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Welcome to the Ask Marney Column by Marney Makridakis Dear Marney,       I just bought the SBI but I’m having problems with writing a good content. Can you help me in any way? I’ll be studying e-commerce designs in school, but I want to learn how to write a good article. Thanks! Dear Reader:      For those who don’t know, SBI (SiteBuildIt!) is the mecca product of Web design/promotion/marketing/technology that I use for Artella, and I can’t say enough good things about it! (Read this case study they have posted about how I’ve used SBI to grow Artella, and you’ll get a sense of how much I like this product! Click the link and scroll down to the E-goods section to read my story.) But no matter what tools you use, quality content is vastly important!      No matter what the topic is, the key to writing is to find your voice. If writing is new to you, try this: take a tape recorder and tape an impromptu speech about your topic, and then listen and write down the points you might like to integrate into the article. You can tape a "mock interview", where you are being interviewed as an expert in your specific topic. Speaking off the top of your head, when nobody can hear you but the tape recorder, can help break through some of the fear that comes with writing.      Also, try writing an email to a friend (or a made-up friend) on your topic as a way to get your thoughts on paper. Then go back and organize it into article form. You’d probably be surprised at how article-ready your emails are!      When you do begin writing your article, experiment with using different voices in your article to see what flows the best. Try "you", "we", "I", etc. I tend to use "we" a lot, rather than "you", because most often I am describing something that I’ve learned from personal experience, so I include myself in what I’m saying.      Finally, I’ll share two formulas that have worked well for me when I’m writing articles. These are two of several formulas that I present in my four-month course on creating e-courses, eBooks, and teleworkshops, Create Your Own YOUniversity. TECHNIQUE #1: Use a meaningful quote as a trigger for an article. This is great practice for generating brief articles/essays and getting into the flow. Start the article with the quote Relate the quote to "real life" and/or tell a story of personal experience that relates to the quote. Make a suggestion for something practical the reader can do to implement the essence of the quote in his or her life End with an encouraging wrap-up statement that repeats some element or essence from the quote. TECHNIQUE #2: Present a solution to a problem, paragraph-by-paragraph. List questions that the reader might have ("Have you ever...", "Do you_____"). Offer background on WHY these questions might exist. Examine what readers might have tried, or what their further experiences might have been. Summarize your solution, briefly Introduce your own experience, how you found the solution, what the result has been. Offer examples of others who may have also implemented this solution Offer tips/steps/procedures for the reader for implementing the solution. Touch on challenges that might come from implementing the solution, and ways to get around them. End with inspiring "words of wisdom" for readers to take away with them.      Finding confidence in your writing voice is a skill, and it takes time to develop. If you are eager to get your Web site launched, you might want to consider hiring a writer to write the articles for you, to start. That way, you can start with top-notch content and, as your Web site grows, you can create more and more of the content on your own. Good luck...I know you’ll have a blast with SBI! -Marney back to Index