Help Us Help YOU!

Dear Writing Reader,

Getting other members to read, rate and review your writing is a big part of Writing.Com. My past columns have discussed direct ways to increase exposure to you and your items on Writing.Com.

This time, however, I'm going to talk about indirect ways. By that, I mean ways to bring other people to Writing.Com with the understanding that the more people there are on Writing.Com, the more reading, rating and reviewing there will be to go around. The direct benefits are none too shabby and include expanding your online resources and potentially making a few great contacts.

Just stroll through my few simple sections below and, together, we'll grow Writing.Com's community for all to enjoy!


Give Us a Link
Add a link to Writing.Com from your home page, blog or other web site pages you control. Search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo! weight their results based on the number of links a web site has. By linking to Writing.Com, you give us a thumbs up within the search engines, helping bring more visitors to Writing.Com!

In addition, at the bottom of each page on Writing.Com, you'll find "Link To Writing.Com". This page provides numerous buttons, banners and text links that can be copied and pasted into your web pages or email signatures.
          http://www.Writing.Com/main/linktous


Spread the Word a Few Sites a Day
If you, the members and Authors of Writing.Com, would each visit and contact just three (3) writing or reading related web sites each day, there would be hundreds or thousands more members to read, rate, review, meet and befriend!

Of course, not every site that's contacted will reply or take notice; but some will! When you consider that most people who find Writing.Com are really happy about it,
         (See: http://www.Writing.Com/main/testimonials.php),
you'll quickly realize that by introducing other writing enthusiasts to Writing.Com you could make a friend or business contact for life!

Aren't you glad that you found Writing.Com?


Find New Writing Sites
A great place to find new writing sites is Google.Com (http://www.google.com/). Just head there and search! Searching for specific sites will yield the best results.

For example, don't just search for writing, reading, stories or fiction. Instead try looking up romance writing, horror stories, or drama fiction.
Other suggestions would include: teen writing, kids reading, mystery writing resources, author links and publishing information.

The possibilities are endless; just mix and match your favorite things about writing and see what you find!


A Sample Email
Once you've found some sites and have visited them, you'll need something to say when you're ready to contact the Webmaster.

It is best to be short and to the point. For example:

         Hi! My name is [name], a writer on Writing.Com.
         I found your site today and was very impressed with it.

         I thought you might be interested in Writing.Com.
         It's "the premiere online community for readers
         and writers of all ages and interests."

         Thank you for your time and your website!
         ~~ [Your Name]
         
         http://www.Writing.Com/authors/ [yourusername]

Remember to email any person or site one time only! You should be sure to look through the site you're contacting enough to know whether the email you're going to send is appropriate. Amending your email to point out specific sections of their site that you liked best will help the chances that you'll receive a response.

Of course, you must visit any site you contact. Bulk emailing people without solicitation through a mailing list is not acceptable and is poor "netiquette"!

Good luck in your quest to bring new readers, more reviews and great friends to the place you call home.


Thank you...

Thank you for taking the time to read my column. I hope you find the information I've provided useful!

Sincerely,
~~ The ScaryMaster