7 Effective Tips To Grow Your Social Media Presence The Right Way

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This is a guest contribution from Adam Connell.

Have you ever wondered how to gain a significant advantage with social media? Not just in terms of growing a following but growing an engaged following?

I have too, and so have countless others.

The truth is that you can, and it’s easier than you might think.

If you’re serious about growing a more engaged following, you’ll find this post helpful. You’ll learn how to focus your efforts, boost engagement, monitor your progress and ultimately start seeing real growth.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Your audience should be the focal point of your entire blog and everything you do should be based around helping them and solving their problems.

In order to do that, you need to know as much as you can about them.

Once you learn more about your audience, you will be able to use that knowledge to guide your social media efforts and create a more personal experience.

Start off by putting together personas for different segments of your audience.

Consider the following:

DemographicsQuestions they haveProblems they’re facingTheir dreamsPreferred social networksPreferred content types

You can conduct surveys and other types of research to find out more about your audience. There are plenty of tools you can use as well.

The important thing for the purpose of social media is that you get an understanding of which social networks your audience prefers, and what they prefer to share.

It’s worth having a read of Darren’s post on creating reader profiles to more tailor your content to fit the needs of your audience.

Have you seen any of those infographics floating around the web saying when the best times to publish social media messages?

There are a bunch of them and they look smart, but the reality is that they were created using someone else’s data – not your data.

Everyone’s audience is different, so if you want to truly know when your audience is most active you need to use your own data.

Using tools like Tweriod (for Twitter) and Timing+ (for Google+) you can get a good idea of the times when your audience is most active. You can also check the “insights” section of your Facebook dashboard to find out when your audience is online, and also what types of posts they are interacting with the most.

This is an important ingredient in any effective social strategy.

The point of social networks is to be social, and real success means helping others without asking for anything in return.

Your followers are real people and should be treated as such.

By helping people you’ll be able to stay top of mind, so when someone does need a product/service you offer, chances are that they’ll still come back to you – because you helped them.

“If you sell something, you can make a customer today. If you help someone, you can create a customer for life.” – Jay Baer

The key ingredient to making social media work is a focus on building real relationships.

“Relationships are like muscle tissue. The more they’re engaged, the stronger they become. The ability to build relationships and flex that emotional connection muscle is what makes social so valuable.”

Instead of focusing on getting as many followers as possible, focus on creating fewer and more meaningful relationships.

Sure, you won’t get the same social proof that having a massive following will give you, but you’ll find that you get more engagement and a more loyal following. That’s what will make the difference.

This comes back to my previous point on helping.

Help people without asking for anything in return, and you’ll start to build up goodwill. In the long term the impact of this can be huge.

You could leave social media on autopilot – but you shouldn’t.

If you’re serious about building a loyal following, you need to engage with as many people as possible, as often as you possibly can.

Don’t just wait for others to engage, kick start the process yourself. Start a conversation.

Visuals are a powerful social media tool.

For example, Buffer found that tweets with images get 150% more retweets. And there is data to confirm this on other networks.

Before you share a text-based social message, consider whether you could share an image instead.

Thanks to free tools like Canva, it’s now incredibly easy to overlay text onto an image or create unique graphics. A great example is the use of quotes and images.

There are also plenty of sites like IM Creator and StockSnap which you can use to find high quality stock photos that won’t cost you a penny – just be sure to check the license details first.

Monitoring your social media efforts is important for a few reasons:

You’ll find additional opportunities to engage and build relationshipsYou can monitor your competitors and understand how their strategy fits togetherYou can monitor your own growth and gain insights into what’s working for you

There are several tools you can use to monitor your social media presence more effectively.

Cyfe makes it easy for you to setup custom dashboards to track the metrics that matter to you.

You’ll have access to plenty of widgets which you can add to your dashboard. There are tons of other widgets that can help you with a variety of other things, not just social media.

Price: Free to use for up to five widgets, paid plans start at $19/month.

Mention is a great tool that is purpose built for monitoring across social networks and other websites in real time.

It’s easy to use, and you’ll get straightforward alerts whenever you get a new mention.

Once inside the platform you can respond to mentions directly so there’s no need to jump over to another social tool.

Price: Free for up to 250 mentions/month.

Oktopost is a solid all-round social media management tool but the way it groups social messages together is extremely helpful from a monitoring perspective.

You can use the platform to share your social messages and engage with your audience directly.

The twist here is that when you add social messages, they’re added to campaigns. Those campaigns are grouped together in the reporting tab to show you the progress of each campaign.

This makes it incredibly easy to see how campaigns are performing from a birds eye view.

Price: Starts at $49/month.

Content plays a big part in the social media landscape so it’s important to have a tool that makes it easy to find out which content people are sharing.

Using BuzzSumo you can search for your competitors, topics and more – the results will show you which pieces of content are getting shared the most.

You can also find out who is sharing that content and engage with them from within the platform.

It’s a great tool to find out the key influencers in your niche too.

Price: Starts from free with limited results, paid accounts with reporting/analysis features start at $99/month.

If you want to get ahead on social media you need to focus on building lasting relationships.

Your focus should be on long term, sustainable results rather than looking for an immediate payoff.

Keep the focus on helping your audience and you will grow an engaged following.

Do you have any tips or insights to add? Let us know in the comments below.

Adam Connell is the Founder of Blogging Wizard, a website devoted to helping bloggers grow their traffic, email subscribers and online presence. If you want to get ahead on Twitter, download this free checklist to learn how to rapidly grow your following (the right way).

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Editing for People Who Love to Write… Too Much

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If you’re anything like me, you love words. You love prose, you love language, you love how a perfectly-constructed sentence can say so much more than just letters put in order.

If you’re unlike me, however, you love to use lots of words, and write mountains of prose.

I know it’s hard not to get carried away, telling everyone everything you’ve ever wanted to say about a subject. Especially online, when blogs are creative outlets, and there are no restraints or word counts. But having been on the reading end of waffly posts (particularly when I haven’t got too much time to spare), I’ve realised the old adage “less is more” really does ring true.

Does that mean you can’t write long-form posts because they bore readers? No! It means write them well.  Make each of those 2000+ words count.

But how do you self-edit when you feel as though every word is important? I’m so glad you asked! Let’s find out:

I wrote about his method of editing here, but it’s basically getting some space between you and your work. Stephen King puts his work (literally) in a drawer, and comes back a couple of months later to edit and tweak. You can come back sooner than that, but fresh eyes and a clear head make a world of difference when it comes to editing. Still unconvinced? You won’t be after you read the post!

You really can’t edit while you write, go straight from writing to editing, or edit the same day. Give it some time.

Twitter is great training for this (thanks to its 140-character limit), as was being a journalist – cutting unnecessary words makes for cleaner copy, there’s just no way around it. I’ll bet there are plenty of sentences you can streamline to pack a powerful punch in fewer letters.

You’ll be surprised how much your writing can sound perfectly fine in your head, but be totally disjointed when you read it aloud. You’ll notice those times when your sentences run on, where you might need a comma, or where you’ve repeated a word too often.

Reading on a screen, no matter how many times you’ve done it or how comfortable you are with it, is still so different to reading words in print. Your accuracy in identifying errors is far greater when you have a hard copy to refer to, especially when it comes to finding visually-similar mistakes. If you’re working on something that has to have the highest degree of accuracy, print it out, grab a pencil or a highlighter, and get to work.

In your first read-over, search for the glaring errors – the typos, the spelling errors, that one time where you got your their/there mixed up, the visual formatting (how did that sentence get down there?), and any time you’ve written in passive voice. Pay special attention to apostrophes – most of the time they don’t need to be there. If it’s a possession or a contraction, fine, but keep them out of where they don’t belong.

Further Reading: Five Quick Grammar Tips to Improve Your Writing (Plus Free Downloadable Cheat Sheet)

You’ll be surprised how much clearer a sentence can be if you flip it. Especially if you have that gut feeling that it’s too long or there’s something not quite right about it. Passive sentences can really disrupt your flow.

“In one day, a month’s worth of blog posts were written by me.”

Sounds so much better (and uses fewer words and has more of an effect on the reader) if it’s written:

“I wrote a month’s worth of blog posts in one day.”

There now, you’ve turned a passive sentence into a punchy, active one, losing extraneous words in the process. Well done!

You could spend days tweaking your posts. You add, you take away, you add back, you switch around, you make eight versions of the headline in case one works better. Sometimes you end up going around in circles because you’re so into it now you can’t see straight, and your perspective is all off.

You just have to put your foot down and publish!

As journalists, we had a ready-made cutoff – it didn’t matter how much you had fiddled with your story, at some point it had to go to the printer, like it or not. Set yourself a cutoff, and remember – blogging gives you the gift of updating your post after publication if you really feel it needs it.

If you’ve followed Point One, I can almost guarantee you’ll find something!

If you’re unsure about a paragraph (or even a sentence), open a new document. Cut and paste all those “maybe” paragraphs into the document, and read your original post in its shortened form. Still think it could do with those words? Add them back in, no harm done. (Are you SURE, though?!)

It’s all very well and good to write something to convince people of your message, but you need stats to back it up. Ensure that all the numbers, anecdotes, and information you’ve included can be verified. Make sure there’s links to further information to help the reader understand your post, and to see the proof for themselves.

One top tip I learned is that if you’ve got questions, your reader will too. Wherever have made a bold claim, link to where you got your information. If you think that someone reading your post would benefit from your primary sources, then include them.

I know your work is precious. You’ve put a lot of effort into it. Your blog post is the culmination of hours of research, years of learning, numerous mistakes. You have a lot to say, and you think all of it is necessary.

It’s probably not.

There might be a place where you’ve repeated yourself. You might be able to make your point just as validly, but in fewer words. Some anecdotes, while funny, just won’t fit. Harden up and get rid of the bits that just aren’t working. There’s nothing stopping you from using that information in a future post, but your job here is to look at your work with a critical eye and make it the best it can be. How would you edit this if it was someone else’s work? What bits would you cut out in order to make your story better? Do that. You won’t regret it.

So tell me – do you find editing hard? Or are you constantly looking over everything you read with your editor hat on? (that can be just as bad – it’s harder to get lost in a story when you’re always getting tripped up by writing errors). What’s your best tip for self-editing?

Stacey is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama or be entertained on Facebook.

9 Crucial Tips for Self-Editing Your Blog Posts

How to Use Google in the Most Unusual Way to Make Your Self-Editing Faster and Better

How You Can Make Your Writing Twice as Fast by Making it 3 Times More Time Consuming. Wait, What?

Hemingway App highlights common errors, long sentences, and grammatical issues that need attention. It also helpfully colour-codes the changes to be made. If you write a lot, you might find this useful.

Grammarly has pretty hardcore algorithms to not only find spelling mistakes, but contextual spelling errors too.

View the original article here

30 High-Impact Ways to Level Up Your Writing

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This is a guest contribution from freelance blogger and email copywriter Hassan Ud-deen.

Ever feel like your writing could be better?

If you’re a blogger, there’s no way around writing.

It’s critical to everything you do, and shapes your reputation online. 

This makes a lot of us dread writing. 

We approach it with a heavy heart full of anxiety and minds clouded by doubt.

But what if you could ensure that your writing is at least decent every time you hit that publish button?

 

You’d be less worried about the mechanics of writing, and more focused on your message to your audience.

Making you a more powerful blogger.
So here are 30 high-impact ways to supercharge your writing chops, boost your blogging confidence and finally slash those paralysing doubts swirling in your brain.

Let’s go.

Before you can produce writing that leaps out of the screen and grabs the readers attention, you’ll need a good understanding of the basic principles of writing.

Things like grammar, spelling and sentence structure. 

One of the most highly recommended books for this is The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Its a short compact book that’s crammed with everything you need to ensure your basic writing is tight. 

Imagine you’re sitting in a class with about 30 students. You have a speckled professor droning on about a scientific topic. 

Now imagine having coffee with a friend sitting across you at Starbucks, explaining the same thing.

Who are you most likely to listen and learn from?

Your friend, right? Because it’s more personal.

Your friend will:

Ask you questions to make sure you understandFluctuate his tone of voice to emphasise pointsGive you analogies, similes and metaphors to explain better

Similarly, you can do same thing with your words.

Ask readers questions to break the monotony and keep them engagedEmphasise important points by making your text bold, italic or underliningProvide vivid metaphors, similes and analogies that help your reader understand what you’re saying with speed and clarity

So next time you sit down to write, don’t think about thousands of eyes gazing at your screen. Think about the reader you’re having a delicious coffee with.

It’ll instantly add a more conversational flow and inject personality into your writing.

Top bloggers like Neil Patel, Carol Tice and Michael Hyatt all swear by the time slicing power of outlines. 

Not only will outlines improve the speed at which you can dish out blog posts, they also improve the flow and quality of your posts.

A good outline covers the following points:

The introduction, where you tell your reader what your post is about, and how it’s going to make his life better to make him want to read on.The main body or meat of a post, where you deliver most of your tips and adviceThe conclusion, where you finish your post with a summary and a call to action 

If you feel that your writing could be better and faster give outlines a try.

Writing and editing involves two different sides of the brain. Writing is a more creative process and editing is more logical/analytical.

Editing while you write is like continuously switching up and down gears in your car. You’re going to be slowing yourself down.

Putting your foot down all the way instead of switching speeds will work better.

When you start editing while you write, you slow down your writing speed, lose momentum and are more likely to doubt what yourself.

Basically, don’t write and edit at the same time, it disrupts the creative process.

It’s tempting to think that your favourite bloggers are magically creating stellar content on their first drafts, but thats not true.

Your first draft is all about getting your thoughts down on paper.

Accept that it will suck.  It will free you from the mental chains of doubt, and prevent you from being overly analytical.

Once you’ve written your draft, give your brain a break and distance yourself from it for a day or two.

This will increase your objectivity for your first round of editing and will let your mind sift through the ideas you wanted to express during your write up.

Related: Thee Stephen King Drawer Method for Writing Better Copy

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” (Stephen King)

Think of your brain as a muscle. It needs constant stimulation to grow and become stronger. 

Therefore, you have to train your writing muscles rigorously by continuously reading. You’ll expose yourself to different words, sentences, styles and steadily absorb good writing habits. 

I’m a little gym obsessed, and one thing you learn when building muscle is that you have to attack the body with different types of training.

Doing the same routine day in day out leads to you hitting plateaus. Your body eventually adapts to your routine and stops growing. 

Similarly, when it comes to reading… try to vary what you read.

If you normally read fiction, switch to non-fiction once in a while. If you normally read action/adventure try out romance. 

Reading something different will break your brain’s adaptation pattern, consequently strengthening your writing muscle and leaving you stronger and more well-balanced writer.

Sounds odd, doesn’t it? 

Well, it’s how many great writers started off.

Journalist Hunter S. Thompson started by copying the The Great Gatsby and A Farewell to Arms on a typewriter.

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of classics like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island, honed his chops by taking a passage from a great writer and reading it. Then turning over the passage and trying to re-write it again from memory.

Dan Kennedy bloodied his nose in the marketing world by copying out 500 sales letters by hand in order train his mind to absorb the rhythm of good copy.

I’ve used this technique myself. It ain’t easy, but it’s an excellent way to quickly absorb good flow and wording and sharpen your skills.

Try it, I dare you.

Everyone has a writer they look up to. And what better way to learn from those that you admire right?

Find a piece of writing that you admire. It could be from a book, a blog post, or a sales letter.

Now take the piece of writing that impacted you and break it down. Analyze what the writer does to make it so powerful.

Ask yourself: 

Why does this part of the blog post, book or sales letter stand out so much?What techniques does the writer use to make the piece stand out?What effects did the words phrases and style have?How does it make you feel?

By closely analyzing an excellent piece of prose, you gain a deep insight to what the writer was thinking and the techniques they used. You can then use the techniques for your own purposes.

Sometimes it can be harder to find your mistakes on a computer screen. Printing out your work can make it easier for you to spot grammar and spelling mistakes in your writing.

To keep your readers straight-jacketed to your post, engage their senses.

What can they see? Smell? Hear? Feel?

Here’s what a sentence looks like before engaging the senses:

“Your writing has to make an impact on your readers.”

Yawn. 

It’s a normal, tasteless, sentence that has surface level impact on the reader.

After engaging the senses:

“Your words have to creep up on your audience and sucker punch them into paying attention.”

See the difference?

By using the sensory experiences, the sentence latches on to the readers attention and forces them to feel what you’re saying.

The passive voice butchers your writing. Whereas the active voice, adds strength and vigor to it.

Take a look at these passive sentences:

The bat was swung by John

The ball was thrown by James

The door was broken by the dog

Look at what happens after a little makeover…

John swung the bat

James threw the ball

The dog broke the door 

Not only are the sentences more concise, clear and strong. But they also carry more impact with less words.

If you want your readers to effortlessly slide down your posts, keeping your writing active is a must. 

Nobody wants to process large chunks of information. They want easy digestible pieces of information they can easily understand.

That’s where having shorter sentences and paragraphs can help a ton.

Keeping sentences and paragraphs short quickens the pace of your writing; makes it easier to understand, and makes your writing less intimidating. 

Aim for one main point per paragraph and one main idea per sentence.

“I often read for 5-10 minutes. Out loud.” Was Jon Morrow’’s response when asked what his pre-writing rituals are. 

We all know that any writer worth his salt is a serious reader.

But, did you know that when engaged in a powerful reading session, you receive a boost in connectivity in the part of the brain that is associated with the receptivity of language? 

Yup, scientists from Emory University proved that reading heightens your brain power when it comes to dealing with language.

Try reading before you sit down for your next writing session and see if you don’t improve.

High performers in any profession develop a routine to get in the “zone”.

Developing a routine for your writing trains your brain to expect to write, which warms your mind up and makes the act of writing much easier in comparison to writing cold.

Jack Kerouac would kneel, pray, light a candle and write by it’s light, then blow it out when he was done.

John Carlton would slip into a different of writing clothes to get him in the zone. 

Ernest Hemingway liked to write first thing in the morning.

Experiment with different routines and see what sticks, because once you have a solid routine to get you in the mood, you’ll no longer be a victim of writers block.

When writing headlines, you have to make every single word count. Or you risk your reader turning a blind eye to your post.

Headlines force you to be selective and squeeze the power out your words. This transitions into your ability to create hard-hitting sentences that flow smoother, and read better.

As Stephen King said, writing is “just another job like laying pipe or driving long haul trucks.”

Let’s imagine that you’re a plumber, and it’s your first day on the job.

You wouldn’t expect yourself to be amazingly skilled at what you’re doing, right?

But you know that becoming better is inevitable. Thanks to the fact that it’s your job, and you’re doing it almost every single day.. 

The same applies to writing.

Write when you feel like it. Write when you don’t. Prioritize your time around writing. 

Write like it’s your job and you’re guaranteed to level up your skills .

Ever tried to build muscle? 

An important principle that people skim over is rest. 

They pack themselves into gyms and break down muscle tissue to get stronger. But, the body doesn’t get stronger during exercise. It starts repairing and adds extra muscle tissue during sleep. 

So activities like: writing and reading. Studying different styles, and analyzing great writing…are the literary equivalent of pumping weights. 

They’ll challenge your writing muscle and force it to grow stronger.

But despite your attempts to sharpen your skills…something as simple as sleep could be killing your progress.

Sleep is vital for survival,and keeps your nervous system functioning properly. And according to biological psychologist Namni Goel, “there’s plenty of research showing how a lack of it cripples your mind.”

Writing is hard.

It forces you to dig deep in your brain and extract ideas, information, and feelings. Then communicate them to another human being. 

Don’t make it even harder by not getting enough sleep. 

Henry David Thoreau said: “the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow – as if I had given vent to the stream at the lower end and consequently new fountains flowed into it at the upper” 

As mentioned before, writing ain’t easy.

That’s why its important to keep yourself in shape. Your body is your temple, and you want it to be operating at its peak (don’t you?).

Exercise can help you do that. 

Many great writers swear by exercise being a helpful tool for boosting creativity and preparing you for the act of writing.

There’s even research that proves exercise fires up your neurons and switches your brain on.

Research conducted by cognitive scientist prof colzato showed that “people who are doing exercise on a regular basis outperform those who don’t. We think that physical exercise trains your brain to become more flexible in finding creative solutions.”

I like to hit the gym or jump rope for a while before writing.  It calms me down, boosts my mood and clears my thoughts.

But you don’t have to do anything strenuous, you could walk, run, or even do light stretching… just get your blood moving.

Sounds odd doesn’t it? 

But at times, rules, regulations and emotional baggage can weigh you down and stifle your  creativity. 

In her book the doodle revolution, Sunni brown says that doodling helps you focus by “anchoring” a task. Especially when it comes to things that require attention for extended periods of time. Things like lectures, meetings, calls and writing.

“We think doodling is something you do when you lose focus, but it’s really a preemptive measure to stop you from losing focus,” 

Find yourself feeling mentally clogged up at times? Grab a pen and blank paper. Let your thoughts flow freely.

No one ever writes the perfect draft.

And even though your second and third ones might be more polished; nothing beats a fresh pair of eyes.

An editor can also highlight your weaknesses and strengths so you can objectively look at your writing and decide what to work on.

Writing is a solitary activity.

And unfortunately, not everyone understands what it’s like to bleed thoughts from your brain into crisp, compelling words that communicate your ideas.

Surround yourself with people who write. 

You’ll get ongoing feedback on your progress, and you’ll always have someone who can sympathize with your writing pleasures and pains.

Sentences are the backbone of your writing.

The stronger they are, the stronger your writing will become and the more impact it will have on your readers.

If you encounter a sentence that catches your attention, stop for a second.

Go over it again. Handwrite it. Study it. 

Break down why it’s such a good sentence. Is it concise and powerful? Does it contain a metaphor with killer clarity? Is it crammed with power words? 

Take notes on what makes other sentences good. You’ll discover useful lessons that’ll strengthen your own writing.

This applies to both your words and the ideas you express.

Instead of using the same word to describe something; aim for a variety of accurate words to make your writing blossom inside your readers mind.

Below is a short action scene I wrote. 

Before cutting out boring phrases and using different words to create vivid images, this is what it looked like… 

“He fired the gun. The bullets reached each target. One bullet hit the guards head and left a bloody mess. The other bullet hit the second guard square in the jaw and left an explosion of teeth. By the time he reached his next point of cover, both guards were dead.”

Here’s what it looks like after:

“The gun rattled to life. Each shot reaching its intended destination with blinding speed. One cratered through a guards forehead, the second exploded into an anatomical firework of teeth and jaw bone as it smashed into the 2nd guards mouth. By the time he reached his next point of cover, both guards were dead.” 

See the difference? 

I removed everything that was repetitive, and replaced boring words with high power verbs to create a more vivid image that hits where it hurts.

Instead of settling for the first few words that come to your head, whip out a thesaurus and get digging.

Try using different words and phrases instead of the ones you’ve chosen.

By regularly practicing this, you’ll expand your vocabulary and develop the important skill of choosing the right word at the right time to create the perfect image. 

It’s easy to think your readers are browsing for fun and enjoyment. That they’ll read every word of your post; but that’s just not true. 

It’s better to think of your reader like this: 

Your reader is juggling a screaming baby on his lap, has dozens of tasks to finish, and is ready to click on that big red x button the second your post doesn’t provide the solution to his problems. 

Now, that may not be 100% true… but this simple mindset shift will help you create more reader friendly content from the get go.

You’ll be sure to keep his pains and problems in mind, which means you’re less likely to have fluffy, bloated writing that bores his ear off.

Cliches suck.

They’re tasteless phrases that readers shake off like dirt on their shoulders.

Aswell as making you look like a lazy writer, they butcher any hint of personality in your writing.

So, what to do instead? 

Kill them…with high power analogies.

Want to instantly power up your posts?

Make them easier to read by simplifying your writing.

Now, simple doesn’t mean limp sentences that pass readers by… it means taking out unnecessary ten-dollar words that make you look like a pompous show off.

Don’t say:

Utilize when you can say use

Extrapolate when you can say estimate

Desiderate when you can say desire

And cut out words like very, really, almost, probably etc.

Keeping your writing simple allows you to communicate with your readers better. It smoothly slides information into their brains without them having to make too much effort.

What sites does your reader like to visit? What type of content do they like to read? What do they struggle with the most? 

Answering these questions gives you a deeper insight into what your reader’s most troubling problems, hopes and desires are.

Use polls, surveys, or emails to find out what they want and need.

Knowing your reader well will help you improve on the main purpose of your writing, which is…

To add value to his life through your content.

You’ll often hear that one of the best ways to improve your writing is to… “read widely and read great writers.”

But what about bad writing?

Think about it.  When you’re engrossed in reading a blogpost, novel, or article that is good, it stealthily washes over your eyes and sneaks into your brain. Because you’re enjoying it. 

But when you face writing that is bad, it’s hard to read. 

You notice that it’s bad instantly. The sentences might feel bloated. The flow might feel horrible. It’ll be completely boring. Making it easier to analyze. 

You’ll spot exactly where the writer went wrong, and how you could improve it. 

Reading bad writing also has another sneaky benefit. 

It’ll give you a little confidence boost and make you feel better about yourself, because constant exposure to writing to higher level writing can lead to doubts sprouting in your brain. 

The less time you have to do something, the faster you’ll get it done. 

When you don’t have a deadline, it’s tempting to think that you can keep on editing and improving your work. But after creating one, you’re forced to complete your work in a given time frame, which will increase your chances of getting it done quicker.

32. Set a Daily Writing Goal

Yes, daily.

Why? 

Well, imagine a gymnast performing in front of thousands of eager eyes. 

Effortlessly flipping through the air and performing feats most only dream of. 

He didn’t learn how to perform on the day of the performance, did he?

He had to constantly drill the movements into his brain. Day in, day out…until they became second nature.

Similarly, the popular writers that you look up to experienced the same thing.

They had to continuously suffer creating humiliating sentences, weak content and limp paragraphs to gradually get better. 

Constant practice is what sands the edges off your lack of skill. 

That’s where writing daily will help you tremendously. 

Set aside a small chunk of time to write everyday. Don’t concern yourself with writing thousands of words. Just be sure to write every day and make it a habit. You can increase your targets later. 

Eventually, you’ll be able to produce hard hitting writing with less effort because it’s ingrained in your mind and body.

It’s no longer something takes a ton of energy and has to be scraped out your skull. It’s an embedded habit. 

There you are, 30 high-impact writing ways to level up your writing. Your next step?

Pick 1-2 tips from this post and try them out for a at least a couple of weeks. Improvement will be inevitable.

Hassan Ud-deen is a freelance blogger and email copywriter (who likes to be called “The Wordslinger”). He helps businesses use content to grow. You can find out more about at www.f-bombmarketing.com or if you need help with your blog posts or copy, shoot him an email or connect with him on Facebook.

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Top Takeaways from ProBlogger Perth Training Event: Content, Blog Design, Social Media, Productivity, and Monetization

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AppId is over the quota

In the lead-up to the main ProBlogger Event on the Gold Coast this year, we have held various workshops and panels around the country, teaching and inspiring bloggers in their own home towns.

February saw the first full-day event in Perth, Western Australia with both local and interstate speakers on the topics of content, better blog design, social media for blog growth, productivity, and monetization.

We’ve rounded up the top three tips from each speaker for those who couldn’t attend.

Darren took us through the main pain points of beginner bloggers, and even those of us who feel like we’ve slogged away for years without much to show for it – with so many blogs out there how do I do I stand out and build an audience? How can I break through the noise? And wow do I establish myself and build a profile when everyone else is doing the same thing?

Darren showcased bloggers with minimal traffic making maximum money – proof that you don’t have to have hundreds of thousands of followers to make blogging work for you.

For those of us who make it work on much more modest traffic, Darren outlined the ways they’ve succeeded where others have failed – namely, it does depend on your business model:

That diversity of income streams is crucial (not all eggs in one basket – what if one of those eggs fails and you lose all your traffic and income overnight?), and that you’re targeting the right reader, connected readers, readers who will be advocates for you, who respond to brand messages, affiliate promotions, and who buy your products and services. You want to aim for connected, engaged readers, not those who fly in and fly out.

Those blogs who are successful are doing things that others are not – perhaps they were the first of their kind, or they built a following by jumping on a trend that was popular at the time. Perhaps they were an emerging sub niche, coming along at just the right moment when need is high. Or perhaps they are catering to an ignored demographic – people who wish there was something created that spoke directly to them.

Where can you fill a gap? Where can you tend a growing need? Where can you spearhead a trend that is just about to hit? Poke around in the corners of what people want before you quit, believing there’s just too many people all saying what you want to say.

Nicole’s presentation was easily the most popular one of the day, with her practical tips and strategies to make the best use of the time you have to blog. Nicole took us through her personal routines of running one of Australia’s most popular parenting blogs while also being the mother of five kids.

Her top three tips include:

Analyse the time you spend on your blog, and see where you might be wasting it, or it might be better spent elsewhere. Use programs like Rescue Time to get a snapshot of where you are.

It’s easy to waste time when you’re not certain where you should be spending it. Create a goal, create a content plan toward that goal, and create a work schedule to help you achieve that goal.

Your work schedule should be mostly work, minimum admin and processing. Nicole recommends you set up your calendars and toolbars for success – have everything to hand and everything written down. Set up your email inbox with canned response to help you cut back time in order to spend it on more productive pursuits. Above all, stay focused. (image)

Nicole has shared her slides here, and her resources mentioned to help you improve your blogging workflow here.

Kelly Exeter of Swish Design has worked on some of the best blogs in Australia, creating functional websites that also look beautiful. She gave us her top five tips for each over the course of the hour.

Your blog must support and enhance your brand, make your reader feel at home, offer a logical pathway around your site, get the reader to take some kind of action, and help you achieve your blogging goals.

Needs a great header, logical naviation, clean sidebar, clear content area, and effective use of white space.

I outlined an overview of the myriad ways to make money, and how to keep it sustainable, most of which I’ve used on my own blog, Veggie Mama. The most important thing though, is staying true to yourself, having a vision, being honest with readers, and working hard.

Really only limited by your imagination, there are numerous ways to make your blog profitable. From the immediate ideas of advertising, affiliate sales, brand collaborations and own products, to audio/video, freelancing, consulting, syndication, merchandising, and more.

What you need to focus on is: what are you passionate about? What is realistic for you? Where do your talents lie? Do you want active or passive income (or both)? The intersection of these dictates how you should monetize.

Without an industry standard, it can be difficult to put a price on what you do. Overcharge, and nobody will buy. Undercharge, and you sell yourself short. We went through several ways to formulate a price for your work – from this calculation, to seeing what others charge, and considering your qualifications and skill.

Brand collaborations are a popular way of monetizing your blog, and for many bloggers can also bring in the bulk of the income. To get a foot in the door with brands, you will need a media kit – a one-stop resume of sorts of your blog, your audience, and your prices. We also discussed how to get on a brand radar, and how to make your blog brand-ready. You can read the Ultimate Guide to Creating a Media Kit here, where I go into detail about what they should contain, and how to make them look professional.

My slides from the presentation and my downloadable cheat sheet of info and links mentioned is here.

Christie from Childhood 101 has a huge Facebook following, and let us all in on how she grew it, and how she keeps it healthy.

Make your social media reflect your brand – whether you’re humorous, helpful, authoritative, etc. Be consistent with that voice.

Don’t think of it as a one-way relationship, but rather an ongoing discussion. Readers like to know they’re welcome to contribute, and that their contributions are important.

Your plan needs to consider your content, your style, and the time you have available. Christie recommended bloggers “plan, schedule, track analytics, repeat”.

Christie also discussed using the right tools to help you share and keep track of your shares – whether you use a calendar, a plugin, a third-party app or whatever works for you. Make a note of what was popular with readers, and what didn’t work quite so well. Get to know your audience and cater to their needs.

Christie’s presentation slides are here.

If you haven’t yet, you can still get your ticket for the Gold Coast ProBlogger event held at the RACV Royal Pines on August 14 and 15. The two day event includes speakers like Heather B. Armstrong from Dooce, and Pamela Wilson — of Big Brand System and Copyblogger Media. You can find out more information about speakers and sessions here, and to buy a ticket here.

See you there!

Stacey is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama or be entertained on Facebook.

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ProBlogger FAQ: How Long Should Posts Be?

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AppId is over the quota
Over the years I’ve been asked many questions about blogging, but I find there are a few that pop up more often than others. While blogging is different for everyone, I have found that the conclusions I’ve arrived at after all this time still hold true.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting my answers to the most frequently asked questions here at ProBlogger. If you have any you’d like me to answer, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

The biggest question I get asked though, is how long should a post be?

My answer to this is usually “write enough to be useful, and then stop”.

This, of course, means that a post can be any length, and I certainly don’t follow a set formula. You can be useful in 500 words, or you can be useful in 3000 – it all depends.

There has been talk recently about longer-form content and the way Google ranks it as opposed to the bite-size content usually recommended for time-poor readers. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so it’s best to consider what the topic is, who your reader is, and how much you have to say about it.

Regardless of the fact we post on a constantly-updated platform, there is still a need for in-depth analysis. Google itself came to the conclusion after a reader experiment that people are looking for both quick answers and to learn more broadly about the topics that interest them.

Long form also content keeps people on the site longer, which seems to be increasingly a factor in Facebook’s and Google’s algorithms and how they rank content. They factor that time spent on your site into their ranking strategy – how long it takes you to get back to Facebook or Google and interact. Did you flick back almost immediately after not finding what you wanted? Or did you spend a few minutes reading, therefore proving the content useful and as something you wanted to see?

CoSchedule recently conducted an experiment on longer-form content and how it was ranked in search results depending on word length. They mentioned the correlations companies like Moz and serpIQ have found between long-form content and search result placement, and also number of backlinks. Garrett at CoSchedule tested key words and found that the 500-word posts rarely ranked at all. He came to the conclusion that Google doesn’t prefer long-form content simply because it was longer, but that length was one of the indicators of quality (out of 200 ranking factors). The point was still to create great content, as Google values value over all.

In his experiment on QuickSprout, Neil Patel found that his posts that were longer than 1500 words garnered significantly more social shares than the posts that weren’t. Buzzsumo went on to analyze 100 million articles last year only to discover the same thing – the longer the content, the more shares it gets.

There’s no doubt you can cover much more ground when it comes to long-form content, and the likelihood that you will be providing the answer the reader is looking for, or solving a pain point for them, is higher.

Longer, in-depth, useful articles are still some of the most popular on ProBlogger – posts like Can You Really Make Money Blogging [7 Things I Know about Making Money Blogging], How to Consistently Come Up with Great Post Ideas for Your Blog, and The Ultimate Guide to Making Money with the Amazon Affiliate Program (which is a whopper at 7683 words). They provide value because they answer just about any question anyone would have.

I’ve experimented with both long and short-form content on ProBlogger, and have sometimes turned what could be an in-depth post into series of shorter posts instead.

The good thing about a series of posts on the one topic is that it creates anticipation. While it’s never been as successful for me (share-wise) as long-form content, it’s still useful. The best response I’ve seen to a series of posts I’ve done is when I first published 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – where, by posting something every day, I built a community of bloggers all taking small steps in a month to create more successful blogs.

As I mentioned earlier, the length of your posts depend on various factors. There doesn’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all approach, and very much requires you take into account the topic, your blog, and it’s readers.

Provides answers to questionsIs ranked higher in search results by GoogleGet shared moreAsserts your authority (particularly the in-depth, heavily researched types)Increases engagementIncreases the likelihood of quality backlinksProvides valueKeeps readers on siteEasier to naturally use keywords more oftenConvenient for readers – all answers in one goIt takes time and effortPeople might not read as they don’t have the time as it comes through their newsfeedPeople might save it to read later and then forgetIt may overwhelm the readerEasily digestibleEasily sharedEasily writtenHelps you keep a consistent updating scheduleMight not be long enough to provide what the reader is looking forEasy to read and forgetCould get lost in the busy internet crushDoesn’t establish credibility the way a long-form post can

The idea is to weigh the pros and cons of each and come up with a formula that feels good to you.

Joe from The Write Practice breaks it down well in his post “How Long Should Your Posts Be? A Writer’s Guide” – giving common blog posts lengths and the best types of topics they’re suited to.

Neil Patel outlines the factors you need to take into account before deciding on post length in this post, but asserts that substance is the most basic consideration. “What are you trying to say? What’s the substance? If you can say it in 100 words, then you may want to do so. If it requires 2,000 words, that’s fine too,” he says.

It all comes down to content. Good, useful content that people enjoy reading. Write enough to be useful, then stop.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen short-form do well? Or are you more of a long-form writer? I’d love to hear in the comments.

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Why Should I Make My Webpage Interactive?

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Esta é a contribuição do Ben Shwartz convidado.

Dizem que você não deve julgar um livro pela capa... mas que se estende para eBooks? Que tal as páginas da Web? No estado atual da nossa sociedade globalizada, saturada de mídia, é difícil — se não completamente impossível — para viver por este ditado aparentemente antiquado. Em meio a agitação da World Wide Web, a aparência muitas vezes vence a conteúdo em termos de retenção de usuário, o que torna sua aterragem página o bilhete dourado para o sucesso do seu site.

"Se você tivesse uma chance, uma oportunidade de aproveitar tudo que sempre quis, um momento... seria você capturá-lo, ou apenas deixar isso escapar?"— Eminem na aterragem página otimização... ou uma batalha de rap.

Gerar uma home page com recursos interativos (acho que em camadas as redes sociais no local e multimídia) permite que os fogos de artifício vir diretamente para o cliente, em vez de ter o cliente desperdiçar seu precioso tempo procurando o que exatamente é que você tem que oferecer. Com isso dito, dar o seu melhor e tirar proveito de todos os... bem, vantagens, um site interativo pode adquirir.

Para melhor ou para pior, mídias sociais, muitas vezes, têm uma má reputação. Para os veteranos teimosos, tímido de meios de comunicação sociais e aqueles que são orgulho de nunca ter dado um thumbs-up virtual ou toca duplo de "como", ter uma fonte no local para a comunicação pode ser uma transição fácil (e potencialmente secreta) para obter essas pessoas hesitantes mais inclinados a rede digital.

Se você já ganhou a primeira batalha, obtendo-los para o seu site em primeiro lugar, a presença imediata de concentrado conteúdos e envolvente tópicos relevantes para os seus interesses pode compelir a participar na conversa. Opções de inscrição fácil, automático (ou seja, através de sua conta de e-mail) economiza tempo e Obtém o usuário diretamente à parte da conversa. Como um bônus, perfis de usuário são limitados dentro do perímetro do local, garantindo um nível extra de privacidade que será alegremente recebido por qualquer recluso relutante.

Se você é uma startup ou uma loja de comércio eletrônico, as chances são que você tem uma sequência de contas de mídia social que representa seu negócio ao redor da web. De pilares óbvios como Facebook e Twitter para o LinkedIn mais profissional e menos restritiva estruturalmente Tumblr, há um lago todo cheio de mercados de grande nome para um peixe pequeno navegar. Simplificar os principais tópicos de interesse para estabelecer seu site como fonte primária de discussão, a fim de fornecer uma autoridade clara, exata e oportuna sobre o conteúdo do seu site. Permitir que seus links de mídia social para tráfego direto para seu site, quer atingir novos clientes com legendas cativantes ou reter clientes existentes com lembretes sobre atualizações no conteúdo com os quais já estão familiarizados.

Pelo contrário, se você estiver olhando para dar a seus clientes algum contexto extra que você encontrar pode interessá-los (e, portanto, ainda mais, estabelecer-se como um líder de pensamento), ferramentas de multimídia estão disponíveis no mercado para criar cubos centralizados de interação terceirizado. Link de ícones simples, personalizável para conteúdos relacionados e relevantes. Deve uma recomendação ser benéfica para o seu cliente, há uma boa chance de você te convertido ele ou ela em um usuário repetir em seu próprio site.

Redes sociais, especialmente dentro de um nicho específico, podem chegar rapidamente ao se parece muito com um refeitório de escola secundária. Você tem alguns líderes de torcida em busca de vestidos de baile, um bando de nerds, se preparando para o próximo Comic-Con e dedicado grupo de viajar fãs Phish. Enquanto cada indivíduo adere a um horário diferente, comendo na mesa de almoço oferece uma plataforma pontual preciosa do qual vocalizar suas expectativas, necessidades e desejos.

Enquanto essas "mesas de almoço", ou mercados on-line para a comunicação, existem atualmente (e em grande número), o actual estado de coisas de cyber estimula o desejo de gratificação instantânea, ou feedback em tempo real. Enquanto alertas e notificações em outros estabelecimentos podem lembrá-lo de conversas existentes, ter uma ferramenta de comunicação no local permite um fluxo mais orgânico de comunicação. Clientes podem sentir que eles são realmente uma parte de uma conversa dinâmica, ao invés de proferir nada anônimo ao vento. Os usuários podem criar relacionamentos mais substanciais com o outro e por sua vez, retornar ao site para continuar estas amizades baseadas no interesse de brotamento. Tópicos serão mais propensos a ficar no curso, dado a sua colocação em uma posição centralizada, autoritária, e você será mais provável sustentar relações P2P, dado que seu site vai ser o elo comum (literalmente) compartilhado entre os telespectadores.  Tal como no colegial, todo mundo quer ser uma parte de um grupo e a sua conversa. Sua rede social no local vai dar seu espectador uma voz e aumentar a probabilidade de que ele ou ela será ouvida.

Em termos de construção de uma comunidade, retenção de usuário é mais provável aumentar se os espectadores se sintam em casa. Se eles já estão acoplando em uma conversa, eles são mais propensos a retomar a entrada se eles sentem que eles estão em um grupo constituído por pares pensativos, baseados no respeito e interesses mútuos.

Tendo um (ou vários) dos membros de sua equipe como uma presença social activa no seu site é um ganha-ganha para todas as partes. Na perspectiva do cliente, eles podem obter conhecimento da interação com um líder de pensamento e o ambiente informal em que é preciso fornece um componente mais humanizado e menos formal ou mecânico.

Além disso, escusado será dizer que uma empresa precisa para determinar interesses e desejos dos seus clientes e tendo dentro de uma fonte na linha de frente é uma das maneiras mais fáceis de fazer isso. Ao aprender os temas populares em seus fóruns, você terá uma idéia melhor do que pode ser adicionado, editado ou removido para maximizar o potencial do seu site e impulsionar seus objetivos de negócios futuros.

Em essência, um site interativo prioriza e centraliza não apenas os produtos por também o discurso associado a sua marca. Sua página de destino é o teu ganha pão, dado o seu estatuto como autoridade oficial da sua empresa. Se ficarmos com os tempos e perceber que os consumidores devem estar engrenados com eficiência para assegurar a conversão, então temos de reconhecer como é importante para criar um produto visualmente atraente que fornece um balcão único para as necessidades do seu público.

Finalmente, os consumidores se esforçam para uma conexão humana, ao invés de uma resposta técnica, formalizada a sua entrada de rede social. Combine ganhando visuais com discussões interativas, informais, para garantir que seu site é um vale a pena ler de um dia para o outro.

Ben Shwartz é o VP de Marketing da Spot.IM. Ele gosta de comprar e vender sites e imergir-se em tudo e qualquer coisa no Reino de marketing on-line.

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3 Melhores jogos leves para PC

Age of Empires 2: HD Edition

O Age of Empires 2: HD Edition é um clássico jogo de estratégia para Windows que ganha um relançamento em alta definição e outras novidades. O título, lançado originalmente em 1999, retorna com todos os elementos que fizeram sua fama. Não deixe de baixar Age of Empires 2: HD Edition e confira!

Os fãs do game original podem curtir todo o seu conteúdo da forma que o conheciam, como as facções originais e também da expansão, Conquerors, que está dentro do pacote comercializado no Steam. O relançamento foi realizado pela própria Microsoft, também responsável pela primeira versão.

Além dos gráficos em alta definição, esta nova versão promete um modo online competitivo, da mesma forma que existia no primeiro jogo. Além disso, há um ranking online, compatibilidade com Steam Cloud e Conquistas Steam, para deixar a diversão ainda mais completa.

Cerca de 18 civilizações estão disponíveis para que os jogadores conquistem seu território e expandam sua dominação mundial. Faça o download de Age of Empires 2: HD Edition e divirta-se!

Link para download:

http://age-of-empires-2-hd.softonic.com.br/download

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Batman: Arkham City

atman Arkham City é uma das maiores aventuras do Cavaleiro das Trevas já criada para o mundo dos games. Exclusivo para PC e com um cenário incrivelmente inspirado na sombria Gotham City, este jogo de ação e aventura em mundo aberto também incorpora elementos furtivos e beat’em up em sua jogabilidade.

Outro ponto forte é a história e a maneira com que ela se desenvolve. O jogo começa com Bruce Wayne sendo preso pelos mercenários de Hugo Strange, principal vilão do game, que não só revela a identidade secreta do super-herói ao deixá-lo com os bandidos, como também pretende um tal “Protocolo 10”, e o justiceiro deverá impedir que essa ação tenha início.

Bem-vindo à Cidade Arkham

Continuação de Batman Arkham Asylum, o jogo agora conta com um cenário em mundo aberto, e o jogador opta por tornar sua narrativa linear ou não – seguindo missões da história ou paralelas, enquanto Batman plana pelos céus de Gotham.

O Morcegão irá se encontrar com dezenas de seus inimigos mais notórios, como Duas-Caras, Victor Szas, Mr. Freeze, Pinguim, Homem-Calendário, o Coringa, e Harley Quinn, e contará com a ajuda de Robin, Mulher-Gato e Asa Noturna para enfrentar os desafios.

Entre socos e chutes

O sistema de combate é simples. Basta se aproximar de um grupo de inimigos que Batman consegue vencer diversos deles, precisando apenas prestar atenção para contra-atacar. É possível dar chutes e socos, usar alguns itens que só o herói tem acesso, como a Bat-garra, para desarmar inimigos.

Além disso, é sempre melhor despistar o grupo de inimigos e enfrentá-los um a um, seja em combates ou nas sombras. Opções para isso sempre existirão, mas você irá decidir qual caminho irá trilhar: sob as luzes ou sombras.

O modo detetive também está de volta, e com ele é possível observar quais grupos de inimigos estão próximos ou distantes do local que você se posiciona, além das batidas cardíacas que eles possuem em momentos de nervosismo e situações de stress.

Exclusivo para PC

Uma das melhorias feitas para a versão dos computadores é a melhoria gráfica com o DirectX 11, que deixa os cenários e personagens ainda mais detalhados do que a versão dos consoles. Certifique-se de que sua placa de vídeo seja compatível com essa tecnologia e tire o máximo de proveito dela.

Como utilizar o Steam

Primeiramente é preciso realizar o download do aplicativo e instalar em seu computador. Você pode baixar o Steam diretamente Techtudo Downloads. Em seguida, você deve clicar na opção Criar nova conta para se registrar e seguir os passos em português.

Entenda tudo sobre o serviço Steam. Na tela principal do aplicativo Steam, você vai notar quatro principais tópicos: Loja, Biblioteca, Notícia e Comunidade. Na “Loja”, você vai navegar pelo site do Steam para conhecer e baixar os seus jogos preferidos. Tudo que você baixar, ficará listado na área “Biblioteca”.

Para baixar uma demo jogável e gratuita, vá até a “Loja”, clique em “Demonstrações” e escolha um jogo, procurando pelo nome.

Link para download:

http://www.gamestorrent.biz/download/[www.gamestorrent.biz]Batman_Arkham_City-Black_Box.pc.torrent

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Diablo 3

Diablo 3 é o terceiro capítulo da famosa série de RPG de ação da produtora Blizzard. O game está disponível para Windows e Mac e apresenta uma aventura dividida em atos, na qual o jogador precisa, novamente, avançar entre hordas de monstros para salvar o mundo de mais uma ameaça das profundezas. O título foi lançado mais de 10 anos após o anterior, Diablo 2, o que gerou muitas expectativas nos fãs.

O game começou a ter novidades no meio deste tempo e, desde então, muitas foram as novidades, inovações e até decepções que os jogadores tiveram. As primeiras imagens mostravam um pouco do “novo visual” que Diablo 3 adotaria, o que deixou algumas pessoas desanimadas. O aspecto sombrio dos jogos originais havia dado lugar a algo mais vivo, colorido e, principalmente, claro. Era tudo que a saga “não” precisava, na opinião de quem curtia, o que levou a Blizzard a mudar seu design.

Quando lançado, o título provou que os temores eram desnecessários e o jogo agradou não somente a fãs, mas também a quem jogava pela primeira série. Tudo isso graças a um visual que não chegava a ser tão sombrio, mas que também não desrespeitava os clássicos, além da jogabilidade acessível.

A era medieval dominada por forças das trevas

Jogabilidade simples e desafiante

Jogo aleatório

Caça aos itens

Multiplayer

Uma aventura completa

A série começa em um tempo de um conflito sem fim, chamado Guerra Eterna. Os anjos do céu e uma legião do inferno estão em constante embate. No meio dessa batalha, um grupo de anjos rebeldes criou com a Pedra do Mundo o continente Santuário, que se tornou uma região de paz escondida. Essa tranquilidade, porém, não durou muito.

Na história de Diablo 3, 20 anos se passaram desde que os Males Supremos foram derrotados e banidos do mundo de Santuário. Agora, cabe ao personagem do jogador voltar para onde tudo começou – a pequena cidade de Tristram – e investigar a suposta queda de uma estrela, o primeiro indício do renascimento do mal e o presságio para o Fim dos Dias.

No game, o feiticeiro Deckard Cain aparece com sua sobrinha, Leah, quando um cometa de fogo segue em direção à catedral de Tristam. O jogador precisa descobrir a relação desse astro com os eventos estranhos que acontecem naquela região. Assim, é possível jogar com cinco classes de heróis distintos – bárbaro, feiticeiro, arcanista, monge e o caçador de demônios –, e cada um deles tem uma variedade de feitiços e habilidades.

O mundo de Santuário também apresenta novas áreas externas e internas. Além disso, novos ambientes interativos, com várias armadilhas e obstáculos, foram criados. O jogo possui quatro opções de dificuldade – Normal, Pesadelo, Tormento e Inferno -, o que o deixa ainda mais desafiador, caso o jogador deseje.

Diablo 3 apresenta uma jogabilidade de fácil acesso. Qualquer um pode sentar na cadeira do computador e aprender em poucos minutos como lidar com os inimigos. Com o mouse, posicionamos onde queremos nossos personagens em um dos botões, enquanto no outro, atacamos sem dó nem piedade nossos alvos.

Cada um dos personagens possui suas próprias habilidades. O arcanista, por exemplo, pode atacar à distância com magias e outras habilidades, enquanto o bárbaro precisa chegar perto para acabar com os alvos, graças à sua força bruta. Da mesma forma ocorre com o monge, que prefere uma abordagem de proximidade, apesar de não ser tão forte quanto o guerreiro, mas, por outro lado, é mais rápido.

Saber lidar com cada classe e descobrir qual sua favorita é o segredo para se dar bem em Diablo 3. O ideal é que o jogador teste um pouco de cada uma e aventure-se em alguns minutos do jogo para ver como se sai com todas elas, para que assim saiba o caminho a seguir.

Mas não pense que seu herói escolhido vai sair sozinho por aí. Caso o jogador opte por isso, ele terá uma companhia controlada pelo computador, que vai ajudar durante as explorações dos mapas e masmorras. Chamados de seguidores, o jogo base conta com três no total – templário, vigarista e sibila -, novamente cada um com suas respectivas habilidades.

Diablo 3 utiliza um sistema de geração aleatória de mapas. Isto é, seu jogo nunca vai ser o mesmo duas ou mais vezes. Sempre que for se aventurar no mundo do game, verá um cenário diferente e com inimigos distintos.

Os monstros mudam de lugar, assim como baús de itens e os objetos deixados por inimigos abatidos. Mesmo que jogue com um amigo, seu cenário vai ser totalmente diverso. Há um único item que não muda: a cidade principal, onde é possível vender e trocar itens, construir novos objetos, salvar o progresso e obter dicas de outros personagens controlados pelo computador. Mas, lá, não se encontra inimigos.

Um dos pontos mais divertidos de Diablo continua intacto neste capítulo: a caça aos itens. Cada monstro derrotado pode “dropar” objetos, como os jogadores falam, o que vai de acordo com a sorte de cada um. Estes itens podem ser armas e equipamentos raros ou apenas lixo que deve ser descartado ou vendido.

Os materiais podem ser equipados no momento em que são encontrados e sua raridade segue o mesmo esquema que os fãs de Diablo já conhecem. Alguns itens mágicos vêm com a cor azul ao redor, enquanto outros mais raros ou lendários podem ter um contorno amarelo ou dourado. É bom sempre saber identificar seus equipamentos, para que não perca nenhum detalhe entre as batalhas – e consequentemente não perca também a oportunidade de ficar ainda mais poderoso.

Diablo 3 possui um robusto sistema de multiplayer. Por ser sempre online, o jogo está constantemente aberto para que você entre na partida de um amigo ou vice-versa. Isso facilita bastante a comunicação entre duas pessoas que quiserem jogar juntas, por não ser preciso estarem na mesma parte do jogo para que um ajude o outro.

Há ainda o modo competitivo, o famoso “modo arena”, que era muito popular em Diablo 2 e chegou nesta edição com novidades. Aqui é possível fazer diferente: desafiar um amigo online e ver quem é o mais forte. Para jogar o competitivo, é preciso falar com o personagem Nek, o Brigão, na cidade de cada ato. Gamers mais antigos, porém, podem estranhar uma novidade neste modo de jogo : não é possível morrer de forma permanente e perder todos os seus itens e progresso, algo que era um cenário comum na versão anterior.

Diablo 3 mostra ser uma aventura completa em diversos aspectos, seja pelo desafio ou pela quantidade de novidades apresentadas aos jogadores. Ainda que sua acessibilidade tenha ficado em alta nesta versão, fãs mais antigos podem aproveitar e se sentir em casa. Baixe agora e vá caçar criaturas das trevas!

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