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How to Use Google Search More Effectively

External Author — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:30:07 +0000

Click for ginormous chart: Source: How to Use Google Search More Effectively Mashable, November 2011

How Does Google AdWords Work?

External Author — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:00:45 +0000

Click to enlarge: Source: How Does Google AdWords Work? Search Engine Land Infographics

From destination social to dispersed social: 10 trends in social media

External Author — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:00:11 +0000

From destination social to dispersed social: 10 trends in social media

Customer Acquisition through Infographics

External Author — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:30:30 +0000

Customer Acquisition through Infographics

What’s In A Tweet

External Author — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:30:02 +0000

Source: What’s In A Tweet Economist, September 29, 2011

Schreiben: 9 Tipps für lesefreundliche Texte

External Author — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:30:49 +0000

Schreiben gehört heute fast zu jedem Job. Lesefreundliche Texte helfen uns, unsere Ziele besser zu erreichen.

Für viele von uns gehört Schreiben zu den Haupttätigkeiten im Beruf: E-Mails, Berichte, Blogposts und vieles mehr. Lesefreundliches Schreiben gehört deshalb in jeden Werkzeugkasten und ist Voraussetzung, damit wir verstanden werden und die Zusammenarbeit im Job klappt. Ausserdem ist es höflich, mit der Zeit meines Lesers sorgsam umzugehen. Dabei geht es weniger um Talent als vielmehr um einige ganz grundlegende Techniken. Die folgenden Tipps sind als Checkliste gedacht: Ist der Text fertig geschrieben, kannst Du damit in wenigen Minuten die Lesefreundlichkeit des Geschriebenen überprüfen.

1. Die Satzlänge prüfen

Sätze bis zu 14 Wörter gelten gemäss vielen Studien als lesefreundlich. Das ist sicher keine absolute Grenze, kann aber eine Orientierungsmarke sein. Stark verschachtelte Sätze sollte man darauf prüfen, ob sie sich nicht in zwei Sätze aufteilen lassen.

2. Zu lange Wörter vermeiden

Simpel: Wörter mit einer Länge von zwei bis drei Silben können am einfachsten und besten gelesen werden.

3. Fremd-, Fach- und Modewörter tilgen

Ich habe grundsätzlich nichts gegen Fachwörter oder Anglizismen, häufig fassen sie komplexe Sachverhalte treffend zusammen. Schwierig finde ich es, wenn sie Unbestimmtes vernebeln und eine Klarheit vortäuschen, die ich vielleicht gar nicht im Kopf habe.

4. Nominalstil und «leere» Hauptwörter streichen

«Wir liefern pünktlich» ist verständlicher, kräftiger und kürzer als «Wir garantieren pünktliche Lieferung.» Dringlichkeit sollte nicht angebracht sein, Aufgaben sind dringend.

5. Hilfsverben und Konjunktive reduzieren

«Ich möchte mich für den Besuch an unserem Messestand bedanken.» Ja, was jetzt? Will sich der Schreibende bedanken oder nicht? Also kürzer: «Ich danke Ihnen für den Besuch an unserem Messestand.» Oder: «Vielen Dank für den Besuch an unserem Messestand.» Gleiches gilt für Modalverben wie «können» oder «sollen»: Sie können häufig ersatzlos gestrichen werden.

6. Adjektive überprüfen

«Wenn Sie ein Adjektiv verwenden wollen, so kommen Sie zu mir in den 3. Stock und fragen, ob es nötig ist.» Dem Zitat des französischen Journalisten und Politikers Georges Clemenceau ist wenig beizufügen: Die meisten Adjektive wirken verdoppelnd und haben wenig Aussagekraft. Kürzen, wo’s geht.

7. Negative Formulierungen weglassen

«Denken Sie nicht an den rosa Elefanten.» Solche Formulierungen lösen genau das Gegenteil aus. Häufig sind negative Formulierungen schwer verständlich, etwa «Ich habe nicht unweit von hier parkiert.»

8. Den Text fliessen lassen

Gute Texte haben Rhythmus. Das lässt sich einfach feststellen: Du liest Dir den Text laut vor. So bemerkst Du holprige Stellen – Du bleibst daran hängen. Mein Lieblingsbeispiel für einen Satz mit Rhythmus: «Da treibt ihn die Angst, da fasst er sich Mut und wirft sich hinein in die brausende Flut und teilt mit gewaltigen Armen den Strom, und Gott hat Erbarmen.» (Friedrich von Schiller, «Die Bürgschaft») Ein sehr langer Satz, aber mit Rhythmus – das funktioniert.

9. Nochmals lesen und nochmals kürzen

Lesefreundliche Texte entstehen selten in einem Rutsch. Also den Text einen halben Tag liegen lassen und anschliessend nochmals alle obenerwähnten Regeln durchgehen. Diese Liste ist weder sklavisch einzuhalten noch ist sie vollständig. Ich freue mich über Ergänzungen, Widersprüche und Eure Tipps.

Dieser Text ist mir was wert:

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How Ebook Buyers Discover Books

External Author — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Most writers write to get read, so how do readers discover ebooks? To discover clues to the answer, I posted a survey over at Mobileread, the online forum popular with many ebook readers. I challenged readers to select the single most common criterion they follow to discover their next read. The results provide some interesting data points Smashwords authors and publishers might consider in their marketing efforts. To capture a broad range of usable data, I suggested 12 answers, one of which was "Other." Respondents were allowed to select one answer only since I wanted to identify the single most important discovery criteria. As of this writing, 206 people answered the survey. Click the image to enlarge it. Key findings, plus my observations:

1. The most-selected answer was "Recommendations from fellow readers on online message forums, blogs and message boards," with 29% of respondents choosing this. By contrast, only 4% selected, "Personal friend/family member recommends it to me." I think this is fascinating, because it implies readers might trust the collective wisdom of strangers and online acquaintances more than they trust the recommendations of immediate friends and family. At the risk of placing too many eggs in this basket, remember 71% selected something else. 2. The second most common answer was, "I look first for my favorite authors," coming in at 18%. This makes sense. As I mention when I present my Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success talk, the author is the brand and if the author can earn the trust and loyalty of readers, readers will return to that brand for their next read. Readers in this group may also be more risk-averse. One respondent commented, "I'm at a point in life where I mostly stick with authors I already know and like. Why waste time and money on something I may not like?" 3. I found it interesting that the top two answers accounted for 47% of responses, with the other 53% of answers fragmented across ten other answers. This implies, I think, that in order for authors to reach the maximum number of readers, it requires them to orchestrate multiple touch points. 4. Several answers indicate buyers prefer a random discovery approach. Readers like to browse. Taken in the aggregate, random browsing rivals the single largest discovery method, with over 25% of respondents. The following are all random browsing methods: I browse book covers, and if it grabs me I investigate further (7%); I browse randomly then look at reviews (7%); I read free ebooks, and if I like the authors I buy their other titles (5%); I browse paper books at brick and mortar bookstores, then search for the ebook online (4%); I'll sample anything, and if it grabs me I'll download/buy it (4%). Most other answers involve some element of random browsing. 5. The Mobileread community has apparently abandoned traditional print media as their first choice for reviews and recommendations, with only 3% citing this as their preferred book discovery method. This isn't surprising, considering Mobileread is a hyper-focused community dedicated to e-reading. It's not representative of the entire population of book buyers. However, I think Mobileread does serve as a leading indicator of how consumer sentiment will change once readers make the transition to e-reading. Looking at the answers in aggregate, it's clear that over 90% of ebook discovery is occurring in the online realm. 6. I was surprised only 3% of respondents looked first to the bestseller lists, which scored just as poorly as print media reviews. Possibly it's a flaw in how I structured the survey. I was also surprised that retailer recommendations, such as the "people who bought this bought that," scored only 5%. Maybe if I asked, "Name the top three methods you use for discovery," these would have scored higher. 7. The "Other" answers, where I invited Mobilereaders to leave comments and elaborate, elicited 11% of responses. Judging from their comments, several of them found it difficult to choose a single favorite discovery method (in other words, they didn't follow the survey instructions which asked them to choose their #1). Of those who provided true "other" answers, several mentioned they discover books at libraries, or select primarily by title or book description (I should have included these as a survey options).

What to make of the results? How might authors and publishers focus their e-publishing efforts based on the data above? I think it boils down to the following:

Write a great book that resonates with readers and gives them something to talk about
Target readers who are active in online communities because they influence their fellow readers (The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide provides 30 online marketing ideas)
Maximize the availability of your book so readers can randomly stumble across it and sample it
Boring titles, unprofessional cover images and poorly written book descriptions are instant turn-offs

Do the findings above match your experience as a reader or author?

Android users vs. iPhone users: a Comparison

External Author — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:51:16 +0000

The mobile industry has changed once again with Google acquiring Motorola Mobility. The market is now very much a game of Android vs. iPhone. While both Android and iPhone users love technology, there are generally some differences among people who are a part of these groups. Hunch.com has put together an infographic that demonstrates the major differences between Android device owners and iPhone fans: According to Hunch, iPhone owners are 18% more likely to be women and 27% more likely to live in a city. Hunch’s study suggests that the iPhone crowd are a tad bit older and more sophisticated (many of them with a graduate degree). In addition, Android users are 80% more likely to have only a high school diploma. From our own surveys, it does seem that conservatives better identify with Android with iPhone. As this model suggests, Android users are 20% more likely to be conservatives. Not surprisingly, those who make a better living are more likely to own an iPhone rather than an Android device. Here is a short summary of how iPhone fans compare against Android users:

political views: liberal (iPhone) / conservative
degree: graduate degree / diploma (Android)
annual income: $200 or more / $50-100k
attitude: optimists / pessimists
personality: extroverts / introverts
spending habits: spenders/ savers
adoption: early adopters / late adopters
travel habits: worldwide / native country

There are many more interesting nuggets in this study. Hunch.com has gathered this data from 15818 users that have participated in the study. These characterizations are based on probability. Not every Android or iPhone owner fits in this model. But this is an interesting study regardless. Do you agree with Hunch’s study?

The Literary Agent’s Indie Ebook Roadmap

External Author — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:42:00 +0000

I mentioned previously I think the next chapter of the indie ebook revolution will be written by literary agents. It's starting to happen. In the last few months several literary agencies began working with Smashwords. I look forward to welcoming others in the months ahead. Today I posted a presentation at Slideshare titled, The Literary Agent's Indie Ebook Roadmap to review the opportunity I see for literary agents and their clients. As I mentioned in my prior post on agents, literary agents can add a lot of value to the publishing process. They're the trusted author advocates charged with helping authors maximize the commercial potential of their works. A great agent brings passion, smarts and relationships that can multiply an author's success several-fold. Literary agents represent some of the most commercially successful authors and author estates. In the presentation below, I share my ideas for how literary agents can better serve their clients by adding e-publishing services to their clients services mix.

The Literary Agent's Indie Ebook Roadmap

Access the complete collection of Smashwords presentations here: Smashwords Slideshare Library

I view the publishing services ecosystem as a spectrum.At one polar extreme you have traditional publishers who provide a wide range of service capabilities to authors, including editing, production, sales, distribution, marketing to accounts payables/receivables, and more. Publishers take risks on books by investing their resources to bring them to market. With the rise of ebooks and self-publishing, authors now have the opportunity to perform many of these publishing functions on their own, should they choose.

On the extreme left side of my spectrum I have what I call the "DIY Anarchists." These are the rare minority of hermits who do everything themselves and only sell on their personal website for fear of sharing a cut with a retailer or other intermediary that sits between them and their reader. The vast majority of indie authors are somewhere in the middle. Many might use Smashwords for ebook conversion, publishing and distribution, then use POD printers for their print book. They might perform some responsibilities themselves, or they might farm out roles to specialist freelancers or service providers. Some indie authors, basking in the new-found freedom to publish on their own terms, have an inclination to take on more than they should. Just because you have the power to assume all the responsibilities of a publisher doesn't mean you should bear the burden alone. This is where the publishing services specialists come in. In the end, the decision to outsource some or all of your publishing services to an intermediary comes down to time. How can you best utilize your time? For many authors, as I noted in my post, The Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, their time is usually best spent writing great books. Focus your energy on writing a book that sells itself. If your book sparks intense passion with readers, they'll market your book for you. I tell folks if they have $2,000 to invest in marketing they're probably better off investing that money with a professional editor who can help drive the next revision (I also advise authors to pinch their pennies; never spend money you don't have; and never go in debt to publish your book). Literary agents have a unique opportunity to do for their clients what many of them do not want to do - or cannot do - for themselves. What does the entry of agents into the publishing services field mean for you, the author? I think it's great news. Over time, it should allow agents to take more risks on more authors. I've spoken with numerous agents who've shared how they loved an author's work but were unable to sell it, or unable to rep it because publishers wouldn't buy it. For agents who got into the business for their love of books and helping authors, it's a soul sucking experience. Now agents have another reason to say yes. They can help release books think readers would want to read, rather than being forced to focus on books they think they can sell to a publisher. What publishers want to buy and what readers want to buy are usually VERY different things. It's in every indie author's best interest, as well as the best interest of readers, that more agency-repped authors release their books as indie ebooks. Books usually get better when touched by an agent. Speaking from personal experience, I know the novel my wife and I wrote got better thanks to the feedback of our former agent at Dystel & Goderich. Every indie ebook released by an agent creates a rising tide that lifts all authors and brings new credibility to this humble practice otherwise known as self-publishing.

Eine ganze Industrie findet keine Antwort auf Apple

External Author — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:41:00 +0000

Der Niedergang von Nokia hat sich im zweiten Quartal spürbar beschleunigt, und der Blackberry-Hersteller RIM findet keinen Halt. Auch die meisten Computerhersteller leiden. Der Grund hat in allen Fällen nur einen Namen: Apple....(read more)