Content Writer Micky’s Blog

Archive for February, 2009

I manage and update the content of websites for various clients across the globe. Many of these businesses don’t have the in-house skills, the software or the time to update their own websites. So I do it for them, at a minimal cost to them. Because I’m an expert in this, it doesn’t have take me too long to change content on a website. And I only charge for my time spent.

One of the sites I’ve recently updated again is the Coffs Coast Waste Services website. This regional domestic waste collection and recycling business has just published new bin collection calendars and a new ‘Waste-Wise’ booklet for residents.

I’ve posted the new materials and have made some changes to other content that had become outdated on some of the inside pages. While I was at it, I also changed some of the page titles for SEO purposes, to try and rank higher in search engines for certain relevant keywords and search phrases.

If you have a website that needs updating, as a one-off or on a regular basis, contact me at Content Writer to discuss the options, or read more about the possibilities and my charges on my web page about my Web Content Updating Service.

Also read this related blog post for further information.

Among the things I do, besides writing content, SEO and creating websites, is public relations and writing media releases. Between mid January and mid February, I spent four weeks filling in for the media officer at the City Council of the city I live in, Coffs Harbour. This is something I had done previously in my job managing the Council’s websites.

The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, first with the horrible bushfires in Victoria and then with some areas of Coff Harbour and surrounding areas being flooded when we had more than 200mm of rain in two days.

Russell Crowe, who has a home in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour, and spends time there with his family now and then, was here for an NRL pre-season match of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a team he partly owns.

During a live fundraising telethon broadcast nationally, he announced an iniative to raise funds to build a new community centre in one of the fire-ravaged areas in Victoria. Coffs Harbour City Council was to be the organiser and call centre for the appeal.

That ensured we had a couple of very busy days after that, organising all legalities, getting information up on the website and sending out media releases. (See the first Russell Crowe bushfire appeal media release and for further info see the second one.)

Other aspects of the job were responding to media enquiries, arranging interviews and photo opportunities, and editing and proofreading documents and letters from Council’s many departments and facilities before they were published or sent out.

One morning, I got to witness the release of Dodger, a koala who had been hit by a car several months ago and broke his leg. He had undergone surgery with the financial help of Council and was nursed back to full strength by members of WIRES, our local wildlife rescue organisation. The members of the local media, Dodger’s carers, the vets who had operated on him and myself were all very pleased to see Dodger quickly and happily climb up high into the tree he was released in. Let’s hope he stays in the forest and away from the highway! The release got good coverage in the local papers and on a regional television channel. (See the press release I wrote that led to the media covering the story.)

Anyway, just a little story to illustrate that public relations and press releases are part of what I do. If you’re looking to get a story out there, I may be able to help you. I have many years’ experience as a journalist and in public relations and know how to write an effective media release.

Get in touch with me, Micky Stuivenberg, Content Writer, if you need help with your public relations in Coffs Harbour, the NSW Mid North Coast or elsewhere.

I’ve written an SEO article titled “How To Select The Best Canvas Shape For Your Photo Canvas” for my client Prints R Us, which I will be posting on various article submission sites soon.

The idea is to get more incoming links via anchor text links with the targeted keywords, which should help rank Prints R Us higher in Google for those keywords. And if it generates extra traffic to the site, that would be nice too, of course!

Before I can post it elsewhere, Prints R Us has put the article on its own website and we’re just waiting for Google to index the page. This way, if it later finds the same article on various other websites, it will recognise Prints R Us as the originator of the article and won’t penalise it for publishing duplicate content or anything.