out. To avoid using them in the first place, condition yourself to write the gist of points rather than looking for a way around it. For example, you could be tempted to write this sentence; “It’s exciting to read.” However, it’s better to write reading is exciting.
Please note that is not an argument against the use of expletive words like it, there, who, etc. If you had already described your object, then you are at liberty to use. To illustrate:

I love reading. It’s exciting.

The first sentence already described the object, in this case, ‘reading.’ Thus, you are at liberty in any successive sentence to use it as you had already described it previously as to what it means.

2. Check Your Tenses

There are three tenses, the past, present, and future. The rule of thumb is to have a tense that is consistent in the whole article. The flow of your work should preferably be in the present tense to allow for tense continuity.
The upside of having a consistent tense is that it makes your work easily understandable. It also aids the flow and prose. You may want to pass a message across, but the tense disallows you.
Let’s take a look at these three sentences:

He walked from school to the town center.
He walks from school to the town center.
He will walk from school to the town center.

The point that this writer is trying to put across is that the person ultimately walks from school to the town center. However, the first sentence denotes that he already did this; the second sentence indicates that he is doing it at the moment; while the last sentence indicates that he will do it at a future date.
When editing your work, checking tenses should be amongst the top five things that you should do. Ensure that if you choose one to write in one specific tense, say, present tense, the whole work should reflect the present tense. This will give your content great clarity which will ultimately increase the performance of your content marketing.

3. Check Your Punctuation Especially Commas

Errors of punctuation are so far reaching that they even change the meaning of a sentence completely. Consider the following sentences:

Let’s eat mom.
Let’s eat, Mom.

As much as the writer may have had good intentions, the first sentence is surely going to send chills to anyone who reads it. Anyone would think that he/she is a cannibal.
This is what happens when commas are not used.
Another common error with commas is failing to place it before conjunctions and placing it after conjunctions. Let’s illustrate this in two sentences:

I bought a book, pen and pencil.
My mum gave me an orange, banana and, chocolate.

Both sentences have misused the commas. When listing items in a sentence, a comma should be used to separate the items. The item that appears before the conjunction should be separated from the conjunction by a comma. Also, no comma should be placed after the conjunction.
The correct form of the above sentence is:

I bought a book, pen, and pencil.
My mum gave me an orange, banana, and chocolate.

Most content writers make these mistakes with commas. They may not realize it at first since they are not easily traced.
To avoid punctuation errors especially those that involve the comma, ensure that after you finish writing, you carefully check your sentences. Place more focus on sentences that have lists. You can even run a grammar and punctuation checker to assist you in tracing these errors. Once you do this successfully, your content is bound to improve hence increasing your marketing success.

4. Tweak Your Call to Action

All articles, blogs, and web content end should end with a call to action. The simple justification for this is that every writer has a goal for every written content. This goal should be embodied in the call to action.
The call to action comprises of a block of text or visual content that advises the reader on the next move. It informs them of the specific action to take after reading the article. With this in mind, the call to action should in all respects undergo intensive editing. It should be fine-tuned to make the reader perform the intended action swiftly.
To that effect, what editing hacks can be done on the call to action make it more effective?
• Include a link on the call to action to another site that has similar content. This may prompt the reader to go through your site.
• Place a subscription form, or say, a newsletter or an e-book. You may do this if you have your own blog and you to develop some leads into actual clients.
• Make a limited, urgent but appealing offer that relates to the subject matter of your content. Utilize the art of persuasion to win the readers over.
• Avoid statements such as, “click here,” “follow this link” etc. They make you sound like a novice.
It is vital to remember that everything you write in your call to action should have relevance to your subject. This should be your editing objective as far as the call to action is concerned.

5. The Large Edits

In any written material, some editing aspects are referred to as the large edits. They comprise of:
• The headlines.
• The graphics.
• Search Engine Optimization.
These large edits should be placed under scrutiny. They should not at any time veer of the gist of your article. They should also not have irrelevancy to your target audience. If they veer off or show any signs of irrelevancy, the readers will feel duped and cheated. They would think that you tricked them into reading your article. They would notice the mismatch between your content and what they initially wanted, and we know how it goes from there.
What are some of the editing hacks that you can employ to guard against this?
• Ensure that your headline is relevant to your content. You can test at least three headlines to see which has the most appeal.
• Include a Meta description. This is where your selling streak begins. It should indulge the readers on why they should read the content.
• The visual content should be available to break the monotony of text. Remember to put relevant images to your content.
• With regard to SEO, ensure that your keywords are well-placed and have a direct relation to the gist of your content. Also, ensure that these keywords fit naturally into the text. Don’t force them to fit into your content.
• Lastly, make sure that you have a page title that contains the keywords of your content.

Editing should not seem like an uphill task. You don’t even need to hire an editor if you follow these 5 editing hacks. When you apply them objectively, you are sure of improving the performance of your content marketing. All the best!
Literature / Going Outside Can Improve Your Creative Writing In These 3 Ways by ChristinBattons(f): 11:10am On Feb 12, 2018
Creative writing is one of the qualities that any good writer should possess. It gives you an edge allowing you to look at things from a different perspective. As a writer, you need to make your writing unique as it will draw a specific set of readers to your work. Writing using basic knowledge leaves your work stale. You need to look for a style that will suit both your readers and yourself as a writer. You need to make your writing stand out from others. A creatively written paper requires you to get ideas from different sources around you. When you go outside, you expose yourself to various situations that will boost your creativity. You then use these experiences in your writing.
Any writing needs a fresh twist; if readers keep reading the same thing from different writers they will get bored. For you to boost your creative writing skills, some techniques can be adapted. Here are 3 reasons that emphasize the need of going outside.

1. Interaction
By going outside, you interact with nature and fellow humans. It boosts your senses as you will need them to transport your readers to the world that you’re writing on. Everything needs to feel real.
Some of the things you may gain through interactions include:
Brainstorming. You may go outside and meet individuals with the same mindset as your own. Pondering on different ideas and views may give you a new perspective on your work. It does not matter whether the ideas that you eventually come up with are good or bad, brainstorming is an excellent mental exercise. It relaxes your brain, and this is important in your creative writing process.
Senses. By being outside, your senses increase. Depending on the kind of story that you wish to write on, you may need to go to a setting that matches that of your book or article. In turn, this gives your work a real feeling. You will be able to transport your readers using your words at a time that you desire. But, for you to achieve this, you will need to go outside and see, feel, smell, touch and taste the environment you seek to write on.
Interacting with your surroundings has been proven to increase a person’s creativity. Even a creative like Steve Jobs suggested that when you see what others are doing, you will be able to improvise on their ideas and come up with something new.

2. Inspiration
You may be stuck with your writing or have no idea on what you want to write. By going outside, you may come across something that will inspire you to write about it. A homeless man across the street or a couple arguing may just be the inspiration that you need for your creative writing idea.
Some of the activities you can do to find inspiration include:
Going out to watch a movie. Just going out to catch a film can do wonders for your creative writing skill. A scene or a sentence by an actor may be what you need to jerk your brain into creative mode.
Going to hang out with friends. Hanging out with friends either just for coffee or a night out may be what you need. Many writers have used their experiences while out with friends to come up with the material for a story.
Travel. Nothing opens up a writer’s brain than traveling to a new location. Your mind will absorb every detail of your visit. You may not know it, but something that occurs to you during your travel may be what inspires you to write.
Learn a new skill. What most writers don’t get is that you may learn something about writing by not writing. Try out a new skill like cooking or drawing. It may seem inconsequential at first, but with such courses, attention to detail is critical. Learning how to be sensitive to other crafts other than writing develops a new side of you. It will also manifest in your work, and a picture that you drew may be a source of inspiration for a story.

Inspiration is one of the key aspects that a writer needs and if you need any assistance regarding this, you can check out http://essaywritersite.com. There are dozens of proficient writers who will not mind giving you a few pointers in regards to this.

3. Fact Finding
Depending on what you’re writing about, you need to establish facts about it. You cannot just write a story about somewhere or someone without traveling to either meet them, their acquaintances or just to go and see the place to find out the facts for yourself.
Some of the things that will require you to go outside include:
When you write about a community. Research alone in some cases is not enough. You will be required to go and immerse yourself in their way of life for you to come up with a creative method of writing about them. Most famous writers have used this technique before writing about their experiences.
Writing about someone. Lots of writers have either gone around following the person they want to write on. They do this to find an angle that they can use to set their story. If you do not let your mind wander, you may not see that unique perspective to use in such a situation.
Writing about a place. Writers will once in a while write about a country or destination that they find fascinating. But writing about a place which you only see in pictures and read about from other writers may be tricky. You will need to go outside and see for yourself what it’s all about and the beauty that it has to offer. By being physically present, your mind will be able to come up with a unique and creative perspective about the area. It also gives your writing that real feeling that makes your reader feel like they are actually in that place that you’re writing about.

Conclusion
Locking yourself indoors to come up with a creative way of writing will work for some people but going outside to see for yourself is the best alternative. Your brain absorbs more when in an outdoor setting, thus, improving the chances of you coming up with a new and unique story.
Our homes are our comfort zones and may distract us at times. We need to go outside for us to widen our experiences. It is a fact that a tired brain is the best to come up with creative styles. There are lots of activities out there that one can put themselves through to tire the mind. You will then retire to your desk and try coming up with new material. The outside is full of prospective story ideas for writers, and all they need to do is go and explore!

7 Likes 3 Shares

Education / 5 Ways To Use Social Media In Education by ChristinBattons(f): 2:29pm On Aug 28, 2017
Social media are no longer used for communication only. They perform functions of e commerce platforms, business pages for companies, and even blogs. Besides, social media have already integrated with education but most of the schools, colleges, and universities ignore the possibility to use them in studying. However, it’s essential for teachers and lecturers to enrich their educational experience with modern tools, and it would be a mistake to ignore the benefits of social media.

Do remember that social media are not only Facebook and Instagram. There are other networks that will be helpful for your education, and the students will definitely appreciate if you start to use them.

1) Pinterest: find ideas, brainstorm, work on projects


The first social media that you need to consider for education is Pinterest. Here, you will find a huge number of boards in different industries and spheres. You will be able to use them to visualize your own ideas and to demonstrate examples. For instance, if you want to get your students acquainted with the best advertisements, you have no need to find the images over the Internet, it’s enough to choose a proper Pinterest board.

Your students can use Pinterest boards for their own projects as well. With the help of this social media, they can collect and share their ideas. Additionally, they can use it for presentations.

The benefits are as following:

Students can visualize their ideas while working on their project
Students can create visual representation for their projects
Students can use boards to make notes for the information that they study

2) Video streams

If you want to enrich your students’ experience, give a try to video streaming. You can use this option both for remote classes, for demonstrating the results of researchers, and for a presentation of the ideas as well. It will be nice to ask your students to record their experiments and even to broadcast it online. Thus, everyone can turn on the broadcast and watch live how the experiment develops.

For implementing video into the process of education, you can use YouTube, one of the most popular video platforms.

3) Facebook communities

Facebook can be used not only for browsing the feed, but also to create communities where students can communicate, share ideas, and discuss news. Of course, it’s better to explain students from the very beginning that this community should be used for educational needs only, and none of the personal problems can be discussed here.

Use Facebook communities to organize group activity, to remind home assignments, and to help students with their problems.

4) Create Class Wiki

Although many do not consider Wikipedia to be a proper social media, if you create your own Class Wiki, you can turn it into a network. Here, your students can share the results of their studies, post the notes on lectures, and create topics for discussion.

This resource will be helpful to organize and systemize knowledge. If every student will add some new information to the article, it will be complete with the ideas. Besides, when adding info, the student will read the materials published previously. Thus, they will get to know more.

Additionally, Class Wiki will be useful when preparing for exams. Also, you can always become a contributor here. Answer such questions as ‘how to [url-https://eliteessaywriters.com/write-my-paper/write my paper/url]’ or ‘how to prepare for college exams’. The students will definitely appreciate if you create such informational pages as most of them have no idea where to find this info.

5) Podcasts for keeping lectures

Even though all your students regularly visit your lectures, it does not mean that they remember each single word and idea. Moreover, sometimes students miss classes and they do not know where to find all those materials. If you want to support your students and give them a chance to listen to your lectures one more time, they will definitely like that. Add your podcasts to SoundCloud, as most of the students prefer this network to listen to music and audio records.

Do you still hesitate that social media can be successfully implemented into the process of education? Try to enhance your educational process with Pinterest boards, YouTube video streams, Facebook communities, Class Wiki pages, and podcast. You will never regret about that!

(1) (of 1 pages)

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 49
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.