January 8, 2012

The Painless Way To Blog

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012 [Blog Editor]

Blogging may seem intimidating at first but don't worry. As a member of Goodyear Toastmasters, the details get handled for you. All you do is draft content suitable for a general audience.

Guidelines

Write a post that's at least 300 words. That may seem like a lot but that's just a few minutes of talking. We talk effortlessly all day long (or know people who do). Writing takes more work but is within your grasp.

You can write using a free text editor like WordPad or a blogging app like Windows Live Writer (download page). You don’t need a heavy-duty tool like Microsoft Word but can use that if you’d like. If you have an iPad, iA Writer is excellent (see how to write better and faster).

Identification

Don't you want credit for your posts? Include your name and a sentence or two about yourself. You can include a link to your website or LinkedIn profile, if you like.

Send a photo too. Larger is better. The photo will be cropped and reduced to 100x100 pixels.
If you're reluctant to use your real name, you're free to use a pseudonym or maybe just your first name.

Editing

When you're satisfied, email your draft to the Blog Editor. You're done. If the changes are minor, you won't be notified.

If the changes are more extensive, you'll be contacted with suggestions. This can be a valuable learning process. Speaking has "crutchwords". Writing does too. You might be using passive verbs, complicated words or lengthy sentences. In the beginning, the editing will be minor and get more detailed as you get better. Isn't that exactly what happen when you progress through your speeches?

Posting

Your post will be scheduled for publication. For an instant notification when it goes live, Follow @gytm81 on Twitter. To get a copy of every post, subscribe. It’s all free.

As you get comfortable with the process, you’re welcome to become a regular contributor. You might even decide to start your own blog. That could change your life …

Frequency

You can blog as frequently as you like. The risk is getting burned out. Start with one post for now. Maybe you can commit to one per month? That's just a word per day!

Start

The goal is to publish every post but the Blog Editor decides. Some ideas may not suit the tone of our blog. In that case, you'll be notified. You may wish to make changes or publish elsewhere (e.g., another site or your own blog).

To participate, send your creation to something to the Blog Editor. How about today?

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