Surfing the Web

The average UK employee spends 57 minutes a day surfing the web while at work.

Surfing was first enjoyed by Polynesians in Tahiti and Hawaii as far back as 1500AD. The first printed recordings of surfing were made by Lieutenant James King in 1779. King took over the captaincy of the ship Discovery after Captain James Cook was killed on an expedition to Hawaii.

Since there was no written language at this time in Hawaii, King's journal entry serves as man's earliest written account of the Hawaiian sport.

So why, more than 200 years later, do we ‘surf’ the web? What links could there possibly be between using the internet and riding on top of a wave?

It all began with the radio

Radio scanners were introduced in the 1970s as a way of finding a good radio signal. The radio receiver would automatically tune or scan two or more discrete frequencies, stopping when it found a good working signal.

A similar method would be used, manually, with the television. In order to locate a decent television signal, you would have to twist and turn the dials until you were satisfied with the picture. This common process became known as ‘channel hopping’. In order to locate the desired signal, you would have to ‘hop’ between one channel and another until you were satisfied with the picture received.

The Beach Boys

In 1963, the Beach Boys recorded ‘Surfin’ USA‘. This was a massive hit worldwide, and vastly increased the popularity of the Hawaiian sport of surfing. The popularity of surfing in remote areas of Australia, California and Hawaii became well known and began to attract the interest of tourists.

Endless Summer

Following on from the success of Surfin’ USA – in 1966, Bruce Brown directed the most influential film of the surf-genre: Endless Summer.

Endless Summer centres around two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. They travel to the coasts of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. In the film, they introduce locals to the sport in an attempt to popularize surfing as fun and accessible to everyone.

The success and influence of the documentary was incredible. The popularity of surfing rose greatly, encouraging existing surfers to travel abroad, and introducing the thrill of the sport to a wider audience.

Popular Culture

Vans ~ The first time that ‘surfing’ had been applied to another activity was in April 1985 when Time magazine made reference to the culture of ‘Van surfing’. ‘Van surfing’ described the art of people who would stand on the top of Vans as they moved. The actions they were forced into, to remain on their feet, was similar to that of surfing.

Trains ~ The phrase would later be used when referring to a similar action. ‘Train surfing’ was a phrase introduced by The Wall Street Journal. ‘Train surfing’ had been seen many times in the movies, and was apparently a regular occurrence in South America as people rode on top of trains for a free ride.

Music ~ In 1989, The Toronto Globe and Mail introduced the term to the music industry. ‘Stage diving’ had become a popular tradition at concerts and festivals. The notion of someone being carried in midair by a crowd of people became known as ‘crowd surfing’ by the Toronto press.

Television ~ With the expansion of Cable and Satellite television, in 1986, The Wall Street Journal coined the phrase ‘channel surfing’. This was in direct reference to the well known ‘channel hopping’ term that had become widely popular in describing the act of scanning for a desired television channel.

The expansion of Cable and Satellite meant there were more channels, they were easier to find and more widely available. ‘Channel surfing’ described the notion of flicking through the channels with a television remote, as oppose to fiddling with the dials.

The Internet

With the creation of the internet, the term ‘internet surfing’ had occasionally been used, but not commonly.

‘Information surfing’ was a phrase used to describe the action of someone searching for information through books or papers, for example. Early internet users would search the internet for similar purposes (long before entertainment, social networking and advertising took over).

Prior to the 1990s, the internet was not widely popular and not widely accessible. However, in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, a British engineer and computer-scientist, laid foundation to the World Wide Web. This created the internet as we know it today. The internet (the World Wide Web) increased in popularity as it became easier to use, faster to use, and most importantly, Personal Computers became widely available to the public.

‘Surfing the Web’ is a phrase we have all used, and will continue to use as the internet continues to expand.

But how did the infrequently used, unpopular term ‘internet surfing’ become the biggest world wide cliché of all?

A Librarian and a mouse pad

Jean Armour Polly was a university librarian in 1992, when she coined the phrase ‘Surfing the Internet’.

Polly was an early internet user, and wrote a series of articles, available online, on safe Internet services. In June 1992, Polly was writing a revolutionary paper about Requests and Comments and other technical writings about the Internet. On searching for a title, she describes:

In casting about for a title for the article, I weighed many possible metaphors. I wanted something that expressed the fun I had using the Internet, as well as hit on the skill, and yes, endurance necessary to use it well. I also needed something that would evoke a sense of randomness, chaos, and even danger. I wanted something fishy, net-like, nautical.

At that time I was using a mouse pad from the Apple Library in Cupertino, CA, famous for inventing and appropriating pithy sayings and printing them on sportswear and mouse pads (e.g., "A month in the Lab can save you an hour in the Library") The one I had pictured a surfer on a big wave. "Information Surfer" it said. "Eureka," I said, and had my metaphor.

‘Surfing the Internet’ was born. The paper was phenomenally successful. In 14 hours, the paper received an unprecedented 500 downloads.

This leads on to another interesting question: why were so many early internet users searching for ‘surfing’ online? They obviously had to search for the article in order to find it – but why ‘surfing’?

The surf-net connection

There are several top internet marketers today who are also top surfers. Frank Kern is a great example of this. Jason Moffat was one of the earliest internet marketers to hold such a great connection with online marketing and surfing.

Many people have compared making money online to surfing. Making a profit on the internet is not about ‘getting rich quick’; it is about taking time to get to know the market, learning to understand the users and where to find customers. Surfing is often described as hitting the wave perfectly. A top surfer will spend time getting to know the best waves, where to find them and how to hit them perfectly.

Both internet marketers and surfers have often spoken of addiction. In order to spend enough quality time learning to surf, travelling the world to find the best locations and putting your body on the line for the sake of adrenaline rushes, you have got to feel addicted to the sport. Thrill seeking and addiction have revolutionised the sport of surfing.

Very few top-internet-marketers claim to have access to a get-rich-quick scheme. (If you had access, would you tell anyone?) In order to be a successful online marketer, you have to hold this same level of addiction, and get the same thrill out of using the internet, working on the internet and spending time on the internet.

With the persistent online presence of Jason Moffat in the 1990s, surfing became a regular theme found on the internet. Moffat was one of the first users to own a variety of websites, optimizing his name wherever possible. Therefore, where ‘Jason Moffat’ could be found, so could ‘surfing’. Did this increase the popularity of surfing? Did this introduce pro surfers to the internet? Surely it must have lured pro surfers of the time to try out the internet. Online they could find like-minded surfers, share their ideas for locations and share their stories of travel-surfing.

Was this the true origin of ‘surfing the internet’? Do we now ‘surf’ the internet because surfing was so popular with early internet users?

Or maybe, by pure coincidence (or by memetics), two separate groups of people established the same terminology for the same thing, without ever even knowing it.

Barcelona with Primo Vacations

Glorious gothic buildings.

Brilliantly impressive beaches.

Stylish streets of Catalonia.

Perched magnificently on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is one of the most beautifully cultural cities in Europe.

Barcelona will suit your needs, whether you’re searching for the idyllic European family vacation, looking to go travelling in Europe, or simply wanting a cheap European vacation. This is a city as diverse in style, range and culture as any in the world.

Wherever you're interests lie, you can be assured that you will fall in love with the architecture, museums, entertainment and culture of this historic city, which lies in the heart of Catalonia.

Architecture
Barcelona is a luxurious city, rich in culture and rich in history. Home to some of the most glamorous buildings in all of Europe, many of which are still to be completed. The church of Sagrada Familia has been under construction sine 1882, but is still not due to be completed until 2026! Since building began, the church has been funded by private and public donations.

The people of Barcelona are as passionate and proud of their city as the architects who began building centuries ago.

The Gothic Quarter is the centrepiece of any Barcelona vacation for most tourists. The buildings in this area date from medieval times, but Catalan Modernisme architecture dominates the skyline of this astonishing city.

You can observe magnificent views from the top of La Seu, stretching sights over the whole of this gorgeous city paradise. This is one of the most picturesque views you could possibly imagine.

Museums
One of the highlights of any European vacation with Primo is taking the time to admire the beauty of the places you visit. There are fewer beautiful cities in the world than Barcelona.

The famous museums of Barcelona must not be avoided; there is so much to tell, so much to see and so much to boast about. Masses of galleries and museums line the streets of Barcelona, all covering many different areas and eras. All tell their side of the story to how Barcelona became the delightful city it is today.

Art, Science, War, History, Entertainment….it is all here. Some of the marvellous museums in Barcelona include:

• The National Museum of Art in Catalonia
• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art
• Picasso Museum
• Barcelona Maritime Museum

Camp Nou
Camp Nou (or The Nou Camp) is for any sports fan, the must-see structure in Spain. It is simply the greatest soccer stadium in Europe, possibly even the world.

Home of FC Barcelona, Camp Nou is the largest soccer stadium in Europe, holding more than 98,000 spectators.

Tours of this magnificent stadium are available at very good prices, and will leave you feeling amazed and in awe.

FC Barcelona are currently the holders of the European Cup, and widely known for playing the most beautiful soccer on the planet. With the world’s greatest player, Lionel Messi, starring in the team, tickets for matches sell like hot-cakes. There are often opportunities, however, to get tickets on match days, or you can book online.

Beaches
Barcelona is not all culture, museums and architecture, however. There are seven beaches surrounding the coastline. Sant Sebastià and Barceloneta beaches are the largest, oldest and the most frequented beaches in Barcelona.


So, while you shop till you drop in the stylish cobbled high streets in the morning, you can relax by the ocean in the afternoon, visit the historic Gothic Quarter in the evening, and take in the breathtaking views over Catalonia at sunset.

There are hundreds of hotels and hostels in the Barcelona metropolitan area to choose from. Or you can treat yourself to a vacation of genuine luxury, by staying in one of the most sought after hotels in the city, by travelling with Primo Vacations – at unbelievable low prices.

Just get in touch with Kay Hebbourn, your top Primo leader, for more information about one of these wonderful vacation opportunities.

Donating to Haiti, via Effective Copywriting

We have all been deeply saddened by the horrifying events in Haiti. A series of massive earthquakes has taken the lives of thousands of Haitians. It has devastated and destroyed the lives of millions more.

Families being torn apart by disaster is something we see unfold on the News all too often. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, earthquakes in Pakistan and Italy, and now it’s Haiti’s turn to suffer and endure the wrath of mother nature.

All of these events have led to hugely generous donations from people all over the world. Appeals are made in newspapers, on television and by charities, all urging You to give generously to people in desperate need. While these have been successful campaigns to help raise funds for victims, there are still far too many people who are not actively lending their support.

This is not necessarily people who are unwilling to donate, but more likely people who are unaware of how they can donate. In today’s modern society of mobile phones and social media, the internet has become an increasingly popular way to appeal directly to everyone who has the ability to donate.

Many of the most popular websites on the internet have launched their own appeals for the cause. Facebook, Google and eBay, to name but a few, have all added ‘donation links’ to their Home Pages – making it easy to find, somewhat unavoidable in some cases.

A similar theme has been set up by the American Red Cross – donators simply text ‘HAITI’ to 20222 – and $10 is automatically added to their phone bill, going directly to the relief fund.

Adding donation links to popular websites is one thing, but how exactly does this make donating appealable to as many people as possible. Are the general rules of copywriting obeyed in the same format to a piece of sales copy? After all, it is the same basic concept – persuading a reader to part with their cash. Is the language different? How are key words and emotive words used to attract the attention of the wider audience?

Facebook
The most popular social networking site on the web, with around 321 million people registered worldwide. Their Haiti appeal is very open, thoughtful and most notable for me, personifying.

General emails and contact from Facebook are very generic, obviously sent out in bulk, with little emotion or personifying key words. This is of no detriment to Facebook – the whole point in the website is for its users to interact with each other, Facebook merely acts as the host.

The devastation in Haiti, however, has given Facebook reason to speak directly to each and every user. The appeal is not aimed to be a generic email which will blend in with all the others. It serves a different purpose, an important purpose, and it has to come across as speaking directly from the heart and to each user personally.

This is achieved by using power words such as: ‘destruction’, ‘death’, ‘outpouring’ and ‘thousands’. These words are unusual for Facebook, so stand out in peoples minds – it proves the sheer scale of the atrocity. It is basically saying: ‘something has to be done, and this is Your chance to help’.

Google
In the early days of Google, there were very few words on the home Page: ‘Google’, ‘Search’ and ‘I feel lucky’. With the immense popularity of Google, this has inevitably changed. There is now Google mail, Google Ads, blogging options and a range of other services displayed on the Home Page.

However, there are still very few words, and the page is dominantly filled with white space, making any new or additional text stand out. There is currently a link under the main search box which states:

‘Information, resources, and ways you can help survivors of the Haiti earthquake.’

By clicking on this link you are taken to a donation page which is titled: ‘Crisis Response’.

While the actual copy is not as personable or emotive as the Facebook page, it is still very effective. There is a brief description reminding of the magnitude of the earthquake, and also a line in bold which reads:

‘Google will also donate $1 million’.

This being highlighted shows the enormity of what has happened, and the importance to give whatever you can to the relief funds.

The main selling point of the page is the two links where you can donate. There are two options to choose from: Oxfam or Unicef. You simply enter the amount in £’s that you want to donate, and click ‘donate’. Very simple, very effective and very clever.

The point in providing two charities to choose from is a clever tool in itself. Obviously, both will use your money to help in Haiti, but they will both be doing different things. A brief description of what the charities will be using your money for is supplied under the logo. Oxfam will be concentrating on providing shelter and clean water – Unicef will be concentrating on food and medical supplies, with particular emphasis on children.

The work being carried out by both charities is essential to the people of Haiti. While one is providing water, the other is providing food – people will realise that they must contribute to both charities to give the best support possible.

The charities are not working against each other – they are working with each other to do the best for the people of Haiti.

Clever marketing technique? Effective copywriting? Yes and yes.

Who benefits? The people of Haiti.

EBay
EBay takes quite a different approach. Whereas Google is very plain, simple and generous, eBay, in my opinion, attempts to use the donation link as a way to boost its own profits.

Is this unethical? Or is it just clever business?

EBay is encouraging people to donate up to 100% of their Sale profits to the Haiti fund. This encourages people to place products on eBay to raise funds for donation. It also persuades people to buy products so that their money can be donated, whilst getting something in return for themselves (the product purchased).

While this is great for the relief effort in Haiti – what it’s all about – for every item placed onto eBay, eBay makes a profit. Insertion fee, and then a final value fee.

There is the encouragement for people to use eBay more (as it helps people in Haiti), and at the same time, eBay itself is making a profit from the additional auctions.

I must stress, though, that eBay does supply a ‘Donate via PayPal’ link. EBay is also the only site out of the three to include emotive images. Images of the devastation – people can see what they are donating for. They do not have to read, actions often do speak louder than words.

The text they use, although shorter in length, is very similar to that of Facebook: ‘destruction’, ‘critical’ and ‘mass devastation’ are strong attempts to tug on the heartstrings of potential donators.

Conclusion
So, has clever copywriting been involved in the making of the various donation links? Each has clearly been well thought through. How they layout the page, how they format their sentences and how they use emotive language has all been done carefully.

Each has applied a different technique to really draw in the donator. Facebook concentrated on appearing personal to the user through terms such as: ‘Dear friends’ and pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘you’. The main invigorator, however, is the use of terms to describe what is going on in Haiti: ‘death’ and ‘destruction’.

Google appears very simple and easy to use and understand. This will have broader appeal to a wider, larger audience. In showing that Google themselves are donating $1 million, it shows just how important it is to give as much as you can, as the people of Haiti are in desperate need.

EBay uses a mixture of emotive language and images, and also has various options on how you can donate. This is an attempt to attract a wider audience – donate through buying, selling or directly through PayPal – but also sees a good marketing opportunity.

All have used proven copywriting techniques, however, the focus is much more on what they are donating for, as oppose to the benefits that the donator will get in return. While this goes against the number one rule of sales copy – people only want to know what is in it for them – it has undoubtedly proved a successful way of obtaining donations to the people of Haiti.

How To Make Money Writing Online

Making money online is one of the biggest, most rewarding and exciting aspects to come out of the dotcom generation.

There are numerous, countless, unfathomable amounts of different ways to earn cash on the internet. It is simple, quick, rewarding and pleasurable. People can make money literally at the click of a button.

With advertising, affiliate marketing, online shops and perhaps most significant of all, eBay, anybody who has access to the World Wide Web can generate money whenever, from wherever, they like.

Many people, an increasing amount in fact, quit their day jobs, and live their lives on the internet, making substantial incomes. Dotcom billionaires set the minds of entrepreneurs alight in the early days of Yahoo!, AOL and Google. Such simple concepts generated ludicrous profits and bit by bit, year by year, people all over the world have tried to follow in such footsteps by creating their own online businesses.

With the emergence of eBay as an internet phenomenon, everyday men, women and children alike began to realise the power of the internet. With the colossal expansion of internet popularity, more advertising, more businesses and more products hit the internet shelves.

You can now make money online doing practically anything. With such a jungle to fight through, however, the importance of clever marketing is becoming ever more apparent.

So, with millions of writers, bloggers, journalists and copywriters out there, all wanting their share of the internet-pie, how can they make their money by writing on the internet?

There are plenty of popular websites out there which pay for their writers. Starting with the obvious, BBC and CNN, both cover masses of subjects and topics i.e. News, Business, Sport, Entertainment… and both are updated 24 hours a day. They both offer work experience and occasionally advertise job opportunities, but most notable of all, you can email particular subject areas or journalists with your own freelance articles. Whether or not these are paid, depends strictly on numerous factors. Most poignantly here – they probably won’t use it.

So, what is a good basis to start earning money online? Well, it is firstly important to spread your wings. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You have to write lots of articles, and publish them on many sites. This will naturally increase the amount of traffic to your articles, and also allows for more back-links to your article/blog websites.

The content of your writing should be from your own ideas and your own words. Not duplicating content already on the web will help people find what you are writing about.

There are numerous websites available such as www.associatedcontent.com, www.haymarket.com and www.helium.com, which serve as magazine websites, in a similar format to the BBC or CNN, but will pay ad revenue to writers who get their articles featured and published.

Advertising is not necessarily earning money directly through writing, but it is certainly a viable starting point. Signing up to a Google AdSense account allows you to place advertisements on your websites, allowing you to earn money as you publish articles. You can filter out unwanted adverts, therefore increasing the potential of your articles.

Maybe this one is a bit of a jungle in itself, but throwing your name about is so important: sign up to various Freelancer websites, advertise your services, promote yourself as a writer, and you may well get spotted by somebody looking to hire a writer. I call this a jungle because there tend to be thousands of writers signed up to these websites – all claiming to be the biggest and best, and they are all in the same boat as you. It is difficult to stand out from the crowd.

But this all ties in with general networking. When hiring a writer, the employer, if you will, would rather hire somebody whose work they have seen, and that they know they can trust. When everybody is claiming to be a great writer, some people will be cautious because they can’t differentiate between one writer and the other. If you have various blogs, websites, facebook and twitter accounts, there is more of a chance that said employer will have come across your name and work at various other stages of their search for a writer. This adds to your credibility as a good writer, thus increasing your chances of being hired. Then, in turn, doing a good job will earn appraisals and testimonials.

www.hubpages.com is a great way to earn money, and a great way to have your work found by varying readers. Use popular keywords and don’t forget to tag your articles. This all helps to increase traffic.

As previously mentioned, eBay has been a phenomenon. You can use your acquired writing skills to sell products on eBay. This is actually a very good tool for testing out the quality if your copywriting. In general, articles well written, with plenty of power words and benefits, will end up selling for more than with just a general item description.

Similarly to advertising, while this is not strictly your writing which is earning money – it is certainly an effective way to test out the harnessing of your skills.

Fetch out Your Shades - We're off to the Sunshine State!

Sun, sea, sand…

…Key lime pie and orange juice…

…Welcome to Florida!

With year-round sunshine, fun and activities – it’s the holiday you will never, ever forget. Florida is the tourism capital of the world.

With the phenomenal offers available with Primo Vacations, this is a wonderful opportunity to visit Orlando, the home of Walt Disney World Resort. With over 25,000 acres to play with, Floridians certainly don’t waste much space!

Disney Land Resort is the largest vacation resort and the most visited theme park resort in the entire world! And there’s good reason for that, with four magical, world renowned theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom), along with two huge water parks, twenty-four hotels based on the beautiful Lake Buena Vista, miles and miles of golf courses, shops and entertainment areas, and unlimited outdoor recreation activities for all the family. Orlando is an exquisite place, one where you are never too old to join in the fun.

Primo are currently running an offering a Disney Gift Card worth up to $750 which can be used at various locations around the Resort – absolutely Free. Certainly worth checking out.

There are plenty of other reasons to visit Florida too.

It’s the reason we know it as the Sunshine State, and the reason why it attracts so many visitors each year; it is that magnificent combination of glorious climate and stretches of golden beaches. Impeccably perfect beaches which span on for hundreds and hundreds of miles, and attract the most glamorous of Hollywood royalty – I’m talking about Miami.

South Beach, Miami, is one of the most famous beach resorts in the world. There are literally hundreds of hotels along the beach front, although you still won’t struggle to find a peaceful, quiet area if you so wish – such is the enormous size.

One of the latest attractions in Miami Beach is the must-try Ocean Force Adventures. You will be whisked off on a Zodiac RIB Boat – made famous by the FBI and Coast Guards in films and television shows such as CSI: Miami – where you will explore more than 40 miles of blue ocean waters and soak up the sun-drenched Biscayne Bay. This is a breathtaking tour which is available to You on your dream trip to Florida.

However, that’s not all. Florida has one other world famous ‘must-do-activity’. How can you visit Florida without discovering the absorbing Everglades? No trip to Florida can be complete without a trip on board an Airboat on the Everglades. This is the perfect way to really adventure in this beautiful State. Venture through the Winding Mangrove creeks and Bays, deep into the Everglades. Listen to the Boat Captains as they take you through the history of the Everglades and show you the exotic wildlife, which can only be seen this way, in this amazing part of the world.

Florida is the number one tourist spot in America – take a visit with Primo, and you will see why.

How to squeeze the most out of Squeeze Pages

Earn loads of easy cash now; simply enter your First Name and Email below!

Well, there’s no box here – but would you be tempted? I bet you were a little interested. And I bet you read the whole message.

This is the power of the squeeze page. It is a fact that squeeze pages are a phenomenal way of offering your products online.

But what is are squeeze pages?

A squeeze page is a small sales page. Every so often, you visit a website where a small box appears, urging you to enter your email address, with the guarantee of joy, happiness or prosperity. These boxes are designed to entice you to enter a website, or give your contact details.

With the proliferation of spam, internet users are often wary of where and to whom they give out their contact details. Therefore, as a simple point of contact, internet marketers use squeeze pages to gain your email address, so that they can send you emails over a period of time, offering their products.

Successful squeeze pages are created using a combination of catchy sales copy, colour psychology and keyword rich text. Advanced internet marketers will use video or audio in their squeeze pages to draw instant attention to the box.

There are many advantages of using squeeze pages. As a box that pops up on your screen, you cannot help but view it – reaching out to an unlimited number of potential customers.

The greatest advantage of all is the incredible increase in visitor-to-buyer conversion rates.

This is because, although you are making the first point of contact with the customer – it is the customer who is approaching you and your sales page. If people are interested enough in your initial squeeze page to enter their email address, they clearly have an interest in buying your product.

The point in the squeeze page isn’t to make a sale – it is to engage the interest of the customer. Like any copywriter, salesman, businessman or journalist will tell you – engaging the customer into wanting to know more is half the battle. A squeeze page – with very little space for content, is a simple way to engage the customer.

A squeeze page can also create a sense of trust with the customer, as they are not put-off by a pushy sales pitch, or feel as though they are being forced into anything.

When designing a squeeze page, you have very limited space; therefore you have to be clever, and utilise the small space you have. Being smart with limited space is the key to a successful squeeze page.

Hiring a professional copywriter to write your content is the best way to attract as large a crowd of customers as possible. Copywriters will include as many search engine friendly keywords as possible in the limited space available.

A problem with squeeze pages is that with so little text, search engine spiders often don’t find them relative enough to the original search. Therefore, great quality copy is absolutely vital to achieving a highly successful squeeze page.

Remember, people are only interested in one thing – what’s in it for them. Don’t waste time and space trying to explain things – just get straight to the point, i.e. “Earn loads of cash now!”

How to Increase Traffic to Your Website

Boosting the number of visitors to your website is the most important way to expand your profile and business.

The internet is like a giant haystack, and your website is the needle that needs to be found. There are numerous simple methods you can use to achieve this.

Search Engines
The most effective way of gaining traffic to your website, is to be picked up by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Ask.

Search engines use highly sophisticated Spiders that scan through the internet to find the most relevant websites available. The most important thing Spiders search for is Key Words.

Key Words are words or phrases relevant to the original search. So, for example, if somebody types: “Football in Brazil” into Google – Spiders will search for websites which includes as many relevant Key Words as possible, i.e. ‘football’, ‘brazil’, ‘soccer’, ‘Pele’.

The best thing you can do is jot down, before you write your article, a list of Key Words that need to be included in your copy, so that search engines have the best chance of finding Your website. Make sure you include as many Key Words as possible, but keep them all relevant and in context – Spiders are intelligent enough to spot someone trying to ‘cheat the system’.

Great content
Above all else, the most important aspect of all – make sure you have good, quality content on your website. You can attract every internet user in the world to your website, but if the content is poor, they will not continue to read, they won’t come back, and your website becomes useless.

Your content must leave people wanting to revisit, wanting to buy your product/enjoy your writing, and best of all, go out and tell other people about your website.

If you do not have the nous for writing quality copy, you can hire a Copywriter to do this for you. They will know all the tricks of the trade, and optimise your chances of being picked up by search engines.

Social Networking
Networking, gaining contacts, and placing links on other websites is another valuable way to gain traffic. Millions of people use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter – make the most of this. It is such an Easy way to connect with potential visitors.

If, for instance, you have written an interesting article on tennis player Andy Murray – search for him on Twitter, and then follow everyone who is following him. Then, put a link to your website, explaining you have an interesting article about Andy Murray that is well worth reading. A similar method can easily be followed using Facebook, by searching for Groups about Andy Murray – and then becoming Friends with all the members – and placing a link to your website/article.

The internet is huge – make the most of it
You need to throw your name, article and website address around as many relevant places as possible. Again, using Andy Murray as an example, search on Google for forums, communities and websites about him – and place a link to your website on each. Offer to put links on your website for other people, in return that they do the same for you.

Make sure they come back
Once people have visited your website, the aim then is to make them visit again. To do this, you need to show people that your website is dynamic, as oppose to static. This basically means that people won’t keep visiting a website that never changes. Keep updating your pages, information and content – it will keep visitors aware of your online presence.

Offering Freebies, such as a newsletter, is a good way to keep people aware of your dynamic website.

“By signing up to my website, you will receive a free newsletter on Andy Murray every month.”

This means that once every month, people will be reminded that you are still active, and still producing new content that may be of interest to them. This also gives you an opportunity every month to reconnect with the people who you followed on Twitter, and the people you made Friends with on Facebook, as you tell them about your new article, or your latest newsletter.

Key Words are Key
Once your article is complete – check your list of Key Words. Have you included each one at least once? I cannot stress the importance of this enough.

And before you submit:

PROOF READ PROOF READ PROOF READ

How to Engage readers in Your Copy

Three…Two…One…


…Times up.


This is how long you have to attract a reader to your article. The average person will take three seconds to look at your work, and then make a decision to read on, skim through, or ignore it.

As a copywriter, it is vital to draw in your reader’s attention as early as possible.

The secret is to keep your sentences short, sharp and snappy. Never open your article with a text-heavy paragraph. It puts-off your potential reader before they even think about reading.

One technique, used by many professional copywriters, is to keep opening-paragraphs to just one or two lines, often just one or two words. For example:

Paragraph one: “Relax.”
Paragraph two: “Unwind.”
Paragraph three: “Chill out at one of our stunning health spa’s for only…”

Without even knowing it, you have gained the reader’s attention by creating curiosity in their mind, and now they are into the main body of your article.

In doing this, it is important to remember your audience. Don’t forget who you are writing for, and who you are trying to attract. You want to attract the right readers as early as possible:

“Fix your roof for only £20”.

This is only going to appeal to people who want their roof fixing – there is no point in waffling, trying to draw in people who don’t want their roof fixing. Likewise, you don’t want to risk losing the right customers by being too ambiguous – get straight to the point.

An easy way to draw in your audience is to ask questions. Make your reader think. Make your copy personal to them. Make them think that the article is about them:

“Are you fed up with your job?”
“Do you need some extra cash?”
“Do you need your roof fixing?”

This engages the reader and can immediately sift through the people you do and don’t want to attract. Using the “roof” example, people who need their roof fixing will automatically think “yes” to this question, and naturally read on, as there could well be a ‘Problem – Solution – Benefit’ scenario about to approach them. For example:

“Do you need your roof fixing? (Problem) Smiths Roofers will fix it for only £20 (Solution), keeping your house warm and damp-free. (Benefit)”

The key point to always remember is:

People are only interested in one thing – what is in it for them.

Make your reader aware that the copy is directed at them. Remember to keep asking questions to make the reader think. Use Action Words like: “Save, Earn and Feel.” This is telling them what can happen as a result of [for instance] buying the product on offer.

Keep using Key Words such as “You and Your” so they can furthermore see the article is aimed at them, and can be beneficial to them.

Whilst selling a product, providing entertainment, or supplying information is the point of the body copy – the whole point of your headline and opening paragraphs are to engage the reader and make them read on.

By following these simple copywriting techniques, you will be achieving results with your own quality, effective copy in no time.

Stephen Fry's Great American Adventure

I am fascinated by America. North America in particular. The American road-movie has always appealed to me: the diners, the long, deserted roads, the motels, and the many, many different cultures, climates, and landscapes. Crossing the United States is the ultimate travel adventure.

I have recently been reading Stephen Fry in America, a fascinating travel journal by the “quintessential Englishman” at his quintessential best. Charming, witty, and heart-warmingly pleasing – Stephen Fry zig-zags his way through the 50 states in his traditional London black cab, meeting real people to discover real America.

In the months it took him to travel the States, Fry had the desire to meet everyday people from each State, and get to know what it is really like to be an American citizen. He fishes for Lobster in Maine, hunts in the wilderness of New YorkState, and speaks to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Not your traditional travelogue – there is little speak of the en-route diners, the beautiful weather in Florida, or the “oh my, I’m driving on the wrong side of the road!” norm. Not that this isn’t an entertaining read on its own – after all, this is what we all think of when we think or dream of travelling America. But Fry’s intention was to see what it is like to live and work as a real-life American citizen – and not to see what it is like to live in America as a travelling Englishman.

He does this with style and aplomb, as he passes through the East Coast, the Deep South, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, through to the stunning lights of Vegas and the glamour of Los Angeles. Through this magnificent 6’4” comedian, poet, actor, writer and explorer, we get a real sense of what it is like to be an American.

In order to partake in such a rigorous adventure – one must have exceptional adoration of the country, and its residents. Time, effort, and planning had obviously gone into the production of the adventure. We all know Stephen Fry as somewhat of a general knowledge genius – and his inspiring knowledge of all that confronts him is intriguingly delightful.

Through the course of the book, we are entertained by history, geography, art, science, political, musical, and literature lessons. Without going into extravagant detail, Fry paints a wonderful picture of the awe inspiring landscapes, and leaves us feeling nothing but warmth and adoration for America and its people.

Want to take a visit? Want to make a similar adventure of your own?

There are various tours available through travel agencies and internet companies, but perhaps making your own journey on your own time, keeping to your own schedule is the way to do it.

An exciting adventure in the world’s most diverse land is something we should all aspire to do.

Or at the very least, I urge you read about it.