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Posts Tagged ‘writing’
photo by zizzybaloobah
Every morning, for about 2 hours, I pay myself first by researching, reading, and writing blog posts…before I dive into email hell
This is from a post about how to think about your blogging by Jeremiah Owyang that tells you to pay yourself first. Why is it that we head first to the inbox where we can lose ourselves in responding and reacting to what other people want?
Take charge and take that time up front for yourself!
Do what you want to do, then do what you need to do
Get to your thinking, reading, writing first while your mind is fresh. Makes sense to me.
What do you think?
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If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
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Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
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Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
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A QCA Blog
I am asking staff members at Queens Council on the Arts to think of the blog as a connective place for people. A place to encourage public conversations. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize what I am asking is for everyone to rethink how we work.
Networked Nonprofits do this. They know how to engage people inside and outside the organization using social media tools, like a blog, to become more effective, streamlined and connected.
What we are doing is creating a schedule around our programs and scheduling two posts per week by staff members. This is a place for us to start sharing openly and consistently with our community. Only with input from everyone involved will this work.
OK, now what?
Here are some take aways from blogging sessions and hallway discussions at the Americans for the Arts Convention this past June. I thought is was interesting how often these points would come up throughout the weekend.
* A blog is a place to invite a conversation and build a community of commenters, readers, subscribers, lurkers and other forms of attention.
* Blog posts should be written to be responded to, not merely read. Resist the temptation to preach, rant or become a wall of text.
* Keep your wordcount between 250 – 500 (the equivalent of 2 typewritten pages).
* Be clear. Cover only one idea per post. If your topic is complex, create several posts out of it and stockpile them.
* Be helpful
* Be VISUAL. More people respond to images and video than text.
* Break up text into smaller blocks of information, use captions to guide the eye
* You don’t have to write every post. Invite guest bloggers, do interviews, create a visual display of images, involve other people’s work.
* Put in a lot of link love. Other bloggers will appreciate the acknowledgment and readers will like the resources. People like people who share.
* Include a call to action (tell me what you think, leave a comment, sign up for the newsletter, register for a workshop etc). After people read your piece give them a way to stay connected.
* Do not write anything you would regret or be embarrassed by. This should be obvious but you never know.
Readers are attracted to your voice, your persona in text, your tone. Once you have gained their respect and trust, they will become a community that gathers around your posts.
Here are suggestions for blog post topics. Some you don’t have to write yourself! They include the following:
1. A video clip of a workshop, performance, presentation, karaoke session… (Little or no writing necessary)
2. An interview with an artist, student, consultant, donor, art group, person with something to say… (Little or no writing necessary)
3. A review of a product, book, event, restaurant, experience…
4. A top ten list of coffee, samosas, affordable art, QCAF questions, places to hear local artists…
5. A guest post by another blogger. This is a good way to extend your readership (No writing necessary outside of a brief intro)
6. A thoughtful response to or synopsis of an article, current event or situation
7. A how to article. How to write a killer grant app. How to set up a Wordpress blog. How to commission a song.
8. A series of images from an artist, a trek through Jackson Heights, open studios… (Captions, brief intro)
Check us out. Let us know what you think!
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
photo by Kugarth
We are trying to figure out a way to build a blog presence at the Queens Council on the Arts.
How do you create a great nonprofit blog?
So glad you asked. As you know, I am a big Less is Less Stress person on all levels so here is what I think:
Curiously, or not at all.
Enthusiastically, or not at all.
Helpfully, or not at all.
Boldly, or not at all.
And most importantly…
Briefly.
A blog used as a place to push out a message or put up more information is a see saw with one kid. Think of it as a conversation, argument, watercooler, and all of a sudden you are now a party in a playground.
I remember being taught to “show, don’t tell” in my writing classes. In writing blog posts it is better to “share, don’t tell”. If you really must go off on something, then “start up, don’t tell”. The message here is that blogging is a dynamic, not a soap box and in this world, writers are readers are writers.
I like to think of myself as a salonista and my blog as a curated creative space. My posts are dinner party questions that can start a chain reaction of responses, retorts, reprimands… you get the idea. It is simply not good manners to talk too much. I suggest saying something amazingly perceptive, letting the words hang in the air for everyone to marvel at and taking another sip of that wonderful cognac cradled in your hand.
Far more intriguing to provoke people than to preach.
When you sit down to write a post, a proposal, or a pitch, be brief and brilliant. Oh, and leave a space for someone to become curious about you. People have a window of about a minute where you can capture their imagination before their focus fizzles so you need to inspire, and let them imagine.
Make it easy for people to want to respond to you.
Here’s an excerpt from a post by Fred Wilson who talks about less being more in inspiring an investor.
So when you sit down and build your pitch deck, think of six slides that will inspire and leave something for the imagination. The best part of six slides is that you will get through them in time to have a real substantive conversation face to face about your business. Imagine that.
Read the entire brief post here: six slides
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
Not too sure how to get my sketches in my blog posts. So bewildering and confusing for me.
I drew this on Sketchbook Pro on my iPad in just under a few minutes. I spent the next part of my evening trying to figure out how to export it, resize it and stick it into this blog post – easily.
I love creating text and image on this device. The drawing app I use is easy to manage and control. I know it is just me, slightly exhausted from running around the Queens Art Express for the past four days, and wishing I could just write, draw and share stuff without getting crazy.
Does anyone know how to do export images from Sketchbook Pro into Wordpress on an iPad?
photo by Center for Jewish History
Suppose you discover a source of funding that would be perfect for your project and all you have to do is write a proposal and address the questions in the application. Hmmm… that doesn’t sound too difficult.
It isn’t. And that is why I am constantly amazed by the lengths some people go to in creating what I call “the kitchen sink” proposal which is simply everything you think you have to include besides the answer to the question.
I am a panelist for the LitTAP grant and began reading through applications from thirty groups including nonprofit literary organizations, small presses, magazines and online publications who have applied for a grant up to $2,500 to support a literary technology strategy in New York State.
” Examples of eligible requests include: consultancies on technology strategy; software or hardware purchases or upgrades; website development; graphic design and creation of digital images; automated payment or email marketing web-based programs (PayPal, Constant Contact), integrative use of Web 2.0, and acquisition of assistive technologies to serve artists/audiences with disabilities. Requests that can serve as model projects for the field will be given priority.”
I think the guidelines and criteria are fairly clear and include examples of potentially fundable projects. There are many applications that are quite interesting and compelling but could use some focused clarity in presenting their information – make it easy for someone like me to immediately get it.
At this point in my review process, I want to share two things that can make your application stand out and that can make me, a panelist, your biggest fan.
1. Be upfront and clear about what you are asking for.
Example
“The XYZ Project requests $2,500 in order to fund
the transfer of twelve (12) Sony V-
30H video tapes into digital format and DVD access copies.”
This is clear and precise. I know exactly what you need the funds for. Nothing irritates me more than having to wade through words to find this information. State your request with boldness and confidence right at the beginning. You will immediately rise in my estimation.
2. Submit your project budget in Excel, not Word.
Example
Project Budget:
PROGRAMMER: $1625 (25 hours @ $65/hr)
SOFTWARE: $569.80
(3) licenses for FileMaker Pro 10 @ $179.95 each
(1) license for Actual Technologies MySQL ODBC drivers @ $29.95
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: 10 hours @ $22 per hour= $220
Total Expenses: $2,424.80
Does this make me want to throttle someone? Yes, it does! When I read an application, I like going over the numbers. Give this to me in a spreadsheet with nice and neat columns. If this is how you do your math, I am going to be worried about your ability to work with your budget.
Why you should do this
Sometimes panelists have to read a lot of applications. You want to be memorable for all the right things – well thought out project, achievable goals, clear budget, etc. Not the wrong things – a vague request, a hard to read budget. All this takes is some confidence and a respect for clarity. Your project deserves to be seen in its best light.
Be respectful of your reviewers and panelists. It will go a long way.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
