Before you agree to speak or to write an article, you must ensure that your time will be well invested. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I writing for the right audience? Writing for the wrong audience (meaning, an audience composed of people whom you do not serve) will not bring enough benefit to justify the investment of time, so ask this foundational question before you begin. Your business development plan will define the right audience.

2. How much time will this require? Short, practical articles (done well) will deliver good results in a reasonable time. Longer articles can be valuable in building your credibility, but they take a greater investment of time. Be realistic in your estimate – before you begin.

3. What results would make the expenditure of time worthwhile? As with any business development activity, you must measure the results that you get. What’s more, you must know, before you begin, what results would make it worthwhile for you to have written this article.

4. How does this activity, the writing or speaking compare to more immediate high-yield activity? Regardless of how terrific your article is, and regardless of the subject matter and the kind of results that you achieve, writing is a slow-yield opportunity. It is incredibly unlikely that you will write an article, have it published, and have your phone ring with a potential client calling you only because they saw that article. So, you must consider, before you begin, whether you would be better advised to invest your time in something that is a higher-yield activity.

Writing can be a simple way to increase your professional reach, or it can be a time-consuming and ineffective approach. Going through these questions will help you to make foundational decisions that will get you on the right track – before you begin writing.

Julie A. Fleming, J.D., A.C.C. provides attorney development coaching for associates and partners, and she is a speaker for law firm retreats and workshops. Topics on which she coaches and speaks include professional development, business development, leadership development, career management, and work/life integration Julie holds a coaching certificate from the Georgetown Leadership Coaching program and holds the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coach Federation. Julie writes extensively on matters of interest to lawyers on the Life at the Bar Blog at http://www.LifeAtTheBar.com/blog.

Author: Julie A. Fleming
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electrical Pressure Cooker Online

Ezine publishing, as a concept has been growing by leaps and bounds because of its ability to deliver on the expectations of those who believe in it. What makes ezine publishing even more attractive is the fact that it is a completely free resource that utilizes backlinking as an effective SEO technique to generate and boost traffic.

3 Reasons Why Ezine Publishing Is A Rainmaker

1. It’s Free…Completely and Totally Free!

Getting published on an ezine is easy, beneficial, and completely free. There are no upfront fees that need to be paid in order to get your articles published on ezines. All you need to do is create an author account using a valid email address and get started. Once you submit your article, as per the ezine’s editorial guidelines, your article will be checked by a human editor and upon approval get published.

2. Increase Your Popularity Easily and Quickly

Ezine publishes allows you to increase your website popularity easily and very quickly. A published article with a resource box that has a brief biography about you including your areas of expertise and interest along with a one-way link to your website is a great tool to boost your website traffic. As people read your article, they will be impressed to click on your website link and visit your website to find out more about your services and products.

3. Earn Trust and Respect

Submitting your articles on trusted and respected ezines is bound to garner respect and credibility for you as well. Don’t stop yourself from submitting articles on other popular and respected ezines to maximize exposure to not just diverse visitors but search engines as well.

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 45-page Report:

“Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!”

Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your FREE copy now before its gone!

Author: Fabian Tan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Excise Tax

I have posted this elsewhere but wanted to amplify more of Bruce Schneier’s CNN  article from which:

Since 9/11, we’ve embarked on strategies of defending specific targets against specific tactics, overreacting to every terrorist video, stoking fear, demonizing ethnic groups, and treating the terrorists as if they were legitimate military opponents who could actually destroy a country or a way of life — all of this plays into the hands of terrorists.

We’d do much better by leveraging the inherent strengths of our modern democracies and the natural advantages we have over the terrorists: our adaptability and survivability, our international network of laws and law enforcement, and the freedoms and liberties that make our society so enviable.

The way we live is open enough to make terrorists rare; we are observant enough to prevent most of the terrorist plots that exist, and indomitable enough to survive the even fewer terrorist plots that actually succeed. We don’t need to pretend otherwise.

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Philip de Lisle :

I wrote an article for the American Chronicle (”Where Did Customer Service Go?“) back in June 2008 which is even more topical today in these harsh economic times.

I was thrilled, and not a little surprised, to discover that it was #1 on Google!

But then disaster struck! The American Chronical “back end” truncated my article to less than one sentence so my Google ranking dropped to #4 – which is astonishing in itself and just goes to show how powerful the correct web page title can be. The problem with the back end was quickly corrected but sadly Google hasn’t been back to reindex my article since the 1st week in January.

So any suggestions how I get the Google bot to return?

Dr. Max Blumberg :

A fascinating article on The Manager talks about how to manage salespeople born around 1986 – 2000. In fact, the article content is useful advice for any older person who must manage younger people.

As with most articles about Generation Y, the key message (for me at any rate) is about their loyalty and how much harder it will be to retain them. What are the secrets to retaining them? For one, they are “information” generation to whom the Internet is second nature. Therefore, one way to manage them would be to allow them to reach their own conclusions by letting them seek the information they need. Older team members, on the other hand, are more used to being “told” what to do. In fact, this is another area where the old could profitably learn from the young.

Enjoy the article.