Archives for June 2012

Caldera Writers and Artists in Residence, Oregon

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Another Writers and Artists Residency to apply early next year. Mark your Calendar!

Every year we invite artists from all over the world to our Caldera Arts Center near Sisters, Oregon, for monthlong residences.  Artists are provided free, private A-frame cabins and share access to wet and dry studios, a darkroom, a kiln, editing facilities and rehearsal and performance space.  Because we believe a range of backgrounds enhances the communal experience, residencies are open to artists from any field, including WRITERS, as well as scientists and environmentalists.

Caldera’s Artists in Residence program offers the gift of time and space.  Residents are given a free cabin, 24-hour access to studios and the time and space to create.  No money changes hands.  Residents are responsible for food, travel, materials and other expenses.  By design, the residents form a small community of 5–12 artists, depending on the group.

A weekly meal is shared and collaboration is encouraged.Artists aren’t required to finish a project during their residency, but are encouraged to share their work with the nearby community.  Many artists give presentations in the neighboring town of Sisters, or area schools, or migrate toward Caldera’s youth program and help with kids’ art projects.

Residencies last one month, and take place in January, February and March. 2014 applications will open in early January 2013.

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out previous posts (there are almost 500 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularely by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line – and on “Like” next to it.

And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr or StumbleUpon – or other social networking sites of your choice) – other people might also enjoy this and find it useful.

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Writers Residency Joshua Tree Ntl Park, CA

Mark your calendar for next spring to apply for this Writers Residency in Palm Springs, California area and check out their website for details:

Joshua Tree Ntl Park Residency for Writers and Artists

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photo Joshua Tree Ntl Park

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HISTORY OF ARTISTS IN NATIONAL PARKS

Artists were among the first to record the visual beauty and the drama of the American West on canvas and in photos. Carleton Watkins, Ansel Adams, Thomas Moran, William Henry Jackson, and others awakened a nation to the magnificent waterfalls, geyser basins, and wildlife found in what would become some of our nation’s most revered national parks.  They looked beyond nature as a raw resource; they spoke in defense of disappearing wildlife and vegetation. They saw beauty and virtue in places promised to the future.

The Joshua Tree National Park Artist-in-Residence Program offers visual, performing and literary artists a residency from 2-6 weeks long during the months of March, April, October, and November of each year.

The accommodations within the park are located at the Lost Horse Ranger Station, in a rustic and self-sufficient cabin with nearby panoramic views of the park. In exchange for the adventure of living and working in a national park, the resident artist will have the opportunity to create a body of work and to share it with the surrounding regional and Southern California communities.  Deadline for this year July 1, 2012.

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http://joshuatree.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/AIR-Application-web-2012.pdf

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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out previous posts (there are almost 500 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularely by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line – and on “Like” next to it.

And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr or StumbleUpon – or other social networking sites of your choice) – other people might also enjoy this and find it useful.

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Looking for a Freelance Writing Job?

Check out these free-lance writing offers:
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Women’s Health Writer / Practitioner
Looking for a professional-level (MD, DO, RN, BN, Ph.D, NP, PA,RD) practitioner / writer to participate in creating a women’s holistic health website / resource. The ideal candidate is a
practicing licensed health care provider with a strong interest in holistic women’s health; looking for opportunities to market herself and expand her reputation online, nationally; and is
deeply familiar with holistic health concepts without being overly dogmatic about any one specific approach. We are particularly interested in someone who can write knowledgably about
psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and psychological aspects of being a woman. Ideally, we want to feature the writing / person / practice of the right person on our beautiful and classy website for women. Our target audience is women of reproductive age, and the ideal candidate would be someone in that same demographic.
Two types of writing are involved: ~1200 word articles that are scientifically referenced on condition-specific topics and much more informal and personal 250 – 600 word blog posts on
topical women’s health subjects.
nsxdp-3106600444@gigs.craigslist.org

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Health Guru for Web Article Writing (Online)
We are an established online lifestyle publication, looking to add another writer to our team who will:
• Produce 1 article per week (to start), between 300-500 words, submitted by 6 pm EST on Tuesdays. Articles will be original and exclusive to our publication, not to be published elsewhere.
• Author should be experienced with creating articles in WordPress, have a cursory knowledge of SEO, be familiar with placing outbound links throughout content, and using heading tags if/when applicable
• Write eye-catching article titles to promote click-thrus and sharing
• Be willing to respond to readers who leave comments or questions on the article
Articles should be about an interesting healthy living from the day (current is a must!), including things like:
• Discoveries about the human body (i.e.. brain, heart, muscles, diseases, illness, etc.)
• Announcements about the impact of eating certain foods (ie. Do bananas help your cholesterol?)
• Pregnancy, and health-related family care

The article will be written from YOUR angle, but is to include all relevant details for informational purposes, and should include embedded links back to your sources. We want your personality to shine through in your writing. We will provide you with resources you can use to source, if required.This position has room for growth, and if articles are popular we will increase the number of articles paid for per week.
j6kgt-3107761735@job.craigslist.org

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Freelance Writer (News / Comedy) San Diego
One of the hottest start-ups in the education space is looking for freelance writers who can produce witty summaries of news stories. Do you have a solid writing background? An amazing sense of humor? A desire for a flexible part-time opportunity with genuine potential to grow into more? If you answered “Yes” to all of the above, we’d love to hear from you. Please reply with a resume, cover letter and a writing sample of 150-200 words reporting on a recent news story you find interesting. Location: Offsite Compensation: $10 – $20 per hour depending on experience
gx4tz-3107126143@job.craigslist.org
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Enthusiastic, creative bloggers needed (Seattle)
We are a close-knit group of writers who are excited to offer consistent, long-term blogging opportunities for our writers. We value our team and enjoy having a great group of people that we can depend on. The opportunity we currently have available is blogging about language translation. This position requires 3 entries per day for a total of $60.
All of our entries are between 450-500 words and written in a personable, opinionated voice that offers insightful analysis, not a restating of well-known facts. If this subject interests you, we’d like to see a brainstorm of 4-5 topics you would blog about for it, as well as 2-3 paragraphs on one of your topics showing us how viral your writing can be. We’d like to fill this position immediately, so it would be great if you could respond today!
cbmsf-3106809369@job.craigslist.org

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The American Gardener Magazine
This magazine features inspiring color photographs and in-depth articles on new and native plants, influential garden personalities, garden history, and earth friendly gardening techniques and products. There are also regular departments on design, children’s gardening, conservation issues, and reviews of the latest gardening books, as well as a calendar of gardening events nationwide. Pays $300 to $500 for articles and $100 to $250 for columns. Query with outline,topic description, and why the piece is suitable for thereadership. Include clips or writing samples and a commentabout your gardening experience.
www.ahs.org/publications/the_american_gardener/

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Freelance Business Writer – Citygrid Media West Hollywood, CA
CityGrid, a leading local online media company that owns and operates leading local consumer properties including Citysearch, Insider Pages and Urbanspoon, is looking to hire a freelance business writer to craft copy and copyedit byline articles, case studies and create copy for our blog. Job Responsibilities: Write up to 5-7 byline articles/ blog posts per month on everything from the local landscape, small business marketing ideas to advertising trends Craft customer case stories and marketing materials when needed Work directly with key executives on copyediting articles and blog posts Deliver products in a timely fashion to meet set deadlines Oversee and prioritize work effectively Requirements: Prior experience writing business/technology articles needs to be a published writer.
www.simplyhired.com/job-id/xxbrxdwvad/freelance-business-jobs/

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American Spirit Magazine
The magazine’s focus is on Early American history; genealogy; civics education; historic preservation; collectibles such as furniture, porcelain, textiles, tools and artwork; women’s history and biography; historic travel and tourism; patriotism; Americana and crafts. Its primary timeframe encompasses the Colonial period, the 200-plus years between the Jamestown colony and 1820s. It also tends to focus on the American experience as it relates to women, and we like stories that link past and present. Non-fiction features average 1,500-2,000 words; non-fiction departments average 750-1,000 words. Published by the Daughters of the American Revolution, for its members.
www.dar.org/natsociety/magwriters.cfm

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Temporary Freelance Catolog Copywriter Ball Horticultural Company West Chicago, IL
Write, proof, edit copy for trade catalogs, print ads, brochures and direct mail pieces. Provide same to layout artist(s). Research product attributes, features and benefits. Participate in brainstorming. Work well in a collaborative environment. Our ideal candidate will be able to create compelling product copy for B2B and consumer-facing initiatives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. Previous catalog copywriting experience 5+ years ad agency experience. BA in Journalism, Advertising, Communications or related. Proven track record in developing B2B and Consumer-facing communication. Proficient in Microsoft Office and Mac OS in a shared, server-based computer configuration Excellent attention to detail.
www.simplyhired.com/job-id/j34uhwj3lb/temporary-freelance-jobs/

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Freelance Senior Copywriter Company: Razorfish Chicago, IL
Razorfish is one of the largest interactive agencies in the world and currently has more than 2,000 employees in 20 offices in seven countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) focusing exclusively on digital marketing and technology. Each office is filled with opportunities for people who want to invent the digital future. We are seeking a Freelance Senior Copywriter in our Chicago office. The Copywriter is responsible for conceptual development and copy deliverables, including advertising, web sites, email and other forms of interface design. These responsibilities include creating and communicating concepts, implementing marketing strategies and developing short and long form copy solutions.
http://www.simplyhired.com/job-id/qh62ypns2o/freelance-senior-jobs/

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out previous posts (there are almost 500 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularely by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line – and on “Like” next to it.

And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr or StumbleUpon – or other social networking sites of your choice) – other people might also enjoy this and find it useful.

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Why Big Publishers Need to Compete with Amazon

FORBES writer Jeremy Greenfield:
“A decade ago, the only way to have a book published and sold on store shelves was to sell it to a book publisher that would help edit, design and distribute it.

Today, anyone who can type and has an internet connection can have her book for sale at the world’s largest bookstore — Amazon — in a matter of hours.

If an author can go to Kindle Direct Publishing or Barnes & Noble’s PubIt!, instantly publish their own book and then collect up to 70% of the sale price as a royalty as opposed to the 15% to 25% that many traditional publishers offer on e-books, why wouldn’t they?

That’s a question that many authors are asking themselves in the e-book era. And publishers are answering it.

Several major book publishers have recently come out with aggressive statements asserting what they do and all the work that goes into publishing a successful book. Publishers are now openly competing for author talent with self-publishing sites.

So, what do publishers do?” Read more here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2012/06/27/what-publishing-companies-do-in-a-world-where-anyone-can-publish-a-book/

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For Writers Who Are Serious About Achieving Success!

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Writers Conference in Denton (DFW area) July 21 – 22, 2012

From their invitation:
In a world filled with people who think they are writers, only a handful will truly succeed. What separates them from the rest of the crowd? They take advantage of all the available opportunities and resources to promote their work and themselves. So, you have to ask yourself – Are you as well known as you could be? Are your books selling as well as they should?

Nowadays, writers are expected to take on more of the marketing and promotional duties.
They have to not only write, they have to blog and post and tweet as well. They have to build their own platforms, identify their own demographics, and find their own market share. The profession has changed and anyone who does not adopt and adapt will not succeed.
The LEXICON WRITERS CONFERENCE seeks to assist, promote, and educate writers in all genres and fields, including fiction, non-fiction, screenplay, and graphic novel. Published and unpublished writers are invited to attend. Meet with established writers, literary agents, publishers and marketing experts to discuss your finished or unfinished manuscripts. We will also have experts in various fields to provide technical information.

The LEXICON WRITERS CONFERENCE will be held on July 21 – 22, 2012 in Denton, Texas but we have special events set up for the 19th and 20th as well.
LOCATION:
The BEST WESTERN PREMIER AND HILTON GARDEN INN located at HOSPITALITY HILL in Denton, Texas – 30 minutes north of D/FW International Airport and Dallas, Texas. The two host hotels have special rates for attendees and have waved their cancellation policy, allowing people to cancel their rooms up to 4:00 the day of July 20, 2012.

Sign up now for the conference and take advantage of the reduced prices (See Information Page for prices and deadlines). Be sure to indicate whether you are interested in attending the Friday Night Meet and Greet Dinner or any of the other special programs.
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European Union and e-Books

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When it comes to currency, the EC is borderless; when it comes to e-books — not so much. Could this change? You will be surprised – it might be the European Commission that makes it happen:

European publishers and a member of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) responsible for the e-book standard ePub, met with the Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Kroes to discuss the future of e-books.

Publishers called for reduced rates of VAT for e-books and Ms Kroes has reassured them that she was standing behind them on this issue. The goodwill has to come from the Finance Ministers.

The publishers also insisted that they are signing licences with authors allowing them to distribute the books in a said language on a pan-European basis. There is no obstacle in the contract between publishers and retailers which prevent these retailers to sell a German e-book to Greece or a Spanish e-book to the United Kingdom for example and to make sure that as many readers have access to as many books as possible, this is an issue of cultural diversity.

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How to Create a (very) Short Description of Your Book

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Remember my blog about the “elevator pitch“, You Never Get a Second Chance…the 30-60 second description of your book? Writing a very short synopsis of your book is almost the same task.

Author Mike Wells

American Bestselling Author and writing teacher Mike Wells writes in his blog:
“If you’re like most authors, summarizing your book in a couple of sentences is a daunting task. However, if you’re going to sell your book, it’s simply something you have to do.

If you choose to go the traditional route, agents and editors alike are bombarded with so many queries that if they find themselves having to do much mental work to understand the gist of your book, they will simply pass on to the next one.

The same goes for self-publishing–all the retailers and distributors require short descriptions of your book.

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Each and every story is composed of the same five basic elements:  a (1) hero who finds himself stuck in a (2) situation from which he wants to free himself by achieving a (3) goal. However, there is a (4) villain who wants to stop him from this, and if he’s successful, will cause the hero to experience a (5) disaster.

Actually, what I’ve just written above IS the two sentence synopsis which will work for any story, no matter how complex the plot or characters may seem. Another way to write this compressed synopsis is to move the goal into the second sentence, in form of a question: Hero finds herself stuck in situation from which she wants to free herself. Can she achieve goal, or will villain stop her and cause her to experience disaster? All you have to do is identify the elements and plug them in to create the most basic two sentence synopsis for your own story.”

Read his worthwhile blog where he explains in detail how to write a synopsis of your book, under “Advice for Writers“.

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5 Ways of Marketing with Pinterest

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PINTEREST, an image-based social networking platform is growing at record speed. Direct sales content is not allowed at Pinterest, according to their Terms of Service. However, this doesn’t mean businesses can’t get creative and use Pinterest for brand-building and to drive revenue. Here are five creative ways to use Pinterest as a platform for indirect marketing purposes in your social media marketing mix. It’s free and easy to use.

The visual aspect offers great opportunities for authors to connect with readers by “pinning” their book cover images and illustrations from within their book.
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1. Create several pinboards
Depending on the story of your book, you could create custom product pinboards that indirectly market through topics of your book. For example, when you wrote a historical novel, you can create a pinboard with historical photographs of the area, where the novel takes place and a pinboard about events happening at the time. A pinboard about the characters… etc. Or if you wrote a thriller, set in the financial sector, pin images of Wall Street or offices of investment bankers. However be careful to show images of persons only after getting their written! consent.  Images of Banks such as Merrill Lynch, Rothschild or Bank of America are ok.

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You could also create a pinboard, showing images of your old typewriter, a pile of notes, your laptop, cute writing paper with a pretty pen, you – sitting on your desk and writing or you – at a book signing or giving a talk.. you get the idea.  And always add a cover image of your book, including an mage of the back side if it is a paper book, to EACH of these pinboards.

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2. Informal Market Research
Use Pinterest to show several drafts of the cover images of your next book. Ask visitors to share their thoughts through comments and vote for their favored image. Encourage them to invite their friends on Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, FB or LinkedIn to partizipate and give an e-book version of the upcoming book as prize drawing for the most popular cover image, choosen by them. You can also ask for feedback on illustrations, video, your book trailer, ads, and much more.

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3. Create a Contest
Contests can get really creative on Pinterest. You could hold a contest for the best image story, pinned by a Pinterest user / customer taking
images of your books or photos to create it. You could ask people to pin images to Pinterest as part of your contest.

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4. Video Pinboards
When publishing How-to videos on YouTube or on your business blog, pin it on Pinterest and share that useful content. Create a pinboard for all of your helpful content to give it broader exposure.

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5. Promote Your Pinboards
Cross-promote the content you publish on Pinterest pinboards – on your blog, Twitter, Google+ and other social media profiles – and vice versa, your social media appearance on Pinterest pinboards. Help your potential customers to spread the word by putting a button “Follow Me on Pinterest” to your website/blog as well as a “Pin It” button. It’s an easy way for people to pin your image or your video with a single mouse click. You can install these buttons within seconds; it makes your content more shareable.

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Excerpt from the brand new e-book: ***** 111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer ***** featuring valuable tips and links to video tutorials, free music downloads and free images, available on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008Y15YYO

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Writing Freelance for Magazines

Alaska Air 737

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Alaska Airlines
We focus on the people and places of the Alaska Airlines route system, exploring the issues, trends and events that shape these regions. With superior writing and striking photography, Alaska Airlines Magazine spotlights the cultural and visual diversity of Alaska Airlines markets: from the wilderness of Alaska to the beaches of Southern California; from the rich Latin flavor of Mexico to the cosmopolitan intrigue of cities that range from Vancouver to New York.

The Journal column is the best way to break into Alaska Airlines Magazine. Journal is a collection of short pieces that range from business personality profiles to new museum exhibits in cities served by Alaska Airlines. We pay a kill-fee of one-third the contracted price. Rates begin at $150 to $250 for short articles in the Journal section, or for restaurant and hotel reviews (300 to 800 words); $150 for business shorts (500 words); $500 for columns(1,600 words); and $700 for features (2,000 to 2,500 words).
http://www.alaskaairlinesmagazine.com/contributor/guidelines/

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Ad Astra
Ad Astra (“to the stars”) is the award-winning magazine of the National Space Society, featuring the latest news in space exploration and stunning full-color photography.Ad Astra is open to unsolicited submissions, but prefers queries from writers, photographers, and artists interested in assignments for future issues of the magazine. Queries should include areas of expertise and interest, recent publication credits, and samples of work. Book reviews and profiles, 600-750 words. Features 1200-4000 words with 2-8 full-size (8.5×11) color images at 300 dpi. Sidebars 100-600 words. Payment 25 cents/word, art and photo rates negotiable.
http://www.nss.org/adastra/guidelines.html

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Adventure Cyclist
Adventure Cyclist is the one cycling magazine truly dedicated to bicycle travel and adventure. Offering many angles on bicycle travel, we cover adventures worldwide, including epic, cross-country cycling tours, shorter multi-day trips, and mountain-bike treks, as well as featuring bicycle-gear reviews, and other bicycle-travel news. We are known for inspiring photography and insightful stories. Payment for manuscripts is negotiable, but generally ranges from $.30 to $.45 per word.
http://www.adventurecycling.org/mag/submissions.cfm
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12 Smart Ways to Boost Your Social Media Efforts

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Peg Fitzpatrick wrote in a great post: Social media is fun but can be very time consuming. Learning ways to maximize each of your efforts will make everything you do more successful. Social media is not rocket science, however there are a few tricks and tips that can make things really start to hum for you. Some of these tips, among many others:

Good old social skills
Don’t forget the basics! Say hello, thank you and nice to meet you. Everyone appreciates good manners and this leads to further engagement.

Guest post
Writing guest posts helps you find a whole new audience for your message and gives you great content to repurpose on your own blog later.

Post on FB and include a call to action
Posting something fantastic with a call to action will encourage engagement and you will get positive results.

Use Flitter
A great third party app to manage and clean up your Twitter followers. Easy to use and practical.

Use Buffer
Fill up your Buffer at one time in the day and Buffer automagically posts them for you through the day. 10 posts are free, unlimited is $10/month.

Use Triberr
Triberr is a blogger’s dream. You write amazing content, it’s sent magically to Triberr from your blog to a network of tribe mates waiting to share your content. This is a community of experienced bloggers that you can bond with, learn from and enjoy.

Scheduling your posts via HootSuite or TweetDeck or Timely.is
Only have a little window of time on social media? Use the scheduling features to space out the thanks, comments and RT’s.

Maximize your profile data
Help more awesome people find you. Hava complete bio and links to your blog, web and social media presence. You need to help people find you and make it easy for them to follow you.

Read the whole article how to boost your social media efforts:
http://12most.com/2012/06/19/smart-ways-to-boost-your-social-media-efforts/?utm_source=rss

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