FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kent, Washington, September 6, 2009 – Last week freelance writer Dana Neuts of Kent was elected to the national board of the Society of Professional Journalists during its annual conference. Serving a two-year term, Neuts was named to the position of regional director for Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. She will serve SPJ chapters and members in those states as well as act as their representative on the national SPJ board. She has also been asked to serve on the national freelance committee.
Previously, Neuts served as the president of the Western Washington Pro Chapter of SPJ, which was named Large Chapter of the Year for the third time at last week’s conference. In addition, the chapter received Circle of Excellence awards for its work in diversity and campus relations. Hilary Reeves, managing editor for The Business Examiner in Tacoma, succeeds Neuts as chapter president.
“Our industry is changing rapidly with new business models and communication tools emerging daily,” Neuts said. “At the same time, journalists are concerned about the future of our industry and our continued ability to serve as a valuable ‘check and balance’ for democracy. I look forward to contributing what I can to those challenges while also renewing the public’s trust in quality journalism and its role in open government.”
Dana Neuts is a freelance journalist based in Kent, Washington. Her work has appeared in publications including Seattle Business, the Business Report, Kent magazine, Renton magazine, The Seattle Times, South Sound magazine, Seattle Metropolitan and more. She is also the owner of Virtually Yourz, a writing, editing and marketing firm that serves small businesses and nonprofits, and the owner and publisher of iLoveKent.net, a community-based news and events website. She is a member of the Kent Downtown Partnership, serves on the board of the Halo Network Foundation, and recently founded Kent Connects, a local “no rules” networking group.
For more information, please contact:
Dana Neuts
Virtually Yourz
360-920-1737
dana@virtuallyyourz.com
www.VirtuallyYourz.com
www.iLoveKent.net
###
Showing posts with label freelance writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freelance writer. Show all posts
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Avoid the Five Most Common Article Writing Mistakes
Nothing turns off readers more than typos, misspelled words and long sentences lacking punctuation. Here are some tips to help you avoid the five most common article writing mistakes.
1. Lack of content. The single biggest mistake you can make is to dilute content by drumming up keyword content. While keywords are important, they should be used sparingly and not at the expense of your content. Ensure that your subject material is well developed and organized efficiently.
2. Grammar and Spelling. Simple grammatical and spelling mistakes can make even the most knowledgeable author appear ignorant or uneducated. To convince the reader of your expertise, it is imperative that your article be articulate, authoritative and error-free. Take full advantage of your word processing Spell and Grammar Check utilities or have the article professionally proofread.
3. Punctuation. Improper use of punctuation (lack of punctuation, improper use of exclamation points, etc.) will detract from the overall quality of the article.
4. EXCESSIVE CAPITAL LETTERS. Using Caps Lock to emphasize a certain word may be appropriate, but overuse of capital letters tends to make the reader question the device: is this article a sales gimmick? Is the author an amateur?
5. Poor formatting. One-sentence paragraphs, run-on or nonsensical sentences, sentence fragments, and excessively long bulleted lists will all reflect negatively on the article’s quality. A properly formatted article will contain, at minimum, an introduction, followed by several paragraphs of 5-7 sentences, each separated by a blank line, with paragraph headings appropriately delineated from the text following, and ending with a conclusion paragraph.
Use of these tips in your article will further enhance your online image, cementing you in your client’s mind as the professional to whom they should entrust their business.
Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts
1. Lack of content. The single biggest mistake you can make is to dilute content by drumming up keyword content. While keywords are important, they should be used sparingly and not at the expense of your content. Ensure that your subject material is well developed and organized efficiently.
2. Grammar and Spelling. Simple grammatical and spelling mistakes can make even the most knowledgeable author appear ignorant or uneducated. To convince the reader of your expertise, it is imperative that your article be articulate, authoritative and error-free. Take full advantage of your word processing Spell and Grammar Check utilities or have the article professionally proofread.
3. Punctuation. Improper use of punctuation (lack of punctuation, improper use of exclamation points, etc.) will detract from the overall quality of the article.
4. EXCESSIVE CAPITAL LETTERS. Using Caps Lock to emphasize a certain word may be appropriate, but overuse of capital letters tends to make the reader question the device: is this article a sales gimmick? Is the author an amateur?
5. Poor formatting. One-sentence paragraphs, run-on or nonsensical sentences, sentence fragments, and excessively long bulleted lists will all reflect negatively on the article’s quality. A properly formatted article will contain, at minimum, an introduction, followed by several paragraphs of 5-7 sentences, each separated by a blank line, with paragraph headings appropriately delineated from the text following, and ending with a conclusion paragraph.
Use of these tips in your article will further enhance your online image, cementing you in your client’s mind as the professional to whom they should entrust their business.
Virtually Yourz,
Dana Neuts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)