A few years back, the phenomenon of traveling clothes became popular – at least in theory of not in practice. While I didn’t make a habit out of mailing my favorite clothes to share with proportionally compatible friends, there was plenty of hype about the Traveling Pants, the magical Sisterhood ones that never seemed to wear out or need a washing.
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by Bethaney Wallace
I am a writer; I put words together and people pay me for it. But like any web writer, or at least one who is still in the beginning stages of their career, finding new work is sometimes easier than others. Some days I can’t keep up, working into the morning to meet deadlines, and others I’m spending the day reading blogs and painting my nails. The inconsistencies though, are also part of what makes me love the job.
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While this post does contain affiliate links, I was not asked to write any posts about the manufacturer of Dragon Naturally Speaking. This is simply a personal experience I wanted to share with TSR readers.
If you put off writing your blog posts, online articles, or other content because you think it takes too long, I highly recommend Dragon Naturally Speaking. I got a deal on the software on TigerDirect. I paid $35 and then turned in my $30 rebate. The normal retail price of the software is about $100 and includes a microphone headset.
Once you install the software, it takes you through a series of tests that measures your vocabulary, speaking volume, and voice speed. You can also add different users so it remains accurate for each different person.
Unfortunately, the rebate is no longer active on TigerDirect, but you can still purchase it from Amazon for a good price—Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 (11 is the most current version) is available for $38. The newest version is available for about $75 and also includes a headset. The software did automatically search for updates once it was installed.
The software manufacturer’s state the Naturally Speaking is 99% accurate right from the start and can be up to three times faster than typing. The first time I used the software on a project, I wrote a 1650 word article for a client in about an hour. This included research and image search. Normally, an article of this size would have taken me about 2 to 3 hours.
Do you have any positive experiences with speech recognition software? If so, share them in the comments.
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A lot of Search Engine Marketing “Experts” will say that a blog is perfect for getting those much-needed keywords onto your website that will help you rank higher and better in search engine organic results. The problem with that is, search engines aren’t actually “reading” your content. They are simply scanning it. And eventually, when you have an actual real person that visits your website, they will read your “content” and realize what a hack you are. They will not pass your content on nor will they visit your website again. This means that all the effort and time you spent writing blog entires stuffed with keywords and anchor text that had nothing important to say may have gotten visitors to your website, but it didn’t keep them there. It didn’t help push people to spread what you have to say via Twitter, Facebook, or email.
When it comes down to it, writing thoughtful, well-written blog entries are the best way to attract steady, relevant users to your website. Sure, they may not have all the “desired” search terms or keywords that you’re hoping to rank for, but it WILL show visitors and potential customers your expertise and make them interested in what you have to say.
In many ways, it’s harder to write for the search engines than it is for real people. Trying to fit in the word “costume” when only “costumes” seems to make sense can be a real challenge and lead to awkward sentences that will repel readers. Writing out your natural thoughts about a subject and teaching others what you have to say seems to roll off the tongue (or off the fingers, in computer-speak) much easier than any well-structured search engine blog post ever could.
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Image courtesy of Caitlinator on Flickr.
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