How To Write a Great Longread and Attract New Readers

You’ve got a few of them in your â€Å"Good Ideas† folder haven’t you? And you can see they’re growing in popularity. They seem a natural fit for your business, but you’re just not quite clear on how to use them The digital longread has entered the marketplace and it sure seems a great way to promote your book or novel or blog, but where to start? To sort it all out, let’s have a look at some of the benefits of the longread, why and how to write a good one and how to use it in your marketing strategy. Potential Benefits of the Longread To start, let’s have a look at some of the advantages of this emerging digital genre to see what the potential upside will be. 1. Higher search engine results. Well, we all want that, don’t we? In a post on Kissmetrics, Emma Siemasko, a content marketing specialist, cites a recent study by serpIQ that found â€Å"the top-rated posts usually were over 2,000 words.† (This info is based on the top 10 results of search queries.) Professional tip – for a longread such as a guide or manual, make sure each page has unique value to take advantage of people’s searches. 2. Greater social media success. In the same post Kevin Delaney, editor of Quartz, claims that longform, or longread, content (2,000+ words) performs better in social media than posts of 500-800 words. And, of course, with longreads the opportunity for link building is greater due to the sheer volume of material available to link with, compared to a 400 word blog post. 3. Establish perceptual authority. You can establish trust in your niche by providing helpful, informative or entertaining longform content to complement existing work, or as part of a promotional campaign in marketing a book publication. 4. Promotional strategies. For branding purposes, a longread piece is ideal to create a marketing campaign around. Longreads of high caliber content are more compelling for advertising campaigns than shorter blog posts, and sponsored ads on Facebook and longreads.com will put your piece front and center for social media sharing. Combine ads with newsletter/email series, free mini-courses, contest giveaways, or a book launch to maximize exposure. Steps to Writing Successful Longread Content Now that we’ve established some of the potential benefits of publishing longreads, here are the steps for writing a successful and engaging one: Know your goal in creating a longread article. Promoting a new book? Or building an audience? Clarity on why and who you’re writing the piece for is necessary for a seamless connection to the outcome you desire. Choose a topic. Obviously, a topic that will relate to your book, guide, website or other promotion and support your campaign. Give consideration to keywords, any existing analytical data, your niche and target audience as well as what the competitors are doing successfully. Create an outline and draft first to ensure your idea is on-topic and relevant to your book promotion or other marketing goals. For book promotions, a working chapter makes for good, relevant long-read content. Design for the digital reader. Ensure that your long-read is mobile friendly, use discerning anchored links to other relevant content, have easy to use email sign up boxes and social media share buttons. Longread blog themes. WordPress and other blogging platforms now have themes of a minimalist nature that work well with the long-read format. Think multimedia. To enrich your longread article, Paul Woods in his post on edenspiekermann.com recommends weaving â€Å"videos, images and information graphicsinto the story back and forth during the writing process.† Not added to the text later as an afterthought. They’re important components that should be given appropriate consideration for inclusion in your writing. Keep it clean. Again, from the above post by Paul Woods, keep in mind how easily a reader is distracted online and maintain a clean and simple reading screen to hold their interest. To minimize distractions, all interactive agents need to disappear while reading the actual text so as not to interrupt the readers flow. Gated vs. Ungated. Will your readers need to exchange something (an email address for example) in order to download your work? This is considered to be a â€Å"gated† offer, while a free download with no strings attached is referred to as â€Å"ungated†. Let your business model guide your decision here. Digital Platforms for the Longread Some platforms options for longreads are: Longread content is ideal for iPads, Android and iPhones, and Kindle, Quick Reads and Nook Snaps as well as apps such as Instapaper, Read It Later and Flipboard. Publishing platforms Atavist, Byliner and Narratively now curate and publish fiction and nonfiction material with new players entering the digital marketplace in ever increasing numbers. Some of these platforms charge for long-form content while others offer free content with premium membership fees – choose ones that work best for you. Clearly, online readership is shifting. Readers are now looking for meatier content of greater substance that will hold their interest, entertain and inspire them. Good news for writers who have a breathtaking story to share! Longread content is ideal for those times of the day when we’re waiting – waiting for the bus, on the train going home, in the doctors’ office etc., and we’re looking for something to engage with. Why not take advantage of longreads growing popularity to provide greater value for your reading audience and promote your new book as well?

Brave New World Similar to Today essays

Brave New World Similar to Today essays How Similar is Brave New World's Society to Our Own? The novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley portrays a so-called "utopian" society. When examining the surface, their society does seem truly perfect. It is problem free and everyone is happy. In addition the population is also controlled from their social status to their intellectual ability. However, after further examination of this "perfect" world, it seems strangely similar to our own society, which is not in any way near being perfect. The society in Brave New World and our society today share many similarities and differences. For instance, there are similarities and differences between the aspects of drug use, consumerism, and relationships. In the Brave New World, it is not illegal to use drugs. In fact, drugs are readily available for anyone in need of it. The drug in the new world is referred to as soma. It produces a euphoric feeling without the negative aftereffects. Furthermore, the consumption of soma is carefully regulated. As a result, overdoses do not occur unless someone is dying and they are given a fatal amount of soma. Everyone in the society is conditioned to take soma whenever they are unhappy. In fact, the consumption of soma is done on a daily basis. Every status has a required daily ration. Huxley created some to control people's emotions, which would maintain the stability of the society in Brave New World. However, in today's society, drugs seem to result in chaos rather than stability. Treatment for stress and or anxiety must not place the individual at a greater risk than their current condition. (Rutter, 57) It is illegal to take drugs with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. Sadly, in our society, drugs are also readily available for those that want it. However, they are not prescribed. Unlike soma, the drugs produce numerous negative aftereffects. Furthermore, the consumption of drugs is not regulated. ...

Assignment Geography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geography - Assignment Example The trend of unpaid internship is more prevalent in the sectors like politics, technology, journalism and fashion. The article thus focuses on the bizarre scenario operating within the industries demanding the unpaid labor of considerable amount over a considerable span of time. And the predicament of the unpaid personnel in these sectors also finds enough expression in the essay where it has been quintessentially mentioned that the time, when the unpaid labor reaches the point of getting paid adequately for his or her expertise, there are already huge professional as juniors in the industry who have received the status of unpaid intern. Summary The potent issue focused within the article hinges on the fact that unpaid internship might be quite beneficial for the individuals who are young. It also highlights that these young individuals possess the ability of becoming a very good and attractive entrepreneur as they are able to procure skilled and free labor. But this system is very b ad and sluggish for the entire society as a comprehensive unit. As often argued by theorists, the trend of unpaid internship is screwing the job market (Matthews, 2013; Paton, 2013).

Topic Summary-Terence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Topic Summary-Terence - Essay Example ERP systems are designed to ensure an organisation can carry out several functions in a simple way that is convenience to the organisation. The choice of ERP as a work information system of study was motivated by the need to understand how organisations can work out their functions using simpler cost effective methods that can guarantee high returns. It is important to understand that the ERP system as used by organisations, enables them to integrate their internal, as well as external information systems into single and comprehensive solutions that fit in their activities and work schedules (Atherton 2012; Shaul & Tauber 2012). Through research in organisations online platforms and journals, I came to an understanding that the ERP strategy for business management includes all the organizations’ practical systems used in the management of their basic commercial duties that include; purchasing, finance, inventory management among many others in their daily life. This made me curious to understand the main objectives designed in the ERP tool, actually, its main objective as concerns this research, is to enhance information flow in all an organization’s internal functions while at the same time, creating and managing connections to with its external stakeholders. Knowledge is a single tool that is central to the success and failure of many large and small enterprises and business organizations. An organisation that has a database of key knowledge is always in a better position to understand market dynamics, customer behavior and other important characteristics of the business environment (Chu & Chiu 2013). The organisation then uses this knowledge to enhance its effectiveness and success in the market, on the other hand; an organisation that lacks this knowledge as well as gathering systems fails in its attempts to grow. For this reason, knowledge management is an activity that spurs

The Stigma Associated With Mental Disorders Psychology Essay

The Stigma Associated With Mental Disorders Psychology Essay Many people believe that individuals with a disorder cannot function in society, whether its school, work, or relationships. Individual attitudes, judgments and beliefs play a hug role in reasons for stigma, mainly towards people with a mental disorder. Mental disorders are health conditions characterized by significant dysfunction in an individuals cognitions, emotions, or behavior that reflects a disturbance on the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning, and are not considered part of normal development of an individuals culture (American Psychiatric Association 2012). No one can be certain that there are direct stigmas, but the majority of individuals can identify with feeling a certain way towards those with disorders. It is speculated that there is a more negative than positive attitude towards the mentally disordered and may actually feel that way on an unreliable basis. In order to really understand the reasons behind this, we have to understand things like self-stigmatization and public awareness and knowledge. Key aspects, other than stigma, have to be understood in order to grasp the reasons behind negative judgments against others. Stigma, as defined by Link and Phelan, is the co-occurrence of its components- labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination-and further indicate that for stigmatization to occur, power must be exercised (2001). Power can come in many different forms, such as family, friends, media, and influential figures. Stigma is also most powerful when the disorder is considered as severe and is coupled with inappropriate environmental responses (ex. incongruous verbal remarks or erratic behavior) (Martin 2007). Stigma and its effects are distinguished into two forms, public and self-stigma. Public stigma perceives as individuals with a mental disorder as: being dangerous, being unpredictable, being difficult to talk with, having only themselves to blame, distrustful, being able to pull themselves together, an embarrassment, having a poor outcome and responding poorly to treatment (Crisp 2000; Martin 2007). In one study conducted through media influences, it was found that heavy exposure to the medias version of mental illnesses creates not only misinformation about crime and those who commit crime, but generates intolerance towards individuals with a mental illness and negatively impacts the publics opinion on mental health. Opposing this negative opinion, a companion study discovered that the majority of people with a mental illness never commit violent acts. Even though they are more likely to be the victim, the public overstresses their personal risk and the frequency of violence committed by individuals afflicted with mental disorders (Stuart 2006). It is this type of generalization that leads to self-stigma and distrust in those with mental disorders. Everyone has a different reaction to stigma. Some use it to empower their actions and apply it to treatment, while others are not affected by the stigma at all. Some people, on the other hand, internalize that stigma, and it becomes like a disease all its own. Stigma results in lowered self-esteem and self-efficacy (Watson, Corrigan, Larson, Sells 2007). Self-esteem is defined as varied and complex mental states pertaining to how one views oneself (Bailey 2003), while self- efficacy refers to a persons belief about ones ability to perform a specific behavior (LudÄ ne). To experience self-stigma, the person must be aware of the stereotypes that describe a stigmatized group (e.g., people with mental illness are to blame for their disorder) and agree with them. These two factors, though, are enough to be classified as self-stigma. The third factor that has to be included is application. The individual must apply stereotypes to ones self, I am mentally ill so I must be to blame fo r my disorder. This perspective represents self-stigma as a hierarchical relationship; a person with mental illness must first be aware of corresponding stereotypes before agreeing with them and applying self-stigma to themselves (Watson 2007). The public can view a person with a mental disorder in two ways, either positive or negative. During our research we predicted that there will be more negative thoughts than positive thoughts as the public views a person with a mental disorder. As previously defined, mental disorders are health conditions characterized by significant dysfunction in an individuals cognitions, emotions, or behavior. (American Psychiatric Association 2012). Mental disorders usually fall on Axis I of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- IV (DSM). The goal of our study is to examine the publics perceptions of mental illness and to determine how individuals with these mental problems recognize and seek help. Studies have shown that more than two thirds of people experience mental health problems. It is thought that lack of knowledge about mental illness, the stigma of mental illness, and ignorance about effective treatments play an important role in lack of treatment seeking. The study of public attitude s toward mental illness and persons with mental illness has mostly been the domain of mental health professionals, namely psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, academics in those related fields, and psychiatric programs directors and administrators. Deinstitutionalization, defined as replacement of long-stay psychiatric hospitals with smaller, less isolated community-based alternatives for the care of mentally ill people, and the problems associated with implementation of community-based mental health care brought mental illness into the public sphere. According to the survey results, a majority of Americans believe that the number of people with mental illness has increased over the past twenty years and that mental illness is a serious health problem in the United States. An impressive number of Americans report personal experience with mental illness and mental health professionals. Approximately sixteen percent of all survey respondents said that they have so ught the professional services of a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health professionals. Americans believe that mental illness is caused by physical disturbances (such as a chemical imbalance in the brain) or environmental conditions (such as the stress of daily life or alcoholism/ drug abuse). Survey responses reveal that a majority of Americans agree that maintaining a normal life in the community will help a person with mental illness get better and that with treatment, most individuals with serious mental illness can get well and return to productive lives. In addition, pluralities of Americans do not agree that mental health facilities should be kept out of residential neighborhoods or that mental illness can never be cured. Furthermore, the vast majority of Americans do not agree that the best way to handle the mentally ill is to keep them behind locked doors. (Bornstein 1992). In conclusion, there is a lot of controversy over who has a mental illness and not, how people with mental illness should be treated in society, and if there should be locked up or not. Studies have stated that two thirds of people have a mental illness, but most will not seek help due to lack of knowledge or fear of being judged and labeled. This group of individuals lives healthy lives, have decent jobs, and most have healthy relationships. If these who have not labeled can, then some of the mentally ill that have been labeled should be able to also. But due to being labeled and judged they do not get the chance. If society as a whole would try to learn more about being mentally ill and how their judging and discriminating affects people with mental illness, society would work better together and the people who need professional help with their mental illnesses will no longer be fearful of being judged nor being locked up. Most Americans believe only people who have done something wrong should be locked up, but because of most mental patients being locked up in the past people are still fearful of this as being in their future if its known they have an illness. With knowledge and wiliness to be patient society can get lower the stigma and help reduce the fear of being ridiculed for being mentally ill.

Theories of varied motivation in psychology

It is said that entire psychology is about the study of motivation itself. In fact the science of psychology evolved to explain, answer and reason the ‘why’ of human behavior. Motivation holds the answer to this ‘why’ because when we attempt to reason for a particular behavior or attitude then basically we are finding the motivations responsible for that particular behavior (Gorman, 2003, 1). People perform a variety of actions through multiple roles according to their dominant motivation that guides their behavior. In psychological studies the implicit motivations determining human behavior are not only considered from point of view of biological drives and neurological impetus but they are also explained by relational aspect of human behavior where motivation is a dynamic aspect of the behavior that helps people to interact with the world (Nuttin, 1984,1).   Many theorist attempt to offer generalized explanation for a majority of human actions purely in terms of natural instinct or sudden impulse. Even the people engaged in performing those actions may also agree to this viewpoint. However, the theory of instinct and impulse presents an incomplete rational because there are critical external factors and attractions that also contribute towards the particular motivation. Therefore human motivation is a dynamic product of combination of intrinsic human traits as well as their environmental setting. Another important factor that plays an important role in explaining motivational factors in behavior is human emotion (Gorman, 2003, 89). Human beings experience a number of emotional states that continue to fluctuate and they act as causative factors in a large number of actions undertaken by them. As a matter of fact, motivation is a product of a very complex process of internal and external interaction of human beings with themselves and their surrounding and it acts as stimulant and provide energy for their behaviors and consequent actions. Psychoanalytic Explanation of motives Motives interests psychologist because they provide insight into the character and approach of individuals, providing psychologists with test materials on which they can further form and expand their theories. The reasons of specific actions, such as why did a person steal, why did he commit a murder, why did he participate in a cause where he was not interested, or why did he contributed a majority of his wealth to charitable causes can perhaps be better understood if the motives behind them are sought. The implicit notion is that there are some actions which deviant to a person’s characteristics and those that are difficult be explained by any standard rule based system (Peters, 1958, 28). Psychologists, in their attempts to explore the motives, that is the set of specific reasons for deviant as well as normal actions have given considerable attention to the unconscious self of human beings of which they are themselves unaware. The unconscious self is composed of repressed feelings of deprivations, unfulfilled desires and infant sexuality and it subtly acts on every human being to set the framework of many of their actions (Peters, 1958, 55). This theory of unconscious mental process, as proposed by Freud, and the psychoanalytic explanations it offered, did not profess to explain the entire gamut of human behaviors, but it certainly provided a more panoramic view to cause and reasons of many human actions that were hitherto conventionally explained on mere visible evidences. According to the new wisdom, actions performed by people have a long and complicated background and though they may appear final or conclusive in their immediate bearing, they are part of a long chain of interconnected events. Therefore even the simple question that why did John walk across the road take vast proportion in psychology. As explained by Peters (4), the simple answer that John crosses the road to buy some tobacco is insufficient, even though John himself in unaware of any other motive. To a psychologist, in crossing the road to buy tobacco, John is conforming to many social and cultural stereotypes such as he is not running or crawling across the road to get the tobacco (ibid, 5). If John had run, then his goal of obtaining tobacco would had fallen incommensurate with his action that should had warranted more urgent justification. However as John walks across the road, it indicates that procuring tobacco is a kind of activity that should be accomplished in a normal behavioral conduct to make it appear as an appropriate social function. A psychologist might further argue that John has secret liking for tobacconist’s girl, and he goes to the particular shop to see that girl, though he may himself be not aware of this. Another explanation might be offered that John had an unconscious disliking of work from which he wanted to escape and the act of going to tobacconist was a way for him to stay away from the unpleasant work. Its important to see here that in neither of these explanations John himself is aware of any other reason other than buying tobacco, but each of the region, both of them or several others can be true to the case. The Biological Approach to Motives The biological or physiological aspects of motives are perhaps the earliest explanations that were offered to reason for motives behind human actions and behaviors. This approach views human as ‘drive-oriented’ animals who are more the product of biological factors of cellular and neurochemical reactions, acting through our genetic traits alone and spurred by release of hormones to various actions. This physiological analysis puts instinct as the primary reason behind every human action and its framework basic human instincts such as desire to eat, drink, sleep and have sex combine to form the further ramifications of human behavior (Gorman, 2003,14). In this model, drives for specific actions stimulate people and they respond accordingly in their behavior. It states that behavior of people is the result of homeostasis, that is, the tendency to maintain a stable internal environment of body. Body responds to any deprivation that threatens the stability of internal equilibrium and unleashes corresponding behavior to correct it (Weiner, 1980, 11). Thus homeostasis drive theory accounts for situations where a person may be compelled to steal food if he is hungry, or run if he is threatened, as maintaining the internal equilibrium is principle motive of any living organism. Behavioral approach to motives As Nuttin (1984, 16) states, understanding of motivational process is critically dependent on understanding of dynamic aspects of human behavior. In the field of psychology behavior refers to cognitive activities that an individual performs in the context of a behavioral world (ibid, 17). These activities can not be understood if they are treated separately, and therefore an integrated model of behavior interpretation is required that views that takes a complete and related view of all the processes in the living organism. According to the behavioral model, the various biochemical functions and basic drives are encompassed by behavior that gives these individual traits their full meaning and purpose (ibid, 18). As such hunger, thirst, sleep, sex drive, fear, ecstasy, loyalty etc are not isolated factors in determining motives. Instead they are integrated as part of the behavioral structure that creates a sense of organic continuity. Thus seeing changes to watching and hearing changes to listening in the behavioral model. Various theories and models in the field of social behavior have come with suggestion that human behavior reflects a person’s intent to act (Orbell, 2004, 145). According to each of these models it is possible to predict behavior from intentions and behavioral control displayed by a person. Behavioral characteristics can successfully account for specific types of motivations seen with various actions. For example, harvesting, hunting and fishing are quite different behaviors, yet they are done with the same objective of procuring food. Similarly, despite their different behavioral traits, people are essentially same every where, in the sense that they seek love, trust, social respect, and financial stability, thus acting through almost identical motivational drives. Within the behavioral system, a form of unity and cohesion is attempted out of multiple elements interacting together in a motivational setup (Nuttin, 1984, 84). Humanistic Approach to Motives The humanistic approach in describing different motives for human actions is a relatively new field. Its fundamental principles, as stated by Weiner(1980, 409) are 1. Humanistic psychology studies people in their real life circumstances, where humans are subjects of the study, rather than object. People are described in their own consciousness and perceptions and the reasons and motives of their actions are placed along with their individuality, in a holistic and complete framework. 2. Humanistic psychologists also believe that human choice, will, their desire to move ahead in life, to grow and realize their potentials contribute to their actions, behavior and approach to life. 3. The dominant characteristics of any individual is to achieve personal potential, and develop their capacities and talents to highest level. Thus the central motivation in an individual’s life is to grow, move ahead and develop his or her own self. Conclusion Human actions would continue to be defined, analyzed and interpreted from a number of points of view, according to various theories, models and approaches to understand its complexity and give complete meaning to its attributes, in order to evolve a wholesome picture of factors that motivates people towards a varied degree of actions. Motivations can be best understood from the dynamics of behavior and the integrated setup that provides basis for planning, thinking, action and achievements of goals to people. Further, people are motivated to different actions based on their own perception of needs and requirements as well acting through their subconscious self, which explains for the difference in their perceived reason of their certain steps from the actual reasons justifying it. Reference Gorman, P, 2003, Motivation and Emotion, Routledge, New York. Nuttin, J, 1984, Motivation, Planning, and Action: A Relational Theory of Behavior Dynamics, (trnsltr) Jean E. Dumas ,, Raymond P. Lorion , Leuven University Press; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Leuven, Belgium. Orbell, S, 2004, Contemporary Perspectives on the Psychology of Attitudes: The Cardiff Symposium. (edit ) Geoffrey Haddock,   Gregory R. Maio, Psychology Press. Hove, England. Peters RS, 1985,The Concept of Motivation. Routledge & Kegan Paul :London Weiner, H, 1980, Human Motivation, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ   

A Response Paper On Christopher Steiner’s

Christopher Steiner’s article entitled ‘Authenticity, Repetition, and the Aesthetics of Seriality’ talks about the ‘mechanical reproduction of art’ at the height of technological improvement and technical production nowadays.He discusses Walter Benjamin’s essay entitled ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ in the issue that: first, mechanical reproduction is not just a new form of technical production but engenders â€Å"an entirely new philosophy of production in which the work of art is emancipated† (Steiner 88); and second, that the mechanical reproduction and consumption of art makes the object more accessible to wider population (88).His argument, therefore, is that â€Å"to justify the authenticity of tourist art one must begin from an entirely different starting point† (89), since tourist art should be viewed as a culturally valid, authentic art.   He argues that mass-produced art carries a n authenticity, which it shares with other mass-produced objects in the industry.What I argue, however, is that mechanical reproduction of art does not carry anymore the authenticity and validity of what a true art should be—that it should be an expression of views, beliefs, and culture of an individual or a number of individuals.   Objects that undergo mass production are merely ‘reproductions’ of the original item.   The true ‘art’ is in its originality.This means that, although the reproduced object is an exact image of the original object, it is merely a mimic and is not an expression of the self.   When it comes to being culturally valid, however, I agree that objects that undergo mass production are, indeed, culturally valid, since it reveals a certain aspect of culture that, though reproduced again and again, still holds the originality and the individuality that the culture and the people reflect.Art is like what a human being is: it is a reflection of culture and society, yet it cannot be an exact replication of the other—for there is none like it.   Mass-produced objects of art contain authenticity and validity in terms of culture art, but not as an individual art.Works CitedSteiner, Christopher.   â€Å"Authenticity, Repetition, and the Aesthetics of Seriality: The Work of Tourist Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.†Ã‚   [name of book].   Ed. [name of editor].   Place: publisher, year.   87-103.