I recently received the following question:
I wanted to know if JobShuk has any specific guidelines for articles.
I took the word "article" to mean that the content should be… well, content. Interesting and hopefully useful information, which still serves the purpose of promoting the writer’s business.
However, a lot of recent articles have been 2-5 line advertisements.I have been spending a lot of time on each article to write real content. The "reward" is that my article temporarily appears in the JobShuk Home page "Articles" list. However, when my articles immediately get bumped off the Home page by 2-5 line advertisements, I think to myself that either I do not need to invest too much time writing articles, or the writers of the super-short ads may need to be provided with some guidelines as to what an article should be.
I know this message may sound petty and resentful, but like the rest of us JobShukkers, I need to advertise. If I can do that more time-efficiently by writing super-short ads and posting them as articles, I would like to know that. Perhaps JobShuk could post some guidelines as to what an article should be (ie is there a minimum length, can it be a blatant advertisement, should it contain useful information, etc)?
I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that I really love JobShuk! It is a great platform for advertising and networking, and a pleasure to use.
I responded as follows:
The articles/blog section was conceived to add value and content to your JobShuk presence, without overcrowding your main profile. The articles could be used to present a portfolio for people checking out your profile, or be a way to attract people to your profile and ultimately hire you.
The homepage placement of the ads is only one way to get people into your articles/profile. More commonly, people visit the articles via the weekly newsletter or directly from search engines. I wouldn’t worry too much about other articles sweeping yours off the homepage. Just keep them coming on a regular basis, and you’ll continue to see the rewards.
I may not be in complete agreement with my partners, but I believe that visitors can quickly discern and filter between the useful content and authors, and those who post uninteresting, irrelevant, or inappropriate information. Shouting the loudest might get you heard briefly, but if you’ve got something interesting to say, people will stay and listen.
Keep those articles coming, and keep your questions coming too!