ComHacker.org

by Patricia Mayo

In the first installment in this series on communicating a message with pictures, I introduced this concept and talked about the purpose of a picture, how to use images to draw attention, and putting the reader in the picture’s shoes.

This time I get to dig into one of my all time favorites - directing attention. The nuances of this use are just so much fun to me - not that I take great joy in fiddling with people’s heads. I just like figuring out each case and exactly how your eyes will be influenced by a picture.

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Trisha, @mayobrains on Twitter

by Patricia Mayo

Maybe being lazy is a good idea, according to - you guessed it (well maybe you didn’t) - Seth Godin. He calls it “keeping copy out of the way of your message“… but I know better.

Photo by Paul Mata

This isn’t the first I’ve heard of the concept. A lot of great and well-renowned books on copywriting say pretty much the same thing. Some of my favorite quotes by famous authors say pretty much the same thing.

Get to the point. Quickly.

But, you see, I have a little problem with broad stroke “solutions.”

by Patricia Mayo

The “experts” say you should include pictures in anything you publish online - but they never say what to look for in a picture.

Photo via Fail Blog

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - but very few realize exactly what they are saying with their pictures.

Normally, we aren’t aware of the messages these images are communicating - but that just makes the message even more powerful. Just ask any pro selling through a catalog or direct mail.

The difference between a good image and a bad image is very cut and dry - success, or failure. Period.

by Patricia Mayo

Did you notice something strange in the last few entries? There’s columns and microposts and strange pictures - oh my!

Photo by Bart

Over the last couple days I have broken my blog more times than I can count - all in the name of improving my writing style. Of course, it helps that it all looks neat and fancy too.

Really I’m just trying to forcibly train myself. Some people write long paragraphs - I write long sentences. Sure it may not seem like a bad habit. However, I believe if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.

“Effective leaders have the courage to say what they’re thinking - and that usually turns out to be what everyone else is thinking.” - William Isaacs, author of Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together

“At the first gate the gatekeeper asks, Is it true? At the second gate, he asks, Is it necessary? And at the third gate, Is it kind?”

Make sure every word passes all three gates before you speak them.

by Patricia Mayo

It is possible to make money blogging - but it doesn’t happen the most obvious way.

Photo by Jay Lopez

I actually make a good chunk of my income blogging.

However, if you look in my sidebars, I don’t have ads. Not a single one. No sponsors, no donate buttons, no Entrecard. This site isn’t in any kind of traffic rotator schemes. I did an affiliate promotion once, but the results were so crappy you’re not going to see that again.

This is all very much on purpose - because the concept of “problogging” does not work if all you have to offer are your words on one blog.

by Patricia Mayo

A couple days ago a good buddy, Mike Davis, said to me, “Trisha, my blog sucks. My blogging sucks. I look at yours and it’s all so cool. How can I be more like you?”

Photo by Dave Dyet

What you see now on GlobalCitizenExperiment.com is the product of about 6 hours of lighthearted work. I didn’t bother taking a “before” screenshot - trust me, it was a real eyesore. There’s still more to do, but we’re already pretty close to that “pretty ‘n pro” look.

by Patricia Mayo

I’m breaking all the rules in my product launch - but I’m willing to bet my results will be better, and longer lasting, than anyone who does it the “traditional way.”

Photo by Maira Kouvara

The “things” traditional online marketers say you need, like a list and a website, are spot on, but the way they say you should build it is way off.

If you know anything about building a list, you know that at the beginning of it all is the “squeeze page.” I don’t use a squeeze page the way most people do. I let you see more information. I let you navigate through my site.

I am doing everything I can to be as transparent and available as possible. And I’m not just using my transparent squeeze page to draw in subscribers, either.