1. Separate

2. Definitely

3. Manoeuvre

4. Embarrass

5. Occurrence

6. Consensus

7. Unnecessary

8. Acceptable

9. Broccoli

10. Referred

Read the top 20 here

Very well said. For the rest of the article, click here.

There are lots of ways to get more contacts but it takes time and the most important thing is that you have something there for them to look at. It’s no good trying to attract friends and followers when there’s nothing in place to retain them. There has to be content. You wouldn’t open a store with no stock and expect people to visit. If they do visit, you can be sure they won’t stick around for long. You wouldn’t invite people to a barbie and say, “We’ll get some food and drink in when there’s a 100 people here” – they’ll all just leave.

Yes it’s frustrating sending out tweets to nobody and perhaps a little bit insane to talk to yourself on Facebook but at the same time, you put chairs in your house in case someone visits. So before asking how to get more Facebook friends and Twitter followers, make sure the shelves are fully stocked!

This week I had a chance to test run the new Did You Remember The Milk? ebook. It’s a comprehensive planner for the whole family inclusive of everything you could possibly think of – planning for day trips and holidays, babysitter details, meal planner, budget – not so much an organiser as an entire household system. It’s a housekeeper in print form.

I loved the eBook version but I think the binder version will work wonders because it will be accessible to those not yet computer literate:

http://www.didyourememberthemilk.com.au/shop.htm

Let’s compare it to shopping in the real world. In the real world I see a purple shirt in the window that I like, or perhaps I purposely go shopping for a purple shirt. I go into the store and tell the attendant that I want to see the purple shirt that’s in the window or if they have any.

An attendant with poor customer services skills will wave a hand vaguely and say, “They’re over there.” (Equivalent to landing on a home page).

An enterprising staff member might take me to a rack of green shirts that the boss wants shifted. (Equivalent to landing on a generic products page.) Selling a green shirt will make the boss happy, but I the customer am very busy and don’t have time to look at green shirts; I need a purple one. I will assume the staff member is either not interested in meeting my needs or is colourblind.

An attendant with good customer service skills will take me straight to what I want. Then advise me of the different size options. And perhaps even suggest an accessory. (“Do you want fries with that?”)

Help your site visitors find the purple shirt by directing them to exactly what it is they are searching for.

Many writer devise a storage system, whether it’s a dedicated drive on the PC or a concertina file to hold scrap pages and motivational images. (Incidentally, I find Microsoft Office OneNote is an excellent program for compiling and managing data for articles and novels.) But even seasoned journalists find themselves jotting statistics down on a napkin while simultaneously trying to recall a sentence from an impromptu interview.

Could the Livescribe Smartpen be the solution we’re all looking for? According to the website, the Smartpen records audio at the touch of a button and has a built-in speaker for immediate playback. But the Smartpen is more than just recording equipment. It can be connected via USB to transfer handwritten notes and audio to your PC. A tiny infrared camera tracks everything you write or draw (on special Livescribe paper). An optional program will turn your handwritten notes into text – perfect for two-finger typists. Audio can be correlated with written notes; an excellent tool for replaying a difficult or lengthy interview, meeting or lecture.

I haven’t yet got my hands on a Livescribe Smartpen but I want one.