How to Organize a Steady Stream of AC Content Topics

1--- Use a Master Document to set up topic documents

Set up an AC Master Document in Word for input of your articles. Organize this in the same sequence as the AC Publish pages. I use single table rows for titles and other one-line entries. This allows me to partially complete the article in terms of title, sub-title, references etc. prior to writing the body of the content. When I have completed the article, I use copy/paste to insert the information into the AC Publish pages.

2--- Organize an AC Directory and sub-directories on your computer

Efficient organization of your computer files cuts down search time for documents you want to work on. My AC Directory has sub-directories for various topic categories such as Sport, Writing/Editing, Food and Wine, Lifestyle etc. I also have an "Almost Completed" sub-directory into which I transfer articles that only need minor editing prior to publishing. There is also a Published sub-directory where I archive all published articles.

Note: I have separate directories for all the segments of my writing business. I never have trouble finding documents quickly. I also never put anything in "My Documents". All my directories hang off C:

C:/Business/Associated Content/...
C:/Business/Fiction Projects/...
C:/Business/Non-Fiction Projects/...
C:/Business/Technical Writing Clients/...

To keep track of how many articles I have in each category stream, at the end of the working day I rename each content sub-folder with the number of articles in progress - eg. Writing - 3; Sport - 5; Aged Care - 7, Almost Completed - 5. This gives me an instant view of how much AC content I have on the go.

3--- Accumulate topics daily in an AC work session

I work on a range of writing assignments and projects, so managing my day so I push forward with all of these is vital. I allocate a set amount of time for each of my work segments.

During my daily AC work session (3 hours), I spend about half an hour accumulating topics. This involves scanning newspapers and other sites on the Internet for ideas. I also do AC searches for topics that might not have already been addressed. A search that comes up with no outcome or just a few articles on that topic or something vaguely connected could be a good topic to write about, but not necessarily.

As each new topic comes to mind, I call up my Master document, insert the title of the new article and save it to its category sub-directory. I then enter notes, URLs to revisit, AC reference URLs etc.

It is surprising how many new topics you can devise in half an hour and using my method to set them up means I spend less time when I actually go to write the article.

4--- Spare time "Think Tank"

I always have a notebook and pen handy wherever I go or while I watch TV - to jot down ideas that come to mind during the ads. If a particularly interesting program comes on, I take notes so I can decide whether to write something on that topic. Yesterday at the local Laundromat while I was washing blankets to put away for the summer, I came up with 30 new topics.

5--- Keep articles on the move - set up a production line

I give priority to news comments and write these first. After I have completed and published any news content, I scan my sub-directories for the articles I want to focus on for the next few days. I don't necessarily write a complete article in one session. I do a bit on one and a bit on another and keep them rolling along in a production line. My aim from now on is to complete and publish at least 1 article a day - 2 if possible - and to try not to miss a day until the end of 2009. If I need to play "catch-up", this is easy because I have my article stream well organized. I also have an AC content schedule (a simple table document) that lists my in-progress articles and their status.

6--- Be first with the news

To be first in with a newsworthy report gives you an edge and the possibility of following that topic through to its conclusion with a number of articles. More content on one news topic means lots of page views and fans joining your group to follow the article stream. A recent example is the Balloon Boy Hoax. Roz Zurko was first with this item of international interest and I am sure many people followed the excellent stream of articles (9 in total) she wrote as the news broke on various aspects of the hoax. This type of reporting ensures a rising page view count. An added bonus was Roz's article about a Halloween Balloon Boy Costume.

7--- Do forward planning for scheduled events

Every town or city has a schedule of events, some of which will be of interest to AC content readers. Check out schedules in your area and set up an article for those you want to report on. For instance, I discovered the World Masters Games were on in Sydney recently. I have already done research for a number of forthcoming events to be held in various Australian cities during the next few months. By setting up the topics early, you don't miss an opportunity to hit the ground running when that event is on.

Keep a diary of forthcoming events to ensure you don't miss an opportunity to complete and publish the planned content.

8--- Share your knowledge and tips

Sharing tips about how you manage your AC writing assignments will always engender a lot of interest. I particularly enjoyed Jennifer Wagner's article on The Benefits of Writer's Block and Wayne Thomas's My Writing and Certain Articles.

9--- Become a specialist

Everyone has something they are really good at - or a number of things. Identify your specializations and milk them for all they are worth. Don't forget to hook up with like-minded people so they know when you are publishing on their favorite topic. I like sharing writing advice and tips because writing is my profession. I also care for my 90 year old mother who has age-onset dementia. This gives me two specializations in two diverse arenas.

10--- Please your fans and favorites

Get to know your fans and favorites and the types of articles that interest them. Choose topics with broad appeal within your fan-base. For instance, I love cooking and have published quite a few recipes. They don't get big page view numbers, but this tactic has brought me some wonderful fans who also like cooking. When somebody becomes a fan, they follow you no matter what you write about. Through a common interest you can expand your fan base on AC.

11--- Abandon redundant topics

Sometimes a topic will become redundant or I will lose interest in it. To streamline my directories, I delete any topics that I am never going to proceed with. This tactic keeps the focus on the content I will definitely see through to publication.

12--- My AC journey is just starting

I started publishing on AC content on 25 September 2009 - 7 recipes - "putting my toe in the water". It wasn't until I published my first news report Jessica Watson - Aussie Girl to Sail Solo Around the World and a follow-up article Jessica Watson to Set Sail on Sunday, 18 October 2009 that I realized the power of writing news-related comment and the impact it could have on my AC presence. My page views suddenly increased dramatically, so I pushed on with more content and my Clout Level quickly rose to 4. This is a modest situation, but I am off and running and goal-setting to improve my ratings.

Be organized, get your content stream going, set achievable goals for each month. Monitor your progress and do whatever you have to do to kick things along.

I hope sharing my work methods will help other AC members to manage content topics efficiently and get more content out there. Good luck for success on AC.

Source:

Personal experience

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