Small business news; tips; networking | BizSugar | User

Submit an Article

Personal Information

Username:	HBCinc
User:	Home Business Center, Inc.
Location:	Montara Beach, California, USA
Facebook:	http://www.facebook.com/homebusinesscenter
Twitter:	http://www.twitter.com/HBCinc
Company URL:	http://www.homebusinesscenterinc.com
Blog URL:	http://www.thenewbusinessidea.com
Latest Blog Entry:	My Simple 3-Step Strategy for Finding Blog Post Ideas Whether you are new to blogging or you?re a seasoned writer, you have probably experienced times where you have no idea what to write about. You either think you?ve already written about everything or somebody else has. This is the time where we could easily start staring at the computer screen and wait for a miracle. In my experience, that doesn?t work. However, I have developed a really useful strategy that lets me get some simple ideas out on paper and turn them into a creatively interesting 500-word blog post in less than an hour. If you are blogging daily, this can be a very useful and time-saving technique. Plus, with a little practice, there?s no reason why you couldn?t turn out articles and blog posts faster than that. Ready? Step 1 First, get yourself a timer. You may already have on on your watch, clock, microwave or computer. I downloaded a free timer from CNet a while back, and that works for me. Basically, you need to be able to set the timer for 30 minutes, nothing fancy. Step 2 Second, take a quick look at what people are talking about online right now in your industry. I typically review some of the top news sites and use Topsy.com to search social media outlets to get current data and information. If you get questions from subscribers, customers or website visitors, these questions can also be a good source of blog post ideas. Write a few general ideas down, even if they don?t really sound that interesting at this point. Step 3 Third, get a little creative. Take the ideas you?ve just written down and look at them as if you?re solving a problem. Ask these questions: 1. How could I change this? ie. add to it, increase the frequency, make it stronger, minimize it, etc.. 2. What could I substitute? ie. material, process, ingredient, people, etc.. 3. How might I re-arrange this? ie. change the order, the pattern, process, layout, etc.. 4. What would happen if I combined another idea with this one? ie. would it be more useful, efficient, easier, fun... 5. How could this be used in different ways? (Could the same people use it differently or a different people use it for something else?) 6. What would happen if this was concept or process was reversed? You may find that you discover your wonderful blog post idea after asking just the first question. This happens to me all the time. Once you get an idea that you like, you can stop right there and start writing your post. Now, Start Writing... So this is where your timer comes in. Set it for 30 minutes (or 25 minutes if you prefer to be alerted when you have 5 minutes left before the 30-minute limit). Then start writing. The goal is to get your entire article on paper in that 30 minutes - in rough draft. Don?t try and be perfect, just get your ideas down quickly. If you finish before the timer goes off, you can go back and revise at the point. Once you hear the timer, it?s time for revisions. I find it helpful to read the content out loud, like I am talking with a friend. This usually takes me about 15 minutes or less. It may help to take a break and do something else before you do your editing, but this is up to you. Now it?s your turn...