Q: Is the only distinction between the 11% and the 88% that the 88% have not submitted 10 properly formatted articles?
Comment: That’s not very hard to do. If 9 out of 10 Ezine writers haven’t gone that first mile, perhaps many have the same question I do: Is Ezinearticles really a good way to promote ourselves as writers? Or, are Ezinearticles’ stats — number of authors, number of page views/mo, etc. — inflated by thousands of beginning writers who see Ezinearticles as a kind of online vanity press, to see their name “in print” and invite a few friends and family to take a look. After all, 1 million visitors/mo and 14k authors = 71 visitors/per author/mo. If each author views his own article a few times and calls it to the attention of a couple of dozen friends, that would explain most of the traffic.

Not trying to be ornery, Chris. I’m new to the idea of article submission, and just trying to figure it out. Believe me, once I get onboard, I will get onboard in a big way. The same may be true of many others in the 88% bracket.

I sent you a similar note privately the other day, and you said you would respond in your blog. I look forward to that response. Meanwhile, Chris, congratulations on another milestone and keep up the good work.

Terry Hull
tahull@cox.net

The 11% have submitted 10 or more articles, yes.

But, we don’t just grant Platinum Unlimited status if a newbie author sends in 10 or more articles. Basic Plus is a buffer for authors with potential that just need another 25 more submissions to prove they can further read the editorial guidelines before we grant Platinum status.

Platinum Unlimited status really means the author has read the posted editorial guidelines and knows through action how to comply with them.

Is this just a vanity press? Nope. For some, maybe? I never thought of it that way, but I’m sure every author has some level of ego somewhere within their psyche…

Those 1 million+ visitors a month do about 1.5 to 5 page views per visit on average…so your numbers are a little off.

Many people in the 86% bracket talk a good talk, but don’t walk their talk.

Yes, I was saving your email for a lengthy response because I was taken back that you’d even ask such a question. :-) …as in, where have you been? Article syndication is a decade or more old activity and certainly not something new that we just invented.

Lastly, I do agree that as soon as you believe in or want to test the concept of syndicating your articles and sending them in for a test; that you should do it in a BIG way. Sending in 10 articles or less and waiting for an avalanche of traffic is not going to happen.

Through trial and errors, failures and success, I seem to make it more often than not. Until now, I have not considered myself a writer and I admit I am still learning. Writing has been one of the hardest skills I have attempted and I believe I have quite a ways to go. I certainly could have used a Boot Camp getting started.

Having developed training programs for my company; CarWashGuys.com, I think an online training boot camp could be worthy. For instance when artists learn to draw they try new techniques, sketching an apple, a face, a house, perspectives, landscapes, people.

So a writing practice might be a way to do an “online boot camp.” Each exercise could be discussed with a mentor, one of the 50 plus Authors who volunteered to take a few under their wings who really were serious. Each article exercise would be somewhat customized to the learners business model, helping them as they go. There would be an outline of which exercises to be given and customized to the individual learners.

You know I have always found when you teach something, “You” learn too and so, those good folks who volunteered would actually be helping themselves by helping others, and that would be a wining combo indeed. I would volunteer to help up to ten authors at a time at no charge, if they understand that I am not perfect but learning too and would allow me that imperfect status during instruction. I also volunteer to develop syllabus outline for others. I further volunteer to start this week to train 3-5 new authors as a test and learn from that and modify the program to be used later as a basic template training program and then to take the expertise here with those who absolutely specialize in training to modify my observations and finding with the first 3 groups of 3-5 authors over a two-week period each. Then we can launch the actual program January 1, 2006 and blast this website and all the authors in the orbit once and for all.

Do I have any volunteer beginner authors who would like to start? I am getting bored in my retirement and we have a world to wake up, so let’s do it. It is a “Triple Win.” More articles, better articles, I learn, they learn and we can develop a program like you envision? And I know we have some other standouts Authors who can help. So lets say we work together and do this, I think Chris it is a great idea you have come up with. Good thinking.

The idea of a boot camp taught by more experienced and more prolific writers is a good one. Count me in. I’d like to work with you to develop a course outline. I’d be happy to send you more information about me under seperate cover.

Cordially yours,

Larry M. Lynch