Is it really important how fast you do the article submission process? It may not be if you are just going to submit an article or two and leave it at that. However, if you plan to use articles as a regular part of your marketing plan for your website, it becomes very important. When I wrote an article to promote one of my web sites for the first time, it took me hours. The article submission process took another hour - for just one article directory! Most articles now take me less than an hour to write. Almost every morning I submit an article to a dozen directories, and this takes me just fifteen minutes. Does speed matter? Consider that in the last twelve months I’ve written and submitted 300 articles to directories (don’t worry - you don’t need to write this much to effectively promote your sites). Now suppose I took twelve minutes for each directory submission, instead of the 75 seconds I average now. That’s 525 hours extra in the last year, or 17 of my 30-hour work weeks! Efficient Article Submission It’s not about rushing or typing fast. Just develop a simple process or system for anything that you repeatedly do. A simple process makes article submission more relaxing, not less so. Write your articles in a Windows Notepad file or any simple word processing program. Have a systematic way to format everything - one that works for you - and stick with it. In my files, I have the author’s resource boxes prepared and copied many times, waiting for the addition of the articles. Of course they can be modified for an article, but this is quicker than writing a new one each time. I also keep a separate file of articles for each website. When I write an article, I copy and paste it into the file again, adding bold tags or italics or heading tags as necessary to the first version. This way I have a version ready for the directories that accept HTML and those that don’t. Each article also has a two sentence description and a list of keywords, ready to copy and paste into the submission forms. I keep a numbered list of directories I submit to - with the URL of the submission page ready to be copied and pasted into the browser to speed things along. I write the article titles on a list. As I submit them I jot down the number of the article directory. Sometimes directories have technical problems for a day or a month. With my simple tracking list, I can go back later to submit the article to those that were missed. You have to open and close (expand and minimize) files repeatedly as you fill in the submission forms. To save time on forms that require my name, I copy the title and name together, paste it into the “title” box on the form, then cut the name and paste it into the appropriate box. This will make more sense once you try it - it means opening and close the file one less time. I paste the article description and the keywords into the form, if that article directory requires these, then I copy the article body along the resource box. After pasting the article into the form, I cut out the resource box and paste it into the appropriate box. Again, this is to open and close the file one less time. Use any little tricks that work for you to speed things up. You may have an auto-fill feature on your browser, or you can get one. Use it. When forms asking for name, email, or anything else are highlighted yellow, you can usually fill them in with these tools. At directories requiring my name and email address, I just click my auto-fill button, and those fields are filled in for me. I use this tool dozens of times daily, saving me a lot of typing. You should also get a keyboard with “cut,” “copy” and “paste” buttons. These are much faster than navigating up to “edit,” finding “copy,” then opening it again to use the “paste” function. This little feature has saved me twenty hours of work in the last year alone - well worth the small price. I speed up the process in may other ways too, but there is no reason you have to do it the way I do. The important point is to spend more time writing good articles than submitting them. That is why it’s important to develop some system for efficient article submission. Copyright Steve Gillman. He lost money on his websites until he discovered the power of articles. Six months later he was making a good living online. To learn how you can do the same, get your free online writing course at: .999articles.com

Introduction Travel writing is part reporting, part diary and part providing traveller information. Travel writers create their art using a multitude of different styles and techniques but the best stories generally share certain characteristics, notably: 1) Clear writing style, without affectation, used by a writer who knows the point of the story, gets to it quickly and gets it across to the reader strongly and with brevity and clarity. 2) Strong sense of the writer’s personality, ideally demonstrating intelligence, wit and style. 3) Use of the writer’s personal experiences, other anecdotes and quotations to add life to the piece. 4) Vivid reporting - the ability of the writer to convey to readers, using as many of the senses as possible, the travel experience through the use of words alone. 5) High literary quality and the accurate use of grammar and syntax. 6) Meaty, practical and accurate information that is useful to the reader. Be Fresh Give your story a fresh point of view and, if at all possible, cover some out-of-the-ordinary subject matter. Be creative in your writing. Strive for the best and strongest use of English and the most original and powerful metaphors and similes. Be Personal Take your own approach to a location you’ve visited, an activity you’ve tried or an adventure that thrilled you. What was it that really excited or inspired you? Identify it and get it across to your readers. To stand out from the crowd, your story must have a personal voice and point of view. Remember that most places you write about will already have been written about before. Your challenge is to find something new and original to say. Be Funny Travel writing should mostly have a light, bright, lively, and fun tone. Travel, the process of leaving the familiar to go to the foreign and unfamiliar, is often rich in comedy and comical events. Incorporate comedy into your writing where appropriate and don’t be afraid to make your readers laugh. Also don’t be afraid to incorporate mishaps into your pieces. These can be just as worth reading about, maybe more so, particularly if they also incorporate an element of comedy or humour. Be Surprising Surprise your reader. Give the reader something out of the ordinary; something that only someone who has been to the location would know. Do this by trying unusual activities, meeting new people, and getting involved in strange scenes as you travel. Be Balanced Travel writing must blend your personal observations, descriptions and commentary with practical information that is useful to your readers. The precise balance depends on the outlet you’re aiming your story at but rarely should a good travel piece comprise more facts than description. Two-thirds or even three-quarters colourful description to one-third or one-quarter facts would be a reasonable guideline to start from. Be a Quoter Work in quotes from visitors to locations, or participants in activities. Let them express their thoughts about how they feel about a place or activity. Quotes lift stories. Think Like Your Reader You need to develop as clear an impression as possible of what readers of the publications you’re targeting want to read, their travel aspirations, how they like articles written and what information they want to know. You want to be able to think like your reader. Only then will you be able to identify how you can help your reader. Only then should you start writing your article. The Big Picture: What is the Main Point You Want to Get Across to Your Reader? Good travel stories have a definite, central theme and it will greatly improve your writing if you can identify the central themes of your articles before you try to write them. Decide at the outset what main point about a location or activity you want to convey. This is the “big picture” and you then work your impressions and facts around it. Identifying the big picture early on will also help you structure your piece sensibly and help you decide what information you need to include and, equally importantly, what you can and should leave out. Become a Successful Travel Writer

Last year, about this time, something Cecil Murphy said hit home. He said, “I stopped looking for work and started letting God find me work.” I’m paraphrasing big time, but the jest of his talk was that when he let go and let God, everything just fell into place. When he stopped worrying about where that next paying job was going to come from, when he stopped worrying about finding new clients, it was then that he was able to hear God’s voice and his writing career changed forever. At the time, I was extremely burnt out and writing just wasn’t fun anymore. Heck, even reading written words had become drudgery. I was seriously trying to figure out how to walk away from the success I had built and what I could do with the rest of my life, career wise. As I began to concentrate on his words, it became clear that I had been focusing on the wrong things

As a firm believer in the power of article marketing and an editor of a general article directory this article has been slowly simmering away inside me for some time now. The issue I want to address is the appalling quality of so much of the writing that has slowly but insidiously penetrated the whole article industry. Just the other day, being pressed for time and hoping to address a few specific web hosting questions that had been submitted to me over at my directory, I went in search of a well written article on the subject. In theory, it should have been simple. There was certainly no lack of promising looking subject headings, but on closer inspection the writing was invariably on a par with what you could reasonably expect from a not very well educated child. I trolled my way through article directories both large and small, and was shocked by the low standard of the majority of the writing on offer. Even well established and supposedly trustworthy sites seemed to be exercising little or no editorial control, allowing embarrassingly unskilled authors to publish, it seems, with impunity. With article marketing experiencing an all time high and with increasing numbers of people entering the ranks of article authors, you would think that the directories would be enforcing even stricter controls. Apparently not. I was disappointed to see at directory after directory, the same badly written, poorly constructed, dreadfully punctuated and, in some cases, downright illiterate and nonsensical rubbish again and again. I suppose I should not be surprised, as I see these terrible submissions on a daily basis, but why do article directories allow them to get through the net? I can only think that in many cases there just isn’t a net; nobody capable of weeding out the rubbish, or nobody who cares enough. This is a very shortsighted approach. I won’t mention names, but one of the biggest general article directories out there was among the worst offenders. Maybe this lack of any kind of editorial intervention is due to laziness, lack of resources, greed, or plain old complacency but the rot has definitely set in. Gradually, article writing and distribution is becoming the province of the lowest common denominator and earning a poorer and poorer reputation. I suppose I could just as easily blame the “authors”. It is true that those responsible for submitting such shoddy examples of penmanship are a major part of the problem, but if nobody points out the errors of their ways, or educates them to the fact that they cannot spell, punctuate, or construct a simple sentence, it is no wonder that they persist. Make it clear that they must meet your editorial guidelines or remain unpublished. I realize that there has been a slow swing to the prevailing attitude that telling children or even adults of their failings is “damaging to their self esteem” and that people should be coddled and praised at every turn, deserving or not. The last thing we should do is give an honest appraisal or express dissatisfaction for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. My issues with this kind of liberal and damaging viewpoint is something else entirely, and I’ll say no more. As an article directory operator I find myself in a somewhat delicate position. I need authors to write and submit content. I therefore view them as valued customers, whilst also understanding that we both stand to benefit from our business arrangement. However, there are some things that authors must understand about directories, and their owners and operators. For the owner, an article directory is an investment in terms of both time and money. By hosting the content submitted by authors, the directory hopes to recoup their operating costs and preferably turn a profit. They also exist to serve up quality content for their visitors and publishers, who, just like the authors, are also customers. If you write articles, your aim in submitting them to article directories is to spread your message to a wider audience, which is exactly what the directories help you to do. You also hope that third parties will find your work interesting enough to syndicate on their own websites and blogs, thus spreading your e-footprints even further. Now, do you want to see your hard work buried in the middle of a pile of badly written barely understandable rubbish? If this happens, the chances of your well crafted articles being found are that much slimmer. Publishers soon tire of having to wade through 30 pieces of crap just to find one good article and will likely give up before ever reaching yours. Using the same argument, do you really want to associate your name, your business and your reputation with very poor quality writing? If you are guilty of submitting rehashed PLR content, or repetitive strings of sentences “written” by software and passed off as an article, maybe you should reconsider your strategies. There are too many mistakes made by would be article marketers to go into them all here. Making yourself look foolish by pontificating about a subject and then making rookie mistakes is a classic example of why you should not ‘wing it’ when writing articles. Using a title such as, ‘How To Do Article Marketing”, is a classic example, causing you to fall flat on your face before the first word of the first paragraph. A few words to the wise from the other side of the fence. If an article directory is worth submitting to, they will insist on certain quality guidelines. They are often operated by just one person who acts as webmaster and editor. They will probably receive hundreds of articles every week, all of which have to be approved - this means they have to read them. If the title or the first few lines are badly written, you stand a very good chance of being declined or deleted. There is a difference and much of the time it is far more expedient to just vaporize your article completely - no explanation, no second chance. They will also recognize the names of individual authors very quickly, so if you submit rubbish on a consistent basis, they are likely to delete anything with your name on after a short period of time, often without even reading it. Like it or not, mud sticks, so recovering a position of trust might take some time. Don’t get off on the wrong foot by ignoring the rules of the directory in question, as you will probably find yourself reciprocally ignored in short order, defeating the entire purpose of your article writing. So, my message to article directory owners and authors is simple. Focus on quality writing and quality content. This must be placed above all else if the benefits of articles as a means of promotion are to remain. No quality means no winners. Get tougher on the spam, the ad copy, the irrelevant linking, the keyword stuffing and demand basic literacy before blindly publishing to the world at large. If you do not, the barbarians will soon take over the city. Maurice Snell operates a free article directory that welcomes accomplished writers and authors and has just released his latest ebook entitled Article Marketing Expert which can be downloaded for free and aims to help anyone maximize the benefits of their article marketing.

New Book Helps Young Entrepreneurs Become Corporate Titans — Financial Advice for Cash-Poor Business Leaders

Tourism is explained as movement of people connecting the crossing of cultural boundaries for the objective of business, study, pleasure or leisure. Tourism includes some type of culture contact, however transient and superficial. We have seen graduate students who even make tourism dissertations. Tourism dissertations can cover various topics, including subject like tourism leading to peace. Students find tourism dissertations as an important part of their university level. They like to take the topic of tourism because of their interest. We know that tourism can lead peace when it is correctly conducted by each individual and when more people can have opportunities to be tourists. Tourism is creating peace when tourism works for (a’) postponement or abolishment of war, (b’) abolition of structural violence, and (c’) alertness and action for the improvement of global and environmental issues. Dissertation idea on tourism can be through various ways. For example, the student can think of a time when tourism initiatives have gained momentum in U.K, the circumstances are ready for popularizing the concept of “Peace through Tourism” in a big way through strong advocacy and practical action. Another dissertation idea on tourism can b by thinking tourism as a strategy to promote peace by solving the problems of poverty, unemployment, etc. can succeed if effective inter-connections are created among “tourism initiatives” and “peace”, and appropriate action plans are devised accordingly. Few students who make tourism dissertations have strong community and democratic ethos. Community-based initiatives based on people’s participation have been quite effective in U.K in solving the socio-economic problems of the people. Through the tourism dissertations, students are able to be successful in building up strong collaborations based on people’s efforts which have led to creation of a peaceful and cordial atmosphere. Limitations of the centralized form of decision making have obligated the policy-makers to pin their faiths on such people-based ventures.

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Overview When we write User Documents we rely on our Reader’s/User’s experience to simplify our work. This can cause problems for the Reader. This article will discuss the effects of Reader experience and how to minimize the negative effects of incompatible experience, and how to handle the writer’s assumptions about the Reader. Writer’s Benefits: Relying on Reader Experience When we write, we rely on our Reader’s experience to give us a “starting point” for our User Document. Often we make hidden assumptions about our Reader’s experience. Here are some examples where relying on our Reader’s experience makes things easy (and causes problems) for us as writers: Example: Using a Computer’s Mouse In writing User Documentation for Graphical User Interface-based computer products (such as the Windows or Mac User interface), we assume that the the Reader knows how to use a mouse to click on items, drag, etc. This saves much background writing. Example: Cooking: How to Measure Ingredients; Terms Cook books save space by (usually correctly) assuming that a Reader can perform basic cooking operations (such as measuring ingredients), and terms (such as puree or slice). Example: Common Acronyms We rely on “common” acronyms such as AM and PM to simplify our writing lives. However, many Readers use a 24 hour clock, and thus AM and PM are meaningless to them. Beware of any acronyms that you assume that your Reader knows. It is best to define acronyms in line (perhaps in parentheses) when they are first presented in that part of the User Document. You cannot define them only the first time they appear in the User Document. This assumes — incorrectly — that Users read your User Document from start to finish. Problems Writers Cause When Assuming User Experience Our assumptions as writers can get us into trouble. Example: Unfamiliar Words Here’s a gardening example: Acme’s (a fictitious company) Illustrated Guide to Gardening in Canada (1979) makes an incorrect assumption about its Readers: In one of their definitions they use a term, “the axil of a leaf” to define another term. “Axil of a leaf” is not listed in the book’s index, and there is no glossary in the book. Clearly this book assumes that the Reader understands the term “the axil of a leaf.” I don’t, and am therefore unhappy with the presentation. Solution: Provide a glossary of gardening terms or a reference to a page in the book where the term is defined. Example: Assuming Students’ Experience Here is an example where an (unstated) assumption by a training company rendered one of their courses useless. In order to do the exercises in a computer programming course, students had to be able to use an editor (a simple word processor) to program the system. The only editor available on the course machines was a UNIX editor known as vi. Unfortunately, the students were not told that they needed to use the vi editor. The course presenters assumed that the students knew vi. The students did not, and they spent half the course time trying to learn and deal with vi. The hidden assumption by the training company resulted in a failed learning experience (the students never needed to use vi again). It wasted two days of the four-day course time. Don’t Present Assumptions in a Sneaky Way If the training company had said that, “We train on UNIX systems,” then they leave a way out for themselves when they disappoint students who do not know the vi editor. When confronted, the company could respond with, “We told you it was a UNIX system. You should know that vi is the editor available on that system.” This sneaky statement of the assumption is foolish. It will result in a lose-lose situation. The Bottom Line As writers, we to make assumptions about our Reader’s experience. However, if you make assumptions, then make sure that you tell the Reader what you assume about him/her. Think about the assumptions that you make about your Reader. Are these assumptions valid (that is, can you really expect your Readers to meet your assumptions)? If there is any doubt in your mind, include information explaining the terms and procedures that you assume. Make sure that when you state assumptions, that you present them in a way that the Reader (student) can understand what the assumption means to them. Don’t be sneaky about presenting the assumptions. User Experience Can Cause Trouble for Writers Your Reader’s experience can cause confusion. Here are some examples: Example: Shampoo/Conditioner Product One of my favorite examples is a combined hair shampoo and conditioner product. If a User has experience with the separate products, then their experience is to: * Shampoo: Wet thenhair. Massage shampoo into the hair, then rinse it out. * Conditioner: Wash the hair. Massage conditioner into the wet hair, leave in the hair for two or three minutes, then rinse it out. The problem arises with the combined product. Should the User leave the product in the hair for two or three minutes (as done with the conditioner), or rinse it immediately (as done with the shampoo)? The User Document (product label) for a combined shampoo-conditioner should tell the User how to use the two-in-one product. Most such labels do not. Example: Words Used in Unexpected Ways Your writing can set the expectations of the Reader, resulting in confusion when words are used unexpectedly. An article in the Technology Section (of a newspaper on June 10, 2004, page B14) described, “How the little guy can back up computer data”. The article was about computers. When I came to the sentence: “Let’s face it: backups are boring and a hassle to boot.” I wondered about the phrase “to boot.” In computer jargon, “boot” is the process where the computer starts up (”lifts itself by its bootstraps”…by a program originally called a “bootstrap loader”). Does the author’s quote about “hassle to boot” mean that if I do backups, then my computer will be slower (”boring”) and require more work from me to start up (”hassle to boot”)? The use of the phrase “to boot” is inappropriate in this article, given that “to boot” has multiple meanings. The author used it as slang for “in addition to.” Since the article was about computers, I thought of the computer meaning of “to boot.” The sentence would be less confusing if the author left out “to boot,” as: “Let’s face it: backups are boring and a hassle.” We’ll return to this example shortly. Example: Functional Fixedness An object’s function is fixed in a person’s mind. For example, a hammer’s function is to pound things. Experiments have demonstrated that people have a hard time using a hammer for an unusual function, such as a paperweight, a prop, or a lever. This is called functional fixedness. Functional fixedness can limit the usefulness of your product. Your User Document should attempt to overcome functional fixedness. Perhaps this example will show how critical I am of User Documents. I have a wrist global positioning satellite (GPS) device that keeps track of my long walks. Sweaters and heavy coats, needed for walking in the winter, make it difficult to wear the GPS device on the wrist. But it is a WRIST device. Functional fixedness arises, causing me struggle to use the GPS on my wrist. But it turns out that the GPS works well when used in a pocket. The GPS User Document should mention this (obvious?) capability, thus reducing the functional fixedness associated with the WRIST GPS. In my defense: I am not sure that putting the wrist GPS in a pocket is more obvious than using a hammer as a paperweight. Example: Humor Humor relies on: . a subtle knowledge of the language (for example a pun) . or a knowledge of an event (perhaps a current event or entertainment event) on which the humor is based. Here’s an example, from an old joke: “You’re so funny, you should be on a stage. There’s one leaving in 15 minutes.” This joke relies on the Reader’s knowing the two meanings of “stage”: (1) a place for performing, and (2) transportation used in the western United States in the 1800’s. Most Readers might not know the second meaning, rendering the humor a confusing waste of words. Earlier we examined the sentence: “Let’s face it: backups are boring and a hassle to boot.” The author used the phrase “to boot” as some form of folksy talk or humor. It confused the Reader. Eliminate Humor from Your User Document . Humor will only confuse Users who do not understand it. . Humor is difficult, if not impossible, to translate into other languages. I suggest that you use a writing style that is informal and conversational, but with no attempts at humor. Remove attempts at humor when you review and revise your writing. If you want to write humor, do it elsewhere (you should be on a stage). User Documents are no place to practice your humor. The Bottom Line Assumptions Be careful about what you assume about your Reader. When in doubt whether or not a Reader knows something: . State your assumptions about your Reader State the assumptions in a way that the Reader can relate to . When in doubt, add the information that you assume, or . Tell your Reader where to find the assumed information By providing or pointing to this assumed information, you increase your audience Readers’ Experience Be aware of how your Reader’s experience influences how he/she interprets your User Document or uses your product. If necessary add material to your User Document to counter your Reader’s incompatible experience. Barry Millman, Ph.D., has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1966, Carnegie Institute of Technology) and a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Information Processing, University of Calgary). He has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker. For the past seven years he has been researching and creating resources to help organizations create great User Documents. Visit: .greatuserdocs.com for resources to help you create the content and access that your Users want and need.

A Bucket of Ashes, a romantic novel set in Britain and Nigeria, by Jill Lanchbery is published by Libros International. At the heart of A Bucket of Ashes by Jill Lanchbery is an old fashioned love story. Joanna Townsend has it all. She has her own home in a beautiful Sussex village, a successful career as a freelance fashion illustrator, a fourteen year old son who she adores and a gorgeous boyfriend, Tom who wants to marry her. Sally Akinola, mother of four teenage daughters, thinks she has it all too until she learns that her handsome Nigerian husband Isaac has a second wife who has produced the sons that his family and culture value so highly. It is when Joanna is offered a prestigious assignment in Lagos that the two women, once friends but now separated by time distance and culture, rekindle their friendship. As their two lives - past and present - parallel and intertwine, ducking and diving between modern day and fifteen years earlier, they are forced to confront their own personal problems compelling them to make choices they had never wanted or expected to make. Joanna, once again under the spell of her son’s father, Marcus, the man who had abandoned her, must decide whether or not she can trust him a second time; both for herself and for her son, Harry’s sake. For Sally it is a tragic event that irrevocably changes her life finally giving her the strength to do what she knows in her heart she must do. Set against the colourful tropical backdrop of Nigeria, it is a novel of passion, intrigue and tragedy, of teenage angst and cultural identity, but above all it is a story of human frailty. Of what happens when people live in such close proximity that adultery becomes almost obligatory and of the goldfish environment in which it flourishes. Of what happens when emotions are allowed to overrule common sense. Jill Lanchbery was born in Essex but brought up in South Africa and Zambia and has lived in Nigeria, Northern Ireland and England. She now lives on the Costa Blanca in Spain where she teaches English in between writing her novels. She has had stories and articles published in periodicals and anthologies.Although born in Nazeing, Essex, Jill considers herself to be a citizen of the world. As a small child, shortly after the end of the Second World War, she emigrated to South Africa along with her parents and brother and sister. Jill was the stereotypical scribbling child. Fascinated from a young age by ‘words on paper’, she excelled at reading and writing. An early marriage, four children and a husband whose job took the family all over the world meant that her formal education was curtailed. However she considers that what she may have missed out on in terms of ‘pieces of paper’ was compensated for by the abundance of experience she gained along the way. She was a grandmother - and what she describes as a ‘late developer’ - when she attended the University of Sussex, where she studied creative writing and English literature. Jill later went on to qualify as an EFL teacher specialising in Business English and she has taught both in the United Kingdom and in Spain. It was a family trauma - the death of her second daughter Alison in 1988 in tragic circumstances - that made her re-evaluate her life and was the catalyst for her writing. Since then she has had articles and short stories published in periodicals and anthologies and been placed in several international short story competitions. She was for many years an active member of Hastings Writers Group and is featured in their new anthology Diamonds. Reviews of A Bucket of Ashes on amazon include: Jill’s story follows a fashion designer, Joanna, on an assignment back to Nigeria, where she lived years before with her husband. Her return visit re-discovers some skeletons from a cupboard she thought had been closed as she renews a relationship with Marcus, whom she promised not to meet. Throughout the book, Joanna has choices to make in her life and, perhaps, the return to Nigeria brings the options into sharper focus. A gentle story well told. The characters really do come to life. Jill has conjured up the imagery of Africa with finesse, you can smell Africa, see her colours, hear her sounds. And against this backdrop, we are confronted with tough human emotions and difficult choices. It is the type of book that leaves you thinking about it long after you have finished the last page and put the book back onto the bookshelf. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys thoughtful, well-written narrative. A Bucket of Ashes will appeal to anyone who reads romantic fiction, but it also has the depth and content to captivate the general reader.