Studio Blog
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2009 Year in Review - My Favorite Articles
As 2009 comes to a close, we asked the editorial team to tell us which of your articles and videos from the past year inspired them.
With such an large community of writers producing so many wonderful articles everyday, it was definintely difficult to pick just three. In the end, I decided to go with articles in a variety of formats on several different topics. I think these writers and their articles really show the range of information and help that can be garnered from the work we're all doing here at Demand Studios.
Heartworm In Cats
http://www.ehow.com/about_5444530_heartworm-cats.html
Who Wrote It: Amanda Delago
What I Like About It: I don't know much about heartworms in cats, but I've got a couple cats and like most owners, I want to keep them healthy. This article is extremely informative, full of relevant information and contains a number of in-text citations. The citations give the article an authoritative tone, and at the same time, the writer does a great job of translating overly scientific information into text that non-veterinarians could still understand. It's very well-rounded and I walked away from this article feeling like I knew everything I needed to know about this topic.
How You Can Copy It:
Include relevant quotes and citations. Nothing lends credibility to an article, particularly a scientific/health/medical article, like citing an expert. Sure, you've got references at the end of an article, but placing those citations and quotes in the body of an article puts readers at ease with the knowledge that the article contains factual and relevant content.
Be thorough and concise at the same time. Attention spans are short, which can make writing articles for the Internet quite difficult. About format articles should contain all of the most pertinent information on a topic without being wordy or fluffy (as in, full of fluff or tangentially related material.) State the facts in easily understandable sentences without a lot of frills.
How to Make Marinara Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
http://www.ehow.com/how_5375750_make-marinara-sauce-fresh-tomatoes.html
Who Wrote It: Nikki Jardin
What I Like About It: The Introduction for this article could have easily fallen short with a generic description of how useful or tasty marinara sauce is, but instead, the writer introduces the topic with some great background information that draws the reader in with thoughts of old world Italian cooking. The body of the article really gets to the heart of how useful an article can be. It provides concise and descriptive steps that are easy to follow. I could picture each step vividly as a I read the instructions, which is so important with a How to article.
How You Can Copy It:
Punch up the Overview. Find an interesting fact or statistic on the topic and mention it in the Overview. Stay away from empty descriptions, and instead use the Overview to draw in the reader with something they don't know about the topic.
Stick to the point. A recipe like this is fairly straightforward. The steps are concise and get right to point. Don't add extra information if it is just going to make the article muddled and confusing. The reader came to the article to find out how to do something, so lets give them what they want!
Add credibility with your bio. In her bio, the writer mentions that she was a professional cook and caterer for more than 20 years. After reading that, I know that this recipe isn't just something someone made up on the fly. The writer knows what she is talking about and I have no doubt that the end result of this article is a delicious fresh marinara sauce.
What Color to Paint an Office?
http://www.ehow.com/way_5652666_color-paint-office_.html
Who Wrote It: Stevie Donald
What I Like About It: Strategy articles can be difficult, but this article is a great example of how to give general ideas and instructions, and then back them up with examples. A lesser article might still have the sentence, "Take your office furniture and decor into consideration." This writer follows that sentence up though, with the example of "Cool colors make cherry office furniture pop, while blond wood looks elegant with gray walls." Examples like this help the reader understand the general idea and give specific directions without forcing them into one idea.
How you can copy it:
Give examples. General, overarching ideas are great. They should always be included in a Strategy article, but providing examples is one of the best ways to help a reader understand a process that might not be familiar.
Follow the format. If you are working with a Strategy article, make sure that the reader walks away with a tactical plan of action for the project. Don't just state some facts about the topic. Instead, explain how to use those facts to achieve the goal. The reader should have a good idea of exactly where to go and what to do after reading your article.
With such an large community of writers producing so many wonderful articles everyday, it was definintely difficult to pick just three. In the end, I decided to go with articles in a variety of formats on several different topics. I think these writers and their articles really show the range of information and help that can be garnered from the work we're all doing here at Demand Studios.
Heartworm In Cats
http://www.ehow.com/about_5444530_heartworm-cats.html
Who Wrote It: Amanda Delago
What I Like About It: I don't know much about heartworms in cats, but I've got a couple cats and like most owners, I want to keep them healthy. This article is extremely informative, full of relevant information and contains a number of in-text citations. The citations give the article an authoritative tone, and at the same time, the writer does a great job of translating overly scientific information into text that non-veterinarians could still understand. It's very well-rounded and I walked away from this article feeling like I knew everything I needed to know about this topic.
How You Can Copy It:
Include relevant quotes and citations. Nothing lends credibility to an article, particularly a scientific/health/medical article, like citing an expert. Sure, you've got references at the end of an article, but placing those citations and quotes in the body of an article puts readers at ease with the knowledge that the article contains factual and relevant content.
Be thorough and concise at the same time. Attention spans are short, which can make writing articles for the Internet quite difficult. About format articles should contain all of the most pertinent information on a topic without being wordy or fluffy (as in, full of fluff or tangentially related material.) State the facts in easily understandable sentences without a lot of frills.
How to Make Marinara Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
http://www.ehow.com/how_5375750_make-marinara-sauce-fresh-tomatoes.html
Who Wrote It: Nikki Jardin
What I Like About It: The Introduction for this article could have easily fallen short with a generic description of how useful or tasty marinara sauce is, but instead, the writer introduces the topic with some great background information that draws the reader in with thoughts of old world Italian cooking. The body of the article really gets to the heart of how useful an article can be. It provides concise and descriptive steps that are easy to follow. I could picture each step vividly as a I read the instructions, which is so important with a How to article.
How You Can Copy It:
Punch up the Overview. Find an interesting fact or statistic on the topic and mention it in the Overview. Stay away from empty descriptions, and instead use the Overview to draw in the reader with something they don't know about the topic.
Stick to the point. A recipe like this is fairly straightforward. The steps are concise and get right to point. Don't add extra information if it is just going to make the article muddled and confusing. The reader came to the article to find out how to do something, so lets give them what they want!
Add credibility with your bio. In her bio, the writer mentions that she was a professional cook and caterer for more than 20 years. After reading that, I know that this recipe isn't just something someone made up on the fly. The writer knows what she is talking about and I have no doubt that the end result of this article is a delicious fresh marinara sauce.
What Color to Paint an Office?
http://www.ehow.com/way_5652666_color-paint-office_.html
Who Wrote It: Stevie Donald
What I Like About It: Strategy articles can be difficult, but this article is a great example of how to give general ideas and instructions, and then back them up with examples. A lesser article might still have the sentence, "Take your office furniture and decor into consideration." This writer follows that sentence up though, with the example of "Cool colors make cherry office furniture pop, while blond wood looks elegant with gray walls." Examples like this help the reader understand the general idea and give specific directions without forcing them into one idea.
How you can copy it:
Give examples. General, overarching ideas are great. They should always be included in a Strategy article, but providing examples is one of the best ways to help a reader understand a process that might not be familiar.
Follow the format. If you are working with a Strategy article, make sure that the reader walks away with a tactical plan of action for the project. Don't just state some facts about the topic. Instead, explain how to use those facts to achieve the goal. The reader should have a good idea of exactly where to go and what to do after reading your article.
