Why do you publish or not publish articles to biznik?

Great question, Hsuan-Hua. I'm as curious as you are to see the answers.

I've published one article on Biznik (the first one ever!), and my intention with publishing it was to share my knowledge on the subject of online networking. At the same time, my motivation was to inspire others to share their knowledge, too.

Bottom line, I'm lazy. Calling something an article implies you've done homework, given it enough serious thought to warrant a certain level of credibility, and that you are offering your best effort at good spelling, grammer, punctuation, etc.

That all takes time. There is already SO MUCH stuff floating around, I wonder if more from me is a good thing.

For me writing isn't as easy as say talking (this by the way is just conversation). Writing - as in "an article" isn't easy at all in fact, it's work. (I know, I can already hear the comments about how that is just a head thing.)

Perhaps there is great value in putting out the effort. Certainly reading other people's articles is sometimes rewarding. But there is just enough intimidation to doing an article that it ends up being something that doesn't feel like a priority.

(More on this at Sierra's blog and my comment to her most recent post.)

The next best thing to writing an article? Leaving thoughtful comments on articles someone else has written. Engage in a conversation that doesn't just say "great job," but adds materially to the substance of the article. That extends the ideas within the article into new territory, or challenges a assumption made by the writer, inviting more exploration of the topic.

I'm seeing this happen a lot lately on Biznik, and it's fantastic.

I have only written one biznik article and have to say that, even though I'm a writer by profession, the words don't just spill out all nice, neat and meaningful. It does take time to find just the right words.

So I agree, Dennis, that good articles require homework and, I would also say, a lot of thought to 1) what would be most useful for readers and 2) what can I say that is a fresh way to look at a topic because, let's face it, most of these subjects have been covered again and again.

I will be writing more articles in the future. I'm waiting until some of my time is freed up and also to see what happens with the ratings issue.

Thanks for introducing this topic, Hsuan-Hua.

My training is as a technical writer and my writing tends to be so succinct that I use too few words to meet the word count requirements for "articles", however I use too many words for my pieces to qualify as "tips" :-(

So, in spite of many Bizniks encouraging me to write and post "articles", I have not.

Reading and thinking about articles and articulating intelligent responses also takes time... see what Judy said.

Effort put in is a reflection of priority. I suspect that for some people Biznik is an interesting hobby, and the game is to get visibility for it's own sake. Some spend a bunch of time figuring the "rules" so they can "win." That's all fine, but how important is it really? That depends, thus you get those who do and those who do not (so much).

I'ld like to publish an article but its kind of time consuming to generate one. I think I'll get something up their by the end of the year though. Art T.

I mostly cross post things that I come up with for my blog or for my newsletter. It takes precious little extra effort to throw them up on biznik, and it helps me reach an audience that otherwise wouldn't be exposed to me.

Plus it's fun to get the feedback (some of which is just plain Hi-LARIOUS) and to get people saying that I actually helped them figure something out.

Oh, and I also use articles as a "testing ground" for whether I should run a biznik event. If an article "hits" well, I know there's enough interest to bother putting something together. If not, I know it's a waste of time.

I've been lazy on the article front lately, though. I've got a really good video I just posted on my blog, but as yet there's no way to include that.

For me, publishing a biznik (or any) article is entirely new for my whole life, it addresses an inner need that has always been there, and, as a beginner, it is terrifying, and delightful, both.

Taking a position, (any position) always invites other postions to join it, support it, confront it, etc...this takes courage, and gives great reward when we hit the mark, and actually say something, or Anything, that inspires someone, or makes them think.

Now I have discovered that I have made instant friends, because of something I wrote and finally dared to share! That is very gratifying, as well!

Publishing articles on biznik is an natural extension of my writing for blogs, print magazines, webzines and books. It's great to share information and suggestions in a shorter format and get some almost immediate feedback.

I have written dozens of articles, even a blog, but here at Biznik I take a more measured look. I wrote my first article with a double effort - to share what I know about doing a video profile with a videographer and some self promotion. I specifically wasn't concerned about rating.

My second article came on the heals of foreclosures - not me and business closures as well as the edge of bankruptcy - again not mine. But I felt this was a critical subject that everyone needs to be aware of.

I was surprised by a personal comment almost immediately and it was published!

I could write an article weekly, but I choose to wait until I have something of real value to share with this group. Mostly what I share ends up in here.

I will write an article again when I have something to share. Meanwhile check out my need offer on my Profile. It's a Promotion with a cash reward.

I love to write. It's fun for me, even relaxing. I've met Bizniks who feel as though they "know me" from my articles.

I see sharing marketing insights as a way of giving back. The article comments give me a way to build my "digital imprint" and build online credibility. And who knows where things lead?

This is a shameless plug, but it IS what I do...

If you feel your writing is too short (concise), too long (wordy), or too vague (not focused), trade with an editor!

It's what we do best. Shoot an article to a biznik editor, and that editor is very likely to send it back fast with some good suggestions. Most articles don't take that long to edit, so even if you pay for it, you aren't breaking your bank in any way.

Take advantage of this network! It's loaded with helpful folks.

Cheers!

Suzanne

HA!

simple

I don't want to look like an idiot.

Plus - I have had ideas but I often stop myself because I get overwhelmed with how to make it perfect and relevant so it will get posted.

I would rather not go thru the trouble only to find the content wasn't suitable.

I have, for example, thought of posting articles about all my massage experience and what I know of the industry.