Undersell noun

My name is Eric and I’m an editor. I’ve been a freelancer for many years working with various companies, marketplaces, students, professionals, journalists, entrepreneurs, copywriters, travel portals, bloggers, musicians, and all other facets of writers. If you’ve submitted a post here at ShoutMeLoud, you may have had an encounter with me. Some of those encounters may have been favorable, and others, well, maybe not so much. First, let me start off by answering this question: Editors are essentially grammar nerds. We seek to make sure that everything the writer is saying is said in the most attractive way possible. But not everyone has a favorable opinion of editors. Here’s why: They nit-pick. They change words and phrases that you think didn’t need to be changed. They’re often at odds with your artistic vision. But there’s one thing you need to remember: Editors are writers, too. I am a writer. Honestly, I’m much more of a writer … [Read more...] about I Will Show You How to Make Your Blog Professional in 15 minutes

Like every other blogger, I have been using Google Images for Clip art, Images, and Photos for my blog even though I didn’t want to. But recently I created a Lifestyle blog for a friend and advised her to use Flickr for images. I was totally impressed by her image searching capability and decided to use Flickr for my blog as well. Again, the blogpost by Roni Loren titled “Blogger Beware: You CAN Get Sued For Using Photos You Don’t Own on Your Blog” was a total eye-opener. I read that article a couple of days back and got to action. Why? Because Roni said that we can get sued for using those clip-arts, stock images, and photos which we get from Google Images. I have often, like most of you, royally ignored the warning message from Google which says “Images may be subject to copyright.” while previewing images. So where can you get images from now? Use images with a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons Attribution License indicates that … [Read more...] about 40 Image Sources & Tools For Free Stock Photos, Images & Cliparts

Keyword research is without a doubt, the backbone of search engine optimization (SEO). Without going through this initial phase of research, your SEO campaign will be based on a lot of assumptions and unlikely to produce real results. Furthermore, despite the fact that keyword research is done in the start of most SEO campaigns, if it is not done accurately, it can lead to great financial loss, time and resources. It often even requires web design updates to ensure a good user experience. It’s a procedure that many SEOs are only high level versed. What many are not aware of, is the fact that there is a deeper level of research that many over look. This type of research is generally referred to as keyword forensics. What is Keyword forensics Keyword forensics is defined as exploring all types of behaviorally related search data that can translate into potential keywords or key-phrases for your SEO campaign. In order to understand the dynamics of … [Read more...] about Keyword Forensics: Taking Your Keyword Research to the Next Level

Not all impressions are created equal. So why trade them wholesale without distinction? It’s a good and democratic way to trade all your impressions in open RTB environment (akin to AdSense)—all publishers get the same data and price floor, the highest bidder wins, end of story. But that sort of “throw it to the market and let them decide” approach severely limits yield and barely scratches the surface of all the capabilities of programmatic selling. In this primer, we are discussing all four of programmatic deal types, along with their potential merits and disadvantages for media sellers. Also known as: Open exchange, Open marketplace, RTB Participation: All (eligible) buyers on a platform Ad Server Priority: Lowest (just above in-house ads) An Open Auction is the Wild West of auctions. — IAB It’s a lot like plug-and-play trading on AdSense: Every advertiser on an exchange/SSP/ad network gets the impression call, they all bid, and the highest … [Read more...] about Explainer: The Four Types of Programmatic Deals

The internet is filled to the brim with writing advice, as dispensed by everyone from 17th-century poets to modern-day linguists. And real life is no different either — I bet even your co-worker in IT has his own little nugget of wisdom to share on the subject. Don’t dangle your modifiers. Always write in active voice. Don’t split infinitives. How much of this advice is really effective, though? Is it possible to write with a grammar rulebook open in front of you? More importantly, would doing so necessarily make for better writing? When it comes to correct English, there’s no one in charge; the lunatics are running the asylum. There is no tribunal. There’s no rules committee. That would just never work with language. There are hundreds of millions of English speakers and they are constantly adding new terms to the language. They’re constantly changing shades of meaning. — Steven Pinker Remember, technically correct does not … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Become a Better Writer, According to Science