What Should You Do If You Don't Think You Can Write Articles?

One of the more popular means of producing interest in your internet business is by writing and publishing articles. An author of even a few well-written, informative articles, who publishes these articles around the internet accomplishes a couple of important things at one time. First, the author is creating valuable links back to the main sales or information website he or she is hoping to promote. At the same time, the author is enhancing his or her personal image as an expert source of information or provider of guidance on that topic. This could eventually lead to their articles being sought out, their websites being visited, and their advice being actively sought. The seekers will assign importance to their opinions and pronouncements and hopefully be swayed to at least consider the products or services endorsed by the author.

This is one of the most common reasons for writing and publishing articles on the internet.

WHAT IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO SIMPLY CANNOT WRITE THOSE ARTICLES?

What if you lack, or believe you lack, the skill, the training, the education, the creativity, or just plain writing knack to produce even a single article, much less a series? How will you ever be able to capitalize on this valuable tool and produce the wide ranging links and level of respect as an expert that comes from writing and publishing articles on the internet? How can you use this tool to effectively promote your internet business?

SEVERAL OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR NON-WRITERS

One of the simplest means is the creation of a blog. You don't have to write like a pro, although it does help to be able to express yourself. One technique is to visit article sites, such as EzineArticles.com and use the articles available there. However, you have to credit the author, who will NOT be you! Although you can produce links to your interests, and you can create a group of regular visitors, you will not be the expert whose advice is sought, and whose pronouncements are respected and followed.

You can also create simple websites which link to your website or business, again, using articles available from other sources.

USING FORUMS FOR INTERNET BUSINESS PROMOTION AND TRAINING IN ARTICLE WRITING

Almost every topic you can think of that relates to your internet business will have one or more forums or discussion groups. You can go to places like Yahoo and MSN.com just for starters and probably find several groups that match your field of interest.

Once you have found a group or two, spend some time looking around. Are they talking about the subject? Are they way out in left field or in another galaxy? If you want to sell lead ingots or tin, you probably are not going to be interested in a forum mainly visited by metallurgists. They will probably discuss lead or tin, and may even be interested in these metals, but the discussion may be over your head, and they will access to resources you are probably not even aware of. Find a place where ordinary people who are interested in the topic are exchanging information. It should be somewhat active, and there should be a good percentage of new people coming in regularly. It is great to have new people curious about the topic or wanting to learn, as these are people you can help by providing answers to their questions.

If you have found a forum or group that seems to meet the basic requirements, then the next step is to join.

Most groups will allow you to create a signature or profile. This brief description about yourself is usually allowed to contain a link to your site. Don't make this a sales pitch. If your URL is not expressive enough to carry your basic message, then just write a simple remark that explains or clarifies what your site is about and link it to your site. If possible, this link should be anchor text that is an important search terms. Anchor text, by the way, simply means that rather than simply putting in the URL of your site, you link a word that could be considered a major keyword for your site to the URL.

Now, continue visiting the forum regularly and read posts that seem reasonable and intelligent, but which are commenting on, or asking questions related to your subject area or business. If you are already knowledgeable on these topics, so much the better. However, if you are not, or are uncertain of your ability to provide valid answers, you are hooked up to the most effective research tool in the world! When you find a question or remark that seems reasonable, and it hasn't already been responded to by several people or effectively answered, RESPOND! If you don't have a logical, reasonable , positive response ready, jump on Google, Yahoo, Msn.com or some other search engine and come up with an answer.

TIP: Install an encyclopedia on your computer or find a research site such as www.wikipedia.org. If it is a specific subject area, you might want to find valuable websites ahead of time. For example, answers to medical or health topics, might be found at www.mayoclinic.com or www.webmd.com.

You will be surprised how many people post questions that could be answered in a couple of minutes if they would do the research. Do the research for them and politely and respectfully answer the question.

That's it!

NOW, EXPAND YOUR ABILITIES AND SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.

Find some more forums and start the whole process again.

You will sometimes notice as you move from forum to forum that you have read a comment in one forum that answers a question in another forum. Go ahead, just provide the information in your own words, or even quote the author and give him or her credit with a link to their website or the original posting, if possible.

AS PAUL HARVEY WOULD SAY, "THE REST OF THE STORY"

This is where you become an author and an expert.

Keep some track of questions and answers, and continue to read your forums, looking for sensible questions and answers that relate to your subject area. After a while, you will probably find that as your overall knowledge and self confidence expands, you will be able to answer more and more questions without research or with very little. As you provide more answers, and read more answers, your means of expressing yourself will almost certainly increase. The act of regularly writing answers or participating in discussions (don't be afraid to ask sensible questions yourself), will improve your overall ability to write answers and explain things to people less knowledgeable than yourself. You will almost certainly eventually notice increased skill in writing and an improvement and expansion in your breadth of knowledge.

One day, you will probably realize that several of your points or answers can be put together in an article that will be of benefit to others. That's when you will understand that you CAN write and publish articles, and you CAN be someone who is considered knowledgeable and someone whose advice or guidance is to be listened to and heeded.

Donovan Baldwin - EzineArticles Expert Author

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. Learn more about internet marketing. He also has a blog where you can find several articles on internet business, internet marketing, and other business topics.