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Cameron Reilly: Blogger G’Day Podcast

Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Light always abounds within us:  celebrate!  photo by Mary MacIntyre

Light always abounds within us: celebrate! photo by Mary MacIntyre


When I was a young girl I started reading the dictionary. It was a pocket dictionary and very useful when we waited in the car while Mother was shopping, or anytime that I was bored. Finding this list of top bloggers has a similar flavor. Discovery opens my brain and produces interesting results.

If you have caught some of my previous blogs, you can see I am bouncing around the world a bit. I will do so for another few blogs. I hope you find this experience intriguing as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Reilly

Cameron Reilly (born 10 October 1970) of Brisbane in Australia is a blogger, podcaster and entrepreneur best known for his co-founding of The Podcast Network, a podcasting business with programming from around the world. Along with his business interests, Reilly is also involved in various facets of the digital media space, including MODM, Melbourne’s Online Digital Media forum, and is a frequent commentator on online media issues. Reilly has been called one of the “40 Biggest Players Of Australia’s Digital Age”.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Early life and education
2 Corporate career
3 The Podcast Network
4 Controversy
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life and education
Cameron was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, and attended Kalkie State Primary School and Kepnock State High School in Bundaberg. After school he moved to Melbourne to work.

[edit] Corporate career

The Podcast Network
Having produced Australia’s first podcast (”G’Day World” on 26 November 2004),[4] Reilly and his G’Day World co-host Mick Stanic also produced the world’s first “Skypecast” by recording individual sides of a Skype call and stitching them together in post-production. G’Day World was one of the first podcasts to have a regular series of guests, which included the first podcasts of notable bloggers such as Robert Scoble, Doc Searls, Om Malik and Buzz Bruggeman.[citation needed]

Following the early success of G’Day World, Reilly and Stanic launched The Podcast Network on 14 February 2005, making it the first known podcasting business in the world.[citation needed] In 6 February 2006 the first episode of The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast aired, titled “An Introduction to Napoleon Bonaparte,” of which Reilly serves as the co-host along with Napoleonic historian J. David Markham.

In October 2006, Reilly was featured on the front cover of The Bulletin magazine in Australia under the heading Who Wants To Be A Billionaire.[5] In December 2006, The Podcast Network was selected by EContent Magazine as one of their Top 100 “Companies that matter most in the digital content industry”.[6] In April 2007, Reilly was named one of the “40 Biggest Players Of Australia’s Digital Age” by B&T Magazine.[citation needed]

Hot off the ezine presses! Marci says:

Friday, June 26th, 2009

imagination circles and rocks

imagination circles and rocks


I am including an email as an example of one of the fastest ways to help promote your new works, books, videos, and whatever. Sure emails/ezines have been around for ages. However how often have you used fellow internet marketers to promote your lastest writings? Add a youtube video and you might easily have a campaign.
1) Find 5-10 people to writeabout you via their ezines, blogs, or marketing lists. Some marketers are swapping mailings, a tit for tat.
Include me, and find both like minded people and different thinkers to reach a broader audience. If you have something to offer for free that’s good too. Also have an opt-in page and build your list.
2) Let them promote you.
See and visit the link below.

Hi Mary,
Do you ever feel like your brain needs a tune-up? If so, you may have good reason!

Dr. Mark Hyman, a four-time New York Times best-selling author and pioneer of ‘functional medicine’, says our brains are constantly being assaulted by stress, toxins, poor eating habits and more. He’s created a 7-step approach to repair our “broken brains” to stay calm, alert and focused again. Read more about Dr. Hyman’s powerful method below in this Marci Recommends.

Happily,

Marci Shimoff

*****

Dear Mary,

Over time, daily assaults like stress, toxins, poor eating habits and more take their toll on our brain and we begin to feel sluggish, our moods start to swing, our memory starts to fail us and we lose our ability to focus, concentrate and stay alert.

And this can have devastating affects both at home and at work as we become unable to perform at a high level, we become disengaged from life and we feel like we just don’t have the energy we used to.

For some of us, this can happen in our 20s and 30s; for others, more as we age, but eventually, many of us develop what is known as a “broken brain”.

But, just as broken down cars can be repaired, given a tune-up and be put back in tip-top shape, so too can our brains.

In fact, I created a powerful method for doing just this. My approach is remarkably simple, but powerful—using a very specific 7-step approach, any of us can repair our broken brains to one that’s calm, alert, focused and able to enjoy everything that life has to offer us.

But this approach doesn’t engage with the mind directly… instead, it shows us how to harness the 7 biological keys that unlock the natural healing intelligence we were all born with.

Once we unleash this natural power within us, it automatically repairs our “broken brain”, leading to enhanced mood, a sharpened mind and increased thinking speed.

This is an incredibly refreshing approach because it doesn’t rely on expensive medical treatments or drugs or ineffective or laborious psychotherapy—it shows us how to harness the built-in biological power that ALL of us possess.

And not surprisingly, this special method works faster, is cheaper and is far more effective than conventional approaches because it works WITH your body and brain instead of against it.

You can see much more about these 7 keys, including some startling videos that explain it all, by going to the website below now:

http://www.ultramindcoaching.com/es/217/21/cd13/9/

My program is refreshing in its natural approach and I hope you get as much out of it as possible.

P.S. - Once you are there, you’ll also find answers to issues such as:

- How to boost your body’s own natural fly-paper like sticky substance to gobble up and eliminate toxins that are dulling your mind…

- What substance you eat every day that literally hardens and encrusts your brain, slowing your thinking and giving you mood swings…

- How two of the most powerful hormones in your body, when out of balance, can send your brain into a thick fog (and cause you to gain weight)…

- Why this one natural supplement can often defeat depression far more effectively than any antidepressant…

- A dangerous food you may be allergic to that can set your brain on fire with inflammation and destroy brain cells…

- How this one activity you may do every day literally shrinks your brain (and a simple technique you can do to prevent this from happening)…

- A simple 6-week brain-boosting program to cleanse, heal and strengthen your brain…

Here’s the link again just in case:

http://www.ultramindcoaching.com/es/217/21/cd13/9/

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Hyman

Power of the andecote: stories for radio or film

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

imagination circles and rocks

width="300" height="224" class="size-medium wp-image-703" />

imagination circles and rocks


It’s hard to beat these 2 videos. As writers want to expand their words from text to video or radio (audio) may switch around whaat you might want to say. The old bards found an easier transition, both my memorizing verse or old texts, and then by using song to tell their story.

Your well crafted script may lose its power when tranlated to audio. Sometimes you must imagine how the audience will hear what you want to say. Words then must create conversation and pictoral scenarios. Yes the audience must be able to immediately visualize what is transpiring.

Video provides more challenges. Will the person be comfortable relating verbal iniformation with image? Can the dialogue hold the viewers attention? Will the message empower the viewer?

Given these elements of text, the writer becomes consumed with the multiple inputs necessary to capture the audience’s imagine in very concise clips. How will you arrange image and audio to enhance your work?

If you are confident about procedures to address these issues, please feel free to comment her and we can start a dialogue.
Feel free to copy and share these thoughts. Also feel free to contact me about stories you would like to sahre.

Article writing tips and Videos for beginners

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
journeys call us to return; walking always  photo by Mary MacIntyre

journeys call us to return; walking always photo by Mary MacIntyre

These cloudy days make me happy. First they have brought rain to my plants. Second they have completed 50% of the work I need to do on my “landscaping” PT gig. We don’t have much rain here, and so every drop is a blessing.
Article writing is very similar.

First tip: Look for keywords keyword in first 4 words of title) listen to the above video.
A good way to write a popular article is to find a problem
that the people in your target audience have and then provide
them with an answer that will help them solve it.
People like to read things that offer solutions to problems
and preferably ones that are not too hard. Articles that contain
easy to follow steps work very well in just about any situation.
For instance; Three Steps to Super Clean Windows or How to
Stop a Leaky Faucet in Four Easy Steps.
Keep that in mind when you are deciding what to write in your
next article and you will have an easier time deciding what
to write about.
Make sure you look for your next tip tomorrow.
Thank you again for joining,
“your first name here”
“your email address”
“your URL here”
—————————————————————-
2
subject line: Another Great Article Writing Tip
Hello “autoresponder code here”,
It’s time for your next tip. I hope you found
the last one helpful.
Let’s talk about choosing the right title for your article.
Do not underestimate the power of a good title when it comes
to getting your article read. The right title can help your
article be picked by interested reader and published by
newsletter owners.
Your title should be descriptive and catchy, It should make the
reader want to know more about the content in it. The idea is
to capture the readers attention with a casual glance and let
them know what it is about at the same time.
This may sound a little tricky but with some practice and
testing you will easily get the hang of it.
Look for another quick tip soon!
“add your name here”
“your email address”
“your URL here”
—————————————————————-

Blogs,publishing,articles,purpose?

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Move beyond the obvious...dream a little

Move beyond the obvious...dream a little


I tend to start with the creative aspect: writing. I’m mostly in it for the story, or the poem that transends the word. The fun,yet hard work stuff. Research used to be my next flair. Discovery and organizing critical thought jouneys. I’m less proficient at journalism. I used to be a pretty good copywriter.

I also have not developed an outstanding writing career. Mostly because I chose different directions. In today’s marketing frenzy and changing mediums, writers have many more options to publish their work. Yes a few diligent people with great networking skills and contacts will land the big contracts. However many witers have discovered that the internet provides a multitude of avenues to publish your work and make oodles of money.

Thus while you pursue your greatest dreams, you might find ways to market your skills through Ebook publishing, blogging, free lance writing, article submission, short stories. Start making a list of where you’d like to begin and the earnings you want to make monthly.

Sporadically I will address each subject listed above. I also welcome your input, especially your stories. Any one making $30,000 a year as a writer online? Talk to me.

As you begin your writing venture consider 2 objectives: first can you develop part of your business around something that you love? Though it need not be a full blown niche category, pick a topic that you’d never get tired of writing about. Then create a flow chart with the ways that could make you $$$. Core: blog, affiliate earning related, articles, and ebook, a short book that would work on a publishing site, products that relate to your topic, multiple places where you can sell variations of the original article.

Second look for opportunities where you can take assignments. My attitude due to career experiences and being able to do research sithat I can write about almost anything. I can learn about a topic, interview people if needed, find resources and write. MY passion in this case is the writing. My mind like a cat harbors a hefty appetite for curiousity.

By combining your inherent talent, desire, and passion you most likely can create a flow chart filled with options and opportunities. Once you’ve completed this assignment, you are ready to begin the search. As most writers realize, concurrently, research, research, research.

Well, as you can see, youtube again is a fast way to get down to earth tips. In an upcoming blog we’ll continue. Begin thinking of your purpose for for/as a writer. Balancing what you want to accomplish, and various assignments will make a far more productive journey.

Monday Marketing and Magazines: Niche Article Databases, Submission Opportunities

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Getting into the niche article database (versus the big guys) and a few opportunities for magazine submissions.

Article databases are kind of a standby for freelance writers. It’s easy to join, free (or low-cost), and if you produce enough content and get enough page views, you can bring in money long after you’ve published the article. Actually, that little phrase “long after” is the key to understanding those big databases. It takes time to build up enough content, and get enough page views, to make any significant income. And there is plenty of competition.

Still, the lack - or long turn around time - on pay is often ignored because if you do get enough content and enough exposure, you can get payback in referrals from the sites that use your content. Your content there also gives something to potential clients: they can easily see your writing style, your ability to produce, your expertise. Maybe it’s not about the money.

I’ve not brought myself to do anything at the really big sites, like Associated Content or Ezine Articles. They’re just so big and so, well, not special.

The compromise I’ve found is in smaller, niche article databases. One I’ve found is Wahm-Articles.com. There is no monetary compensation, no ad revenue, no page view rates. It’s strictly for advertising, referrals, and building your expertise. That’s okay. I’m not expecting to make money from these article databases, just gain clients and experience. It makes sense to me to go with a smaller database that targets the same audience I’m after - in this case, work at home moms - and take advantage of 1) less competitive masses and 2) the expert appeal that comes from being part of a specialized site.

There are other niche article databases around… and of course, this opens up the whole “Should a freelance writer have a niche or just generalize” debate. I won’t get into that here. (You might think you know my answer because I have a wahm niche… but don’t make too many assumptions.)

Below you’ll find a list of a few niche article directories to get you started. I haven’t read through much on these sites, so make sure the guidelines and the content fit what you’re after.

Make it a good day.

Image Credits: rochelle et. al. at Flickr.

Monday: Manage and Market for 16 June 2008

Monday, June 16th, 2008

The Market is Open

Monday morning. Freelance writers groan, yawn, grab their robes and pad into their kitchens, stand waiting as the coffee brews. Computer flickers on and one hand meanders with the mouse while the other holds the PopTart away from the keyboard.
Five job sites to check, a few good possibilities for the day. Ten minutes later, there are ten tabs open, a half-consumed strawberry frosted square sitting by the notebook and a hand alternating between pencil-scratched notes and mouse clicks.

It’s Monday. The market is open. What will you do this morning? Do you have a plan? Do you have an inkling of what your week holds? Are you squeezing in an hour or so before it’s off to your real job? Are you feeding and dressing kids before you get some silence and time to work?

Don’t Write!

Two suggestions for the way you spend your writing time today:
1) Market
2) Manage

Egads, Batman, I didn’t even say write! I know, I know. Let me quote a few people who know lots more than I do about this sort of thing.

You Could Take My Word For It, Or…

Seth Godin, for example, whose interview in the 2008 Writer’s Market got me thinking about this writers-need-to-market-more topic. Of course, writers marketing themselves isn’t a new idea. We talk about it, blog about it, write about it. There’s the whole universe of blogs about blogging. Marketing is necessary. Often, though, we still don’t give it enough attention or don’t give it the right kind of attention.

A Decent Marketing Plan

The interviewer of the Writer’s Market article, Anthony Tedesco, asks this question of Godin: “What marketing plan would you recommend for an author who has time but not money to spend?”
Answer: “Build a blog and a squidoo lens. Contribute to bulletin boards and forum. Give help, don’t ask. Build a permission database of people who want to hear from you. Then write.”
Then Tedesco asks another question: “What’s the best book marketing plan when the budget is somewhere around “sky’s the limit”?
Answer: “Same.”

Don’t Be Cheap

One word: networking. But not sleazy, slicked-back-hair, “Have I got a deal for you” networking. Ew. Don’t be the QVC of the writing world. Have a little class. I think the key is this four-word sentence of Godin’s: “GIVE HELP, DON’T ASK.”

In this post, Godin elaborates: “it takes about six years of hard work to become an overnight success. So, if you’re going to write a book in six years, please start now and focus on hard work, breaking new ground and being a standup guy.”

Marketing is only as good, valuable, and effective as the product it seeks to promote. If you cheat on marketing by posting a few comments here and there, polishing up the surface of your site, and then shamelessly self-promoting, you will end up with, possibly, an initial rush of interest followed by silence.

So. The lesson, in brief? Dedicate significant time from your week (start today) to helpful marketing. Read, and leave insightful comments. Answer questions. Offer help. Guest post for no charge. Follow up with people. Get cards made, and give them out but only when appropriate. Make the other person’s interests more important than your own.

Manage Yourself

I didn’t forget Suggestion #2.

Take at least an hour on Monday to create a plan for your week. Set goals, make a list, block out time, brainstorm ideas, construct outlines, gather resources.

That’s it. The rest is up to you!

By the way, if you still don’t like wasting all this time on Monday, then go ahead and write on Mondays. Just do your marketing and managing on Sunday night.

Make it a good day!

Three Ways to Make Bid Sites Work For You

Monday, February 25th, 2008

241703_refresh.jpgHi Writers, Once again I’ve received questions on freelance writing bid sites such as elance and guru.com. They’ve obviously got a bad rep in the freelance world, and I am one of the very few who is happy with my experience.

The main reason for my happiness is one of my biggest customers. I edit materials for a company 4-5 times per year at an hourly rate of $30-80 per hour- depending on the subject of said materials. Obviously that’s a big range, but this is an educational curriculum company, so the subject and level (K-12) has a lot to do with the amount of fact hcecking I have to do. Either way, it’s not a rate to sneeze at!

This company found me through iFreelance last Spring, and has used me for about a year now.

Last fall I met a mortgage/real estate broker who offers short ebooks on his website. I edit and format his ebooks for $150 per book. They usually take me anywhere from 1-4 hours. Again, not bad. This customer found me on elance and has used my services twice.

You do have to invest money in a bid site. That alone can throw people off. I don’t particularly like paying for jobs. I struggle with it every day. However, when I did my 2007 taxes, I used my records to compare the cost of elance to the customers I obtained from elance. The cost was about 6%  of my total elance income.  

Bid sites can work. However, you need to be smart about how you use them. Here are some ways to make bid sites work for you.

  • Begin at the beginning. Veteran writers are not going to get the rate they  deserve on bid sites without any feedback on the bid site. That’s really silly, but that’s the way it works. Join a site when you are just starting out, that way you don’t have to compromise your rates.
  • DON’T COMPROMISE YOUR RATES. Come up with your bottom hourly rate and stick to it. Most of the complaints about bid sites focus on the low paying buyers. Who cares? Ignore them. 
  • Focus on the companies. I have found that the most reliable and best paying buyers are mid-sized American or UK-based companies.

I think my success with elance is due to these 3 guidelines. I have noticed that little by little, as my company grew, I needed elance less and less. I generally use elance for some quick turnaround projects that I need to meet my monthly income goals.

Good luck. And, if it’s not working for you— DON’T waste your writing time on it.

Market Series Part 5/ Last Day!

Monday, December 10th, 2007

815037_blue_notepad.jpgGreetings readers and writers. Last week we began this 5-part series on finding markets for your magazine articles. I hope some of the resources I gave were new and useful to you.

My challenge today: to gift unto you :) a good variety of personal bookmarks of “potential markets” that I have earmarked while browsing the net/applying for jobs/chatting and networking.

All of these “potential markets” had a call out for new material or a blog post, or were the subject of freelancers discussion within the last 6 months.

Most of these links are directly to their “writers guidelines,” which is, of course, your best jumping off point.

Now, onto the list, in no particular order!

Well, I have many, many more. If you’re not seeing a particular genre in which you’re interested, leave a comment and I will be happy to see what I can come up with!

, ,

Market Series Part 4

Friday, December 7th, 2007

912570_girl_sitting_reading_book_looking_surprised_.jpgHello and welcome back! We’re in the midst, nearing the end, of a market-finding series, suggested a week back by a reader who wanted to know where/how to sell more stuff. I’ve focused this series on targeting magazines.

I’m going to deviate a bit and look at Ezines today. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I gave a general intro to ezines here, including pros and cons, which I think are worth another read.

However, the bottom line in that post, in relation to markets and market series, is that ezines might just be worth your time, especially if you are a new writer. (And, honestly, even if you’re a veteran.)

Instead of rehashing the whole old post (please, take a look at it), I’d like to highlight some of my fave ezines, and perhaps jog your query writing hand in the process ;) . I may have mentioned some of these in past posts or my other blogs, as I am drawing from my bookmarks here.

 Women on Writing: Pretty self explanatory title, huh? It’s a very chatty read, be sure to match your writing style to theirs.

Work Home You: I’m am such a fan of this magazine, and honestly, it’s on my query list, if I could just find a minute!

The Muse Marquee: I will admit that I’m not sure if MM accepts queries from outside readers. However, I also admit it’s one of my faves, so hopefully you’ll garner some inspiration anyway!

As always, BEST to you!

, ,

About Writers Unbound

Writers Unbound aims to be your one-stop shop for the writing business. Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie aspiring to publish your first works, we want to be your resource. We’ll share success stories in publishing, tips from working writers on style and craft, and keep you in touch with developments and changes in the publishing world. We’ll cover fiction, poetry and nonfiction. We’ll also profile different publications who offer pay for content. Looking for a network? We plan to provide information about professional networks that may be of benefit to you. We invite you to email us with questions about writing—we’ll feature some of those in upcoming columns. Meanwhile, check out Writers Unbound each weekday. We promise you a lively journey into the world of words.

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